Lost

Fifth drop for the Space Beggars series and story: Lost. It is a common sight to see the Leaches lurking through the emptiness of the starry ocean, in search of a suitable host, waiting to plug in like a parasite. Named as such, for their abbreviated form, L.E.A.C.H: Land-forming Excavation & Astrological Containment Halos. Huge cables dangle anthropomorphically from their cores like colossal tentacles reinforcing their parasitic allure. On top, sitting dome like, giant shells cover vast forests of green vegetation. Nevertheless, from the surface of an afflicted planet, it is clear these machines are a sickness, buried deep into the core. Over time, full-scale cities have spilled out like acid, eroding through the rock far beneath the fissures and craters of planet surfaces. The legendary city of Nyah, the first city created by a LEACH is a sprawling, man - made canyon of sin and extravagance. A haven for mass entertainment to enthral the cities unassuming primary targets, the children of influence, in the lavish lifestyle that they so desire, to coax them ever further on their journey. It’s famed subterranean red and purple plains and mountains swell impressively and run from crater to crater. They are carved out to make room for the many spas and resorts that service thousands. For almost everyone who indulges in these play parks, it is temporary. It’s a lifestyle that demands feverish expenditure and rampant splashing of credit. They arrive in droves, funded initially by the wealth of their kin, unbeknownst to them that they are being fed to the sharks; to a pool of infested waters manufactured entirely by their own blood, serving always to ensure that the wheel is in motion and the myth is continually greased. Their credit depletes and they find themselves lost and alone, doing whatever it takes to beg for more money to fund their self absorbed dreams. They sell their bodies, physically and digitally, offering favours to fellow frustrated resort dwellers, and in some cases to creatures not found at home.