RICE Paper: Emerald/Jewell

Date: Wed, 01 Nov 1995 00:14:21 -1600
From: Michael Bailey <pd82495@wapol.gov.au>
Subject: RICE Paper:  Emerald/Jewell

Updated to reflect data from the Regency Sourcebook.

Rice Paper #SM-1006 Emerald/Jewell

Emerald (Jewell:  Spinward Marches/1006)
B766555-B S   Ag Ni              534 Dd M1 V      <---- 1107 data
A766555-C S,I Ag Ni Rw:Z         934 RE M1 V      <---- 1202 data
G = 1.27, Day = 32:09:08.32, Year = 56d 01:26:45.67
Atmo = 0.65, No weather control
Temp = +21.4 (6/lat +18 to -42) (season +9.0 to -15.0, 40 deg lat)
Daily temp range +9.6 to -48.0
Native life present     
Agricultural, Ores, Crystals, Agroproducts, Metals, Durables, Artforms
Conservative/Indifferent, Competetive/Neutral, Discordant/Aloof
Legal: 5-61536  Tech:  CB-CBCCB-CCBC-CC-F

Emerald is one of five worlds of the Jewell Cluster, straddling the
Regency/Zhodani border in the Jewell Sector.  Fortified for centuries
against the threat of Zhodani invasion, the system is still the site of
considerable military activity, despite improvements in relations with the
Consulate.  Emerald is also an important link between the Regency advance
naval base at Quar (Chronor:  Spinward Marches/0807) and naval forces
operating in the Jewell and Regina subsectors.

Emerald was settled in 308, by the followers of disgraced Sylean nobleman
Aklas Ecannis. Ecannis, the Duke of Ecan (2316/Core), was executed for
cowardice in 306, following the Battle of Concorde during the Aslan Border
Wars.  Stripped of title and privelige, Ecannis' family was permitted to
emigrate to the Spinward Marches.  By calling in old favours, the newly
widowed Eritrea Ecannis was able to secure a charter to settle Jewell.
About two hundred family and retainers arrived in late 308, and founded the
first settlement at Eritrea.

Although self-sufficient, the colony grew only slowly.  Periodically,
labourers and craftsmen would be recruited from Jewell and Regina, but
settlement remained largely confined to the area around Eritrea.  Although a
part of the Imperium, Emerald remained unrepresented to the imperial court
(by decree in 306, no member of the Ecannis family was permitted to hold
title).  As the imperial presence in the area grew, Emerald began exporting
agricultural products to the rapidly growing Jewell (already emerging as a
major industrial world).

Nonetheless, contact with offworlder remained confined to the small 'E'
class starport at Masand Caldera, and Emerald remained isolationist.  The
Ecannis family allowed no further settlement, and restricted offworlders to
the starport compound.  This self-imposed isolation was to be stretched to
breaking point as tensions between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate
rose, and ultimately shattered by the outbreak of the First Frontier War.

>From 510 onwards, Imperial Navy fleet elements deployed to the Emerald
system from the naval base on Jewell for maneuvers.  The Navy established a
small service facility in the outer system, although craft did occasionally
land on the mainworld. In 540, Grand Admiral Severin Gouden appointed a
legate to the small settlement, mainly to co-ordinate the requisition of
foodstuffs, and keep an eye on the politically suspect natives (as early as
460, Imperial Naval Intelligence suspected Zhodani sympathies in the Ecannis
family).  Emerald's starport was also upgraded to 'D' class, over the
protests of the planet's rulers.

With the Zhodani invasion of Imperial space in 591, martial law was declared
on Emerald. Members of the Ecannis family thought to be 'unreliable' were
interred on Jewell as Imperial forces were pushed back from their original
defensive positions.  The Zhodani attacke and captured Jewell in 592, and
were to remain in possession of the world almost until the war's end.
During the Zhodani occupation, the world was used as a prison camp for
partisans captured on Jewell, and the world was forced to endure the
presence of large numbers of Zhodani ground troops.

Following Admiral Plankwell's recapture of Jewell in 603, Zhodani forces
evacuated Emerald and fled into Consulate space.  Imperial troops liberated
the world shortly afterwards, but a large garrison was kept in place beyond
the war's end.  In 606, the Ecannis family was allowed to return to Emerald.
Limitations on offworlder-native contact remained, but were increasingly
hard to enforce.  This was illustrated by the decision of the Ecannis heir,
Sar Valain Ecannis to apply for the Imperial Naval Academy in 608.  His
decision outraged his relatives, but they were powerless to stop him after
he received the somewhat unexpected support of the Imperial legate.  

Sar Valain went on to distinguish himself in the Second Frontier War, and as
a squadron commander for Admiral (later Empress) Arbellatra Akhalikoi during
the later stages of the Civil War.  Sar Valain returned to Emerald in 626,
as the new Imperial legate, and was instrumental in persuading the Ecannis
family to restrict the most stringent of their isolationist practises.  On
becoming head of the Ecannis family in 630, Empress Arbellatra rescinded the
decrees against the Ecannis family issued by Empress Porphyria in 306, and
Sar Valain was named Baron Emerald.  The office of Imperial legate to
Emerald was dissolved.

Sar Valain's descendants concentrated on developing Emerald's export
economy.  Large tracts of land were cultivated, using increasingly
sophisticated agrotechnology.  By 900, Emerald was supplying large amounts
of grain to Jewell, despite it's small population. The starport facilities
were progressively upgraded to their current capabilities as the Imperial
(and later Regency) Navy increased it's presence in the system.  This
pattern has been uninterrupted since, despite occupation by the Zhodani in
the Third and Fifth Frontier Wars.

