The following is a response to Dum's call for emails describing worlds. The rest of these planets will be appearing on http://www.thedodd.com/ at some point in the future.
Two solar systems over and 57 light years from Mort, is the star Tau Omega 9. The second of its nine planets is Azure.
A medium sized aquatic planet with a large tropical zone, Azure is host to billions of species of aquatic life, ranging from small microbes to multiple ton monsters. Azure is home to the Blue Fin Pan Fish, a well-known staple on most inhabited planets. The adult Blue Fin Pan is from 200 to 800 kilos and they swim in huge schools known to reach the million mark. Azure is also home to the Spotted Quilt, a smaller 50 kilo fish, that is the main ingredient to the New Paris delicacy Avou Aris.
Azure has three significant landmasses. At each polar cap are small landmasses of mostly rocky terrain, riddled with hundreds of small bays and inlets. These landmasses are home to Azure’s significant fishing industry, the 4 kilometer factory ships that harvest the Blue Fin Pan and the thousands of fleets of smaller vessels that capture the hundreds of other exportable species.
The third landmass is the oddly, but profitably, shaped central belt. A long “island” that circles almost the entirety of the equator, yet never exceeds a width of more than 5 kilometers. With tropical temperatures and beaches of light blue sand of a remarkable smooth and velvety grain, the Azure Belt sports a thriving tourist trade, specializing in secluded, romantic get-aways.
Azure lacks any large land born predators, making accidental deaths few and far between, just the occasional attack by one of the several species of sharks (about two or three a year, mostly amongst the fishing community due to ship accidents) and a rare reaction to the few mildly poisonous insects or fauna.
As idealic as Azure sounds, two concerns have become prominent from the company’s point of view.
The first is raised by the Department of Tourism, which has become somewhat alarmed by the high rate of disappearances from the Azure Belt’s secluded resorts. The SDT is concerned that Azure has become the perfect place to “hide the body” or that Dark Night has established recruitment and training camps somewhere on the Belt. Several squads have accepted missions to find evidence of Dark Night, but so far have found nothing substantive. Despite the recent spectacular “rescue” of SLA employees by the operative squad Freedom Bush from terrorists, the SDT has not been able to connect the terrorists with Dark Night or any other subversive group; or even establish them as terrorists. Third Eye News reports that the slain terrorists are still listed as “adventure guides”.
The second concern is raised by the Department of Fish and Game, with regards to the Gillep. The gillep is a small to medium bi-pedal scavenger of saurian origin, ranging from half a meter to a full meter tall. It looks like a cross between a koala and a large lizard. The gillep is surprisingly versatile, able to climb trees, sprint short distances, swims well, and is able to dive down over 10 meters. It is also capable of eating virtually anything organic and a few inorganics. The gillep has been useful as an all purpose garbage disposal system for the Azure Belt. However, the SDFG has been receiving reports that are somewhat disturbing regarding the evolution of these creatures. It would appear that they are developing a level of sentience, capable of using tools, forming communities, and developing a language. Add to this the fact that there still exists some doubts about the gillep being native to Azure and may in fact be some genetically engineered creature, since it does not appear in any report on Azure until after 305 SD. The SDFG has begun an active pogrom to secure specimens for study, tagging, and tracking. Operative squads are being actively recruited to help in these endeavors.