Makuba (Planet)

Summary
Makuba is a primitive desert world and home that shares a name with its inhabitants. The Federation is currently offering membership in hopes of gaining access to the laser mines.

Joining the Federation
Makuba has yet to join the Federation, despite ongoing negotiations initiated in 3049. Discussions are hindered by a combination of decentralization and general distrust of off-worlders. Makuba is a superstitious bronze age planet and consequently many of the technological innovations of the Federation are seen as a threat to their religious sensibilities.

Climate
Makuba's surface is almost entirely covered in rough sand. The majority of the planet's water is collected in the stained sea, so called for the variously colored bioluminescent plankton that live in it. The locals believe these to be the spirits of those who have died without a burial place to go to. The banks of this inland sea contain several settlements, but the brackish water makes it ineffective for farming or consumption, requiring the use of primitive purification methods. Additionally, large predators live in the sea, making it a hazardous place to live. For these reasons, most of the locals live in and around freshwater oases.

Temperatures vary drastically from night to day, with most habited areas experiencing a temperature range from 120 to -30 degrees Celsius. Areas further from a source of water can see much more substantial temperature changes. Those who choose to travel as merchants or explorers must prepare well for the harsh desert, which is dangerous enough to have even claimed the lives of some Federation explorers equipped with land speeders, holo-maps, and temperature regulation gear.

Politics
There is no centralized planetary government on Makuba. Instead, each individual settlement has its own government. However, recent contact with the Federation has prompted them to form the Congress of Collective Will. This intergovernmental organization, made possible with the advancements in technology brought by the Federation, is aimed at answering questions that affect the entire planet. Despite being a product of Federation intervention, they are staunchly against further intervention. They are a group that can only pass legislation by unanimous decision. Their only decision thus far has been the agreement that the planet can only join the Federation by proclamation from the CCW, itself.

The CCW aside, the nations have very little regular political contact, conflict, or affiliation with one another. With a few exceptions, the oases are simply too far apart from on another for such a thing to be practical. Those that are close enough for such contact find themselves absorbed by the major oasis nearest to them. The smaller settlements become puppet states, allowed to more or less govern themselves. The only regular contact many nations have with outside groups is with desert nomads who raid caravan drives between villages and local capitals for water. Alliances do form around the Stained Sea, but they are a poorer region of little interest.

Laser Mines
The primary natural resource of Makuba is Nadak, a crystal that is capable of storing massive amount of photons and discharging them later, either gradually or all at once. The locals ascribe supernatural power to them, using them mostly to allow sunbathing indoors or at night. They are either worn as necklaces or placed in hanging lighting fixture in a home. However, this application as a combination space heater and light source only scratches the surface of what this crystal is capable of. Properly utilized, Nadak can be used a components in high grade laser weapons and mining tools.

The mines where these crystals are acquired, often referred to as laser mines, are dangerous workplaces staffed primarily by debtors and criminals. Federation attempts to modernize the process have been so far unsuccessful, due in part to the lack of an official foothold for the Federation on Makuba, but also by the tricky properties of the crystals themselves. Standard mining lasers cannot be used, as the crystals can absorb and discharge the photons unpredictably. Heavy use of drills risks damaging the crystals, which are more effective the larger they are. Additionally, damaging a Nadak crystal can result in a laser discharge, a fact learned by many an unlucky miner. Some escape with minor burns, whiles others are sliced in half.