traders' world
(no good image of the planet itself I could
find)
Official Name: Unrevealed
Nature: Extraterrestrial world;
Natives: It is unrevealed whether any of the other
beings referenced in this profile are native to the traders' world;
Karel and the Chnitt
are certainly from other planets;
it seems most likely that the monstrous
predators present in the Flats are native to the
traders' world;
for the races present on the traders' world, it is unrevealed
what percentage of the overall population of those races were represented by
those on the traders' planet.
Residents: the Barodi of the city of Kuth, the Chnitt, Karel, predators of the Flats, Tu, Ursaa race; various unidentified traders and smugglers
Enemies: None, though the Chnitt prevented others from leaving the planet
Population: Unrevealed;
it is unrevealed how large the populations of various races
on the planet were; thousands of Barodi were slain by the Chnitt in their
assault on Kuth, but, again, we do not know what percentage of the Barodi
population that was, and we do not know whether Barodi dwelled outside of Kuth
Capital City: Unrevealed
Government: Unrevealed
Languages: Unrevealed (the Ursaa spoke in a clearly foreign language, while Karel and Tu spoke English (or, MORE LIKELY, used some sort of universal translator device)
Defense: Unrevealed. The Chnitt assaulted others passing near the planet
Places of Interest: Arn, Badwu, Be, the Flats, Gu-something, Kun (or possibly a name ending in "kun"), Kuth, Lowlands, Mir-something, Punt, Tu's (curio shop - you can see some of the stuff behind Tu in the main image), Tua, Tuk
Visitors: Lucas Bishop, Deathbird (Cal'syee Neramani);
First Appearance: (Behind-the-scenes; unidentified;
star only seen) Uncanny X-Men#354 (April, 1998);
(planet seen, unidentified)
Uncanny X-Men#357 (July, 1998)
(identified) Uncanny X-Men#358 (August, 1998)
History:
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - A
Chnitt mothership
established orbit around an unidentified plane (which either already was or
became a world of traders, as well as smugglers), effecting a blockade
that prevented others from leaving that world.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - The Ursaa sold prisoners they captured during their scavenging raids to the Chnitt.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - The Chnitt shot down Karel over the traders' world, causing him to crash there.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - While Karel speculated that the Chnitt knew of the warp gate in the Barodi city of Kuth (through which one could travel off planet), the city's location across the Flats would have forced the Chnitt land to their mothership to take the city, which would end their blockade in orbit.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - From parties and/or a location unidentified, Karel obtained three "nullifier" charges, devices with which Karel planned to destroy the Chnitt on his homeworld; but he needed aid in reaching Kuth and accessing the warp gate.
(Uncanny X-Men#354 - BTS) - A Chnitt mothership shot down the spaceship carrying the Shi'ar Deathbird and the human mutant Lucas Bishop as they passed by the traders' world. The damaged ship was pulled by the traders' world's sun's gravity.
(Uncanny X-Men#357 - BTS) - Bishop pulled out of the sun's gravity well, but his and Deathbird's ship was then pulled by the traders' world's gravity.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - Bishop and Deathbird's ship
crashed on the traders' world.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Ursaa assaulted Deathbird and Lucas Bishop. As Bishop and Deathbird fought back, Karel approached them in a air-cruiser, offering Bishop and Deathbird to "come...if you want to live." Bishop accepted the offer, and Karel took them aboard and departed with them.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - The Chnitt found and destroyed Karel's camp.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Finding his camp destroyed, Karel decided to take Bishop and Deathbird to Tu's for a new place to rest and hide out from the Chnitt before heading to Kuth
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Karel introduced Tu to Bishop and Deathbird, and asked Tu's aid. Karel also revealed his plans. Interested in using the gate to get back to Earth, Bishop agreed that he and Deathbird would aid Karel in his travel to Kuth.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - Tu informed the Chnitt of Karel's plans and locations, but they rewarded him for his aid with death.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - One of the Chnitt ambushed Deathbird while the trio rested, but, via Karel's guidance, Deathbird slew it.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - After realizing Tu had sold them out, Karel advised his allies to hurry as there would be more of the Chnitt coming.
