Tylem uses the console to  forward the menu's for a couple of the restaurants to Shui's data glove.  One is an 'Italianate' restaurant that serves a number of vegetarian pasta dishes, while the other specialises in curried dishes they claim are made to authentic ancient Solomani recipes.  Tylen never has had much of a chance to develop sophisticated social skills, so the message attaches simply says + Do you fancy either of these for dinner? +

However, not long after that the message from Yas, delineating watches arrives on his data glove.  "Well that has screwed that." he mutters to himself

Ash is reviewing local conditions on Denotam as he takes a short break from starting the preliminary jump calculations and vectoring for the routes to the jump point.  Given the complexity of the calculations, Ash knows that these require short diversions into the monitoring traffic control as well as the weather, economic, technological, and political scuttlebutt on planet.  All of them could influence the speed and direction that Profit Margin would be leaving the atmosphere and the vector it would be arriving at the jump point, potentially.  Some of it is highly indirect, but all of it could be important.  It's not exactly like the old Solomani philosophy of Chaos Theory, but it is related.

In any case, in Ash's experience, it pays to be safe.  Especially given that a misjump due to improper compensation in the calculation for ill-timed routing or vectoring would put a real damper on everyone's day (and beyond).  Of course, final calculations will have to wait to be generated until they are ready for take off and real cargo displacements and inertial masses can be used - but, that doesn't stop Ash from starting them (or surfing the Web).

He glances over at Tylen when his fellow scout's voice appears to express more than a modicum of disappointment; the words may not be distinct, but the tone is not really hidden.  "Hmmm..." the navigator ventures looking up from his console, "Did you say something, Mr. Ogresh?"

Receiving Tylen's message, Shui dithers.  It's not something to which she is accustomed, being well-organized and with her priorities mostly straight, but between her current state of mind and another person depending on her choices, she finds herself struggling for an answer.

'Italian' would be something with which Tylen more likely has familiarity, and he placed it first.  Likely, then, his first choice.  The second is possibly something he simply found as an alternative, should she not wish Italian.  But then, he was a Scout, and accustomed to eating different foods; even if he is less familiar with the curries, perhaps he would enjoy them more as something new?

Decisions, decisions, and second-guessing Tylen's choices isn't helping her make one.

Simplicity, she decides.  Familiarity.  Something easy, so that neither of them are concerned about the other's dish, and they can focus on something else.  That might be best.

But then...

No.  No, no, no.  No waffling.  She keys her dataglove and sends her reply.

~ Mr Orgesh -

Both seem equally appetizing, but one can only eat in a single restaurant at a time, and thus...I would be honored to join you for the Italian dinner. ~

The moment she sends the message, Yasmine's comes through.  Shui reads it, pauses for thought.  Then her brows draw together and her fingertips drum on the counter.

This...could be a problem.

"Just seen the message Yas sent." Tylen responds to Ash's question "I wasn't expecting to pull a bridge watch tonight."  he continues.  Gently his fingers drum against the side of the console as he considers the implications of the  Roster that Yas has published, before keying a quick message to Shui.

An early dinner perhaps? he sends, followed by a a series of punctuation that indicate a wry smile.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:11, Wed 16 Nov 2011.

As people make preparations for their various excursions out onto the Highport station, Jago is all business, looking at cargoes and passengers destined for stops further along Profit Margin's route. 

As Yas enters the Bridge, she finds Jago, Ash and Tylen all present and apparently busy... and all ripe for pestering, obviously. 

In the passenger section, Corlan and Keryn finally reach an accord on what might, or might not be, interesting.  Despite having been cooped up in the ship through a week of Jump, Keryn seems to have decided that Corlan, as somebody with more experience as a traveller, might make a good guide. 

And back in Engineering, Saskia is hard at work, one arm concealed, up to the shoulder, inside the fuel purification unit...

"I am gonna need some time tomorrow while the stores are properly open to collect some equipment."  Tylen comments to Yas.  "Some of it needs checking over before I accept delivery." Tylen says with a shrug as he stands up from the console.

"I'll see you all later." he says as he heads towards the door.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:46, Wed 16 Nov 2011.

It seems Keryn and Corlan have made their decisions about who will go where with whom on their own.  This satisfies Shui; it's possible she should have stepped in, but she has already stepped into it rather poorly earlier.  Better to let that sift down into the sediments of the past before offering her assistance in matters personal.

*ping* goes her dataglove.  Rather, the vibration function - just a touch on the inside of her wrist, really, to avoid any possible jostling during work - activates.  Shui checks the message and releases a faint, nodding along with Tylen's writing.  "Our options seem limited," she murmurs, fingers interrpting magnetic fields to key in a message.

~ It would be my pleasure, Mr. Orgesh.  We lack the beach, but I am certain the restaurant will suffice.  For tonight. ~

There.  Now all she has to do is ensure everyone is sufficiently prepared and check her meagre wardrobe.  Eneris is ensconced in his cabin, wishing to be left to his own devices.  Keryn and Corlan will no doubt be safe...still, she should check.

Intercom time.  This time, it's to Jago.

+ Captain Lanza, Ms. Taylor and Mr. DeSant are planning an outing.  Will they require an escort?  I doubt it possible to get lost on the spaceport, and the law levels seem quite sufficient for safety. +

She checks the planetary guide again, searching for anything that might stand out about this spaceport, good or bad.

The screen holds an intense fascination for Jago, he scrolls various lists occasionally making a smell satisfied grunt when he comes across a particularly interesting morsel of information and occasionally coping details into a rather grubby and dog eared little note book.

He starts a littler at the sound of the intercom

+They should be fine without an escort Shui, they’ll have their comms if they need any help. Do you know if Enris is going ashore?+

Ash nods to Tylen, regarding his fellow scout for a moment.  Then with a slight shrug he returns to his calculations.  He knows that the weather won't affect anything but their departure vector, which really only affects the time of arrival at the jump point and not the timing really.  But, since the absolute time is a minor factor in the calculations (the two systems are moving relative to each other), he knows that he must compensate for it.  Even if that factor only influences the 15th digit past the decimal in the Heruson toroidal n-dimensional topology modelling.  However, given the time - Ash figures he might as well take it into account.

Then the navigator stretches slightly as the Security Chief enters the bridge.  He acknowledges her presence with an off-hand wave and glance.  Ash checks the time posted on one of the secondary tactical displays.  He glances at the others, settling on Jago, "Sir, I would like to do some shopping.  I was thinking of doing some shopping - say, looking at picking up a reflec suit - before my shift starts."  He glances about the bridge, as he continues, "Would anyone care to join me?  Or does anyone need anything else from on station?"  He pauses for a moment, and then appears to remember something else; so, he turns back to address Jago, "Oh, and is there any standard ship's livery, uniform, or emblem that I would need to commission or wear?"  He hasn't seen anything of the sort on the rest of the crew that he can remember, but Ash figures that it never hurts to ask...

“Uniforms, now there’s a thought,” Jago holds his cigar in an effort to hide the smile that’s spreading across his face.

“Something progressive and modern, to inspire confidence in the punters and demonstrate our professionalism. How about a nice pale blue blazer, with peaked caps and ‘A’ line skirts for the women.”

“What do you think Yas?”

"Oookay, Quadman.  What's the hurry?  Got a hot date?"

Yas laughs after the fleeing ex-scout and then returns the wave from Ash.  When Jago replies to his query she chews her lip thoughtfully for half a heartbeat before saying, "Strings for the men and full, buggy jumpsuits for the women sounds better.  At least I won't have to break your halves in half then, skipper."  She smile at him with a few too many teeth showing.

"As long as you wear enough not to scare anyone then that's about it, Mister T," she tells Ash and pats him on the head, giving Jago another smile in case he is still uncertain about her position regarding his idea of uniforms.

Shui grimaces at the reply.  Not at Jago's question, per se, but at the fact that she doesn't have an answer.  She hates that.  But needs must, and the Captain needs an answer.

+ Mr. Enris is sequestered in his quarters, Captain Lanza.  Do you wish for me to disturb him, or should I simply leave a message to speak with whomever is on watch if he chooses to go ashore? +

“No that’s OK Shui, I’ll catch up with him sooner or later, I just wondered if he needed a sub.”

*

Jago chuckles out loud at Yasmine’s  response and nods in agreement to what she tells Ash, “I like to keep it informal, “ he says, “as long as you can keep up with my own exacting dress code you’ll be OK.”
The exacting dress code being a worn and slightly grubby bomber jacket and clean but unpressed everything else.

“I’ll be heading ashore myself in a bit Ash, got some business to attend to but we can keep each other company if you like.”

Jago turns his attention back to his keyboard and puts in responses to the data there, then pulls in all the news feeds he can find on Rangent, looking for good ideas for a speculative cargo.

As he leaves the bridge Tylen raises  his right hand, middle finger extended in an ancient gesture, so that Yas can see it over his shoulder.  However, the grin on his face indicates that he doesn't mean the insult that seriously, it is just a part of the banter between friends and colleagues.

Still, he heads to his cabin  and freshens up, although that means little more that a quick wash down, hair brush and a change of T-Shirt before he heads into the general areas looking for Shui.

+ Very well, Captain Lanza - please contact me if I am required. +  Nodding her head, Shui smiles to herself.  Good.  Problem solved, so to speak.  And with Corlan and Keryn discussing their outing, the snacks made and placed on the table, and fresh coffee brewing, she slips out of the galley.

