- "Such an austere assignment should provide a good environment for contemplation."
- ―Tenel Ka
An Orbital Solar Energy Transfer Satellite (also known as an Orbital Mirror, Mirror Station and Solar Mirror) was essentially a large mirror used to focus warmth and sunlight from Coruscant's tiny sun on the planet's extreme northern and southern latitudes, warming the environment by a few degrees to make more of the land area on the ecumenopolis habitable. These space stations would be used by the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire and the New Republic.
The stations were very large, though most of the size was due to the mirror which surrounded a small guidance station in which the OSETS' caretaker was stationed. The mirror was a large piece of reflective fabric that was a fraction of a millimeter thick. It was connected to dozens of cables which were in turn attached to attitude control rockets. Depending on how much freedom was given to the staff of the station, the mirrors could be controlled from there if something went wrong.
The interior of the guidance station was incredibly dark and cramped. Its ceilings and walls were covered with exposed piping and wiring. In the center of stations that were maintained by a solitary caretaker, a single chair was situated in the middle of an observation bubble which looked down upon the planet. The caretaker's duty was to monitor the solar path and to make adjustments if the station's near-obsolete computers did not perform the task for which they were built.
Depending upon their size, the stations were operated either by crews of a few individuals or shifts of solitary caretakers whose job it was to remain prepared for emergencies that rarely occurred. "Riding the mirrors" as the task of the caretakers was commonly known was considered to be one of the worst possible jobs available.
During the Imperial era the stations were operated by low-ranking Imperial Navy staff as well as stormtroopers who were being punished for insubordination. When the Empire was replaced by the New Republic, the job was just as dismal. They were still operated by low-ranking personnel, but the stations were also staffed by well-paid independent contractors who could be called up if the officers were needed elsewhere. Despite the amount that one was compensated, the conditions aboard the stations had a tendency to wreak havoc on the sanity of those assigned to them. In the face of bureaucracy and lack of funding, the few comforts that the stations were equipped with would malfunction.
However, a few, most notably Virar Needa, considered riding the mirror to be a noble duty. He spun a cocoon of self-delusion that allowed him to perform his menial assignment with the utmost efficiency and enthusiasm. For example, while most OSETS officers would shirk the task of maintaining traffic observation logs, Needa made it his hobby.
In 7 ABY, when the New Republic attempted to retake Coruscant from the Imperials, Rogue Squadron hijacked the computer center on Coruscant which controlled the OSETS satellites and took control of OSETS 2711 which was being staffed by Needa and a few other comrades. The Rebels realigned the satellite to heat up a large water reservoir, creating a terrible thunderstorm that brought down the planet's shields. Moments later, the New Republic Defense Fleet jumped into the Coruscant system and commenced their liberation of the throne world.
OSETS 2711 was also used to burn a hole into one of the Imperial Golan III platforms, an event which helped reduce casualties on both sides. OSETS 2711 survived the battle, but the fate of Needa and his crew after the New Republic's conquest of Coruscant is still unknown.
The New Republic would continue to use the stations, though it had allowed conditions to worsen for caretakers. In 23 ABY, Jedi trainees Jaina Solo, Lowbacca, and a caretaker named Peckhum used a solar mirror to burn out the Shadow Academy's cloaking device, exposing it to the New Republic fleet. However, the station powered its hyperdrive and escaped into hyperspace before the fleet could inflict any significant harm upon it.
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