While Spartan asks around, there are some  outfitting businesses that are in the Lowers.

 As per usual , the black market folks  tend to be in the Grotto. Everest's Stem is not nearly as bad  as Olympus or Fuji, Since they have factories  about  half was up from the lowers...but the  other  half  before they reach the  'alpine' Uppers, is   as most.

............................


 Folks are being  introduced. Von Bern is telling  the Delta Fleet board about his  great exploits as a pilot.  Hennings isn't  doing a very good Job of hiding his  smile..Evert thing Hennings is being an ass.

 Shade Points towards the Stadium and Looks at Doc henry and Garrat. It seems the scholars  on board the Everest did not show?

During most of the 'official' proceedings, Roy managed to look just bored enough to not be overtly offensive.  He let his eyes roam through the crowd of Everest dignitaries, searching for his opposite number--and praying that, against all odds, the man was a competent officer and not just another sycophant coasting along on 'Admiral' St. Gaul's coat-tails.

At the meeting between Shadow and Von Bren, his expression livened slightly...he even managed to look tolerantly amused when Von Bren tried to pull rank, and did look amused when Shadow shut him down.  And again, when Beth chimed in with the ratio of confirmed kills between the two men.

Otherwise, however, he was distant and aloof.  He didn't trust Everest's leaders, and while he was diplomatic enough to not say it in front of them, he was also too inherently cautious to be lulled into a sense of security on their station.

  After Everest SEC check them out,  McCloud  and Cat enter the, some what crowded, foyer of the   Giant Beta Fleet Building.

 They got there  about the  Time  Von Bern and  Shadow  walked across the stage to  shake hands.

Henry found a place where Shade could see what was going on, and held the little guy's hand - just as well when Shadow was called up on stage.

He was rather disappointed not to find any Everest scholars there.

When all was done, he turned to Shade.

"Shall we go to the stadium, now? Orria ought to be there..."

Catrina doesn't bother responding to any of the jabs and barbs of the social event preferring to keep a neutral face, though the general disrespect grates against her a little.  She rolls her eyes at the two pilots, and leans close to Rolf. "Typical flyboys first thing they do is have a posting contest."

  An over dressed woman showing  more then her fair share of cleavage , approaches  Rolf and Cat. She hands him a decorated  card.

 ..You are a Captain? No?..Iy  vould be the Admiral's pleasure  for you to view  ze game form her box at the stadium.

 her  well decorated eyes  shift between the  two of them, and she gives a heavy lashed wing to Rolf as she moves on, looking for  other  'important' people to hand cards  too.

Hawkeye gives the woman a cold smile, at the wink. Before turning to Rolf, "Shadow better beat the piss out of them." She mutters under her breath.

--To the game--->

Having wandered around for a while Spartan noticed more and more people watching the game on monitors everywhere. He sat down at the nearest place offfering a scotch to watch, not the game, but the people.

  for the most part, the people around the Building were  Delta Fleet  people. They had Vidboards  and Coms  tuned into the  GAmes, and used the COMs  as  loudspeakers to shout their cheers for the Hermes

  here and there, a few Everest folks watched, but they were a bit  out numbered.

Spartan keeps a particular eye open especially for more shady characters, those that do not watch the game, but have more eye for the purses and wallets of others.

   Anyone, who might be  looking to  do something like that, aren't stupid enough to try to do it to Fleet personell  who are  mandated to care a side arm and  Boot knife!

Spartan finishes his drink, pays the waitress and sets out to find the lower regions of the place. The shadier regions.

   While he  walks around, Spartan  Notices the entrance opening to the Stem.. the sign above the   huge  entrance  says  ' to the Uppers'

 if he walks   around , long and far enough, he will see the  houses get less and less fancy as he nears the beach.   the crowds  are thinning out. every now  and then there is a clump of  folks  my a small bench area looks  at the Vid screens  that are showing the game

 as he gets nearer the beach, he finds less and less folks interested in the games , unless he goes into a  bar.

Spartan keeps his eyes open for any place that remotely looks like a shady trader. The last time he was on everest he was still a first mate, and never left the ship, so he doesn't know exactly where he has to be, but he knows the previous captain of the Scarecrow had connections here that used to supply the ship with the more 'illicit' buoys and scatter rockets.

If only he could find where exactly that was...

   Looking around, it  is hard for  him to tell. Any of the business could have  'back room'shops..or? None.

 Looking up and  seeing  the aircars and such  entering and Leaving the  opening   to the Uppers, vague talk of  'The Stem' come to mind.

The Stem it is, Spartan figures, vaguely remembering his old captain.
Once there he looks for the place that looks the most nasty, the most run down, and enters that.

 Getting  a Taxi, Spartan asks to be taken to the  Stem. The air  car  Rises  above the Lowers, he can see the  Fleet Building Rising high, and next to it the stadium.

