"Grey" is not a crack about my hair color.
https://youtu.be/TLV4_xaYynY
It was a planet so insignificant, it didn't appear on any major star maps.
Nestled along the Mara Corridor, just far enough off the hyperspace to be inconvenient, the planet that the locals called Eden was a veritable paradise for the colonists who had settled some four hundred years ago, seeking refuge from the ravages of the Gulag Plague.
It was a young world, with only a single supercontinent that wrapped its way around nearly the entire planet. The east and west edges were barely a thousand kilometers apart, separated by a deep sea full of aquatic life that was mercifully edible to the humans and near humans who had learned to call Eden home. The equatorial zone was covered almost entirely by rich, verdant jungles and rain forests, broken only by soaring mountain ranges that marked tectonic borders. To the north, grasslands and savannas gradually gave way to tundra. To the south, which received the lion's share of the sunlight, harsh deserts that received so little rainfall, life was nearly impossible to sustain. There was no southern polar ice cap; there was too much heat.
The people of Eden mostly lived on the coastal plains to the north of the equator, where the temperatures were mild enough to make for easy living off the land. Though their society had plenty of industry, great care was taken to minimize its impact on the natural wonders of their world.
There were, of course, exceptions. In any civilization, there will be people who prefer rough freedom to comfortable dominion, even from the most benevolent of governments. The jungles and mountain ranges were dotted with settlements hewn from the rugged landscape.
The foothills of one particular mountain range, known as The Devil's Spine, were legendary in the neighboring sectors for their primary export: tea. The gently rolling hills that led up to the planet's highest peaks were the perfect climate to cultivate high quality tea, and they made a name for themselves producing some of the best. Though Eden was not listed on any major star maps, that was set to change in the coming decades, as connoisseurs of that most civilized of beverages slowly got word of the fantastic tea grown there.
The region was called The Devil's Kidneys, a joke started by the original colony's ecological team, as they noted that the snowmelt from the mountain range, heavily contaminated by a breed of fungus that thrived in the frigid waters, was filtered by the foothills as it made its way towards the sea. Despite numerous attempts to rename the region and give it a bit more dignity, the name stuck.
Margaret had decided to make the trip to Eden after she sampled some of the tea on a nearby world, and felt the Force pulling her in that direction. Well, either the Force, or a craving for the stuff. It was really hard to separate the two sometimes, but she had long ago realized that the Force wasn't above using her cravings to send her where she was needed most.
Along the way, she had picked up a pair of students: a Sullustan by the name of Nuuc Lapt, and a human by the name of Nadstic Sunshu. They were an odd pair, to say the least. Both were born slaves and raised by soldiers (what were the chances of that?) and had been partially trained in the ways of the Force. Margaret had agreed to help complete their training, but the arrangement was still new. They had known each other for only a few days, and here they were, off to a strange world for, of all things, tea.
She was surprised to learn that there was unrest in the region. A local leader had styled himself a warlord, and using primitive slugthrowers, was attempting to unite the region under his command. He had been repelled from the foothills by some of the wealthier communities who had been able to afford better weaponry, and had taken his anger out at some of the lowland jungle settlements.
The trio were en route to one of these jungle settlements, from which a distress signal had been received. Eden had no proper military. It had never needed one. Its constabulary had a small but well equipped peacekeeping element, and the commander had been positively beside herself with relief when Margaret offered to go with the team to investigate the signal.
And so, the three sat in the belly of a locally produced LAAT gunship, skimming over the jungle canopy on the way to the settlement.
Margaret had opted for something more sensible to wear than the usual Jedi robes. She wore jungle camouflaged fatigue pants, thick soled combat boots, a thin, brown cotton T-shirt that would breathe well in the humid climate, and over it all, an olive drab poncho that was older than either of her students. In her lap was a sturdy travel pack, filled with the usual assortment of supplies necessary for an extended stay in a jungle environment.
From the corner of her mouth hung her usual cigarette, unlit at the insistence of the crew chief.
She wasn't sure what they were about to get into, but something told her that this was where she, and her students, needed to be.
