The starship William Howells surveyed an unnamed planet in the 22nd century. The Howells expedition centered on the city-state of Kussara, which was located on the Til-Barsip River. Kussara was part of a region known as the Eighteen Cities contained within the Til-Barsip Valley. Among other members of the Eighteen Cities were Hurma, whose men commonly wore feather-decked turbans; Yuzat, whose people spoke with an odd accent which made them seem to spit after each sentence; and Maruwas, whose people occasionally raided Kussara.[1]