Zink (Planet)

Affiliation:  Rebellion

Native Race:  Vivald

Main Weapon Produced:  Augmented B9 Pistol

Main Ship Produced:  Clarinit Battleship

Description:  This lush, swampy planet is one of the oldest in the galaxy.  The atmosphere is toxic to most beings but Zink has a unique beauty to it in that many of the native plants are colors one doesn't see elsewhere.  If one is willing to brave the inhospitable air, it is reportedly quite a spectacular site flying over Zink's surface.

The native vivald are quite openly in favor of the Rebellion, a political stance not many planetary governments have been bold enough to take.  The vivald know that their atmosphere would make Zink an expensive planet to occupy and they flaunt this fact in front of the Imperium.

Therefore Zink has become a refuge for those fleeing Imperium persecution.  The multitude of species now found on the planet has made the culture as colorful as the foliage.   

Temporary Allies (Adventure) - Calen Natari Saga 13

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?" the zelenca asked as he warily let go of Calen.  You're a long way from home and from the looks of it a little too young to be doing the job of an experienced assassin."

"I'm not as inexperienced as you think.  It's not every day that I'm asked to infiltrated an underwater city."

"I suppose you have a point there."

"I've been watching you at your bar.  I think you and I have some common ground."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid with me.  As I said, I'm an experienced hunter.  I may be hampered in this environmental suit but I can still read the signs.  You're working with a resistance movement."

It was difficult to read a zelenca's facial expressions, but the man's body language told Calen that her guess had been correct.  "So what if I am?" he asked, casually.  "Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you and no one would even know?"

"Probably quite easy.  But you don't want to do that."

"I don't?"

"I'm on your side.  I've been hired by a member of your government to... shall we say... find proof of Imperium spies on your planet.  Something tells me that this would be an appealing prospect for you."

The zelenca was silent for long moments, only the slight opening and closing of his gills moved.  Finally he said, "My race is an old one.  But our leaders our fools.  They fail to see the danger we face. What do you want from me?"

Calen shrugged.  "Nothing much.  Food and supplies.  A corner to sleep in.  Your silence and discretion."

The bartender's eyes gleamed.  He was becoming excited.  For years this resistance had been trying to think of ways to penetrate Shawm's spy network and here this young assassin was the solution to all of their problems and with almost no risk to their movement. "I think I can help you."

Uninvited Guest (Adventure) - Calen Natari Saga 12

Calen followed the bartender to his home but had to put off paying a visit for a few hours while her cloaking device recharged.  She sighed with exasperation.  This demand for secrecy in an underwater city was going to make every task three times longer than it really had to be.

At last, the power bar reached full charge and Calen pushed herself away from the small crevice she had hid in and swam toward the dwelling.  There was only a single door and no windows, a feature Calen found to be extremely alien as her people lived in wide-open tents.  But given water currents and pressure, the lack of windows made sense.

The door was locked by a basic keypad.  On land, Calen would have easily been able to bypass such security measures with a trick she learned from raiding with her tribe.  Unfortunately,  the trick required a pistol.... how was she going t--

The door slid open, startling her.  The bartender swam out, very nearly running into Calen as he deposited what looked to be a pile of trash in a receptacle a few meters away.  Calen had been a breath away from reacting but then remembered that she was invisible.  But there was no telling how accurate these zelenca were with their other senses.

Never one to waste an opportunity, Calen slipped into the dwelling, taking care to disturb the water around her as little as possible.  She moved to a dark corner and watched as the bartender returned and paused for a moment in his doorway as if he sensed something.  Could he have seen her slip inside?  She was almost positive that he hadn't.

Calen forced herself to stop moving in order to avoid detection, causing her to float freely around the cave.  The effect was difficult for her to handle.  As a land hunter she felt more than a little vulnerable floating above her potential target.

Her plan seemed to have worked.  The bartender shrugged and swam over to what appeared to be some sort of food preparation area.  Attacking this man was not going to be easy.  Calen was completely out of her element here.  Her normally lightning-fast reflexes would be slowed.

She carefully removed her knife from her boot and allowed herself to drift all the way to the ceiling.  Then, lining herself up as best she could, she pushed off with all of her might.  It was only a short distance to charge but the bartender must have felt the movement in the water because he dodged to one side, easily evading Calen's assault.

Calen retaliated but the bartender was able to move around her with the natural grace of one born for the water.  He was still not able to see Calen but as soon as she attempted to stab, he deflected.  Foregoing the knife, Calen attempted to grab her target and wrestle him into submission.

They were evenly matched, each vying for the dominant position.  The bartender was slowed only by his inability to see Calen's limbs and Calen was unable to get a firm grasp on the zelenca's slippery skin.  As they thrashed and tumbled about the cave, Calen's cloaking device somehow got knocked off of her wrist.

Calen flickered into full view and the man stopped mid choke-hold when he saw who is assailant was.

"You're not from around here," he said, his voice sounding like a gurgle in the water.

"No, I'm not."

"A zelenca would have known better than to make direct attacks underwater.  Always move with the current.  Why are you here?"

"I need information.  And you're going to give it to me."

Resonator (Weapon)

Description:  The weapon of choice for most tuners.  It is a large, two-pronged metal weapon given to a tuner once they finish their apprenticeship.  Traditionally, the master would make it as a parting gift for their apprentice.

Each resonator is custom built to vibrate at the same frequency level the tuner does, which thereby allowing the tuner to potentially amplify his/her powers when in a combat situation.  On a more basic fighting level, the resonator is wielded like a staff.

The special metal used to design resonators has unique properties to it and is only found on Gemshorn.  The metal is almost indestructible and will adopt a faint color based on what frequency level it is designed to vibrate.