Lazerian IV

Lazerian IV was a planet in the Kira sector, located in the Trailing Sectors portion of the Expansion Region. It served as the endpoint of the Kira Run hyperlane and also sat along the Harrin Trade Corridor alongside the rest of the Lazerian system. The planet was the center of the system's civilization and was its main planet. It had an extensive history of loyalty to the Galactic Empire, and its people were extremely stubborn when it came to change. Lazerian IV was also home to the Akwin, a sentient, aquatic mammalian species that, while peaceful, willingly isolated themselves from the local Humans—known as Lazerians—of Lazerian IV, who were largely unaware of the Akwin's existence.
Lazerian IV had four continents—Doxet, Elgar, Torm, and Laz. Torm and Laz contained the cities of Dorynn, Tormaine, Devit, and Lazeria City, the last of which served as the capital for the Kingdom of Devit. A city-state on Doxet, Doxeti, was largely independent but still deferred to the Kingdom of Devit on matters of planetary importance. The Lazerians resided in these cities, while their Akwin neighbors resided in numerous city-states within the oceans of Caz and Dox.
At one point in Lazerian IV's history, an outpost on the planet was the site of a battle involving Jedi Knights of the Jedi Order. The battle left the outpost in ruins and resulted in the remains of many lightsabers being scattered in the area. A noble eventually purchased the land for his private estate, but the citizens of Lazerian IV considered the ruins to be an eyesore.
During the time of the Galactic Republic, Lazerian IV was loyal to the Republic and exhibited pride for the Jedi Order to the same extent as it did its own forces. However, its loyalties quickly shifted in favor of Emperor Palpatine and the Galactic Empire, with the people viewing the reorganization as the ultimate example of rising up through the classes. While loyalty to the Empire was strong, there was a small degree of sympathy for the New Republic, which had roots in Lazerian IV's own monarchy.
The King's private estate resided in the mountains of Doxet and was home to a place known as the Crystal Valley, which contained valuable crystals known as Empeth Crystals. The Kingdom of Devit began to mine the crystals as a collectible, unaware of their unique connection to the Force, and declared the Crystal Valley a matter of local importance—thus rendering the Galactic Empire unaware of it.
Following the death of Palpatine, contact between the Akwin and the Lazerians remained tense, resulting in the Akwin concluding that the Lazerians remained unready for contact with their neighbors. Meanwhile, the princess of Devit, Aereena, began to create and lead a resistance—albeit in secret—against her father, King Alarik X, who remained loyal to the Imperial remnants that lingered on Lazerian IV. The Akwin had also become aware of the ongoing Galactic Civil War by this point in time.
==Description==
===Astrography and atmosphere===
Lazerian IV was a terrestrial planet and the fourth planet in the Lazerian system, orbiting the yellow star of Lazerian. It was located in the Kira sector in the Trailing Sectors portion of the Expansion Region. Lazerian IV lay on the Harrin Trade Corridor and Kira Run hyperlanes alongside the rest of the Lazerian system and served as the endpoint of the latter.
The planet had two moons, and its closest neighbor was the planet Acorvus. It had a breathable Type I atmosphere and a temperate climate. A local day on the planet consisted of twenty-four standard hours, while a year consisted of three hundred and sixty local days. It had standard gravity.
===Geography, flora, and fauna===
Lazerian IV was a typical terrestrial world by Imperial standards; its climate, atmosphere, and topography were unremarkable. Planets like it made up the very definition of "normal" and "standard." There were four continents: Doxet on the eastern hemisphere and Elgar, Torm, and Laz on the western hemisphere. The landscape consisted primarily of vast plains, forests, and mountain ranges. There was also a range of low hills on Laz, which served as the location of a ruined outpost. The poles of the planet were covered in large ice caps, which were mostly unexplored. There were also several island chains on Lazerian IV, with at least one island off the coast of Laz.
The oceans of the planet, Caz Ocean and Dox Ocean, were rich with certain minerals that blocked sensor scans. The two oceans were divided by Doxet, with Caz Ocean to the west of Doxet in the eastern hemisphere, and Dox Ocean to the east of Doxet in both hemispheres.
