- Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:

Chapter 2 Shanty Town




"Viceroy there's something you need to see." Said a calmly young fresh out of college sociologist who went by the name of Lauria Samara. Her brown eyes sparking in front of a curly chestnut basket of hair that swirled around her head in short braids that seemed to go in all directions at once. Like a windy storm.





The busy blonde with the electric blue eyes and fair complexion looked up from her data pad, pleasantly annoyed and admonished the young lady.





"Lauria, how many times have I told you not to call me Viceroy and to only do it at official ceremonial functions?" You know me as Glendoria and you know that I don't like the title. Stop needling me hun. I'm stressed enough as it is.. I've got a meeting with that wicked witch this evening unless you'd like to talk to her on my behalf?"





Lauria smiled .. "No thanks, but you do really need to see this Glen.. You're not going to believe it."





Glendoria sighed... "What is it Lauria I'm busy sugar pie."





"Nope... It's best just to show you trust me on this one."





"Ok, but I can only spare one hour of time, got it?"





"I've got it. I've already got the shuttle warmed up and ready to go. We need to head to the Arena in Rome. That's where you're ego is either going to make your head explode or you're going crap your sarong... It'll be your choice."





Glendoria wearily shook her head.. "Ok, let's go and be quick about this.. Let me put on my sandals real quick. "





"Put them on in the shuttle, you know how long they take with straps up to your knees and all. We do only have an hour as you've demanded. You should wear them a little more low cut like mine are." Lauria eye-ing own her ankle high sandals explained as the two ladies headed outside towards the lift pad. Glendoria carrying her leather sandals at her waist amongst her pure white toga of similar design to Lauria's.. Complete with a straight purple stripe that went from her neck, right down along her bountiful breast, past the golden belt sash and down to the hem of her knee thigh high dress.





"I wear our standard attire and don't choose to break protocol like you are doing right now. You know the rules and regulations and I for one can not set a sloppy tone and deviate from it like you are doing right now. " A smiling Glendoria admonished.





If you had not seen the small levitating transport vehicle and the beacon lights on the concrete surface you might be fooled into thinking you had stepped back in time about two thousand years.





The ladies made small talk as they climbed into the craft Lauria taking the pilot controls as Glendoria began the long arduous task of braiding her leather straps all the way up just under her knees.





"Lauria, you know that going there makes them all nervous and causes problems a lot of the time."





"I know, but my pet told me about it this morning and I almost crapped when I saw it.. It's a real game changer. You'll see." Smiled the Sociologist who graduated top of her class at a very prestigious university within the Titan empire.





"How did your pet find out anything that's going on in the arena?" Glendoria's curiosity pricked.
"I'll tell you about that when we get there."





Glendoria knew that the young lady was prone to fits of excitement so she wasn't too confident that this was really going to wow her as the transport craft lifted up with a hiss as Lauria gunned it slamming Glendoria's head back against her seat.





"Damn it Lauria you don't have to start out at full terrestrial speed like that. We'll get there eventually!"





"Yeah well I've been informed that I'm working under a clock right now so no time to waist. We'll be there in 5 minutes at this speed. So just relax!"





"Getting there in usual ten minutes would have been fine too you brat!"





Lauria was just over half her age. She was still a girl in many respects and trying to reason with a kid is like trying to reason with a Shaar. There just wasn't a lot of cognizant reciprocation going on. It was all do and ask your questions later. In any event Glen looked out at the beautiful blue ocean they were flying just above. An ocean that covered the majority of this moon's surface much like it's parent planet Poseidon was.





They were whizzing by at a breath taking speed as Lauria maxed out the terrestrial thrusters in order to save time as she put it. She just wanted the adrenaline rush the older lady figured.
In just minutes the horizon was covered in land as Lauria gained altitude lest they ram into the chalk cliffs that were getting closer by the second.





Once a little higher in the air Glendoria could see it off in the distance. The first colony shining and reflecting this solar system's primary star's light, built here years ago... Abandoned and then re-inhabited. Now sporting the name of Rome which was fitting since their home base back on the beautiful island that they had just left was called Athens situated on the coast of the continental island that they had dubbed Olympus. In fact all of the colonies on this Federation moon had ancient Roman and Greek names down to the land masses. Double the size of Earth's moon. A moon that was both hot and wet with enough humidity to make any Imperial vac suit a steamy sweat pot that would rot from human salt in a matter of days. Their cotton togas actually breathed and let air travel through it eliminating the need to perspire so much.





Lauria addressed the colony's space port. "This is PSS Rank 8 over 4 requesting clearance for landing over"....





