Ariel, Nice place to visit

Ariel


Like the rest of the Core worlds, Ariel is a paradise of technology. Tall buildings constructed of gleaming glass and steel reach into the sky. Holographic billboards advertise all manner of wonders. The night is filled with light. The day with the hustle and bustle of business.
Ariel is known among the central planets for its excellent medical facilities. The technology in Ariel's hospitals is the very latest, featuring such fancifications as holographic scanners and lots of machines that you gotta shout "clear!" to use.
The restaurants on Ariel are so good that folk travel here from other worlds just to have dinner. All the famous chefs come from Ariel or go to Ariel to open their own restaurants. It is said that even the hot dog vendors on Ariel are gourmet.
As with most planets in the Core, Ariel is a restricted landing zone. Only those with legitimate business (such as bringing a Companion for a yearly check-up) are allowed to land. (Though in most cases, if you look like you belong on a Core world, no one asks many questions.)

Fred had taken a regular transport vessel to Ariel and was now wandering the shipping docks, looking for the Glory and her crew. She figured she had some time to kill, so she sauntered into her favourite locality - the local pub. Dusting off the road's dust, she found a quiet corner and signaled the barkeep to bring her a mug. So she sat back and waited for her new/old crew to show up and take her on the next part of her journey.

The Barkeep came over. She was a patite woman with short black hair and blue eyes. Her voice was deep and rough.

Looking close, Fred could see the tip of a nasty scar across her throat.

"What'll ya have."

The pub was the typical place. Spacers all. Men and women. All armed and none drunk enough.

"A Mudder's Milk...that and just some peace and a bit of quiet while I wait. ..Thanks."

Fred casually flips a couple of credits toward the barkeep to cover the tab and keep her waitstaff pleasant.

"Keep the change."

Jarod Grabbed the suit case containing his holo recordings and his terminal and beat a hasty retreat from the chemical plant. Throwing them into the saddle compartment of his bike, he jumped on and pulled his helmet on. Shifting his weight forward and rolling the throttle back, his feet lift ed from the ground as the bike peeled away.

He smiled underneath the helmet as he passed two transports carrying Alliance federals toward the plant. He wasn't a long drive back to town, the plant was really only a few clicks away. As he rode into town he steered the bike toward an ally, taking his suit case he dumped the bike hope to keep blue sun's blood hound Ms. Parker off his tracks. After all she should have figured out what all the clues meant by now.

Tossing the helmet down next to the bike, he slide his sunglasses on, and walked calmly into the busseling street of the busy city. He had only walked a few feet when he spotted an ice cream vendor, smiling to himself he quickly bought a cone. "Three scopes of mint chocolate chip" , he said to the man behind the counter.

He spotted a spacer bar and quickly made his way in, as he entered it was quite a sight. An extremely odd sight for this particular kind of bar, there stood a man, dressed head to toe in black, carrying a silver briefcase and eating a ice cream cone. All with a child like grin of contentment plaster across his face, if one had not seen it with their own eyes, you would never believe the story.

Fred raised her eyebrow a slight fraction as the guy with the ice cream and the grin sauntered in. She'd seen his kind a dozen times over..she smiled into her Mudder's Milk and lowered her eyes - waitin fer her ride.

Jarod walked up to the bar and smiled at the bartender, " Yes could i get a glass of milk and a piece of apricot yogurt cake, with a orange honey syrup drizzle please." He said as finished his ice cream and brightly smiled at the woman, he turned around at the bar and looked through out the room. He was taking in each and every face, the verse was so full of people, both kind and evil. Even the smells of the bar made him happy, each place had its own smell. The verse was nothing like the Centre, with its smell of sterilizer and steel.

Fred - seeing the show - made herself comfortable - placing her heels on the chair next to her at the table, leaning back and sipping her drink...and relaxed to see what would happen next.

The barkeep had seen much in her time here, twas a spacer bar after all, but even so, the look she gave the man echoed the other patons of the bar who'd noticed the strange guys entrance......perplexed amusement, a connoisseur in expressions would have called it.

She quickly snapped out of it, and a polite, blank expression settled on her face- he was just a customer after all..

"Sorry sonny, we ain't exactly a fancy joint 'ere......aint a bakery niether. "
her deep, raspy voice growled, harden from many years of working in smoke filled, loud, crowed places such as this.
"best we could do would be a mudders milk, peanuts and chips.....will that do ya?"
She raised an eyebrow in accordance with the question.

((OOC: hey guys, I stole this thread from Ian.....lol, not really, he gave it to me. Dont worry, I'll look after ya <evil grin> .))

Jarod raised an eye brow at his order being declined, not exactly like it was hard. Then again not every one learns to be a five platinum star verse class chef, in an hour and 15 minutes. He mussed to himself, smiling at the woman he almost laughed. "That's fine then, just some coffee, black."

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pair of Twinkies, smiling he ripped the cellophane wrapper from them and began to polite munch on the tasty little snack cakes.

