Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia
Encyclopedia
Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia is volume nine in the French
comic book
(or bande dessinée
) science fiction
series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin
and artist Jean-Claude Mézières
.
Highly abnormal things are occurring here and now, for example, in the metro, where Valérian faces a formidable monster of fire. Or in Lorraine where a kind of giant muddy creature has appeared.
Will Laureline, who can communicate with Valérian thanks to an operation (which doesn't seem to have succeeded very well with the latter), be able to benefit from some clue discovered on Solumn, the city where there hides, ever deeper, the cosmic memory? Perhaps. If Valérian and Mr Albert manage to escape from those who have become a little too interested in them.
The first volume of an enthralling double album continued in Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos
.
link provided by Galaxity, she communicates with Valérian to keep him up to date with her progress.
Valérian is sitting in a café
in Paris
, 20th century Earth, waiting for Galaxity's contact, Mr Albert, to arrive. Albert enters the café and seats himself beside Valerian. He has news: strange things have been happening on the Métro
– a presence at Auber
station, a sighting at Nation station and now a derailment
at Châtelet
. Valérian and Albert leave the café and make for the metro station. Arriving they are told that the station is closed but manage to slip down onto the platform. Valérian proceeds down the tunnel to where the train derailed. Remaining behind at the platform, Albert observes a group of men – some of whom appear to be businessmen – heading down the tunnel as well. Valérian sees a light ahead of him in the tunnel and is suddenly confronted by a fire-breathing dragon
. Pulling a futuristic rifle
from his trench coat
, he opens fire on the apparition which, he realizes, is made of pure energy
. There is an explosion and Valérian is thrown to the ground, unconscious.
Waiting outside the station, Albert is concerned that Valérian has been away too long. The group of men he saw at the station emerge, looking displeased, get into their vehicles, which include a van marked “Bellson & Gambler”, and drive off. Shortly afterwards, an ambulance
draws up and Valérian is carried out of the station on a stretcher. Albert follows the ambulance to the hospital
where he convinces the doctors that he is Valérian's uncle and manages to get him discharged, telling the gendarmes
that Valérian is weak-minded and believes he is an intergalactic detective. Later, at dinner, they review what has happened: they cannot think of a connection between the apparition on the Métro, the incident that brought Valérian to the 20th century in the first place – an apparition of a muddy monster at a mine in Lorraine
and Laureline's investigations in Cassiopeia. As they walk back to his hotel, Valérian complains of headaches arising from his telepathic communications with Laureline.
In his hotel room, Valérian contacts Laureline who has reached the planet Solum. The ground on the planet is porous and ever changing and its inhabitants are engaged in incessant rebuilding of their ever sinking city, adding layer upon layer. Each layer contains a living memory who records the history of the planet and Laureline is moving deeper and deeper trying to find a history who can give them a lead on the incidents that are happening on Earth.
Valérian is woken by the phone in his room. It is Albert, ringing to warn him that his hotel is under observation by the police and by a second, unknown, group. Valérian slips out of the hotel via the roof and meets Albert in a taxi
at the end of the road. The taxi takes them to a railway station
where they get a train to Marais Poitevin
where sightings of a monster have been reported in the marsh
es.
Sleeping on the train, Valérian resumes contact with Laureline. One of the histories on Solum has told her a story about a planet called Ohuru which was plagued, and eventually destroyed, by similar apparitions. The history also tells Laureline of a link between the planet Ohuru and the planet Zomuk – the dumping ground of the universe. The inhabitants are noted for the sanctuaries that they construct from the materials deposited on their planet. Laureline is told that some artifacts from Ohuru have landed up on Zomuk and she is now heading there to investigate.
