Prospecting the Rimma II

[Jsc]

​

Prospecting the Rimma II​

An Adventure of Travel and Leisure: Now Open​

​

___

Ecumenopolis World, Vex Adrianne 3
Just outside Omega Space

___

Karen Roberts of Fondor was out prospecting again. Her journey along the Rimma Trade Route had taken her far out from Omega space and into regions now colonial. Vex Adrianne 3 was one of these such colonial installations. A large blue planet with two massive polar ice caps, north and south; and a whole city-world in between. It was an industrial center for the carbonite trade and the molecular sciences. Very modern, very bright, yet very remote. They seemed to value their privacy immensely against the grand scheme of things. Roberts couldn't blame them. Meh.

The tiny faction that controlled most of the world was called The Blue Nova. An fascist Imperial group that operated over five capitals across the city world. Humano-centric empire leftovers probably. Karen chose to land at the smallest capital city on the tourism listings. Avaline Polis. A white city, bright with happy people and wealthy businesses. They accepted outsiders comfortably and didn't seem to mind the idea of a wandering human ship in their territory. Landing and Passport wasn't much trouble either. They must have their fair share of visitors these days.

The locals were a variation on the human theme. Dark hair, reddish or blue tinted skin, yellow freckled eyes, and a rather tall people too. They all seemed a beautiful design to Karen's eyes and were equally well dressed, if overtly colorful. But, perhaps this was just the nice part of town. It was impossible to judge a whole planet just by it's airports. Still? Everyone seemed friendly enough. Even to a woman with glittering blue hair and body armor. Fancy that.

___

An hour of exploring planetside put Karen at a cafe. The local 'City Academy of Technology & Carbon Science', had a nice little restaurant inside. Very posh. Very bright place. And a wonderful idea, no? Why travel when you can sit down and eat while you're studying. Utterly brilliant. Roberts took the time saved to read up on the planet's university system. Munching on a pizza and stirring her orange soda as she went.

"Hmm. Seems like things here are going rather well for the locals. Even though they keep a low profile against the Galactic Market and it's innovation? They still seem to block enough foreign trade to keep the economy booming planetside. Huh. Living on their own little world. Gives the word a whole new meaning."

She nodded her head. Guess there wasn't much to prospect here except for the local culture. Maybe she'd hit a museum or something.

"Ah! Or I could browse the 5-star restaurants for some particular cuisine. Grant would love it if I picked up some new cooking recipes. Maybe today will be a food day. Mmm."

Maybe today's prospecting wasn't such a bad thing after all.

.

 

[Amanda Lori Ann]

Vex Adrienne 3 was indeed a marvelous place. The world was neat, organized, bright, and progressive. The sunsets left wondrous pinks and oranges on the tall buildings, and the sky flourished with aircrafts of different kinds. The morning sun kissed the ground and the people below, although the heat was not overbearing. It provided a nice, chilly weather that Amanda could very much get used to and if she didn’t hate the place so much she might’ve stayed a few days longer.

‘Ugh. Those fething lunatic brainwashers.’

Amanda had just finished a small spice trade with one of the locals. Her mother had mentioned having an old client out here that was always willing to do some business, and it just so happened she was in town. The exchange was terribly noxious, the poor boy stammering and suffering from obvious withdrawal symptoms. He seemed desperate, paranoid, and just a bit loony; and she could almost see the indoctrination in his eyes. The place, she learned, was very patriotic and any comments that criticized it were unwelcome.

‘Whatever. I was just leaving anyway.’

‘…After I get a snack. And catch a movie.’

Amanda smirked to herself. Her stomach was grumbling and she still had some money to spend before she was going to leave. The city was a pretty friendly place, after all, and was actually quite nice to tour. She sat herself down in a nice little café and ordered a sundae.

“Wait," She said to the waiter before he could leave, “I hear Morela’s Galore is pretty good. Have you seen it?”