A face appeared on a console monitor. A young man admittedly attracted to Lauria who at once smiled when he'd heard the clearance identification code. "You are clear for landing, as if anyone else is going to try to come to this world today."





"He, he, you're right about that ginger boy." We'll be there in point thirty seconds. Out. "





Decelerating and high above the large colony Glendoria could see the oval shaped stadium that they were heading to as they passed it in order to go to the landing port. It was grey and dirty looking. Inside the interior was a mass of different shades of black, brown and tans denoting primitive structures..





Coming down Lauria maneuvered them to a landing pad which was nothing more than a red sectioned u shape next to dozens of others that more closely resembled a parking lot at a grocery store. The hanger in the distance being reserved for larger vessels or broken down ones as the mechanics attempt to repair them. The terminal was just to the side of it which is directly where the ladies briskly walked towards.





"Slow down some Lauria, we'll get there."





"I know but I'm really excited about this... You will be too!"





Outside of the small spaceport was the colony town itself. Perhaps large enough to support about twenty thousand Titans give or take. Many of the houses were prefab modular structures as the ladies made a bee line for the old Tolbot arena. Still, Gendoria could see where several people tried to put their own personal touches on each drab construction. A painted hovel here, a basket of hanging red dragon carnations on a window seal there.





The arena had been here from the beginning during the first initial exploration before the town was abandoned for a twenty five year stretch until the glowberry bushes were discovered which changed the fate of this moon forever. In any event the stadium from the constant beating of the hot sun and the periodical torrential downpours that came with little warning was showing its weathered age. Metal connection cleats rusting red trails down the side of the peeling painted walls.





Glendoria had appropriated it as a safe haven for the arriving humans that came by the box full every week now. Making the situation within more chaotic with each new influx of fresh humans. At first it had been a way to keep the humans safe and segregated to limit the amount of fatalities that occurred from careless Titans who would inadvertently crush the hapless human who was foolish enough to walk out in the open or not close enough to a building or house walls.





But what had started out as a boon for safety quickly morphed into a smothering prison of overcrowding.. By the time the Viceroy had realized her mistake her tyrannical overlord Miss Gleebo made it impossible to reverse it by insisting that the vermin be contained regardless of the hardships that it caused. To Miss Gleebo it was simply a matter of keeping them all in one nest in the interests of convenience and control. Nothing more mattered for them as far as she was concerned. Another of Glendoria's good intentions gone horribly wrong.





The two ladies approached the old ticket entrance where there was a young peace keeper with a side arm which was rare for security here, a few pouches here and there along her belt sash. In brown flat leather sandals and a sarong tied with a golden sash looking every bit as like they did and bored as could be. Not even paying attention to them as she texted her friend on the other side of town.





She only looked up at them once Lauria swiped her access card across the security panel.
"Hey Lauria, hello Viceroy Artemis. Have you got anything to declare?"





"Nah Cyn, we're just taking a look around. No supplies with us this trip. That'll be tomorrow."
"Ok, you all, watch your step." Grinned the young Peacekeeper as she went back to moving her thumbs across her text screen at lightening fast speeds.





"She's right you know" Agreed Lauria as they passed through the old metal turnstiles.. It's getting harder and harder to avoid stepping on them. You should look down at all times and just follow me until we get there."





Glen smiled. "Sure thing young lady, you're the boss on this mission!"





Lauria only shook her head dismissively and pressed on. The inner walls of this compound had a strong odor of human bodily waste which only seemed to dissipate somewhat as they went through the second security barrier into the open field beyond. The outdoor air helping as much as it could. At the entryway to the human city they paused to look around.





Glendoria was amazed at how much this constricted and contained city of humans had densified. There were indeed two story structures being built by humans working feverishly with pieces of discarded metals, wood, and twine. Tying walls and floors together to support wooden floors and metal tin roofs that other men were smearing mud and straw along in an attempt to insulate.





She could see another female peace keeper off in the far distance of what had once been a playing field but now a choked cacophony of roofs and passageways slowly walking around with her head trained at her feet. Up on the top row of the bleachers was a restricted area that her partner also walked in order to keep an eye out for her partner on the ground.





It was found early on that woman had much more patience for this duty then the men who would lose focus and start killing humans by accident. The woman could concentrate through the tedium for much longer periods.. Not saying that they didn't create fatalities too. But it was far less than their male counterparts.





Somewhere near the center of the densely habited field was a weird figure being constructed. Lauria looked at it and then back towards the Viceroy with a knowing smile.





Then began to walk slowly through the haphazard hazard streets with slow measured and patient steps. Glendoria followed and kept her eyes down as previously instructed trusting that Lauria knew the best and safest way to the structure in the middle of the yard.





