Ash idly confirms the message from Yasmine, testing out her comm by responding over it, "Roger that, Chief.  I'll let the Captain know that you care."

He continues to watch the minister's retinue proceed through the port with a passing interest, but doesn't bother to remind the Profit Margin's First Officer or her charge about their presence, figuring that he doesn't want to be a nuisance and that Yasmine and Keryn are big girls.

And they will know soon enough, if anything is up.

"True, because they may not have that kind of shop here, as the first thing visitors see.  Might give the wrong impression and all that, you know, having such things on display for all to see, kids and other who aren't into such things," Yas cautions Keryn in case it turns out they have to walk a bit, especially to find a reputable one with no disgusting second-hand items.

As they walk she leans in to whisper into Keryn's ear. 

She winks and nudges Keryn with the elbow.

"Only half the planet?  From what I've heard, that must mean that you'd be going easy on them."

Yas and Keryn make their way across to the nearest cluster of structures which, as it turns out, is mainly devoted to port admin and the sale and fitting of smaller components for starships - fuel pumps, atmospheric filters, self-calibrating flux modulators (whatever they are) and a lot of other items that might be of more interest to Saskia than to the pair of intrepid shoppers.  Still, they are able to get some directions... one of the parts vendors is able to tell them, "Try outside the fence, you can find most things out there." and point them in the direction of a gate through the port perimeter.

And so they walk, and the conversation focusses on the object (or objects) of their quest, as Keryn attemps to use Yas' superior experience to her own advantage.  "So, should we look for a big one, or would something smaller do for now?"

Through the gate, where a bored looking security officer waves them through, and out into the bustling township which lays adjacent to the port.

Technically they are no longer in Imperial territory.  Everything beyond the fence belongs to the government of Phlume or, since that government is a participating democracy, to the people themselves.

Aboard the ship, Shui and Tylen meet up for their own shopping trip.   Food and beverages, for the most part, in small quantities.  Just enough to spice up the menu for the next week in Jump, and (depending on how well things keep) perhaps a little longer.

Jago finishes cleaning himself up, in preparation for his lunch date.

Ash sits on the Bridge, rechecking his Jump calculations.  Shaving off a decimal place here, and an hour or or so there.  He studiously avoids looking at the pre-calculated courses in the ship's navcomp, preferring to leave the comparison of his own figures and the built-ins until he's finished.  Professional pride...

As he works, he listens to the local comm traffic with half an ear.  Traffic control, some chatter from the Navy pilots, occasional bleed-over from music stations as atmospheric conditions shift at high altitudes...

Saskia sits in the diner and studies her bochok sausage, while the waiter advises her on the best way to eat it.  "Scoop up a mouthful, along with a little of the pickle, and some of the beans.  The three complement each other, you see.  Each one brings out the best in the other two."

With a shrug, Saskia looks up at the kid.  "I don't suppose anybody has frelling died from eating this, right?"

Then, without waiting for a response, she pours on plenty of vinegar and salt, before scraping together a little of the sausage, the pickle and the beans and lifting the combination into her mouth.

She closes her eyes and waits to die.  Chewing is just something to do to pass the time until the hammer falls.

"Well, Mr. Orgesh."  Pleased that he can join her - she wouldn't object to other friends escorting her, but this has its own perks - Shui offers a small bow.  "Shall we go?  I have a mind to visit every possible store the spaceport offers that carries consumables.  If the reports I read of the sausages here are accurate, I fear we will need to do so for any kind of viable variety."

She makes a face. "I found a recipe for the local delicacy.  Please do not eat the sausage, Mr. Orgesh.  I would be forced to then put on my 'Ship Doctor' hat.  And no, it would not be enjoyable."

The steward motions to the exit, sighing.  "Stomach pumps might be involved."

Saskia doesn't die...

Shui and Tylen look around, then head for another cluster of buildings, one which seems, from the bright signs on the structures, to contain a number of commercial establishments.  It doesn't take them long to locate a kind of indoor food market.