Lazerian IV was home to many small reptilian species, insects and a number of insect-like crustaceans. There was a pre-ponderance of hollow fangs, suggesting the presence of numerous venomous creatures on the planet. The oceans were home to an abundance of life, including numerous marine creatures and corals. Additionally, there were many varieties of marine plants.
==History==
===Bolstering interstellar trade===
The Humans of Lazerian IV, known as Lazerians, discovered space travel fairly early during their technological development, which led to their detailed and complete exploration of other worlds in the Lazerian system. Of the worlds surveyed, the planets Alkur and Kelro were determined useless, while colonies were established on the planets Acorvus and Dborian. The Rokwahl Asteroid Belt was also surveyed, with some of the asteroids being used by the Lazerians for mining purposes. Transponder buoys were placed throughout the asteroid belt for safe travel, and a warning to spacefarers informed them of the buoys and the capital offense received for tampering with them.
The colonies on Acorvus and Dborian were utilized for differing purposes. Acorvus became a penal colony and exile planet to which political dissenters and criminals would be sent. The planet was deemed off-limits to non-authorized personnel. Dborian, meanwhile, became a mining colony but was otherwise uninhabited. The expansion of the Lazerians into space shifted their focus away from the seas, which, alongside the blocking of scans due to the mineral-rich oceans, allowed the native amphibious species, the Akwin, to remain undiscovered.
In 70 BBY, dates the discovery of the Kira Run hyperspace route to forty-eight years before the date 13:4:18, which corresponds to 70 BBY according to the reasoning here. trade and commerce became more accessible to the Lazerian system and its inhabitants with the founding of the Kira Run, which connected the Harrin Trade Corridor and Enarc Run. However, the route was believed to be too hazardous for frequent use at the time and was only braved by desperate traders who often met their end trying to travel through it.
During the reign of the Galactic Republic, Lazerian IV was a loyal member of the Republic. The Lazerians admired and respected the Jedi Knights almost as much as the Lazerian army itself. A battle involving several Jedi once occurred at the site of a ruined outpost, but the outpost was destroyed, leaving rubble and scorch marks. The Akwin recalled seeing multiple individuals with multicolored glowing blades that could cut through objects easily. At some point after the battle and the ruins' destruction, an eccentric noble purchased the land on which the ruins were located and forbade trespassing upon them, though the Lazerians regarded the outpost as an eyesore. The Human Dovin Maur also once saw Jedi at that same outpost.
===For the honor of King, planet, and Empire===
Sometime after the foundation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY,The New Essential Chronology the Lazerians declared their loyalty to the government and the Galactic Emperor, Palpatine, believing his rise to power to be the ultimate example of rising up through the social classes. Palpatine's ascension was said to be the "last new idea embraced by the Lazerians." Due to Lazerian IV's flourishing economy, the people became content and found it difficult to accept any ideas that opposed the ideology of the Empire, resulting in dwindling respect for the Jedi.
Several small shipping companies dedicated themselves to servicing the Kira Run in 0 ABY,Per the reasoning here, the Battle of Yavin takes place on 35:3:7, which corresponds to 0 BBY according to The New Essential Chronology. states that the article regarding the Kira Run opening up to mainstream trade was published on 35:3:14. According to the reasoning here, the article must have been published seven days after the Battle of Yavin, which corresponds to 0 ABY according to The New Essential Chronology. cementing its place as an established trade route. As a result, the Herglic Trading Journal estimated that any megacorporations that deemed the Kira Run a safe venture would help bolster a massive boom in trade and commerce in the region surrounding the trade route. Some speculators forecasted an explosion in the economy of the Lazerian system, as reported by the Herglic Trading Journal.
At some point by 4 ABY,The notes written by Wilek Nereus, as presented in The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook, must have been made prior to his death, which The New Essential Chronology dates to 4 ABY. the Imperial governor of the planet Bakura, Wilek Nereus, explored Lazerian IV and recorded the presence of multiple venomous creatures on the planet, deeming it not yet fit for habitation.