  Tot the East is the  Lower's Sea that is a creasant  shape with no 'sea'  to the west.

 the  air  car enters the Stem,  and it is  darkers, the  air thickens from the factories , most of the fumes are  vented to  space, though the   heat is pumper  to both the lower's  Sea bottom to help warm it....Likewise, the  factories    near the Uppers entrance  is warmed by the factories  near their entrance.

 there are , of  course, the  slum-streets, but , unlike   Fuji and Olympus, more people live   in the  building  and streets closer to the factories..leaving the Middle of the Stem, a 'no-mans'' land of   broken buildings  and seedier bars..here..like the other stations  is where  blackmarket and Crime run rampant.

Spartan pays the cab driver and asks him if he knows a place to get supplies for spacecrafts. He pays the man three times the price of the fair, and keeps a fourth time the price visible in his hand as an incentive.

 The  CAbbie  looks at the creds  and   turns away as he drives,Wait'll we get there....no use payin' early....


 about 15 minutes later the  CAb  downs  down above the factories, way below the  main stream of the  traffic.

 There is  a Pair of  Old Browstones. that have  walls of  derelict Air cars and VAns  that cross the  street's  on both  sides, the  building next to them , have more or less, be razed. to give a  killing ground around it.

 on  all four  corners of the  two buildings , are  fortified Heavy Pulse gun nests... a 10 yard wide bridge of Metal with railings   goes  across the alley to connect to the  second Building.. the area  around the   buildings   serves  as a 'court yard'.

 Lights  can be seen in most of the  windows  of the 5 floor structures, and there are Sheds  and  tents  building for various reasons... people could  be seen  walking the makeshift walls.

 some   people  where out side the  walls  with weapons.


 ..That there  is Del's he's a mover and shaker with Mercs and pirates...Everest leaves him pretty much alone, cause he helps them get  stuff  some times.. that will be 30 creds....

(( Spartan knows  it was more like a 12 cred  ride..))

Paying the man 5o Spartan gets out and walks up to the front door of Dells. He makes sure his pistol is in plain sight, as is his heavy duty buck-knife. No use in trying to hide any of it, and maybe it prevents them searching him.
With confidence he approaches the nearest armed guard.

"Hey there, I hear this is the place to be for a trader like me. Anyone I can talk to bout doing some business?"

 The  Human before  him is rather scruffy looking., But the Puls e rifle he  has looks almost brand  new.  Not  far away is a half-hillite, with peach-tinted  lightblue  skin, it looks surly, at best.

 Well, Del, deals  with most folks who are.....small business folks. Unless you are  from  the ESN?.. then he'll wanna meet you at your place.

"I'm what you might consider an 'independent' contractor. I cant say I really have a 'my' place. Unless you consider my small freighter a home. If you like, you could tell Dell captain Thomas Spartan of the SS Scarecrow wishes to do business with him. Tell him I'm in the market for almost anything that can be launched from Synn-tech 34 launch tubes. And perhaps some of those nice pulse rifles like yours. I'll wait here."

    The Human looks  at him and says,..be back... try not  to get killed.... The guard walks to the  GAtes   and whistles 4 airvans   tanding  on their  noses , have been welded together and their   Doxes  filled  with rubble from the  razed  Buildings  , to make the GAtes  , pretty solid.

 The  Half-hillite looks at  Spartan with a bit of a sneer,, otherwise, it  doesn't say anything.

 a good  10 minutes later,  The Human comes through the gates again.In the time he was standing there, he saw   a pair  of Gaudrs  cross the  'bridge'  from one building to the other, while another pair  cross back.

   Kids living off the streets  would  approach some guards with a weapon or  some other item, the  guard s would give them some creds  and they would scamper off into the  dusk-like  darkness.

  The  Human guard  waves  Sparatn in,..k... here's how it will go... Vel's a busy guy, he's gonna  meet you by the  drink stand in the courtyard.... what happens after that?..is up to you....an'? just ta tell ya? If you try something.. even if you  manage to  off, Del?..you'll never enjoy the feeling of having  done it...

 He points to a stand that has a female  Occui  talkig to some folks who are sitting on stools have a  cold  drink., even they have the game on.

Thomas approaches the drink stand, getting a quick soda while he is there, and the looks around to see who this Dell person is. He makes sure to keep his hands well away from his weaponry.

   He Approaches the   stand and the Occui ( light green skinned) woman look at him,..you waiting for Del..have a seat, you want a drink?

  the others   eye Spartan, A pleasant looking  human woman   just gives  him a Glance. Both  of them wear weapons, that show they aren't ...passer -byes.

 There  is  Hillite with his head on the  counter  and  most of his drink spilled on the ground.