Spuk, Q8

Spuk has only recently been re-colonised (3205). There is one primary colony on the surface of the planet with a very few other minor groups of settlers. In total there were about 400,000 people in the system in late 3206. The population has since expanded to about 760,000.

There are two main settlements, Phoenix and River City are on the same continent but about 600km apart, there is a clear gap between the outer settlements and the areas that they claim jurisdiction over.

The main settlement from a governance point of view (Phoenix) is in the mountains around a rich seam of red mercury and other minerals. Most of the colony’s industry is geared around mineral extraction, refining and export. There are some outlying communities in the foothills and into the plains, mainly agricultural for feeding the mines and heavy industry.

The colony is rooted in the centre of the continent and has several small settlements within the core area. Mostly these are located on rivers to allow ease of transport. The majority of the settlements, including Phoenix itself, are company towns and are wholly owned by the corporation (Phoenix Resurgam LLC, registered in Percentage as a colonisation company).

The governance of Phoenix is still on a corporate basis. The executive directors make all the day to day decisions and 'taxes' are paid in the guise of making investments in the company. The amount paid in tax affects the overall share in the colony, and therefore the voting at shareholder meetings. There is no compulsion to 'invest' as direct delivery services are charged for at the point of use. Certain services (such as dispute resolution) are only available to shareholders. There is no police force other than the corporate security team who tend to focus most on internal fraud and disciplinary matters amongst the company's workforce.

River City is part of the Phoenix colony, some of the shareholders wished to diversify from the minerals production and set up a subsidiary to establish a coastal settlement in the mouth of the largest river on the continent which was downstream from Phoenix. This site is a more attractive option for many of the newer colonists and it is flourishing, about a third of the colony lives in its environs. Most space landings are in the vicinty of River City and there are plans to build a spaceport here as soon as sufficient capital can be raised.

BFF are a minor shareholder in the colonisation company owning just under 5% of the stock. Their site is based in the plains area near the river that links Phoenix and Rover City together. They are approximately half way between both cities.

In 3210, Spuk joined the Free Worlds Alliance.