HISTORY
  
   Lewis has been owned by the Tukera Family since it was granted to them
   by Emperor Zhakirov in 684, for services rendered. The Tukeras used it
   as family retreat, and vacation spot. They would also reward Tukera
   Line employees with luxurious vacations there. In 948, Baroness
   Belinda, the Tukera family administrator in charge of the planet,
   needed to raise money to cover massive gambling debts. She sold
   settlement rights, for the continent of Desmoaned, to a colonization
   firm from Rethe/Regina, and used the proceeds to settle her gambling
   debts. Upon the learning that part of their private vacation spot had
   been sold to simple farmers, the rest of the family was infuriated.
   Belinda was removed from her post and disinherited. She fled to
   Rugbird/Aramis, where she died in an argument with a Vargr pit boss.
   Over the next few years the family tried to get the settlement
   contract thrown out, but the courts ruled that the family had given
   Baron Belinda full rights to negotiate, and they would have to live
   with her mistake.
   
   The settlers were fed up with life on Rethe, a poor crowded world.
   They decided to strike out and build a new life. They were planning on
   shipping out to District 268, but when the land on Lewis came on the
   market, they snapped up the once in a lifetime offer. They set out to
   build a settlement that was a pleasant place to raise a family. All
   around them they saw natural beauty, they pledged to preserve that
   beauty for future generations. They designed their settlement to have
   minimal impact on the environment. They practiced organic farming.
   Instead of using pesticides, they released geneered predators that ate
   the pests. They designed their homes and buildings to blend in with
   the natural scenery. Some homes blend in so well that they are hard to
   spot from a distance.
   
   The family offered to buy out the colonists, but the now thriving
   colony refused. The Tukeras then tried less pleasant means of
   persuasion. In 963 the colonists were able to persuade the Ministry of
   Justice to launch an investigation. After two weeks, the Imperial
   inquisitor ruled that Tukera was innocent of all charges. Soon
   thereafter he purchased a large and expensive yacht and retired.
   
   The Tukera seemed to accept the settlers, occasionally administrators
   would try to buy out the settlers, but the settlers steadfastly
   refused to budge. The impasse lasted until Baronet Rogarr was named
   administrator of all Tukera Family property in the Marches in the year
   1073. The thought of settlers on his beloved Lewis, goaded him to no
   end. Finally he decided on a plan of action. Rogarr had gone to school
   at the Imperial University on Capital. One of his classmates and best
   friends, was Derrin Aeontalla, who was now Marquis Aeontalla of
   Aramis. With the help of Marquis Aeontalla and several other nobles
   indebted to the Tukera family. Rogarr was able to persuade the
   Imperial Court to declare Lewis a Red Zone, forbidding all traffic
   with the planet, with the exception of Tukera family ships, who were
   granted a special dispensation allowing them access.
   
   The Tukeras made a final offer to the settlers; middle passage, and
   1000cr each if they would leave now. A few thousand settlers took the
   offer. They thought life under an Imperial Interdiction would be
   unbearable. The remainder decided that Lewis was their home, and they
   wouldn't leave to make some sniveling noble and his toadies happy. One
   of the chief instigators of this response was Dwayne Muurgan. His
   fiery orations stirred the blood of the settlers and gave them a will
   to resist. He thought that once the planet was sealed, the Tukeras
   would move in with hired guns, and try to exterminate the settlers. To
   forestall this he had the settlers manufacture small arms, so that
   they could defend their homes.
   
   Even though the Tukeras had done some unpleasant things in their past,
   they weren't about to send in mercenaries to slaughter over 80,000
   men, women, and children. Baronet Rogarr thought it best if they
   simply waited until the settlers gave up. He ordered that each year a
   liner land at the settlement and offer free passage to anyone willing
   to give up all claim to the planet. For the first few years no one
   took the Tukeras up on their offer, but after a few years, a few
   settlers would leave each year, ten one year, fifty the next. These
   emigrants are one of the few sources of infomation about conditions on
   lewis. By 1100, seven thousand settlers had chosen to leave. But that
   still left over seventy thousand still on the planet.
   
   When the settlers bought rights to settle on Lewis, those rights only
   pertained to the continent Desmoaned and the archipelago to the north.
   Desmoaned is a smallish continent, about four million square
   kilometers. The interdiction restricts the settlers to this territory
   and no other. Tukera family security monitors the continent for
   violations. The penalty for violating the boundaries, even accidently,
   is exile from the planet.
   
   The Civil War slowed down the flow of visitors. Only those Tukera
   employees from the Domain of Deneb could get to Lewis. This created a
   bit of economic strain, but Tukera was willing to absorb the cost.
   There was some talk of opening up the planet to paying customers. But
   this talk was quickly squashed by Tukera higher ups. They thought the
   exclusiveness of the planet, was well worth the cost.
   