+ I have prepared some light food and drink in the galley + she notes over the crew intercom as she arrives at her quarters.

Having had ample time during the descent to clean up, Shui moves first to her two lexan aquariums.  She gingerly slips some appropriate food into the first, pulling her fingers back when its voracious occupant lunges out, then carefully reaches into the second and gathers up her 'guest' (rather than 'prisoner', like the other).  "An interesting day," she whispers to the curious, multicoloured arthropod, placing it on the table with a small bowl of nutrient agar.

Listening to its faint, bell-like sounds, she checks her closet.  Limited clothing supplies.  That could be a problem.  But there are solutions to every possible situation, the doctor reminds herself, putting together something vaguely appropriate she hasn't worn in years.  It...should still fit.  An assumption, but warrented; Shui's diet and rigid exercise program has kept her in good form.

Back goes her 'guest', into its home.  "I shall let you out for more time during my watch." Stepping out the door of her room, she almost bumps into Tylen, almost hopping back to avoid a collision.  "Oh!  Mr. Orgesh.  My apologies."  She inclines her head in greeting, but a small laugh escapes her.  "A touch startled, I fear."  her brow crinkles.  "Apologies about tonight.  The Demon Murphy has its hands in all things."

Everybody has spent the last week trapped in the ship as it moved through Jump Space.  Or possibly Jump Space moved along with it.  There are several different widely accepted theories, all of them equally plausible and intrinsically unprovable since there is nothing in Jump Space to measure any spatial progress against.

So a week stuck inside a ship in the midst of a featureless grey void (looking at which for too long produces headaches and nausea for about 75% of travellers).  As a result it doesn't usually take too long for passengers and crew to grab the opportunity to go ashore when the ship arrives at a new destination.

Even when that destination is, essentially, just a larger ship.

As a result, within forty minutes of arriving at Denotam Highport, most of Profit Margin's occupants, residents and visitors alike, are making their way down the ramp into the chilly environment of the docking bay, which is still warming up after it's recent exposure to the void of space.

Corlan whispers something to Keryn, who crosses the floor of the bay without difficulty, even though the highport maintains it's environment at 0.9G, almost four times what Keryn grew up with.  She lays a hand against the massive space door, then pretends to try to push it open, before she walks back, grinning.  "It's locked.  Or stuck." she says to Corlan, and sticks her tongue out at the man.

Eneris steps nervously out onto the ramp, wearing a perfectly maintained Naval uniform, complete with a half dozen medals, but missing any rank insignia, which doesn't quite go with the non-regulation haircut and unshaven face.  He blinks up at the lights shining down from high above and reflecting off just about every surface in the bay.

"Sorry if I've kept everybody waiting."

Jago looks around at the assembled company and smiles a little smile behind his cigar; it’s like a family outing from his youth, though this time, he has to be mother.

“Everyone got comms?” he asks sternly, “no one goes ashore without comms.”

’And wrap up warm’, he thinks to himself, fondly remembering his own mother,we don’t want you catching your deaths.’
This message was lightly edited by the player at 22:20, Mon 28 Nov 2011.

After a few moments standing about, Eneris shrugs and walks across to the inner door.  "Let's see what Denotam has to offer then, shall we?"  He reads the instructions quickly, then reaching out, he lays a hand on a scanner plate.  There is a brief pause, and then the door hisses open to reveal...

... a twenty metre square bare room with an identical door on the opposite side.

The second door succumbs to the same treatment as the first.

Beyond it is a short corridor, leading to a large open area filled with people.  A holographic display projects the words, "Welcome to Denotam Highport!" into the air above the crowd in large friendly letters.  It blinks, and the same greeting is repeated in Vilani, which is followed by (presumably) an identical message in several other languages, including some alien scripts.

Most of the people in the crowd are streaming towards a large illuminated sign at the far end of the hall, the Anglic portion of which says, "CUSTOMS".  Many though are wandering around the perimeter of the hall, staring in through storefronts which seem to offer everything from fast food ("Try one of our delicious flame-grilled patties - 75% pure groat steak and 25% synthetic protein, served in a meran seed bun!") to expensive top line designer clothing.  In the centre of the hall several vehicles are on display, all of them with sleek lines which speak of speed and expense in equal magnitude.

The noise, considering how quiet the last port of call was, is almost overpowering...

Ash walks into the gathering of those going station-side a minute or so after Eneris.  He glances at the ex-Navy man in uniform, letting his gaze linger for a pregnant moment before he shrugs.  Ash merely notes with a nod (though his tone is approving and amiable), "Mr. Armusezash."  The navigator can only hope that he is getting the inflection right, and he can only assume that this is Eneris' version of best behavior.  He nods to the others in turn, "Captain...  Ms. Taylor ... Mr. DeSant..." as well as any of the other crew that have joined them.

Although he is without his blade strapped to his thigh, Ash has his duster and the earbud for his p-comm readily visible.  He wrist computer is also strapped to his left forearm.  His HUD headband is still on, though the eyepiece is pushed up above his forehead for the moment; the reticule is dark, the displays quiescent.

He walks with the group, letting Eneris open both sets of doors.  His eyes darting warily at all of the movement and noise in the highport.  He begins to head towards Customs, presuming that they cannot (legally) pass into the station proper without going through them.  Since his shift on the Profit Margin is next, he only has a couple of hours to get his errands done.  Ash is not in a rush (yet) per se, merely moving with purpose given the time constraint.  The navigator of the Profit Margin purses his lips for a moment as he considers his off-ship dining options.  "Anyone else up for some synth and groat?" he ventures - if anyone will join him, he'll likely partake.  However, Ash figures that if no one else is hungry, perhaps he'll just wait to get back to Margin; Shui usually keeps the pantry well stocked.  It's just that in Ash's experience, when in port, it is often best to take advantage of the break from shipboard meals.  Of course, most of the ships he has been on in the past did not have a cook as good as the Profit Margin's steward.

Shui hurries up as the doors hiss open, having been slowed by her short encounter with Tylen, and not having any time for speaking.  Hopefully she'll be able to talk with him once the others disembark.  "Oh!  Mr. Armusezash...you have done a fantastic job with that, indeed." It still fits, even, but she doesn't mention that.  Pausing in front of him, Shui checks him critically, straightening his epaulets a hair, no more.  "There.  Perfection, Mr. Armusezash.  Perfection."

Stepping back, she takes a look at the others, her hands clasped before herself.  No weapons...good...good...well, Yasmine doesn't have any in evidence and Shui prays the woman left the hidden ones on the ship.  Taking another step back, she halts beside Tylen, murmuring something up to the scout.  "Mr. Orgesh, if you have time I have a question for you before we depart."
She takes a quick glance past Eneris, one eyebrow shooting up at the crowded splendor awaiting them.  It's more than the steward is accustomed to, given their last few spaceports (both planet-side and in orbit).  The doctor shoots a quick glance at Ash as he inquires if people will join him, and inclines her head sadly in reply.  "Apologies, Mr Tescali, but I will have to beg off.  Plans for dinner."

Tylen, too, takes a step back in surprise as Shui suddenly appears through the door of her cabin.  However,  the look of surprise turns quickly into a smile as he realises who it is.  ”Indeed.  Murphy seems to get everywhere.” he responds wryly  as he walks with her to the exit ramp from the ship.

He pauses for a moment as Shui steps forward to adjust Ennris’s epaulettes and waves his dataglove at Jago, when the captain speaks of taking comms ashore.

Tylen pauses for a moment as the inner doors open, and he is confronted with the bustle of a busy space port.  Just for a moment a frown crosses his brow and  then he starts to fiddle with the bottom of his bomber jacket.  Catching himself, the smile quickly returns and he slots the thumb of his hand into the  pocket of his pants, so that it won’t fiddle any more.

”No groat patties for me either.” he says with a nod towards Ash  ”I have got some shopping lined up …”

He hangs back, allowing the others to make their way forward, as Shui speaks to him.

With the others comfortably ahead at the door - not that she feels there is anything to hide, per se, but that this is a more private conversation - Shui shifts to speak quietly to Tylen.  "Mr. Orgesh," she begins, very earnest.  "We have some five hours at the moment, then you must return to the Profit Margin.  Do you..."  Curiously hesitant, Shui pauses before beginning again.  "Would this be..."  She shakes her head, tries again.  "Are you still free for dinner?"

At times, her polite and reserved speech patterns might actually give the exact wrong impression, something Shui wishes to avoid.  The last thing she wants to do is appear blasé about this, or worse - as if it's a scheduled meeting slotted into available time.

Tylen checks his data glove momentarily, before he responds.  "It's your watch at 22:00, Shui.  Mine doesn't start until 01:00." he says with a grin, "Although I was  going to suggest that we could sit on the bridge with a couple of bottles of wine.  We could put moonlit island scenes on all of the vid screens?" he suggests mischievously, knowing the romantic pictures really would not be a good idea in such a public place.

"I could book a table for sevenish?  That should give us time to eat and maybe a chance for a stroll afterwards before we need to be back?" he offers deliberately ignoring her hesitance.

Ash shrugs noncommittally and separately to Shui and Tylen as they both beg off on grabbing some fast food.  As he walks off with the group that consists of Corlan, Keyrn, Jago and Eneris, he mutters light-heartedly to no one in particular, "The Margin must have come through here before, recently.  Everyone on the crew got a busy with a hot date lined up ... except me."  A crooked smile plays on his face as he glances at Eneris and his finery.  He adds with a small self-deprecating chuckle, "Even Mr. Armusezash!"

