We are going to the Zoo part 2 coming early because of Car Discourse
The distinct palette shift from the primary blue of the Sky and Sea Pavallion and it's deep greens to the red of the new area and a mix of yellower leaves and some outright orange ones served to indicate the change in area well, though the double-door setup in between to keep the birds from flying away probably did as much. Crimson fences and orange rocky formations demarcated large holding pens, in contrast to the open set up previously used.
"Welcome to the Crimson Plateau! This rocky area is meant to replicate the rugged environment some of the hardiest and roughest animals live in. Unlike the Sky and Sea Pavallion, most areas here are fenced - that's because the beasts here are a lot bigger and angrier, so stay clear of the fences, OK?" Firis announces cheerily. "First up, to your left you can see the One-Horned Jagath. These large, naturally armoured creatures are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and other animals, so if any of you climb inside the pen then whatever happens is only natural, you know? They're a surprising blend of docile and aggressive, so the USA have been looking into training them up as calvary, though we've been having some issues finding the right species and training. On the right, the Axe-Cleft Jagaths are coming out of their resting caves, too. Wave hello, everyone!"
Booker looks over them and frowns. "I've seen some Outrider divisions in my days, but I don't think these are it. Too slow to turn, I feel."
Reilin nods, and adds: "There are other animals being evaluated for those duties. Instead, there are attempts to emulate what the Valhallans have informed us are the 'Squighogs' that the Orks are using - given the greater resilience of our soldiers, it was deemed more feasible than for normal Guardsmen."
"Huh, yeah, I can see it. If they're decent at climbing - " as if to demonstrate the point, a Three-Horned Jagath nimbly clambered to the top of a rock formation to eat from what appear to be a metal tray with food "yeah, that, then the disastrous mountain ops wouldn't be an issue. Gotta bring a lot more food, though." Booker looks impressed at it, though Albriech thought the likelihood of the USA deploying in that disatrous way would be lower. Though, as a deliberate plan, making use of an unexpected tool? Maybe he'll ask Kantha next time she's home.
"Next up we have the Carnodon. This species is native to the planet Gudrun, but it's popularity has led to them being widely exported. The ones you see here were previously used for the Giorbas bloodsports, as are many of the animals here; we are working hard to rehablitate them, and have painstakingly recreated the terrain of their home so they can return to their natural habitat." Reislin continues, as the group winds through the exhibits of large, imposing beasts. Albriech did in fact see most of them at the old bloodsport arenas, and it shames him that he wasn't able to recognise their suffering then. The large, rocky exhibits with few animals in them makes spotting them difficult, but perhaps that's for the best. At least, the children enjoy the game of spotting the beasts.
They wind their way down to a large open area with a strange structure in the middle. "Much like the Screamer, we have yet another exclusive wonder from the lost ages retrieved from Emeli's Gift. Be prepared to wonder at the Crushin' Wolfquads!" Firis says proudly as they approached the structure and its group of cogboys.
Albriech smiles at the enthusiasm but, as he got closer, he had to point out something. "Thouse aren't wolfquads, they're groundcars," he says. To his surprise, all the cogboys and children (and Sister Sarah) stare at him. "No, really. Quads are called that because they're basically bikes with four wheels. Bi, two, quad, four, get it? That seat and wheel arrangement is that of a car, no doubt."
"But, mister Albriech, aren't cars those biiiiig long things that only naughty people use?" One of the children pipes up and here he realises his error. The Giorbas only allowed limousines on the roads to ferry tourists and high rankers around, and true to form these weren't tastefully luxurious versions of regular cars but grostequely double sized things. Naturally, no normal cars were allowed in Slawkenburg. People were forcibly relocated to their workplace, so low-class transportation was nonexistant, and the little that needed to be done was via Goliaths and Chimeras, which were required to detour outside of the roads for as much as possible to avoid spoiling the sightlines.
