Chapter 7
When the Blood Scimitar burst out of hyperspace, Luke, Bel Iblis, and Corran saw before them a world that was disappointingly similar to many they had known back in explored space: massive bodies of water speckled with island chains and painted with great brushstrokes of fluffy cloud cover, with every indication of life possible. For some reason, all three of them had been expecting a strange and new world, full of unexplained mysteries. Din'cash gave them only the appearance of conformity, and it was disappointing.
"Welcome," said El-doana in a booming voice, "to Din'cash, home of the In'ca Din'ca Combine and Jewel of the Galaxy!" Corran smirked slightly at that, and Luke also hid a smile. Powerful species often tended towards the egocentric side, especially when naming things or people.
The planet did sparkle however, and not just from the glimmer of the distant sun's light on the oceans; battle stations, bulbous and asymmetrical, hung in complicated orbits, and at least ten battlecruisers with flowing lines like the Mon Calamari star cruisers ringed the equator of the world.
"Prepare for the patrol-" El-doana started to say, and then, with a huge flame, a group of small, compact fighter craft shot by overhead, engines blazing bright enough to trigger the opacity screens of the front viewport. "There they are," he finished. "We must give the recognition signal." He bent over his instruments, humming wordlessly.
"Well, the hardware looks impressive enough," Corran said, glancing at another of the cockpit's display panels, "But where do they get it?"
"What?" Bel Iblis asked, tearing his gaze away from the now hovering fighter ships to stare in puzzlement at the former CorSec officer. "What do you mean?"
Corran pointed to the screen. "I detect no cities or other signs of habitation on the surface," he explained, brow furrowing.
"Simply explained," El-doana said, returning to his seat. "We're an aquatic species."
"You mean-" Corran foundered, "Your entire civilization?"
"Absolutely," El-doana said with a hint of injured pride. "If the Calamarians can do it, can't we?"
"But they're only amphibious, the Quarren on their own would never have reached space," Corran put in.
"Regardless, we come from the waves, and to the waves we all return for our last sail," the In'ca Din'ca said, with a tone of religious fervor. "That is our philosophy."
"Uh-huh," Corran said in a tone of incredulity. "Where do we land?"
El-doana punched up a view of an underwater map of the planet and pointed to the tip of the easternmost continent. "Our capital is located here. It is our largest city and spaceport. We dock within the hour."
Docking a spaceship underwater was a strange experience for the three humans; instead of just applying repulsorlifts to soften landings, banks of maneuvering jets were used to keep the ship stable in underwater currents and lower it to the smooth surface of the exterior landing pad of the city.
The city itself was not beautiful, but not unattractive either. Tall, rounded towers thrust out from rolling, interconnected domes of a smooth green metal that Luke couldn't easily identify. Hundreds of thousands of gleaming windows sparkled on the lumpy walls of the towers, and streams of froth sprayed out from arriving and departing ships, lending an eerie, dreamlike quality to the scene.
As the three humans were unable to survive underwater, El-doana fetched three shimmering suits, elastic and painted a nondescript blue. Each one came with a bubble-shaped, completely transparasteel helmet and an oxygen converting device attached to the neck of the suit. The sizes were slightly out of whack, but the smooth, clinging fit of the garment compensated for the errors in shape. Then, the four emerged into an eerie underwater world.
It was strangely slow moving towards the door of the docking pad; Luke felt as if he'd been encased in a thin jelly of some kind, and time itself almost seemed to slow. Colorful sea creatures drifted past on eddying cross currents, and bubbles fizzed past the bubble helmets of Luke and his companions.
Once inside the door, they removed their helmets to taste the salty, alien air, encapsulated within metal fortresses as strong as the coral it was built on. The predominant color in the building seemed to be a smooth green, and there was a great tendency towards round objects. A reception committee stood waiting for them, an impressive collection of massive In'ca Din'ca of indistinguishable gender.
The central figure, the largest of them all, stepped forward, extending a large paw in the human manner of greeting. His uniform was a long mess of intricately woven tassels that Luke suspected was more ceremonial than for actual covering. In'ca Din'ca didn't seem to wear much clothing.
Bel Iblis reached out to take the brute's hand, shaking it firmly and putting on his best dignitary smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but the alien beat him to it.
