Clone Wars Underground: Chapter 22
Moltok
Moltok was everything that Coruscant was not. There were few large cities, mostly small towns and villages. Everything was green and alive. Most of the planet was covered in dense rainforests and tall trees that would rival the ones on Kashyyyk. Like the Wookiee home world, the Ho’din built their cities high in the trees. The undergrowth on Moltok was dangerous and so thickly vegetated that it was impossible to move around on the ground. The Ho’din and other species lived among the trees and cliffs on cities that sat above the choked undergrowth. Although a lot of timber was used in the construction of these cities, the Ho’din were not against using durasteel supports and other manufactured materials for their structures. This allowed for support of buildings where the trees weren’t strong enough to hold them up. With the extra supports, the elevated cities were able to stretch out easily through the rainforests.
Cet marveled at all the greenery. He lived on Coruscant his whole life and the most green he ever saw, outside his own home, was the moss-covered sewer and water pipes of the lower levels of Galactic City. The sky bridges and walkways around the tree cities of Moltok were made of large intertwining vines, twisted in artful swirls and knots. Decorative plants and flowers adorned every open space, making the treetops look as much like a garden as a city. Cet loved it all. He couldn’t keep his eyes focused on one thing for more than a second before something else caught his eye. The shops that lined the walkways were open to the outside with tables of wares sat out in front of the buildings. Most had woven roofs extending over the tables to keep them dry from sudden rain showers. Even the vendors selling fine homewares or jewelry had plants and vines decorating their shopping space. Cet had studied the plant life of Moltok while living on Coruscant, but he noted several plants that he couldn’t readily identify just while walking down the pedway. This wasn’t discouraging to him, in fact it made him even more excited. There was much more to learn more about the botany of the planet. Now he could actually touch the plants he studied instead of just looking at holos. After several attempts, Hiso finally got his adopted son into the transport that would take them back to the Awen family lands. Cet only agreed to leave after Hiso bought him a small succulent he found at an herbologist stand. He cradled the container in both hands, studying the rocky soil it was grown in.
The Awen family’s lands were unique. The Awens were once a large and prestigious family with many branches on Moltok. A long time ago they were given care of a strip of land called “the Halo”. The Halo was a narrow ring of land circling the northern-most hemisphere of Moltok. It began at the edge of the rainforests and extended north where the climate was cool and dry. The Halo forests consisted of temperate trees. Many of them had needle-like leaves instead of the broad-leafed rainforest trees. The Halo circled around the cold north polar cap of Moltok, effectively making a complete ring of temperate biomes at the top of the planet. Although the Halo’s climate was not suitable for rainforests, it was still warm enough to support an abundance of life. The ring of temperate land included evergreen forests, grasslands, and tundras. Here, the people did not live in the trees. The town of Artico was nestled inside the circular depression of an ancient volcano. For thousands of years the volcanic eruptions shifted from the Northern tip of the planet to the Southern most regions. This left the North spotted with many circular-shaped mountains. Many of them, like the one Artico sat in, had a small lake in the center. The rounded shape of the town held heat in better for the residents. This was essential for Ho’din who were more accustomed to the warmer climates of the central regions. The town of Artico housed not only the Awen family estate, but a local population of its own. There were a number of farmers who took advantage of the plain stretches of tree-less grasslands to grow their crops. There were also researchers and botanists studying the unique effects of seasons on the vegetation.
Most of the planet benefited from a very stable climate that did not change throughout the year. The North and South both went through seasonal changes, but the South was construed by high levels of volcanic activity year around. The North was really the only place to accurately study seasonal changes and so it made a perfect place for climate research. There were also a number of foreign species here that were not accustomed to the humid heat of the central regions.
Artico had several platforms shaped on the slopes of the cone mountain that were cut away and leveled to create a landing areas for small ships. As the transport approached, Cet could see a ship docked at one of the platforms. Cet had been anxious ever since that night they left Coruscant. He and his father had been forced to board a transport vessel with Finley and Sys, leaving Maaka and Ellia behind. Sys and Finley did a fine job of watching out for them on the vessel, but Cet thought of Maaka as his brother. There was no way to contact him from hyperspace to see if he was okay. There was no way to know if he got past the Imperial troops sent to stop them. Hiso wouldn’t allow him to send a message to Coruscant. Cet knew it was dangerous after what happened. They were fugitives of the Empire and so was Maaka. If he tried to call him, the transmissions might be tapped. If that were the case, the Imperials could easily find Maaka. It had Cet’s stomach in an ever-growing knot. He checked out every single ship that landed at Artico. He just knew Maaka would come. He was strong and smart, Cet told himself. There was just no way the Empire could catch him. It had been ten days now and Cet’s hope was impatient. Hiso could see his son eyeing the newly-docked ship with eagerness.
“Go on.” He prompted his son, holding his hand out for the plant. Cet handed his new treasure over to his father and waited for the transport doors to open.
The transport dropped them off in town. Cet left Hiso and headed straight for the landing platforms. Sys and Finley were already there. Both clones had their bio-chips removed the day they arrived on Moltok. They told the local doctor they both had a strange tumor growing in their heads and showed him where exactly it could be found. Ellia had been right. There were chips in the exact spot she mentioned. Once they were gone, all those allegiances they had for the Empire dissipated as if they had been cargo that was off-loaded from their brains the way you off-load it from a ship. It all felt like a bad dream, one where you couldn’t control your own thoughts. The worst part was that they didn’t realize it until the chips were gone. This had affected Finley the most.
“The worst part about mind-control is that you don’t know it’s going on.” Finley muttered as Cet approached.
“Sir, yes, sir.” Sys affirmed in his usual manner.
“We just never knew.”
“But now we do, sir.”
“Yeah.” Finley shuddered. What if there’s more that I don’t know?
They were walking towards the ship that just settled down on one of the larger platforms. Sys heard the footsteps coming up fast behind him. He knew already who it was. He turned to see the ever-curious Cet charging up the walkway.
“Maybe you should stay back.” Finley warned. No supply ships were scheduled for the day, in fact nothing was scheduled. No one commed the small communications office posted at the entrance to the platforms to relay any identification.
“I’ll stay behind you.” Cet reassured them.
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