Wanderfall, 255-1125, Shiptime 1040 Hours Standard

Hihlas wasn't bad, if you like planets with atmospheres that smell like a Scout Courier after 12 weeks in space. The air felt thick and reeked of sulfer compounds, and every time you got a whiff of it, you coughed a lung up, much to the amusement of the locals. Of course, they showed off for the starfolk, running around in just shorts, shirts, sandals, goggles, and filtermasks with an utter disdain for their resperatory systems.

The locals were friendly, even though a bit competitive, always ready to drop anything for a bet. It seemed that gambling was the national pasttime, and the local beers might taste a bit off, but they went down nice and smooth and had a helluva kick.

Go-Go, the owner aboard, didn't shake up any passengers on this leg, but she picked up some more stuff for her 'retirement fund', a couple of small cargoes that she thought would go over good at Gralyn. And knowing some of the tall tales from some of the crew who'd known her awhile, and seeing her in action fleecing the locals, you're not worried about her making payroll this time, either. She may be young, cute, and small, but she could charm a Purist away from the Party Line in no time.

The week passed without incident, the airco making no more than its usual rattles, but the air stayed fresh because the engineering crew were on top of their game. And it was a nice smooth insertion into Jumpspace for the command crew; you hardly felt a twinge. No Sollie commerce raiders around Hihlas, either; they were probably bothering the Federation and the Caledonians for a change.

The crew spent the week quietly, Buzz cooking up some weird smelling stuff in his stateroom while not on watch or playing with the monkey. Koporan, A'Rolr, and Lena, with some help from Lightfoot, checked the ship over for things that could be fixed while in Jumpspace. Lightfoot attempted to teach Alan Tornquist some things on the pilot simulator when not working out and making strange noises in his cabin. Tornquist worked out a lot while not on duty or running the sims. Somebody set up a pistol range down in the cargo hold as well, and occaisional gunshots could be heard at all hours of the day and night as crew got in practice.

The day of breakout, Go-Go called the usual crew meeting on the cusp of First and Second Watches. "Okay, you guys," she started in that lightly accented Anglic of hers. "For those of you who haven't been on Gralyn before, here's the scan.

"Everybody you see there wearing a blue badge is a native. Don't khest with them. They're pretty friendly as long as you're non-hostile. Green badges mean resident alien. White badges mean offworld visitors. We'll all be getting white badges if and when we leave the starport's extraterritorality zone. Those badges have an expiration date and time on them. Be back in the Zone before they expire or you'll be arrested and fined. And those fines aren't cheap. You're required by Gralyn law to have your badge plainly visible at all times. Local clothing has a special holder for them over the left pocket so they don't get lost. Do not lose your badge.

She holds up a holo of an 8 pointed star. "You see anybody wearing one of these, they're a cop. Only, the locals call them 'proctors'. They're usually unarmed, but don't even think of giving them any grief. They're nice and polite, but they pack aerosol sprays that will put you down in a Daibei minute. You do NOT want to be arrested. So behave. If they tell you to move, move. You get welded outside the Fence and I gotta bail you, it comes out of your check. With interest. And the locals don't like people packing unless they're military or cops. Leave your toys in the lockers.

"We're going to be landing at the port outside of Corbingrad. It's a midlevel government center and one of the best places to see there. The bars closest to the Fence are fairly tolerant of offworlders, and the owners won't call the proctors unless somebody pulls a piece. Don't be that person. And by the way, the local joyboys and joygirls are licensed by the State. They're highly trained professionals, and they pull a good wage. Don't think you can skip payment on them. You can't. Anybody have any questions?" She sips some more of her kaff, waiting.

"Yea," Alan wrinkles his nose, "how can you drink that stuff?" He flicks the monkey another grape before continuing, "Anyone up for a bit of sparring?"

Lightfoot: "Does that stuff have a kick to it?"

"Any way to get a 'packing permit?' You can't really expect me to leave my good luck piece behind??" asked Akira.

Go-Go looks at Akira. "The Gralyns only allow 'packing' by Gralyn military or proctors on rare occaisions. You can 'pack' inside the Zone, just not outside. They won't even issue you an entrance visa at the Zone gate if you're packing. And they check pretty thoroughly at the Gate."

ARol'r growled softly as he thought about hitting another planet filled with bad smells and even worse, bad drinks. He leaned back in his chair as he shot a fur-covered thumb at Buzz and his ever-present simian. We shouldn't be arrested as long a that damn monkey stays away from people." Scoffed the huge Aslan. "I mean pissing in the damn lieutenant governor's wife's drink. We're lucky that after that little rukhta, we weren't all hung for treason."

Buzz said "Aw, give the guy a break....she gave him a piece of fruit and he had nothing to give back. Next time I'll make sure he raids your locker for some goodies in case he's left short, ok?" The monkey jumps on Buzz's shoulder, "Besides, I've been teaching him to fly this rustbucket, so maybe he'll be too busy to get you fur standing. You didn't mind when he got your wallet back from that jerk in the market last month, so you had money to bail us all out, anyway." He looks at the panel, "Hey General! What's this red button for?"

ARol'r growls as he reaches for his cup of kaff. . "One of these days...I will find a big enough pot..." grins ARolr as he takes a sip. "Is this a new mix of Kaff? has an ...unusual taste."

"No," Buzz grins, "Forgot to tell you I didn't have time to get to the galley, so I just washed the cups out with a little degreaser. Surprised you didn't see how white the cup was."

Go-Go chuckles. "I've checked some things this week while we've been in Jump. Ship's looking good. I noticed somebody fixed that leaky pipe in Stateroom 4 (OOC: area 22 on the deck plans). And some new paint in the common area. Good job. OK, when's breakout?" She looks at Lightfoot.

Lightfoot says, "1307."

Go-Go nods. "Okay, it's 1046 now. We have about 2 and a half hours. Breakout stations at 1300. Until then, your time is your own."

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