"I am First Deep-Guide A'mta Gy'dorana," he intoned in thunderous Basic, now taking his fists and grasping the sides of Bel Iblis' head, and the general caught on immediately, repeating the gesture. "Welcome to Um'tallara'non, capital of Din'cash, the Jewel of the Galaxy!"
Bel Iblis inclined his head graciously, though a wry smile at the 'Jewel of the Galaxy' comment lingered around his mouth. "Thank you," he said. "I am General Bel Iblis, a resistance leader, and these are Corran Horn, Captain in our starfighter forces, and Luke Skywalker, the only living Jedi Knight."
Gy'dorana bowed his head briefly, tentacles writhing in an unidentified gesture that seemed to amuse his companions. "It is an honor to meet such respectable representatives of your great race, and a further honor to be allied with them."
"But we're not 'allies' yet, at least technically speaking," Corran said slyly, the mischievous twinkle of a knowing security enforcer entering his eyes. "I believe we came here to discuss that possibility. Possibility only," he reminded the In'ca Din'ca as Gy'dorana opened his mouth to protest, raising a finger.
"Yes, that is so," the politician, or whatever it was that First Deep- Guide meant, answered with reluctance, obviously frustrated with the stubbornness of the humans. "We have procured quarters and a database of all relevant information to our species for your perusal."
Luke hid an amused smile. If they expected them to believe that their species had just blithely given up all of their vital information, they were less intelligent than monkey-lizards.
But that was part of politics, anyway, something Luke didn't particularly like or have much of a feel for. He sobered when he recalled his disastrous attempts on Jomark, though he had been under the influence of Joruus C'baoth at the time. Something about this planet also put him slightly on edge, like an unpleasant odor at the back of your mind. If there was a similar dark plan going on at this place, he would know soon enough.
Author's Note: Sorry, but I'm gonna be out of town for a couple of weeks and unable to update, but here's a summary of characters and locations until I can update again:
Luke, Bel Iblis, Corran, and Hyasa El-doana are all on Din'cash to supposedly negotiate a treaty between the resistance and the In'ca Din'ca.
Wedge, Karrde, and Kenji Ba'dasahk are all waiting to hear the briefing of the Captain of the defense of Sullust, and Thrawn is launching his final strikes against a failing Republic.
-Sci-Fi Nerd
When the Blood Scimitar burst out of hyperspace, Luke, Bel Iblis, and Corran saw before them a world that was disappointingly similar to many they had known back in explored space: massive bodies of water speckled with island chains and painted with great brushstrokes of fluffy cloud cover, with every indication of life possible. For some reason, all three of them had been expecting a strange and new world, full of unexplained mysteries. Din'cash gave them only the appearance of conformity, and it was disappointing.
"Welcome," said El-doana in a booming voice, "to Din'cash, home of the In'ca Din'ca Combine and Jewel of the Galaxy!" Corran smirked slightly at that, and Luke also hid a smile. Powerful species often tended towards the egocentric side, especially when naming things or people.
The planet did sparkle however, and not just from the glimmer of the distant sun's light on the oceans; battle stations, bulbous and asymmetrical, hung in complicated orbits, and at least ten battlecruisers with flowing lines like the Mon Calamari star cruisers ringed the equator of the world.
"Prepare for the patrol-" El-doana started to say, and then, with a huge flame, a group of small, compact fighter craft shot by overhead, engines blazing bright enough to trigger the opacity screens of the front viewport. "There they are," he finished. "We must give the recognition signal." He bent over his instruments, humming wordlessly.
"Well, the hardware looks impressive enough," Corran said, glancing at another of the cockpit's display panels, "But where do they get it?"
"What?" Bel Iblis asked, tearing his gaze away from the now hovering fighter ships to stare in puzzlement at the former CorSec officer. "What do you mean?"
Corran pointed to the screen. "I detect no cities or other signs of habitation on the surface," he explained, brow furrowing.
"Simply explained," El-doana said, returning to his seat. "We're an aquatic species."
"You mean-" Corran foundered, "Your entire civilization?"
"Absolutely," El-doana said with a hint of injured pride. "If the Calamarians can do it, can't we?"
"But they're only amphibious, the Quarren on their own would never have reached space," Corran put in.
"Regardless, we come from the waves, and to the waves we all return for our last sail," the In'ca Din'ca said, with a tone of religious fervor. "That is our philosophy."
"Uh-huh," Corran said in a tone of incredulity. "Where do we land?"
