It only takes Ash and Tylen a few minutes to gather what they need, and a few minutes more to trudge across the ice to the dome.  Close up they can see that the surface of the structure has been repaired countless times - presumably the weather on Rangent treats building materials with contempt.

There is no sign of any security at the dome entrance, just a large alloy lever which is cold to the touch, even through gloves.  The handle is pulled down, and the heavy door slides upward, rattling disconcertingly, giving access to an airlock.  underfoot the ice gives way to concrete.

Ash and Tylen pass through the lock and into the dome itself...

The space they enter appears to be some sort of market.  Makeshift stalls fill the place, selling everything from hard copy books and magazines, to weapons.

The first word that springs to mind is "shabby".  The lighting is not too good and the ceiling is only about four metres high, indicated that the dome may be divided into multiple levels.  Almost every available surface is covered with low tech 2D advertising posters, which are themselves covered with more posters and grafitti.

The air is thick with the smells of many different sorts of food being cooked.

and there are people.  A lot of them.  The market is crowded...

Ash stamps his feet just inside the entrance to the dome to shake off the cold and ice, while pulling off and stowing his mask on his belt.  Even the short walk from the ship is more than a bit harrowing and he blows on his fingers for a moment to ensure that they still had feeling in them.

The Profit Margin's navigator glances at the mass of people just inside the dome.  He does a bit of a double-take, hardly what he expected.  Though given the outside conditions, likely Ash should not be surprised.  He shifts his feet a little uneasily and then looks in the direction of Tylen to make sure his wingman is still present.

Given the rather grungy, used nature of the facility, Ash rather instinctively pulls his duster lapels a touch tighter around him, making sure that the familiar pommel of his knife is pressed in close and that his wallet is snug in his pocket.

Only once he had made sure that was the case, did the lanky ex-Scout try to take in more of the atmosphere and try to gauge where he might find any of the wares on his shopping list.  He taps Tylen on the shoulder before pointing out a couple of the larger stalls and storefronts that appear to carry some of the items that he might be looking for.

Ash notes to himself with some irony that it did seem highly likely that leather underwear or some artificial facsimile thereof might very well be found for sale nearby...

Tylen follows Ash through the airlock into the dome and follows the navigator’s lead by removing his own mask.  Unbuttoning this cold weather coat he lets it hand freely, exposing the gun belt he wears around his waist.  ”Ach.” he comments as he scans the market area, although a slight smile creeps across his face.  The 2-d posters, the general tackiness, the whole feel of the place -  just like a cold version of home  passes quickly through his mind  I bet they even show the same the movies …

”So what do you want to look at first?” he asks Ash,  ”I should be able to get  the revolver, shotgun, and the trimmings at one of those stalls.” he says indicating the same weaponry stalls that Ash had noticed  ”Or we can start by looking at the food stalls?” he adds , leaving it up to the navigator to choose.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:21, Sun 28 Apr 2013.

Ash shrugs slightly as he notes, "It probably doesn't matter really..."  But after a short, if thoughtful pause, the Profit Margin's navigator adds, "But, I guess that I figured that we'd grab your items first.  They are likely to be less perishable."  At least, that was the hope - given the atmosphere and exterior conditions, it was very likely that most foodstuffs was more likely freeze-dried or flash-frozen.

"I pretty much figured that we'd mostly likely prefer to return to the Margin directly with any groceries." Ash continues with another slight shrug; from his tone, it is not critical either way.  But, in any case, the tall, lanky, ex-scout starts towards the cluster of weapon and armor stalls.

Suddenly, something in the air, seems to catch in Tylen's throat and he coughs weezily for a moment or two "That works for me." he says with a grin.

For a moment or two he scans the market in front of him, and starts towards the nearest of the stalls selling weapons.  On the way he keeps an eye on the stall contents, just in case they pass any appropriate food stalls -  and just is case he sees any selling exotic underwear.

"Good day, Citizens." the stall holder, a thin, middle-aged woman, smiles brightly as she spots Ash and Tylen approaching.  "Welcome to Addie's Weapons.  Is there anything in particular you're looking for today?  Or are you just browsing, in the hope that something catches your eye?"

The weapons on the counter in front of her are all under glass reinforced with wire mesh.  Hanguns and knives, for the most part, plus some tasers and a couple of longer blades, fencing weapons.  On the wall behind her are rifles, carbines and shorguns, resting in brackets attached to a metal grille.  Below them are crates containing cartons of ammunition.

