Starstruck

Glossary Entry: Garuda ®

A smallish, krystal-driven thru-ship, manufactured in the final days of the Incorporated Elysian Republic (which was neither paradise, nor a republic), and sold as “The Dazzling New Garuda®! Conspicuous Luxury at an Exorbitant Price! New for IET 192! Supplies Strictly Limited.” If one takes the average humanoid’s attraction to sparkly objects, and multiplies it by a factor of five, that should give the interested party some idea of the questionable taste of the late Dread Dictator, known during the cycles of IET as Our Benefactor. During those cycles, many tried to curry favor with said Benefactor by adorning themselves, their kin, their pets and their various means of transportation with gems, ribbons, furs, glittery geegaws and shiny paint. Enter Garuda®! Its price mind-blowing, its upkeep astronomical, the krystal-driven Garuda® was marketed to social climbers of the rich-but-common classes and advertised as “guaranteed to catch the eye of Our Benefactor, as every detail has been finished with his exquisite taste in mind!” Oft labeled eye-catching, obvious, showy or stunning, the gaudy little pleasure ships were built to be rare, as so few were built. There were never more than ten in existence. As stipulated in their contracts, the designers and builders of the space-going craft had their memories selectively wiped, once #10 had rolled off of the line. Unfortunately for the company, #10 rolled off the line mere martrons before the destruction of the planet Vaikuntha insured the end of the Incorporated Elysian Republic and its Dictator. They were sold at auction for chump change.