Kessel

Kessel is a name of infamy famous enough that even namby-pamby protocol droids from the Core quiver in fear at its mention. Here, the dangerous and highly addictive drug "spice" is mined and refined before being smuggled to Nar Shaddaa or Paxo. The spice mines of Kessel have been bored deep into the fifth planet's crust, and they have always been mined by slave labor.
Kessel V makes such an excellent repository for slave labor largely because it is wholly inhospitable to life. The surface of the planet has the barest wisps of noxious atmosphere, and if the lack of breathable air doesn't kill sentients, then the horrible radiation and bitter cold certainly will. The only way out of the spice mines is on a starship, and the only thing to leave the spice mines are the spice, and the smugglers who ship it.
This system has changed hands many times. It is always controlled by a so-called 'Warden' who keeps the mining prisoners in line. But this Warden is often a powerful drug lord, with weapons and starships enough to make pirates, and Republican customs officials, think twice. The previous Warlord was a somewhat formidable Gand by the name of Kaal Saito and the profession of Bounty Hunter. Presently, Kessel is ruled independent of the Hutt Nation, by Blotus the Hutt.
Category:Archived Planets