Pembric II

"What a desolate hole. No wonder the Empire never really policed the region; who would want the bloody place?"

- Captain Kaiya Adriemtrum's private thoughts upon entering the Pembric system

Pembric II, also referred to as Pembric 2, was a planet in the Pembric system, located in the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Originally terraformed as an agricultural colony, careless actions during the process resulted in unsuitable conditions, creating boggy wetlands and a near constant light rain to fall. Situated in a remote part of the galaxy, and partially isolated by the presence of a dense asteroid field and radiation fields, individuals on Pembric II marketed the world as a resort for gangsters, which eventually evolved into a full-blown shadowport. Soon, a cultured criminal element based themselves off Pembric II, including the Corellian Crev Bombaasa, who controlled a large cartel. The government of Pembric II turned a blind eye to the organized crime due to the large influx of credits they contributed to the planetary economy.

During the Galactic Civil War, Pembric II came under the control of the Galactic Empire, and later Warlord Moff Kentor Sarne. Both parties utilized Pembric II as a source of raw materials, processing hfredium ore mined from the star system's asteroid field on the planet for shipment to Imperial-allied arms [corporations. In 8 ABY, Moff Sarne's control of the sector was broken when New Republic forces evicted him from his capital on Kal'Shebbol. Bombaasa moved quickly, taking control of the planet by establishing a puppet government with pro-Imperial leanings in the hope of dissuading the New Republic from interfering in Pembric II's affairs. That year, the New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar arrived at Pembric II in search of technical experts to assist them in solving problems that they were experiencing with their ship. They ran afoul of Bombaasa and his new regime, but managed to rescue an imprisoned slicer named Gaelin to assist them.

Description
"I hope you weren't planning on sneaking in, by the way. The way your people are lighting up the field, all of Pembric 2 knows we're coming by now.''" "''Actually, according to Mara, most ships have to do some blasting on the way in. Even the locals who supposedly know the routes in and out."

- Shada D'ukal and Talon Karrde

Pembric II, also styled as Pembric 2, was located in the Pembric system of the Outer Rim Territories' Kathol sector at grid coordinates M-21. It was connected via hyperlane to four locations; the Galtea, Sebiris, and Shintel systems, and the nebulae containing the Tanquilla Beach shadowport. Utilizing a Class One hyperdrive, travel to Galtea took a day and eight hours, transit to Sebiris was two days and fourteen hours long, Shintel was three days distant, and it took nineteen hours to reach the Tanquilla Beach space station. A dense asteroid field in the system, coupled with erratic radiation fields, gave Pembric II a measure of isolation from the rest of the sector.

A terrestrial world, Pembric II had a temperature but warm climate, and a drizzling rain fell constantly. The atmosphere was breathable for most species, with standard gravity, and was dominated by boggy wetlands and urban settlements such as Erwithat. The planet also boasted a large amount of beaches, and a field of volcanoes. Days on Pembric II lasted for thirty-three standard hours, and a year was comprised of 302 local days. The population numbered 200 million, and was mostly Human. Nominally controlled by the Galactic Empire, and later warlord Moff Kentor Sarne, for part of the Galactic Civil War, a puppet government was installed in 8 ABY by crime lord Crev Bombaasa to take control of the planet. Law enforcement on the planet was undertaken by the Pembric Security Legion, but the organization was corrupt and controlled by Bombaasa's criminal cartel. Due to the planet's relative isolation, it became a haven for smugglers, pirates, and other criminal elements, evolving into a shadowport. Items defined as contraband by both the Empire and the New Republic were major exports, along with Hfredium ore and other precious stones. Food, technology and weapons were always in demand for importation.