He then turns to Keryn and Corlan and asks idly, if slightly conspiratorily, "It appears that you two are going sightseeing.  What have you decided on, if you don't mind me asking?"  Ash admittedly did cheat when he noted via the internal video feeds that the two of them were conferring in the passenger lounge.

The navigator also adds off-hand to Keryn, knowing that she is coming from a much lower gravity world, is in a 'delicate' condition and has seen her around the ship practicing and exercising as per Shui's orders, "How are you feeling, Ms. Taylor?  You are looking good on your feet, but make sure that you don't over do it and rest when you need to."  Ash doesn't mean to sound mother hen-ish, but probably comes across that way anyways.

Eneris thanks those who comment on his uniform, and looks a little embarrassed as Shui adjusts it for him, mumbling a quiet thanks.  Keryn is more vociferous, explaining to Ash, and anybody else prepared to listen, that she and Corlan are going to see whatever sights an orbital city has to offer.

Passengers and crew, with the exception of Yas and Saskia, stroll out of the bay through the smaller chamber (which, as it turns out, has a floor which opens up to allow freight to be lifted from below) making sure to close the doors behind them.

The area immediately outside appears to be some sort of duty-free plaza, with a large number of stores, including several selling souvenirs, a handful of restaurants (ranging from fast food to haut-cuisine), a public communications hub, and some offices occupied by the Travellers' Aid Society and a local legal advice service.  In the centre of the plaza is a circular station belonging to Port Security, which is currently occupied by four bored-looking officers in dark green uniforms.  Mostly they seem to be giving people directions.

Just outside each docking bay is a small, enclosed lounge area for the use of passengers waiting to board ships.

For the crew and passengers of Profit Margin, and anybody else planning to venture out into the city proper, the only immediate destination is, of course, the Customs area...


OOC: So, who intends to go out into the city itself, and who is content to hang around the port to see if they can get what they need there?

Jago tugs the bottom of his jacket and squares his shoulders.

“Have fun people, see you later and lets try not to kick any of their security people, OK,” he says before heading of towards custom control.

Shui does a quick check to make sure Keryn is doing fine - she is - and returns her attention to Tylen.  Thankfully, the gunner seems to be in a fine mood despite the interruption of their plans.  The steward briefly wonders if anything could put him in a bad mood, before answering.

"A wonderful image, Mr. Orgesh," she muses, "but perhaps one that might draw the ire of our security chief.  Though I would most certainly enjoy the company...and the wine."  One eyebrow quirks, along with the corner of her mouth.  "Seven...nineteen hundred, then?  That would be most suitable indeed.  I have -" she motions vaguely at the spaceport "- a few things to pick up, then require some time to prepare.  Certainly I can meet you at the restaurant."

Her smile widens a touch as she cocks her head. "Would that be suitable?"

"She should be tucked up in bed by then.  She's taking over from me at 04:00." the ex-scout  responds with a grin to the thought of Yas catching them enjoying a watch duty.  As he speaks he fiddles with his data glove, reselecting the restaurant and booking a table for two at the appointed time. 

"That's booked the table." he says, looking up with a grin, before continuing "I need to get some bits and pieces as well, so I'll see you there at 19:00.  I am going to buy a security guards uniform.  That crazy drive through Frenzie and standing guard when Conrad transferred to The Children of the March made me think it might be easier if I looked the part sometimes.  Sometimes people respond better to things they recognise." he finishes up.

"Ms. Crow?  Tucked into bed?"  Shui's eyebrow quirks.  "I grow more certain every day the woman does not sleep, due to some arcane technique taught to her in the marine corp..."

She waits while Tylen fiddles with his dataglove, and nods her head when he confirms the time and place.  "Suitable?  I would say wonderful, Mr. Orgesh.  Perhaps you should wear the uniform to dinner, should it be adequate for a restaurant.  It would be interesting to see you done up like Mr. Armusezash."  She cocks her head to the side, trying to picture him in dress blues.  "Interesting indeed.  But I am certain you have something splendid lined up."

Turning slightly, she waves toward the spaceport.  "I could do with an escort as far as the exit from the customs area...after that, I should continue on my own."  The doctor adjusts her everpresent Little Black Bag™ on her shoulder.  "Shall we?"

Tylen chuckles as Shui suggests he wears the security uniform to dinner, or that his new security uniform might look anywhere near as smart as naval blues  "It would be more liable to frighten every one else away." the ex-scout says lightly. After all, that is mainly the point of it he thinks to himself as he offers his arm to the doctor for the trip across to customs.

"Oh, I think you judge yourself far too harshly, Mr. Orgesh," Shui returns, taking the arm.  "Far too harshly indeed," she murmurs as they walk.

OOC - I guess we're heading all the way in, Boss!

Ash walks with the others towards the customs line.  He listens attentively to Keryn discuss the plans that Corlan and she have made, nodding, hemming and hawing, and generally commenting to the affirmative, as necessary to keep Keryn talking.  The navigator assumes that the more comfortable Ms. Taylor feels the better off the trip on-station (and in general for the crew of the Profit Margin, moving forward) will be.  Ash likes the young lady; she reminds him of junior petty officer he once knew when he was in the Imperial Navy.

He fully intends to shop in the station proper, unless the line getting through customs makes that timing impractical given his watch duties.  So, he assumes a position in the line along side the Captain and the other from the Margin.  Not that he has much to declare, but the Denotam officials don't know that...

Clearance through customs is straightforward - a brief question and answer session regarding their purpose for visiting Denotam Highport, expected duration of visit, and whether or not they are carrying anything on the posted contraband list (which appears to consist mainly of devices designed to cause death and/or mayhem), followed by an inspection of ID papers. 

Answers are recorded, and visitor visas are issued, along with a reminder that travelling down to Denotam will require a more stringent inspection.

And then they are through Customs, and into the station proper, at which point the full scale of the place becomes apparent...

Immediately outside the Customs area is the Arrivals area, and beyond that the central core of the station - a vertical cylinder about a hundred metres in diameter, hollow in the centre and ringed by balconies.  Five hundred metres above is the upper end of the cylinder, a mass of inverted spires and pylons bearing lights, ventilation systems and environmental monitoring apparatus.  An equal distance below them, in the deepest pit of the core, can be seen the squat forms of power generation equipment, crouched in the depths below a faint red haze. 

Balconies, moderately crowded, ring the central opening, lined with business premises, at least on this level.  Stores mostly, with occasional restaurants and other businesses.  Elevators connect the different levels.

As the crew stand there, taking in the vista, a group of teenagers, all dressed in similar colours and style, run past laughing.  They suddenly stop, and two of them hop up onto the balcony rail.  Whooping, they leap off, into the open space beyond, while their friends cheer them on...

Falling, they perform a series of somersaults and aerial gyrations, until they hit the red haze below and slow to a halt before being pushed to one side of the shaft.  A yellow machine fitted with strobing orange hazzard lights (possibly a large robot, or maybe a small vehicle) appears from an opening below the lowest balcony, but above the haze.  It moves slowly towards the teenagers, then above them, obscuring them from view.  When it moves away again, there is no sign of them.

Their friends, on the balcony, are laughing and cheering.  At least until one of them spots two men who have the unmistakable look of law enforcement officers approaching, at which point they scatter towards several different nearby stores.

The officers make no attempt to follow them...

Shui pauses at the sight of the crazed teenagers, taking in their antics.  She tenses as they leap, breaking away from the Profit Margin group to sprint to the edge herself and lean over the balcony rail, her heart in her mouth.  But thoughts of suicide pacts and cults vanish as the technology below halts their fall and some kind of robot comes out to 'clean them up', presumably.

One assumes not into an incinerator.

Relieved, she turns her back and leans against the railing, unconcerned about the open space at her back.  Her father would be disgusted.  "Well.  Quite a first impression," the doctor remarks, mock-fanning herself and taking a quick glance at the approaching officers.

Initially shocked as the kids leap into the void, then puzzled by the attitude of the friends and finally amused by the whole thing as they seem to ‘land’ safely, Jago chuckles at the antics of the teenagers, life is full of little surprises.

“I have an appointment on deck eight” he announces, anyone going up that way, otherwise I’ll see you all back at the ship.”

Tylen had already spotted the repulsor field around the generators at the bottom of the core, and started grinning as soon as the teenagers jumped up on the balcony rail, guess that they are going to jump, or perform some other sort of 'death defying' feat, such as  trying to run all the way around the rail without falling or getting caught.

As the jump he leans right over the rail, watching the fall and commenting "Nice." as one of them 'lands' particularly gracefully on the force field some way below.   The grin subsides to a smile as security appear and the rest of the 'gang' disappear into the background.  "We used to do the same sort of thing off the high rocks." he adds with a grin, "Although that was into the sea, rather than a force field."

"Ah well.  I need to get to the shops, I suppose." he adds as he turns away from  the scene.

Saskia pulls her head out of the housing. and stretches.  Then she scratches at her cheek, only remembering a moment too late that she's just been changing a seal in the fuel plant's lubricant control unit.

"It'll wash off, I suppose." she grumbles, and looks at her hands.  She decides to stop off in her quarters and clean up a little before grabbing a coffee.  Wouldn't do to leave smears and smudges of lubricant all over the galley.

