Gallarda – the Planet

Gallarda is one of the three poorest planets in the Tallavan sector based on standard of living and median income. Right to settle was purchased by an entrepreneur who planned to market pyantha fiber as the next innovation in textiles. The ability to grow pyantha was rare in the galaxy and unique to Gallarda on this side of the Sympallan Drift. The planet was never terra formed, making it necessary for those hired to work on Gallarda to rely on hydroponic warehouses for their food. Through a series of misfortunes and mistakes, the planets owner became insolvent. He filed for bankruptcy and abandoned the workers. Their status was changed to colonists by the Federation who did not want the burden of repatriating hundreds of thousands of people.

These original colonists scratched out a living, using pyantha fiber to spin thread, yarn, and rope. The discovery that pyantha seeds could be distilled in sturnilium to create a highly hallucinogenic extract changed the planet from a placid agrarian society to a drug-growing haven. Millions of credits are made from the extract distilled on Gallarda, but little finds its way into the hands of the workers who tend the pyantha fields or the hydroponic. Cartels run the large-scale operations that ship extract throughout the sector.