[member="RangerVisoN7"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]
It was a planet so insignificant, it didn't appear on any major star maps.
Nestled along the Mara Corridor, just far enough off the hyperspace to be inconvenient, the planet that the locals called Eden was a veritable paradise for the colonists who had settled some four hundred years ago, seeking refuge from the ravages of the Gulag Plague.
It was a young world, with only a single supercontinent that wrapped its way around nearly the entire planet. The east and west edges were barely a thousand kilometers apart, separated by a deep sea full of aquatic life that was mercifully edible to the humans and near humans who had learned to call Eden home. The equatorial zone was covered almost entirely by rich, verdant jungles and rain forests, broken only by soaring mountain ranges that marked tectonic borders. To the north, grasslands and savannas gradually gave way to tundra. To the south, which received the lion's share of the sunlight, harsh deserts that received so little rainfall, life was nearly impossible to sustain. There was no southern polar ice cap; there was too much heat.
The people of Eden mostly lived on the coastal plains to the north of the equator, where the temperatures were mild enough to make for easy living off the land. Though their society had plenty of industry, great care was taken to minimize its impact on the natural wonders of their world.
There were, of course, exceptions. In any civilization, there will be people who prefer rough freedom to comfortable dominion, even from the most benevolent of governments. The jungles and mountain ranges were dotted with settlements hewn from the rugged landscape.
The foothills of one particular mountain range, known as The Devil's Spine, were legendary in the neighboring sectors for their primary export: tea. The gently rolling hills that led up to the planet's highest peaks were the perfect climate to cultivate high quality tea, and they made a name for themselves producing some of the best. Though Eden was not listed on any major star maps, that was set to change in the coming decades, as connoisseurs of that most civilized of beverages slowly got word of the fantastic tea grown there.
The region was called The Devil's Kidneys, a joke started by the original colony's ecological team, as they noted that the snowmelt from the mountain range, heavily contaminated by a breed of fungus that thrived in the frigid waters, was filtered by the foothills as it made its way towards the sea. Despite numerous attempts to rename the region and give it a bit more dignity, the name stuck.
Margaret had decided to make the trip to Eden after she sampled some of the tea on a nearby world, and felt the Force pulling her in that direction. Well, either the Force, or a craving for the stuff. It was really hard to separate the two sometimes, but she had long ago realized that the Force wasn't above using her cravings to send her where she was needed most.
Along the way, she had picked up a pair of students: a Sullustan by the name of Nuuc Lapt, and a human by the name of Nadstic Sunshu. They were an odd pair, to say the least. Both were born slaves and raised by soldiers (what were the chances of that?) and had been partially trained in the ways of the Force. Margaret had agreed to help complete their training, but the arrangement was still new. They had known each other for only a few days, and here they were, off to a strange world for, of all things, tea.
She was surprised to learn that there was unrest in the region. A local leader had styled himself a warlord, and using primitive slugthrowers, was attempting to unite the region under his command. He had been repelled from the foothills by some of the wealthier communities who had been able to afford better weaponry, and had taken his anger out at some of the lowland jungle settlements.
The trio were en route to one of these jungle settlements, from which a distress signal had been received. Eden had no proper military. It had never needed one. Its constabulary had a small but well equipped peacekeeping element, and the commander had been positively beside herself with relief when Margaret offered to go with the team to investigate the signal.
And so, the three sat in the belly of a locally produced LAAT gunship, skimming over the jungle canopy on the way to the settlement.
Margaret had opted for something more sensible to wear than the usual Jedi robes. She wore jungle camouflaged fatigue pants, thick soled combat boots, a thin, brown cotton T-shirt that would breathe well in the humid climate, and over it all, an olive drab poncho that was older than either of her students. In her lap was a sturdy travel pack, filled with the usual assortment of supplies necessary for an extended stay in a jungle environment.
From the corner of her mouth hung her usual cigarette, unlit at the insistence of the crew chief.
She wasn't sure what they were about to get into, but something told her that this was where she, and her students, needed to be.
[member="RangerVisoN7"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]
