Council of Captains
The Verge Flotilla
To the rest of the galaxy, the Centrality was a backwater, a frontier region that had never really joined interstellar polite society. Some parts of it bucked that stereotype; the inner planets, hugging the Arleen Loop, were modern and stable, covered by sprawling cityscapes and industrial megacomplexes. Others, however, fit the area's reputation of being distant and uncivilized to a T, and Trammis III fell into this latter category. A world of hot, steaming jungles where the dampness never left your clothes no matter what you tried, it had been the grave of the first two teams of settlers who had tried to tame it - and was still trying hard to wipe out the descendants of the third.
Tropical diseases, strange parasites, and fast-growing vegetation were all common threats to local colonists, but none were the reason for Trammis III's fearsome reputation; that honor fell to its animal life. Huge reptillian creatures stalked the jungles, trees shaking with their every footfall. The beasts, well-adapted to the harsh conditions of the primal wilderness, were exceptionally deadly; there was more than one variety that could wipe out an entire settlement on its own, and even the smaller, less aggressive ones could kill an unprepared explorer who provoked them. All of these creatures, however, bowed to one undisputed king: the Akorec, 30 meter tall king of the jungle.
It was for these predators, and the Akorec in particular, that Trammis III had earned its reputation within the Centrality - and even beyond. Hunter and trapper camps set up shop on the planet, some providing safari experiences to wealthy tourists, others hunting the beasts for exotic meat and valuable scales. The hide of an Akorec shed blaster bolts like water, making it a valuable commodity. Centran authorities did their best to regulate these trades, but all that the efforts of the customs fleet accomplished was driving the trade underground. The ban on exporting the dinosaurs of Trammis III, or their parts, had made them an exclusive commodity, and their value had skyrocketed.
Which was why a smuggler could be well paid indeed to stealthily bring a live Akorec all the way to the bloodsoaked arenas of Antipose IX, though transporting it would be no easy task. Thankfully, the beast had already been captured. The job coordinates had been transmitted, leading the smuggler in question to a remote camp hidden deep in the jungle. Heavy vines grew over the edges of the landing pad and up the walls of the nearby warehouse, kept at bay only with vibrosaws and flamethrowers. A small force of Spinward Syndicate thugs, all heavily armed, milled nervously around the compound, watching closely for any intruders - or, more likely, predators striking out of the jungle.
Within the warehouse, a sedated and restrained beast growled low in its throat, lost in dreams of a never-ending feast of warm, bloody, wriggling meat...