   The settlers received little news of the Civil War, and it did not
   impact their lives at all. At least that is what they thought. On
   152-1119, three Vargr Corsair Destroyers landed at the Settlement and
   looted and burned most of it. After filling their holds with booty,
   they took off, but as a final act of cruelty bombarded the settlement
   from orbit. Three quarters of the settlers, over 45,000 people, died
   in the attack. It remains one of the more senseless Vargr attacks in
   Regency history.
   
   Tukera personnel on planet immediate offered their help to the
   surviving settlers. Unfortunately the small hospital at Inselberg
   would be swamped with all the victims, but Tukera offered to ship
   anyone in need of medical assistance, to Patnir, the nearest star
   system with adequate medical facilities. Of course, no one who left
   would ever be allowed to return. Most settlers decided a life in exile
   would be better than no life at all. After the attack and subsequent
   evacuation, only five thousand settlers were left on planet. Those who
   had survived resolved that nothing would force them from their land.
   Many survivors blamed Tukera for the attack, suggesting that the Vargr
   were working for Tukera or at the least Tukera did not stop the
   attack.
   
   Tukera family spokespersons vehemently denied these charges, "Our
   system defense boats were patrolling the outer system, they rushed to
   the planet as soon as the alarm was raised, but were too late. The
   entire Tukera family sends its deepest sympathy to these victims of
   Vargr aggression."
   
   The remaining settlers set about rebuilding their home. There was
   enough food at outlying farms, to get them through the first growing
   season. The first year was the roughest, but by pulling together, the
   settlers were able to overcome the difficulties. It took the settlers
   five years to rebuild their homes.
   
   In 1125 they reorganized their settlement, and created a government
   that they still use to this day. Before this they had no formal
   government, now they elected a Governor, and ten Speakers. The
   Governor would serve for life, and was charged with freeing the planet
   from its interdiction. The settlers elected Justin Muurgan, grandson
   of Dwayne Muurgan. He was only 29 when elected. He still serves as
   Governor to this day. When asked about the length of his political
   career, he responded,"The Governor serves for life, and I refuse to
   die anywhere but where I was born."
   
   The Speakers are elected every two years. Note that there are an even
   number of Speakers. The settlers value consensus, and wanted their
   representative to come to an agreement, not just out vote each other.
   The Speakers find issues that effect the settlement, and figure out a
   solution that is best for the most people. Most of the issues are
   fairly mundane, such things as land use, new construction, and farming
   schedules.
   
   When the Tukera liner came in 1126, the Governor was the only settler
   to take passage off planet. He was also the last settler to ever leave
   the planet. Governor Muurgan immediately got in contact with the
   survivors of the Vargr attack who had been evacuated. He gathered them
   together on Xenon Station, a beat up mining station, located in the
   Patnir System. Once they were settled, he set out to convince the
   Domain of Deneb to lift the interdiction on his homeworld. For decades
   he has spoken to every Imperial official, that would see him. To each
   of these he told the history of his world. Most sympathized, but were
   unable or unwilling to do anything to help.
   
   Governor Muurgan also spread the word about Lewis, to the media, he
   would talk to any reporter, no matter how small their publication. His
   passionate pleas have aroused a great deal of public support on
   several worlds, notably La Belle/Lanth, Zivije/Rhylanor and
   Thingen/Sabine. It has become a fashionable cause, there are rallies,
   fund raisers, and lots of speeches. Some of these people have tried to
   create a boycott of Tukera Lines and related companies, but it has had
   little effect so far. Tukera Lines has suffered since the Domain of
   Deneb was cut off from the rest of the Imperium. Their public
   connection to Margret's faction hurt them in the eyes of many Domain
   residents, who saw Margret as another schemer who was helping to
   destroy the Imperium. Today they are fraction of what they used to be,
   but the family that was left in the Domain still has enough money and
   power to affect their destiny.
   
   When Norris announced the Representational Reforms, Gov Muurgan
   thought that he would be selected as Lewis's representative, but the
   Tukera family were able to convince the Regency that they should
   select a representive. Since this time the Tukera family has becoming
   one of the leaders of the Resistance movement, trying to obstruct the
   reforms at any cost.
   
   Most members of the Regency Senate have been reluctant to overturn the
   interdiction of Lewis, since it was an Imperial decree, and if the
   Senate were to overturn it, this would signify that the Senate could
   overrule the Emperor. While currently there is no emperor, many
   members cling to the hope that there will someday be one. Lately some
   of the more democratic members of the Senate have taken up the cause,
   mainly using it as a tool against Tukera and the Resisters. They see
   it as an example of what the Resisters stand for and how they harm
   people. One small victory they have managed to achieve, is that the
   new UPP in the 1201 census figures, features the Settlers's tech level
   and government code. This is a small victory, but it is a first step.
   Gov Muurgan does not care that some supporters care more about
   damaging the Resisters than Lewis, he just wants his home to be free.