Bruce Johnson wrote: >>>>"Tell me what you think of it.", she presents Ricardo with the >>>>mug and then says, "So, another spacer from one of the >>>>ships that came in today?" She glances toward the guy in the worn ship suit and nods, "Yeah, over there nursing his beer." >>>Ricardo sips the beer. "Yah, off the 'Mae Lee', the big >>>thousand-tonner." He glances around for any reaction to the name. The stout is rich and has a nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. It's good, one of the better beersis that Ricardo has had, and he's sampled *quite* a few over the years. >>No reaction from anyone that you notice, but the bartender nods and >>says, "I was really surprised to hear that a big ship like yours had >>dropped in on us. We usually have to make do with smaller ships. All >>the big ships stop at the GG outsystem and ferry what little cargo >>they have for us in on boats." > > Ricardo shrugs. "Well, we like to keep her near at hand, she's home, > after all, and the stuff we had for here on would have meant more than > one trip. > > This stop is mostly because we've not been out this way before. We just > got her recently, and this sort of a sightseeing stop. We came this > way because a Ollis on Mark had some cargo for here." "Well, we're glad to have you here." she says, "And I hope you find it worth your while to come back often." >>>>She glances over at the man wearing the ship suit before >>>>looking back at Ricardo and smiling, "We don't get a lot of >>>>ships in here, and we *do* depend on travellers for outsystem >>>>news." >>> >>>"Well, we can send yah some old Mark newsfeeds and such. Not a >>>lot going on rimward. >> >>"You'd find a market for them, I suspect. Even if it's old news, >>it'll be new to us. You ought to see if our local networks is >>interested in buying them from you." > > "I'll see what we got, and more importantly, what we're tired of > reading over and over ." He smiles. > >>>The Confeds and the Lizards are into Cold War mode, dancing >>>around each other. Mark looks to be their next dance hall, >>>unfortunately, but that's probably years off. Both sides are >>>kinda worn out from the last one. >>> >>>"Big storm and lotsa flooding on Sequi, particularly around some >>>of the Bion ranches..in the north. We got caught up in the SAR >>>there, since we were dirtside there. >> >>"Oh really?" she says, "That sounds interesting!" >> > > Ricardo shrugs. "Well, it was exciting, in that sort of 'Oh we're going > to die now' way. We flew way too close to a tornado...put a tree branch > through the hull of our boat." "Wow! That *does* sound exciting." she says. >>She glances at the man in the stained ship suit and says, "And a lot >>more informative than some of the spacers we get in here." > > Ricardo smiles. "I'm told I gab a lot. Always willing to swap stories. > Spent a lot of years in the Argent scouts, and have 'sung for my > supper' on occasion. so which ship's he from? That old scout ship looks > vaguely familiar." She shrugs and says, "Don't think so, he came in before the scout ship landed, I think. Probably that other small merchant ship in from Mark. All I got from him when I tried to chat him up was a grunt and an order for another beer." >>>"You got a window to send feed grain that way for a decent price, >>>I'll wager, since they're getting help with that epidemic and >>>will want to build their herds back up." >> >>She nods, "That would be good for the local economy I'm sure." >> >>>"We're headed on coreward, though." >> >>"Like toward Montrose?" she asks, when you nod she says, "You should >>put that on the net. I know a lot of people here on Serbia have >>family there and we seldom have a way of getting messages to our >>relatives there. If you let it be known that you're going there, I >>bet you could pick up a lot of messages to be delivered into the >>Montrose net, probably a lot of small packages and paper mail as well." > > Ricardo says "Sure. We've got the room this time." "Well, then you *really* should put it out there on the net. You'd be doing the folks here a service and I'm sure you'd get a nice profit out of it." "So, how's that stout?" she smiles at Ricardo. Eris AKU GM
