It was one of the smaller temples of the Cult of Ceros. It had been cleaned of bodies, but the bloodstains were still noticeable if one looked carefully. It was well built and had marble used for flooring throughout.
“What did they give you to eat?” asked one of the guards.
“Roasted vegetables and meat,” replied another of the group of ten guards with Koven in the temple.
“I got chicken and rice. It was not as good as yours,” complained the first man.
“Because they don’t like you,” replied the other man.
“Nobody likes you,” replied another man. “I certainly don’t. You think you are better than the rest of us because they gave you the knowledge with their machine.”
“OK. It’s true. I got the knowledge. But they didn’t give it to me, I took it. They were pissed at first. But it doesn’t make me any better. I want all of you to get it done too.”
“I don’t know if I want to. It won’t make me any richer,” said a man to the nodding heads of others.
“But you’re wrong. Your whole life will be richer because you will understand many things. Ask the space man here,” said the guard, pointing at Koven.
“What about it?” asked the other guard.
“I’ve never been without the knowledge, so I can’t tell you that it is better having over not having it. But I can deduce that it seems more logical to have the knowledge than not. The knowledge might prevent a catastrophic screw up.”
“Star man makes sense,” replied the guard.
“But getting this knowledge, does it make everyone an asshole?”
“It shouldn’t,” replied Koven.
“Wait a minute. I’m not an asshole,” complained the other guard. “Now that I understand things, I don’t want to go get drunk with the rest of you. It’s not healthy.”
“But its fun,” said one of the guards.
“But I know what it does to my body. It is a poison.”
“Then it is a poison that I gladly drink. If it weren’t for drink, I would have killed my brother long ago. Evil little prick.”
“I have a sister the same,” replied another guard.
“It’s drink that keeps them safe,” replied the guard with the evil brother.
Some conversations don’t change over time or space.
“Enough,” said the oldest man in the group. He looked at Koven.
“And you. You’re to be protected. That’s all. So shut up and remember you are the prisoner here.”