It was such a hot day, it was always hot, but today was worse than most. The air was like a blanket that dragged down the large leaves of the trees and plants. All the flora magenta in color to better absorb the light from the green tinted sky. Not that one would ever see it with the sickly gray clouds that roll over the horizon keeping the light dim and the air thick and wet. Amee ran along the dark brown soil creating divots with each step. This rich and soft dirt was one of the reasons this world was originally taken and colonized. The rich and fertile soil perfect for plant and food growth. At least that's what she's been taught. Plants grew quickly but it could be because the sun never seemed to set and the light was always the same. The original colonist had mentioned a night, and that it was when the sun set and a 'moon' came up but Amee wasn't sure what that meant, never having even seen the sun before.
This day cycle was special it was the first time in more than 100 years that an off world diplomat was coming to visit. A representative of the Imperium to see that their investment and time into her society had been profitable. She wanted to see the ship land and if she didn't run she might miss it! Never having actually been allowed on the docks before all the girls were excited, and she would be laughed at by the others if she didn't make it in time.
The elders wanted to make a big deal over this arrival to make the diplomat feel as important as he was, so the larger crowd was encouraged. The elders who were not born on this world were apprehensive of the entire thing, worried that if they made a misstep bad things would happen. Many of them told hushed and whispered stories of slavery, death, war... But none of it had ever been seen by any of the young ones like Amee, creating a sense of legend and awe for all the wrong reasons.
A sigh of disappointment ran through Amee as she arrived and saw that there was already a large crowd. Men and women in their finest clothing, soft cloth made of the magenta leaves the material when processed leaving it a soft and pale pink. Details were embroidered on with unprocessed fibers giving it a comparison. It created a sea of pink as everyone stood grouped together.
As she stopped her skin shiny with sweat, chest rising and falling quickly as she tries to catch her breath in the heavy air, she sees Sean walk towards her. He was one of the older men and assisted Commander Sandoval in duties around the compounds. He gave her a once over, a look of disappointment crossing his features leaving her to wonder what was wrong? Maybe it was the sweat.... She regained her focus when he gave her a nod of his head towards the crowd.
"Come along Amee, we want you in front."
She squealed in excitement unable to help herself, so much energy running through her body it trembled. "Really!? In front?" Another squeal of excitement as he nods and smiles, her enthusiasm contagious. "We want the girls in front, it creates... A..." he trails off, not wanting to tell the young girl that they were trying to showcase the prettiness of youth after finding out that's what he preferred. He instead puts his hand on her shoulder and gently pushes her towards the crowd. "Come on Amee, he should be here soon."
Lips parted to ask what he was going to say, but the distraction of possibly missing the landing was enough. Her eyes widen in panic as she looks over at the crowd. "I can't miss it! Oh... Noooo." she runs from Sean leaving him to smile and shake his head behind her, ah to be young.
She moves through the crowd excusing and pardoning her way up to the front where the other girls her age bounced and giggled, all as excited as Amee was. There was a safety barrier, white bars with chains connecting them together, a long soft magenta carpet that rolled along the dirt just on the other side. It felt out of place and she wondered why it was laid down when one end just went to the dirt while the other end it connected to a large platform, flat with black boxes painted on... It looked as big if not bigger than the entire compound! Could that entire platform really be just for one ship?
A low hum fills the air, vibrations running over skin. Amee looks at the others curiously noticing they had the same reaction, a loud boom causes clouds to ripple before burning them away. Sending bright sun over the crowd, a collective groan is heard as arms raise to protect light sensitive eyes. It makes the loud hissing from the flaming engines burning away the moisture in the air seem louder, the of ozone that much stronger. Amee moved her hands over her eyes to make a visor. She didn't want to miss a moment of this even if it did make her eyes burn, and she was so glad she did! The ship was huge!
Diplomat Jean Tartuffe the Third stood on the deck, watching the small swirling planet come into view. It looked sickly with it's swirling gray clouds and glowing green aura... Why did he have to come to this backwater planet? Who exactly he had pissed off...? He considered the list of enemies and what he had done to them recently as they descended. His attention returning to the planet as the clouds parted, the flame from the engines burning away the cloud cover. Exposing the small planet all brown, blue and red.
His lip pulled back in a sneer, this was a little more interesting. With all the clouds it shouldn't be too hot on the surface. Granted there wasn't much to look at but he would make due. The ship lurched, getting ready for landing and adjusting to the gravity of the world. His hands reached out grasping the banister tightly enough that his knuckles turned white. He quickly scanned the immediate area, making sure that no one saw him... He hated this, even his own ship was trying to make him look bad... He ran his hands over his coat pulling it to make sure it was perfectly in place taking a moment to notice his newest acquisition standing behind him.
