[Solved] The Man Who Went Out in the Cold

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Rothana Chapter I - The Man Who Went Out in the Cold

Still high off the victory on Lothal, newly promoted Captain Dak Tiberus of the SCS set his ship down outside the industrial sector. He radioed in his position and waited for the Rothana Remnant to send a transport. They knew he was coming and the hope was that they would embrace his presence with open arms. He suspected they would be less enthusiastic about the news of hierarchal restructuring he brought with him.

The Rothana Remnant had been ruling the planet since the fall of the Empire and in the opinion of the Society’s politicians and scholars, their handling of the planet had been disastrous. They failed to capitalise on the planet’s extensive ship building capabilities and in a few short years, mass unemployment plagued the once prosperous people of Rothana. 

The remnant’s Imperial roots ensured the New Republic would never work with them and the Rothanian’s ingrained wariness of outsiders didn’t help them attract any new friends. The SCS had placed the largest order the planet had seen in years. The purchase of the Onager Class star destroyer used over Lothal went a long way in building good will with the icey people. However, if Rothana wanted to continue to reap the benefits of the Society’s generosity, a business relationship wouldn’t be enough. They would have to join the Society’s ranks and pledge allegiance to the Inner Circle.

The security officers that picked him up were friendly enough. They asked if he had any questions and started driving.

“Yeah, why is the top down? I’m freezing.”

They talked about the precarious situation between the government and the people. The remnant’s food stores weren’t large enough to feed the people this Winter and on Rothana, the temperatures subceeded -50°C at night. This was good. The more desperate the remnant was, the quicker they’d be to relinquish control. Major Varless had warned Dak about the former admiral that now ruled Rothana: “He’s a proud and competent man but a damn pain in the ass to work for.” 

Dak could tell from studying the maps that they would be coming up on the frozen pier momentarily. Figuring that she would be in range by now, he covertly clicked his com-link and waited for a response. A woman’s voice crackled through.

“Agent Tara reporting in.” 

The sound of the high speed winds were now loud enough to prevent his companions from overhearing. “Status report.”

“The vibe here is pretty bleak, Dak” she said. “These people don’t have any money. They wait outside the shipyards for hours every morning hoping to get picked for a days work. At night, they crowd into the underground factories…burning trash and hugging each other to keep warm. They won’t last much longer at this rate.“

Dak sighed. The situation was more dire than the intel had suggested. He hoped the remnant leader would be cooperative. Dak wasn’t authorised to send more food shipments until Rothana was under Stygian control. As the speeder whipped around the bend he caught sight of Tara standing on the pier, at the contact site they’d chosen. As they passed, a group of rowdy locals spotted the remnant security armour and began hurling insults and bottles at the vehicle.

“Ungrateful scum!” yelled the driver. They didn’t hear him. 

“Tensions are high” Dak yelled with his finger pressed down on the com-link. “Be careful.”

“I’ll be fine” she said. “You’re the one headed into the belly of the beast.” 

She started to say something else but Dak’s com-link was too far out of range to pick it up. He was on his own now, out in the cold.

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Finished this a while ago but only got around to taking pics of it now. This was my first attempt at using freeform on a large scale build. The pier started as something else but once I added the silver rings I decided that the terrain could be a frozen river that thaws in the Summer. Elements of the pier were inspired by brutalist architecture. I'm very happy with the speeder and this build was partly an excuse to get it in a post. I used the Mercedes-Benz W31 as a jumping off point for the design.

The next Chapter on Rothana should be out in the next day or two.

Thanks for taking a look! If you have any thoughts or feedback please drop a comment. : )