(Uncanny X-Men#358 (fb) - BTS) - Correctly realizing that Karel posed a threat to them, the Chnitt elected to send their mothership to Kuth to destroy the city to eliminate the warp gate.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Aboard his camouflaged air-cruiser,
Karel flew Bishop and Deathbird across the dangerous Flats at low sun. Nonetheless, they narrowly evaded the encircling tentacles of a
monstrous sand creature.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Karel stopped just outside Kuth, instructing his allies they would blend in better on foot. At that point, Karel told them of his nullifier charges and plans to use them to eradicate the Chnitt from his world.
(Uncanny X-Men#358) - Shortly after Karel, Bishop, and
Deathbird reached Kuth, the Chnitt mothership appeared and began devastating the city; thousands
of Barodi perished swiftly. Bishop convinced Karel to give him one of the
nullifier charges (with which he soon destroyed the mothership), and he sent Karel and Deathbird to reach the warp gate.
Deathbird stayed behind and waited for Bishop, while the warp gate collapsed
into rubble as soon as Karel had escaped through it.
Bishop and Deathbird planned to depart the traders' planet and continue
their journey back to Earth.
Comments: Created by Steve Seagle, Joseph Harris, Chris Bachalo, and Tim Townsend.
Karel actually refers to the planet as a "trader's planet" (as if it were ruled or governed by a single trader, rather than a "traders' world," which was ruled by a number of traders. I'd guess the latter would be more accurate, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe, for example, it is actually owned by the Elder of the Universe known as the Trader (Cort Zo Tinnus -- profile coming eventually...sometime after the Astronomer), Nonetheless, since it's unidentified, I'm not overly worried about the singular/plural issue.
Tu had the head of C-3PO (of Star Wars) or someone very similar looking on his bookshelf. In the bookshelf below, he has items (books, videos, DVDs, who knows?) labeled Lucas, Poe, (H?)einlein, and *pacers* (you can't read letters before or after that).
A few of the names on the traders' world were similar to names used by Robert E. Howard, such as Tu and Punt. Coincidence? The world may never know.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
This traders' world has no known connection to
the
Flats
Somewhere between Mir-something to the West and Kun (or possibly a name ending in "kun") to the East are the Flats. And beyond "-kun" to the East is Kuth; to reach Kuth, one must generally cross the Flats (unless dropping straight down from orbit).
The Flats are a dangerous stretch of terrain teeming with predators and ravaged by storms. They are almost unnavigable by low-flying craft, though they are a little safer at low sun (presumably dusk and/or dawn)
In order to reach Kuth, Karel flew at low sun and camouflaged his air-cruiser in which he flew with Bishop and Deathbird, the latter of whom found the Flats "terrifying, deadly..but beautiful in their own way" (she likened them to herself and used the comparison to try to further her desired relationship with Bishop).
At one point, an immense creature extended a series of perhaps 5-8 massive tentacles from the sand and tried to surround and capture Karel's craft, presumably in hopes of feeding on those within. Karel narrowly navigated the craft though a gap between two tentacles before they slammed closed. Shortly thereafter they stopped just outside of Kuth and proceeded on foot.
--Uncanny X-Men#358
images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men#358, pg. 5, panel 5 -
first map (Badwu to Arn & Be);
pg. 6, panel 3 - second map (Lowlands
to Mir-something);
pg. 15, panel 1 - Flats;
pg. 16, panel 1 - predator of the
Flats;
pg. 17, panel panel 2 - map 3 (Flats
to Kuth)
Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men#354 (April, 1998) - Steve Seagle (story), Chris Bachalo (penciler), Tim Townsend (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#357 (July, 1998) - Steve Seagle (story), Dan Norton (penciler),
Scott Hanna & Dexter Vines (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#358 (August, 1998) - Steve Seagle (story), Joseph Harris (script),
Chris Bachalo (penciler), Tim Townsend (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Last updated: 12/03/13
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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