Kess City

About five kilometers toward the center of the protective barrier lay the Kess city. Like the cities the Collectors had seen before, the Kess city was divided into distinct social tiers. The outermost areas consisted of low, cramped houses, with terrible security and a dreadful environment. Robberies and thefts frequently occurred in the alleyways between the buildings. The passing Collectors even happened to encounter two small Kess factions engaged in a firefight in one such alley.

It was truly somewhat absurd. The Kess military at the edge of the protective barrier was fighting alien races, while the Kess inside the barrier were also fighting their own kind. Wouldn't it be better to use that energy against the enemy of civilization?

If one were to ask where security was best on the city's outskirts, it would be along the main passage leading into the city. The closer one got to the main passage, the better the security became, because troops were stationed there. Powerful force was enough to suppress certain people's reckless impulses. Though theft occasionally occurred, there would be no robberies or gunfights.

A towering city wall separated the outskirts from the interior of the Kess city. It was constructed from ceramic composite materials, and several gun emplacements could be seen atop it.

When the Collectors reached this point, they nearly thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. They understood the purpose of city walls. Although siege warfare did not exist for the Amoeba, and even ground warfare had become history, their observations of other alien civilizations had still allowed them to understand the concept of a "city wall." Like the protective barrier, city walls were designed to defend against attacks from external enemies.

Yet a city wall could not possibly defend against every type of insectoid unit. Flying