El-doana punched up a view of an underwater map of the planet and pointed to the tip of the easternmost continent. "Our capital is located here. It is our largest city and spaceport. We dock within the hour."
Docking a spaceship underwater was a strange experience for the three humans; instead of just applying repulsorlifts to soften landings, banks of maneuvering jets were used to keep the ship stable in underwater currents and lower it to the smooth surface of the exterior landing pad of the city.
The city itself was not beautiful, but not unattractive either. Tall, rounded towers thrust out from rolling, interconnected domes of a smooth green metal that Luke couldn't easily identify. Hundreds of thousands of gleaming windows sparkled on the lumpy walls of the towers, and streams of froth sprayed out from arriving and departing ships, lending an eerie, dreamlike quality to the scene.
As the three humans were unable to survive underwater, El-doana fetched three shimmering suits, elastic and painted a nondescript blue. Each one came with a bubble-shaped, completely transparasteel helmet and an oxygen converting device attached to the neck of the suit. The sizes were slightly out of whack, but the smooth, clinging fit of the garment compensated for the errors in shape. Then, the four emerged into an eerie underwater world.
It was strangely slow moving towards the door of the docking pad; Luke felt as if he'd been encased in a thin jelly of some kind, and time itself almost seemed to slow. Colorful sea creatures drifted past on eddying cross currents, and bubbles fizzed past the bubble helmets of Luke and his companions.
Once inside the door, they removed their helmets to taste the salty, alien air, encapsulated within metal fortresses as strong as the coral it was built on. The predominant color in the building seemed to be a smooth green, and there was a great tendency towards round objects. A reception committee stood waiting for them, an impressive collection of massive In'ca Din'ca of indistinguishable gender.
The central figure, the largest of them all, stepped forward, extending a large paw in the human manner of greeting. His uniform was a long mess of intricately woven tassels that Luke suspected was more ceremonial than for actual covering. In'ca Din'ca didn't seem to wear much clothing.
Bel Iblis reached out to take the brute's hand, shaking it firmly and putting on his best dignitary smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but the alien beat him to it.
"I am First Deep-Guide A'mta Gy'dorana," he intoned in thunderous Basic, now taking his fists and grasping the sides of Bel Iblis' head, and the general caught on immediately, repeating the gesture. "Welcome to Um'tallara'non, capital of Din'cash, the Jewel of the Galaxy!"
Bel Iblis inclined his head graciously, though a wry smile at the 'Jewel of the Galaxy' comment lingered around his mouth. "Thank you," he said. "I am General Bel Iblis, a resistance leader, and these are Corran Horn, Captain in our starfighter forces, and Luke Skywalker, the only living Jedi Knight."
Gy'dorana bowed his head briefly, tentacles writhing in an unidentified gesture that seemed to amuse his companions. "It is an honor to meet such respectable representatives of your great race, and a further honor to be allied with them."
"But we're not 'allies' yet, at least technically speaking," Corran said slyly, the mischievous twinkle of a knowing security enforcer entering his eyes. "I believe we came here to discuss that possibility. Possibility only," he reminded the In'ca Din'ca as Gy'dorana opened his mouth to protest, raising a finger.
"Yes, that is so," the politician, or whatever it was that First Deep- Guide meant, answered with reluctance, obviously frustrated with the stubbornness of the humans. "We have procured quarters and a database of all relevant information to our species for your perusal."
Luke hid an amused smile. If they expected them to believe that their species had just blithely given up all of their vital information, they were less intelligent than monkey-lizards.
But that was part of politics, anyway, something Luke didn't particularly like or have much of a feel for. He sobered when he recalled his disastrous attempts on Jomark, though he had been under the influence of Joruus C'baoth at the time. Something about this planet also put him slightly on edge, like an unpleasant odor at the back of your mind. If there was a similar dark plan going on at this place, he would know soon enough.
Author's Note: Sorry, but I'm gonna be out of town for a couple of weeks and unable to update, but here's a summary of characters and locations until I can update again:
Luke, Bel Iblis, Corran, and Hyasa El-doana are all on Din'cash to supposedly negotiate a treaty between the resistance and the In'ca Din'ca.
Wedge, Karrde, and Kenji Ba'dasahk are all waiting to hear the briefing of the Captain of the defense of Sullust, and Thrawn is launching his final strikes against a failing Republic.
-Sci-Fi Nerd