Gangster's paradise
Pembric II was originally a barren rock of a planet, scarred by multiple meteorite impacts. It was terraformed with the intention of establishing an agricultural colony, but the process suffered from careless procedures. The resulting planet was habitable, but uncomfortable and unsuited for its intended purpose. A constant drizzle and boggy wetlands prevented mass agriculture, and the construction of the city of Erwithat and its spaceport was only achieved after a difficult feat of engineering. The planet became home to rough, frontier settlers and criminals. Despite its failure as an agricultural colony, the population made the most of Pembric II's natural assets, which included scenic beaches and volcanic fields. However, due to Pembric II's isolated location in the Outer Rim Territories, a true tourist industry never flourished. However, canny individuals marketed the planet to certain clientèle who found other tourist destinations to be too legally restrictive to conduct business on. In short, Pembric II became a resort world for gangsters.

As gangsters set up their operations on the planet, cantinas, museums and entertainment venues were constructed to service them. This in turn attracted more orderly and cultured criminals who soon overshadowed the planet's original population. Pembric II's corporate government was fully aware of the situation and turned a blind eye to the smuggling and organized crime that was conducted on the planet as long as credits continued to flow into the economy. The Pembric Security Legion, the planetary police force, gained a reputation for corruption.

Imperial rule
When Imperial Moff Kentor Sarne was appointed to rule the Kathol sector, in 2 BBY, he utilized the Pembric system as a mining outpost. Hfredium ore culled from the system's asteroid field was processed on Pembric II and shipped to various Imperial-allied arms manufacturers. Many new workers were transported to the planet to toil for the Empire in the processing plants. The Imperial presence caused a downturn in criminal activity on the planet, and Pembric II's beachfront residences were affected by the rise in industrial activity. Sarne controlled the planet for a number of years, both in an official capacity as a representative of the Empire, and, after the death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor and the subsequent fracturing of Imperial High Command's authority, as an independent warlord. During that time, the Moff allowed the planet to remain a haven for the criminal element, seeing the advantage in having connections to the underworld&mdash;rumors stated that he had an uneasy alliance with the Bombaasa Cartel, run by the Corellian crime lord Crev Bombaasa. The Moff used Pembric II as a training ground for his soldiers and intelligence operatives, staging infrequent crackdowns on the population.

In 8 ABY, Moff Sarne was ousted from his capital, Kal'Shebbol, by the New Republic and his authority over planets in the region was broken. Crev Bombaasa moved quickly to secure the planet for himself, taking control of the mining operations in the asteroid field and purging the Imperial loyalists on the planet&mdash;although some remained by keeping their loyalties a secret. With word spreading throughout the sector that the New Republic had taken Kal'Shebbol and were spreading their influence throughout the region, Bombaasa installed a puppet government. The new body claimed to be pro-Imperial, which Bombaasa hoped would be enough to stave off New Republic interest in the system. The population was ready for a change in government after Imperial rule, and were willing to accept and support the New Republic. The workers brought to the planet by the Empire were stranded by the collapse of Imperial authority in the region, and with the cartel's takeover of the planet, many of the populace wanted to leave. The government attempted to dissuade them by instituting expensive "transit visas" and "exit passes" that were required to leave the planet. An underground business soon emerged that took advantage of the situation, selling transport off-world for extortionate prices. A Rodian, Kebbo, served as Chief Magistrate of the Security Legion. Kebbo was in Bombaasa's employ, and the organization soon came to enforce the Cartel's wishes while on the surface maintaining local law and order. Any being opposing Bombaasa could not count on help from the Legion, and they regularly put down civilian protests with violence.

The New Republic arrives
"Well, that's decided that, gang. Somewhere on Pembric II is a tech crew with our name on it. Yes, Loh'khar? What can I do for you?''" "Ah, Captain, the question is, what can I do for you? I have, perhaps, shown some slight ability to locate desire items, and desired people as well, in the past." "And, of course, you know exactly where to locate the people we need?" "Most assuredly, Captain. Our good Master Spang at the Beach suggested starting with a fellow named Drake at one of the spaceport taverns, did he not? I require no further leads." "''I know I'm going to regret this, but carry on. Get me what we need. I don't like sitting on a time-bonb, Finder."

- Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum and Loh'khar the Finder

The same year, the New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar traveled to Pembric II seeking a man named Breslin Drake, who was the manager of the ThrusterBurn Tapcafe in Erwithat. The FarStar had been plagued with technical difficulties caused by several programming trapdoors and booby traps installed on the vessel by its former owner, Moff Sarne. After one such system was triggered in the Shintel system, destroying the hyperdrive, the FarStar was forced to make repairs at the Tanquilla Beach shadowport. During the refit, the engineer Spang noted that the programming reminded him of work he had seen done by slicers operating from Pembric II. He directed Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum, commander of the FarStar, to Drake, who he believed would be able to lead them to an individual capable of assisting them in removing all the hidden systems. Aware of the planet's reputation, and reasoning that an armed New Republic vessel would not be welcome, Adrimetrum decided to send a team led by procurement specialist Loh'khar the Finder to the planet posing as illegal arms merchants. The would use the FarStar Aegis-class combat shuttle, stripped of New Republic markings, as their transport. Unfortunately for the crew of the FarStar, one of Bombaasa's mining outposts in the asteroid field detected the corvette's arrival and relayed the information to the crime lord.

After landing at the spaceport, the delegation was met by Chief Magistrate Kebbo of the Pembric Security Legion, who had been made aware of their allegiance but had been ordered not to reveal this knowledge. After the New Republic team paid the appropriate bribes to ensure the safety of their shuttle while on the planet, Kebbo directed them to Drake and tasked two Legionnaires to escort them to the tapcafe. However, the two Legionnaires were secretly deep-cover agents loyal to Moff Sarne, and they organized an ambush which the New Republic delegation was able to survive. In the aftermath, the team found a data plaque containing transit visas. Upon reaching the ThrusterBurn, they made contact with Drake who told them that the Keiffler Brothers&mdash;who he regarded as the best slicers in the sector&mdash;had been contracted to work for the Empire on Kal'Shebbol but had not returned. One of their apprentices, Gaelin, had returned, claiming that the brothers had been killed by the Empire. He had eventually set himself up in business, but was soon absorbed into Bombaasa's operations. Gaelin wanted to leave the planet, but Bombaasa kept him locked away, working in secret.

During the conversation, Kebbo arrived with a squad of Legionnaires and informed the FarStar delegation that Bombaasa wished to see them in the casino at the rear of the tapcafe. Bombaasa stated that he knew of their allegiance, the presence of the FarStar in the asteroid field, and that Pembric II was pro-Imperial. While he did not care what business had brought them to his planet, he did seek reassurance that the FarStar was not the vanguard of a New Republic assault and wanted to make a deal to keep the New Republic out of the Pembric system. However, he doubted that the mission group had the authority to sign such a treaty, so directed them to leave as soon as possible, as long as they could afford the tariffs to depart the planet. Upon the mention of transit visas and exit passes, Kebbo realized that the guards he had assigned to escort the crewmembers were missing and that they had been carrying the needed documentation. As Kebbo prepared to search the delegation, they resisted, leading to a confrontation. The New Republic delegation was assisted by Drake and four of his bouncers, who assisted them in escaping the tapcafe and took them to a small warehouse on the outskirts of the spaceport.

Drake, who had been looking for a way to leave the planet himself, struck a deal with the FarStar crew; he would lead them to Gaelin so they could extract him in return for passage off the planet for him and his bouncers. At sunset, Drake led the delegation to a warehouse on the edge of the spaceport, noting that Bombaasa had hidden Gaelin there instead of the tech district to avoid being obvious. As a result, security was not exceptionally tight so as to avoid suspicion, but neither would it be easy to infiltrate. Two teams were formed; one to infiltrate the warehouse and secure Gaelin, and another to retrieve their shuttle and fly it to the warehouse roof for extraction. The warehouse team successfully subdued the Cartel guards with the help of a score of local laborers and convinced Gaelin of their peaceful intentions. The other team successfully liberated their shuttle, and flew it to the warehouse. The shuttle extracted the rest of the mission group, Drake and his bouncers, Gaelin, and the laborers who had assisted at the warehouse.

