Empyrean Iris Story Collection

Noctus

Noctopolis The second largest moon on the outer ring, one of the furthest worlds from the galactic assembly, while many of the other worlds are cradled by the interstellar hand of peace, Noctopolis hangs by the thread of uncertainty over the vast voids of unexplored space.

Besides, you can hardly have an intergalactic community without a criminal element.

Noctopolis was actually established as a mining community, specifically for its rich deposits of iron, and titanium. Over time vast canyons and valleys were cut through the ground, and once the land had been bled dry of its resources, the builders consigned to work there had made themselves a vast urban forest, stretching miles underground and miles into the sky. Though much of the planet is still used for mining, the rest of it remains a vast urban landscape, serving as a sky port for distant travelers, and a haven for those wishing to remain only on the outskirts of GA influence.

In recent months it had become the unofficial capital of LFIL community. Seeing that interspecies were banned in the GA, Noctopolis was the next best option.

The catwalk below their feet clattered and squealed as the two figures made their way through the darkness, one large and hulking while the other was slight in comparison. The unknown voice of thousands rushed up from the descending depths of the cavernous rift in which the cityscape was set. The sky was a continuous shade of deep purple, verging on twilight, barely visible above their heads through the towering cityscape which clawed its way from the planets bowls and towards the sky reaching upwards with spires like grasping fingers.

They cut across catwalks spanning the great descending chasm before hugging tight against the buildings again. Aliens of all shapes and sizes peered from the darkness cast into an eerie hellish glow by hundreds of red bulbs haphazardly bolted into the rock walls of the chasm. A distant blue-purple mist cast the bottom most depths of the crevice into shadow. Heads turned in curiosity as they passed taking in the two shapes keeping so close together.

The smaller figure cut across a thin steel beam before dropping onto a metal platform attached to a rickety pulley. The platform swayed dangerously as the figure steadied himself against the cables. Behind him, a large silhouette waited until the platform was secure to step into place.

Both figures were engulfed in shadow as they were lowered into darkness.

***

The club bounced and thudded with a pounding beat. Lights flashed in all colors of neon red and blue as strange bodies gyrated and spun in place to the pleasure of watching eyes. Circular couches, set into the floor, stood like small islands of neon light, around their individual stages, against a backdrop of darkness. At the back of this room, sitting atop a raised platform and additional couch, sat a single occupant. His fur was a light tawny yellow, with beady black eyes, and large, bat like, swiveling ears. He wore at least three glow sticks about his slim neck and many ostentatious metal rings across his eight fingers.

He looked up in anticipation as the beaded curtains across the room were thrown open, and a bouncer stepped into the room escorting two figures, one of them clearly human. He was a rather dirty looking thing, regaled in long, brown, scuffed leather jacket tied about the forearms, and hands with dirty scraps of cloth. The boots he wore were covered in mining coal, and one of his legs was braced by a rickety exoskeleton that must have squealed something horribly when he moved. The harness he wore under the jacket would have been used by a mining vessel, holding the human in place for the most dangerous of jobs. From here, his eyes were mostly cast into shadow, but even from this distance, he could see glowing orange ring that surrounded the fake aperture. Even despite the injuries, the human could potentially fetch a nice price, some people were into missing parts.