The ship is never completely silent, there are always air pumps and other automated systems running, but it is unusually quiet as she makes her way, bare footed, towards her berth.  Her human friends are ashore, of course, leaving only Profit Margin itself to keep her company.  The quiet whirrs, clicks and hums are like voices to her, telling her the condition of the various parts of the ship.  She makes a mental note to check the bearings on the primary air back-cycling fan when she finishes with the fuel plant, as it seems to have developed a slight rattle.

A few minutes later she pours herself a coffee.

Her hands are spotless, but she still has a dark smudge on her face.

Once inside the station proper, Ash casts his gaze about and nods approvingly.  He states quietly and to no one in particular, "Nice..."  It is not the biggest nor the highest tech of stations, and after the open water it is almost claustraphobic.  But the venue is much larger than the Profit Margin.  And much more populated.

With young and impetuous daredevils, apparently.  Ash watches the antics for a moment, and then shakes his head.  Not in disapproval, really - he'd be the last person to chide another for the actions of a reckless adolescence.  But it is more just about what would make one want to leave a perfectly stable platform for the open air - he didn't see the point.  At least, not for mere recreation.  And just like with the old Solomani roller coasters - it wasn't really dangerous apparently...

Ash had had his share of EVA activity and he never took such forays lightly - but, then accidents in the Deep Black were far too often fatal and there was never any safety net.  He shrugs slightly, again to no one in particular.

He waves to Jago, "Happy hunting, Skipper." and then to the others in the group, "Ciao all, I'll be back at the Profit Margin by nineteen hundred hours..."  And then Ash starts to make his way towards the shops looking for shops that supply uniforms, clothes, and livery.

"Your leaps, Mr. Orgesh, depended on natural water for cusioning." Shui leans over the railing again, peering downward.  "Those...for myself, I would prefer not to put all my reliance upon technology to keep me safe from my own foolishness."  A small smile twitches across her lips.  "Though I will deny saying that if anyone tells Ms. Blake."

"The shops for myself, I think," Shui admits.  "I have some purchases to make."  She shoots a quick look at Tylen, then away again.  "But alone, in this case.  If there is anything I can pick up for anyone, please let me know - I will have my dataglove on."  She waves to Ash as he heads off in search of clothing.  "Good luck, Mr. Tescali.  Stay safe, Ms. Taylor, Mr. DeSant."

Of course, given this place and its laws, what could go wrong?  "Captain Lanza, Ms. Crow."  With another glance at Tylen, she taps her dataglove meaningfully, calling up the holoclock.  "Mr. Orgesh - until later."

And into the shops she dives.

Evading her duty on the bridge by a few yards, Yas heads out into the crew lounge to grab herself a cuppa something or other.  She figures if someone calls with their life depending on it they have got the wrong number anyway.  Once out in the lounge she spots Sassy sporting a smudge on her cheek and is of course forced to comment on it.

"Quite the love bite you got there, Sas," she says, leaving any further details out, and grins from ear to ear.  She wanted to see if the engineer could figure out what she meant while she decided what to go with;  coffee, tea, hot cocoa, a soft drink or a slightly less 'soft' one.

With Saskia and Yas still aboard the ship and, in theory at least, working, the rest of the crew, and the passengers, take the time to look around the highport...

Jago takes an elevator up to the business admin offices to discuss cargoes, while Shui, Tylen and Ash head off to do a little shopping.  Eneris wanders off somewhere alone, with a promise to call in to the ship every couple of hours, and Corlan announces that he and Keryn are going to visit a museum, which brings a grimace from her, though she seems cheerful enough as they head off together...

Shui begins her shopping.

It's a little out of the ordinary for her, though, as she has rather critical supplies to locate.  Her souvenir of this stop can wait until she finds what she needs for tonight.  So the Steward immediately begins heading into whatever appropriate stores exist, seeking out the necessary purchases.

"What?"

Saskia looks at Yas curiously, not sure what the First Officer is talking about, "I have no idea what you're talking about.  Have you been sniffing frelling gun lube or something."

She sips her coffee and asks, "Everybody else ashore?  How come you're still here?  I would have thought you'd be poking about for some new gadget to add to your suit."

Tylen isn’t too surprised that he can find a shop selling security equipment on the level close to the landing area, and he uses the information he had downloaded to his data glove to work out where the nearest supplier would be.  However, it didn’t take long to find the internal transport hub, and then the journey was fairly swift as well.

How strict must their litter laws be? he wonders as he notices how clean and litter free the transport is.  ”Perhaps the jump onto the repulsor field really is the limit of childhood exuberance …

The transport drops him almost right outside the store, so he makes his way inside and starts to look for the security department.  The signs show that it is close to the Chefs’ equipment, and Tylen raises his eyebrows slightly at the positioning.  However, almost as soon as he moves forward he spots Ash by  one of the displays.

Surprised to see the navigator he makes his way across to the man.  ”I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” he says with a smile.  ”Looking for something in particular?”
This message was last edited by the player at 10:40, Tue 13 Dec 2011.

Ash has to stop to ask directions at a kiosk as it becomes apparent that he is unlikely to find what he is looking for near the docks.  A quick ride on the very fast and incredibly immaculately-maintained transport car finds the navigator of the Profit Margin a bit far afield.  However, Ash enjoys the small foray, a minor bit of exploration; in fact, he hums quietly to himself almost the entire way.

Once at the store he is looking for; Ash looks up with satisfaction.  The kiosk terminal didn't lie.  Likely uniforms and livery can be found at this establishment, if they can be found anywhere on station.  He holds the door open for some exiting patrons and then makes his way past most of the work jump suits and coveralls towards a counters with customized designs and some personnel managing said counter.

When Tylen's voice addressed him, Ash startles a bit.  "Ah, Mr. Ogresh..." he notes as he recovers and turns to face his fellow scout, "I could say the same of you."  Ash returns Tylen's smile, though his is perhaps a bit more sheepish.  "As I noted on the bridge.  I'm just looking to get a set of ship's livery for the crew.  Nothing too extravagant - merely a set of patches that might be affixed to the clothing to denote our association."  He fingers a couple of samples and sets aside a couple of potential candidates.  Each are embroidered, one with hotter colors and one with cooler blues and greens.  Both patches have simple sans serif lettering and small emblems reminiscent of an idealized five-armed galaxy.  "What do you think of these?" Ash ventures.

As he looks at both of the patches again, Ash rubs his chin for a moment.  "There is space for a motto, as well." he notes thoughtfully, "Has the crew of the Margin adopted one?"

"I would think the patches might add a touch of professionalism and such." he states matter-of-factly.  Then he reddens slightly and adds quickly, "N-not that we aren't professionals without them..."

”A set of ship’s livery?” Tylen questions with a frown.  He had, vaguely overheard some comments about a ship’s livery as he was leaving the bridge earlier, but he really hadn’t taken it seriously.  ”On the margin?” and he doesn’t think to suppress the chuckle that the image brings to mind.

”While that might work for the trading lines, I can’t really see it on an old tramp trader like the margin.  It’s not as if we have a bunch of pretty cooker cutter crew, who spend years in the same job now, is it?”  and it is clear that he really doesn’t take the idea very seriously at all.  ”We are just a bunch of old reprobates, and uniforms, no matter how  basic, aren’t really going to change that, are they?  And we have so few passengers they get all introduced to the crew, and their roles, personally.”  he grins and pauses for a moment.  ”I never really felt the need to belong to a club with a badge or a motto.” he adds casually, before realising that the comment might be seen as impolite.

”Hrmmph, I’m here to get some security  gear." he offers quickly, trying to change the subject, " It might work in my favour if I can scare the shit out of people before I have to shoot them.” he continues nonchalantly.  ”Although I’m not quite sure what they have here yet though.  These high law planets tend to be a bit scrubby about some sorts of kit.”
This message was last edited by the player at 09:36, Wed 14 Dec 2011.

Nice to meet you Miss Armitage, thank you for seeing me. I’m leaving for Rangent in the next day or so and I’m interested in several of the items that are on offer, most of them actually.

Jago passes over the list he’s printed off
20 tons of refined ferrous metal ingots.  Cr   600 per ton (Cr12,000 total)
   5 tons of machine parts.                 Cr12,000 per ton (Cr60.000 total)
   2 tons of crystals.                      Cr30,000 per ton (Cr60,000 total)
   8 tons of protein concentrates.          Cr 2,200 per ton (Cr17,600 total)

I did consider some of the prices mentioned here a little steep though, and wondered if there were any room for negotiation. The crystals are the main point at issue, I’m not overly confident of the market at the other end and I’m still not sure whether I should invest in them, or not.

Tylen's chuckle only elicits a slightly rueful smile from Ash.  And small shrug.

Ash purses his lips slightly as he listens to Tylen explain why uniforms would never work on the Profit Margin.  He can only nod slightly as he pulls the samples back across the counter to inspect them further.  They look mighty interesting to him for a moment.  Then the quiet moment passes and he merely offers another slight shrug as he notes quietly and simply, "I-I don't think that the crew lacks moral direction..."  But of course, his fellow scout may feel quite differently.

Ash glances at his companion for a moment, giving him an appraising look when Tylen mentions purchasing his own uniform.  The irony is not lost upon him, but all that appears on his lips is a small smile.  "Good luck in your search." he notes with a touch of genuine enthusiasm.

After a momentary pause, the navigator quips rather happily, "Maybe you should wear the thing on your 'hot date'.  Women love men in uniform."  The raised eyebrow and slightly crooked, slightly sardonic smile that accompanies the statement reinforce the levity with which that last statement is made.

