Glithnos System

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Glithnos System
Sector	Kuat Sector
Galactic coordinates	43,60
Planets	3
Moon	None
Asteroid Fields	None
Space Stations	4
Population	Approx. 30 million
Controlled By	Galactic Empire

The Glithnos System is one of the seven systems of the Kuat Sector The Glithnos system has no native sentient species. In past millennia, it was colonized by adventurous humans that didn't mind the cold that dominates Glithnos' planets. It holds no particular role of importance in galactic politics, although it did have a representative in the Galactic Senate. The system makes up the Earldom of Glithnos with its Earl Daniel Ascarion.

Imperial Port Authority

Intergalactic travel through the Glithnos system is Unrestricted.
Port Authority status of planet Glithnos I: Restricted, shield access permission required.
Port Authority status of planet Glithnos (II): Restricted, shield access permission required.
Port Authority status of planet Glithnos III: Open.

Melba's Museum of Mischief

Melba and her husband Dak.

Throughout the galaxy, one may find any number of oddities, from unexplained solar phenomena to near-sentient plants and fauna. Yet, one such oddity stands out among the rest. The Glithnos system, being of little importance in the grand scheme of Galactic politics, boasts a small importance to one unassuming 100 year old Bimm named, Melba. If you were to ask Melba how she feels at her age, she'd say she doesn't feel a day over 80 as she approaches her 101st birthday. Bimms are known to live up to 130 years, but for her husband Dak, that may be too long.

When you first encounter the small station orbiting Glithnos I, you'd easily mistake it for debris left over from a past battle. The station is in fact a decommissioned and repurposed Hammerhead-Class Cruiser. The mere site of the cruiser preps visitors for the random and often hilarious items contained within. Entering into the Cruiser, the hanger bay has been restructured into a greeting area complete with a ticket booth manned by a RA-7 Protocol Droid who has more than a bad case of dust contamination. Once a ticket is acquired for a small fee of 25 credits, you'll often be greeted by Melba or in very rare occasions her husband Dak. Melba prides herself on her collection and jumps at any chance to guide new guests through the rooms upon rooms of galactic oddities.

There are many unusual items within the holds of the museum. One such item is an unassuming Holotape Recording. The recording itself was highly revered by an Outer Rim tribe of Myneyrsh as a song of shamanic beauty. The warring tribe who often fought against a neighboring community of Psadan use the song to rouse their troops and commune with the "spirits" before going into battle. The joke however is that the recording itself is actually of a mundane meeting of Bimm accountants discussing marginal tax rates. Melba especially gets a kick out of this one due to her species being involved and never fails to howl in laughter as she finishes the joke to the chagrin of Dak, who is often nearby.

If Dak wasn't the one to greet you upon entering this peculiar museum, you'd almost never know he was there, even though he's always only a few meters from Melba during tours. Dak, who is 20 years younger than Melba, found himself wrapped up in a love affair with her during a chance encounter at a Casino in Nar Shaddaa over a decade ago. The weekend they shared was supposedly magical, but neither remember much beyond that due to both being high on spice the entire time. Yet, it was magical enough for Dak to elope with Melba and follow her back to her small museum. It was only weeks later that he realized his mistake. "Melba is...a lot," you'll hear him say. Dak was never much of an alpha Bimm and compared to Melba's strong personality, he might as well have been a dead wamprat. She put him to work almost immediately, repairing the ship, cleaning, reorganizing, managing the accounts, and more, so much more that Dak became overwhelmed, but whenever he went to object, he was quickly cut down. Melba suffered no fools, especially those of the opposite sex. After a decade of mental abuse at the hands of Melba, Dak is a shell of his former self, a servant at her beckon call, some would even say, a slave. So, he just slinks in the background and dreams of the day when she drops dead and he takes the museum for himself.

Melba didn't become this way overnight and you could even say that she's actually quite lovely to everyone else who meets her. In her early years she continually fought off her abusive father, who drove her to the brink with his temper and his penchant for Corellian ale. She finally escaped at the age of 20, but for years fell into a bad streak of dating others who were far too much like her father. The years of abusive relationships taught her one thing: it's either submit or squash. Melba chose the latter. Though she'd never admit it, she does have a soft spot for her husband, Dak. She knows she's hard on him, but the years of past abuse makes it impossible to lower her guard. So, she wraps herself into the true love of her life, her collection. Among the rooms upon rooms of oddities she'll giggle and gasp at many of the items as if they were just discovered that instant. Another favorite is "The Ultimate Rank". A project found featuring two taped together rank plaques with missing keys and a plethora of empty rank plaques, which were unfortunately seized in a bunk before the project could be completed. It is still unknown how many officers had their rank plaques borrowed for such a project, but Melba likes to embellish on what those poor Imperials did to explain their rank debacle to their commanding officers.

