[video]

[hairdu]

Hello? Is there anyone there?

[A young teenager comes into frame, fairly average looking except for the funny ears and abundance of frizzy blond hair.]

This is Radu, of the Starship Christa. Starcademy Cadet A3201. At least, I, uh, think that's it. It's kinda been awhile. And if they haven't, you know, kicked us out since we've been missing.

[WAIT. Professionalism. Okay, he can do this.]

Requesting, uh, location coordinates. And the name of the planet I'm on, actually. I don't exactly know where I am. Uh... repeat, I require coordinates.

Thank you.

Comments

video;

[candothat]

[You're kind of speaking his language, fellow space teenager! That, of course, makes a reply necessary. A reply with a thick Russian accent. Good luck with that.]

Location coordinates? You are in what we think to be a spacetime anomaly that, so far, cannot be placed in relation to any known locations. This is the City. I think that it is on a planet, but we have access to only a portion of it.

You were on a starship? And you are a cadet?

video;

[hairdu]

Spacetime anomaly? Like a, uh... parallel universe?

[He has never heard a Russian accent before, but he's going to try his best, here.]

Uh, yeah, The Christa. But I can't find the rest of my crew, I think they might be in trouble.

[He's... very carefully not going to claim to be a cadet just at this time. After all, maybe they really have been kicked out by now. He wouldn't be surprised, anyway.]

video;

[candothat]

Eh... no, not exactly. Here, I will send you something that may explain this better.

[city_intro.doc]

The rest of your crew will be fine. How much do you know about spatiotemporal physics?

video;

[hairdu]

I've... heard of it?

[He hasn't.]

video;

[candothat]

Ah. ["Hearing of it" won't be quite enough for what Chekov would like to say. See, this is why he tries not to greet new people. Explaining the City simply is too difficult.] Then you will need to trust me that, due to the apparent nature of this place, you will return home at the same moment you left and will miss nothing.

[He jumps out of "trying to explain science" mode and into his much more cheerful "trying to interact with people in a way that is conducive to forming friendships and not likely to send said people running by displaying too much enthusiasm and not enough tact" mode.]

No matter. Welcome to the City, Radu. I am Pavel Andreievich Chekov and I was a cadet, also.

video;

[hairdu]

[Thanks, Chekov. He was getting a C in physics back at the Starcademy, too much of this is going to make his head hurt.]

Nice to meet you, Pavel... [He was intending to say his whole name by he kinda forgot that middle bit. He'll leave it there.]

Is this place an Earth colony, do you think? I don't see many non-humans around.

video;

[candothat]

[They could study up! Except no, probably not. Chekov sucks at explaining anything that involves technical jargon.]

You as well.

No, no, not an Earth colony. A colony, maybe, but it was not created by humans. I think it is most likely that advanced beings are collecting us here and cursing us for either study or entertainment. There is no evidence to support that, of course, I only think that it is more likely than gods and magic and other things.

video;

[hairdu]

But how are they controlling this many people? Unless there are a lot of guards around I'm not seeing.

video;

[candothat]

[He waves a hand dismissively.]

Technology beyond anything that we are familiar with, physical abilities inherent to their species, something like that. This is only a thought; I doubt that anyone would agree with me that this is the most likely explanation for the City.

video;

[hairdu]

[Radu finds the nearest bench to drop himself onto. All this kidnapping is cutting a little too close to home.]

When does the universe let up with people like this?

video;

[candothat]

Hm? Never, I think.

[Judging by Radu's face, this was not the correct answer.]

But it is not always unpleasant! I have done many things here that I would not have been able to do at home, and I've met people I could not have otherwise met.

video;

[hairdu]

That's... a silver lining. I guess.

[Sorry, Chekov. Your attempt is admirable but he's still a grump.]

video;

[candothat]

[He feels kind of bad for raining all over Radu's parade.]

Okay, what is it that you like to do?

Video

[just_displaced]

I don't actually think anyone has location coordinates for this place. Or a name for the planet itself. We might not even be on a planet. Nobody's quite sure where we are. I mean, they call it the City, but that's the most unimaginative name I can think of, and also the least helpful in terms of locating us relative to anything else.

[A pause.]

So. Welcome to the City, I guess.

Video

[hairdu]

We have to be a planet, though. Right? I mean there's a, uh... sky?

Re: Video

[just_displaced]

I guess. I mean, the City's the only place we can go, so who knows what else is out there? Maybe the entire planet just consists of the City, and it's a really small planet. Maybe the sky is fake, and just put there to make us think we're on a planet. Who knows?

Video

[hairdu]

If it was a planet the size of a city, the days would be a lot shorter, wouldn't they? I think that's how that works.

Re: Video

[just_displaced]

Theoretically, yeah. But nothing makes a whole lot of sense around here, so I'm not sure all the rules of physics can be said to apply quite as strictly. It makes the most sense for us to be on a bigger planet, though, so that's usually what we assume. I think.

Re: Video

[hairdu]

So why hasn't anyone just, y'know... gone outside the city?

Are the borders being guarded?

Re: Video

[just_displaced]

Barriers, I think. I haven't tried to leave. Even if we left the City, where the hell would we go?

Video

[hairdu]

I dunno, somewhere with a better name for starts?

[Someone else sent him this 'city guide' and... he's looking less and less pleased as he reads it.]

Re: Video

[just_displaced]

We could always rename this place. I mean, they've set a low bar with "the City." I bet I could come up with something better in my sleep. You probably could, too, and you've been here for, what, five minutes?

Video

[hairdu]

Feels more like ten.

So, deities?

Re: Video

[just_displaced]

Deities, yeah. Or I mean, I guess there were deities. Now the place is run by guys who call themselves Anonymous, which I'm pretty sure is for the sole purpose of making themselves sound as sinister as possible. There was some kind of revolution. There're still curses, though.

Video

[hairdu]

This guide someone sent me is kinda vague about that, yeah.

Revolution. Does that mean like... a war?