PRELUDE - WELCOME TO MALABAR ...
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...
EXTERIOR: DEEP SPACE. Thousands of stars shine brilliantly against a backdrop of black. Suddenly a modified Correllian YT-1300 transport lurches out of hyperspace. The ship’s cockpit has been removed from the right side of the hull and replaced with a center-mounted unit that sits between the mandibles. The engine section has been almost entirely removed and replaced with three powerful sublight engines and a first-class hyperdrive. Two modified laser cannons are mounted to turrets, one dorsally and one ventrally, and they are supported by a single blaster cannon. The vessel's sleek silhouette, however, is belied by its carbon-scored hide and limping movement. This is the Rim Runner.
INTERIOR: THE COCKPIT OF THE RIM RUNNER. An azure planet dominates the view from the cockpit of the Rim Runner. It is an ocean world, the only land taking the form of tiny island chains. Massive cyclonic clouds cover much of the ocean surface. Inside, a Sullustan jabbers something in a strange language as he attempts to patch a sparking, crackling wire, his dark eyes wide with panic beneath protective goggles. A rugged looking Rodian sits at the controls and sighs.
"Malabar. Why did it have to be Malabar?"
EXTERIOR: MALABAR. The Rim Runner's three sublight engines ignite, propelling the transport into the planet's atmosphere, one of the engines cutting on and off sporadically. The front of the vessel is outlined in a penumbra of red as its shielding protects it from the heat of atmospheric entry. Then the transport assumes a less steep angle and the heat dissipates as the ship skims over the surface of a cyclone cloud, some ten miles deep with a diameter greater by far. Lightning dances in the giant storm below. And then the Rim Runner is clear, past the storm and above calm ocean. The transport dives low, practically skimming the surface of the sea. Suddenly a monstrous creature rises from the water directly in the transport's path, its head impossibly broad. The creature arcs, its head plunging back into the sea, followed by a long, broad, serpentine back lined with rows of curved fins. Finally, the wide, powerful tail of the beast crests the surface and slaps down, sending a spray of seafoam high into the air, soaking the cockpit window of the Rim Runner as the transport flies past. As the water beads and runs off the window, a small landmass becomes visible ahead. The island is covered with lush tropical forest.
EXTERIOR: GANLO ISLAND. The tell-tale signs of smoke rising indicate the small coastal settlement ahead. The hull of an old ripship rises from the moist sand, a casualty of setting down too close to the tide line. Further up on the beach several transports are landed. Here the island's broad beach is packed hard by pounding waves, and it's as good as any duracrete landing pad. The Rim Runner lurches to a halt in midair and landing gear emerge from its underside. The ship rocks from side to side as it touches down hard, sending up clouds of sand. The boarding ramp lowers, and the Rodian and Sullustan emerge, their knees wobbly from the rough landing.
The short Sullustan stumbled down the ramp, tugging at his flight suit. The baggy suit was weighted down with tools of every variety, each clamped to a metal ring on the suit. He babbled incessantly, large jowls flapping, pointing back at the ship with his stubby fingers.
The tapered end of the Rodian's green snout formed a rueful grin, and a light gleamed deep in his dark eyes. "No, Tevy, not yet. We'll get parts later. First we stop for lum. And I have some ... business to attend." The grim Rodian's hands casually dropped to the butts of the heavy blasters slung low at either side.
Tevy shrugged his shoulders and muttered under his breath. For Baydo, it seemed that lum was always the top priority. And there always seemed to be some unpleasant business to attend.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...
EXTERIOR: DEEP SPACE. Thousands of stars shine brilliantly against a backdrop of black. Suddenly a modified Correllian YT-1300 transport lurches out of hyperspace. The ship’s cockpit has been removed from the right side of the hull and replaced with a center-mounted unit that sits between the mandibles. The engine section has been almost entirely removed and replaced with three powerful sublight engines and a first-class hyperdrive. Two modified laser cannons are mounted to turrets, one dorsally and one ventrally, and they are supported by a single blaster cannon. The vessel's sleek silhouette, however, is belied by its carbon-scored hide and limping movement. This is the Rim Runner.
INTERIOR: THE COCKPIT OF THE RIM RUNNER. An azure planet dominates the view from the cockpit of the Rim Runner. It is an ocean world, the only land taking the form of tiny island chains. Massive cyclonic clouds cover much of the ocean surface. Inside, a Sullustan jabbers something in a strange language as he attempts to patch a sparking, crackling wire, his dark eyes wide with panic beneath protective goggles. A rugged looking Rodian sits at the controls and sighs.
"Malabar. Why did it have to be Malabar?"
EXTERIOR: MALABAR. The Rim Runner's three sublight engines ignite, propelling the transport into the planet's atmosphere, one of the engines cutting on and off sporadically. The front of the vessel is outlined in a penumbra of red as its shielding protects it from the heat of atmospheric entry. Then the transport assumes a less steep angle and the heat dissipates as the ship skims over the surface of a cyclone cloud, some ten miles deep with a diameter greater by far. Lightning dances in the giant storm below. And then the Rim Runner is clear, past the storm and above calm ocean. The transport dives low, practically skimming the surface of the sea. Suddenly a monstrous creature rises from the water directly in the transport's path, its head impossibly broad. The creature arcs, its head plunging back into the sea, followed by a long, broad, serpentine back lined with rows of curved fins. Finally, the wide, powerful tail of the beast crests the surface and slaps down, sending a spray of seafoam high into the air, soaking the cockpit window of the Rim Runner as the transport flies past. As the water beads and runs off the window, a small landmass becomes visible ahead. The island is covered with lush tropical forest.
EXTERIOR: GANLO ISLAND. The tell-tale signs of smoke rising indicate the small coastal settlement ahead. The hull of an old ripship rises from the moist sand, a casualty of setting down too close to the tide line. Further up on the beach several transports are landed. Here the island's broad beach is packed hard by pounding waves, and it's as good as any duracrete landing pad. The Rim Runner lurches to a halt in midair and landing gear emerge from its underside. The ship rocks from side to side as it touches down hard, sending up clouds of sand. The boarding ramp lowers, and the Rodian and Sullustan emerge, their knees wobbly from the rough landing.
The short Sullustan stumbled down the ramp, tugging at his flight suit. The baggy suit was weighted down with tools of every variety, each clamped to a metal ring on the suit. He babbled incessantly, large jowls flapping, pointing back at the ship with his stubby fingers.
The tapered end of the Rodian's green snout formed a rueful grin, and a light gleamed deep in his dark eyes. "No, Tevy, not yet. We'll get parts later. First we stop for lum. And I have some ... business to attend." The grim Rodian's hands casually dropped to the butts of the heavy blasters slung low at either side.
Tevy shrugged his shoulders and muttered under his breath. For Baydo, it seemed that lum was always the top priority. And there always seemed to be some unpleasant business to attend.
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