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The Watchful City
🕑 Added 2025-03-29 03:30:03 +0000 UTCCassian sat outside a ration vendor. Observing people as they came in and out of the shop going about their day.
The other crew members had gone about their own business — Corvin and the officers handling the ship's resupply, and implementing the plan, the nobles taking to the city like half-starved men offered a banquet. Cassian, however, drifted alone, eyes moving from face to face, noticing every detail.
The people unnerved him.
They all walked with same purpose, there was no person left idle each one has a destination to go to, Some work needing to be done. No wasted effort, no idle wandering. Vendors manned market stalls, their goods carefully arranged, their greetings polite but distant. It all felt pre-programmed somehow. Like someone trying their hardest to mimic how a city works.
Cassian stood up and greeted the vendor. Before going along with the crowd.
He moved on, eyes flicking between the buildings. The architecture was flawless, each stone fitted with care, each window perfectly placed. Even the grime seemed to be put there carefully, as if it had been arranged to give the city a lived-in feel.
Cassian stopped at a fountain. The water was clear, the surface smooth. He knelt, cupping his hands to drink, and caught his reflection in the water. His own face stared back at him — sharp features, dark eyes, a thin scar along his jaw. His black hair hung loose, framing his face, his pale skin standing out against the dark fabric of his coat.
He looked tired. With circles beneath his eyes.
As he rose, he noticed a man watching him from across the square. Cassian tensed, hand drifting toward his laspistol, but the man only smiled. The kind of polite, distant smile one gives to a passing stranger. Cassian nodded once, turning away.
He passed a woman sweeping the street, her broom scraping quietly against the stone. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Her movements were slow. Deliberate. The sound followed him as he walked, steady and rhythmic.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Cassian glanced over his shoulder. The woman hadn’t moved. Her broom slid across the stones in the same slow arc, her face blank. She didn’t even look at him. Just swept.
He turned a corner. The streets stretched on, identical and endless. He could’ve sworn he passed the same vendor three times. Or maybe they just looked alike. He checked his chronometer and frowned. An hour had passed. He couldn’t remember what he’d done in that time.
A man brushed past him — the same man who’d been watching him earlier. Cassian tensed, eyes narrowing. The man kept walking, his steps calm and unhurried. Cassian turned, watching him vanish into the crowd.
No. Not the same man.
He caught glimpses of other faces. Expressions neutral, eyes just a little too distant. Conversations drifted past him, quiet and cordially. No laughter. No arguments. Just… words.
Cassian moved faster, each step quick. The city pressed in around him, the crowd moving like a slow tide. He glanced at his chronometer again. It was dead.
The sky darkened. He looked up, frowning. The sun dipped behind the buildings, casting long shadows across the streets. The air grew colder.
He passed the sweeping woman again. She hadn’t moved at all. Her broom scraped against the same cobblestones in the slow rhythm. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Cassian stared at her. She didn’t look up. Didn’t acknowledge him. Just kept sweeping. He backed away slowly, heart pounding, and turned the corner.
The street was empty.
Cassian froze. The market had been busy moments ago, but now… nothing. No vendors. No passersby. Just silence.
He strained to listen. The air felt heavy, pressing against his ears. There was no sound. Not even the wind. He turned, hand gripping the laspistol under his coat.
Something flickered at the edge of his vision. He spun, weapon half-drawn — but there was nothing there. Just an empty alley, dark and yawning. He stared into the blackness, breath slow and steady. Nothing moved. The alley was silent. Too silent.
He turned away, walking faster. The silence followed him, clinging to his skin. The streets stretched on, identical and endless. Every building, every window, every alley the same. He felt his pulse quicken, cold sweat sliding down his back.
A whisper brushed against his ear.
Cassian spun, weapon raised — but there was nothing.
He stood there for a long moment, heart pounding, eyes scanning the shadows. Slowly, he lowered his weapon, exhaling a shaky breath.
Cassian started making his way towards the plaza. It would be best to find the Magistrate and get some answers from him. But as he is nearing the plaza he sees something or someone
A child stood across the plaza.
Small. Barefoot. Face shadowed by tangled hair. She wasn’t moving.
Cassian blinked. She was closer.
He hadn’t seen her move.
Her clothes were wrong — not worn, not clean. Just… wrong. Fabric that shimmered like it wasn’t made for light. Like it had been constructed from memory. Her hands hung limp at her sides. Her eyes—
There were no eyes. Just blank, smooth skin where they should’ve been.
Cassian stepped back, slowly. His fingers brushed the grip of his laspistol.
She tilted her head. The movement was too fast. Too smooth. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but no sound came. Just the faint crackle of static. Then—
She screamed.
No breath. No lungs. Just raw, digital static pouring out of her throat. The sound was wrong — not loud, but sharp, scraping the inside of his skull like broken glass.
Cassian flinched, the noise making his vision tremble.
Then… silence.
