STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Cold War

"Here we go. Cutting in the sublight engines." Dak flips a few switches and eases the Dawn out of lightspeed.

"May the Force be with us..."

You drop out of hyperspace.

Arnia hangs in space before you, a vast white snowball, pristine and cold even in appearance. Every feature of the surface is frozen and snowbound, so even the mountains are not visible.

A glimmer sparkles about the edges of the planet's orb. The planetary shield is still intact. You also notice (from memory) a smattering of dark spots, the anti-starship weapons platforms. Nasty satellites, designed by the Arnians; they are armed with heat-seeking concussion missiles, repeating cannons, ion cannons, and advanced proton torpedoes. Anything attempting to enter orbit without authorization is very unlikely to get past them unless the pilot is highly professional. And even then...

The starfield behind Arnia is rather thick, as the Black Dawn is pointed towards the Core.

Dak sighs, almost forgetting himself at the sight of seeing his home planet again. Sure, there weren't too many good memories, but you still felt a sort of loyalty to the place you were born, right?

Pulling the long-unused frequency up from the Black Dawn's databanks, Dak hails the Planetary Defense Control.

What do you intend to say to them?

Submit the Black Dawn's ID and status as a cargo/transport ship, and request permission to land at Meja'Tsid.

Oh, and said in Arnian, not Basic. That might help.

In addition to the planetary shield, the Arnians have set-up scramblers to disrupt communication unless the ship is within a certain range. You have to draw up close before you transmission goes through.

Reacting on automated sensors, the defense satellites turn towards you, keeping you locked into their targeting computers should the Planetary Defense Control decide that they dislike you.

Your use of fluent Arnian bodes well with them. They request your business, noting that your ship has not returned to Arnia in some time.

Hmm... do we have anything in the cargo hold at the moment?

Negatory. As a bounty hunter, your cargo hold is ill-used.

Coming to pick up metal ore to sell off-world. I don't personally know the history of the ship, I bought it from a scavenge auction because I recognized it was of Arnian design.

They ask you to wait as they check up on your starship's history with Arnia.

It's agitating how those satellites continue to sway in your direction...

Dak glances at Wraith, trying to avoid looking at the satellites.

It'd been many, many years ago when he was taken off the planet in this very ship... long enough that it should be plausible he was a second-hand owner, he hoped.

Wraith returns Dak's glance, sensing the nervous tension.

"You sure this is going to work?" Wraith asks.

"Why wouldn't it? I'm an Arnian, with a perfectly logical reason for wanting access... long as the ship isn't an issue, we'll be fine."

After an agonizing minute, Planetary Defense gets back to you.

...

...

They whole-heartedly welcome you on your return to Arnia, though they are curious as to how or why you left the planet in the first place.

The satellites stand down.

Due respect to them, but the long and sad tale of Dak's life is not their business. He offers his thanks and shuts off the comm.

"Okay," he says to Wraith as the Black Dawn flies past the planet's defenses, "I told you it was gonna work, no problem."

"Sure thing, lizard-man," Wraith says. "Will they freak once they found out you're carrying two non-Arnians?"

"Nah. At least, not officially, with the way Queen-Mother Zethalda is. She's against isolation, so off-worlders are allowed. Just try not to get offended by the stares. Oh, and, uhh... if I tell you to act like servants, just go along with it, okay?"

"No kriffing way!" Wraith snarls. "I only take orders from me!"

Dak shrugs. "Your funeral. And Arnians tend to be inventive in their killing..."

Wraith groans. "Fine, I'll play servant if I need to. But let's avoid it, shall we?"