Arriving at Marais Poitevin, Valérian and Albert try to book into a hotel but find that it has been booked out by representatives, from America, of a multinational company
called W.A.A.M. who have gone on an excursion into the marshes. Following them into the marshes, Albert muses on the two corporations – Bellson & Gambler and now W.A.A.M. who appear to be mixed up in this affair. Albert believes the second car that was watching Valérian's hotel was from Bellson & Gambler. They meet a farm-boy, Jean-René, in the marsh who tells them that the men from W.A.A.M. are looking in the wrong place. He offers to take Valérian to where the monster is but only if Valérian will give him his rifle and allow him to make the first shot at the beast. Valérian, reluctantly, agrees and they set off into the marsh. The monster, which resembles a whale, appears but Jean-René's shot just bounces off its hide. Jean-René is knocked out by the recoil from the gun but Valérian grabs the rifle and opens fire, killing the monster.
Returning to Paris, Albert brings Valérian to his house where one of his carrier pigeons has arrived with a message from Chatelard, an old friend of Albert's and a philosopher
of science
and mythology
. Driving to Chatelard's house, Valérian and Albert are greeted by the old man who tells them that he believes there will be one more manifestation and it will take the form of air
. He explains that there appears to be a link between the apparitions and the four classical elements – the mud monster in the mine was earth
, the dragon in the Métro was fire
and the creature in the marsh was water
. Chatelard also tells Albert that this is not the first time he has been asked about these manifestations – a young woman from an American research centre had previously offered him a lot of money for any information he could share. As Valérian and Albert leave Chatelard's house, they are observed by a young, blonde woman in a car.
Back at Albert's house, Albert looks up Bellson & Gambler and W.A.A.M. in his files. Bellson & Gambler are a heavy industry
corporation, involved in mining
, steel
and petroleum
. W.A.A.M. - World American Advanced Machines – are a new economy
company involved in electronics
and computer
s. Albert realizes that these two disparate organisations are competing with one another to gain control of the powers behind the manifestations.
Meanwhile, on Zomuk, Laureline has resumed contact with Valérian. The most beautiful sanctuary on Zomuk has been plundered of its contents. Gaining entry to the sanctuary, Laureline finds its main chamber empty except for representations of the four elemental forces on the walls – exactly what Chatelard spoke of. Suddenly, the link between Valérian and Laureline is broken by an interruption from Albert. Angry at being cut off, Valérian snaps at Albert and storms out of the house. Valérian mopes angrily through the streets of Paris when a sports car, driven by the young woman who was watching him and Albert at Chatelard's house, pulls up. She asks Valérian if he'd like to go dancing with him. Valérian gets in the car and they drive off.
Continues in Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos...
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
(or bande dessinée
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
) science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin
Pierre Christin
- Biography :Christin was born at Saint-Mandé in 1938.After graduating from the Sorbonne, Christin pursued graduate studies in political science at SciencesPo and became a professor of French literature at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. His first comics story, Le Rhum du Punch, illustrated...
and artist Jean-Claude Mézières
Jean-Claude Mézières
Jean-Claude Mézières is a French comic strip artist and illustrator. Born and raised in Paris, he was introduced to drawing by his older brother and influenced by comics artists such as Hergé, Andre Franquin and Morris and later by Jijé and Jack Davis...
.
Outline
While Laureline continues a mysterious search in the Constellation of Cassiopeia, Valérian damages his stomach in bars while he awaits Mr Albert, representative in Paris of Galaxity, future capital of Earth.Highly abnormal things are occurring here and now, for example, in the metro, where Valérian faces a formidable monster of fire. Or in Lorraine where a kind of giant muddy creature has appeared.
Will Laureline, who can communicate with Valérian thanks to an operation (which doesn't seem to have succeeded very well with the latter), be able to benefit from some clue discovered on Solumn, the city where there hides, ever deeper, the cosmic memory? Perhaps. If Valérian and Mr Albert manage to escape from those who have become a little too interested in them.
The first volume of an enthralling double album continued in Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos
Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos
Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos is volume ten in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
.
