LOCATION -1, 3 POPULATION 970,000 POLICING Minimal - starports only EQUIPMENT Basic equipment only JOINED 3262

ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION

  Veliaze is a fairly small main sequence type K orange star, fusing hydrogen to helium in its core. Its spectral type is compatible with terrestrial-like life forms, and the planet New Africa was easily terraformed during the latter part of the 29th Century. The orbital distance of New Africa gives it a temperate climate, averaging 22 Celcius.

HISTORY AND NOTABLE FEATURES

  The Veliaze system has a turbulent history which has only settled in recent times. The system was originally colonized by a small number of people from three different mining corporations from the 2500's onwards. The corporations decided during the 2800's to terraform Veliaze 1 (which later became known as New Africa) so that larger numbers of miners could be accomodated much more easily.

  The terraformation was very successful, since New Africa was an almost perfect candidate. Within 50 years, life was teeming all over the planet, and the ecosystem was stable. However, even before this, the rot began to set in. A series of increasingly bitter industrial actions began when the mining corporations began trying to replace the workers with slaves. Law and order collapsed, and the miner's unions soon began fighting amongst each other. After a brief civil war, the system fell into a state of anarchy, attractive only to frontier traders, pirates and bounty hunters. A few corporations managed to set up shop, mainly trading in goods that were illegal in adjacent systems. This situation remained, and Veliaze became a "stable anarchy" - a system where although law and order was scant, conditions were good enough that several hundred thousand residents decided to remain.

  This was shattered quite suddenly on the 26th March, 3261 when an Imperial war fleet hyperspaced in without warning and rapidly seized control from the local population (see the TSCA history for more details of this episode). Once the Imperial fleet departed, Emperor Hengist Duval, always on the lookout for a new system to become part of the Empire, left a puppet government in charge. Much to his Imperial annoyance, the puppet government wasn't quite as loyal as he had hoped, and the Veliaze government formally requested Alliance membership in May 3262.

  Veliaze has never been a particularly rich system. Its fortunes have slowly improved, but its main industry is now tourism and some trade. The system still makes a good bounty hunting ground as the police are somewhat overstretched, and rely on bounty hunters to mop up pirates further away from the starports.

CUSTOMS INFORMATION

  Somewhat reflective of its origins as firstly a mining colony then an anarchy, the Veliaze authorities have never bothered with trifling issues such as having a customs and excise department. Therefore, all goods are legal in this system.