Nick woke the next morning, sore from sleeping on the ground, but oddly rested from sleeping form sunset to sunrise. Damian and the royals were already up, ready to get moving, so they tore down camp and got moving quickly. 

They walked through the morning. Damian said they were getting close, but it was hard to tell. Every place in the forest looked the same. They trudged on, well into the afternoon, before they started walking up a steep hill. 

Damian froze near the top of the hill, raised a hand. 

“Are we there?” Asl asked.

“I think…” Damian walked forward, through the trees, and reached the top of the hill. He nodded. “Right down there.”

Nick pressed forward. At the top of the hill, the forests stopped. From there, he could see down the other side, bare of trees but with a thicker carpet of grass, all the way to the large city at the base of the hill. Extor was built in a small valley that had been cleared of trees. The city was ringed by a wooden wall, directing traffic to the few open gates. The city beyond was a tad disappointing for an alien city. One or two story buildings, most of them looking like they were made of sheets of aluminum nailed together. The pavement in the streets was cracked and dusty. A few people wandered the streets, but they were too far away to see clearly. 

“That’s the capital city?” Nick asked.

“It’s not a very populated planet,” Damian said. “It’s a bit Wild West-y.”

“The planet of Blen was terraformed to be a breadbasket for this corner of the galaxy,” RX-9 said. “It’s farms were supposed to feed imperial troops cheaply, and even this forest we walked through was planted intentionally, originally. But after the subjugation of the Hashan in the sixth century, there was reduced demand for foodstuffs in this corner of the galaxy. Colonization of the planet was stalled indefinitely.”

“So there’s nobody here?” Nick asked.

“Not quite,” Et said from behind Nick. “Extor has a population of close to forty thousand people. There are several cities of similar size, as well as a base on the planet’s moon. There are plenty of people here, even if it’s not a bug galactic hub.”

“That’s why you’re here?” Damian asked. “A goodwill mission to the backwater?”

Et frowned and didn’t respond.

“They’re never going to be able to repay your loan,” Damian continued. “Unless you’re interested in some weeds and, apparently, swarms of psychotic lightning bugs.”

“That’s none of your concern,” Asl said, glaring at Damian.

“Shouldn’t we get going?” Nick asked quickly. He stepped forward, breaking Asl and Damian’s line of sight to each other. “I mean, the city’s right there. We made it.”

“This will require further thought,” RX said. “Evech cannot come into the city. As a Wreithling queen, she is far too recognizable, even if her size wasn’t an issue. I should probably stay as well, as R-series droids are considerably rare in this region.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Nick asked.

“Evech and I will meet you back on the ship,” RX said. “I’ll keep her awake on the walk back.”

“I hear you talking about me.” Evech was standing further down the hill, still hidden in the shadows of the forest.  She waved her antennae at RX in mock-anger as she stifled a yawn.

“So it’s just the four of us?” Nick asked.

“I’m not sure it’s so simple.” RX pointed down the hill at one of the gates to the city. One of her shoulder-arms pointed directly at it and hummed a little. “Armed men are checking everyone who goes into or out of the city.”

“They’re looking for us,” Damian said angrily.

“I thought you said you could work things out once we got to the city,” Nick asked the royals.

“We… can,” Et said slowly. He wouldn’t meet Nick’s eye.

“Something must be wrong in the city,” Asl said. “I know who to talk to. We need to get to the Reitan embassy.”

“Reita has an embassy here?” Damian asked incredulously. “Did they discover the whole planet was made of diamonds or something? Seriously, why are you here?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Asl crossed her arms.

“So, we need to get into the city.” Nick stepped between them again. “How do we do that?”

“Is there any way into the city besides those gates?” Damian asked the royals.

“How would we know?” Et asked. 

“Well, you take such an interest in the place…” Damian said. “Where’s a criminal when you need one.” He paused. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea.”

“You know criminals on Blen?” Asl asked. 

“I don’t know them, but I know someone has to be breaking the law somehow.” He turned to RX. “What’s the main crop on the planet, and can it be fermented.”

“Almost certainly,” RX said.

“Highnesses, does the government of Blen have enough power to tax imports to the city, specifically on alcohol?” 

“What?” Asl asked.

“I think so,” Et said. “I think they added one to raise more money.”

“A recent tax? Even better.” 

“What are you planning?” Asl asked.

“You’ll see…”