It also doesn't take Yas and Keryn long to locate the sort of establishment that they're seeking.  They make their way past the security man on duty outside, and through the entrance.

Refreshed and clean shaven, Jago returns to the bridge, his cloths are clean and he's even given his bomber jacket has had a wipe over.

"Anything happening?" he askes as he drops into his chair, more out of habit then any desire to study the instruments, he dose so anyway, also out of habit.

"Oh?  So what goes into this sausage to make it such a formidable beast?" Tylen asks as they walk.  Once in the food market, he lets Shui take the lead and guide them around the stall, while he keeps an eye out for people, events and anything else of interest.

"I am...unsure," Shui replies, moving into the food market.  She takes a moment to get acquainted with the area before beginning her first pass of its stalls.  One to check, a second to purchase; it's how she does things, in her search for the best items.  Quality comes before price; she has a fair amount of her own money squirrelled away, and is perfectly willing to pay a little extra from that to get top quality for the crew.

"To be honest, I'm afraid to ask.  I only know that the reviews of such a 'delicacy' are less-than complimentary," she continues.  "That leads to speculation as to the ingredients.  I find myself wondering if they might be 'local meat plus whatever happens to be on-hand.'"

"A solid argument for my own diet," the woman mutters, dropping into a crouch to survey some vegetables at eye-level.

"This is," Saskia starts, and then stops for a second, while she thinks of a suitable adjective, "delicious.  A bit of a sharp flavor, but I could get used to it.  And hot.  Spicy."

Another mouthful, and then, "It's good.  Better than it looks.  And definitely better than it smells."

"It makes me think of Dock Dumplings back on 'Ell.  Made from the leavings of the fishery works and a mixture of hydroponic  .. err ... stuff."  Tylen comments.  "They were edible, and didn't  taste too bad.   Just that once I grew up enough to realise how they were made ..."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:16, Sun 08 Feb 2015.

"Yeah, only half.  I'm not really in the right mood today," Yas retorts with a wicked grin.

Once it is clear that they need to head outside the fence, Yas goes on a higher level of alert without a single conscious thought, but even so she winks at Keryn as she poses her question.  "As large as you are comfortable that you can handle, of course!  Nothing quite like the feeling when you grab it with both hands, believe me."

When they finally enter the building of their desires Yas cannot help but wink at the security man, starting to get a bit excited already.

"Now then, let's see what they got on offer...  Oh, look, over there, that one looks yummy, no?" she elbows Keyrn -- gently, of course -- while pointing out the target she locked onto.  "Oh, and protection.  We should get you some of that too.  I'm sure that's available somewhere here, usually is in places like this.  Not just for avoiding getting banged up, you know!"

"That was always the trouble." The waiter says, with a grin, "I could never get past the smell.  I could close my eyes, so the sight of it wasn't really an issue... but the smell was something else entirely.  I'd heard that the flavour was better, but never managed to make myself test it."

"I'll leave you to your meal.  Call if you want anything else."

The food market comprises a single building, with a single long corridor forming a rectangle lined on both sides with numerous businesses.  In the centre of the building, reached by short passageways from the corridor, is a large hall, with a metal framed transparent roof, and many small stalls which seem to be independent from the larger businesses in the surrounding corridor.

The various establishments sell a variety of products, some of them familiar (such as different cuts of groat, skymelon (named for its pale blue interior) and agadua flour) and many more which seem to be local products.  The foods are being sold either raw or cooked, and the air, particularly in the central hall, is filled with clashing aromas of food being prepared.  As Shui and Tylen make their way between the stalls, their senses are assailed by wave after wave of olfactory stimuli.

Yas and Keryn find themselves in a room much smaller than the food market, and darker (due to the lack of windows), except for the brightly lit cases around the walls, were the wares are displayed.  A short man steps out of the gloom.  "Good day, ladies.  What can Quinn's help you with today?" 

Ash looks at Jago and shakes his head, "Yas has taken Keryn for a walk, and Shui and Tylen have gone shopping.  Saskia's also gone out.  Apart from that, it's all quiet."

