Casey's as it turns out, is better than some port bars the two Profit Margin crewmen have been in.  But not by a lot.  It also lacks the cosmopolitan atmosphere of most port bars, probably because there isn't really enough of a port to have a bar, and Casey's is more of a local bar that happens to be close to the dome entrance.

The exterior, close up, is a little shabby.  Inside, the bar is reasonably clean and well lit... and falls oddly silent about a second after the two strangers step through the door.  All eyes seem to be fixed on the two men... eyeing them up and down as if scanning every detail of their appearance.

The barkeep - presumably he's the barkeep, since he's standing behind the bar - greets his new customers with a "What'll it be?"  Although the words are harmless enough, they seem to be edged with a little of the same unfriendliness that pervades the rest of the room.

Ash pulls his duster lapels up and closer to his body and then moves up to the bar, patently trying with limited success to ignore all of the attention that he and Tylen are attracting.  He taps the bar lightly with his finger.  "Casey?" he ventures as the owner, "This establishment was recommended to us."  Ash figures that there is little use in trying to deny that he and Tylen are newcomers to the area.

"Whisk..." he starts to order and then stops himself with a slight twitch, changing his drink to, "Seltzer water."  He knows it is not very manly, nor likely to endear him to the barkeep or the patrons.  But Ash can't bring himself to order any alcohol for himself at this moment; he shouldn't break an oath he made a long time ago.

He glances at Tylen and prompts his fellow crewman, "Care for anything to drink?"

Standing at the bar, the Margin's navigator glances around the bar, his expression even, if a bit impassive.  Ash has his poker face up, as he surveys to see if there is going to be any trouble with the natives.  He really hopes not; he doesn't want any trouble.  But he also knows that the Universe doesn't necessarily cater to his whims.  Far from it, in his personal experience.

And while the shopping list is pulled up on his wrist computer, he doesn't make a move to place Shui's order quite yet.  Ash isn't convinced that the time is quite right yet.

Tylen raises his eyebrows slightly as Ash changes his mind in mid order.  ”I’ll have a beer.” Tylen responds to Ash, leaning on the bar and waiting for the general chatter to start back up again.  ”The guard over at Addie’s  said you might be able to sell us some carry outs?” he asks the barman with a grin.

Assuming there is room, he puts the bag of stuff he brought from Addie up on the bar and looks along the bar so he can get an idea of what they are selling.

"No, that's Casey."  The barkeep points to a small black urn with a gold coloured plate attached to it, standing on a high shelf behind the bar.  "Been in that thing for the last thirty or thirty-five years.  I can lift him down if you want a word with him, but I can't guarantee he'll be feeling talkative."

He starts serving the drinks, and somehow manages to resist the temptation to spit in Ash's, though he does give the impression that he believes the navigator has just ordered something toxic.  Still, it seems that he does take a certain degree of professional pride in his work - the glasses are clean.

"So Burke sent you over did he?  Shame he didn't come over himself... I could have had a word with him about his tab."

He looks at Tylen's bag laying on the bar, "Anything else?"

Tylen grins broadly at the mention of Burke's tab  "He did recommend you warmly ..." he says to the man behind the bar.  "But really we were interested in some carry outs.  Wine, beer, maybe even a bottle of something stronger?  The boss has decided he wants a party on the ship." he says in mock exasperation,  then he grins again "But seeing as I am going as well, there needs to be a goodly selection to choose from." he says clearly anticipating a decent drinking session on his bosses money.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:20, Sun 26 May 2013.

Ash keeps his mouth shut.  The thinly-veiled, contempt of the barkeep and the glaring animosity of the rest of the patrons is readily apparent.  He rather warily, and a bit sullenly, nurses his non-alcoholic beverage, taking only a tentative sip.  He makes a show of swallowing the contents of his glass.

And Tylen seems to have things under control, thankfully.  As Ash waits for the barkeep to acknowledge his fellow scout's request for resupply, he pipes Shui's beverage list to Tylen's own dataglove for easy access.  That way, both of them will know what is needed, allowing either of them to vocalize the specifics.  Depending on what the natives want.  Ash glances about warily, to make sure that the other patrons aren't showing making any other moves, except to try and burn holes in their hides with their stares...

The prospect of a sale larger than a single beer and a glass of water seems to ameliorate the bartender's surly mood.  He even manages a smile, tight-lipped and small though it is.