Not long after the death of Palpatine at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, a scouting party of Akwin approached the surface of Lazeria City, making sure they would not be seen. While scouting, the Akwin discovered a group of Lazerian army troopers discussing the recent events of the Galactic Civil War, including the Emperor's demise. The troops expressed their disdain for the changes taking place, stating that they were satisfied with the state of things as they were. While listening in, the Akwin were spotted by an approaching second group of militants, who began to shout as they opened fire on them, although they missed. The Akwin then returned to the depths. The scout B'dasssa later returned to the surface alone to learn how the Lazerian troops had reacted, only to learn they believed the Akwin to be monsters of some sort. From their observations, they concluded that the Lazerians were not ready for full contact with the Akwin, although they admitted they were curious about the Emperor's fate.
===The rise of dissent===
By the time after the New Republic's formation in 4 ABY, the Human monarch Alarik X had ascended to the position of king of Devit alongside Queen Careese and their daughter, Princess Aereena. Alarik X swore an oath of fealty to the Empire and forbade all mention of the Alliance to Restore the Republic or New Republic in his presence. Despite his loyalties, Alarik X decreed the Crystal Valley to be a matter of planetary importance and thus did not inform the Empire of its existence. However, his own daughter, Aereena, began to lead a splinter faction of New Republic sympathizers, which had grown to 50,000 in number. Despite this, she did so in secret, with not even her followers being aware of her leadership. Additionally, the Akwin had become aware of the Galactic Civil War by this point in time.
===The New Republic era===
Several events occurred on Lazerian IV after the rise of the New Republic. During one such event, a trader took a blurry, unconvincing holoimage of an Akwin and began speaking to other travelers in a bar about sea monsters, albeit to little interest. After being approached and purchased drinks, the trader proceeded to claim that he saw the creature near the first island located off of the coast of Laz. After leaving the bar, he was then attacked in an alleyway by six cloaked Akwin—including the Akwin whose holoimage had been taken—who stole the holoimage and departed without injuring him, taking care not to injure any travelers that intervened. After deciding to believe the trader, some travelers traveled to the island, only to find themselves to be the unwelcome guests of the Akwin. An Imperial marine biologist also believed the trader and went to the island to investigate.
In a separate event, Dovin Maur was attacked by a group of individuals whom he claimed had no respect for the Jedi or Lazerian IV's history. Maur then informed a group of travelers of the location of the ruined Jedi outpost north of Lazerian City; however, Imperial spies had been watching Maur and pursued the travelers to the ruins before being eliminated.
Another group of travelers once encountered the ruined outpost and dug to find at least one lightsaber and the pieces of several others. They attempted to repair the whole lightsaber they found, while the remainder of their pieces were utilized as spare parts. Meanwhile, the Galactic Empire caught wind of the lightsabers, growing their interest in the outpost.
After striking a friendship with the Akwin, a group of travelers learned from them that an Akwin scouting party had noticed a group of the King's Own Guard marching into the mountains well armed. Unbeknownst to the Akwin, the King's Own Guard was heading into the Crystal Valley, intending to harvest the Empeth Crystals that were about to "bloom." Afterward, the crystals were shipped to the residence of Commander Alroy Kever of the King's Own Guard, which was located in a suburban area of Lazeria City. Kever guarded the crystals with four members of the Guard as well as several 3PO-series protocol droids.
At one point, a group of travelers was resting when a small military installation in the neighborhood suddenly exploded. The group then determined that the explosion was done professionally, with no nearby buildings being damaged aside from the targeted installation. As the travelers attempted to investigate, they were ushered away by members of the King's Own Guard and Imperial stormtroopers while other bystanders began to speak of terrorists and revolutionaries. The explosion was in fact orchestrated by two New Republic spies who then initiated a secret meeting with the travelers present after learning of their New Republic loyalties. The spies then led the travelers to the sewers, which headquartered the New Republic resistance on Lazerian IV.
==Inhabitants==
===A separate people===
Lazerian IV was inhabited primarily by two sentient species, totaling in 475 million inhabitants: a local Human population known as the Lazerians and a civilization of aquatic beings known as the Akwin. While both species coexisted rather peacefully, the Lazerians were almost entirely unaware of the Akwin, with most of their knowledge regarding them involving legends of sea monsters.
The Akwin, meanwhile, were more than aware of Lazerian civilization and believed that both races were content in their respective environment and should not be disrupted. They believed the Lazerians to be "not ready as a species" to deal with the idea of sharing a planet with the Akwin—in fact, they encouraged other Akwin to continue perpetuating the myths spread by Lazerians. Both races relied on much of the local marine life for food.
