Sparing the shuttle and its escorts no more than passing interest -- probably just some visiting brass, given an escort so that he could feel important -- Saskia finished what she was doing, then went back into the ship.

A quick check that everything was in order, then she went back to her quarters to get a weapon, some cash and a commlink, before putting a call through to the bridge.  "Going ashore for a bit.  Won't be long.  I'm armed and I've got a comm, so I can call in if I'm going to be home late."

Then she slipped a jacket on over her coverall before heading out to the diner she'd been told about.

Ash opens the line with Tylen's comm identifier.  "Four Ramparts?" he muses, as it takes him a moment to make the connection to the vehicle name, then acknowledges the request to inform that Captain and Security Chief, "Ah, of course.  Should we be expecting a VIP visit?"  It didn't sound as though the crew on shore leave were directly involved, but one never knew.

He tapped the external sensors to see if he could get a visual or sensory fix on the four airborne craft.  Even as he did so, he patched a message to Jago and Yasmine about the parade potentially coming their way - even if it wasn't coming to them specifically.

Splitting time between that and the article on Draik, the thin navigator sighs for a moment at the flurry of activity.  He highlights a section of the article for Jago to peruse.  Switching over to the link to the Captain's comm, he adds, "Seems that Covan Draik must present himself at Dinomn by year's end to claim his inheritance."  It did offer some context (and potentially bargaining leverage) to their meeting in a couple of hours.

"Thanks for that Ash, seems Mr Draik is a potentual power in these parts, if he makes it on time. I wonder what happens if he dosn't?"

As he cuts the link Jago considers his own question, he'd asked it retoricaly but, now it had been voiced it would fade away. If some one were trying to stop this man it might mean trouble for the Margin and was there any significance in the fact that none of the last sixteen ships were heading for Dinomn?

Kicking off his boots and heading for the shower the captain smiles, at least they'll have somthing to talk about over lunch.

"I hope not." Tylen responds to Ash's question concerning a VIP visit.  "I just like to be out of the way if the Big Boy's security team see something they don't like." the, perhaps over sensitive, security man responds.

Chuckling at Keryn's commentary, Yas nods a few times.

"Yeah, a small one isn't very satisfying, and too big is bad for other reasons, even if it looks impressive and scary at first, that's for sure.  Why don't we go 'shopping' and see if they haven't something you like?  It's not just the size, you know, it's how it feels in your hand and, of course, what you do with it."

"What's that, Ash?" she asks, barely suppressing a laugh at his timing.  "Probably just passing, but thanks for the heads-up, Mr T," she teases him before turning back to Keryn.

"Boys and their toys, eh?"

Keryn smiles happily, "I thought you'd never ask.  Just give me a few minutes to get ready."  And she starts pulling clothes from the storage bins, trying to find something both comfortable, and suitable for a walk around the starport.

Ash manages to pull up a view from the short range optical array... the shuttle sits on the ground, six people standing at the bottom of the gangway, while the fighters circle overhead.  The markings on the shuttle are definitely Imperial Navy - the sunburst on the hull is yellow, which is standard for Naval ships. 

Saskia leaves the ship, heading for her appointment with destiny (or, at least, with lunch).

She moves away from the ramp in the opposite direction to the one that Shui, Tylen and Corlan are approaching from.  Those three are still about two minutes out from the ship.

Jago turns on the shower and finishes getting undressed.  He holds a hand under the running water, appreciating the fact that it is at exactly the right temperature.  Behind him, the ticking stops, and when he turns there is a simple metal cylinder sitting, upright and immobile, in the dish on his desk...

"Did Mr. Tescali have any words of wisdom regarding the shuttle and defensive cordon?" Shui inquires as she walks.  Up ahead sits the Profit Margin, silent and safe.  So far, the trip to this world hasn't proved to be an onerous task, despite the laws.  Indeed, they've even come back with brochures.

Out of habit, her gaze wanders, ignoring specific points to avoid locking into them.  Instead, it shifts over generalities, movement...irregularities.  A habitual method of seeing the world, rather than conscious.

Moving across the field, Saskia sighs.  The boots always make her feel as if she has weights strapped to her feet, but it's a weight which has nothing to do with the mass of the footwear.  No matter what she wears on her feet, she always feels them dragging, slowing her pace and making her more clumsy.

Given a choice, she'd be out here barefoot.

But you never know about a strange port.  There could be broken glass, fragments of metal, or small biting animals.  All waiting to provide an unpleasant wound, infected with something incurable.

So the boots go on every time she leaves the ship.  And with them the misery of a purely imaginary hindrance.

The communicator is necessary, of course, but she'd rather have left the autopistol behind.  But then she'd have had Yas on her case.  So another weight, this one sitting in her pocket where it is almost invisible, at least.

She moves in among the first buildings, and stops to look in a storefront.  Clothes.  Second-hand ones, probably from off-world, judging by the wide variety of styles.  Perhaps she'll take a better look on her way back.  There might be something she likes.