Synopsis
Alone on the astroship, Laureline departs the planet Rubanis, in the Constellation of Cassiopeia, having obtained the information she requires for the spatio-temporal agent's latest mission. Rendezvousing with the Apominobas merchants, they tell her of swindlers who are selling dangerous technologies. Leaving the Apominobas, she continues to her destination: the planet Solum. Using a telepathicTelepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
link provided by Galaxity, she communicates with Valérian to keep him up to date with her progress.
Valérian is sitting in a café
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 20th century Earth, waiting for Galaxity's contact, Mr Albert, to arrive. Albert enters the café and seats himself beside Valerian. He has news: strange things have been happening on the Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
– a presence at Auber
Auber (Paris RER)
Auber is a station on Line A of the RER in Paris, France. Opened on 23 November 1971 it was at the time the largest underground station in the world, and represents a feat of underground engineering....
station, a sighting at Nation station and now a derailment
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
at Châtelet
Châtelet - Les Halles (Paris RER)
Châtelet – Les Halles is a major commuter train hub in Paris. Taken together with the Paris Métro stations Châtelet and Les Halles, to which it is directly connected, hosts travellers per week day , for the RER only...
. Valérian and Albert leave the café and make for the metro station. Arriving they are told that the station is closed but manage to slip down onto the platform. Valérian proceeds down the tunnel to where the train derailed. Remaining behind at the platform, Albert observes a group of men – some of whom appear to be businessmen – heading down the tunnel as well. Valérian sees a light ahead of him in the tunnel and is suddenly confronted by a fire-breathing dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
. Pulling a futuristic rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
from his trench coat
Trench coat
A trench coat or trenchcoat is a raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton drill or poplin, wool gabardine, or leather. It generally has a removable insulated lining; and it is usually knee-length.-History:...
, he opens fire on the apparition which, he realizes, is made of pure energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
. There is an explosion and Valérian is thrown to the ground, unconscious.
Waiting outside the station, Albert is concerned that Valérian has been away too long. The group of men he saw at the station emerge, looking displeased, get into their vehicles, which include a van marked “Bellson & Gambler”, and drive off. Shortly afterwards, an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
draws up and Valérian is carried out of the station on a stretcher. Albert follows the ambulance to the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
where he convinces the doctors that he is Valérian's uncle and manages to get him discharged, telling the gendarmes
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
that Valérian is weak-minded and believes he is an intergalactic detective. Later, at dinner, they review what has happened: they cannot think of a connection between the apparition on the Métro, the incident that brought Valérian to the 20th century in the first place – an apparition of a muddy monster at a mine in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
and Laureline's investigations in Cassiopeia. As they walk back to his hotel, Valérian complains of headaches arising from his telepathic communications with Laureline.
In his hotel room, Valérian contacts Laureline who has reached the planet Solum. The ground on the planet is porous and ever changing and its inhabitants are engaged in incessant rebuilding of their ever sinking city, adding layer upon layer. Each layer contains a living memory who records the history of the planet and Laureline is moving deeper and deeper trying to find a history who can give them a lead on the incidents that are happening on Earth.
Valérian is woken by the phone in his room. It is Albert, ringing to warn him that his hotel is under observation by the police and by a second, unknown, group. Valérian slips out of the hotel via the roof and meets Albert in a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
at the end of the road. The taxi takes them to a railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
where they get a train to Marais Poitevin
Marais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
where sightings of a monster have been reported in the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es.
Sleeping on the train, Valérian resumes contact with Laureline. One of the histories on Solum has told her a story about a planet called Ohuru which was plagued, and eventually destroyed, by similar apparitions. The history also tells Laureline of a link between the planet Ohuru and the planet Zomuk – the dumping ground of the universe. The inhabitants are noted for the sanctuaries that they construct from the materials deposited on their planet. Laureline is told that some artifacts from Ohuru have landed up on Zomuk and she is now heading there to investigate.