Naturally, most such limousines were destroyed during the Uprising, and as far as he knew the remainder were kept in St Tryna, though given even the Liberator disdained them in favour of Chimeras or flyers they ddn't get much use. Instead, the Bringers focused on the one civilian usable line of vehicles they did have access to - the Atlan Wolfquad. The Borg Wolfquad, with it's road-friendly wheels and modified to comfortably carry two in the rear, has become the private vehicle of choice by just about everyone, and it's not really a surprise that people associated any kind of small vehicle with that word rather than the Giorbian monstrosity that were the only cars known.
After explaining all these to the native Slawkenburgians, some cogboys are triumphant while others are down. "Thank you for your information. It would have solved the issue of why our translation kept coming up with 'Bumper Cars' for this facility. We will probably keep the new name, but put up an informational plaque for those who are interested." One of the cogboy thanks him.
The Crushin' Wolfquads was quite fun; the tiny cars have a sculpted Jagath head at the front, with all the species seen on display, and the objective was to bump the vehicles into each other harmlessly. He got into a horn fencing duel with Booker interrupted by two kids, which led to him ramming Sister Sarah in the rear and causing her to make an adorable squeaking noise and chase him around. In the end, everyone agrees that it's more fun than the Screamer, though Booker got caught up in yet another debate about whether this was meant to train soldiers in vehicle handling with the cogboys.
"Next up, we have a wide variety of the genome most understood by mankind - the dog! Many of these animals have been recovered from the ill treatment of the previous regime, and are now enjoying their freedom. Here, we have several mastiffs, including cyber-mastiffs, that were liberated from the Arbites..." Here, they were on more familiar grounds. While the children were quite taken away with the variety of breeds (and their willingness to get close to the fences, unlike the previous beasts), Albriech has seen them all before. He and Amelia occasionally chimed in with whatever they knew about the canines from past experiences.
Eventually, they reach the other side, where it clearly connects to the pink area. There's one last cozy looking shop whose lights are on. "And now," Firis says as she opens the door and nods to the bluecloak within, "we have our last exhibit, the Puppy Cafe! All the previous animals were fenced off for safety, but here you can touch to your heart's content all -"
Albriech cuts in. "Is that a Pocket Puppy? Oh, it really is, and there's so many of them!" The adorable, hand sized baby dogs were genetically engineered to not grow older and had to be raised in an iron womb, which just made them even more popular amongst the ladies of Endlich. "I always wanted one, but it was considered a feminine pasttime on Endlich and my father wouldn't tolerate - " He stops himself as he realises everyone is staring at him with knowing (and somewhat evil) grins on their faces. "... That is to say, I have been properly educated to observe them at a distance."
His feeble deflection did not work, and Firis and Reilsin picked up a Pocket Puppy each and waved them at him threateningly. "Puppy attack?" Firis pipes up. In a show of betrayal, Sisters Sarah and Amelia picked up their own puppies. "Puppy Attack." It seems they were still embarassed about him poking them int the rear earlier, even though they had enjoyed it at the time. And with that, he was swarmed with puppies.
Lying face up on the floor and multiple puppies all over him, including his face, Albriech hears the bluecloak manning the store speak to him. "Is this what they call 'covered in bitches'?"
Albriech lifts the puppy on his face over, though he can't really see anything. Well, they're puppies and need intervention to breed, so no surprises. "Not sure how many of these are females. There's a decent chance there's no more than one girl puppy here."
Booker, curse him, decides to add on. "Puppies, maybe, but there sure were a lotta girls holdin' you down earlier." Albriech nobly ignores him and goes back to petting the cute, fluffy puppies that wouldn't betray him.
It turns out Puppy Cafe isn't named just for show - it's also an eating place, and given that the time's past their normal lunchtime that's a good thing. The food is a little blander than post-Uprising food tended to be, as nobody was in a particular hurry to dismantle the luxury plantations, but that's explained to ensure all the food was "puppy safe" which given how many kids are feeding the puppies was probably a wise move... OK, he's doing it as well. There.