Walking the halls and rooms of the Museum of Mishief, one would think bohemian feng shui. The rooms look more like an exotic bazaar than a museum that was carefully curated. Pieced together displays show off so many varieties of objects like the "Blind Spy's Cipher", a blank sheet of smooth paper that claims to be drafted and encrypted in braille using invisible ink or a blank display case labeled, "John Bell's Personality". A person could get lost for days rummaging around in the endless rooms of wonder and for the lucky ones that discover this derelict Cruiser, a joyous and happy place awaits with laughter and curiosity around every corner.

The Earldom of Glithnos

Created in Year 17 Day 111, the title of Earl of Glithnos was honorably bestowed upon Daniel Ascarion by Emperor Guinar Ndengin for his long service to the Galactic Empire. The ceremony was attended by the highest Imperial officials as well as deputies and ambassadors from numerous systems outside of Imperial space including members of the Imperial Union. The event was held on Coruscant at the Imperial Palace. The entirety of the House of Lords was present, including legendary Imperials such as the Duke of Axum Jorus Taidan and the Baron of Chwayat Jai Meridan. At the time, Daniel Ascarion was the Director of the ISB before transitioning later into the position of Minister of Culture. Emperor Ndengin spared no expense in the pageantry of the event, insisting that it be a grand spectacle in order to bolster Imperial morale and further project the grand might of the Empire's reign. But it was a speech by Executor Seele that ultimately stole the show, eloquently honoring Ascarion's many achievements and honoring those within the Galactic Empire who had made the ultimate sacrifice for its glory.

Seele spoke of the fractional Empire of the past, it's solidification by the return of Emperor Vodo and the long and prosperous reign of its current Emperor Ndengin. It was such an awe inspiring speech that a holo recording of it was sent and played in every corner of Imperial space. Celebrations were held, fleets were assembled in honor and a grand feeling of unification spread through every Imperial citizen and soldier from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim and beyond. Many would later credit Seele's speech as a huge booster for his support in his eventual rise to the throne exactly one year later from Earl Ascarion's ceremony. The newly minted Earl himself beamed with pride and to this day he retells it as one of the proudest moments of his career and life.

Planets

Glithnos

The Planetary Leviathan

This very small planet, which has little gravity, mainly consists of cold glacial terrain, spare a few patches of rock. Once the planet was mostly water, but has since, for unknown reasons, frozen over. No native life is known to live on the surface, but unconfirmed reports indicate marine life still under the ice. Only a few curious explorers and marine life biologists have dared face the deep dark of the frozen ocean. Once such deep sea biologist, Athos Feng survived and lived long enough to share his story.

Athos Feng had been the head of marine biology at the Naboo Center for Nature and Preservation for ten years and was considered by many in the galaxy one of the foremost experts on aquatic life, specifically with studies on larger species like the Sando Aqua Monster. Athos, who was a Quarren, had a particular advantage over his human counter parts and was favored among the Gungan populations underneath the waters of Naboo. In fact, it was with the help of the Gungans that Athos' study of aquatic life on the planet was able to thrive. His first encounter with a Sando Monster was as he described, "So exhilarating my heart almost burst". Athos quickly became obsessed with larger predatory aquatic species. The hint of danger that came with studying these creatures up close turned into an addiction. He thrived on near death experiences and hurled himself into the far reaches of the galaxy to record and study such enormous creatures. It was this reckless pursuit that would supposedly bring him face to face with what he calls, "The Planetary Leviathan".

It was year 16 day 151 of the Galactic timeline when Athos got a message from a contact he had in the Trade Federation. Over the past year, six Imperial biologists had gone missing on the frozen planet of Glithnos during their exploration of the endless depths of ocean that sat under the glacial surface. Rumored reports of a large sea creature was responsible though not confirmed. The prospect of discovery was too much for Athos to resist. He spent the next several months doing underwater dives in subzero waters to acclimate his body for the upcoming expedition. Being from Mon Calamari, Quarrens were more suited to tropical and temperate waters, a weakness Athos was determined to correct. After months of training he was ready to embark on his journey. He immediately boarded a governmental shuttle from his comfortable lab on Naboo and set off for the barren system. The trip seemed to take forever as the anticipation mounted in Athos' mind and body.

Upon arrival, he knew the task ahead would be difficult. Glithnos was an unforgiving planet with endless flat ice. The high winds and constant barrage of snow made it difficult for his scanners to pinpoint his position. One miscalculation and he could stumble hundreds of kilometers off course and be lost to the frozen world with no visible way back to his shuttle. Athos had stocked the shuttle with everything he possibly needed to survive the endless winter, including a heat drill for breaking through the thick ice of the frozen surface. It took almost six hours to crack through the ice. He donned his insulated diving suit and readied himself for the plunge. Over the next week, he dove and dove in multiple locations, all reportedly last locations of the previous explorers, but the search proved grueling and hopeless.

