Most professions form groups that the members can find strength in and draw resources from to help further their own goals. Some are meant only to protect them from their employers, others seek to unify them toward a greater goal, while most are generally official excuses to get together and have fun. Blockade running, while still a somewhat bonafide profession, lacks the support of a cohesive group. This is because of the nature of the runner. Almost all are fiercely stubborn and independent, making the formation of a guild or other all-encompassing entity a daunting task. Still, one can find small bands at shadowports that are solely made up of runners, and depending on the disposition of that particular group, will welcome a newcomer in. |
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Geizal Geizal is so inhospitable, it is a going joke that even if the Empire found the shadowport there, they would think the inhabitants were already in trouble and move on. Though it has some relatively mild temperate zones, the air is basically poisonous to most species. The shadowport (of the same name) rests in the northern arctic region and is hell. The port rests in a shallow valley that measures about forty kilometers wide. Nobody has actually ventured beyond about sixty kilometers, so little is known of the region. The port rests in the center to allow approaching ships as much visibility as possible. Some encampments lies against the valley walls twenty kilometers away. The general population of Geizal is 800, quite healthy considering the weather. The port lies on an ice floe that is roughly 1.5 kilometers thick, and covers the span of the valley. Snow falls continuously, either in blizzard conditions or wispy flurries. Due to very high winds that sweep the valley floor, accumulation is minimal, nothing much past snow piling against anything that stands out (ships, buildings, etc.). In blizzard conditions, visibility is zero and it is dangerous to be out. In the port, landing pads are meter-thick neoprene gridpads large enough to land a light freighter on one. Several pads can be pulled together to land larger ships. The pads have a heating element on the top that keeps the ships from sinking into the ice from running heat then freezing into the floor. There are about two hundred pads scattered about, mostly covered in ice. Structures are few and far between, mostly small affairs with glowing light pouring from the slits of thick aluminum shutters. The locals enjoy using wood for fuel (specifically, geeder, a slow-burning tinder with an enjoyable aroma), as mandated by a general vote. They found that using wood to heat reduced the energy signature detectable from orbit enough to make it almost nil. Also, energy here is not that plentiful, and is rationed for repairs, refueling ships and other such matters of importance. Trenches that measure about a meter high connect the structures and also surround them like a moat. A structure will typically rest about four meters under the ice in an attempt to trap ambient heat. They are prefabricated buildings, dropped into a pit carved out for their size and sheathed with some heat-retaining material. They wind up being surprisingly efficient, considering their surroundings. The roofs are usually sloped over by snow accumulation, and look to be little more than bumps on the horizon. Once can come here and build their own structure. They must supply their own fuel and purchase the services of the local equipment and materials to dig the appropriate trenches and construction of the building. In all, it costs about 6,000 credits, a bargain if you survive the first month. Nencarn : An Encampment Nencarn is one of the encampments that lies about twenty kilometers away from the shadowport proper. It rests at the foot of the valley wall (which is about twenty meters tall) and is home to a group of blockade runners. They call the camp Nencarn, whose definition is not known exactly. Some remember the Nencarn as a fictional race of benevolence, while others seem to recall the Nencarn being a raging, psychotic creature that resides elsewhere in limited numbers and is hunted viciously (with little success). Twenty-two blockade runners make up the encampment. They are a motley bunch, with thick but friendly rivalries running amongst each other and practical jokes as plentiful as the snow itself. They enjoy each other's company a great deal and have formed a real community feeling about Nencarn. Other blockade runners are welcomed wholeheartedly, but woe to those seeking to do them harm or injustice. Geizal isn't the place to make enemies just for the climate. Otherwise, they are cordial and inviting to any other type of visitors, and one is likely to make many friends for life just venturing into the camp. Venturing into the camp is the hard part. They have sensor outposts that rest two kilometers out from Nencarn in all directions on the valley floor, to serve as an early warning. Also, speeder bikes don't really work very well on Geizal, nor do most repulsorcraft. Nencarn happens to have some speeder trucks they have modified to comply better with the bitter cold, but unless you are able to acquire your own transportation, you must surrender yourself to one of the pack animals found in the port. These are usually taun-tauns, so if you plan on riding 20 clicks through snow and subzero temperatures, plan to stay a while and tell them you are coming in advance. If you don't arrive in proper time, Nencarn will form a search party (usually one man with a sensor pack and a speeder truck) and rescue you. There are about six separate crews and ships in Nencarn, though it is not unusual for two or even three crews to form temporary alliances to tackle a very big job. Otherwise, it is somewhat common for them to all run cargoes to the same destination at the same time. They each do it a different way, and it sows terrible confusion with the blockading force, a point of hearty laughter for the Nencarn camp. Their camp houses all the crewmen, landings for the ships, and there are enough stored energy supplies in terms of wood and energy fuel to shore them up for about six standard months. They always anticipate being blockaded themselves by the Empire and want to be prepared. They are working on a tunnel system that goes into the valley wall, but recently procrastination has been the watchword. Besides, maintaining the camp is difficult enough. There are guest quarters, blankets, heaters and plenty of food for visitors, and even though they keep a very obvious watchful eye, the Nencarn camp is warmer than most resort planets. The main port enjoys it when a Nencarn comes in for supplies or just to visit. Joviality is the watchword for these men. Though they enjoy spinning yarns of past exploits, they are tightlipped about their employers. They say that it is because they believe in the code of silence on this one, but the truth is they are all on retainer with the Alliance. Though they all want to seem like hard, grizzled individuals, they all have families trapped by the Empire or hidden away on a safeworld. Being together with their sons, daughters, and wives one day is what keeps them warm on Geizal, not their laughter. But, laughter always helps. |
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This is an original work by Tim "Nealos" Salam. |
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