Why'd You Kill the Merchant?!

[sansseraph]

Who: ALL O' Y'ALL
Broadcast: If you want
Action: FRICK YEAH PARTY AT THE JUNKYARD...I mean, Waystation. Junkstation.
When: 10/07 - Event End

It looks more like a junk heap than a waystation, but luckily there aren't any math fetishists to add you to the pile (hopefully). Talk to the scavengers and heed their warnings...if you want. Or perhaps you'll approach a shady individual for purchasing or selling stuff.

"Welcome, stranger!"

Comments

[goldenglasses]

Ah, no actually. We don't. We don't have television back home.

[stefanged]

Too far advanced for your world, or...? Just something they never thought about?

[goldenglasses]

Hm. [Vash stops to consider that question. They technically had the technology, but besides Vash and his brother no one knew how to use it that was still alive.]

I suppose it's a mix of being too advanced and more of a luxury item. Gunsmoke is a desert planet. So most advances happening back home tend to focus more on survival. Growing better crops, making clean water last longer, [better, deadlier weapons], better transport between towns. Those sort of things.

We'll probably get it eventually. We have radios to help spread news and weather reports easier between towns. Now we just need to work on the picture part. [Having studied human history in the past Vash knows that's the next logical step the humans of Gunsmoke will likely take.

And of course as Vash talks about being the advancement of Gunsmoke. He did once tell Stefan that they had terraformers like the one on the poison planet when he borrowed that book.]

[stefanged]

Right, but I've also lived in the middle of a desert.

[Granted, Jordan's a different case just because it's so modern. The general idea doesn't escape him, though.]

So it sounds more like your world's still going through growing pains, as far as technology goes. Once you've got the crop situation settled, I'm sure the tech'll follow.

[goldenglasses]

I think that's the perfect way to put it. Growing pains seems to really fit. Give us a bit more time and I'm sure we'll get there.

Did you enjoy living in the desert? [Because given an option? Vash would not choose it.]

[stefanged]

Of course I did. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but my family was there, and it was one of the few countries untouched by the invasion.

[He tugs a little on his sleeves.] Wherever my family goes, I'll go too.

[goldenglasses]

I can understand that. Family is important. [Even though he had been trying to avoid his family by staying on the opposite ends of the planet if he could.]

But I suppose if it's untouched by an invasion a desert could seem pretty welcoming. [He pauses to see if Stefan may want elaborate on the invasion, but he'll have more questions if he doesn't want to continue that thread of the conversation.]

[stefanged]

[At this point, Stefan hesitates. Not because he keeps it private - his open admittance of the invasion says as much - but because so few people have believed him or taken it seriously.]

Well, uh... back on my Earth, there was an alien invasion. It lasted for four days, but it might as well have been an eternity. Only a few countries were unscathed, and my grandparents' country - the desert one I mentioned - was one of them.

[goldenglasses]

[Being forced onto an alien reality television show tends to open one's eyes to the seemingly impossible and unbelievable. Never mind, that Vash has been an invading race in a way to the sand-worms on his planet he doesn't even question it.]

Really? Just four days? Do you know why they did that? I just mean, that's pretty quick. Did you get them to stop? Or did they just leave?

[stefanged]

The reasons don't matter at this point but yeah, we had to fight them.

[We, because Stefan's already indicated that he can take scavengers with no sweat. After a whole fleet of invaders, everything seems easy.]

The rest of the planet's recuperating and rebuilding. Even if it'll take a while, I think we'll bounce back.

[goldenglasses]

I'm glad to hear that you should be able to bounce back. I'm also glad you have family where it's safe to start from.

[stefanged]

Thanks. I'm glad they made it out alive too.

[Figures that the one time they gather for a family wedding, they'd get out of an alien invasion unharmed.]

But in the meantime, I don't think I'm allowed to visit the market anytime soon.

[goldenglasses]

Really? Why can't you visit?

[stefanged]

Because I'm pretty sure half the waystation saw us running.

[Vash... bro....

He was trying to be funny, but Stefan's pretty sure he can't go back anytime soon unless he wants another round of kung-fu fighting.]

[goldenglasses]

Oh yeah. [Vash laughs and slaps his forehead lightly.] I suppose you wouldn't really want to visit after something like that.

[stefanged]

Probably not. [It's okay, Stefan's laughing too as he reaches out and grips Vash's shoulder.] Thanks for having my back there.

I should head back to the ship, but I hope it doesn't affect your plans.

[goldenglasses]

No. I should be just fine. I was heading back to my ship anyway. [He's really not bothered about being seen there again anyway.] Take care and don't get any more fights on the way back.