[OOM] Visit to Kazic III with Guppy.

[stuck_mynock]

The door from Milliways takes them out onto the ramp of Atton's shuttle, outside. It's cold - Colder than the average UK winter - and the sky is a dark purplish colour, as if it's not quite night. Perhaps more noticeable are the (seemingly) fir trees - They're tall, which is to say that the tallest is about a mile high.

Atton gives Guppy a grin, leading him towards the edge of the cliff they're on. There's a city, far beneath - Small by the standards of Atton's galaxy but massive by Earth standards, stone towers and buildings shattered and broken, the ground riddled with craters, all set in a semicircle around a building set into a mountain. While the city shows no signs of being rebuilt and many signs of being abandoned, there are people. They're stood or sat about fires, near less damaged buildings, chattering loudly.

The entranceway is taller than a house, with two equally tall wolf statues either side of it, sitting and looking exceptionally vicious, with blue lights set into them as eyes. They're not Earth wolves - The tails, as long as the body and clearly prehensile, tipped with curved blades - make that pretty clear.

Guppy gets a big grin from Atton.
"'S nice, right? We're a long way from where the Restoration Project has set up. There are just salvagers here."

Comments

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Probably. If not, they're not stuck here, they can always leave to go find somewhere with more food."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy nods.

"What... what happened here?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"How do you mean?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"The destruction?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Whole planet got bombed, almost twenty years back. I've told you about this, I'm sure of it."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Sorry." Guppy says quietly, giving Atton a squeeze.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Don't be."

They finally come out of the corridor into a wide room, carved out of stone, with statues of oddly-tailed wolves - Identical to the ones outside, but a great deal smaller, standing only a few metres tall - arranged around, bordering every doorway. There's a pit in the centre, the centre of which has a stream of blue light coming up through it.

[guppy_sandhu]

"What's that light?" Guppy asks, staying away from it.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Beam from a reactor of some sort. Wouldn't touch it unless you want your hand burnt off, but as long as y'don't touch it we should be safe."

[guppy_sandhu]

"No, I don't want that." Guppy stays well clear of it.

"What is this place again?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"This city or this building we're in now."

[guppy_sandhu]

"The building."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Probably some kinda big hall-thing. The space here is big enough to put tables for big meals for loads of people in the city, or to throw in two fighters and an audience. Good place t'hold parties for those in the upper echelons of society, or hold trials, stuff like that. Probably a prison connected to this hall, some more chambers for various stuff. Center of government type thing."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Cool. The decor's really something." Guppy looks up at the wolves.

"Are these wolf things a symbol of something?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Symbol of the clan who owned these lands. They decided to pick the only animal on this world that will eat people, things bigger than itself, and each other - Which should tell you a lot about said clan's philosophy."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy pulls out the pendant around his neck.

"Like this one?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Yep. Don't worry, it doesn't automatically make you a warlike invadey-person."

[guppy_sandhu]

"That's okay, it's just cool to know what it means."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Well, 's by no mean describes what most people that lived around here were like. The majority of people probably would've been quite happy to stay well away from violence." Atton shrugs.

[guppy_sandhu]

"At the end of the day, most people do, and many other seek violence only as an end to it."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"'S pleasantly philosophical. I'd suggest visiting the prison, but I doubt it'll be a very nice place t'go."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Yeah, probably not a good place. But I'm just enjoying being here with you."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Good. Want to go explore?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Okay."

Look Atton, you got him relaxed.