The slightly overweight and balding man in the trivid picture is still readily recognizable as Karral Willthatch. Formerly famous as a daring adventurer, he has turned his energies toward running his multimillion credit corporation, now, as chairman of the board. He begins to speak.
"l am sure you are all curious about your mission with the Cassidine Development Corporation. As you know, CDC tries to develop star routes to undiscovered worlds, then exploit the wealth of those worlds before larger corporations can move in and take over. Ideally, we have moved on to other areas before our chief competitors, the Pan-Galactic and Streel Corporations, move in to begin their wholesale operations.
"You do not know that CDC located one of the richest deposits of heavy metals in the known galaxy on Alcazzar, in the Rhianna system. We have been mining there secretly for two years.
"Last week, however, communications from our Alcazzar compound suddenly ceased. At the same time, remote survey-satellite transmissions indicated the presence of another settlement on Alcazzar.
"Your first mission objective is very straightforward: Go to Alcazzar and determine what happened to our outpost and staff of 12 there. Rescue the staff, if possible.
"If foul play is involved, you have a second mission objective: Learn who is responsible. If, as we suspect a rival corporation is interfering with our operations, you must contact us via subspace radio, and identify the culprit. Then, while we verbally make our commitment on Alcazzar clear to the foe, you must strike back at their operations, terminating it, if at all possible.
"Needless to say you will be in a position of high risk. Let me assure you that, should we emerge victorious, all of you will be very well taken care of. Furthermore, Alcazzar has much potential and will eventually develop; skilled individuals with knowledge of the planet will be in commanding positions. I'm sure some things begin to come clear now, including the high rate of pay on this job.
"You should understand, now, why we gathered this team of skilled and experienced agents. This will not be the first time any of you have participated in conflict on an outpost world. You all know that the UPF generally turns its back on these little wars, leaving private concerns to settle them in their own way. We at CDC try to avoid outright hostility. But the wealth on Alcazzar and the likelihood of an attack on our staff warrant this kind of mission!"
Suddenly the image of a planet, bright against the blackness of space, replaces the chairman. A voice begins to narrate.
"Alcazzar's climate and seasonal changes are very unusual because the planet does not rotate as it orbits its star, Rhianna. Thus, all areas of the planet except both polar caps, pass from a long summer, during which the star never drops below the horizon, to an equally long winter when the star is never seen. The largest of two continents circles the globe, separating two large oceans, one in the north and one in the south. Many lakes and rivers break up both continents. The terrain varies from steep stone mountains to vast plains and forests."
The narrator pauses, and the image expands until a hemisphere of green is visible opposite a cloak of ice. As details become clearer, you see a pleasant expanse of plains and forests, similar to the huge parks of Triad. The narrator continues.
"Lush grasses cover the plains, which in lower areas, turn to boggy marshes. The large trees do not shed their needles at any time in the year. During the day, which is the summer, the sun, Rhianna, is always visible from the temperate zone, providing constant illumination. Most clouds remain over the ice in the night or winter, region. Thousands of clear brooks and streams running from mountains and glaciers keep the summer region well watered, despite an almost total lack of rain."
The image of Alcazzar expands even more, revealing a narrow stretch of plains and forest between a rugged mountain range and Alcazzar's Great Sea, the southern ocean. A light blinks at the mouth of a mountain valley.
"The light indicates the location of our compound, which was built over a tremendous deposit of gold and other heavy metals."
Another light blinks, at the mouth of a valley about 120 kilometers away.
"The second light marks the location of the new settlement discovered by satellite. This new settlement is on one of our first test sites, a potentially rich mineral deposit.
"Nothing is known about creatures, if any, that live on the ice fields. The CDC Twilight Moon expedition's environmentalist reported that many types of animals exist in the summer regions, however. Most of these types are mammals, the rest an assortment of harmless insects. Of the mammals, only three are large enough to conceivably affect your mission: the gwerrah, a huge shambling omnivore known to inhabit the hilly and mountainous regions; the sky-shrike, a medium-sized carnivore that flies in huge, soaring packs; and the lokkuku, a primate with some intelligence and a noted tendency toward pranks."
"More Trivid images appear. First, a stocky quadruped covered with coarse black hair is shown towering over an explorer. The gwerrah could have crushed the vehicle without difficulty. Next a flight of sky-shrikes--dog-like creatures with huge, leathery wings seems to soar through the briefing room. Finally, a lokkuku, a little creature that is almost comical after the other two, blinks into sight. Looking much like a small Yazirian, it tilts its head quizzically and then scampers away on all four feet.
The lights come up quickly as the trivid images fade out. A security robot enters and hands you a system brief, an equipment list and two maps. The robot informs you that, as is standard procedure on outpost worlds, the CDC compound contained a cache of heavy weapons. The weapons are underground, below the very center of the maintenance garage.
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