Vampires and Mechas

THE APARTMENT

1.

From distance, cities look much like each other, and the template don’t change all that much between Gerunda and Fenrir. The materials available on the surface of both planets isn’t identical. The tools and techniques they started with, and the Faeries who direct their efforts in infra-structure, are from Sun System equally. Gravity is a bit heavier on Gerunda, and days last 55 standard hours. While on Fenrir they last 5 standard years. Despite those differences, the contingencies are similar enough in those two planets, to push for solutions that look the same, more often than not and as long as you abstract the details.

Litmus is much another case. They have the same starting kit in the shape of SunSy culture and technology arrived in ships destroyed in The Fall. However, the contingencies in their Colony are so unique that other solutions had to be found.

On Gerunda Planet and on the habited moon of the Gaz Giant Planet Wotan, named Fenrir, urban towers are a bit smaller than those on Fenrir, but both colonies have them as dominant element in the landscape. Leaving space between them for Mecha Lord Fortresses. Also, for their mecha-pilots to fight the large shadows with their 300 meters tall robots, who move faster than a normal size cat does if you watch them without take the scale in consideration. While shutting bullets as large as small metro wagons from their weapons. There are other elements in the mix, some depend on the city specifically, others are constant in the cities of a same nation.

All cities will have high-bridges and train tunnels connecting the urban towers in different levels, and sky plazas supported by those lines, like flies captured by a spider net. Between the wires of those nets pass cables of a small diameter. Those are physical support for techno-magical protective layers, and they reach higher than the urban towers, hanging from poles on the top of those towers. On the ground there are parks, monuments, shops, and neighbourhoods for those who are not prosperous enough to afford the cheaper apartment in an urban tower. Or who are so motivated by the attractive perspective of have a larger house that even the risk of die under the foot of a Mecha do not discourage them.

Talking about “sky plazas”, the true sky plazas, those from where this expression came are the noble spots on top of a floating Heliopolis (which was the kind of Heliopolis you had in most colonies, and in Gerunda, but not in Fenrir. Litmus, again, is the rare place where there was never any Heliopolis). The first and best representant of that concept in sedentary cities are on top of floating balloons. Those structures exist to hold up to 3 times higher than the highest street tower the supporting cables of the techno-magical net of protection against shadows, they provide a first line of defence for cities. But perhaps would be more accurate to call it a filtering system, than a defensive one.

Because we all know shadows will pass those spells, just not all of them.

The urban towers are a few hundred thousand floors high, on the surface. Some of them are just a dozen kilometres tick, what gives me mixed feelings. For one side, less volume in relation to the surface means that liralight will reach more places in the structure. Small Shadows will have less chance to hide in dark corners during day. Gerunda cities take particularly good advantage of that, for obvious reason.

Besides, less surface may mean that you have less chance to be in the way when mechas and shadows are fighting.

The bad part it that those slim, elegant, structures get less protective layers. The light of Lira is the best and definitive protection against shadows, when Lira is shining in the sky. However, urban towers are build with serious techno-magic imprinted in their “bones” of translucent clay and mirrors. That is the main reason why is better to be inside one of them than living on the surface, or under it.

The standard urban tower is hundreds of kilometres tick, and does all the possible to maximize the penetration of liralight in its structure. You don’t see this concern in the same level in Mecha-Lord Fortresses (witch are, structurally speaking, and in terms of functionality, urban towers) for two reasons. Mecha-Lords have access to a level of techno-magic the rest of humanity can only dream about. And they worry about secrecy a lot more than anyone else, mostly because of competition between families: transparency is not their fried, as much as it is the friend of every one else.

Except, and it goes without saying, vampires. When vampires build urban towers designed for their comfort, instead of stay underground or adapt human structures, they do not worry about keeping the shadows away. On the other hand, they worry, a lot, about keeping the light of lira out.

Most shadows ignore vampires, until the vampire attacks them. Vampires register to them like shadows, and shadows do attack other shadows, but it is very rare occurrence. They crave for intelligent life, to consume it, above all else. Will settle for lower beasts upon occasion, if it is nearby, but are also inclined to destroy products of intelligence with no real life in them, if it is nearby; what they go out of their way to get is intelligent life. We don’t understand them much, but that is clear enough.

And just like shadows, vampires burn to non-existence, definitively, if they came in contact with liralight within atmosphere.

Whatever their style is, urban towers are solid enough for mechas to climb, and fight on top, without much risk. Fragile enough to brake when the giant robot aims direct hits at them. What is done when a mecha-size shadow manages to penetrate deep inside the UT. Any person in reach of the shadow is already dead anyway.

So, the most desirable real state is at centre of city, where you have more anti-shadow techno-spells between you and them. Near to the centre of an urban tower, where you have more solid material and techno-magic between you and any accidental blow or lost bullet in those fights of giants. It sacrifices the external view, and the direct light of lira, but it is a trade one makes, if one can afford the prices.

