A prisoner's action

[stupidhonor]

[1]
[Sielje's cell is littered with books. Books that she was reading - because she made a promise to. And in the middle of it all, the knight standing stoically while pondering her available moves, another book in hand.]

Trapped in enemy territory, sworn not to cause trouble to my own captors as is required of a honorable prisoner... what may I do?

Earth is even more dangerous and tumultuous as a place than Ankaia. The planet has been ravaged by wars and invaders, even invaders out of this world.

I... I wish to see. It is too much to ask of a prisoner, but I wish to see how the ordinary people of Earth manage to exist. I find it impossible to believe that they can eke out a living with a constant threat of demise over their heads.

[She closes the book. It's written in ancient Greek. As a matter of fact, the books around the cell are written in all kinds of languages, presently used or classical.]

[2]

Hmm.

Hmm...

[The vending machine outside Sielje's cell roused her curiosity for a while now. As soon as she had a chance, she went out to pick up a few items it had available - probably certainly with assistance of others who needed to explain how it worked.

And now it's time to further inspect her rewards.]



This is Earth food, is it not? How do you... open yourself! Aah!

[She rips a bag of chips open, scattering most of them on the floor to her own surprise. Sielje pretends not to be embarassed about it at all.]

Such difficulty...

[She mutters while picking up a canned drink, then immediately puts it back down. Too hard to open - and the knight does not seem too impressed with the chips' taste upon carefully eating one.

Lastly, here comes the chocolate bar. The wrapping is easy enough for even someone like Sielje to remove on a second try. As for the taste...]





...!



It is sweet! How is it possible? How did they make the flavor so sweet?

Comments

[majestic_keiki]

Yes. Space is everything that isn't Earth. Maybe it's the same for you, everything not the planet you're from is space.

And sugar is what we use to make things sweet. It's in the chocolate you're eating and the soda you're not drinking.

[stupidhonor]

I see...

[Sielje looks slightly embarassed at the mention of the soda.]

There is no sugar on Ankaia. There is spice paste from the food tables, and meat of beasts we hunt.

[majestic_keiki]

So you can make a gate to another planet, but you don't have agriculture? How do you even feed people doing other things if you need to hunt for food?

[stupidhonor]

The food tables feed everyone.

[Sielje looks like she just had to explain something really basic.]

Meat is a hunter's prize, a reward for his might and courage.

[majestic_keiki]

So you have some kind of devices creating food, but they can't make anything sweet or meat, got it. Sounds like those giants invading...At least you aren't shocked by the concept of art or culture.

[stupidhonor]

Of course not. We need to remember our culture and our past, it is an important part of Ankaian legacy.

... Giants?

[majestic_keiki]

Yes. One of the long list of aliens, monsters and ancient space colonies everybody forgot about is a group of giants. They freaked out hearing what a kiss was and apparently have no sense of even things like decoration, different jobs or doing something for fun.

[stupidhonor]

The people of Ankaia know what all of these things are! We are humans, not monsters.

[majestic_keiki]

I know. I was trying to say that even if you have automatic machines making food, you're different from the giants. Not that they're really monsters, they seem more like really stupid people.

[stupidhonor]

But they are powerful, are they not?

[majestic_keiki]

Yes. But we've managed to hold them back and get the Macross returned to Earth, even with all the other threats we have to deal with.

[stupidhonor]

Humans of Earth are threatened by so many monsters... yet you find time to make sweet treats.

[Sielje looks up, puzzled.]

[majestic_keiki]

Our culture is what gives it all meaning. And most people aren't fighting or needed to make weapons anyway, so they'd simply be out of work if we stopped doing it.

[stupidhonor]

Are the people of Earth so confident in their warriors' ability to defeat the invaders, that the rest of them do not fight at all?

[majestic_keiki]

What good would it do to give a random pastry chef or farmer a Genoace and ship them off to the frontlines? We can only make so many robots and with the enemies we're fighting, just giving them guns wouldn't be very useful.

[stupidhonor]

Do they not seek to become stronger on their own?

Not everyone on Ankaia is a knight, either. But everyone wishes and tries to be.

[majestic_keiki]

Why would they? Being a soldier is dangerous, often poorly paid and not everybody likes or wants to be the same thing.

[stupidhonor]

For personal pride, for glory, or because it is an honorable act.

[Sielje's gaze moves to the side slightly.]

Or to conquer fear. The strong have nothing to be afraid of. The weak need to worry of everything.

[majestic_keiki]

So living a peaceful life far from the front lines is scarier than being a soldier while half the galaxy is attacking the planet?

[stupidhonor]

It would be on Ankaia... and Earth is still the more dangerous of the two.

[majestic_keiki]

Perhaps, but we still have space for civilians to live and pursue other goals.

We'll probably start rationing before drafting everybody anyway.

[stupidhonor]

[Sielje feels a bit glum now for some reason. She pokes the soda can, as if expecting it to open from just that.]

Drafting being, what exactly?

[majestic_keiki]

Ordering a percentage of the public to take up arms and fight in a war.

[stupidhonor]

I see. That is an act of dishonor, is it not?

In all history of Ankaia, it never happened once. Nor would it ever happen. Everyone, from mightiest lords to a lowly guard, wield arms not because they are forced to, but by choice.

[majestic_keiki]

We don't do it much anymore. But if it's the difference between monsters eating us all or alien giants blowing up the planet and our survival, shouldn't we be ready to do it?

[There's a slight strain to her voice, but whatever is causing it, she isn't saying.]