She continues toward the diner.

Keryn's "few minutes" is about two.  She stands before Yas in a short coat and a calf-length dress... an outfit which would have been fashionable on Frenzie, about a year ago.  But now she's an interstellar traveller, and has no time to worry about fashion.  Which changes from world to world anyway.  "Ready when you are." she declares.

Saskia follows the street, pausing every so often when interesting businesses catch her eye - clothing stores, a place selling some sort of recorded media, in a format that she doesn't recognise, which does not, apparently, include any kind of visual element.

And then she spots the diner, on the ground floor of a four storey building, a garish sign declaring its presence. though the smell of cooking renders the sign irrelevant...

Ash starts two search spiraling out.  The first is based on Jago's musings: Who benefited most from Draik's failure to arrive in Dinomn?  It must not be that difficult to suss out; sixteen other tramp crews had determined it to be not worth the effort.  Of course, the Profit Margin was a cut above...  At least, that was the lanky navigator's story and he was sticking to it.

The second search was based on the short range visual feeds.  Ash sends feelers out to see who is due in town.

"++Imperial Diplomats arriving.++"  He pushed a picture of the couple disembarking from the shuttle and the male's highly decorated chest, "++That's a lot of hardware.++" he notes off-hand.  Of course, Ash might also be referring to the four very serious-looking security that are shadowing the two civilians.  "++Best to steer clear.++" he advises as a general warning over the common crew channel knowing that Yas is with Keryn and Shui and Tylen are with Corlan.  And Eneris is in his cabin (at least as far as he knows).

"Thank you computer" Jago says absently as he steps into the cascading water.

As the warmth washes over him he muses on how fond he'd become of that 'thingamajig' on his desk, he attributes it with intelligence and a sense of humour though there is no evidence of either, except that, he finds it rather amusing, that switch there, as he turned his back for instance.

Chuckling, the Captain sets to work with the shampoo and soap.

Seeing as Ash's sentiments echo his own, Tylen will continue on towards the Margin and encourage the other two to keep up.  "We should be able to get a decent view of what is going on on the lounge screens ..." he adds by way of encouragement.

AS Jago proceeds with his ablutions, Ash is busy on the Bridge, trying to get more information on both the potential passenger, and on the shuttle... 

Corlan seems only too happy to speed up a little, to keep pace with Tylen, and the group make good speed towards the ship, arriving at the bottom of the ramp entirely unscathed.

Entering the diner, Saskia is greeted by a young man, perhaps sixteen or eighteen years old, who hurries up to her as soon as she steps through the door.  The place doesn't appear very busy, with the handful of other customers seemingly outnumbered by the staff.  "Good day." he looks past the engineer, seeing nobody else with her, "We have plenty of space at the moment, so where would you like to sit?"

Keryn watches Yas for a moment, patiently, then, "I'm ready.  And I have a little money, so I should be able to pay for it if I need to."

"And there we are, Mr. DeSant - safe and sound!"  Relieved, Shui enters the ship, triggering her dataglove to give her a list of necessities for both of her jobs.  "I might have to go out again, shortly, in search of provisions and medical supplies.  Let me check my inventory."  She pauses, arching an eyebrow at Tylen.  "If I require an escort, Mr. Orgesh, I shall be certain to page you."

Yas looks at Keryn, smiling sweetly.  "Unfortunately you can't go ashore, because you don't have a weapon."  Then she laughs.  "Just kidding."

In the hold, Corlan thanks Shui and Tylen for their assistance, and heads back towards passenger territory with his horde of pamphlets."

You can almost see the triumphant smile over the link, as a stock government portrait of a woman that looks quite like the female portion of the couple in the external sensor feeds materializes over the common crew channel.  "++One Minister Serra Calos-Gann is slated to do a tour of military assets...++"  Being able to put a name with the face does seem to satisfy the lanky navigator's curiosity for the moment.

He continues to tap away on his display as the data continues to stream over a number of his displays.  Ash keeps splitting his attention between reading the various news and sensor feeds and refining the navigation calculations to various star systems as their next jump destinations.

I would be delighted to accompany you." Tylen offers with a grin and a slight bow.  "I think I will tag along with Corlan for the moment, to see if we can get pictures of the dignitaries on the lounge screens ... and to look at some of those pamphlets over his shoulder." he adds, perhaps revealing his real reason for going along.  "There might be somewhere suitable for a day trip, or even a weekend trip." he suggests mischievously to Shui.

"Yes, it seems to be quiet in here just now." Saskia replies, picking a seat near the window, so that she can see what's going on outside (in case anything is going on).  "I've been told that you make a good bochok sausage.  I'd like to try that, with whatever constitutes the usual trimmings and side dishes.  Oh, and I want to pay with Imperial credits, is that all right?"