A few steps into the shanty town and Glen started noticing a strange phenomena. She would hear those tiny human's in burlap clothing beginning to shriek and point up at her as she slowly moved along.





"She's here! Look she's come! Our Goddess has come to save us and deliver us from this squalor. Another voice cheered and told others to look up. "She's here, she'll improve our lot! Bow down everyone .. Bow down."





Many of the humans did what they normally did when the Titans walked down their street which was to run for shelter and try their best to quickly get out of their way. It was very dangerous not to. The thought of their fear to the Titans made Glendoria's heart hurt with a pain that only guilt could cause. She so desperately wanted to change this situation. And her overlord was not letting her. But she had to hold on a little longer. Promising things the humans were doing would be their salvation.





Glen ordered Lauria to stop as she used her communication device to take video footage of the humans feverishly building second story structures across the roofs that covered all available space on the ground with the exception of the narrow passage ways that their sandals could only traverse single file. Their feet coving one side to the other compressing the dirt road into a hardened clay.





"Ok honey, I just wanted to get that."





"No need, me and Wandae have been filming them doing this for an entire week now. They're getting more and more resourceful. We're going to have to put in an order for twice the balsa wood that we needed last month. Maybe three times as much."





Lauria slowly moved on as did Glendoria as she marveled at their ingenuity.





Another couple of minutes and Lauria stopped and moved to the side in order to allow Glendoria to pass her to get a good look at the structure that the humans has made. There here dozens of men hoisting up slats of wood and tying it off with the twine that the Titans had provided them. Some were carving the wood and shaping it into patterns that were connected together like jigsaw puzzles that made solid shapes of craftsmanship.





What Glen began to realize was that she was looking at an attempt to make a statue and was completed to just below the breasts. These humans had stopped working as well. Most all gaping with wide eyed wonderment. It was her.





Glendoria looked at Lauria who pointed to the base where there were three entry ways.. Above carved in a larger single piece of wood was her name and title with an addition that made her eyes go wide.





It read "Temple of Goddess Artemis". Around the temple were murals of Peacekeepers, Lauria, her colleagues, and other Titans who regularly interacted with the humans as well.





Many of the humans were prostrating themselves and bowing.. Some chanted with eyes of wonderment.





"Lauria you had better not have put them up to this."





"No way, not me my Goddess." Lauria giggled. "We were just as shocked as you are now when they started on this a few weeks ago. We didn't know who it was dedicated to until yesterday. That's when I decided to come over and pay you a visit this morning."





"Ok, let's get out of here now before we create too much of a disturbance!" Glendoria now moved at a faster pace then when they came in but still carefully. A grinning Lauria close in pursuit.





Once outside a quick breathing and close to hyperventilating Ecoscientist vented her thoughts
"So they've decided that we are Gods?"





"Not all of them. A smaller more aggressive group seems to know better. In fact we've noted three or four distinct groups at this point. But the larger group sees us providing everything for them so they've come to this conclusion somehow. We are a lot bigger than them after all and we do give them everything that they've got.





Oh, and they are having a tough time of it too. The smaller faction calls themselves the Realists and are calling the larger faction delusional cultists and attacking them here and there. The Peacekeepers are having to break up a lot of fights lately. That's why you see them on constant patrol now. No more easy days of just standing around and texting their friends. Now they're having to work for their pay. But I really don't know how long that will last either. All it will take is for Fayaa to tell them to stand down and then it will be a free for all in here. And she could do it too. She don't share our opinion of them as you know."





" Well I'll agree with you Lauria, Fayaa is a piece of work. But how do you know all of this?" A bewildered Glendoria implored.





"My team of sociologists decided to start using their pets to infiltrate and bring us back reconnaissance about a month back. We've been keeping it quiet for the safety of our pets. I hope you will forgive and see the reasoning behind that. Because that's when we started getting the juicy details and finding out that they're making governments, and all kinds of other things right now. They're even coming up with their own styles of cloths. Men and women's styles differing from one another just like we do.





One faction is known as the black hand of death. Nice huh? We're trying to find out who is behind them or at least leading them.





But I can tell you this Glen, they're organizing. And they're not happy. This could get really bad for everyone here. What if they were to tear down the Glowberries or revolt, or.." Lauria looked off at the neighborhood of Titans around them in thoughtful contemplation. Then she got serious again.





"And our townsfolk aren't making things better either. Some of the children have taken to making sport out of shooting things like sling shot pellets or throwing rocks at their train transport as they move through the city. The Peacekeepers seem to be turning a blind eye to it too. My pet human road one the other day..."
You must login (register) to review.