If an outside observer had long ago looked to the species of the galaxy and been asked
to predict which amongst their countless number would rise to a place of prominence,
it is unlikely the Hacan would have been their choice. A race of feline nomadic merchants,
the Hacan had spread across the three desert planets of their home system,
Arretze, Kamdorn and Hercant, but each world was a harsh and barren place. The searing light of their
sun Kenara made permanent settlement impossible. No oasis of water and growth could survive the
changing of the seasons, and even the most verdant spring was eventually burned away, melting beneath
the yellow haze of the endless deserts. To survive, the Hacan eschewed the glamorous fixed
cities so prevalent among the other species of the galaxy, in favor of vast roaming communities.
Aboard enormous “dust sleds” hundreds of thousands of Hacan roamed the deserts of their worlds,
fantastic caravans of wealth and trade that slowly followed the shifting climate.
When the borders of the Great Lazax Empire finally reached the punishing rays of Kenara,
and the three worlds of the Hacan were annexed into its borders,
the Emperor of that era might have thought his newest vassal was doomed to remain
a backwards and impoverished place. History however, has shown otherwise.
While the Lazax Empire has since crumbled into dust, the Hacan endure. On Arretze, Kamdorn and
Hercant, little has changed. Dust sleds still roam the dunes, which despite centuries of progress are
still pulled by herds of Tuuran beasts, whose skins absorb moisture from the air itself.
Life within remains slow and serene, with little indication of outside influence.
But in orbit, the situation is vastly different. Surrounding the Hacan homeworlds is a monumental
labyrinth of infrastructure, heavy industry and commercial networks.
Entire cities of interconnected space stations bustle with not only millions of Hacan,
but also the innumerable species of the former Lazax Empire. Half the wealth of the galaxy now
flows through the great port stations, warehouses, logistics centers, maintenance bays, entertainment
sectors and all manner of financial districts that make the Kenara the center of interstellar trade.
From its innumerable anchorages, fleets of titanic commercial guild ships set course for distant
corners of the galaxy. Even in the most remote star systems, Hacan trade routes can be found.
They have no shortage of partners and customers, as few can resist the allure
of Hacan luxuries that have become famous in every city, station and port of call.
To link the wealth and heritage of the Hacan to the galaxy beyond, a new city has emerged
on Arretze. It is the only city on any Hacan world that matches the pace of life in orbit,
and the only one located in a fixed point on the planet’s surface.
Beneath a shadowy veil near the northern pole, lies the city of Harcarun. It has a comparatively
cool climate and serves as a convenient entrypoint for foreign visitors, but both
its bustling atmosphere and colder temperatures make it widely hated among the Hacan themselves.
Instead it is trading corporations, freelancers and opportunists from across the galaxy that
can be found here, seeking access to the luxury goods found in the deserts beyond.
It is these luxury goods that transformed the Hacan from destitute wanderers to the
masters of interstellar commerce. While their worlds lacked the abundant mineral wealth or
breathtaking natural vistas common to the other capitals of the galaxy, they were not entirely
empty. With patience, talent and careful craftsmanship, astonishing things could be
grown beneath Kenara’s harsh light, or dug from below the deep sands of their desert worlds.
The ascent of the Hacan into the Lazax Empire, brought them into contact with the wider galaxy
which soon became enamored with their exotic wares. The intoxicating gerr root,
cloth spun from starflowers that bloomed only on Kenara’s equinox, Sphehat aphrodisiacs,
bizarre liquors, every manner of Hacan medicine or forbidden drug became symbols of status and power.
This insatiable off-worlder lust for the wonders of Kenara made the Hacan grow rich and prosperous.
Their nomadic lifestyle had given them a natural affinity towards trade and reciprocity,
driving them to become one of the most powerful races within the Lazax Empire.
For an age, they prospered in a galaxy fueled by wealth and commerce. But as the centuries passed,
the power of the Emperors began to wane. More and more the Lazax throne relied on trade
embargos as a way to settle disputes, and more and more, the Hacan commercial fleets stood idle,
their goods rotting away within their holds. When the armadas of the Federation of Sol
mobilized to end the rule of the Emperor, the fleets of the Hacan were at their side.
The collapse of the Lazax Empire and the extinction of its namesake threatened to
destroy everything the Hacan had built. Every star system was consumed by war and chaos as
each of the Lazax’s subject races scavenged over the remains. The once dazzling trade fleets of the
Hacan Guilds found few safe harbors as everywhere the galaxy spiralled into a terrible dark
age. But the Hacan had always valued patience, and while the fires of the galaxy dimmed to embers,
and ash fell upon the ruined glories of the Lazax, the worlds of Kenara waited.
In the absence of the Emperor, rule of the Hacan fell once again to one
among their own. Arretze, Kamdorn and Hercant had each been home to rival trade-guilds,
clans and emirates, and all had grown wealthy and powerful, raising private armies and fleets.
To mediate disputes, every hacan turned to the Quieron. Equal parts political leader,
spiritual advisor and financier, the Quireon is elected by a council of representatives drawn from
every segment of Hacan society. It is this individual alone who speaks on behalf of
the Hacan to the wider galaxy, and charts the course of industry, commerce and war.
As the fall of the Lazax fades further into memory and the Dark Years give way to a reinvigorated
galaxy, an unprecedented era of opportunity and danger lies open to the Hacan. The great
stellar routes of the galaxy are once again brimming with enormous convoys of trade ships,
and while the throne of the Lazax Empire remains empty, many contenders are gathering their forces.
The Emirates of Hacan are among them, for the Quieron sees in the immediate future a chance
for his people to again be at the center of a great empire of wealth and progress.
This time however, it will be an empire that they rule.