Arriving at Marais Poitevin, Valérian and Albert try to book into a hotel but find that it has been booked out by representatives, from America, of a multinational company
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
called W.A.A.M. who have gone on an excursion into the marshes. Following them into the marshes, Albert muses on the two corporations – Bellson & Gambler and now W.A.A.M. who appear to be mixed up in this affair. Albert believes the second car that was watching Valérian's hotel was from Bellson & Gambler. They meet a farm-boy, Jean-René, in the marsh who tells them that the men from W.A.A.M. are looking in the wrong place. He offers to take Valérian to where the monster is but only if Valérian will give him his rifle and allow him to make the first shot at the beast. Valérian, reluctantly, agrees and they set off into the marsh. The monster, which resembles a whale, appears but Jean-René's shot just bounces off its hide. Jean-René is knocked out by the recoil from the gun but Valérian grabs the rifle and opens fire, killing the monster.
Returning to Paris, Albert brings Valérian to his house where one of his carrier pigeons has arrived with a message from Chatelard, an old friend of Albert's and a philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. Driving to Chatelard's house, Valérian and Albert are greeted by the old man who tells them that he believes there will be one more manifestation and it will take the form of air
Air (classical element)
Air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its supposed fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.-Greek and Roman tradition:...
. He explains that there appears to be a link between the apparitions and the four classical elements – the mud monster in the mine was earth
Earth (classical element)
Earth, home and origin of humanity, has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition.-European tradition:Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the...
, the dragon in the Métro was fire
Fire (classical element)
Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world.-Greek and Roman tradition:Fire...
and the creature in the marsh was water
Water (classical element)
Water is one of the elements in ancient Greek philosophy, in the Asian Indian system Panchamahabhuta, and in the Chinese cosmological and physiological system Wu Xing...
. Chatelard also tells Albert that this is not the first time he has been asked about these manifestations – a young woman from an American research centre had previously offered him a lot of money for any information he could share. As Valérian and Albert leave Chatelard's house, they are observed by a young, blonde woman in a car.
Back at Albert's house, Albert looks up Bellson & Gambler and W.A.A.M. in his files. Bellson & Gambler are a heavy industry
Heavy industry
Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning as compared to light industry. It can mean production of products which are either heavy in weight or in the processes leading to their production. In general, it is a popular term used within the name of many Japanese and Korean firms, meaning...
corporation, involved in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. W.A.A.M. - World American Advanced Machines – are a new economy
New Economy
The New Economy is a term to describe the result of the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. This particular use of the term was popular during the Dot-com bubble of the late 1990s...
company involved in electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s. Albert realizes that these two disparate organisations are competing with one another to gain control of the powers behind the manifestations.
Meanwhile, on Zomuk, Laureline has resumed contact with Valérian. The most beautiful sanctuary on Zomuk has been plundered of its contents. Gaining entry to the sanctuary, Laureline finds its main chamber empty except for representations of the four elemental forces on the walls – exactly what Chatelard spoke of. Suddenly, the link between Valérian and Laureline is broken by an interruption from Albert. Angry at being cut off, Valérian snaps at Albert and storms out of the house. Valérian mopes angrily through the streets of Paris when a sports car, driven by the young woman who was watching him and Albert at Chatelard's house, pulls up. She asks Valérian if he'd like to go dancing with him. Valérian gets in the car and they drive off.
Continues in Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos...
Principal characters
- Valérian, a spatio-temporal agent from Galaxity, future capital of Earth, in the 28th century
- Laureline, originally from France in the 11th century, now a spatio-temporal agent of Galaxity in the 28th century
- Mr Albert, Galaxity's contact in 20th century Earth
- Jean-René, a farmboy from Coublée Farm in the Marais-Poitevin
- Chatelard, a philosopher of scienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mythMythologyThe term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
who lives a life of self-sufficiencySelf-sufficiencySelf-sufficiency refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy... - Cynthia Westerly, an employee of W.A.A.M.
- Unnamed employees of the multinationalsMultinational corporationA multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
Bellson & Gambler and W.A.A.M.