Yas chuckles and taps her own cheek in response to the engineer's rhetorical question.

"I'm on duty.  Our Lord and Master..." she starts and fails to keep a straight face, "Heheh.  Jago wants someone on the bridge at all time in case we get business, and I took first watch.  Then we'll all cycle around, taking turns, except for you and Jago, who will take over whenever he is done.  So if we stay a long time he'll be not getting any sleep, the old boy.  You got enough to do already, I bet."

Picking up a cup she decided to go for some coffee, rare as it is.  It might get her hyper enough to annoy someone at some point, or just keep her awake until she is done shopping.

"As for upgrades, doubt they have much here, but I'll check when I go off.  Might at perhaps find some civilian grade hardware, which will do until we can get in touch with our friends with the real deal."

Tylen frowns for a moment at Ash’s most literal interpretation of reprobate, but chuckles heartily at the idea of wearing his uniform to his Hot date.  ”The whole point is to be impressive to the point of being oppressive, without having to shoot someone.” Tylen  continues with a smile, well aware that he is speaking of a semi-official uniform current among the security profession.  ”The whole point is to have an extra weapon in the locker.  One that makes people think that I have right of way or that I have some extra authority that I don’t.” he continues ”A bit of a mind game, headology if you like,  that uses other peoples’ own expectation.” he pauses for a moment before he continues ”Although I expect it to have good armour capabilities as well.  Just in case.” He grins.

Then with a sly smile he adds ”I can just see Shui being impressed by me turning up at a restaurant dressed like a repressive security guard.” he comments, half  amused by the whole ‘hot date’ thing and surprised that Ash is taking Yas’s quip even half seriously.  Where did they think he was going to get a ‘hot date’ on a planet they had never visited before, all before they had cleared customs?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:32, Thu 15 Dec 2011.

Ash notices Tylen's frowns out of the corner of his eye when the navigator denies the presence of any questionable morals in the group.  But he also knows that his companion used the word first, and was likely well aware of its meaning.  Ash thinks no less of him, as he knows from the actions that he as seen in the last couple of weeks from the man - whether sparring with crewmates, interacting with passengers, or retrieving friends under heightened tension siutations -, that Tylen is far from amoral.  He may be flippant, sarcastic and a bit of scoundrel in other ways, but Ash's limited experience with Tylen has given him a glimpse of a genuinely caring and conscientious person hidden beneath.  At least, that is what Ash thinks he sees.

A raised eyebrow accompanies Tylen's explanation of the use of a uniform and who he is meeting for dinner.  Ash is not exactly surprised that Tylen and Shui are meeting for dinner, but given the Doctors previous protestations a few weeks ago, Ash does find it an interesting turn of events.  It makes sense given the time the two spent together on the Profit Margin's hull in System 728-907 and then again in the Denotam Customs line.

Ash nods as he agrees amiably, "Avoiding violence whether via an implicit deterrent or otherwise is an admirable goal, especially now that we are in the private sector.  I think that a uniform would be a great idea.  Have you chosen a color scheme?"  He gives his fellow scout a slightly self-depricating smile, as he adds, "Not that I am much of a fashionista - but, I am having some issues envsioning you settling on a simple white and blue, collared coverall..."

"Black." the ex-scout says with a grin "With a bit of grey for the hell of it." he adds.  "If I get it right, I will be able to do everything from a standard perimeter patrol, right up to full blown riot squad." he half chuckles at the thought, "Accessorised with every thing from a massive torch, that doubles as a club, through a shot gun ... up to, and including, the laser-carbine." he pauses again to allow Ash to picture the various 'Tylens' before he continues "Although I won't be able to get everything I need here."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:34, Fri 16 Dec 2011.

Shui continues to poke her way through the stores, studying things here and there...purchasing things here and there.  Some small items here, a larger item there.  Sometimes it requires a little time for testing, other times she knows what she wants the moment she sets eyes on it.  It's a quest, really, just like her other searches through curio shops on the hunt for a souvenir of a world she visits, but this time with a more focused intent.

Ash and Tylen spend a little time studying the uniforms.  Black seems to be a popular colour, in numerous styles, usually with the word "security", in Anglic or Bilanidin script (or both) somewhere on the tunic, in various colours and sizes, apparently depending on the degree of subtlety the wearer is trying for.  There is also the option to add text, to the customer's specification - company names, wearer's names, ship names...  There is, however, nothing in the way of armour more resistant than basic ballistic cloth and reflec coveralls...

The broker calls up some information on her terminal, then says, "The crystals are prime quality flawless zanalium with a guaranteed minimum transparency of 99.8%, manufactured here, in orbit above Denotam.  As I'm sure you realise, zanalium sees use in many high technology applications, notably as the basic raw material for spacecraft viewports.  I might be able to arrange a reduction in price for you, since you are prepared to take the whole consignment."  Miss Armitage smiles, and so the negotiations begin...

Shui meanwhile browses the stores, picking out various items every now and then.  Soon she has accumulated a small collection of shopping bags emblazoned with the logos of several different establishments...

And back aboard the ship Saskia and Yas drink coffee and chat in the relative silence.  Not total silence, of course - there is always something humming, buzzing or cheeping somewhere aboard the ship.  Saskia could probably tell an interested party (assuming she could find one) exactly what each of those sounds represents.  Still, at least for the moment, nothing is blaring, ringing, or howling...

Tylen selects a black coverall made of ballistic cloth,  as well as shirts , trousers, nad jackets made of more conventional materials, all in black or grey – some with security emblazoned on  them, others plain. Most of the clothes that have  SECURITY written on them show little or no subtly – it is either writ large across the back of the jacket or across the left breast.  If he decided to look like a full blown security man, then there is going to be no doubt about it.  However, there is just enough subtlety about some  of the items that he could look more like a perimeter patrol guy, if he chose to.

The costumes are finished off with the ubiquitous ‘Security Man’ belt that comes with a number of detachable holsters, loops and pouches. Along with a black beret, complete with a stylised security badge at the front.

He packages most of the items. And then arranges to have the packages delivered to the ship.  Then, with a nod to Ash, he prepares for dinner and checks the route to the restaurant.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Sun 18 Dec 2011.

Saskia wipes at her face, then checks her hand.  Sure enough, there is a fresh smear of lubricant there.  Looks like Yas wasn't just winding her up.  "Oh, I have enough to do.  You know how it is.  I sit at my station, where nobody ever shows their face, and I read fashion magazines and sip fine wines all day.  Then I ask Jago for cash.  He gives me it, thinking it's to buy parts for the thing, you know, the watchamacallit?  The engine or whatever it's called.  In fact it's for me to buy best Darrian chocolate, which I eat while sipping my wine."

A sigh, and a sad smile, "And for doing all that, I'm almost as overpaid as you are."

As Yas explains about the upgrades for her power armor, Saskia nods, "If you need any help with fitting the upgrades, let me know."

Finally finished with her purchases, Shui removes herself to the local facilities, where she can deal with her preparations in private.  Finding an unoccupied stall, the steward quickly divests herself of her clothing and changes into her newest purchases, staring with the long-length, slit-side cheongsam.  It only takes moments, legacy of her training; her father would, no doubt, be impressed by how much she has retained despite the years separating her from him.  The steward's uniform goes in the bag, and Shui slips out to the mirror, her footsteps clicking slightly.

Stiletto-heels are impractical, but medium-height works quite well for her.

She's not much one for anything but very light makeup, fortunately, for the mirror isn't exactly top choice for that kind of delicate adjustment.  A touch of eyeshadow, a small change to the lipstick, and not much more.  Judging herself adequate, Shui then turns to her hair.  It's one thing for which she holds a fair amount of pride.  The work she did aboard the ship still holds up - again, simple, and meant to go with her long, straight locks rather than fight them.  Small hoop earrings replace the simple studs in her ears.

The dataglove goes in her small doctor's bag, set to alert her if a message comes in.

Finished, she slips into a short-length jacket, tight, its style a contrast to the dress without clashing, the groatle wool shimmering slightly to compliment the thick silk of the cheongsam.  Retrieving her dataglove, she checks the placement of the restaurant and finds a delivery company on the way - a quick stop and a sealed package will send her clothing back to the ship, leaving her with herblack bag.

One final check and, satisfied, she marches out of the facilities on the way to the delivery service.

Tylen had part taken Ash’s advice, and although he wasn’t dressed in his new security guards uniform he had selected parts of it to wear.

A shirt, worn open necked over a white t-shirt matched with black trousers and plain black boots  - all brand new today.  While they might not be the most sophisticated of clothes, they are probably the smartest that he was worn for a good many years.  A new lightweight black jacket, still cut informally, completes his wardrobe for the evening.

Back on the public transport system, Tylen suddenly remembers another purchase he wanted to make, and uses his data glove to order some wine sent to the Margin in his name.  However, not really being much of a wine buff, he chooses a half-case selection box – which promises, in its advertising, to give him a taste of half-a-dozen different wines that are among the most popular on Denotam.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:13, Thu 22 Dec 2011.

Jago returns the smile, considers his cigar for a moment, a fresh one for the occasion, and makes an offer.

OOC.
I’ll try for 130,000 for the whole caboodle and accept whatever I end up with, (writing this before rolling the dice and not knowing target numbers).

12:58, Today: Jago Lanza rolled 5 using 2d6+2. Bargaining using JoT.