"You're offworlders aren't you?  Nobody from Rangent would be looking for wine.  I can sell you beer, and spirits, all locally made, and I've even got a half-dozen of bottles of mead - there's a couple of lads over at Falwell keep bees in the agridome.  But nobody on Rangent grows anything you can makes wine from.  Which means it has to be imported."  he shakes his head, "And because we're not exactly on a major trade route, that means that wine is too expensive for the likes of Casey's and its usual customers.  Most other places too."

"Apart from those few bottles of mead, which I'm told isn't bad, I've got two types of beer - dark and light - your drinking the dark now.  And two types of spirits too, vodka and whiskey.  The only real difference is the flavouring they add to the whiskey.  That, and the vodka will kill your sense of taste."

”I figured as much” Tylen shares his grin with both Ash and the barman.  ”Still, I’ll take all the mead, a couple of bottles of each of the spirits   and …  how many beers are there in a case?” He asks doing a rough calculation.

”I suppose I should have a couple of dozen of each of the beers …” he says with a grin, ”You take Imperial Credits ….?” he half asks.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 08:01, Sat 01 June 2013.

Ash nods to Tylen, returning his fellow crewmember's smile with one of his own.  Luckily, he seems to have turned the situation around much quicker and more easily than the Profit Margin's navigator could have.  So, he continues to nurse his spit-free, non-alcoholic beverage and returns to his vigil over the other patrons of Casey's while Tylen finishes up his transaction with the bartender.

The barkeep places four bottles on the counter, "Two each, vodka and whiskey.  The beer is in cases of 20 bottles each."  He continues talking as he starts to pull more bottles from under the counter, "And six bottles of mead."

"I can take Imperial Credits, yes, but I'll have to add currency tax if you're not using florins."

He starts scribbling numbers down on a piece of paper, then consults a newspaper, one that actually seems to be printed on paper, "Exchange rate is... that much?  Oh, well."

More numbers, and some calculations.  "Spirits work out to six credits a bottle.  Beer is forty credits each case.  The mead, three credits apiece."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Tue 04 June 2013.

Tylen shrugs and hands over the money, he understands that he is probably being rooked, but then again he is in a strange bar where he really doesn't know the prices.

As many bottles as possible go into the coats pockets and the bag he has, then he
reaches down to pick up one of the cases of beer and the bag of goodies from Addie - both in the his left hand..

"Can you get the rest? He asks the navigator.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Tue 04 June 2013.

Ash nods with an "Of course" in response to Tylen's request.  He takes a moment more to watch a furtive threesome in one of the corners, observing them over his glass.

Then he pushes his half-finished glass of carbonated water back across the bar and tosses an extra 20Cr credstick onto the bar next to the glass.  "Thanks." he states simply to the barkeeper.

The thin navigator of the Profit Margin pockets the remaining bottles that he can and grabs the handles to the other two cases of beer.  Ash lets out a quiet "woof" as he hefts the weight, obviously weighed down a fair bit.  "Ready?" he prompts his companion, as the transaction appears to have been completed, then adds, "Back to the Margin first, to drop stuff off?"  Ash is pretty sure that he can't carry much more - and there are a fair number of items still on the grocery list to get (and presumably carry)...

As Tylen and Ash, their primary goal in hand, head for the bar exit, the room once again falls silent.  It appears that moving strangers are more of a concern than those who are standing still.  As the door swings closed behind the two men though, and just before it closes completely, they can here voices inside raised in cheery cameraderie and revelry.

The door finishes closing with a definite slam, as if the bar itself is glad to see them leave.

And their comms chirp, both of them, trying to attract attention...

Tylen finds a quietish spot so he can put his load down while he checks his Comm.

How quick can we get into orbit catches his attention and his eyebrows shoot upwards.

"We had better get back pronto ..." he suggests to Ash.  Bending he retrieves his load, then allows the fingers of his free hand to brush the grip of his revolver.  For a moment he considers pushing the side of the coat backwards, so that both the revolver and shotgun are in plain sight, but then he grins at his own paranoia and leaves things exactly as they were.

However, he does scan the area around them, if Jago is that concerned, it is probable best to 'be aware' of the surroundings.

"Ready when you are ..." he says signalling his readiness to depart as soon as Ash is ready.

Without any further hesitation, the two men start back through the maze of gangways, alleys and passages which make up the marketplace.

The place seems a bit more crowded than when they first passed this way.  If they passed this way.  A few of the stalls seem unfamiliar, but then again, they were only really paying attention to certain types of vendor on the way in.

