Inside Scoop page 1

THE FED DATASPACE TRAVEL GUIDE: KINGDOM

by Trilleth

Continuing my regular feature in the Fed2 Star: a travel guide telling potential visitors what you can expect from the varied worlds in the Galaxy. I'll be alternating my visits between old, long-established worlds, and new ones which have only been linked to the trading routes recently.

It was time to return to a tried-and-true planet (I won't say old-timer planet, because this player isn't old enough to qualify as an old-timer in anything!). I threw a dart at my list of planet names - and immediately apologized to the purple dog-like alien it hit. Then I asked him to choose a planet for me to visit and he good-naturedly threw the dart back at me - missed - and hit Kingdom on the map. I quickly thanked him and ran out before he found another dart.

You would think I would be content to stay in one place with a new planet of my very own, but I found that I wanted dry feet for a few days, so I left Siryn and wandered to Kingdom in the Fowl system. I couldn't help but wonder if the "Fowl" was a pun... or a typo... since the LP itself had a warning about evil lurking. There were also choices, choices, choices! I got disoriented on the landing pad, trying to choose from the five choices, and ended up walking up a volcano. I was cold on Dryad; on Kingdom I cleared out my pores with all the sweating I did. That volcano was HOT. Not only that, but there was a staircase leading down into the volcano. Who in their right minds goes INTO a volcano? However, after my stay on Sanitaria, I was no longer convinced that I was entirely sane, so down I went.

Shopping, food, and a house with a nice couch to take a nap on! I loved the Fire Kingdom, especially since the heat was somehow dampened down enough for me to return to my non-perspiring self. However, there was no water there, so I decided I'd better travel on.

Next I found the Earth Kingdom, with lots of trees and green. There was a large treehouse for relaxing in, but I decided I was still thirsty, so I didn't linger there long. People were talking /quietly/. Who knew what they might be planning?

Somehow I ended up in the Wind Kingdom next, making me quite glad that I still had fairly short hair. More shopping and a nice little cafe, but I found myself still wandering... until I happened on Angelfowl's house. I need to get that girl a Wii... but her indoor pool was absolutely heavenly. There was no lifeguard on duty, so I sat around for a bit, but there were no swimmers, either. After doing a few laps and toweling myself dry, I decided I was refreshed enough to explore the rest of Kingdom.

The Water Kingdom is actually a land kingdom next to water, but it reminded me of home, so I did a little shopping, took a nap, and headed back to Siryn. Ah, home sweet home.

RATINGS:
Water feature: 9 Yes, there's an entire section devoted to water and there's a lovely pool, but I felt very parched in the fire and earth areas. Then again, there were plenty of cafes...
Bed: 9 Beds, couches, and other happy sleeping locations were available to the casual visitor, although I couldn't help but feel that I might be pushing some poor soul out to sleep on the ground.
Social scene: 5 There are statues galore, but the only location where I saw people, they were talking quietly. Why talk quietly?
Shopping: 9 Kingdom easily has the best shopping of any planet I've yet visited. No shipyard, but there are several shops scattered throughout the Kingdoms. I brought home a windsock, water goblets, a fire-dampening suit (for when Monodefuego insists on kissing me), and a nice carved wooden thingamajig to put on my shelves at home.

Locations are easy to reach, with directions capitalized for simplicity of movement, and there is an energetic exuberance about the descriptions that makes visiting fun.

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