Valley of Twilight (OM-I)
Hi Folks, me again.
Okay, I still found another place for sightseeing… It is called Valley of Twilight…
It was just two weeks ago, when Indy and me had some days free of work. So we decided to do something more or less unusual… No, not that UNUSUAL Stuff, that you can read about in boulevard magazines… But unusual for most tourists enroute on Microtech… In fact – it was Indy’s idea, when she said: ‘why don’t we make a trip to the poles…?’
Okay, sounds cold now… And I just can tell you – it is… But heading there has it’s own beauty. But before departing, here is a short recommendation… Before you leave without proper training and equipment – keep in mind, that it is fucking cold, fucking icy and fucking risky: Snowstorms are frequent… Visibility is less than 600 meters… So whatever you do…do it with brains and proper caution. And – in case that you haven’t proper training of surviving in Arctic conditions – take a guide with you… It will increase your chance to stay out of trouble for around 100 percent.
But back to the topic – okay, why heading to the poles…? And more importantly – where? As said, there is a place called “Valley of Twilight“. Sounds spooky now. But in fact, it has a tremendous beauty. More or less painted in constant twilight, it is a flat bare plain, nestled between a roughly face-shaped range of mountains. I know, my descriptions are mostly scrab. So I encluded a holo for you.
Weather is harsh here, while frequent snowstorms haunt the wide wast ranges. Temperatures are widely in minus range… That much minus, that nobody will come on the idea to pee against one of the trees.
Vegetation here is unique and matches the harsh conditions. Occasionally you will find one or two scattered ferns, that are situated on a mostly barren and rugged soil. Rocks and Stones are frequent, so take proper footwear with you – or better: be intelligent and equip an Arctic Survival Suit. It is so cold here, that even the moisture of your breath will freeze on your beard without proper gear. Oh sorry, girls… I forgot, most of you hadn’t any facial hair at all… Except maybe my mother in law…
What makes Valley of Twilight an awesome match, are: The forests… Jesus, I love them… Where vegetation has a chance to survive, it will form endless lines of coniferous forests, that break the storms and harbour snow-covered ferns, flowers and grasses. And now keep in mind – Arctic conditions here… And arctic also means another night/day cycle. Around 30 percent is dusk, another 30 percent are dawn … and this means per day.
So you will find forests constantly covered in a scenic golden light. I have to say that I made my best holos in this area here. You just need patience until the storms fade away. And that can take some hours or days…
But by the way – where to get to the valley? You know Marker Navigation? No…? Okay, I will try to make it simples – polar markers are usually OM1 and OM2, since they are positioned above upper and lower rotational axis of a planet. I do not say north and south pole here, since there are certain issues with them on certain planets … And some planets even have no magnetic poles at all… But to explain that now would go a bit to deep in geophysics…
In our case we have to jump to OM1. Once arriving there we have to scan for the mountain range slightly above the subarctic zone and which is shape like the lateral silouette of a face. Once spotting it, we find the wider concavity, that I would describe as the eye sockets of the face. We set our thrust vector here and give engines a go.
For better orientation, I included a holo.
Have a good day and see you later…
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Cape Cote (OM-6)
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Good morning, Folks, it is me again.
I know I am pesty… Anyway, I just spoke with one of our senior pilots here at the Starline and got another good recommendation again. It is called Cape Cote at Kaupang-Peninsula. To be true, the pictures I have seen on the holos are awesome, because they feature a scenery rich of impressions – from wide coniferous forests, to white snow-covered mountains, up to icy blue coastal areas. So, Indy and me decided to make a stay there, when we are back on Microtech… Of course we will submit pictures again…
But first how does one get there? I was told, that Cape Cote can be accessed via Orbital Marker 6. So just jump there and then change to coupled mode. This should allow you to visually scan the planetary surface below properly. Normally, you should be able to spot several major inland lakes there. One of it should look like a cat or a cattle with a very long neck. That is “Lake Plascit” – the place you want to go … somewhere on it´s edges there should be a large ellipsoid peninsula. Set you thrust vector to the big bay on it´s sides, at best in a position where you can follow it´s coastline with ease later, once you have visual contact with the ground. I know my navigational descriptions are more or less … ehm, I would say “non-chalant”. But I also want people to find the place with a 300i, so with a spaceship that has fewer navigational equipment than my most beloved Crusader Industries Genesis or Hercules. And don’t panic, I will submit a picture once I am on spot.
But where have I been? Ah yes, I remember … Just set your thrust vector to one of the peninsular edges and descent to ground. Once you have a good visual contact with the areas around, including it´s details, track Lake Plascit’s shoreline. Just keep in mind – you know the weather on Microtech, once awesome and super, five minutes later haunted by a medium snowstorm. Here it is important to keep in mind, that the area around you is partially mountainous. So whenever you get down to the ground – good visibility is a must-be… Or you will end as Goulash, scattered around the nearest mountain ridge.
But anyway – Let us continue… After a while you should recognise, that vegetation here gets rich of forests. Additionally, you should be able spot a small mountain range close to the coast. These are the first signs that you are on the right way to your destination. After another while again, you should pass a bay that looks considerably different than the area around. Because? Because the blue color of the ice shelf here. Sounds romantic, but bears risks and hazards. Hydrothermal vents, heat to maritime floor up and holds the water temperatue up to a moderate degree … Oh well, what is called moderate here at Microtech. Okay, when you are good in physics, you will start to worry now… Ice Shelf? Temperate Water? Yeajjjj, you are right… The ice shelf here is remarkably thinner and less suitable for landing space ships of Category M or more. That mustn´t mean that wouldn´t work to base your ship here for a while… But I wouldn´t try it for a longer piece of time.
Ah yes, and still one thing. I already told you, that the area is more mountainous here, making it difficult to land. Maybe you have a chance to land a smaller craft like the 300i at Cape Cote, but a 600i won’t be able to handle the rugged terrain around… at least without major damage to the landing gear and flight surfaces. So keep that in mind, when going there … I would consider a small spacecraft more fit for handling the terrain than a Origin 600i or a RSI Constellation Phoenix.
Once you are there, just make a tour around and give the area a chance to impress you with it’s marvellous beauty. The mountains host dense forests, which themself enter a scenic contrast to the blue ice sheets of the lake around. So green vegetation meets on white snow and blue water. Ocassionally you find ferns or bushes in the inland area here – mostly where the trees give them some shelter.
By the way, in case that you get on the idea to land your space craft on the maritime iceshelf… As already indicated above – it is a bad idea… The ice is considerably thinner here than elsewhere and won’t carry the weight of your ship longer than two or three hours or so. So if you ever want to stay for longer … I would recommend to land you spacecraft on plain ground. There aren´t that much sites at Cape Cote for landing a starship larger than catergory S. But the edges of the area allow some safe grounds for placing a starship for a longer amount of time…
Have a good day
Nick
Stardust2x4´ s Guide through the Verse 