After a little while they step around the corner of a stall selling second-hand clothing which neither man remembers seeing previously... and the airlock is right in front of them, on the other side of what passes for a street here.  The fact that somebody has set up a stall in front of the large vehicle hatch just demonstrates how rarely it is used.

"Spare a few bits, Mister?"

The voice, a child's, comes from behind them.

"I can find you a few credits if you get us back to the proper airlock." Tylen says as he turns around.

Obviously preoccupied with his load of beverages, Ash fails to notice that he and Tylen are actually lost; presumably having taken a wrong turn somewhere.  The Profit Margin's navigator nearly runs into his companion when they reached the airlock only to find it to be the wrong one.  Blocked by a truck.

Thankfully, his surprise masks his consternation at being lost.  Ash has always tried to pride himself on not getting lost.  Tried.  And failed in this particular case, apparently.

Trying not to look too eager, the thin ex-scout nods in agreement with his fellow ex-scout's offer to the young urchin.

"Fair enough.  This way." the kid leads the way across to the vehicle hatch, past it, around a corner... and steps into territory that looks much more familiar to the two crewmen.  The entrance to a smaller pedestrian airlock is clearly visible from here.

Their guide holds out his hand, clearly pleased at the prospect of being rewarded handsomely in valuable foreign currency, and for only about fifteen seconds of work.

"There you go, Mister.  Please give generously, my Mam told me, 'Kindness is its own reward.'"

Tylen reaches into his pocket and comes up with a handful of shrapnel - he scoops out a couple of five credit coins and then passes the rest across to the kid.  There is a mix of quarter, half and one credit coins left, which are probably worth 3 or 4 credits over all.  Not a lot to Tylen, but a decent reward for the kids effort.

"Thanks kid." he says with a grin as he hands the coins over.  "Don't spend them all at once ..."  But then his attention moves on from their guide, as he scans the area again.  That message from Jago really has put him on his guard.

Ash chuckles slightly, well it is more of a half-snort.  But the smile on his face ensures that the sound is only meant as an acknowledgement of humor of situation.  And that they appear to have avoided the more dangerous elements of Davis City.  Placing one case down on the ground for a moment, his right hand disappears in his pocket and then reappears with the credstick.

"Fast tenner that you'll make today, I warrant..." the Margin's navigator quips while flipping the small black piece to the boy.  "Don't spend it all in one place." he warns their erstwhile guide with a crooked smile.

Ash pulls his collar up and puts on his gloves before taking up the two cases of liquor and moving towards the airlock.  He only glances Tylen's way to make sure that his companion is moving along with him.  Jago's message sounded urgent; so, there was precious little time to waste.  Well, precious little more time to waste...

The guide doesn't wait.  He calls, "Thanks!" over his shoulder, even as he heads back the way he came at a fast trot.

Ash and Tylen enter the airlock, taking a moment to adjust the clothing against the elements, and settle their masks in position, before continuing through the second door, and out onto the ice.

Profit Margin and Ore Hound can be clearly seen, sitting just where they were when the two men entered the dome.  There doesn't seem to be any sign of trouble.  Fully laden with essential supplies, the pair start back across the frigid landscape...

Ash bundles up and rushes as quickly as he can towards the Profit Margin; both for his own safety and comfort as well as Jago's order.  Everything might seem in order... but, given the Captain's message, looks can be deceiving.

The Margin's navigator careful picks his way along trying to balance his less-dextrous, beverage-laden frame with the required urgency.  He can only hope that they aren't too late for whatever it is...

Tylen leaves his coat hanging open, deciding he would rather be cold but still have access to his weapons.  However, he  makes sure his mask is properly adjusted and then strides along behind the navigator.  As he walks he glances around, alert for any signs of trouble, he knows that Yas will be alert -  but a second pair of eyes, and a different perspective, can sometimes see things that the first one misses.

The two men make their way across the ice with no difficulty, apart from the somewhat treacherous footing.  Before too long, they are home again after their successful mission.

Tylen keys in the access code, and the ramp drops with its familiar screech.

Entering the hold, they still find no signs of trouble...

Once Ash is a board, Tylen Hustles up behind him, keying to close the hatch as soon as they are in.  As the ramp is closing, Tylen opens up comms on the crew channel.  "Ash and I are back aboard.  Closing ramp.  Where do you want us?" he asks assuming Jago is monitoring that channel.

Then, not knowing Shui has gone ashore, he sends a quick text message to the stewardess -| We managed mead, beer and rot gut.   No wine available :( |-
This message was lightly edited by the player at 16:44, Tue 25 June 2013.