They completed the journey, arriving at their final destination on the evening of the eighth day. It was immediately apparent that this settlement was not typical of those they had seen so far. The city, for it was much too large to be called a village, was built on the shore of the largest body of water they had yet seen. A river ran down the long shallow valley and emptied into a massive lake which appeared to be several kilometers across.
The city itself was built in a semi-circle with the center at the shore of the lake. It was walled-in with some sort of mud brick and inside, the numerous buildings on the outskirts seemed to be made of the same substance. From their hill top vantage point, they could tell the dwellings became more elaborate as they drew toward the center of town, constructed or perhaps even sculpted out of the red rock, adorned by numerous columns, similar to the architecture they had seen back at Vathka Rados' village, though all the buildings were taller.
Outside the city walls, and all along the valley was the lush tropical foliage to which, by now, they felt was typical of the planet.
The thing which instantly drew their attention was a structure unlike any they had seen on this planet, but one whose purpose they recognized. It was by far the largest building in the city and was in a bowl shape, similar to many sporting stadiums and coliseums they had seen on other planets. Gavik began to point it out to the brothers, but he needn't have bothered. They guessed it's purpose.
"It'll take a lot of emissaries to fill that place," Raezyr remarked.
"I was just thinking the same thing, dude," agreed the elder brother.
"Dude?" Raezyr replied with a confused look on his face. "Are you a surf-rider now?" he asked sarcastically.
"Shut up, Raez," Trychon responded. "Let's just head down and find some lodgings. It's getting late." He spurred his mount before his brother could reply.
But when they reached the gates of the city, Gavik pulled them all up short. "No, no, no. No weapons must enter," he insisted.
Raezyr groaned. He had thought they were done with this conversation when the trip began. "We told you that we take our 'light tubes' with us."
"No, no. Not you. Your servants. They no take off-world weapons," he said, pointing to Schyrt and Reed. "This gathering sacred. No weapons except Ceremonial Guard."
Trychon turned and walked over to Reed and Schyrt. "How does he know you brought your holdout pistols?"
Schyrt grimaced. "I'm sorry Master Trychon. I accidentally left mine out the other day when changing clothes. I saw Gavrik looking, but since he never said anything I didn't think he noticed."
"Well, I doubt we'll need them, and if we do, just get behind Raez and I," Trychon stated. "For now, put them in a bag and go hide them up here on this hill."
"Yes, sir."
Once the issue of the weapons had been settled and Gavrik calmed and assured they no longer had any weapons other than the 'light-tubes,' they continued on down into the city. This city was much like the many others they had passed through on their journey, but everything was done in a grander scale. The walkways were wider, the buildings were taller, and even the plants seemed larger.
Gavrik told them he had to take them to the 'Hohkhae' first, and then to their beds. They were unsure what he meant, and they could not come up with a proper translation until they arrived there. When they arrived, the 'Hohkhae's purpose became evident. It was a large rectangular area fenced in with only one entrance. The fences were very high, and upon entering they found large amounts of bloody meat. It was some sort of holding pen for the saurens. Surprisingly, it was fashioned to be more like the desert than it was the lush cities. Gavrik explained that the saurens prey upon the forests, but the sleep and race through the deserts, and that they would be restless if left out in the city.
After that, Gavrik took them to a large building that was likely owned by Vathka, as it seemed to be a smaller version of the one back where they had originally met the aging aristocrat. A lush, but well manicured garden was surrounded by the various rooms of the residence.
Both Trychon and Raezyr were bathed and then dressed in robes by the servant maidens who staffed the dwelling. A cool breeze was beginning to blow through the opulent rooms to which the Sith were given, and soon the two warriors-turned-political emissaries were fast asleep.
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