"Comming right up."
The barkeep turned, quick in her efficency of well practiced movement, getting mug and coffee pot from another counter, pouring the coffee and moving back towards the customer, placing the mug of the counter between them.

"You paying credit or Platnium.....this close to the docks- we take both ere?"
She went on while waiting for him to make up his mind;
"Say kid, from your request before, I'd say youd be one of those chef types we get in heres on occasion......if thats the case, ya might wanna try something new- our home blend of coffee, its Klatchian....it'll knock your socks off they say."

She gestured to a pot on the boil agaist the back wall of the bar.....it was thick and gloopy and looked like it'd been on the boil since Unification day.

Jarod smiled as she handed him his coffee, taking a sip he let out a content sigh. Smiling bright at the woman he answered her first question, "credits" with that a laid a small credit bill on the bar.

He smiled at her second question, "I am today," he added with an amused grin. Eye the special coffee with a raised eyebrow and great suspicion, he politely declined.

Jarrod's and Fred's PDA's beeped at about the same time.

Both saw the shinning face of Ian Dugan.

"The Glory has landed. We are at Bergoff Port. Berth QB-7. See ya soon. Dugan out."

As the message went to static, bit realized they hers the message in "stero". Both received the same message. Both were going to the same ship.

Jarod quickly grabbed his briefcase from the bar, downing the rest of his coffee, he stuffed the rest of the twinkie into his mouth and began to chew as he pushed his sun glasses back on. He smiled the woman, who was apparently his crew mate, and headed out the door.

<Exit Jarod to Glory>

<<Enter Reese and Tyler from Smugglers>>

Tyler scanned over the mass of people and quickly located the parts shop... more importantly though, he saw the Pharmacy.

"This way Reese.. I need to grab some stuff for my hand first." Tyler said, his face a dark grin when his back turned to her.

Lindon was feeling good in the afternoon sun... so far, his plan was working better then he could have expected but he was still cautious.

He was in the store for 15 minutes while Reese looked at some colorful fabrics on the street corner.

Tyler exited and quickly located Reese... black bag now in tow.

"It's a scorcher out here today." He said to her, giving his most comfortable smile.

Reese followed him to the pharmacy but was side-tracked by pretty fabrics on the street corner. She was on the verge of spending some of her parts money on them when Tyler left the shop, thankfully distracting her.

Reese looked at Tyler while blocking the sun from her eyes with her hand.

"Sure is. I got some spendin' money, wanna go get a drink? Oh but I better get the parts first. Hmm. That could take awhile. You wanna go buy some drinks an' I'll pick out some parts?" She asked holding out some money to him from her large wad. She didn't use cards much, kept her money in cold hard creds where she could see and touch it and know that it was there.

"It sounds like a plan." Tyler said, tickling himself with his own little inside joke.

"Lets get you over to the parts store and I'll get something from one of these crazy street vendors." Keep it casual...

After escorting Reese to the parts store/machine shop, Tyler Lindon located a vendor selling some sort of tropical drink..umbrella and all.

He purchased two, thanked the young man, and headed into a shadowed side street next to the parts sotre to get out of the sun for a minute.

These drinks aren't strong enough, he mused to himself as he poured a bit of clear liquid from a vile into the cup. He used the straw to stir it in, the fruity substance and alocohol masked the smell of the narcotic.


Lindon exited the alley and entered the shop. It seemed 10 degrees hotter in the store then it had on the blistering street corner.

"You find everything we need?" He asked her, handing the drink to her while he took a sip from his own.

Reese had been going through the list and had almost everything she needed which was a lot. More than could be carried. She ordered a delivery to Glory. They'd bring them there after. The heat was getting to her though she was feeling faint and was thankful Tyler had returned.

"Just some small things left but don't really need them. I'll pay for these an' we'll get the rest later I really need some air." She said and paying the shopkeeper left with Tyler who handed her the drink.

"This got alcohol in it?" She asked eying it suspiciously. She didn't like drinking. Never seemed to be a good idea.

And there came the hiccup in Tyler Lindon's master plan.

"I am not sure... it taste like it may have a little in it." Tyler said, opting not mention to her that the narcotics would most likely have more effect then the booze.

Tyler looked into his cup like he was wondering what the contents were himself.

He looked up sheepishly, "Sorry, I just thought you would like the way the drink looked...didn't even think about the actual contents....sorry."

Reese looked at his face, she didn't want to waste the money it cost to buy the drink and a little bit of alcohol couldn't hurt.

"Oh.. no it's okay. I suppose just one drink won't do no harm. I'm sure it tastes fine." She said as she took the cup to her lips. One look at Tyler then she quickly took back the drink until it was empty. Trying her best to ignore the taste and foul smell. How could people drink alcohol when it smelled so bad was beyond her. She lowered the glass again and forced a smile through the bitter taste in her mouth.

"See. Wasn't so bad." She could feel her head swimming already though.

"I think I might be best t'sit down a second though. Let it settle in my tummy. Here." She pointed out an empty bench on the street corner.