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Why Cudgel Is Important
The system lies upon major trade routes of the Core Commonwealth, Bjaki Federation, the Spinward Confederacy, and several neighbouring independent planets. Small refueling stops and trade bases have been established by a number of governments and corporations that act as facilities between Wormhole jumps.

The Core Commonwealth have a relatively large settlement comprised of Orinon City, Orinon Elevator, and geosynchronous Orinon Refueling Station. Nominally, Cudgel is a member of the Core Commonwealth and Orinon City is its capital. Laws are made and the populace governed and taxed here by a local, appointed Governor and elected Council. The council of five is elected by the populace of the system, about 20% of actual voters actually participating. Administration and law enforcement, for what it is, operates from here. Architecture varies from the stone buildings from the original settlement to more recent prefab, nano, and stone buildings. The city is kept relatively clean and quiet in most areas and consists of the Core administrators, local traders, elevator and tug operators, law enforcement, entertainers and service workers, etc. Orinon Elevator is an elevator farm just outside of Orinon city which stretches up to Orinon Station and is the only elevator allowed by law to be constructed on Cudgel. All trade must pass through the officials there and is subject to tax, though the fees are quite reasonable in order to encourage the use of the facilities and compliance with the laws.

Core Base Military Lucena is located on Lucena, one of the inhabitable moons of the inner gas giant, where a reasonable garrison and fleet is maintained. CBM Lucena is a domed colony that burrows deep into the face of the moon and is designed and decorated in typical military "Spartan Metallic" decor. It includes entertainment and housing facilities for service people and their families. The military is primarily concerned with maintaining the peace and stability of the trade lanes as well as intercepting "hot" smuggled cargoes like slaves, weapons, and dangerous drugs. They tend not to enforce minor breaches of Commonwealth law so long as no one is getting hurt.

The Bjaki Federation maintains a small refueling station, officially named Bjaki Outpost 5A-4 but just called Bjaki Station by the general populace. It can be found in orbit around Lucena, a moon of the inner gas giant. They maintain good relations with the Core representatives and enjoy the protection of their fleet. They maintain small processing facilities in Freemarket on Cudgel.

Drayquin Designs and Zyfinbek mercantile have formed a joint venture in the system. Drayquin maintains a refueling station in stellar orbit between the gas giants and allows Zyfinbek ships to refuel there at a reasonable price. Zyfinbek mercantile has grown a reasonably sized mercantile center on Cudgel and gives Drayquin considerations there. "The Yard" includes a small shipyard which is capable of fairly extensive ship upgrades, maintenance, and repair.

Freemarket is the major trade center of the Cudgel system and is a main facility for Zyfinbek Mercantile. It is a most convenient place to dump, sell, and redistribute goods between empires. It is a city that has grown around a series of warehouses and trade centers that specialize in selling, processing, and repackaging goods, raw materials, and processed goods. The center of Freemarket is a series of walled compounds that Zyfinbek established during their early years on Cudgel. Gradually, Zyfinbek and their employees began to build homes and housing outside the compounds: initially spontaneous, disorganized settlements and, later, more planned and organized suburbs. The Compounds form the center of the city and now incorporate the enormous public markets. Some of the original compounds have been abandoned and either rezoned or fallen into disrepair. Others continue to be upgraded and operated or rented out to willing parties. The Sprawl rings The Compounds and  many of the original stone buildings still stand and function. Beyond the sprawl, their are more organized suburbs subject to modern planning techniques by engineers hired by Zyfinbek and the Core Commonwealth. Freemarket is actually a larger and more productive city than the capital, Orinon.

Volto-Avaiga maintains a small ground colony on Cudgel and supplies many of the local powers with extra security forces.

The Zvetaku Bloc has a small settlement and recruiting center, where they aggressively farm produce from the planets' rock face, providing much of the systems' local agricultural supply. Cody Agricenter is often used to test new technology and train new recruits who are to be sent to farm really hostile settlements.

The Relari quietly maintain a base within the asteroid field and outside of the Core patrolled space. This is the one of the Relari's major operational centers in the area, refueling and cross-loading cargo for smuggling. It is also one of their preferred locations for meeting and doing business with more "casual' business partners who may not be fully associated.

There are some small mining operations among the asteroids that generally share a mutual respect with the Relari.

The Spinward Confederacy does not maintain a base here given their generally tenuous relationship with the Core, though their members pass through frequently. They trade and refuel primarily with the Zyfinbek/Drayquin alliance, rely on Volto-Avaiga as a private security buffer, and deal as appropriate with the Relari.

Most of the systems inhabitants are members of the various groups or traders passing through. There are a variety of small independent settlements and enterprises on Cudgel II.