Ideally, you want to be at the border of a light tower. Those are the more or less conical columns of empty space left in the structure, with open top and strategically placed mirrors, to allow more liralight in. Usually the space in those walls that is not taken by mirrors is used by public spaces of recreation, of some sort. Some floors are divided in apartments for those who can and will pay a lot for little space, and boasting rights. The ground in those cases is always left for green parks.

Some of those light towers however, usually no more than one for an average urban tower (and not all have it) is given less mirrors and more plants on its walls. They don’t have any window or balcony open for a public space. The space of a few square kilometres on the ground is occupied by lakes and trees, as well, but are areas of exclusive access for the residents of that light tower. The floors not left entirely for forests, parks, and mirrors, have apartments or private clubs in them. Those are large spaces. Some personal residences take an entire ring of the light tower, or more than one, and considerable space is left between each window and yours, at least a few dozen floors.

Former Chiefs of State with a historic of obscene corruption for self-enrichment live in places like that. Owners of multinational corporations, banks, heirs of fortunes that in many cases came from Heliopolis Age, those 75s years following the Fall. Exiled Mecha-Lords, still under the protection of some influential relative. Vampire-thralls stablished by a Vampire Duke as diplomates for his Prince among the human authorities. Immensely prestigious artists, sometimes. Immensely prestigious concubines, paramours of one or lovers of a select few. Mages of exceptional power. That sort of people, is the neighbourhood you find here.

I do not belong in that company. The explanation for why I got the usufruct in perpetuity of this apartment where I live is too convoluted to share here, but does not involve any crime from my part.

My profession is horse racing narrator. I studied for that, and know the objective elements of that job better than most other professionals in the field. However, what separates the stars from the rest of us in this case is charisma, and that does not favour me. My face may not be unpleasant, necessarily, but it is not the opposite of that either. As for what people call “personality” I am probably less memorable than I am for my looks. Have a deep, dense, voice. Just not one that will mark souls and linger in memory.

Whit no wife, children or loan sharks to support I would be living in a comfortable apartment with a pretty enough view, on the ground. Near to an urban tower, but not in one. Under no risk of starvation in any economic crisis, as long as I kept common sense and didn’t faced some big tragic misfortune. Or a series of small ones. From time to time I would get less than enough work to keep me busy, and would take some temporary occupations until things get back to normal. Most people do that.

I would accept the position of gunner in a defensive bunker on top of an international train. Is self-evident that the fairies make all the job or aiming and shutting a lot better than I ever could. No human could compete with that. The job is, actually, be up there. As bait. Because the rail company game is attract the shadows for those relatively unprotected towers and shot at them with techno-magical ammunition, making less likely for them to attack the passenger wagons. It was exciting, and profitable, but I didn’t repeat the experience many times, nor very often. Better to play the waiter, or walk pets; two activities some people prefer to have humans performing if possible. Instead of leave them for minor fairies or sub-humans of some sort.

When I moved to here, my days of travel on top of trains ended.

The apartment takes the full extension of 3 floors of ring. Almost all that is left to a forest, administrated by Seelie Court, but what is left is the area of a decent medieval castle. Distributed between 3 flours, for the sake of allow the architect space to play with shapes and appearances of ladders and elevators. I cannot rent any part of it, even without touch the jungles, but I can have as many guest I want, for as long as I please.

I can also do some extractivism in the forest, within the limits of reason, and as long as I keep cordial relations with the pixels. The fruits, oils and dead wood I am able to take with no effort already grant me more than my actual job. I do not have to pay rent anymore, so most that extra cash becomes investment for rainy days in my senescence.

Naturally, the most profitable use I could do for the situation would be by negotiation invitations for “friends”. Who would not pay me, that’s silly! Just return favours, perhaps by gifts of emotional relevance, so to speak.

I am not using that, yet. Because I really don’t love the notion of having complete strangers inside my home. I’m not that social.

What I sometimes use, is the right to frequent the exclusive clubs in the tower, and invite guests. Reporters often want the tour so badly, to see if they can find one or another of their preys, that they would give an arm and an eye. Just pay my bills for a while, and help promote my career a bit, is a bargain they never hesitate to take.

My only concern_ aside that walking tree I tough I had seem a few times in the distance but that turned out to be only night shadows playing tricks with my mind_ is the chance of some incompetent team of bandits fail to do their homework, and end up taking me hostage with plans of extortion.

I evidently don’t have the same kind of security my neighbours have when they leave their houses! Even, if what is installed in the apartment itself is second to no other system.

That’s why I thing its time to find myself a roommate. Some ex-military with special forces background, perhaps. Or one of those mages with a profile of front-line fighter in the physical world, in the war against shadows. A person with the knowhow and the contacts to keep me save 24/7, who would accept to do that in exchange for a position as guest in my home.

Problem is that I don’t yet know anyone with that profile, exactly. Those who are close enough, are not people I would trust.