She was gone.
The place was empty again. As if nothing had happened. Reality was back to normal.
Cassian looked down.
There were no footprints. No child. No trace.
Just the faint scent of ozone and something… burnt. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath.
He needed to find Corvin. They needed a plan.
And he needed to get off this planet.
—-
After that episode. He started exiting the plaza. The ship was the only safe haven for him right now. Whatever was happening on this planet could wait. He has to discuss his findings with the Crew.
Then as if fate was mocking him he spotted Corvin.
The captain stood in a small plaza, speaking with a group of locals. The scene should’ve been mundane, but something about it made Cassian’s pulse quicken. The locals stood unnaturally still, their faces calm and blank. Their heads tilted slightly as Corvin spoke, but there was no real engagement. It was like watching statues talking with each other.
Cassian approached quietly, studying the captain’s posture. Corvin seemed… relaxed. Too relaxed. His voice carried faintly over the square, the words soft and indistinct. Cassian couldn’t quite catch what he was saying, but the tone felt wrong. Flat. Detached. Like he was just going through the motions.
As he drew closer, the locals turned in unison to look at him. The motion was smooth, synchronized — too perfect. Cassian forced himself to hold their gazes, his face impassive. The locals stared for a long moment before slowly drifting away into the alleyways. No parting words. No acknowledgment. Just silence.
“Captain.” Cassian’s voice was steady, but low.
Corvin turned, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Cassian. Didn’t expect to see you.”
Cassian frowned. “We need to talk.”
Corvin raised an eyebrow but gestured for him to follow. They stepped into a quieter corner of the plaza, where the shadows clung to the walls like oil. Cassian kept his back to the wall, eyes flicking around the square. The locals were gone, but the sensation of being watched still lingered.
“We need to leave,” Cassian said quietly. “Soon.”
Corvin sighed, crossing his arms. “Cassian—”
“Something is wrong here.” Cassian cut him off, voice sharp and a bit hysterical. “The people. Haven’t you noticed how… off they are?”
Corvin tilted his head. “Off?”
Cassian studied his face, searching for the man he’d spoken just yesterday. “They all act the same. Speak the same. It’s like they’re reading from a script. And the city — no grime, no wear. Even the air feels wrong.”
Corvin blinked slowly. “You’re overthinking.”
“No, I’m not.” Cassian stepped closer. “Yesterday, we agreed something wasn’t right. We made a plan. I scouted the city. I did not say this before but I am a Psy-.”
The captain interrupted before he could complete the sentence. “Plan?”
Cassian’s stomach twisted. He took a deep breath. “Captain we talked yesterday about our suspicions regarding this planet. Don’t you remember any of that.”
Corvin stared at him, unblinking. “Cassian… we never talked yesterday.”
Cassian felt the blood drain from his face. “What?”
Corvin shrugged. “ We did not talk since we had a meeting with the Magistrate. As for any suspicions There’s nothing wrong in this planet. The people here are peaceful. Polite. It’s refreshing actually.”
Cassian took a slow breath, forcing himself to stay calm. “Captain, you’re never this careless.” He kept his voice even, but his mind raced. “Yesterday, you were cautious. We both were.”
Corvin’s face twisted with faint irritation. “You’re letting your imagination get the better of you.”
Cassian’s jaw clenched. “You really don’t remember?”
Corvin hesitated, then shook his head. “You must’ve misunderstood.”
“No.” Cassian’s voice was cold now. “I didn’t.”
The captain rubbed his temple, his expression softening. “You’re tired. We’ve been running on fumes for weeks. Relax. We’ll leave when we’re ready.”
Relax.
The word scraped against Cassian’s mind. He stared into Corvin’s eyes, searching for any flicker of the sharp, cautious officer he’d once respected. But all he saw was a dull, glassy calm. The kind of calm that didn’t belong to him.
“What did you talk about with those people just now?” Cassian asked quietly.
Corvin glanced over his shoulder. The plaza was empty. He frowned. “I… don’t remember.”
Cassian stiffened. “What do you mean you don’t remember?”
Corvin chuckled softly, the sound dry and humorless. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
Cassian’s breath caught in his throat. “Captain.” His voice dropped, barely a whisper. “Think.”
Corvin blinked at him, eyes distant. “There’s nothing wrong.”
Cassian stepped back, his heart pounding. He was slowly getting tired of this bullshit. “You’re lying.”
Corvin smiled faintly. “No need to be paranoid. Everything is fine.”
He turned and walked away, his steps slow. Cassian watched him go, his chest tight, his mind racing. The silence of the plaza settled heavy around him, thick and suffocating.
Everything was definitely not fine.
—-
Comments
Delltree100
im pretty sure i know what happen to the city, sure at 90%
Darth Bane
Honestly I don't have a clue about what is happening. So well done.
Siva Chandan Chakka
This is both horrifying and interesting. Well done
