Oooh Mavrik is really pretty! Would you be willing to talk about her/ the junk planet some?
I WOULD LOVE TO, THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!!!
Mavrik is a scavenger who works with her partner, Coraga, to sort through scrap for salvageable parts. Depending on what they find, they either sell it off or add it to their own cobbled-together (and very beloved) ship.
As a pair, they're inspired by the interspecific allopreening observed between Crested Caracaras and Black Vultures :] Mavrik is the Caracara!!
They possess a sort of x-ray ability that helps them find wreckages with parts still intact, and they usually play recon and lookout while Coraga muscles through the scrap. She's carefree and easygoing, able to laugh at her own failures and change plans on a whim, which serves her well in the crowds she runs in.
Mavrik is also a great vessel for one of my own headcanons! Unlike most cuspbloods on my roster, he isn't legally marked as one, owed to the fact that his blood sits between burgundy and fuchsia. Naturally, the Empire doesn't like acknowledging that the spectrum their society is built upon is ultimately meaningless, with the top and bottom technically being neighbors.
That's also the reason she has fins! She's not a seadweller though, as she lacks gills, which is what allowed the mutation to slip through the cracks.
NOW! As for the junker planet! I actually started writing some notes on it recently, but I didn't get far. Here's what I have, though!
The Scrapyard (Officially: Ilbix-39) A planet populated by junk and rejects, considered a failed colony when the planet's natural resources were depleted before the population could find a foothold. Now it serves as a stopping point for many space-faring vessels and unsavory individuals.
The vibe of it is meant to be... Seedy dive bar/truck stop in the middle of nowhere, but make it a whole planet. It's dusty, it's dirty, it's covered in refuse, and no self-respecting Fleet officer is likely to be found there. Perfect for people like Mavrik who don't want the Empire in their business. People aren't really supposed to live there, and most who do are really just camping out on their ships, but there are a lot of folks who frequent the place and do their business in its shadows.
Other characters connected to the Scrapyard include - A famous bounty hunter - A band of space pirates (only have the first mate so far tho) - An abducted helmsman who killed her new pilot, stole his ship, and became an illegal space racer - A mechanic who defected from the Fleet (who I still have to introduce) - One half of a criminal couple (who I still have to name and design oops)