Sapella in the Kathol sector is a lonely planet in a distant orbit from its sun. For seven months of its three-year orbit, the northern hemisphere is exposed to its warmth and begins to thaw. The ice-covered surface melts and cracks, which over time has created fissures several kilometers deep. The creation of a single, relatively small crevasse can spark a ripple effect through the ice, with forces powerful enough to break mountains in two. These quakes make it extremely dangerous to be in the northern hemisphere in all but the first month of warming. For the other twenty-nine months, only the southern half of the planet is exposed to the sun, with temperatures falling lower each day until the planet becomes completely inhospitable at the peak of its orbit.

The mountains of Sapella are unimpressive since all but their peaks are hidden deep beneath the ice. The ice floes of the southern pole are still solidifying, allowing the Pynion Plateau, which sits atop the highest crests, to support life on its tundra-like summit.

C-4239B, known as the Mallorian Canyon, is a well-documented fissure running east to west along the planet's equator. It is several kilometers wide at its deepest point and allows scientists to study the planet's history. These expeditions have suggested that at various times it was a vibrant, temperate planet with at least three separate instances of industrialized civilization having developed. Researchers have conflicting opinions, but most believe the strange, cyclical nature of the planet evidenced in the ice may have been caused by a one-time sister planet. Its existence is also evidenced in rare metal deposits found only in the craters riddling the planet's face.