System: Verde

Fifty years ago, the silver-furred walrus of Verde was all but extinct. Prior to man’s colonization, the world’s coastal waters were teeming with this mammal; its almost-iridescent pelt shone as they sunned themselves on shore, while their incredible constitution allowed them to dive deeply and quickly hunt the sea creatures they consumed. Over the centuries the animal was hunted nearly to extinction, however — especially during the Succession Wars, when the world’s residents were forced to hunt the creature to survive. Each walrus provided a great deal of meat, which was a popular delicacy on the interstellar market, as well as other useful products. Locals could turn its hide into clothing that fetched incredible prices, refine its blubber into a heating fuel, and use its tusks and bones in a variety of arts and crafts.

Thanks to over-hunting, the silver-furred walrus was placed on the Federated Suns’ Protected Species List in 3021 — nearly crushing Verde’s industry in the process. For the next two decades, natural means were used to help the walrus population increase in size, including breeding it on other worlds, but it wasn’t until the secrets of the Helm Star League Memory Core were unlocked that the silver-furred walrus was truly saved.

Melcher Meat Animals, Ltd., headquartered on the nearby world of Melcher, used secrets of genetic engineering and laboratory reproduction to rapidly increase the walrus herds on Verde. Additionally, the company began to breed the animal on three other worlds across the Federated Suns. Within fifteen years, the company was selling silver-furred walrus meat, pelts, and ivory in limited quantities on the interstellar market. Ten years later, these products can be found easier, though still at a premium price. Walruses harvested from the wild on Verde are still considered the best, but the rapidly growing walrus ranches are for now the only ready source — and proof positive of MMA’s internal axiom: “Extinction is no danger if the flavor is good.”

There are no functional factories located on this planet.