"Gardenia, an ugly planet with gorgeous weather." - Hazel
Overview[]
Gardenia is a large planet which plays a pivotal role in the narrative of the Saga comics. From
Gardenia from space
space, its surface appears to be predominantly covered by vast swathes of greenery; meadows, trees and other foliage are an important part of the planet's ecosystem. Despite the raging war occurring between Wreath and Landfall, the government of Gardenia never chose a side, having remained neutral throughout the entire duration of the conflict. According to one of the actors at the Open Circuit, the Gardenian government is extremely corrupt and never organised enough to decide how they would involve themselves within the war. The Open Circuit is responsible for employing approximately half of the planet's population, though overall employment appears to be a significant issue; when Yuma is speaking to Alana she says, "Do you know how many people would kill for this job?" This question demonstrates the scale of unemployment problems on Gardenia, implying that people would do anything to find a mediocre source of income.
Narrative[]
The Will, Lying Cat and Gwendolyn find themselves upon Gardenia after rescuing the slave
Gwendolyn and The Will
girl from Sextillion. They're both searching for Marko and Alana with the goal of executing them. After receiving a tip off from someone in the Robot Kingdom, they fly to Quietus but their assasination attempt is thwarted.
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After they leave Quietus, Marko's group find themselves upon Gardenia, using the rocketship tree as their home. Stationed outside of the planet's major city, Alana travels to the Open Circuit and acts as a performer for the television studio during the day in order to generate an income. Marko doesn't have a job, but instead tends to Hazel inside the ship. Alana works under the alias, "Zipless" whilst at the OC to avoid detection as a wanted fugitive; unfortunately, she accidentally improvises a line from one of Oswald Heist's novels which Yuma berates her for as it could reveal her position. Whilst Dengo has captured Prince Robot IV's son, he attempts to gain access to the broadcasting network at the Open Circuit; his request is denied, causing him to fatally shoot Trix and another actor. Yuma would've died but instead struck a bargain with Dengo so he'd spare her life.
Inhabitants[]
Flora and Fauna[]
From the bounty hunter's exploration of Gardenia, it seems to have an abundant array of plantlife which comprises a large part of the planet's surface. A huge valley where The Will's ship is stationed is home to different species of flora; varying sizes of trees and luminscent plants can be seen in the evening. Dense forests are also present within Gardenia's countryside which Gwendolyn explores whilst hallucinating about her former lover Velour. Interspersed between the woodland is sweeping meadows. A group of bizarre, shark-like flying creatures can be seen travelling through the air; The Will attacks one and brings it to the ground with his lance. The animals didn't appear to be hostile, though they're clearly edible as Gwendolyn asks Sophie whether she could help Lying Cat with the carcass.
