The charactor of Captain Jonuta was originally RP'ed by me at
MWC 7 through 9 at a time when Mark Fisher was playing Han,
and I was "giving it a rest." He's based on several stories
by Andrew Offitt.
The description of Corellia is my original version of Han's home
planet, and was created over twenty years ago as an attempt to
explane why he is the way he is. It conflicts with the versions of
Corellia presented in the SW novels, and I like it better.
The events that follow should be considered to have taken place
immidately after MWC this year. S'Lara is being written with
Viper's knowledge and input.
The spaceship "Coronet" dropped out of hyperspace a million klicks
above the surface of Correllia. She had defied distance, speed and
Einstein to arrive at her destination. High overhead the giant moon
"Jespa" hung like an enormous Christmas Tree ornament, lit by
countless tiny specks of scattered light spread randomly across her
surface, each one representing a Corellian shipyard or dry dock.
Jespa was the location where the Corellians built their famous
vessels. Now one of its most famous had come home.
From the bridge of the "Coronet" the planet Correllia fully
dominated the forward view. Captain Jonuta stared silently at it.
Beneath scattered clouds he could make out the sapphire blue of
its limitless sea, which covered the planet from pole to pole. As
the "Coronet" began to orbit he could occasionally glimpse one of
her 100,000 islands, the only real land masses on Correllia. Jonuta
recognized most of them. Crescent shaped Seraphena. The Elesia
Atoll. Fifty kilometer long Namibia. Tiny by most standards, but
large for a Correllian island. There were no islands on the planet
larger than three thousand square klicks. That, and the viscous sea
creatures that lived between them were the main reasons why there
was no formal Corellian government, only 100,000 tiny island
nations, none populated by more than a few thousand people.
Whatever brand of politics you were into there was an island for
you. That was true not just of politics, but lifestyles as well.
The island's small size, and even smaller populations had also
served to keep wars to a minimum throughout Correllia's mixed and
varied past. It was hard to build an army capable of dominating a
planet when the most you could field was a few hundred troops, and
they had little hope of getting anywhere. As a result few
Correllians ever developed much lust for power, or conquest, a
rarity indeed in the spaceways. Most became explorers, out of
necessity. To travel between an island by boat meant great danger
at the hands, or fins, or teeth of a never ending array of
merciless sea creatures. That was if the distance was short. It
meant certain death if longer.
To overcome this problem the Corellians had developed air travel at
a point in their history when most races were still perfecting the
sword. It meant safe passage from one island to another without the
fear of becoming someone's dinner (the skies were, for the most
part, safe). The development of air travel early in their history
also gave Correllians an enormous head start on their way to space
travel. They had already colonized the giant moon, Jespa, by the
time they should have been building their first carriage.
Hyperdrive came shortly afterwards, freeing a planet of explorers
and pirates to become explorers and pirates in the greatest ocean
of all. An act for which the rest of the Galaxy never forgave them.
Jonuta scanned further east, along the planet's equator. He was
looking for the volcanic Island of Serabi. Home, for Captain
Jonuta, but he wasn't heading home. He was going to find someone.
"This is Corellia Control. Please state you name, registration
number, destination, and business on Corellia."
The female voice came over the con-com's communications grill.
Normally it would have been met with a pre-recorded response
identifying the "Coronet" as an ore hauler registered to a
corporation from Moroneay. Chewie Co. was the company's invented
name, after the first mate of Jonuta's Correllian smuggler friend.
This time, though, he would tell the truth for a change.
Captain Jonuta spoke into the com-con's communications grill.
"This is Captain Jonuta of the Corellian ship "Coronet."
Registration #180386, headed for docking at Qualara Port. Serabi
Island. Business....getting a drink."
Captain Jonuta could almost see the smile on the space traffic
control officer's face as she replied. "Affirmative "Coronet" you
are cleared for landing at Port Qulara, Serabi Island....And
welcome home 'Captain Cautious'."
