Welcome to Eternal Sunset

The seating in the bar looked quite full as they entered. "Doesn't it look too full? Maybe we should have gone somewhere else..." A sleek blonde woman in a green dress noted to her date as she peered past the Maître D’ at the entrance. The Maître leered at them over a set of spectacles that barely clung onto his hawkish nose as he looked over his notepad. As he stepped forward one of his mechanical, bird-like legs peaked past the wooden pillar that held the holopanel where he could see reservations, with complete profiles on every reservation.

Tonight there were sales representatives from the laser gun manufacturers Xabir Co. meeting business Executives from a Tiyal holding corporation that was a front for a mercenary corporation working within Tiyal space, mainly as pirates. Whispers were exchanged a few tables further down between two spies. One spying on a government agency, and another spying on the spy. On the opposite side of the grandiose restaurant floor, which was upon the finest silks that existed in the galaxy, sat two emissaries brokering a peace. Spun on the planet Tasu Brood from which one get the only form of Tasunan Silk that is harvested under extreme circumstances from the spiders that live upon the desert world. It is a risky business with a high turnover rate, but due to the exorbitant prices it seems worth it for some.

This was the fifth peace mission the two emissaries from the Jibru and the Morovandians. The Morovandians continued to take advantage of the weak position of the Jibru. Many foresaw the end of the feudal empire that had existed for so long, as it had become a shell of it's former self after it's hateful speech was met with cold hard space weaponry. Once they realized that those who preferred harmony outnumbered them and they stood alone, they were doomed.

All those and many in between would meet in this restaurant. It always saw itself as a mediator between rich and poor as well, often hosting soup kitchens for local vagabonds who did not seek to encase themselves in societal norms. But by and large the 'Eternal Sunset' was attractive due to it's location. Not only was it easily reachable, be it by the local metro, a shuttle, or even walking, there were not many other places where the restaurant could end up. It was situated, like all cities and transport, along a thing stretch of land on this planet which always had one side of it facing the sun and the other side. One was basked in perpetual heat, scorching the furthest tip of the planet towards the sun in an never ending glow. It is said that from satellite imagery, there are only rocks there, no signs of any life. Allegedly bacteria had been discovered there, but the claims proved to be false. The other side on the contrary was icy cold. A land of wind and darkness, where satellite imagery had managed to discover on the outskirts to the eternal wastelands that there were some local roaming animal herds that would venture too far into the dark, losing their sense of direction. Though this was rare, for a majority of all planet life consisted in a fine belt around the planet. Lush forests managed to prosper where cold and warm would mix and the lands would be rained upon with high frequency in some areas, lesser so in others, creating a continental atmosphere of lovely beauty within that sliver of land sheltered from extremes.

There 'Eternal Sunset' was set on the border between the eternal ice and the perpetual sun, with the sunset just barely on the horizon, never moving yet at the same time it was. Sometimes the sun would be accompanied, far off in the distance, by another planet overlapping it as the orbits would cross and the star would partially occluded. As 'Taruxo's Roost' was orbiting the sun very slowly, those moments were rare but they were plentifully celebrated by locals and aliens alike. It was named after a grand warrior of the Izirian birdfolk many eons ago, and the true story may never truly be known, but it was said he would often stare off into the horizon after battles and found his connection with the gods that way.

Depending on the season there would be more or less clouds hovering around, but many painters had come and depicted the sky outside 'Eternal Sunset' just like that, with the clouds intermingling with the kaleidoscope of colours, mainly in various shades of purple, orange and brown, the colour of the local vegetation, intermingled with the flush of yellowish-orange from the local star. Depending on the winds and the rains, they would also create lovely rainbows, a phenomenon that you would be hard-pressed to find in this sector of the galaxy and one of the top selling points for local tourist offices.

As the couple approached the Maître he inspected their profiles. The woman in the green dress was a local woman who worked in one of the travel agencies in a city called 'Duguro'. Her criminal record was spotless and her grades average, much like she was. Her parents are fourth generation immigrants, coming in the 2nd wave colonialists. Her date was local diplomat and coincidentally also a spy, but this did not appear in the Maître's profile of the man. He appeared to be an insurance salesman, twice the age of his green female companion but one might even say, if the Maître D' were anyone to recognize beauty within two humans, quite attractive. The Maître D was in fact in love with all things bird-like, hence also the adaptation of his legs to be more appealing to their appearance. Xenophiles of this degree were not unheard of in this day in age.

The male date was about to greet the Maître who in turn was ready to answer when the woman chimed in "Oh, no! Look! The clouds have gone and covered the sunset! Oh Ducky, that's all I came here for. Let's go to 'Alfred's Best', they have a burger you will LOVE! Come, come!" She pulled him away and the Maître's raised brows met the shrugging of the man. They parted ways without a word and the sunset would later return to the restaurant without much fuss. It always did.