backdrop of stars that peeked through the thin atmosphere. Everything below sky level faded together as the cloud of dust got thicker. It was a hellish world, where death came easy, and the colonists had to fight to survive.
The dust collected on the surface of the dome that shielded the city, giving it the appearance of a perfectly round rock. Any other city would've used a particle repellent which would've allowed ships to enter, but the Vermillions preferred to use transparent carbon. That meant that they had travel past the spires and into a narrow pass that led to the subterranean entrance to the city.
They went through numerous security checkpoints, and were forced to have the men examine all of their belongings. Once, one of the guards tried to check his clothing, and Magnus put a plasma cannon up to the guard's temple. The man ran away and they were allowed to pass. Whoever allowed him to do that must've wanted the meeting to take place.
The Vermillions wouldn't talk to the Emperor unless they wanted something from him, and only if they were desperate. Antoni should've realized that right away. They would get through safely, even though it was obvious that Vermillions had the upper hand when it came to security. He began to fear for his safety as they passed the gates that led to the entrance of the city and left the transport behind.
The Vermillions had digressed into an animalistic state. He noticed, as he walked towards the meeting place, that they wore clothing woven from organic materials that had been harvested on one of the other planets. The Kaldeans could synthesize any material they wanted to. The practice of refining organic products and using them in manufacturing was considered taboo. They were dusty, with rags over their face to protect them from the sun, and cloaks covering their entire bodies.
The group walked through stalls where men and women bartered food in the open air without the use of refrigerators. They didn't have much, only withered roots and vegetables. They used real animals rather than synthetic meat, a proposition that made Antoni's lunch rise up in its stomach.
Everyone walked around with a plasma cannons on their hip, and a strip of leather that contained, to Antoni's disgust, the bones of tiny animals. They weren't people. People didn't live like this. Their children didn't dart around with no shoes on, and dust in their hair. The men didn't look at you like a piece of meat when you walked by.
They were hungry, many were sick, and a few looked like they were dying. They didn't seem happy. They weren't. They were fighters, sick of trying to survive. It was no wonder they were invading other systems. They needed the resources to better their disgusting quality of life.
That wasn't going to happen. These people were going to die out. You could see it in the way they walked with their heads down and the purple flowers they left at tiny shrines on every corner. They needed hope, and sweet heaven, Antoni wanted to bring it to them.
There was a boy with one eye that stared at him when they started walking up the steps to the council building. He must've been only five or six years old, but he had the look of an old man. He just stared, and he wouldn't stop. It was as if he was telling Antoni not to forget to him, to remember what he saw and how their people lived.
One of the guards that surrounded the prince gave the boy an evil look, but he just stared back defiantly. Nobody knew why he was there, but the entire group felt his presence, even as they walked into the simple building and found themselves standing in front of a group of Larvos.
There was no point of reference for Antoni to compare them to at all. Their two furry legs rose up to unnatural proportions, holding up a perfectly spherical body. There were five of them, dwarfing the group.
Antoni was nearly knocked back by the jolt. Something inside him, like a voice inside his head, told him to follow the Larvos . The
The dust collected on the surface of the dome that shielded the city, giving it the appearance of a perfectly round rock. Any other city would've used a particle repellent which would've allowed ships to enter, but the Vermillions preferred to use transparent carbon. That meant that they had travel past the spires and into a narrow pass that led to the subterranean entrance to the city.
They went through numerous security checkpoints, and were forced to have the men examine all of their belongings. Once, one of the guards tried to check his clothing, and Magnus put a plasma cannon up to the guard's temple. The man ran away and they were allowed to pass. Whoever allowed him to do that must've wanted the meeting to take place.
The Vermillions wouldn't talk to the Emperor unless they wanted something from him, and only if they were desperate. Antoni should've realized that right away. They would get through safely, even though it was obvious that Vermillions had the upper hand when it came to security. He began to fear for his safety as they passed the gates that led to the entrance of the city and left the transport behind.
The Vermillions had digressed into an animalistic state. He noticed, as he walked towards the meeting place, that they wore clothing woven from organic materials that had been harvested on one of the other planets. The Kaldeans could synthesize any material they wanted to. The practice of refining organic products and using them in manufacturing was considered taboo. They were dusty, with rags over their face to protect them from the sun, and cloaks covering their entire bodies.
The group walked through stalls where men and women bartered food in the open air without the use of refrigerators. They didn't have much, only withered roots and vegetables. They used real animals rather than synthetic meat, a proposition that made Antoni's lunch rise up in its stomach.
Everyone walked around with a plasma cannons on their hip, and a strip of leather that contained, to Antoni's disgust, the bones of tiny animals. They weren't people. People didn't live like this. Their children didn't dart around with no shoes on, and dust in their hair. The men didn't look at you like a piece of meat when you walked by.
They were hungry, many were sick, and a few looked like they were dying. They didn't seem happy. They weren't. They were fighters, sick of trying to survive. It was no wonder they were invading other systems. They needed the resources to better their disgusting quality of life.
That wasn't going to happen. These people were going to die out. You could see it in the way they walked with their heads down and the purple flowers they left at tiny shrines on every corner. They needed hope, and sweet heaven, Antoni wanted to bring it to them.
There was a boy with one eye that stared at him when they started walking up the steps to the council building. He must've been only five or six years old, but he had the look of an old man. He just stared, and he wouldn't stop. It was as if he was telling Antoni not to forget to him, to remember what he saw and how their people lived.
One of the guards that surrounded the prince gave the boy an evil look, but he just stared back defiantly. Nobody knew why he was there, but the entire group felt his presence, even as they walked into the simple building and found themselves standing in front of a group of Larvos.
There was no point of reference for Antoni to compare them to at all. Their two furry legs rose up to unnatural proportions, holding up a perfectly spherical body. There were five of them, dwarfing the group.
Antoni was nearly knocked back by the jolt. Something inside him, like a voice inside his head, told him to follow the Larvos . The
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