Up goes the eyebrow again. "I would be pleased if you could find somewhere interesting for us to visit...and most pleased to accompany you."  And why not?  "For the moment, I believe I shall prepare for a short visit into the port, to see what kind of variety can be discovered.  We have sufficient supplies for our next trip, but it's always good to stock up on more than the basic, non-perishable things."  She offers a small smile, touching his arm. "I do need to put some changes into the menu."

"So," Shui states, heading for her cabin, "you only have a short window to peruse Mr. DeSant's trophies.  I shall be ready in about twenty minutes - enough time for a list and to dress for the occasion."

"I am already dressed for a shopping trip." he comments, although the twinkle in his eyes implies that he had been considering asking if he could keep Shui company as she dressed.  Instead he follows Corlan into the Passenger lounge and sets up a screen pulling images from the external cameras, so they can watch the VIP.

"Ash, I'm taking Keryn ashore to stretch her legs for a bit.  I'm armed, and have a comm.  If you let Jago leave without us, I will hunt you both down, even if I have to search every world in the Imperium, and make you suffer." Yas calls in to the Bridge, waits for confirmation, then opens the cabin door and gestures for Keryn to lead the way.

On the way through the passenger lounge, they pass Tylen, who is calling up external views on the screens, "Just escorting this dangerous trouble-maker off the ship.  Back soon."

Tylen's selected view shows a man and woman in civilian dress (though the man has a sizeable array of medals) getting into a ground car, while a quartet of guards (with uniforms and equipment which appear to match the profile of locally available tech) stand watch.  The car starts to drive  slowly away from the shuttle, and the guards hurry to fall in behind it.  The shuttle ramp lifts, in preparation for lift-off.

The waiter takes Saskia's order, and makes suggestions for side dishes and drinks that work well with bochok sausage.  With the order finalised, he heads of and returns a short while later with a plate of salad and a glass of something blue and steaming...

In his cabin, Jago steps out of the shower, and sees that the thing on his desk has changed again.  This time it has adopted the shape of a perfectly formed (if somewhat large) and translucent raindrop, hovering just a few centimetres above its dish.  Light from the desk lamp refracts through it, casting a rainbow on the wall.

Shui returns to her cabin and calls up an inventory of the ship's stores.  All of the basics are there, freeze-dried and compacted for reduce storage requirements, and she has small, but adequate, supplies of seasonings, spices and herbs to liven up the menu.  A quick search of the ship's library data doesn't provide much information on the local cuisine, beyond a quick mention of something called bochok sausage.  Phlume's lack of any kind of accessible network makes it impossible to contact local data sources.

It's good, Shui muses as she peeks into her files, that Tylen is still interested.  As yet, she remains uncertain where this is going between them, or what she, herself, expects out of it.  Isn't it enough that she's enjoying herself? she silently queries as her fingers run down a list of spices.

She doesn't know; choosing to do things for herself, to satisfy her own desires, that's new to her.

Sadly, the steward finds little to nothing for information, and rapidly gives up in frustration (frustration augmented, perhaps, by her own confusion).  Checking, she notes a lack of immediate issues requiring her attention and keys Tylen.

+ Mr Orgesh...if you have time, I shall apparently need to go to the spaceport and check the supplies situation myself. +  A small smile touches her lips for a moment.  + Hopefully you are free? +

The bochok sausage arrives last, and Saskia eyes it dubiously.  It isn't just the colour (a kind of greenish gray, with flecks of white) that worries her, but the smell of it isn't readily identifiable as anything recognisable.

She pokes at the dish with her knife and fork, noticing the slight rippling beneath the surface, then decides to try cutting a thin slice, just to taste it.  This proves to be impossible.  As soon as she applies pressure to the outer skin, it splits, and the contents spill out across the plate as a semi-liquid gravy-like sludge.  It's more gray than the outer surface, and has more flecks of white in it.

The smell is, well, indescribable.  Other than to say that it makes her eyes water.

Saskia signals the waiter.  "What's in this?  What's it made from?"

"Our bochok sausage is freshly made each day, using only the finest ingredients, including falaril egg, finely minced mixed meats, and bochok root steeped in salt water for a month, then dried and left to ferment."  After a moment's thought, he adds, "I must admit, it is an acquired taste.  One which I've... never acquired."

"People who enjoy it usually take it with some salt and a lot of vinegar."

Yas and Keryn step out from under the shadow of the ship and look about.  A few moments to orient themselves, and they set off towards the nearest buildings.  "If we can't find a dealer there, we can get directions to where we can find one."

From across the field there comes the sound of the shuttle taking off, and of the fighters adopting guard positions around it...

Tylen flicks through the brochures whilst keeping a weather eye on the progress of the VIP.  Rather than take any of the brochures away, he makes a note of any interesting places to visit, intending to pick up duplicates next time he goes ashore.  When Shui calls, he acknowledges his availability,  nods to Corlan, and with a jaunty grin makes his way to meet her.