Oh well, never mind :O)

The broker smiles at Jago.  This is, of course a familiar game for her.  "I would probably be able to accept 145,000 for the entire mixed cargo.  I'd need to confirm the individual prices with the vendors.  But I'm almost certain they would accept pro rata shares of that, but it's unlikely I'll be able to go any lower." 

On the ship, Saskia and Yas continue discussing just how hard their lives are aboard Profit Margin, a ship which ensures that they nestle securely in the lap of luxury, and consume only the finest foods and beverages.

In separate areas of the vast orbital city, Tylen and Shui make their own preparations for the dinner date, while Ash continues with his shopping...

“One hundred and forty five,” Jago considers for a while, it’s more than he hoped for but not unreasonable, he could push for a better price, but wants to keep the broker on board for another matter.

“Very well Miss Armitage, if you could arrange that I’d be grateful."

"I have another matter you might be able to help me with,” he goes on, “do you think you could find me a good price on general medical supplies, anaesthetics, antibiotics, equipment and instruments, the sort of higher tech stuff rather than bandages and disinfectants. I’m looking for five tones, ready to go in the next day or so.”

"Yeah, like he trust me to keep this place safe, leeting me play with big guns and shoot things and people, and he pays me for it so I can get more toys!" Yas replies, sounding very much like the ship's fool while sporting an equally foolish grin.

"But yeah, wouldn't trust anyone else to fit upgrades," she adds, switching to a more serious yet cordial tone.  She sips from her cup and muses for a moment until she swallows and clears her throat before speaking.

"So what do you think of Ash?"

Her package sent, Shui continues her stroll toward the restaurant, taking in the sights and sounds.  Occasionally she pauses, opening her small black bag to check the directions on her dataglove.  The starport would be a bewildering place without it, all stores, levels, and milling crowds of people - this one is quite busy.

Different, also, than many starports of she has experienced in the past.  There are no holstered pistols, no shok-rods, not even knives (vibro or otherwise) in evidence.  No armored groups, no suspiciously-hanging jackets.  Weapons, for a change, are not de rigure.

She cannot help but smile.  Then a thought crosses her mind, and the smile wipes away.  Shaking her head at her own foolishness, Shui picks up her pace slightly, the iridescent threads woven into the small jacket flaring and shimmering in the artificial light.  Better to arrive in the area a touch early and survey the views, the stores, and the crowds, than show up fashionably late.  Certainly it makes for a better entrance, but it also keeps someone waiting.  In Shui's mind, to trade the one for the other is not equitable.

Fortunately, the spaceport can only be so large, and she hasn't taken too much time with her shopping.

Finally back at around the right levels for the restaurant, Tylen checks his reflection in a window and kills time window shopping.

"Ash?  Well, he seems like he knows his job." Saskia says, cautious in case this is some sort of trap.  Yas does like to play games, after all.

"And he's polite.  Not like Ridge.  I guess he's all right."  Then, just to divert attention away from her own answers, she adds, "What about Tylen?  You have the most to do with him, how is he to work with?"

Ash nods approvingly to Tylen's choices and does not ask what else his crewmate might be contemplating also getting.  He is interested, but not that interested - and likely anything too ostentatious will be seen by him eventually.  Besides, the navigator has his own list to complete anyways and time is starting to grow short.  He gives Tylen a thumbs up and a quick "See you back at the Margin" before he returns to patches on the counter and orders a dozen or so, making a choice of one of them.

He then wanders through a couple of the departments grabbing some various work related items.  Most of them are work clothes and uniforms, but he also picks up a set of reflec coveralls as well as a couple of ballistic cloth coveralls as well and a bag to carry everything.

Purchases in hand, Ash heads back towards the Profit Margin.  Of course, that means that he needs to go through security and customs which he suspects that may take some time, especially with his new purchases.  And he still needs to grab something quick to eat, However, with a little time to spare by his calculations, Ash doesn't rush too much and tries to enjoy the ride and scenery back out to the port berths.

"Heh, certainly not like Ridge," Yas grins and then watches the engineer silently for a second or two, the expression turning inscrutable.  A small shrug and then she speaks again, "Ty's been with us a while and he's all right.  Works surprisingly well with others, considering he's an ex scout."

"And, he's not like Ridge either," she adds a moment later, with another, bigger grin.

Finally reaching the level proper, Shui strolls for her destination.  She has some time, but not much; shopping has eaten up the minutes and navigating took what remained.  So while she doesn't hurry, neither does she stop to check the nearby restaurants.

As always, she unconciously surveys the crowds, an old, trained reaction to being in the open and surrounded by people.  And while her skill at picking people out has dulled over time, Tylen is someone she knows and expects.  So it's hardly surprising she catches sight of him.

Shui pauses to study the gunner as he lingers at a window.  They match, colourwise, though Shui is all in ebony, her coat lustrous with the groatle, her cheongsam deep, heavy silk.  She nervously checks her own clothing again; perhaps she should have gone for deep red, insted?  It's fine, Shui.  Calm yourself.  She adjusts her half-length, full-sleeved jacket, settling its open neck around the collar of her night-black, subtly patterned cheongsam, checks her hair, then moves toward Tylen, edging into his line of sight as he turns from the window.

"Mr. Orgesh," she calls out, just loudly enough to catch his attention.

OOC - I put a picture of the cheongsam in my character description.  :)  The jacket is an open, bolero type, the sort without a collar.     

Tylen turns at the sound of his name, and the corners of his lips turn up slightly he recognises the familiar voice of the steward.  As he turns, he catches his first sight of her new style.  A long, slit sided, evening dress cut in the oriental fashion, the jacket with iridescent threads, the heels …

”Wow” Tylen says softly, clearly unprepared for the sight that stands before him ” You look spectacular.”   he shuffles his feet for a moment, perhaps unsure of where to go from  here or perhaps wishing that he had dressed up a bit more himself.  Although, for Tylen, this is probably the smartest he has been for years.

The with a smile he steps to one side and holds an arm out towards her, ”Shall we …” he asks.

Shui and Tylen enter the restaurant...

Jago, meanwhile, concludes his negotiations with Miss Armitage. Cr145,000 for a mixed cargo of metal ingots, machine parts, crystals and protein concentrate.  While the broker doesn't deal with passenger bookings herself, she is able to provide Jago with information regarding places where he should be able to contact people who are interested in passage to Rangent.

Ash arrives back at the docking bay and enters his access code to gain entry to the ship, the familiar screech of the ramp echoing through the otherwise quiet Profit Margin and interrupting Saskia and Yas as they discuss certain other crew members...

Ash intends to stop by his quarters to drop off his purchases before heading up to the bridge.  He stops dead in his tracks as he runs headlong into Saskia and Yasmine talking.  He has a 'deer in the headlights' moment and a slightly crooked, slightly shy smile appears.  "Ms. Blake, Ms. Crow." he says with a nod.  Then when Ash realizes that he has interrupted a conversation, he averts his eyes as a "Pardon me." escapes his lips and he bustles to his quarters to drop off his relatively full new duffel bag.

He reappears a few minutes later sans duffel and duster and notes dutifully to Yasmine, "Reporting for comm-monitoring duty, Ma'am."  Ash moves to the counter to grab himself a cup of black coffee.  The reticule on Ash's headband is down close to his eye and there is a faint backlight implying that it is active and streaming data.  As he brings the cup to his lips for a taset, Ash turns and pauses for a pregnant moment to regard both Saskia and Yasmine to see if his presence is welcome or if he is intruding...
This message was last edited by the player at 06:34, Wed 04 Jan 2012.

Just finishing her comment about ex-scouts and not being like Ridge, Yas wonders how long Ash been out there and focuses on her drink until he reports for duty.

"Ma'am?"  She sounds amused.  "Really, no need for all that.  Yas'll do, Ash.  So, found anything when shopping?"  The question seems earnest, moments before she eyes him from top to toe from behind the rim of the cup, the eyes and cheek seeming to suggest a smile is playing on her lips, although the reason for it remains unclear.

As the cup comes down she is still smiling and nods to a free seat.  "Relax, sit down.  We'll hear any activity ont he bridge from here easy enough.  I'll soon be out of you hair, well, figuratively speaking."  She puckers her lips in a crooked smile.  "Never been in it literally, yet."

"Of course.  Please forgive my formality." the lanky navigator conceded.  He offers an explanation, adding, "Old habits die hard."  As for Yasmine's query about shopping.  He shrugs slightly and says, "It's nice out there, hopefully, both of you get a chance to take a look.  As for me, I needed to pick up more work clothes - coveralls and such."

Ash looks thoughtful for a moment, before his hand goes into one of his breastpockets and comes back out with a couple of round clothing patches; ones that have an emblem with a set of stylized stars, planets and a ship that looks remarkably like a Vanrijn-Class Frontier Merchant in the foreground.  A motto 'Profit Margin: Soaring to Unimagined Vistas' adorns the lower edge.  Ash offers one each to Yas and Saskia, noting, "I picked these up as well."  He gives them a moment before prompting, "What do you think?"

"Thank you," Ash notes with a nod, and then after a brief pause, "...Yas."  He smiles and sits in a nearby chair as bidden by the Security Chief.  Ash tries to be nonchalant about it, but is only partly successful.

He sputters slightly, eyes slightly wide open, when Yas' innuendo catches him mid-sip.  Ash glances uncertainly at Yasmine, not quite sure what to make of the flirtation, "I-if, if you insist..."  His free, left hand moves instinctively to his short cropped hair, running his fingers over it briefly, if a bit nervously.

