and the stars will be their guides (hermitcraft space au)

prison (fifteen)

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~ the war's already won, why do we go on? ~

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TWs: lots of fighting, lots of death

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"Halt. What are you humans doing here?" a guard spits with visible disgust. He stands at the front gate of the prison with another guard, both wielding large lazer halberds. Etho can see that they both have blasters tucked into their holsters as well. 

"It's come to my attention that your kind has kidnapped one of our companions," Xisuma explains patiently. "All we want is for him to be returned to us, and then we'll leave."

The guards exchange a look. "Sure, you can have your friend back," the female guard begrudgingly offers. "Follow Mynar. I'll walk behind you, just to make sure you don't get lost."

(By that, she means, 'You better not try to do anything besides what you came here for, or I'll take matters into my own hands'. That's fine. Etho doesn't plan on doing anything risky unless absolutely necessary.)

As the group of four walks into the prison, Mumbo, who's hidden in the middle of the pack, deploys his tiny scouting drone. Xb, hidden behind some thick bushes outside, whispers, "All good so far," through the communication network. His message does little to reassure Etho. Of course there's nothing so far, they've just entered the prison!

Speaking of the prison, it's filled to the brim with grime. The grey stone walls are speckled with cracks, dirt, and some bioluminescent type of moss. The floor is tiled, but most of the tiles are missing by now, leaving the prison with a dirty cement slab of a floor. The ceiling is also tiled, and there are some flickering little lights embedded into it, with strings attached to the lights which you have to pull to turn them on. This is technology from ages ago. 

It's shocking how disgusting this prison is. 

Frostling prisons, in comparison, are spotless; white tile floors, white tile walls, and white tile ceilings. Little cleaning robots roam the halls and climb the walls. Strips of bright white lights are attached to the ceiling, making the unbearable whiteness even worse. 

Etho's not sure which he'd rather be held in: the prisons on his home planet, or this one. Probably this one, on account of it having bioluminescent moss. 

The butt of a lazer halberd gets pressed against Etho's back. Apparently, the guard behind him doesn't think he's walking fast enough. Etho picks up his pace and subconsciously straightens himself, not wanting to get poked again. 

Cell by cell goes by, none of them holding Beef. Instead, there's all kinds of strangers: aliens and humans, arsonists and shoplifters, teenagers and seniors. Some sit in the corner, tucked into a ball, and others stand by the bars, watching the group pass by. Some are muttering and crying to themselves, and others are talking loudly to their neighbors. Some are completely silent. 

Finally, finally, they make it to Beef's cell. 

He looks up at the Hermits as they arrive, but doesn't say anything. He's looking worse for wear, with dirt clinging to his clothes, and he's sporting some bruises that indicate a struggle. It makes Etho's blood boil, but he keeps control of himself for now. 

Mynar takes a ring of keys from his pocket and starts hunting for the one that goes to Beef's cell. The Hermits stand around awkwardly, waiting, and Beef connects eyes with Etho and gives him a small smile. For some reason, it makes Etho feel like all of the air has been sucked from his lungs for a second.