[member="Karen Roberts"]​

 

[Jsc]

[member="Amanda Lori Ann"] sat across the cafe from Karen. Talking with the waiter about movie times or some such topics. She didn't take an interest until the petite woman began speaking in fluent basic. The organization of, 'is pretty good' was not actually native to this planet. An Andrianne would have said, "is very good'. Pretty being a term reserved for remarks of bodily beauty and elegance. Yes it was perhaps a remarkable subtly amongst outsiders, but with Amanda's skin color in addition to her manner of speech? It became obvious to Roberts that this woman was a fellow traveler. So she perked up her ears and listened in to their conversation. She assumed Malore's Galore was a motion picture. Or a storefront of some local flair and frolic. Either would have probably been worth exploring. You never know?

 

[Amanda Lori Ann]

The waiter gave a small smile, though it was obvious he noticed her lingual unfamiliarity. 'Right,' Amanda thought. She forgot the people here didn't understand her galactic lingo. They used their words in a textbook, dictionary-based fashion.

It was annoying.

"Yes, I have. I would recommend it." The waiter said. He seemed quite used to foreigners, which Amanda was relieved for. Of course. The location she found herself in did boast a steady flow of tourists; She might've seen one when she walked in. She didn't want to have to learn an entire dialect, even if it was just a variation of the basic she had grown up with.

She thanked the waiter, and he left to attend to other things. Amanda had heard many good reviews on the film Malora's Galore, although she couldn't be sure if it was good because the public refused to say otherwise, or if it was good because the film actually met high-quality standards. She didn't want to spend a couple of hours watching something she wouldn't enjoy, nor did she want to spend her precious, hard-earned money on a cracktastic movie. Perhaps she'd get an outsider's opinion on it? Someone who wasn't conditioned to the nationalistic mindset most of the planet held. She glanced backwards, and yup. There indeed was another foreigner.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" She said after walking over to where the blue-haired girl was. "I just have a question is all. You're not from around here, right?"

[member="Karen Roberts"]​

 

[Jsc]

Karen seemed pleasantly surprised and waved the woman a chair.

"Please. Have a seat. Fine by me."

She pushed her pizza to one side and made room for more. Company was always welcome.

"So. What can I do for you?"

Roberts didn't bother for introductions. This gal looked like she was in a hurry.

[member="Amanda Lori Ann"]

 

[Amanda Lori Ann]

"Sweet. Thanks." She said, taking a seat in front of the blue-haired woman.

"Was wondering whether or not you've seen Malora's Galore. It's seems like it's a pretty big hit around here, but I wanted to get a foreigner's opinion." The girl she was talking to seemed friendly enough. She liked that she got straight to the point, and she assumed she knew more about the culture of the planet than she herself did. Amanda got an impression of finesse and prestige from the girl, and knew that it wouldn't be wrong to think that she'd visited places like this before. Something about the way she spoke and carried herself screamed 'Academy graduate!', but unlike many people Amanda knew, she seemed genuinely likable.

[member="Karen Roberts"]​

 

[Jsc]

Bubbly. Karen wondered where this gal must have come from. Still she smiled and continued,

"I'm afraid I haven't seen it. I only just arrived planetside today and I fear I have no grasp of the cities modern entertainment. However. As I understand it, the holonet has hundreds of review locations. I'm sure you can find at least one educated opinion amongst all the galaxies' many stars."

She shrugged and tussled her napkin. It had been awhile since Karen had time to go see a movie. Passive entertainment wasn't really her thing anyway. Grant always feel asleep too. Poo.

"By the way. How did you guess I was foreign? I'm curious as to what gave it away first. Hehe."

Her skin color, her Zel-tropical hair, or perhaps the foreign armor configuration of her EVA. Some people had even mentioned her choice in cuisine before. Who orders a pizza on a foreign planet anyway? You're just as like to receive a lasagna pie as a cheese quesadilla. Oh well. Such was travel and leisure.