And off to one side stands a large man in a flak vest, holding a shotgun, and trying (unsuccessfully) to be discreet.  He looks considerably less cheery than the woman.

Tylen looks over the stock on display and nods slowly.  "I need a simple military pattern revolver, with a military or security style belt and holster, preferably with a couple of utility pouches and ammunition.  A shoulder stock might be interesting as well." he says laying out his needs as straightforwardly as he can.  "I am also in the market for a military pattern shotgun, with a folding stock, and ammunition." he continues as he checks out the range of weapons displayed on the back wall.

As an afterthought he adds, "They need to take Imperial ammunition, of course."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 14:52, Sun 28 Apr 2013.

Ash nods in greeting to Addie and seems happy enough to let Tylen take the vocal lead; ultimately, the Darrian scout is the shopper and the navigator is only a browser.  First, he takes a look at the offerings for blades - large and small.  His curiosity is rather idle, as he already has a blade and not much call for any others.  That and the Imperial OCS training with blades is only a distant memory now.

He lets his gaze wander over the various cases and displays until it settles on the guard.  The 'good cop, bad cop' vibe going on is not lost upon him.  A quizzical eyebrow shoots up as the Profit Margin's navigator allows his mind to wander for a moment, contemplating the life of a guard for an arms stall on Rangent.  To be honest, Ash isn't impressed, nor is covetous of the position.

But, then he supposes that the same could be said about the job as navigator on a tramp trader in the Spinward Marches.  And yet, the lanky, ex-Imperial Naval officer, ex-Imperial Scout wouldn't trade what he does currently for a living anything else right now - at least nothing that would require him to settle down in one place.

Tylen's mention of ammunition breaks Ash's personal reverie.  He shifts his gaze back to Addie and tacks onto his companions questions, "What the going rate on a couple hundred rounds of 10mm Imperial standard ball?"  Even if he isn't really in the market for it, it never hurts to ask.  One never really knows; the price could be right.

Addie starts to unlock the cover on the counter, then stops and shakes her head as Tylen mentions the ammunition requirement, "I don't think I've got anything in the way of handguns that'll take IS ammo in stock at the moment.  We don't get a lot of demand for offworld weapons."  She looks at Ash, apologetically, "And even less demand for the ammo for them."

She rests one elbow in the opposite hand and taps her index finger against her lip thoughtfully, then, "I'll tell you what I can do though...  If you can come back tomorrow, I can probably retool one of these revolvers to take Imperial rounds.  It's only a slight difference anyway, and I have conversion kits in the workshop to switch the weapon over to Imperial Standard.  It's just a matter of replacing the barrel and the cylinder to handle the slightly smaller round, and the weapon still meets safety standards."

"All the other stuff I can do for you right away - the belt, with pouches and holster, maybe even a shoulder stock, depending which gun you want.  The shotgun... she gestures towards the rack behind her, "Take your pick.  Locally produced shotgun ammo is interchangeable with imported stock.  Identical size, weight and loadout.  Guess even advanced tech couldn't improve on the basic design."

Tylen nods, not really surprised that the revolvers on sale don't take Imperial ammunition "I'm not sure whether I will be able to get ashore tomorrow." he says with a smile, "But I might take a shotgun." he says continuing with that part of the purchase.  He strains slightly as he  looks ate the weapons on the back wall, and then shrugs "It doesn't really matter, too much." he shrugs  "It doesn't have to be fancy, it is for show as much as anything." he adds with a grin  "I've been told I need to look more like a security man when the passengers are about." he continues softly "Although it needs to do the job as well."

Slowly he draws back his coat, showing his current gun belt and the two revolvers it holds.  "How about holster and webbing to fit one of these?"

Ash shrugs slightly to Addie, as she explains that there is little call for IS ammunition.  "I see." he states simply, "It isn't critical."  The Profit Margin's navigator nods, slightly ruefully, as Tylen explains that they may not be available tomorrow.

He lets Tylen finish his transactions as he looks over the inventory one more time.

Then the thin ex-scout rubs his stubbly chin for a thoughtful moment as he approaches the proprietor once more, "I wouldn't mind picking up a memento from Rangent though."  He glances at the cases, his gaze linger longest on the one housing the knives, "Addie, what would you consider to be characteristically 'Rangent' in material or style?"  A long, thin finger points to a couple of possibilities - a thin filleting blade and an etched, bone-handled straight razor, "What about that one?  Or that one?"

