Background information for what is coming to be known as the Free Accra Campaign:

This Region of Space

The campaign is set in the official Traveller universe as described in QLI’s Gateway to Destiny book for T20. This is in the time of the Third Imperium (year 993), though the campaign will be taking place outside that polity, toward the trailing end of Chartered Space, in a region known as the Gateway Domain. It’s a region of space that is more sparsely settled, with mostly independent systems and smaller multi-system polities. Spinward-Coreward (think NW on an typical map) is the Third Imperium. Spinward-Rimward (SW) is the Solomani Confederation, home of Terra. Trailing-Coreward (NE) is the Two Thousand Worlds, home of the K’kree (militant vegetarian centaur-like species). Trailing-Rimward is the Hive Federation, home of the Hivers (manipulative hexapod race most closely resembling starfish). [Check out http://www.travellermap.com/.]

Within the Gateway Domain, the campaign begins on the planet Accra, in the Bright Heavens subsector of the Crucis Margin sector (gamma quadrant). Accra is located in the middle of the Tsavo Reach, a string of independent systems forming an arch located about equidistant between two polities, The Old Worlds to Trailing-Coreward and the Syzlin Republic to Spinward-Rimward. Other polities in the area include Greater Osaka, the Kafoe Dominate (home of a violent alien species at war with The Old Worlds), and the Karhyri Worlds (home to an honorable reptilian species).

For the most part, the systems and polities in this area of space have not been involved in the continuing war between the Third Imperium and the Solomani Confederation. Culturally, however, most of humaniti here is of Solomani origin. The region also contains a large minority of Luriani, who are an amphibious human sub-race. (They breathe air and water and have webbed hands and feet.) Vargr are also common.

The Old Worlds is typical human but is culturally Vilani. It is a stable polity formed by Vilani refugees from the Second Imperium (aka The Ramshackle Empire), which had been formed by Solomani after defeating the Vilani First Imperium (aka Ziru Sirka). Thus, while The Old Worlds is a fairly free and democratic society within its own borders, it adopts a paternalistic and superior attitude to the surrounding systems. The government of The Old Worlds is not afraid to interfere in the affairs of others to promote its own values or interests. For example, The Old Worlds has established a number of (space) naval bases throughout the region, ostensibly to protect trade, provide interstellar security, and offer humanitarian assistance. The influence of these military forces, though, certainly exceeds their public mandate.

The Syzlin Republic is a much younger polity and one that has seen a fair degree of instability over its history. While it is currently constituted as a nominal republic, it is well known to have expansionist goals. The Syzlin Republic is majority culturally Solomani.

Home Base

The planet Accra, for whom the system is named, is very-much Earth-like, with the major difference being a somewhat lighter gravity. Accra has extensive ocean coverage, three continents, and one large archipelago. It is home to a population in the billions, approximately 50 percent culturally Solomani humans, 35 percent Vilani, 5 percent Luriani, 5 percent Vargr, and 5 percent other sentients.

The planet was settled long ago but for most of that history was governed by separate and relatively unstable nations. Then 25 years ago, in a conflict known as the Union Wars, Accra was united under a single government controlled by trade unions. With the support of the people, the Union government nationalized most industries and pursued an aggressive campaign of modernization. The campaign was successful and Accra became a high-tech center of trade in the Tsavo Reach. The capital city, Accra, contains a class A starport, and there are two other local starport facilities on another continent and in the archipelago.

Over time, the Union government became corrupt. A number of factors contributed to this trend, but significant among them was the discovery and cultivation of Shik, an algae with narcotic, as well as addictive and inconsistent anagathic properties. Shik use spread across Accra and criminal gangs began exporting it to other systems. The military leadership of Accra, which was majority culturally Vilani, decided that it could not allow the societal collapse that it foresaw and took control in a coup, which while not bloodless enjoyed widespread support.

Unfortunately, the military junta that has governed Accra for the last 3 years, does not really have the experience and expertise appropriate for civilian needs. Given the trade union base of the previous government, one of the first programs of the new government was to privatize industry. Turning the engines of Accra’s success in to publicly held corporations was supposed to benefit the companies, the workers, and the investors at-large. Instead, major blocks of stock ownership ended up in the hands of a relatively few well-connected people. Those people have and continue to reap significant financial rewards from their positions. The working class, however, has been experiencing increasing economic hardship.

And of course, that economic hardship has led to increasing disillusionment with the military government, and over the last several months, growing civil unrest. As has been known to happen, the unrest began with protests on university campuses. In the capital, Monaca University has been the site of several clashes between protesters and police. Union groups, with support from small businesses, have begun staging demonstrations, and last week were successful at arranging a general strike of many workers and businesses.