Contruum Six's Terrain

"Wait..." Said Regulus Bixby slowly as he looked around the cold, windswept landscape of Contruum 6. "Where am I?" Bixby tried to clear the fogginess from his mind and comprehend what he was seeing. This looked nothing like his office, which had been his last vivid memory. What had happened? He furrowed his brow in concentration. He began to remember... A man had visited his office... Then he remembered seeing a Lambda Class shuttle... Remembered boarding it... and...  being sat between Gamorreans? That was impossible he told himself. He turned his gaze all across the horizon, turning slowly to get his bearings. As he turned around he caught sight of the white haired man from his office. "You!" Bixby exlaimed. "Where am I? What have you done with me?" Bixby's heart began to beat faster and a sense of fear began to overtake him. He looked around quickly for any sign of civilization or a ship but he saw nothing but rocky hills. 

"Relax, Regulus." Said Ga'ab in a soothing voice. Bixby's shoulders visibly relaxed and the fearful glint had receded from his eyes. But his mind still raced as he strived to bring clarity to his disjointed short term memories. "I am relaxed!" Bixby bit back. "You've kidnapped me!"

Ga'ab raised his hands, palms up, in a universal sign of peace. "Regulus, I promise you, after you've heard me out, you'll do everything you can to help me."

"Is that a threat?"

"Of course not, now come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover." Said Ga'ab as he grabbed the survival pack at his feet and heft it over his shoulder. Without waiting for a reply, Ga'ab turned and began walking westward. Bixby didn't immediately follow or reply, he first looked around suspiciously and then quickly checked his own survival pack. It was one of his, as was the winter jacket that he was wearing, he didn't remember putting it on. He was suspicious but without any other recourse, he was forced to follow his kidnapper.
They travelled almost two miles in silence. Despite himself Bixby couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of Contruum 6's cold dessert landscape. He was thankful for the winter jacket. There was a cold, biting wind that he guessed was responsible for the interesting rock formations that must have been worn down over millions of years of wind erosion. Bixby briefly considered why he had never been to Contruum 6 before. Sure, it was not as green or varied in climate and geography as Contruum, but nonetheless the moon held a certain rugged appeal. 

"Your explanation for this better be good." Said Bixby to Ga'ab's back. The landscape was interesting but the desire to assuage his lingering fear and curiosity had quickly worn him down.

Ga'ab didn't slow but he replied easily enough. "Have you ever heard of the Tenloss Syndicate?"

Bixby thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, they're some sort of Outer Rim criminal cartel."

Ga'ab chuckled, "Yeah, that's about all you need to know. Would it surprise you if I told you that they dealt in slaves? Put them to work in terrible conditions?"

"No. That sounds about right for the Outer Rim." Bixby said simply, revealing just a hint of coreworld bias.

"One of my dearest friends is a Ryn named Rygal. I didn't know it when I met him, but his entire clan was tricked into enslavement by the Tenloss Syndicate. When we ran into each other all I knew was that he was desperate to earn credits. We became fast friends, in our desire to earn credits." At this, Bixby sniffed and Ga'ab could sense the man's critical judgement through the force but he continued on. "It wasn't until months later that I finally earned Rygal's full trust. He confided in me that it was his quest to rescue his people from servitude. I committed myself to helping him."

Bixby softened at the mention of slaves. While only an abstract concept in his mind, it was one that he abhorred. He had made several contributions to anti-slavery campaigns and organizations when they made calls on Contruum. "Alright, so you're not *just* a mercenary who travels around with Gamorrean brutes. What does this have to do with me?"

The two started up a large, steep hill. "Because I need someone to protect them."

"And you think that's me?" Balked Bixby as he trudged up the hill behind Ga'ab. He may be sympathetic to freed slaves and believed strongly that no sentient should be a slave, Bixby didn't know what the Director of Surveying and Land Development could do. "I could maybe put you in touch with a more relevant government official." He offered, surprised by how quickly the offer came to his lips.

"You're the only one I could trust Regulus. The entire shuttle ride between here and the Champion City spaceport we talked about ourselves. I know about your wife, Misty, I know that you've donated and believe strongly in the cause of freeing sentients, and while you do not remember yet, you know that I'm a man of honor and discretion. Rygal and I have a plan, and we will rescue his people. If we can pull it off we'll need somehwere for his clan-family to hide, nearly 800 Ryn men, woman and children. A group that large will attrat attention and the Tenloss Syndicate will spare no amount of credits to see their humiliation avenged and their slaves returned to them. So, I need to have them ferried away and settled outside of the Tenloss Syndicate's sight. Contruum 6 is the perfect location."

As they reached the top of the hill Bixby considered Ga'ab's words. Contruum 6 was of little importance to Contruum proper, he was not aware of any major plans aside from the Mandalorians whose small base was assumedly on the other side of the moon. "But there's nothing here."

"The depression below us, I'd hazard was an impact crater from a millenia ago." Ga'ab gestured to the ridges of surrounding hills. "I reckon that this depression might place us within digging range of an aquifer, and with any luck, the impact might have dispersed precious metals into the ground. But rest assured, the Ryn are a resilient, hardworking and intelligent race. They were employed as starship mechanics and engineers by the Tenloss Syndicate, I imagine they'll find a trade to sustain the settlement."

Bixby's eyes fell to the depression below them and tried to imagine a small town and was surprised how easily the image formed. The surrounding hills would protect a burgeoning settlement from the harsh winds and provide some small insulation. And if there was breathable air that meant that there was water on the planet somehwere and it was clearly not in the sky. It was feasible to believe that there was water stored underground. "I see... and again, where do I come into this?"

"I'd like you to use your position to hide the settlement." Ga'ab said simply. "Use your position to quietly, yet legally allow the Ryn refugees to settle here, and restrict access to this part of the world in whatever manner will draw the least amount of suspicion. I know this is a lot to ask, but you are their only hope Regulus."

The older man barely knew what to say. His mind reeled with conflicting thoughts as he stammered out a reply. "But... I don't... Alright. Alright. I'll do it. As long as you promise that they won't be any trouble. I don't want anyone coming for me or my wife." Said Bixby.

"Neither do I. I'm doing everything I can, this included, so that we can all disappear without a trace. I will place watchers on Contruum and give you a coded comm signal in case ther eis ever a threat against your life, and remember, in a few weeks you'll have a town full of Ryn ready to die for you." Ga'ab replied with solemnity.