===Pride, ever unchanging===
The Lazerians resided on the surface of Lazerian IV and were accustomed to the rule of emperors and kings. As a result, they had no objections to the rule of the Galactic Empire and believed it to be perfectly natural—the only possible course for all "right-thinking people." The Lazerians were highly discouraged from speaking of the Alliance to Restore the Republic or the New Republic in front of the king, and loyalty to the Empire was high. Very few individuals in Lazerian society sympathized with the New Republic and its cause, and most Lazerians became close-minded, believing themselves to be on a "plateau" of success in some ways with no need for anything else. However, the loyalties of off-worlders were not questioned, with the Lazerians believing that there was no need to inject politics into their healthy economy based on planetary trade.
The Lazerians had a system of set social classes, ranking—from greatest to least—royalty, nobility, administrators, military, merchants, landowners, craftsmen, tradesmen, laborers, and rabble. The Lazerians believed that rising through these classes was possible with hard work; most Lazerians presumed that everyone would get what they deserved, and there was little rapport regarding success. The diets of the Lazerians consisted of large amounts of marine creatures, and they actively partook in fishing. The Lazerian economy was primarily based upon interplanetary trade, for which the imports were raw materials and luxury items, and the exports were manufactured goods. The Lazerians once explored and mapped out the entirety of the Lazerian system. Those who resided on the continent of Doxet, while independent from Lazerian society, embraced the same values and politics as them.
===A dynasty of loyalty===
The primary government of Lazerian IV was a monarchy, with the crown being passed hereditarily. The Galactic Empire held overall control over the planet and had the final say in most matters, but the king was allowed to administer the day-to-day affairs of Lazerian IV. During the New Republic's reign, King Alarik X was the incumbent ruler of Lazerian IV, and his queen was Careese. Alarik had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Empire and forbade the words "Rebel" or "New Republic" from being spoken in front of himself. The monarchy also had a princess, Aereena, who was the daughter of Alarik and Careese.
The kingdom ruled by Alarik X was known as Devit, which had its capital in Lazeria City and encompassed the three continents of the western hemisphere. However, a quasi-independent city-state known as Doxeti was present on the eastern hemisphere continent of Doxet. The people of the city were self-ruled, although they would acquiesce to the king of Devit for matters of importance. A small faction of 50,000 New Republic sympathizers was also present on the planet, led in secret by Princess Aereena. This faction actively sabotaged the King's Own Guard, industrial ports, and communications between Lazerian IV and the Empire. They frequently met in the sewers.
Lazerian IV had its own military, comprised of both a fleet and an army. The Lazerian space fleet was comprised of twenty-four Z-95 Headhunter starfighters and a pair of Lancer-class frigates. An additional force of twelve TIE/LN starfighters was also present on Lazerian IV, although they were Imperial-manned and controlled. The fleet and TIE squadron were stationed at the Lazeria City Starport. The Lazerian space fleet was under the control of Lazerian Orbital Command, which also oversaw the Lazeria City Starport and worked closely with the TIE squadron.
The Lazerian army included an elite paramilitary force known as the King's Own Guard, which was responsible for honor duties and elite missions. The traditions and methods of the King's Own Guard went back centuries, and they practiced a chivalric code. The King's Own Guard were the best-trained and most efficient of Lazerian IV's armed forces. Fourteen members of the King's Own Guard, alongside thirty-six stormtroopers, were stationed at the Imperial embassy, which also had an ambassador and eight staff on duty.
===Civilization of the deep===
The Akwin resided in the oceans—known to them as "Father Ocean"—of Lazerian IV. They were a six-limbed, amphibious mammalian species and had tough, muscular bodies that aided them in tolerating the pressure of the oceans' depths. Despite being capable of going on land, they did so infrequently and saw little reason to do so. Their diet consisted of numerous small sea creatures raised in "ranches," as well as marine plantlife.
The Akwin were peaceful and lived in separated city-states. Akwin technology was on-par with that of the Lazerians if not greater in quality; however, they took extra measures to ensure their industries did not cause great harm to the environment. The Akwin enjoyed activities such as listening to music, drama, and coral-sculpting. They had their own form of government, living in huge cities on the ocean floor, each of which operated independently as a city-state that was ruled by a king or queen.
