Captain Kirk and his crew entered the town outside the high walls of the city, cautiously moving through the quiet streets.

The black houses sparsely decorated the smooth, pale grey concrete.The space between the house was far from empty. Several benches, water fountains and long rectangular boxes filled with growing green and red plants decorated the concrete. Everything was perfectly angled, either a rectangular shape or a perfect square. The way things lined up was as if the city had been built with obsessive precision.

Several people passed along the concrete road, smiling politely at Kirk, but all the while casting wary glances at Dara and Idi.

Captain Kirk looked over at a water fountain, watching the crystal clear water flow out of the concrete spouts. He was parched. The little amount of water Dara had collected during the rainstorm earlier wasn't near enough, especially when split among four people, and they had spent a long day trekking through the wasteland.

A Caitian woman smiled and waved at Kirk as she passed by. A little girl sat on a bench by the fountain, playing with a doll. She watched as the ragtag crew headed towards the water.

Kirk pulled the sleeves of his long robe up before plunging his hands into the cool, clear water. He drank several handfuls before pouring the water over the back of his neck. Jaylah did the same. Dara filled her hide water container as full as she could.

Idi watched the little girl playing with the toy. The girl giggled as she looked at the strange little creature in front of her. Idi smiled awkwardly, waving his clawed hand.

"Anada! Come here!" A woman scolded, marching towards the little girl and grabbing her hand. She glared and Idi and Dara over her shoulder as she drug the little girl away. The girl looked back, watching Idi for a moment, flashing a small smile before dropping her doll onto the concrete.
She waved goodbye as she was pulled down the street.

Idi walked over to the doll and picked it up, his thin claws delicately touching the porcelain surface, careful not to scratch it.

Captain Kirk gasped as he finished gulping down another handful of water. "I never thought water could taste so good," He mumbled.

Jaylah looked around at the people. Some were watching them with a wary eyes, but the majority walked by as if they saw nothing. "The people are not good," Jaylah commented.

"Well we did sort of just stumble in on them."

A bald man with a dark goatee stopped in front of the fountain, glaring at Kirk and his ragtag crew. He was wearing a stiff uniform and he held an orange display in his hands.

"May I assist you with anything, sir?" He asked.

Kirk stood, the long sleeves of his thick robes falling back over his arms.

"You must have traveled very far.  I presume you're tired from your long journey."

Kirk nodded, uncertain as to why the man was offering to help them. "Yeah, that's uh...that's right. Just got into town a few minutes ago," He said, smiling politely at the man. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could get a bite to eat, would you?"

The man held his orange screen in his hand, entering typing something into the display. He turned back to Kirk. "There is a rations distribution center just within the city limits," He told Kirk.

Captain Kirk nodded. "Right, thanks."

"I am pleased to welcome you to our city. We gladly welcome all of the Great Leader's children. I must however, inform you that your slaves cannot enter the city limits," The man said.

"Slaves?" Kirk repeated.

The man nodded. "The city is not equipped to deal with....their kind." He said, gesturing towards Dara and Idi. "There are slave quarters at the far end of the wall in which they can stay for the duration of your visit."

Kirk turned back to the man. "Look, they're not slaves, they're friends. And they're coming with us."

"I'm sorry sir, but regulation dictates that we cannot let lower lifeforms into the city. We serve anyone of our kind, not theirs."

"Lower—? Look I don't know who you think you are, but those two people over there are coming with me."

Dara quickly crossed over to Kirk, standing in front of him and taking his hand. She spoke in a low voice that could not be overheard by the tall man. "Do not mae-k attention to us. I sh-all re-turn lat-r. St-ay s-afe Kirk. Wat-ch for m-y sign. She secretly placed a small knife in his hands. She rose to her full height and pulled the hood further over her face. "I will go to my pl-ace now, a-nd you will go to your-s." She nodded, heading towards Idi and wrapping her arms around him.

"There will be people in the city who will see to you," The man told Kirk as he watched Dara and Idi head back down the concrete road. "Come this way."

Jaylah and Kirk followed the man through the town and towards the enormous walls towering above them.

On either side of the empty gateway, hung two giant holo-displays depicting a picture of a human male. He was wearing a red uniform similar in design to the one the man who helping them was wearing. His dark hair was slicked back and his pale eyes watched those who were entering the city.

The tops of both holograms proclaimed the name "SIDIAN". The bottom of one read: "OUR GREAT LEADER", and the bottom of other read: "OUR SAVIOR". The way the holo-displays towered over the entrance made Kirk feel very small and insignificant in the presence of the giant holo display.

Kirk and Jaylah followed the bald man into the city. Tall skyscrapers stretched high into the sky. They were made of the same ink black glass as the buildings in the town outside. Several orange displays hung from buildings, many replaying reordered speeches from the man on the holo-displays outside.

"You know I'm beginning to think our friend here is a little bit of a narcissist," Kirk said to Jaylah under his breath.

Jaylah looked at him confusedly from beneath her large hood. "What?"

Kirk shook his head. "Never mind."

The man was leading Jaylah and Kirk through the streets when a scream broke through the quietness around them. Kirk looked across the street and saw a young woman with dark hair being dragged away by two guards, the same creatures as the slave drivers. More guards held the crying family back.

"What's happening?" Kirk asked the bald man as he watched.

The bald man took one glance then turned away. "It is none of your concern," He said, gesturing for them to continue following him. Kirk watched, wanting to help but quickly realizing that it would futile.

The man led Jaylah and Kirk to a large building. He held his orange display up to the side and a rectangular section of wall slid away. He gestured for the two to enter.

Inside the building were several long tables made out of a dark wood like substance. The floors were a dark, etched with different designs. Dark coffee colored marble lined the walls.

"Well their interior decorator sucks," Kirk mumbled under his breath as he followed the man to a screen at the far end of the room. The man typed in a code. A picture of Captain Kirk and Jaylah appeared on the screen.

"What is your name?" The man asked.

"Scott, Montgomery Scott. And this is my associate—"

"Jaylah," Jaylah chimed in before captain chose a different name for her.

The man pressed a button on the display and a small tray slowly slid out from the wall with two arm bracelets on it. The man handed them to Kirk and Jaylah. "These will give you access to all our city has to offer. There is a new building in the D38 section of town which currently has no occupants. You may stay there if you wish. Your access passes will also be of assistance in the archives, however, it will not grant you access to The Citadel. You will contact me if you have any more questions," He smiled as he turned and walked away.

"Is it just me, or did he seemed way too helpful," Kirk commented once he was out of hearing range.

"Why say your name is Scotty?" Jaylah asked.

"Because we were lured down here under a false distress signal. Whoever that person on the communications was, they knew who I am. Better to just fly under the radar for now," Kirk told her as he made his way out of the building. 

The man had been a little too helpful and the way the people were barely surprised at Kirk and Jaylah's sudden appearance was just too bizarre. The city itself was very large and judging by its size, there must have been at least several thousand dwelling within. However the streets were quiet and a ghostly silence hung heavy over the black city.

"Something's definitely not right here," Kirk said as they headed out onto the street.