Karrde games
"It's not too late to scrub this. We can go back to the ship, get out of here, and take our chances with whatever Bombaasa decides to throw at us.''" "''We've been objects of official curiosity ever since we landed. If we try to leave now, Bombaasa's people will intercept us."

- Shada D'ukal and Talon Karrde

Around 13 ABY, independent businessbeings Mara Jade and Lando Calrissian arrived on Pembric II in search of an individual named Jorj Car'das, a former smuggler. They were working on behalf of smuggler chief Talon Karrde, who had previously worked for Car'das. While on the planet, the pair foiled an assassination attempt targeting Bombaasa; when the crime lord offered a reward, Jade refused. She said that she was working for a "chieftain," and Bombaasa agreed to defer repayment of the debt until it was needed. Six years later, in 19 ABY, Karrde visited Pembric II himself while attempting to contact Car'das in the hopes of attaining a copy of the Caamas Document to end a potential crisis threatening to plunge the New Republic into civil war. Arriving aboard his Action IV transport Wild Karrde, Karrde and his associate, the Mistryl Shadow Guard Shada D'ukal, attempted to meet with Bombaasa at the ThrusterBurn Tapcafe. They were accosted by a swoop gang outside the establishment, but D'ukal, with Karrde's assistance, dealt with the threat. Ushered in to see Bombaasa by members of the Security Legion, Karrde traded on Mara Jade's earlier debt to secure safe passage through space controlled by the Bombaasa Cartel by acquiring an ID overlay that identified the Wild Karrde as a friendly ship to Bombaasa's allied vessels.

Inhabitants
The 200 million strong population of Pembric II was mainly Human, but representatives of other races, such as Rodians, were present. They mainly spoke Galactic Basic Standard, but some residents spoke Jarellian. A percent of the population was not native Pembric II, having been transported to the planet by the Empire during its reign to work in the hfredium ore processing plants.

Locations
"Take us into orbit. There's only one place on the planet that can handle a ship this size, the Erwithat Spaceport. They should be calling with landing instructions anytime now."

- Talon Karrde

The main city on Pembric II was named Erwithat, which housed the main spaceport. Construction of the city and the port had been achieved shortly after the planet had been settled, and its establishment had proved challenging for the settlers due to unfavorable building conditions. The spaceport had several landing pads and warehouses within its limits. Erwithat was also the location of the ThrusterBurn Tapcafe, which was owned by Crev Bombaasa. Closely situated to the spaceport, it was frequented by spacers and criminals, and included a casino in the rear from which Bombaasa did business.

Behind the scenes
Pembric II first appeared in Crisis, the fifth RPG adventure featured in The DarkStryder Campaign published by West End Games in 1995. It was written by Eric S. Trautmann and Paul Sudlow, with illustrations by Tim Bobko. Pembric II received a mention in 1996's The Kathol Outback, the second book of the DarkStryder series, as well Pirates & Privateers, published in 1997. Pembric II&mdash;styled as Pembric 2&mdash;was later featured in 1998's Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn, and received an entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

During the events of Crisis, players may attempt to flee from or negotiate with the Imperial agents posing as Pembric Security Legionnaires. Neither option will work, as the agents will engage the characters in combat regardless. When formulating a plan to spring Gaelin, the gamemaster can use Drake to suggest splitting the team to cover both objectives&mdash;securing Gaelin and retrieving the shuttle&mdash;if the players do not think of it. The adventure assumes that both objectives are implemented simultaneously, and this article reflects that assumption. Retrieving the shuttle and flying to the warehouse holding Gaelin will tip the Cartel off to the character's intent if implemented before raiding the warehouse, at which point more Legionnaires are dispatched to oppose the players. After the successful extraction, the gamemaster has the option of sending B-wing starfighters operated by the Pembric Security Legion after the escaping shuttle.

Appearances

 * Vision of the Future
 * Vision of the Future
 * Vision of the Future
 * Vision of the Future