Jonuta himself smiled at the mention of his other, more descriptive
and well-earned nickname.
Captain Jonuta was not alone in the con-com onboard
"Coronet." Captain Cautious would never travel alone, even if he
knew how to operate all of the ship's seemingly endless variety of
controls (which was hardly the case). At the "throttle," as he like
to call it, was his second mate, and more, Kenowa.
Sitting at "Coronet's" con was often dull and Kenowa loved it. She
was delighted to do it for Jonuta and proud that he entrusted the
duty to her. The dullness resulted from lack of necessity. The
price of success and freedom from Authority and rivals, Jonuta of
Correllia said, was eternal vigilance at the con, along with
attention to every detail and some that did not exist. On spaceship
"Coronet," that meant watching Coronet run "Coronet."
Kenowa wore a long sleeve deep purple leotard of liqui-skin that
left little to know and a lot to imagine. Around her waist was an
extra wide shining black belt made from equhyde-which meant simply
a simulated leather hardly distinguishable from the real thing. On
her head she wore a bright metallic silver wig which crowned her
like a mane.
Kenowa was delighted to man the con for Jonuta. Or do anything else
for Jonuta. He had saved her life and more. He had saved her from
her.
The role of First Mate on "Coronet" fell to the computer directing
ship functions. Officially it was Ship Inboard Processing and
Computing (Modular): SIPACOM. Jonuta just called it "Mate." A
backup SIPACOM took up valuable space and stood ever ready, in the
event of failure of the primary or any component.
There had never been a SIPACOM failure on Jonuta's ship.
There was one more life form on the com as the crew
of "Coronet" approached the Corellian atmosphere, though she could
never be referred to as Human. Her name was HReenee of the race
HRalix. A member of a recently discovered race of
felineoprimates, her 4' 10" frame moved with the help of flowing
muscles that seemed as if without bone. She sat at "Coronet's"
weapon's station, nude except for an ivory gauze wrap tied loosely
around her waist. Not that it mattered much. The feline from HRalix
was covered with short tawny fur that all but concealed eight tiny
mounds running parallel down her chest.
"Ten seconds to atmosphere," Kenowa announced, repeating
information that SIPACOM had provided Jonuta with twenty seconds
earlier.
"Are you sure HE's down there?" HReenee of HRalix purred,
through four needle-sharp canines (or perhaps felines).
"He's down there." Jonuta replied with confidence. SIPACOM had
searched the Corellian docking records for the last two weeks.
Their records said he was down there, having his ship completely,
and surprisingly refitted, right down to a new paint job. The first
in it's owner's lifetime.
Jonuta was a thick, tallish man, about 5' 11". His build was
powerful and he exercised on shipboard, twice daily. His green eyes
were ambushed beneath thick straight eyebrows at the base of a
lofty forehead (it was growing loftier, as wavy brown hair crept
back from it). His nose was curved and thin with small rounded
nostrils, and his mouth was full and bowshaped. He had well shaped
hands with long fingers, and excellent legs within heather green
tights of equhyde. He wore a bright scarlet coat of piratey length,
with its double row of buttons. Those sixteen buttons (of Prass,
and purely ornamental) were its only adornment, and they were
enough. They flashed like purest brass.
From his very broad Corellian belt (of equhyde) hung his Blaster. A
tall black death machine with a thick rounded front to protect
Jonuta's hand. From the end of the holster swung two strips of
rawhide-imitating equhyde, because Jonuta understood and admired
romantic attire. The big prass buckle was a fancy coat of arms,
though Jonuta did not know of whom or what or from where. His knee
tall black boots were of evershine equhyde too, or else Jonuta
could not have borne them.
Captain Jonuta of "Coronet" was no fool. He knew he looked striking
and formidable. He looked like a pirate of another era. He was not:
he did not attack other spacecraft in quest of booty. Jonuta was a
slaver.
"Coronet" punched into the Corellian atmosphere, and began her
decent to Port Qualara.
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