The Lowdown

Rod shares a short look with Daniel, but decides to trust Mal. “We’re looking for a man. He’s a false benefactor, and we think that he went here to do whatever he plans to do. He’s quite dangerous. And finding him in this place is going to be very difficult. I didn’t image it would be so huge. We really need to find our bearings before we can even begin to look for him. Any information about his city of yours would be appreciated. I for once thought there would be more judges on the streets.”

Zed begins “This is the Terminus. It belongs to the railer clans, and the judges keep out. I’m not here in any official capacity. Many visitors store their weapons here. To the east, you have Uptown, the real Memphis. It’s fortified, and you won’t get in without a reason, and you will stand in line for two, three hours tops. But you’ll probably have no business there anyway. For that, you’ll want to visit Point Gold, just outside Terminus, and the Union Quarter a bit to the north. There you will find everything you need. All kinds of stores, a good hotel, a hospital, a public bathhouse.” He points at Dan’s rifle “That gun will have to stay here, though. If you don’t wear a permit like Mal here, you can’t bear a firearm. The next patrol will it take off you, or I will. It’s that simple. And you won’t get a permit. It’s the law in all of Memphis. Further north, there’s Demeter. Peons and their families, by and large. The riverbank is mostly rice paddies and fields. To the south, you have the Gears and the Remnants. The Gears contain a lot of industry, dangerous work, and can be a bit rough. But we patrol the area heavily, so if you end up in a scuffle, just cry for help – someone will come shortly. If you are in real trouble, go for the large pyramid, it’s our headquarters in that part of town. In any quarter, just ask for the local bunker. You’ll find a patrol there at all times, they’ll answer your questions and help you. Oh yeah, the refinery is of limits, as are some other places around the city. The motor pool, the airfield and some such. Anyway, the Remnants are the only area of Memphis where you still find buildings and ruins from the Long Ago. It’s a warren, but many people working in the Gears make their home there. Don’t go there alone at night and mind you head – some of the buildings are unsafe.” Rod asks “And even further south?” Zed shoots him a glance and says. “Officially it’s not part of the city. There’s a shantytown called Drifting Susan, travelers and scum which do not want to abide our laws, bit still try to profit from the fruits of civilization. LAW makes frequent sweeps there, but we don’t have a standing presence. Although that’s bound to happen sooner or later. If there’s a problem, you are on your own, and you will find that with the services on offer in Point Gold and Union Quarter there’s no need to deal with the scumbags there.” Rod asks again “So, we’ll keep Dan’s gun in the car. Anything else we should know?” “I don’t think so. Some people are not welcome in Memphis: If you show Deathdealer tats or colors you will be arrested or shot, and we treat Gorgons and Crabs and other cannibals similarly.” He gives the pair a look. “You’re not with these vermin, are you? Didn’t think so. It’s a big city, so there is always a bit of trouble, brawls in the bars and so on. Someone might even pick up a length of pipe to make his point. The patrols break these up quite quickly, and the offenders earn a week on the farm. No harm done. But there’s no shooting in the city, not even down in Drifting Susan. Someone shoots a gun, the patrols take him out. Period. Oh yeah, if you see someone carrying a gun without a permit, or a violent brawl, or a fire, or a theft or a burglary or anything else, you go and tell the next patrol. It’s your duty as a citizen, and as a visitor, too, to report such violations at once, so that LAW can take care of it. After nightfall, there’s electrical light, but only on the main streets. There is no curfew as such, but patrols will question every stranger they encounter after dark, so you should have a really good reason why you are on the street, or they’ll take you to their bunker. And that’s basically all there is to it.”
“So, what about this falsified healer?”