Obviously uncomfortable with all of the attention, he glances over at Saskia and clears his throat slightly.  "Umm... " the navigator ventures, "I seem to have stumbled into the middle of something here.  You weren't talking about me?  Uh, were you?"  A slightly rueful smile accompanies his words, "I mean, I can say with some authority that there's not really that much to talk about..."

Saskia studies the patch carefully.  "No, we weren't talking about you.  Not when you came in, anyway."  There is a slight smile accompanying the statement.

She turns the patch over and examines the back of it.  Apparently satisfied with that side of things, she turns it over a scrutinises the design again, holding it closer to her eyes.  "I think this is a later model, maybe the Mark Three or Four.  The sensor housing is a different shape.  And it has a standard turret.  The Margin's dorsal turret was replaced with a new one, different design, to house the plasma guns.

"But somebody would have to really know the ship, and look frelling close at the picture to notice the differences.  Is this one mine?"

The engineer doesn't offer the patch back to the navigator.

Jago takes a leisurely stroll back to the Margin, indulging in a little window shopping, a lengthy conversation with a friendly tobacconist and a good twenty five minutes in a fast food establishment. He arrives, eventually, with a large package of cigars and a ‘cat that got the cream’ expression.

Ash quirks an eyebrow when Saskia tells him that he is not the current topic of conversation.  As slight shrug accomanpanies the rather noncommittal "I see.  Umm... That's good.  I think."

His expression and demeanor relaxes visibly into a geniune smile when Saskia offers some tacit approval of the livery patches.  "Of course.  It's yours.  I have enough for everyone, plus some spares..." he offers, when the Margin's engineer asks about keeping it.  After he takes another sip of his coffee, his tone is slightly rueful as he concedes, "The graphic of the Vanrijn is a stock one that they had on file."  With a slight shrug, he adds, "Besides I figured that it would likely not be best to advertise all of our ship upgrades on such simple patches ..."  Another slight smile and another sip.

He glances at Yas before looking back at Saskia as he ventures, "Do you think that Captain Lanza will approve of them?"  He purses his lips for a moment and then adds, "Mr. Ogresh did not think that such patches were quite appropriate for the crew of the Margin.  Not his style, I suspect."

"Working clothes?  All work and no play, eh?  Yeah, I was planning to go out soon, in fact.  Heavy weapons and stuff.  Here that probably means toothpicks," Yas says and nods slowly.

She watches him call her Yas as she picks up the patch to study it, the smile going slightly crooked before she focuses on the patch.  "Don't worry, I don't bite.  Usually," she comments offhand and then waves the patch like a fan, almost touching it with the other, cupped, hand.  "Not sure about the patches, but it gave me an idea.  Well, one I am willing to share here anyway...  Coasters, with images of the real Margin on it.  Probably one of those things that 'accidentally' ends up in people's luggage, but it'd be a nice little touch, what do you think?"

"Oh yeah, we were talking about you just before.  Usually the best time to talk about people, when they aren't around, don't you think?  Not talking behind your back, mind you, wouldn't do with shipmates.  Well, except Ridge, but let's forget him as quickly as possible again and focus on someone else.  There, all gone," she says with an slowly growing grin on her lips, watching Ash carefully.

It doesn't look like Ash will have to wait too long to find out if Jago will approve of the patches, as the captain returns to the ship and steps into the lounge around about then, just as Yas is explaining about talking about people when they are not around...

The navigator is looking up at an incredibly interesting spot on the ceiling when Yas notes he is 'all work and no play'.  The spot is incredibly interesting.  So much so, that Ash apparently forgets to respond.

Once the patches are distributed and the two women have had a chance to look at them, Ash tilts his head slightly, his brow furrowed and smile grows lopsided when Yasmine mentions using the patches as coasters.  He purses his lips and notes, ever so slightly dejectedly, "Well... while I have some spares, I didn't quite get enough of these to give away to every potential passenger..."  He gives a slight shrug and then he adds, "We could likely order more, though ..."

When Yas and Saskia mention discussing their crewmates, the lanky ex-Scout swallows hard and nods silently.  He seems a bit at a loss for what to say, likely he would be getting himself in more trouble no matter what he said with respect to gossip and whether it should be done behind one's back.  However, his curiosity does get the better of him just a little.  "Uh," he ventures, "who is or was 'Ridge'?"

He starts to stand, pushing back his chair when Jago enters the lounge.

There’s a bit of a spring in his step as Jago enters the lounge and a wry smile crinkles up the corners of his mouth on finding Yasmine in full tease mode, as usual.

“Don’t get up,” he tells Ash with a smile as he heads for the coffee pot.

Once he has a big, steaming mug of Java, or a reasonable substitute, Jago turns back to the others, “everything quiet?” he asks, “any calls?”

"I'll let Yas tell you about Ridge.  He was her best friend after all." Saskia says with a barely repressed laugh.

Jago's arrival and subsequent question brings a more serious response, "Fuel plant's looking good, Jago.  Couple more hours and she should be all done and back in working order.  Good as ever."

"Never figured you for one with a death wish, Sas," Yas says, slowly shaking her head, secretly kicking Saskia on the shin under the table.  "He's an ex member of this crew and let's just say he was not quite the gift to womankind as he believed himself to be, and leave it that.  And you needn't worry, nothing untoward is being said about you, or anyone, except the one we're not talking about anymore," she explains, then looks up at Jago.

"All too quiet, hence the need for caffeine.  But I'll head out to do some shopping, or whatever passes for that here.  How about you, any luck with cargo or such?" she says and then continues, waving a thumb at Ash, "Mr. Newcomer here brought patches for us.  I'll let you decide on that, but I got the idea for coasters from it.  Not that we actually need coasters, but commercial gimmick, you know, as popular as towels to remember to pack by accident?"

"And no, not these actual patches, sillybrains, these would not do, especially not if we're to put them on our, uh, clothes," she tells Ash and playfully slaps him on the head with her patch.

At that precise moment, almost as if to prove Yas a liar, a musical chime comes from the bridge, signifying an incoming message...

Saskia’s assessment is acknowledged with a smile and a nod, “plenty of time to go ashore when you’re done,” he says.

“Yea, I got a good deal on a speculative cargo,” he tells Yasmin, “just one little item to finish off, I’m expecting a call.”  “Ah, that could be it,” he continues as the chime rings out.

Jago is still talking as he heads for the bridge, coffee in one hand, cigar in the other, “patches and coasters will have to wait for a while but you can cancel the rest of the phone watch roster, now that I’m back.”

A familiar comfort enfolds the Captain as he drops into his pilots chair, and he takes a slug from the coffee mug before toggling the coms switch.

“This is the Profit Margin, Captain Lanza speaking,” he tells the device.

"Ah," Ash agrees amiable, "I see." to Yas' explanation about the man called Ridge.  Apparently, some things are better left well alone.  And this former crewmember is one of them.  It is interesting to him, since from what he can see the crew is quite tight knit.  So, that one former member is a persona non grata speaks volumes, in a sense.

He sits back down, when Jago tells him not to get up, nodding in acknowledgment to the Captain.  "Yes, S-..." starts to escape his lips before he catches himself.  He transitions (rather poorly) to "Boss."  A shake of the head accompanies his response to Jago's question about any calls, "No calls that I am aware of."

Ash lets out a slight exhalation and mutely accepts the tap on the head with the coaster livery patch.  His mouth opens to start to correct Yas about being able to affix the item to any set of clothing, but then catches himself and merely looks down at his coffee while biting his tongue (literally and figuratively).

The call startles him slightly and he's about to start answering it when Jago makes like he would prefer to answer it himself.  The Captain's assurance that he is expecting the call completely nullifies any chance that Ash has to excuse himself.  He purses his lips for a moment.  "I would have thought, Yas..." the navigator notes with a slight, crooked smile, "that as Security Chief that you would have liked to have had some subtle professional detail for those, albeit potentially rare, occasions that warrant it..."  He didn't envision that she would necessarily wear it all of the time, but given the quite loyal nature of the current crew, Ash seems to think that a small symbol of their allegiance would not be out of line at and potentially welcomed.

"Hello Captain Lanza, this is Saedra Armitage." the broker's voice sounds cheerful, "I believe I've found you a shipment of medical supplies.  I have a five ton consignment of Loxibac Breathe-Easy, packed in ten sealed containers.  It's completely legal, both here and at Rangent, a treatment for people with allergy-induced breathing difficulties.  I'm authorised to offer you the whole consignment for Cr25,000."

She pauses for a moment, then asks, "Additionally, I need to ask you, is your ship equipped with low passage berths?"

Out in the lounge, Ash, Yas and Saskia are still discussing other crewmembers, souvenirs, and uniform insignia...

“Miss Armatage, thank you for calling so promptly.”

“That shipment sounds ideal, does it have a ‘use by’ date?”

As he talks, Jago will open up a link and try to check out the product, trying to make sure he’s being offered a fair price.

“We have six low births, and properly qualified personnel to maintain and operate them, they are all free at the moment.”

"I like mine, Ash.  Thank you." Saskia assures Ash, before lifting her coffee mug to her lips, only to lower it again as she realises it's empty.

"Well, I suppose I have no excuse not to get back to work again."

Ash nods to Saskia, "Thank you."  The gratitude is obvious in his voice.  There is also a touch of relief.

