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Meanwhile the others (Skyrah, Iphigenia, Matt, Severian, sillia,and Kariza) rise and dress in their civilian clothing and get ready for their twenty four hour liberty pass to the Marcus Antonius. They take their time to dress up a bit and grab their overnight bags before heading to the Hanger. As ordered they report to the hanger at 0900 to a wait transport to the Marcus Antonius for the twenty four hours. They reported to Deck Chief Draven, who led them to the transport alpha beta linked and prepping to take off. Once aboard the beta, they are told to strap in and standby.
Severian wore his casual robes and polished his horns for his first liberty among the Expeditionary forces. He kept an open mind for the free time ahead.
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A short thirty minutes later the others are on the flight deck of the Marcus Antonius and given the quick rundown of the ship rules. They are walked to the small township of the colonist. It’s about the size of a medium shopping mall that is three stories high with open floor space to allow those to look up or down to the other levels. The center of the ground floor level had a small skating ring, arcade, and a bunch of play activities for all ages, the second floor held shops and several service shops to get various luxury services such as ones nails, hair and even massages which are available all hours of the day. More shops and restaurants occupy the third floor along with the ships small three auditorium movie theater. The ceiling had a replicated natural sky which at this time was showing mid morning. At the far end is the soldiers Hotel, the place where the troops of the fleet get to truly let their hair down.
The colony was quaint, the energy mage thought to himself. If anything, it would help him be better accustomed and understand humans in a more social than military setting.
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Those on the Marcus Antonius enter the Hotel where the Receptionist smiles at them as they approach the reception desk. She greets them with a genuine warm friendly greeting. She hands each of them a room key to their own room and three movie tickets for the theater. While in a civilian house the rooms would be considered small, here in the depth of deep space where they are crammed into the same size room with five others, it felt like a mansion. In the fifteen by ten foot space a TV hung on the wall, a queen size bed, a small table with two sitting chairs and a private bath with an actual bathtub made this place perfect for any soldier. There were even fake windows which kept time with the ships day and night settings.
Severian felt the receptionist's smile was forced when he checked in but said nothing. The room was spacious and wondered why all rooms for beings of his importance were not accorded the same quarters on a military vessel?
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The Marcus Antonius finds the group checked in and ready to head out to get some food and look around. They find a great café style restaurant which served brunch. They each savored every bite of the nonmilitary food which is cooked to each of their different taste. It was like heaven to them. As the group sets out to explore the shops, they are approached by a little girl in a dress made to look like a candy wrapper, holding a tray of chocolate treats. She asked them if they would like to sample a taste of heavenly treats that her father makes. The treats are indeed excellent chocolate with different flavored centers.
The local fare for this "brunch" was acceptable & gave Severian a sample of human food. The little girl dressed in confection paper was odd to him but he did accept the "chocolate" treat. It was like nothing he had had before and he purchased 5 boxes of the treats, truly impressed with its flavor!
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The Marcus is filled with the great smell of fresh baked bread as it is being pulled out of a hot oven. Those window shopping find the shops are filled with fun toys and clothing, small trinkets and some of the high end objects which most soldiers’ desire. The shop keepers are all friendly and helpful to their needs. The hobby and craft shops have many different activities to help kill anyone’s boredom on long voyages. While it is not surprising that most the desired goods are generally twice as expensive as those of freedom station shops. But unlike the Robotech factory, goods are on limited supplies here. So no one complains about the prices.
Severian did haggle at first until the others in his group told him the prices were set and it confused Severian who was used to haggling and bartering with the best at the bazaars and marketplaces on Peryton. Remaining silent, he did browse the shops and brought copies of reading fare called "A song of ice and fire" series because of the pictures.
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The Old movie playing on the Marcus’s theaters is a flic about a young girl named Sarah trying to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King named Jared. The group discusses the movie The Labyrinth while having a great lunch at the taco stand, a small Mexican food eatery which was quite the popular place to eat. They are laughing and making jokes unaware of what is happening back on the Gambit. They discuss which of the restaurants they would eat at for the evening meal.
Severian found the movie amusing and wondered if the Goblin King was so powerful, why he just didn't call upon his magic to destroy the Luto character and the boulders with simple energy bolts instead of allowing his minions with weak slug throwers to engage them?
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The second movie aboard the Marcus is a sci-fi B flic called Moon 44. A show of space helicopters trying to protect a corporate mining company from their competitors. The group makes fun of it as they eat their dinner at the fancy steak house. Their drinks are good and strong, the food cooked to perfection and the service is five stars. They decide to go and do their own things afterwards and enjoy some private time. They find their rooms to be a pleasant time to be enjoyed as privacy is rare on the Gambit. They report to the Hanger to find their alpha beta being prep to return them to the Gambit feeling refreshed and happy. They are all smiles as they touch down on the Gambits decks.
Severian found the second film full of scientific impossibilities and a few magical ones as well. After the movie, he looked forward to a meal and he was silently impressed with the meal. After eating, he decided to walk about the colony despite the odd look for a few passerbys. He returned to the hotel afterwards and after a good night sleep and the next day, back to the Gambit to fulfill his duties as a Sentinel Operative.