Emerald's highly automated agricultural industry faced upheaval when the
first reports of Virus filtered into the Regency.  The enforced switch from
autonomous to supervised robotics was expensive and damaging to the world's
economy - damage which is still felt by many on Emerald.  Production is once
again approaching pre-1130 levels, but further progress is hampered by an
acute labour shortage on this isolationist world.  Emerald's leaders,
reluctant to hire offworlders to enlarge their labour pool, took the
unprecedented step of allowing Zhodani refugees to settle.  The decision was
the subject of long and bitter debate, but the first Zhodani were finally
admitted in 1201.  The arrival of nearly thirty thousand Zhodani refugees is
likely to have profound effects on the social structure of Emerald, the
long-term result of these effects will be, to say the least, interesting to
observe.

Only a small proportion of refugees arriving on Emerald are allowed to stay,
the rest are sent on to the holding camps on Jewell.  Those that do stay are
absorbed directly into Emerald's rather stratified society.
  
The Ecannis family still rules on Emerald, as the Five Families.  Each of
the Five Families is responsible for an area of activity on Emerald, and is
largely independent of both the other four families and the ruling Head.
The current Five Families are:  Ecannis-Astrakhanna (starport facilities,
energy production), Ecannis-Shtabul (food production and export), Ilike
(mineral production and export), Farsi-Ecannis (construction and
infrastructure) and Ecannis-Valain (communications, information and
administration).  Smaller branches of the Ecannis family control other
activities, normally under the guidance and direction of one of the Five.
Baron Emerald (also known as the Head) comes from the Ecannis-Valain branch,
succession is passed through the male line.

Below the level of the ruling families, rank and position is largely based
on merit.  Particularly powerful, skilled or successful individuals are
often rewarded with marriage or adoption into a Family, giving them
effectively 'noble' status.  At the bottom of the ladder are the workers,
although given the small population and high technology of the world, even
these are skilled, rather than unskilled workers, and enjoy a good standard
of living.  It is among this class that the labour shortage is most acutely
felt.  The shortage of skilled workers has placed severe constraints on the
Families' ability to export food and mineral products, but the inherent
isolationism (which can cross the line into xenophobia) of the world makes
solving this problem difficult.  Newly arriving Zhodani refugees are
'adopted' into a family and it's vassals, depending on their skills.  

When entering the system, travellers will normally find themselves exiting
j-space near Phantome (orbit 1, large gas giant).  A beacon at the regular
jump exit point directs incoming ships to the Regency Quarantine Station on
Mitchell, a smallish moon orbiting Phantome.  Standard quarantine
proceedures will be followed (see the Jewell and Ruby papers for further
details) by Regency Quarantine Service staff before the incoming vessel will
be cleared to travel in-system to Emerald.

Approaching the mainworld, it is quickly apparent that Emerald lives up to
it's name.  Much of it's land surface is covered in uncleared vegetation,
and it's generally shallow seas also have a greenish tinge.  Emerald truly
is an inviting world when viewed from orbit - only it's presence near the
Zhodani border prevented further settlement.  Emerald Starport (Masand
Caldara) is a small 'B' class facility closely tied to the Scout base.  It's
small repair facility is not normally available for public use, although
emergency repairs are possible.  Refined fuel is available at the public
facility, but is expensive (Cr 6,500/ton) as are berthing fees (Cr 200/day).

The starport lies some 50 km southeast of Eritrea, the oldest and largest
town with a population of about 14,000.  Travel by air/raft takes about 15
minutes, or about 30 minutes in extreme weather conditions.  There is a road
link to the starport, but it's use is mainly confined to freight haulage.
As the passenger approaches Eritrea, he/she will notice the walled compounds
just outside the town's edge.  These are private estates belonging to the
Families and their servants, and are off-limits to visitors without an
invitation.  The larger Families maintain a number of compounds, near to
their major concerns.

The commonfolk of Emerald are polite, if somewhat reticent.  Contact and
conversation with offworlders is not encouraged among the general
population.  The Ecannis-Valain family maintains a Liason Centre in Eritrea,
where younger members of this family are on hand to inteface between
visitors and the locals.  The Liason Centre can be found in the Carpaty
Plaza, next to the offices of the Jewell Embassy.

Addendum:  348-1201

Visitors to Emerald are advised to exercise caution when travelling outside
of the starport compound.  Certain conservative elements on the planet are
currently actively campaigning against offworld contact, evoking xenophobic
reactions from portions of the population.  Althought Emerald's official
policy is still neutral towards visitors, travellers can expect problems
when dealing with locals, especially those from certain reactionary families
(chiefly Farsi-Ecannis).  Reports of atrocities against newly-arrived
Zhodani refugees are yet to be confirmed.


System Details:

Orbit           Name            UPP             Remarks

Primary         Lustre          M1 V
0               Emerald         B766555-B       Ag Ni
1               Phantome        Large GG
        1       Ring System     YR00000-0
        2       Ring System     YR00000-0
        6       Mitchell        Y300267-B       Qb
        7       Ruapehu         Y200000-0
        9       Sacrist         Y410000-0
       10       Alcharam        Y732000-0
       25       Dervish         Y510000-0
       40       Minime          YS00000-0
       45       Stoly           YS00000-0
2               Planetoid Belt  Y000000-0
3               Siishisha       Large GG
        2       Ring System     YR00000-0
        5       Khudalin        YS00000-0
       40       Gakhidar        Y100000-0
       55       Khuulamdiir     Y401000-0       Ic
      300       Gamuur          Y320000-0
4               Planetoid Belt  Y000000-0
5               Ashakha         Small GG
        7       Shimgeru        YS00000-0
6               Planetoid Belt  Y000000-0
7               Karaku          Small GG
        1       Ring System     YR00000-0
8.4             Chasseur        Y100000-0
Michael Bailey (pd82495@wapol.gov.au)