Seasons of Celphi

[Jsc]

Planet Celphi VI


She was officially labeled as an ice world. With liquid water forming only around the equator and giving rise to a few traces of snow and tundra landscapes. Planet life was rugged and harsh. Restricted mostly to blue fungi, oxygen ferns, and a lay assortment of adapted green grasses. The animal life showed signs of later oceanic-to-soil evolution. With more oceanic birds than grazing herds. But it was there. Life was there.

Celphi VI was located just G North of Ropagi II nearer the Hydian Way. It was neutral territory in the galaxy with few notable landmarks and received few visitors. There was a hyperspace beacon moored near the system's star and a Galactic Alliance booster dumped in Legrange. The exported goods were listed on the Galactic Market as water, iron, carbon silicate, and diamond dust. Given that the planet had only been prospected three times. Which was few and marked the system as a poor investment at best.

Monica, (named Karen Roberts to some,) sat in the cockpit of her X-Wing Recon. Watching the stars and listening to music. Her scan of the beacon came back as an empty system. Nobody was home. Not a single vessel in the entire black ocean.

"Weird." She mumbled with a flip of her blue hair.

But it really wasn't. Her job offer had listed the system as evacuated. Apparently the star had a bad habit of emitting radiation storms that could reach the planet's only mining colony. How strong and how often, she didn't know. Only that it had caused a terrible accident with the colonies artificial environment and everybody either left early... Or died badly. A story that was only somewhat uncommon for a business located in the Expansion Region of the galaxy. This wasn't Wild Space, but it sure felt like it today.

"Well. At least there won't be any pirates this close to the Hydian. Should be a quiet trip."

She settled back into her cockpit and checked her schedule again. The job came out of Coruscant and she was expecting another ship any minute now. The listing was simple: Monica and one other crew were to retrieve whatever processed shipments of diamond dust were left at the colony. The vault they were to find was supposed to be locked and shielded. So, with any luck. The goods were still there and not irradiated to hell and back.

"Maybe." Karen smirked. "We'll see."

Smiling to herself and hoping that today was going to be just another easy cash-in, cash-out. Easy as pie.

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

A rusty looking ship dropped out of hyperspace. A light freighter of Mandalorian design, the ship meandered through space towards the lone X-wing and hailed.

"This is Gil Skirata, you here for the job or am I turning on my weapons?" Gil wasn't much for courtesy these days. He tended to try and be as straightforward as possible in his old age. Beating around the bush had led to more mishap and disaster than he cared to admit in his own life and after the Civil War...He didn't have that luxury.

The job was simple enough for him to complete on his own, but an old friend sat in sleep mode in the cargo hold of his freighter.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen smirked at his manner. She understood the gruffness all too well.

"Welcome to the Celphi System, Gil. I'm Monica, and yes. I have the other half of the GPS coordinates you'll need to find the locked safe and complete the job. So, yeah? I guess that makes us partners. Awesome. Possum."

She flicked a few switches and turned her Astromech, good old R2, back on. Still broadcasting to Gil,

"So. I've been out here for about an hour now. Not a single peep out of the Hyperspace beacon. System looks empty near as I can tell. The digital flight register on the beacon is all burned to hell though. So no telling who's been coming and going out here for months, I'm afraid. Other than the Hyperspace Guild's paperwork on our little lost planet here, man. This place is as boring as they come. Ghost town central."

She turned and looked over the quick scan of Gil's ship. Good. He had some cargo space. That would make the job all the easier.

"Anyway. I'll lead us out. ETA from here to the colonies LZ is about three minutes at sub-light. I'll see you on the surface. Monica out."

R2 chirped a somber reply and nodded his assistance. Course locked in.

"Hit it R2."

The X-Wing Recon lurched forward with a dazzling blue dart and took a quick pace out among the stars. Diving headlong towards the planet and colony beyond. Gods, did she love that speed. Zoom! Celphi Six, here we come.


* * *


The colony was spartan, yeah. But new. The prefabs still had that glossy white coat of paint you only see in the ads left on em'. Steam was still rising from their air conditioning units and only half of the buildings were buried in a wide snowbank. The parameter shield towers still looked operational and the comms boosters didn't have a dent anywhere on them. Naturally there were cargo crates, lifters, and lights scattered all over the place. An industrial zone to be sure. But the planet was solemn in it's blue beauty and the air was crisp and wild. This place had flavor. A little style in the new colonial fashions. She looked good. Well,

At least Karen thought so anyway.

Her X-Wing put down nearer the shuttle landing pads and blinked twice at the sensor readout. Then opened comms to Gil again,

"Gil. I'm not getting a blink of radiation on my scope. And neither is my R2 unit. I know they said this place got hit by a Rad Storm a few weeks back, but... I'm not seeing a single piece of radiation anywhere nearby. Anything on your end?"

It was so weird. With the shield down this place was supposed to be a soup. Wasn't that why they evacuated in the first place? Yet. The plant life was unaffected. The snow held no trace of a storm. Maybe those giant blue mushrooms had absorbed it all? She thought to herself. Maybe the local birds and deer had evolved to eat green snow? Ha. Who knows? Foreign systems were always a mystery to her. The science of each planet always different. The unexplainable phenomena always lingering in the dozens. Wild and free. Dangerous and deadly. It was always the same to her.

"Well." She soured, "At least the gravity is normal. Sheesh."

Monica closed her dark full-helm and sealed it. Attached her radiation badge to her fuzzy black shoulder and checked the read out on her arm. Good. All clear.

"R2. Watch the ship."

~ Dweet donk ~

Monica nodded and popped the hatch. Sissssspt. Pop. The new air held a frosty chill. Brrr. Yet she could only shrug as she dismounted her X-Wing. Not a single rad in sight. Her badge's shield meter hadn't budged. Not even an inch.

"Gil. I'm reading an all clear here. Whatever happened to this place? Boy oh boy. It wasn't a rad storm. That's for sure."

She sighed and took another look around. Very conscious now that either her employer was lying to her or, they got feed the same brown-bag story too. Damn.

Well. At least their frosty environment wasn't a green soup of radiation waiting to melt your face off. Mm. That was one positive thing so far. I guess?

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]