Sevarcos II

"The whole damn planet's a death sentence."

- Former spice mine prisoner.

Sevarcos II was the only inhabitable planet in the Sevarcos system. Sevarcos was the only source for the spice variants carsunum and andris, which were its only export. In 52 BBY, Jedi Master Dooku negotiated the Sevarcos Dispute, which would have great consequences for the history of the galaxy, and ultimately for the rise of the Galactic Empire.

Climate and nature
Sevarcos was dry and rugged, much like Tatooine. The landscape was in shades of brown and amber due to the light of the planet's orange sun Lumea. The southern hemisphere was extremely dry and covered with vast deserts, while the northern hemisphere was quite mountainous. Around the equator, the landscape consisted of vast plains. The planet was haunted by eternal harsh winds, which caused many sandstorms in the southern areas, and which would reach gale-force around certain annual equinoxes. These conditions gave the planet its nickname of "The World of Endless Wind". Temperature-wise, it was unbearably hot during the days, while cool at nighttime.

While the surface was rough and harsh, the planet's porous substrata was full of underground tunnels and arterial networks of water, small lakes, and pools. Whereas the surface was virtually lifeless, this underground world was a haven for various plant and animate lifeforms that had adjusted to a life in complete darkness.

Most lifeforms on the planet were rather harmless, with the exception of giant burrowing sandworms known as the spice eels. Spice eels roamed the subterranean tunnels and were hunted by nomadic Sevari tribes.

History
The system was scarcely populated. What population it possessed was divided into three groups: the native Human Sevari, the mining population, and Imperial personnel. The planet had six major starports&mdash;two Imperial starports and six civilian starports.



The Sevari society was a rigid clan-based society, ruled by a council of Spice Lords. The Sevari used equipment dating back to the days of the Galactic Republic and were typically armed with flashpistols as blaster weapons were too dangerous in the spice-laden atmosphere of Sevarcos. The Sevari had developed a special type of repulsorlift barge, called a wind rider, which made use of the never-ceasing winds of the planet.

Imperial presence
During the time of the Galactic Empire, the Empire controlled the extraction and trade of Sevarcan spice, and therefore maintained a firm grip on the entire Sevarcos system.

The planet itself was under a constant Imperial planetary blockade, patrolled by several Victory-class Star Destroyers and an abundance of TIE/ln starfighter|TIE fighters, including the Fate's Judges. Traders were only allowed to land on Sevarcos by invitation in the form of an Imperial trade permit issued at local offices of the Ministry of InterGalactic Transit. The fleet blockading the planet would interdict virtually any ship from light freighters and upwards for customs inspection. The Imperial forces in the Sevarcos system were governed by Planetary Commandant Velpar Raftin, who had direct access to all Imperial ground units and equipment, including: a walker battalion, a repulsorlift battalion, artillery and line armor regiments, several stormtrooper battalions, and other Imperial personnel. He would also oversee the construction of new prison and mining facilities.

A special type of stormtrooper, trained specifically for deployment in mines, saw extensive use on Sevarcos, and became known as a "Minetrooper". These Minetroopers, alongside Imperial commissars, oversaw the spice mining and were tasked with keeping spice production at a maximum by maintaining very strict discipline.

Spice
Sevarcos was rich in various types of spice, and also hosted two types of spice - andris and carsunum - which were unique to the planet.

Catching the wind
The planet was so rich in spice that it was found everywhere on the surface, underground, and in the atmosphere. The presence of spice granules in the wind gave rise to a phenomenon known as "catching the wind", which consisted of unprotected newcomers being affected by the spice particles in the air, provoking dizziness, nausea, and euphoria. Most people usually wore breath masks on Sevarcos. Underground, the air was so thick with pure spice that regular exposure to it was fatal.

The spice mines of Sevarcos
Ever since the colonization of Sevarcos, its substrata was mined for spice. Eventually, it became common practice to have prisoners, rather than ordinary citizens, work in the harsh conditions of the mines. In the days of the Galactic Empire, the mining population was a mix of criminals and political prisoners, and even some droids were incarcerated in the penal mining colonies and put to work.

The mining process would typically begin with mining refinery platforms cruising the surface of the planet. Upon arrival at a resource-rich location, mining shafts would be extended into the surface of the planet. In these shafts miners&mdash;often not using breath masks&mdash;would use low-power laser torches and sonic hammers to dislodge pieces of spice-rich rock, which were loaded onto grav carts and then conveyed up to the refinery platform where the refining of the spice took place.

Life in the mines was extremely hard. There were many dangers, such as frequent cave-ins, angry spice eels, and the ever-present noxious, spice-filled air itself. Indeed, a sentence to work in the spice mines of Sevarcos was considered equivalent to a death sentence by most. The miners were led by taskmasters, who were prisoners themselves and had shown to have a flair for often-brutal leadership. There was absolutely no loyalty among the inmates, and prisoners would gladly squeal on each other.

Although the Empire claimed otherwise, escapes happened quite often. Typically, bribery or corruption was involved, but mix-ups were quite common, which allowed inmates to sneak aboard cargo haulers, automated barges, and sometimes even capital ships. It was also rumored that the Rebel Alliance had agents in the area that had specialized in rescuing Rebel personnel captured by the Empire and sent to the mines.

Spice smuggling
"There are two ways of doing business with spice. Lie, and then lie some more."

- Unknown spice smuggler

In the days of the Galactic Republic spice smuggling from Servacos was frowned upon and considered a capital offense. With Palpatine ruling the galaxy, the Empire held the planet in an iron-tight grip and monopolized the trade of spice totally. Nevertheless, a network of smugglers had become rather successful in smuggling spice under the nose of the Empire using various methods of deceit and confusion such as disguising spice among ore, stone or general commodities, as well as obtaining trade permits through bribery or forgery.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
 * The Paradise Snare
 * The Paradise Snare