Crum

Overview

Crum is a member world of the Emissariate of Bolusca, 120 parsecs antispinward of Bolusca. It is highly populated, and classed as one of the economic core worlds of the Emissariate.

Planetary Characteristics

Crum is a class C world. Its primary is a main sequence F9 star, spectrally hotter and brighter than Bolusca's primary. There are several other planets in the system, but none are inhabited. Crum orbits at distance of 1.4 BU, giving the primary an apparent brightness that is almost 20% greater than Bolusca's primary. Days on Crum are hot and bright; eye and skin protection is recommended for baseline Boluscans.

Crum's year is two cycles long, and the axial tilt is minimal. One day is 26.5 standard hours long.

Crum's equatorial diameter is 5% greater than Bolusca's, but the world has a much lower mass (66% that of Bolusca), due to a smaller iron core and a mantle deficient in heavy minerals. This results in a surface gravity of only 0.6 Boluscan standard.

Low gravity and high insolation has resulted in a thin atmosphere low in oxygen and high in heavier gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone. The atmosphere is not dangerous to baseline Boluscans, but caution is advised, and heavy exercise should be avoided before proper acclimatisation. The atmosphere is the main reason for the world's class C designation.

The surface is 60% shallow oceans, with one major continental mass and numerous islands of significant size.

Native flora and fauna is very diverse, and biochemically compatible with Boluscan life, meaning much of it is edible for baseline Boluscans. Crum has a sentient species, who call themselves the Crumok, who are fully adapted to the planetary environment.

History

Crum was explored in the early days of Boluscan expansion, and the Crumok were the first sentient indiginous species encountered by Boluscans. First contact went relatively well, and the tribal Crumok welcomed the visitors and eagerly embraced their technology.

Mass colonisation followed soon afterwards, when it was discovered that Crum's flora was suitable for consumption and could be grown and harvested in vast quantities, making it greatly important to the heavily populated Bolusca. Within a few cycles, Crum was inhabited by several million Boluscans, and farming had begun on an industrial scale. There was some localised conflict with the Crumok, now numerically inferior to the colonisers, but for the most part relations continued in relative harmony. A governmental structure was set up which fully enfranchises the Crumok, though critics point out that the species are still almost entirely segregated, and the Crumok almost never hold significant government offices, or achieve parity in commercial enterprises.

The current population of Crum is 1.5 billion Boluscans and half a billion Crumok, spread across all the major land masses in several megacities and many smaller communities. The world has almost no mining or heavy industry, and is highly dependant on imports of all raw materials and machninery. Its commercial activities are almost all in food production, which it exports in huge quantities to Bolusca and several other core worlds.

The government is a variation of the standard representative democracy, as seen on most worlds of the Emissariate, with a senate of regional representatives who elect one of their number to serve as president.

The capital city is Metropocrum, population 17 million. An example of a typical small farming town is Smallcrum, population 30,000, although this is perhaps not entirely typical, as it advertises itself as "Home of The Mountok, Champion of Crum", Crum's only public super-hero.

During the Boluscan civil war of the Meg-Ron, the Crumok joined the Blue side in large numbers when Blue propaganda convinced them that they were victims of Emissariate oppression and should reclaim their home world for themselves. Though the civil war was almost a century ago, relations have never entirely returned to their previous harmonious state. Some Boluscan historians and social scientists observe that this is because the Blue "propaganda" was technically true, but it is a contentious subject.

The Crumok

The Crumok are the native sentient species of Crum. When they were first encountered, they were at a pre-industrial level of societal development, but quickly embraced the Boluscans' technological ways. There are currently half a billion Crumok on Crum. Although Crumok may be found travelling throughout the Emissariate, none have settled any other world in significant numbers.

Physically, Crumok are Boluscanoid in form, though much taller, averaging 1.5 times the height of average Boluscans at equivalent stages of maturity. Their skin is grey, though there is variation among racial sub-groups, and they are hairless. Crumok biochemistry is compatible with Boluscans (so they can eat the same food) but their blood is red. There are two biological genders, which are physically and socially equal. Crumok are genetically incompatible with Boluscans.

Off-world, Crumok appear frail and they have low strength and endurance under standard gravity and atmospheres. In Crum's environment, however, they have advantages over baseline Boluscans, with their size giving them surprising strength, and their adaptation to the atmosphere giving them much greater endurance and recuperative powers.

A minority of Crumok—it is estimated to be between 3 and 7 percent—are born with the ability to mentally control their own mass and density. In the majority of cases, the ability is so minor as to be barely detectable except under laboratory conditions. In a very small number, it is developed into a significant ability, to the extent that some of their strongest members were inducted into the Star Guard in the days before the civil war. It is notable that since the war there has been no Crumok Star Guard member.

Mentally, Crumok perform as well as Boluscans on all standardised tests. Psychologically, they are typically calm and stolid, though when roused to anger they are fiercely, almost irrationally, aggressive.

In pre-industrial times, the primary weapon of the tribes of Crumok was the war-staff, a 2m length of hardened wood that they could wield with crushing strength. In modern times, the war-staff is still seen on ceremonial occasions, and also at use in the popular full-contact sport of staff-ball. Many Crumok are exceptionally talented in the use of the war-staff, training with it from a very young age, even though it is no longer used for real combat purposes.

Infrastructure

There is a large orbital port facility with docking for several large freighters. Hundreds of heavy shuttles serve the freighters from a dozen spaceports spread across the planet's surface. At peak capacity, over half a million tons of exported food per day flows through the port, and an almost equivalent quantity of imported industrial goods. The port is operated by Inter Shipping (headquartered on Ander's World).

In peace time, no significant military units are based at Crum. Space defence is provided by half a dozen gunboats operated by the planetary government. Port security is provided by Inter Shipping private security. Civil security is provided by a Planetary Police force, of which around 20% are Crumok.

Notable Individuals

Copyright © 2025 by David Meadows. All rights reserved.