When she starts to rise to leave, Ash pushes back his chair as well.  "Ah, Ms. Blake." he offers tentatively after clearing his throat for a moment, "Do you require any help?  I can't say that I have much formal training with respect to starship drives or fuel reprocessing plants specifically, but I am pretty handy with a wrench."  He shrugs slightly, as he knows that some engineers can be particular about who touches what on their ship.

He offers her a slight smile, before adding, "And sometimes an extra pair of hands or eyes can be useful..."

"One of my contacts happened to mention to me that they have four people seeking Low passage to Zircon, who would be prepared to change ships en route, if necessary.  I wondered if you would be interesting in taking them at least as far as Rangent?" Armitage explains, "I should tell you, though, that two of these passengers are actually felons, being returned to the Zircon system to stand trial, while the others are contracted law enforcement operatives, charged with escorting them there."

“Hmmm,” Jago studies his cigar as he considers the proposition, “can I get back to you on that, I don’t see a problem but I’d like to run it passed my security chief.”

Once he’s tided up details of payment and delivery for the medicine, and arraigned to ‘ring her back’, Jago says goodbye to Miss Armitage and breaks the connection.

“Yasmin”, he says over the intercom, "if you have a minuet before you go ashore, could I have a word on the bridge.”

Draining his coffee cup Jago has lets out a long sigh of satisfaction, ’dammed fine coffee’.

Saskia makes her way back to engineering, the patch tucked firmly into a pocket of her coveralls, leaving Yas and Ash alone in the crew lounge.  Then Jago's voice comes from the intercom, requesting the presence of his First Officer on the bridge.  With a roll of her eyes and a theatrical sigh, Profit Margin's Security Chief shuffles through to see the Captain.

Leaving Ash alone in the lounge...
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:39, Sun 29 Jan 2012.

Entering her work area, the first thing Saskia does is blank the biggest wall monitor in the place, and set the display to black.  She studies herself for a few seconds in the reflective surface before sighing.  Then she removes the patch from her pocket.  Still watching herself in the makeshift mirror she holds the patch up against her shoulder, her upper arm, the chest of her overalls.  Seeking the best placement for it.

Finally she presses it against her forehead, where it sticks, albeit briefly.  "Should take a shower before I go anywhere, I suppose." she mutters.

The patch falls off, and she barely manages to catch it and return it safely to her pocket.

Turning to the fuel purifier, she calls out, "You haven't finished fixing yourself yet?  What have you been doing while I was gone?"

Ash watches Saskia quietly pad away without a response to him; a raised eyebrow is all that he can give her retreating form.  Then he turns and watches Yasmine for a moment as she makes her way to bridge.  The navigator gives her a small salute as she leaves.

All alone again, he shrugs slightly and runs his hands though his short cropped hair for a moment.  He walks to the sink and washes his empty coffee cup in the sink for a moment and then places it securely on the drying rack.  He turns around to look over the empty crew lounge for a moment, standing with his hands on the edge of the sink for a moment.

He stands up straight, shakes his head to no one in particular for a moment, and starts walking towards his stateroom.  Ash pats the pocket with the rest of the livery patches, a slight, crooked smile playing on his face as walked and hummed an old Solomani marching tune.  A bit of time in the fresher and a good book were probably in order...

“Yasmin, this won’t take a mo, we have the opportunity to take four low birth passengers but, two of them are prisoners being taken to Zircon for trial, the other two being their escort, do you have a problem with that, from a security point of view?”

Ash's salute is returned not with a salute but with a teasing grin as her eyes linger briefly on him.  As she walks off she mutters something about a shower and turns to look ahead so she does not end up walking into the door frame or a wall.

Once on the bridge she finds the wall, however, and takes advantage of its mostly immobile nature to lean up against it in a rather casual fashion.

"Low birth, eh?  As long as we make sure we know who's who so we thaw up the right ones first, no problem.  They won't do much in the freezer, after all," Yas replies with a shrug.  "It's the part before and after that matters.  When will they be here?  I want to nip out for a bit, so I hope it's not now."

“I’ll bring them on tomorrow I’m thinking, I might get them in early and in the tanks before the regular guests arrive.”

“You go ashore Yasmin, take as long as you need but remember, we have a full hold this trip so no buying any combat aircraft of main battle tanks, OK?”

Nodding, Yas agrees, "Bringing them in before everybody else and out before too is a good idea.  The less contact the better."

Then she sighs, looking dejected.  "But Boss, I wanted to get a matching pair," she complains like a teenager to her dad.  The next second she smirks and shakes her head slowly, "Doubt I can even find models of those things here, beside, I was thinking of spreading my bike all over the place.  But I'll go get ready and make the place out there unsafe for a bit.  I'll be back before you miss me.  Well, before you miss me too much, anyway."

Jago chuckles, and waves his cigar as she leaves, “have fun Yasmin.”

Right, to business, first the crew, they all have their comms with them, right?

Clicking the switches that will set up a general broadcast Jago tells his microphone, ++“hope your all having fun folks. The Captains back on board so the rest of the roster is cancelled and I don’t actually need you back until the morning, so take advantage if you wish and I’ll see you then.”++

Next, the delightful Miss Armitage, “hello, yes, we can provide four low passages as far as Rangent, do you think they could come aboard during the morning, the various cargos also, I’d like to embark the other passengers around noon, shortly before we depart.”

Miss Armitage sounds pleased as Jago tells her that he's prepared to take on the criminals and their escorts, "That's excellent news, Captain.  I'll let my contact know, so he can pass word on to the passengers.  The enforcement officers are called... ah, here we are... Gan and Kvetz.  I'll see to it that they know they have to report to Profit Margin bright and early."

"The cargoes are all here, on the station, so there should be no difficulty getting them to you at a convenient time."

Meanwhile...

Saskia starts working on the fuel plant again, now reassembling it...

Yas starts the process of making herself the most fearsome visitor Denotam Highport has ever seen...

Ash takes the opportunity to grab a little downtime...

Jago's general announcement has given everybody an unexpected opportunity to relax.

Ash spends the evening in his room relaxing.  After unpacking and stowing the rest of his purchases, he turns down the gravity in the room and begins an extended stretching and exercise routine.  One that he started to use extensively about a decade ago during physical rehab for his right knee.  It has grown over time to encompass much more then just his injured leg, being a workout for his whole body eventually.  In the microgravity of the stateroom, Ash seems quite at home.  Even a casual 'fly-on-the-wall' observer would probably call him adept at maneuvering in zero gravity.

Even after the exercise routine is over, he floats and tumbles for a while longer, savoring the weightless feeling that envelopes him and guides his motion.  A comforting feeling that he had grown to enjoy during the long solitary stretches of n- and j-space during his time in the Scouts.  Plenty of alone time with only your thoughts and dreams to keep you company.  Literally bouncing off the walls in those circumstances entertained for only so long.

But for Ash, the quiet and solitude of the Deep Black always remained.  He smiles slightly as he floats in the middle of the room; laid out flat, arms behind his head - slowly drifting towards the bulkhead.

He might have drifted off to sleep then and there, but his chronometer chimed lightly.  So, Ash restores gravity in the room and then spends some time in the fresher cleaning off the day's accumulated grime before some light reading and finally succumbing sleep, allowing himself to take a nap for a couple of hours.

He awakens a couple of hours later to another chime from his chronometer.  And after getting dressed, the Profit Margin's navigator heads out to the crew lounge to grab a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat.  He washes down the last of a simple sandwich with a swig of dark black coffee, before standing to make his way to the bridge.  He hopes to find Jago there.  But, even if the Captain isn't on the bridge, Ash figures that he can always occupy himself with some preliminary astrogation calculations - there are only a finite number of destinations from Denotam, after all.

“Hello Ash,” Jago is lounging in the slightly saggy comfort of his well-worn pilots chair as the other enters, completely out of sight, except for the reflection in the view screens ahead. An unlit cigar rises above the back of the chair in a friendly wave.

Ash nods to Jago.  "Good evening, Boss." he responds to the Captain's greeting, "Figured I'd get a little ... er... jump on the jump calculations."  He adds slightly sheepishly, "Some of the higher order mathematical transforms, ah... help me to relax, to unwind."

As he unlocks the session to the navigator's console, Ash turns his head and asks, "What's on the plate for tomorrow?  It sounded like you were busy lining stuff up earlier..."  He taps on the dynamic console, pulling up the astrogation module and starting to input coordinates.  "I am assuming we are still going to Rangent, correct?"

As a slight afterthought, Ash prompts, "Oh, and do you need me to make a special arrangements for loading or stowage of cargo?"  The navigator knows, after all, that it is the Captain's prerogative to off-load some of those more onerous duties, if he so desires.

Jago swivels his chair so that Ash doesn’t have to speak to the back of it, and runs through the itinerary.

“We have some low birth passengers, these are a couple of prisoners and their minders so we’ll stay on the alert and get them tucked away first, before anything else that might cause complications.”

Reaching round Jago retrieves his battered old hand computer, flips it open and starts fiddling with the keys.

“Maybe I ought to make a note of this, for the others.”

“Once they are properly locked down we’ll get the cargo on board, it’s all going to Rangent and mostly low volume stuff so there’s no special stowage arrangements”

“We have a full load of passengers but they shouldn’t be here until late morning and if all goes well we’ll be off around noon.”

The chair creaks a little as Jago gets to his feet and moves over to slot the computer into a printer which whirs and clicks as it runs off a hard copy for him.

“If you want to relax, why not go back ashore and take in a show or something, , , actually, that reminds me, we should update our entertainment media.”