The woman ponders Ash's question for a moment, then shakes her head, "Neither of them."  She selects a different blade, "This is probably the most common style of weapon on the planet.  Made locally, and I'd say that probably a good half of all adults own one of these."

The weapon is some twenty centimetres long, overall, with a slightly curved handle of polished wood, and a thin steel blade, also with a slight curve in the opposite direction to the handle, giving the weapon a serpentine shape.  Only the outer side of the blade's curve, and the first four centimetres of the inner side, has an edge.  The tip of the blade comes to a needle-sharp point.

"It's a working knife." she explains, as she pulls out a couple of boxes of holsters, belts and webbing for Tylen to look at, "Made for use in the fish processing plants, which is why so many people around her own them, but you don't want to be on the wrong end of one in a bar brawl on a Restday night."

"The wood's from a tree in the old biodome up at First Landing.  Normally the handles are plastic, but this was probably somebody's retirement present.

As she talks, she squints at Tylens' revolvers, then starts selecting holsters from the boxes and laying them out before the man, before gesturing at him to take his pick.  After which she grabs down a couple of shotguns for him to take a closer look at.

Tylen takes the second revolver from its holster and removes the ammunition from it before he tries slotting it into the various holsters offered to him, as he checks the fit of the weapon.  Next he examines the belts until he finds a combination that looks military, fits the revolver well and a belt that has two or three pouches that can be used for small pieces of equipment.

All the while he smiles softly as he listens to Addie's tales of fishermen and their knives.  "We used to have something similar back on Lopiengata." he offers "Hooked blade but sharp on the inside for opening fish bellies, but a really thich blade that would also allow then to prise  the big limpets from the rock ..." he says tailing off as he examines the shotguns.

Checking that the magazines are actually empty he works the action a few times and then inspects the structure of the weapon.

Addie nods at Tylen, "Some people use blades that sound similar to that here, but they're not as popular.  It's mostly deep ocean under the ice, so not much accessible in the way of rocks to lever anything off.  What did you call them?  Limpets?"

Hefting the rather stout knife in his hand to test the balance, Ash agrees amiably with both Addie and Tylen, "Utility knives are very similar all over.  My father used to carry something like this on Jewell."

The Profit Margin's navigator takes the knife and holds it up closer to the light so that he can inspect the handle and blade more easily.  "Though there on the dockyards, the blades are a touch wider and the handles less curved.  More shaped and molded."  He turns the knife over to see if the blade is stamped with either a material or maker's insignia.  "Is it a chromium-stainless alloy?" he wonders aloud.

As he slips the blade back into its sheath, Ash prompts Addie, "Very nice.  How much are you asking for it?"  And after a moment, he follows up with a practical concern, "Are any local superstitions or practices concerning the care and feeding of such personal blades, especially something like a retirement gift?"

"It's stainless steel, about the best you can get here.  As for superstitions... " the stall holder chuckles, "They're working knives.  Most of them are issued by the companies, and probably half of them are misplaced before the end of the shift.  The only superstition I know about them is that you shouldn't stab yourself with your own knife in a brawl, or everybody will laugh at you."

"Yep.  Limpets.  They make a good stew ...  well they make stew ..." he amends, before he lays the lighter of the two shotguns on his pile.  "And what about for these?" he queries when Ash asks about the price of the knife.  "Oh.  and ammunition ..."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:05, Thu 09 May 2013.

Ash chuckles slightly at the guard's remark.  "Good general advice." he concedes, "I guess I should keep 'self-inflicted wounds' high on my list for what not to do today."  Not that Ash doesn't limp slightly already.  And not that the wound to his right knee was self-inflicted.  At least, no more 'self-inflicted' than any other damage from a potentially poor choice of Imperial Service or assignment might be considered 'self-inflicted'.

"And I'll try to keep bar fight off the to-do list." he adds with a slight self-deprecating smile; his thin frame making the shoulders of his long, oilskin duster move up and down.  "Can you recommend a good bar?" the Margin's navigator asks Addie's assistant, obviously figuring that a little chit-chat won't hurt, before he turns his attention back to Addie with respect to pricing and purchases.

"Imperial credits I suppose?"

Addie pulls out what looks like a slightly larger under-featured hand computer, and starts inputting figures with its very basic keypad.  After each calculation, she scribbles the result down on a scrap of paper before moving on to the next...

