Gaia. (4)

Relovan, who had been stunned to silence, slowly shifted his gaze from the Marshal over to the Chief, who just grinned at him.

"…just who are you, Chief Nura."

"Me? I'm simply a Police Chief, Lawman." Nura said with a shrug, before looking back at Gaia. "So, the Custodians are the keepers of all major Coalition cities and territories, right? They clear rubble, garbage, and pretty much keep the areas they are assigned to clean. The Marshals are direct agents of the Council, sent when there is Council related business to be done. Yet, there is so little known about them, it is something that has bothered every iteration of the Council since the Coalition was founded. The Custodians don't speak at all, while the Marshals… in fact, it might be better for you to see this yourself. Marshal, tell me about Gaia."

"Unfortunately Chief, I am not authorised to reveal anything about Mother Gaia's Inner Sanctum."

"…that's how all of them answer any question related to Gaia's interior."

"I see… so the only way of getting any answers would be to form a contract with the Walker."

"Exactly." Nura said with a nod.

"…this is all quite a shock, Chief."

"I'll bet. But considering what I told you earlier, you need to be armed with information, Lawman. I figure you are smart enough to make sensible decisions when armed with the correct info."

Relovan looked at Nura, and nodded before looking back at Gaia. The SS Illusive suddenly increased its speed and began its approach. The Marshal asked Relovan and Nura to be seated and buckle up. The Panoramic view was also deactivated, and they began the descent.

"One of the perks of traveling via the Council – no permission required from Traffic Control." Nura said with a grin.

The SS Illusive continued with the descent, which took just under ten minutes. They approached the massive Void Station, which was a technical and architectural marvel. There was no time to really look it over and appreciate it though, as the Illusive flew right past the commercial part and made its way over to the military landing port. Once it's designated landing platform was reached, the Voidcraft landed with little to no fuss, simply plopping down onto the platform. The Marshals inside the Illusive stepped away from their designated spots and teleported out of the ship, and the one that had been communicating with Relovan and Nura brought the Enforcer his bag. They stepped onto the same platform that raised them into the cabin, and it lowered them down onto the ground. The guard of honour was once again present, and Relovan paid extra attention to how the Marshals reacted to Nura walking past them. He had no idea just who the Chief was, but one thing he was sure of was that this giant had his fair share of mysteries. The Chief and the Enforcer were led to a Terminal and while Relovan reached into his pocket to retrieve his documentation, Nura simply shook his head and raised his badge, presenting it to somebody sitting in a booth. No words were exchanged, and the security gate was unlocked and opened. Both men walked through the open gate and Relovan quietly removed his hand from his pocket and took in his surroundings. The four Marshals that had been flanking them until they reached the Terminal suddenly reappeared, although they were one member light. After quite a long walk which included them walking through a few more gates, the group exited the large building to find a convoy of vehicles waiting for them. The Chief's considerable luggage was being evenly distributed amongst the cars, and Relovan looked at the Adonian.

"Were all these vehicles going to be here even if you didn't bring all of those bags, Chief?"

"Absolutely."

"I see… well, you certainly don't travel light."

"I have no need to." Nura scoffed as he started moving towards the vehicle which had the missing Marshal standing next to it.

He stepped into the vehicle, and Relovan followed suit after which the door was closed. The Marshals all got into the cars and the convoy set off.

"Where are we headed, Chief?"

"Most likely to Union House, the base of the Council. We're just going to check in to let the powers that be know we have arrived, and then we'll probably go to where you'll be staying for the duration of your time here."

"We will be staying in separate places, then?"

"Yes we will… unless you want me to bunk with you?" Nura asked with a smirk.

"I'm quite alright, thank you Chief." Relovan said with a shake of the head.

He then looked out of the window of the vehicle as they drove along. The scenery was nothing out of the ordinary at first, however the more they drove towards the city, the more things changed. The multiple tiers of the Gaia City became more and more prominent, and the sheer scope and height of it all had Relovan wanting to open the window and stick his head out. There were many, many large and thick pillars that were too odd a shape for Relovan to make out. The convoy was driving in the middle level of the city, and there were clearly buildings that shot up from below the level they were on, and proceeded into the clouds high above where they were. There were a ridiculous amount of branching lanes and roads that shot off every which way, and Relovan was looking at them all, wondering just where they went. He closed his eyes and appeared to be thinking about something very serious when he felt a tap on his shoulder, snapping him out of it.

"What's up, Lawman? You okay?"

"Huh? Of course, I was just trying to get my bearings straight is all."

"Bearings?"

"Yeah, for orientation purposes is all."

"No need for that, we'll be taking that offramp that will have us begin our ascent."

"Considering how these cars are similar to the ones back on Blargon, I assumed our ascent will be done on the roads?"

"Precisely. I don't do flying cars – I like the feel of rubber on tarmac."

"Ah, of course." Relovan said with a sigh.

"I'm guessing you would have liked to see an overview of the entire city, huh? Don't worry, there'll be time for that. We'll take one of those flying tours later in the week."

"Chief, we aren't here on vacation – we're here to testify, remember?"

Chief Nura didn't reply and just hummed to himself as he too looked out of the window. The motorcade turned off onto a different lane, and the ascent began. They were driving on a multilane road, yet there were many such roads all around them, with vehicles either ascending, or descending. There were many offramps and onramps, and Relovan found himself feeling decidedly impressed with it all. The convoy followed the road they were on without deviating once, and soon enough, they came across vehicles that flew as opposed to drove, making their way up as well. After a little over half an hour, the group finally stopped climbing and the road leveled out. They had driven through the clouds and were finally on the highest tier of the city. The road that they had been on was built on the outside of the city, and slowly wound up in a gradual yet unending curve. It was almost like they were on a lift that was on the outside of a building and when they did reach the top, Relovan was immediately greeted by the sight of a city that put the opulence and luxury of the First Planet's city to shame. From the buildings, to the cars that filled the roads, to the flora and fauna, everything was just on a different level. The presence of the police, the military and even Marshals was clear and present, with the police and military uniforms bearing the insignia of the Council, much like the Ss Illusive.

"Look at all these people." Relovan remarked.

"They're mostly tourists – the rich and famous from far across the Void. Rich businessmen, aristocrats, nobles, royalty and the like. They flock to this place because people love to say they closed deals on Gaia, or they shopped in Gaia, etcetera."

"This place is shiny." Relovan said with a shrug.

"And that's more than enough for most, Lawman."