trans_9 | (no subject)

Planet Designation: Agrestic Status: Terrestrial, Q-class. Non-sentient life: Extensive agricultural flora and livestock. Natural habitats have been entirely eliminated Semi-Sentient Life: None. Sentient Life: Population 18 billion. Variety of races due to history of heavy immigration from neighboring universes. Dominant race Kanil, although representatives claim no species-based discrimination exists on planet. Water: 80% of the planet's surface. Climate: Varied. Current location is warm and moderately humid, average temperature 60 degrees Farenheit. Regular rain seasons. Landscape: Mountains, plains and oceans. No deserts. All terrain has been terraformed for maximum productivity. Air: Type I (breathable) Sky: Red. Warnings: Daligig not permitted within Agrestican territory. Mission: Shore leave and refueling.

As Stacy's shuttles bring the crew down, they're treated to the sights of massive mountains to dwarf even the mightiest Earth mountain range and golden, green and purple grain fields that take up more space than some entire civilizations have managed to colonize. The shuttles finally settle at the primary port city, Rura, which is ideally situated near and equidistant to a sprawling ocean, the base of a mountain range and a swath of farmland.

The people of Agrestic, including humans, Helians, Kanil, and plenty of other races, are for the most part hard at work and rushing from place to place. Very few pay much attention to Stacy's shuttles, as travelers stopping at this city and incredibly commonplace. Those that aren't working are relaxing, unencumbered by technological gadgets - while the technology here is very advanced, it seems primarily used to aid workers in their duties, and not for leisure. Fresh produce brought into the market is scanned by tiny mechanical beetles that inspect each piece for defects, but the children are more likely to be playing with sticks and rocks than anything else.

The crew exits the shuttles to find themselves at a large air-port like building, which opens up to a farmer's market and a strip of restaurants. As they exit the shuttles, some of the human port workers apologize for any inconvenience.

"We're sorry you couldn't bring the whole ship down, but the Truce specifically forbids Daligig to enter our airspace. You're lucky we managed to get clearance for shuttles of Daligig make to come in!" they say, before rushing off to help the next arrivals.

To return to the ship, a crew member may enter a shuttle and the autopilot will zip them back up to Stacy's underbelly. The crew may make as many trips back and forth as they like.

[OOC: This post itself will be for interactions with NPCs. Please do not set up subthreads in this post unless you are an NPCer. If you would like to create a new location on Agrestic, or do an open/closed log on the shore leave, please set up your own log. This will make it easier for our NPCers to know where they're needed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yeah, that's right." Allenby leaned her elbow on the counter, propping her face in one hand. She didn't really take much note of Obb's carefully neutral tone, but the mention of them brought similar things to her mind. "The no-good, lyin', murdering Daligig... who ain't allowed on this planet. I think you guys got the right idea there."

Ooh, that sounded like the coffee was almost done. "So howcome they're banned? I mean, specifically." Governments probably liked more specific reasons to pass laws than a general 'they're rotten SOBs.'

Was that another smile from Obb? Yes it was, as creepy as it looked. He flashed those dangerous teeth once more, safely delivering the steaming mug of egg coffee to Allenby.

"They are not a threat to you as long as you are within our atmosphere. We bar them from our walls because they are seeking more and more power. Without this ban, it is likely that we would become draftees like yourselves," he said, strangely sympathetically.

"Heh. That'd almost make me wanna stay, if it wasn't for the thought of leavin' all my friends to fight by themselves." Allenby was sure that the Daligig's little carrot of the Ohm maybe know how to undo what they did was a big old lie. Maybe what had happened really was the end of her Earth, forever, but maybe there was some other way that they could find. If they could, she wouldn't let the hard work of Gundam Federation be a waste.

Of course, they did need to kick the Daligig out of the ship first. "I sure hope they don't try to conscript you guys anyway," she said, blowing on the coffee to cool it a little. "They got those huge bodyguards of theirs an' all. Is it really okay with the GIA that they've got a ship full of slave soldiers tryin' to fight the Ohm? Just how much power do they have?"

"Friends are the sweetest taste in life," Obb observes with a sagely nod. His own friends back on his beautiful planet had brought him much joy over the years. They were all entrepreneurs in their own little slices of the multiverse now, but they phoned now and again.

"Far too much power, and aside from the Daligig, most of us are unhappy with it" Obb replied, leaning close to Allenby. Don't worry, his breath didn't really smell. It was just warm. "They see themselves as...masters, in a sense. Entirely too important to risk themselves: when war comes, others die for the Daligig. A fair few GIA members would love nothing more than to expel the lot."

What big teeth you have, Obb. But the coffee, it turns out, is damn good, so Allenby just tried to ignore that. What he was saying was way more unnerving than his features anyhow. "Boy, does that sound familiar," she muttered. A whole government made up of Prime Minister Wong. Her fingers clenched around the handle of the mug. "Get other people to do the dirty work while they rake in the rewards."

She grinned, knife-like, remembering something else about Wong. "I've seen that kinda thing backfire, big time. But they must have a whole lot of power if you guys haven't given 'em the boot yet. What can they do that lets them stay in power?"

"It's an offense to everything we Agrestics value as people," Obb agreed, scowling. Thinking of those Daligig made his blood boil---literally, in his case. It could get dangerous over here, but he was well-practiced at taking care of customers.

"They have some sort of psychic protection. They gained it the same way they gained every other advantage: genetic modification. I don't know how they accomplish it, but they take genes from species with superior traits and graft them onto themselves."

"Psychic protection, huh?" Allenby grimaced. Sure, they shielded their own brains and built their ships to pry into everybody else's. That sounded about right for bastards like that. "Sounds kinda grisly--I bet they had a lot of failed starts with genetic grafting."

She looked at him curiously. "But if they got such pull, how did you get them to agree to this ban on Daligig? You'd think they wouldn't have trouble invading a peaceful-lookin' planet like this one." Allenby didn't mention the army of killer robots that Stacy apparently had in storage, but that was basically what she was thinking of.

"I cannot say for certain, but I believe they find it prudent to listen at times," Obb guessed, grinding away at the next round of coffee on his little tooth-machine. "We have a strong network of alliances, and tyranny against us might trigger an uprising. Even they cannot overcome every challenge."

"Goootcha." Allenby lifted a finger. "So they can keep just a ship like Stacy as a weapon full of slaves a lot easier than just havin' an empire constantly shoving at their inner defenses." Not always that different from the way Earth had done things.

She watched the tooth-grinder, unable to quite look away, and drummed her fingers on the counter. Allenby had no illusions that they could get some kind of sanctuary or protest going on the behalf of Stacy's crew. The GIA planets were too busy looking after their own interests to pay attention to one ship, comparatively tiny compared to what they wanted to protect. They wouldn't risk it... but what if they broke away first? "What kind of stuff gets 'em to listen?"

"Exactly."

Obb looked...disappointed that he couldn't be of more help here. What a wonder it would be to have the looming threat disappear.

"What else? I...can't say that I know. If we had figured it out, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place." He looked apologetic as he passed her a small treat---a little raspberry danish. "This is on the house. You'll need your strength."