"So, how were they..." Shui trails off, turning away from examining some sky melons.  "No, let us not go in that direction. Some mysteries are best to remain so." Ugh.  It's probably something hideous.  Most 'regional delicacies' are.

She picks her way over the merchandise.  The plan is to purchase a small amount of things that cannot be frozen for the next few days, and add a greater amount of non-perishable food to her larder for the trip.  She moves slowly, taking her time; better to be meticulous than to purchase something she'll need to throw out.

And she follows her nose, searching for the best smells.  It's always possible to learn something new.

"This young lady is looking for something that is right for her.  Something she can handle, but nothing too small, of course," Yas replies to the short man, for now not letting her own experience with these things get in the way of the salesman.  She wants to see what he suggests, judge whether or not she has to step up and take charge.

"What do you say, see anything you like the look of?" she asks Keryn innocently enough, if there is such a thing when it comes to dealing with these... particular items.

After giving the rundown on the crew status, Ash noted, "Oh and I think that Minister Serra Calos-Gann and her escort have now passed by with the requisite fanfare."  He seems more than willing to replay the drive-by should Jago want it.  Yes, it is that exciting.  Or rather, yes, the rest of the duty watch is that mundane.

The calculation streams are still scrolling by on his display, causing the inconsistent white glow across his face to continually shift.  "Still nothing substantive on my search for actual players in opposition to Mr. Draik." he muses slightly puzzled that it is taking so long, "Either it will be a cake walk getting to Dinomn," though somehow his tone seems a touch skeptical, "or Draik's potential enemies are very well connected..."  Ash didn't feel the need to elaborate on that end; he was sure that Jago had an active enough imagination.

Tylen is happy to leave the food shopping to Shui, as the limit to his culinary skills generally involves restaurants or buying prepared meals and heating them to the requisite temperatures. Although he does pride himself on his ability to get prepared meals to a properly suitable temperature.    Sure he can scramble a couple of eggs and manage to not burn toast -  but that is about it.

Instead he watches the flow of people around the market, although with minor small talk about the occasional vegetable he either recognises or finds unusual.

"I think I have just the thing over here." the short man gestures towards the far end of the room, "Small enough to be easily handled, without being too small for satisfactory performance.  These are all fairly standard, but if you want something a bit special, I have one of these in stock - completely safe and easy to use, and with a rechargeable battery pack, that's good for extended use." 

Ash watches the display for a few moments, though nothing comes in about Draik, beyond the basic news that he's already seen.  Phlume's limited data network strikes again. 

The market place seems to have plenty of fresh goods to offer, and the vendors are happy to offer advice on which items can, and cannot, be frozen.  The sky melons, for example, will actually deteriorate quite rapidly if the temperature drops too low, so they're only edible for, at most, a couple of days after purchase.  The aguada flower, on the other hand, can be safely kept for months and can be used in the preparation of fresh bread, pastries, and various sauces.

For some reason, Tylen isn't surprised that the Sky Melon doesn't travel well.  Not that he knows anything about cooking, but that just feels right.  The concept of the long life Aguada Flower making bread does surprise him initially, although logically he can see no reason why a flower couldn't contain a heavy load of the right sort of starches.  Interesting ....

As they walk Tylen talks about the information he has picked up from Corlan's leaflets.  "There is some sort of zoological preserve some twenty kilometres from here.  It has a good collection of local animals with a few 'exotics' from other close-by worlds.  I'm not sure how much of it is zoo, with animals in small cages and pens, or how much is nature Reserve - with creatures allowed to roam freely." he admits.

"And there is some sort of beach resort - about an hour by air raft.  On an island, surrounded by seas, beaches and fishing opportunities." he adds as a second option.  "That sounds a bit like they tried to turn 'Ell into." he adds after a moment.  "I hope it worked out for these guys ..." he leaves it trailing, well aware that it didn't work out particularly well for Lopiengeta.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:49, Sun 15 Feb 2015.

Saskia nods thoughtfully, "Yeah, the smell almost put me off.  I'm glad I stuck with it though.  Once everything was mixed together, the taste wasn't too bad."  To demonstrate that she isn't lying, she takes another mixed mouthful.  "Pretty good, in fact."