Settings
- EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, year 1980- The first manifestation appears in a mineMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in Havrilange in the region of LorraineLorraine (région)Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
. - Valérian meets Mr Albert in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The second manifestation appears in the RERRERThe RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
near Châtelet-Les HallesChâtelet - Les Halles (Paris RER)Châtelet – Les Halles is a major commuter train hub in Paris. Taken together with the Paris Métro stations Châtelet and Les Halles, to which it is directly connected, hosts travellers per week day , for the RER only...
station on Line BRER BThe RER B is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France.The line runs from the northern termini Aéroport Charles de Gaulle and Mitry-Claye to the southern termini Robinson and Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse ....
in the direction of Saint-Rémy-lès-ChevreuseSaint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (Paris RER)Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse is a railway station in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, Paris, Île-de-France, France.-The Station:The station opened in 26 August 1867 and is located on the Ligne de Sceaux and has been an RER station since 9 December 1977...
. When injured during his encounter with the monster, Valérian is taken to the Saint-Antoine University Hospital. Valérian is staying at the Hotel des Voyageurs. They leave Paris in search of the third manifestation from Gare d'AusterlitzGare d'AusterlitzParis Austerlitz is one of the six large terminus railway stations in Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine in the southeastern part of the city, in the XIIIe arrondissement...
. - The third manifestation appears in the Marais PoitevinMarais PoitevinThe Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
in the Poitou Charentes region of Western France between Doère-la-Rivière and Pré Bourru. Valérian and Albert look for a room in the Hotel du Vieux Pont in Doère-la-Rivière. Jean-René, the farmboy Valérian and Albert meet is from nearby Coublée Farm while the representatives from W.A.A.M. get lost in Flamancheries Wood. - Albert's house is located in an unnamed suburb of the city. It contains all his secret files as well as the space-time relay he uses to stay in contact with Galaxity. In the back garden he keeps carrier pigeons which he uses to communicate in secret with some of his contacts.
- Albert's contact Chatelard lives in Saint-Martin-des-BoisSaint-Martin-des-BoisSaint-Martin-des-Bois is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France.The Benedictine abbey of Saint-Georges des Bois is adjacent to the village centre.The historic church of St. Martin possesses an open narthex.-References:*...
in Loir-et-CherLoir-et-CherLoir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
in the CentreCentre (France)Centre is one of the 27 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley. Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.-Features:...
region.
- The first manifestation appears in a mine
- Constellation of CassiopeiaCassiopeia (constellation)Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
. Laureline visits the following planets:- Rubanis. We don't see the surface of the planet but the space traffic in orbit around it is so dense that hyperspace travel is forbidden in its environs.
- Solum. A yellow planet with ringsPlanetary ringA planetary ring is a ring of cosmic dust and other small particles orbiting around a planet in a flat disc-shaped region.The most notable planetary rings known in Earth's solar system are those around Saturn, but the other three gas giants of the solar system possess ring systems of their...
and at least three moonsNatural satelliteA natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
. The air is soft and scented while the ground is porous and ever changing. There is only one city on the planet which, because of the porous ground, has to be incessantly rebuilt by the insectoid Solumnians who continually add new stages on top of the existing layers. The old layers stretch deep into the heart of the planet. Each stage has an immortal living memory, resembling a giant gastropod, that retains the history of the events it has seen in that time. The deeper into the city one travels the further back in time the memories stretch. - Zomuk. A rarely visited planet, it is mainly used as a dumping ground by other races who deposit their rubbish either on the surface or in orbit. Innumerable parasitesParasitismParasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
swarm across the surface living on the garbage. The dominant species, the Zoms, live in abject poverty on the rubbish, ugly, stupid, eaten by the vermin and fanatically religious. They construct magnificent sanctuaries from the junk accumulated on their world into which they deposit their most valuable offerings. Their most beautiful sanctuary was where they kept the four elements and while it now lies empty, its walls are decorated with representations of the elements.