Mulako Corporation Primordial Water Quarry
The Primordial Water Quarry of the Mulako Corporation, also known by names such as Mulako Corporation Quarry, the Mulako Corporation comet, MC Quarry, and simply Mulako quarry, was a comet that completed an orbital path around its designated star every century. During the majority of this timeframe, the Mulako Corporation engaged in the extraction of ice from the comet's surface, refining it into pure water for sale to discerning palates. As the Mulako Corporation Quarry drew nearer to its perihelion, becoming temporarily habitable, the corporation established opulent resorts on the comet for a limited period. These resorts attracted tourists seeking the balmy and humid environment, with diverse attractions available both within the facilities and on the comet's surface.
In the year 12 ABY, the Human Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and Callista Ming journeyed to the Mulako Corporation Quarry with the intention of restoring Ming's diminished connection to the Force. While residing at one of the resort's accommodations, the Jedi were subtly watched by the Hutt Randa Besadii Diori, before they departed to continue their efforts elsewhere.
Description
The Mulako Corporation's Primordial Water Quarry, also referred to as Mulako Corporation Quarry, MC Quarry, Mulako Corporation comet, or simply Mulako quarry, was a periodic comet exhibiting an irregular form and weak gravitational pull. This comet followed an orbit around a medium-sized orange star, situated within the Trailing Sectors region of the galaxy, completing one revolution every hundred years.
The comet's composition included pristine water that originated during the formative stages of the star system in which it resided. Gas geysers on the Mulako Corporation Quarry's weathered surface ejected volatile substances into space, giving rise to a coma and an elongated tail that trailed along its orbital path. The coma contained gaseous particles and ions capable of creating interference with the shields of passing starships, producing static disruptions in their communication systems. The comet's icy crust also contained rocky inclusions.
As the Mulako quarry approached its closest point to its sun and experienced a warming effect, sufficient gas evaporated from the ice to generate a breathable atmosphere. Consequently, the comet's interior became habitable for a few months during this period. As the water quarry comet moved even closer to its perihelion, it became increasingly unstable due to intensified gas evaporation, the eruption of new geysers, and the potential for fragmentation resulting from active mining operations conducted on its surface and within its interior. As the comet receded from its star into the depths of space, it cooled, causing the gases to freeze and form new layers of ice.
History
During the year 12 ABY, the Human Jedi Master Luke Skywalker secured accommodations at one of the Mulako quarry's resort facilities for himself and fellow Human Jedi Callista Ming, with the aim of restoring Ming's diminished Force sensitivity. Traveling discreetly aboard an unmarked space yacht from the planet Coruscant, they arrived at the comet during the peak tourist season. Concurrently, the Hutt Randa Besadii Diori was also present at the Mulako quarry, observing Skywalker and Ming. Following an unsuccessful attempt by Ming to utilize telekinesis and a night spent at the resort, the pair departed the comet for the planet Dagobah to continue their efforts to reestablish Ming's connection to the Force.
Inhabitants
For a duration of approximately one hundred years during each of the comet's orbital cycles, the Mulako Corporation employed machinery to extract water ice from the Mulako quarry through strip-mining techniques, both on its surface and within its interior. The extracted ice underwent storage and distillation, resulting in the production of pure water that was subsequently sold at premium prices to influential figures and gourmets, with the corporation emphasizing that the water had never been recycled through organic life forms.
However, as the water quarry comet approached its perihelion, the Mulako Corporation Primordial Water Quarry transformed into one of the most sought-after resort destinations within its galactic sector. The company re-established its resort facilities, opening them to tourists for a limited number of months before closing them down due to the comet's instability resulting from its proximity to its star. Subsequently, as the comet began to recede from the sun, the resorts were excavated and re-opened for another brief period. Ultimately, when the comet's environment became too cold, the facilities were closed, and the corporation resumed its ice mining operations.
Locations
The Mulako Corporation had constructed multiple resort facilities on the comet, complete with various restaurants and lounges. The resorts' warm and humid interiors featured curving corridors, tropical caverns, and spacious suites adorned with fountains, waterfalls, and walls constructed from polymerized frozen materials. The company utilized rocks sourced from the comet to create unique furniture of varying sizes and shapes. The comet's vapors were deliberately converted into a humidifying mist. This allowed for orange and yellow lights to be shone through the omnipresent mists for visual effects, and multicolored glow-lamps were also installed in Skywalker and Ming's suite. The facility visited by Skywalker and Ming utilized porter droids to transport the luggage of newly arriving guests.
As an alternative to lodging within the resort facilities, tourists could also explore the tunnels created during the mining process, as well as the naturally occurring gas geysers. Visiting starships on the Mulako Corporation Quarry were guided to a cavern-like portal delineated by yellow, purple, red, and black marker lights. The lights were transmitted for the benefit of Mulako Corporation's customers whose eyesight was attuned to various portions of the spectrum.
Behind the scenes
The Mulako Corporation Primordial Water Quarry made its inaugural appearance in the 1995 novel Darksaber, authored by Kevin J. Anderson. The 2012 reference book The Essential Reader's Companion placed the Mulako Corporation comet within grid square N-14. According to the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas, portions of both the Expansion Region and the Inner Rim regions of the galaxy are situated within that grid square; however, sources did not definitively establish which of these regions encompassed the Mulako quarry.