==Locations==
===The civilized realms===
Lazeria City was the capital of the kingdom of Devit and was the largest metropolis on the planet. The city held over 40 million people, 5 million of which were visitors from off-world. The city was home to the Imperial embassy of the planet as well as the Lazerian City Starport. The starport was the largest point of entry on the planet and the only one intended for passenger traffic. The starport contained a heavily staffed Imperial Customs area and also housed Lazerian Orbital Command and the Lazerian star fleet. Lazerian Orbital Command tracked all inbound and outbound starships, ensuring they landed in the correct landing areas and keeping out any unauthorized vessels. The Lazeria City Starport also contained several of the smaller Industrial Starports. Other cities on Lazerian IV included the cities of Devit, Dorynn, Doxeti, and Tormaine. Devit and Dorynn were both on the continent of Laz, while Tormaine was located on Torm. Doxeti was a city-state located on the continent of Doxet and was quasi-independent from the kingdom of Devit.
Other starports were dotted across the planet alongside industrial sites with small cargo, some of which were Industrial Starports. Each Industrial Starport consisted of a Standard Class starport, huge raw material storage facilities, several large factories, warehouses, apartments for working staff, administrative offices, and a local garrison of twenty-four troopers from either the Imperial Army or Lazerian army. Industrial Starports were off-limits to free-traders and passenger ships, only authorizing corporate haulers, ore carriers, and bulk cargo ships to land and depart. There were also multiple huge manufacturing plants outside of Lazeria City itself, which turned imported raw materials into consumer goods and other manufactured items, all the while producing very little waste. The starports and cities of Lazerian IV were connected via a monorail system.
===Ruins of a bygone era===
Located in a range of low hills on the continent of Laz, north of Lazeria City was a ruined outpost that was once the site of an ancient battle involving several Jedi Knights. A few walls and a base of a tower were still visible at the ruins, and there were scorch marks in a twenty-meter radius around the outpost, preventing vegetation from growing. The remains of multiple walls of manufactured material dotted the outpost. The lack of vegetation discouraged the native animals and insects of Lazerian IV from visiting the area. The ruined outpost was owned by a member of Lazerian IV's nobility and a part of his private estate; as a result, it was monitored and forbidden to outsiders. The Lazerians themselves believed the site to be no more than an eyesore. However, it was of Imperial interest as lightsabers and pieces of lightsabers dotted the soil beneath the ruins. The Akwin knew the approximate location of the outpost, as did Dovin Maur.
The King's private estate in the mountains of Doxet included a small valley—known as the Crystal Valley—consisting primarily of a barren wilderness. There was one pass leading into the valley, which was guarded by twelve of the King's Own Guard and was too winding and narrow to allow landspeeders through. This pass' perimeter was patrolled by Lazerian army troops. At the bottom of this valley was an unusual formation of crystals known as Empeth Crystals, which grew once every ten years and were nearly indestructible when picked. They also allowed Force-sensitive individuals to detect the Force in other beings. However, after sitting for five years, an Empeth Crystal would lose its luster and become a rock. The king of Devit declared the Crystal Valley a matter of local jurisdiction and thus kept its existence secret from the Empire. However, he was unaware of the crystals' Force properties, instead viewing them as beautiful and exclusive collectibles.
==Behind the scenes==
Lazerian IV was created by John Terra and introduced in Twin Stars of Kira, a 1993 supplement to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The book presents multiple ideas for scenarios that could occur on Lazerian IV. The adventure idea involving the explosion caused by New Republic spies states that the travelers can be found resting at a resort, bar, or restaurant at the start of the scenario. No route is explicitly canon in the Star Wars Legends continuity. The 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas placed the Lazerian system, and therefore Lazerian IV, in grid square N-15.
==Appearances==
* 
==Sources==
*Twin Stars of Kira 
*The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook
*Star Wars Encyclopedia
*Alien Encounters
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Empire planets
Category:Galactic Republic planets
Category:Lazerian system planets
Category:Terrestrial planets
Category:Type I atmosphere planets