'No weird animals? No talking to anyone?' It's not the Hall of Emperors in Halshaa, but this town does have a museum. Nai tried hiding himself even more.Īlright, backup plan. Then they ride its back and see how long it takes until they're thrown off.' 'Well, the humans like to do it as a sport. She looked down, finding him hiding behind her back right leg. She did this every few years, and the townsfolk had grown accustomed to her little invasion.Īmongst all her children, one was notably absent. The Lords that walked the streets in their blue jeans and cowboy hats didn't pay her children much mind, save the ones that ambushed them with questions. Slow, inefficient, and a far cry from the haughty halls and countless museums of the city of Halshaa. She made a mental note to remind the children not to poke themselves on the creature's horns. Bulls and cows could be heard some distance away, imported cattle from Earth. A few buildings stretched dozens of stories high, but most set squat and and close to the ground. There was more to it than that, of course. Ooh and aahs filed the air as the children began running towards the own in front of them. Even the Haas Suul barely bothered settling it most of its population were actually humans, who could actually stand the aridness. Most of Halshaa's humid-loving life never bothered adapting to the desert, leaving it mostly empty.

Had she had this field trip somewhere in Halshaa's central jungle, she might be worried, but Ha Hallas was one of the few places on the planet that was rather safe. That plan fell apart as soon as the rear door opened, and they all scrambled past her. 'Now, I want all of you to form a single file line while we-' We'll be visiting the largest town there.'īefore they could ask any more questions, there was a light rumble as their ship touched down. She shot the curious one a motherly glare. Quite literally: The Nothing!'Īnother raised hand. Very dry! So dry, that it's named Ha Hallas. It's like a large bowl, where clouds can't get in or out, and becuse of this, rain is very rare. 'You see children, two large mountain ranges meet in the southern coast, cross each other, spread away, then cross each other again. She turned back to the rest of the group.

'Yes! Yes!' she confirmed, pleased with Nai's learning. Quiet little Nai, who had been staring out the window during their whole descent, looked up. Some of the children raised the arms, trying to guess other cities on the planet, or just famous landmarks. I wanted us to expand our horizons and visit someplace a little more.obscure.' 'Where's the city? I don't see the starport!' One of them glanced at the window for a moment. She uttered an attention-grabbing buzz, and then then din around her died. Not every hive queen actually remembers the name of all her children.Īnd certainly, only one hive queen would take their children to Halshaa.Īs one of them started to cry, her patience ran out. Not every Rakki hive queen brought her youngest on a planetary tourist trip, you know. Irikki considered bringing out the guilt trip. All four of her thick-shelled arms were slightly raised in an attempt to bring silence to the squabbling and squeaking young in front of her. She couldn't complain too much they were her own brood, after all. One of them accused the other of stealing something.

Lord of rigel synth