[member="Amanda Lori Ann"]

 

[Amanda Lori Ann]

Amanda’s lips pursed at the girl’s suggestion. She was sure the movie wasn’t something well known throughout the galaxy considering the planet’s remote status, and accessing the Holonet to get reviews would be the same as asking the locals. Biased. It was a shame the girl hadn’t seen it, although she should’ve known as much. Most people she knew of didn’t come to places like Adrienne to watch movies—Although in her case, most people came here to deal spice—and the girl herself seemed as if she was there on an educational trip.

“You stick out like a sore thumb.” Amanda replied to the girl’s query. How could you not guess she was a foreigner? Every part of her screamed it. Her hair, skin tone, literally everything. She cocked an eyebrow in mock disbelief, and plastered a look that asked whether the blue-haired girl was serious on her face.

Spoiler: ooc

I'm so sorry it took so long to reply!

[member="Karen Roberts"]​

 

[Jsc]

That made Karen smile. She enjoyed the thought of sticking out like a sore thumb. It was made her travels so much more entertaining. It also made her feel years younger too.

"Ah. Well, I suppose that's fair. I guess blending in, just isn't for me. Hehe."

Roberts nodded her head and looked about the cafe. What a funny little planet. She would definitely need to grab a souviner later. Karen returned her smile to [member="Amanda Lori Ann"],

"Oh. And thank you for saying so. Good luck with your movie then. I hope it all works out."

Her thoughts turned elsewhere now. Towards shopping and sightseeing. Renewed in confidence by Amanda's happy observation. She really did need to get out more. It was fun.

___

Spoiler: ooc

Lol. I'll just assume it's your IRL schedule from now on. Thanks for playing.

 

[Amanda Lori Ann]

The girl seemed strange, that much was clear. She seemed to be happy with what Amanda said, which was an unusual but welcome surprise. Not many liked Amanda’s brash way of saying things, but then again not many were used to it. She supposed the woman just liked to stick out and not conform to the crowd, which would make her bright blue hair more understandable. Amongst all the people she’s met, she has yet to meet one with naturally blue hair.

Amanda smiled. The brunette was the type of person who made quick judgments, and relied heavily on first impressions. She was used to the aura of cautious reservation her usual company brought, and talking with someone who seemed so carefree was refreshing for a change. She definitely liked the girl. She seemed open to new things and friendly conversation, and overall was just an average tourist.

“Thanks.” She said, smiling as she rose. The waiter came to the table bringing a dessert glass topped with vanilla ice cream, syrup, and exotic-looking fruits.

“Oh, I’ll just have it taken out.” She said. The waiter smiled, nodded, and left to bag the uneaten dessert.

She would have asked the girl to accompany her, but it seemed she was preoccupied with other things. It didn’t matter. Whatever relationship she wanted to pursue would lead to nothing greater than ‘probable friends’. And even that wouldn’t last long, if Amanda’s habits stuck. Still, she was thankful for the conversation even if it was a brief one, and knew that she wouldn’t mind meeting the girl again. Perhaps in a different place, and perhaps with more action involved.

The waiter returned with a bagged sundae. Amanda took it, opened the bag to confirm if they included an eating utensil—She hates it when they forget to—and paid for the snack.

“Alright, well I’ll be leaving. Don’t want to miss the movie. By the way, the name’s Amanda. Nice meeting you.” Handshakes were not something that Amanda’s family practiced, but it seemed fitting here. She offered her left hand to the girl, holding the bagged dessert in her right arm.

[member="Karen Roberts"]​

 

[Jsc]

The blue haired woman took her hand and shook it firmly,

"Karen. Of Fondor. Force be with you Amanda. And good hunting."

Smiling and happy, Karen mused at their interaction. Ah yes. Like ships in the night. Two strangers pass by. Briefly. Yet, no matter where Amanda went next or what greater adventures life had in store for her. Karen would wish her well.

*exit