After a week he was ready to give in. One last dive and he would return to Naboo and continue his studies where he had left off. That last dive proved to be one of a lifetime. He had only been underwater for twenty minutes or so when he caught a glimpse of it, a shadow passing over the underside of the ice. Fear and awe tingled through every crevice of the Quarren's body as the shadow endlessly passed. "How could such a creature exist? What does it feed on? Where does it dwell?" swirled the questions as Athos floated limply, watching the shadow move laboriously through the deep waters. Only in one instant did he see a glimpse of more than shadow, a great eye, its size immeasurable, opening for only a second before disappearing into shadow again.

Once the creature had moved beyond recognition into the deep blue of the ocean, Athos flailed towards his shuttle in order to record his findings. He requested further funding, increasing the size of his team by eight and spent the next three years in search for the creature only to never make contact again. "How could something so massive not be found?" he quizzed his fellow researchers. Most on his team respected him too much to admit they thought he had imagined the whole thing. "Extended exposure to fridged temperatures can play tricks on the mind," exclaimed one of the fellow biologists. With no more funding and his team dwindling, he gave up. They packed up the shuttle and headed back to Federation space and Naboo. The "Planetary Leviathan" was assumed a myth, dreamed up by a desperate Quarren who wanted so badly to make his mark on the galaxy.

Glithnos I (II)

One of Glithnos' active volcanoes

Just outside the stars goldilocks zone Glithnos I exists in a state of perpetual winter. Rich volcanic activity on the planet heats it to temperatures around the freezing point for water during daylight hours. Its gravity rates at 80% of standard gravity, the planet rotates around its axis in 26 hours, and a year consists of 432 local days. No native species have been found above ground, but it is suspected that mammals might exist in the oceans below the ice. Settlers have however introduces several species of animals that are resistant to the cold climate, includes a species of Snow Fox.

Despite its less than ideal climate and atmosphere multiple settlements have formed on the planet, often initially sponsored by industrials seeking natural resources or adventurous souls seeking cheap land. Although relatively poor in mineable resources and agricultural potential, Glithnos I does have small but growing industry specialized in growing and harvesting minerals that provide a cheap decorative alternative for precious stones and gems. Its central location and ability of the climate to keep things naturally cooled actually make it a fairly decent place to store wares and use as a distribution center.

Whitetail

Whitetail the Snow Fox

Among some of the first mammals introduced to Glithnos I was that of the Vulptex or snow fox as the local settlements began calling them. The family of Vulptex seemed to be most suitable to the wintery planet and icy caverns that dot the surface of Glithnos I. Their crystalline coats actually absorb heat from the sun, keeping their bodies temperate and making them an almost natural fit for the planet. Some scientists claim that energy is produced within the crystalline coats after long exposure to the sun, but what use the energy has remains a mystery. At first, the family seemed to thrive, acclimating quickly to their new environment, a long ways away from their native world of Crait. However, this proved to be false hope, as only a year into their habitation, the entire family died out with the exception of one lone, pregnant female.

The settlements spread across the planets surface named her, Whitetail after her full starkly white plumage of a tail. It was also often the only sign of her existence appearing at the cr est of snowy hills or slinking around corners. After the rest of her family died out, she avoided the sentient populations of the planet. She was likely to have taken residence in a remote ice cave, conserving her energy in order to protect her future offspring. Scientists still don't know for sure why the other Vulptexes died, but it is theorized that the other smaller mammals introduced to Glithnos I were unsuitable or unfamiliar to the Vulptex diet and since no Tuber existed on the planet, there was little alternative for sustenance.

Whitetail became something of a planet wide mascot. It was surprising to see how far she would venture as sightings of the creature were seen between settlements hundreds of kilometers apart. Settlers often left food out for her in hopes that their offerings would help keep her alive and nourish the young pup growing inside her body. The Regional Governor even classified her as a protected species, prohibiting any trigger happy hunters from taking her crystalline carcass as a prize.

Caten Gropman, a scout from one of the Southern settlements near the Imperial distribution center, was the first to discover Whitetail's den and observe the miracle that had transpired the night before. Resting peacefully in the fold of his mothers legs was a tiny Vulpex pup. Caten shed tears of joy and when he returned to his settlement, his news spread like fire across the planet. Celebrations were held and feasts were begot. Who knew the hope for survival of one small creature could bring so much morale to the settlements of the icy planet of Glithnos I. Over the next few years, a new male Vulptex was introduced and within ten years the population of Vulpex had tripled forming the skulks or packs that were so familiar to the planet of Crait.

Glithnos is also the home of the Glithnos Ice Foxes Boloball Team, who play in a newly erected stadium, the Glithnos Ice Dome.