As the server leaves her to enjoy her meal she settles down to do exactly that.

No, indeed.  Not bad at all.

Pleased, Shui continues to purchase while taking notes near-continuously, whispered into her dataglove.  It's quicker than transcribing the information; she'll do that later.

"Those do sound like a pair of good choices, Mr. Orgesh," she replies as she walks, making orders for delivery whenever possible.  It's better than burdening poor Tylen with most of her packages.  "So long as it's a preserve and not a zoo, I would be pleased to visit.  And the beach?  If time permits, it sounds like a wonderful diversion."

Her eyes narrow in thought.  "However, I wonder if we are allowed to leave the spaceport at present.  There is an information lockdown.  Presumably that would also apply to people leaving the site, gathering information, then returning.  What do you think?"

"Information Lockdown?  Or just low tech comms?" he suggests to the Doctor.  "More likely that Jago will cancel shore leave as he discovers the pressing need to take his new rich passenger off planet really quickly ..." he adds, as he looks at a strange shaped vegetable thing.  "What's that?" he asks the vendor?

The vendor picks up the vegetable, "Valo root.  Chop it into thin slices and drop it in a stew with groat, or just about any other sort of meat.  Economical too - just take as much as you want and save the rest in a cool dry place.  Then, when you want more, you just take off the exposed end and throw it away, then slice up the rest."  He offers Tylen a small piece of the root to taste. 

While Shui and Tylen speculate on the probability of being allowed to leave the port, Yas and Keryn have done just that, and are currently engaged in a little trade of their own with one of the locals outside the perimeter fence.

As Saskia finds her lunch surprisingly tasty, it is interrupted by a group of three somewhat noisy youths who enter the diner and start calling out for the waiter's attention.  The language they are using is entirely unfamiliar to the Engineer, but most of the words seem to be loud.  "Hej, jokta, ko pri tri specij irigo?"

Aboard the ship, Jago looks at Ash's news feeds, scrutinising them closely, "Ah, some local official coming back from a visit to the Navy boys in orbit.  Nice.  Hope they fed her well on the tax payer's Credit."

"So you haven't found anything on Draik's rivals?  Interesting, but not that surprising, considering the tech level here.  If there is any information on them, it's probably all recorded in pictographs on cured groat skins."

Ash purses his lips, nodding to Jago's general assessment of the local networking (to liberally apply the term) technology.  "Yeah, cured groat usually gums up the the fiber optic cable..." the navigator chuckles.

"But," he pauses for a moment, as a secondary news stream flutters by he field of view.  With a simple tap of the fingers reverses then stops the scrolling stream, Ash then continues, "the skinny from Dinomn says here that there may be some fairly big players in the game.  Armed mercs and overt violence doesn't appear to be out of the question."  The group needed to go into the situation with eyes open.

"Seems that situation might have been considered by some to be 'too hot to handle'..." the lanky ex-scout mused, running his fingers through his close cropped hair for a moment before glancing Jago's way.  At least, the previous sixteen parties that Draik had approached may have felt that way...

"I do like that," Shui muses regarding the Valo roots.  "Which ones are good, sir?  Can they be delivered?"  She studies Tylen to ascertain his reaction.  Pleasure is good.  Surprise is good.  Sour or bitter-faces are also good - that kind of reaction indicates strong flavour, which is good for something used as an ingredient in a larger dish.

About the only bad reaction is immediate gagging and spitting, and that will simply necessitate a test of her own.

If it turns out well, she'll lay in for a larger order.

She pauses in consideration of Tylen's words. "That's true," Shui murmurs.  "I hadn't considered that."  Her father would be upset with her for such a failure.  Turning back to the seller, she offers a small smile. "Sir, I was wondering...what is the situation in the spaceport?"  The steward makes a small, helpless gesture.  "We can't seem to access information, and there is military everywhere."

Hopefully her choice of words will strike a chord with a member of an apparently free-thinking society.