"The knife, Cr20, because it's a bit special.  The shotgun, Cr275.  The holster, gunbelt and a strap I can throw in for Cr45.  Which comes to... lessee... C340 for the lot.  That includes applicable local taxes, and adjustment for current exchange rate."

Some further thought and another set of figures, then, "If you want the revolver, it'll cost Cr175, including the conversion to Imperial Standard."

The guard seems startled to be addressed, but gestures with his weapon towards a structure across the market.  Then adds, by way of explanation, "Casey's.  It's where I go."  Only the upper portion of the building is visible above the intervening stalls and the crowd.

Ash gives Addie a bit of sheepish smile, "How could you tell we were Imperial?" and then a chuckle as he can't hold the straight face any longer, "Yes, yes, of course.  You won't hold that against us, right?"  The thin navigator glances at the guard with the shotgun.

He hands Addie a cred stick for the knife, repeating, "20 Imperial."  With the transaction complete, he tucks the knife into the his belt.  "Seem a bit strange to be carting around someone else's retirement gift." Ash muses, then after a thoughtful pause and a shrug he posits, "But then, I guess, some people prefer the cash over the memories."

"Much obliged." he acknowledges the guard's advice on a decent bar; the bloke seems to be a decent enough fellow.  After a moment, he glances down at this wrist computer and then asks both Addie and the guard, "Hmmm... perhaps you can also recommend a good grocer, also?  And liquor store ...  We need to restock some things on-board..."  He figures that it never hurts to ask.  These two likely know Davis City much better than he or Tylen ever will.

Then the Profit Margin's navigator turns to Tylen and asks his crewmate, "Got everything you need here?"

"Will you throw in a couple of boxes of shotgun shells?" Tylen asks with a grin as he sorts out the money for his purchases.

"However, I am really not sure that I can get back tomorrow -  so I will have to leave the revolver." he pauses for a moment as he returns the one he was holding to its current holster. "I have a couple already," He says still   smiling "so I can live for a bit longer without a spare ..."

"Fair enough." Addie replies, "Maybe you'll get a chance to come back another day.  He's paid for his knife, so that drops your cost down to Cr 320.  And I'll throw in two cartons of shotgun cartridges."  She puts two cartons of 25 cartridges on the counter, along with the other stuff.  "Do you need a bag for all the bits and pieces?"

It turns out that they should be able to buy liquor from the bar to take out, and that there are three, or possibly two (one may have closed down recently) decent grocery stores within a short distance, no more than five or ten minutes' walk.

The directions to the stores are... complicated.  It seems that the interior of the dome has been built, rebuilt, gutted, and rebuilt again over the years since its construction.  What was once an orderly system of concentric streets and radial avenues is now a tangled maze of alleys and passageways.

Ash nods to the fact that Casey's sells liquor for off-premise use.  "Convenient." he notes off-hand.

Thumbs hooked on his duster's belt, Ash listens intently to directions given for the grocers.  The reticule on his eyepiece remains dim as he doesn't bother to try and access any of the stored schematics for the city from archives or to check if there is a datanet available.

He seems to process the rather convoluted annotations just fine.  The navigator seems to have learned how to navigate by either (or both) landmark and ordinal distances, as it is his specialty.  Ash repeat some of the move complex portions back to ensure that he understands them before committing them to memory.  His hands move in time with the instructions as if tracing a route on a map laid out before him.

Then he thanks both Addie and her assistant for their hospitality and advice.  With a glance at Tylen, Ash makes ready to go; at least, ready for whenever his companion is.

Tylen pays  for his purchases and then reloads  his revolver and replaces it in its holster.  Next he adds the strap to the shotgun and loads it with shells from one of the boxes that Addie has supplied.  Carefully he removes his coat, and hands it to Ash to hold for a moment, slips the shotgun over his shoulder, and then replaces the coat.  Once he is sure that everything is hanging properly, and as accessible as it should be, he smiles across to the stall holder and her security man, while he loads the rest of the purchases into the proffered bag.

”You never know what the morrow may bring.”  he responds to Addie’s suggestion that he might be able to get back another time  ”Although in this case I am fairly sure it will involve an auction and the sale of some goods.” he says wryly.

”So booze first?” he suggests to Ash.  ”Then we can get that aboard before we head off for the groceries.” he suggests, then grins broadly ”And I want to get some kinky underwear for the girls.  Some nice leather stuff if we can get it.  We might as well take the chance to wind them up while we can.  They don’t set themselves up very often.” he adds as they prepare to leave.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:55, Sun 19 May 2013.