Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2015 7:39:25 GMT -8
Her day started pretty much like any other, a quick trip through the wormhole to meet one of half a dozen transports which carried cargo and mail destined for distribution on Ni'Kroph, the alien run moonbase and outpost settlement. The thrill wasn't in the cargo or even the transit through the spacial anomaly. Ikaya Tiin gained the most pleasure from living life on the edge, but her job kept her ship running and her belly full, so she put up with the monotony in anticipation of the random thrill that usually appeared unannounced.
After securing the ship, she waited inside until the domed field materialized over the platform and atmospheric conditions and gravity were established. Her heart rate rose several beats higher, as always, while she opened the exit door and stepped out onto the platform. There, she was at her most vulnerable. All it would take was one malicious swipe of the hand by the operator and she would be exposed to the brutality of space. She longed for the day when some wealthy alien would build an internal docking bay, but having visited Ni'Kroph for over a year, she knew that wasn't likely to happen in her lifetime.
Entering the control booth, she dropped her docket on the desk and waited impatiently as the Bolian inspected the list of cargo.
"Sparse today," he said.
She nodded once, but said nothing, having learned her lesson long ago. Once the Bolian started talking, it was almost impossible to get away.
Later, having unloaded the cargo and logged it in at the Parcel Repository, she was free to wander the outpost for a while. Hunger drove her to the food court and she stood at the entrance for a few seconds, waiting for the initial sensory overload to ease before making her choice. The individual booths changed almost weekly as the alien proprietors either failed to make a profit selling what was only a delicacy on their own planet (Mehtak skin sauce, for example), or they moved on to another portion of the galaxy after being threatened by the owners of the one booth that seemed consistent, the Ferengi run Grub Pub.
Payday was several days away, and Ikaya's credits were dwindling rapidly. This always forced her to the bargains, not a good idea when food was concerned.
"A Trilekian combo plate," she said as she looked at the digital scrolling menu above the server's head. "And..." A quick glance at her credits told her the dessert was not to be on this day. "Water, cold."
Carrying the acrylic tray, she found a table and settled in to people watch. Creature watch was more like it. Nowhere else in the quadrant was there such an eclectic mix of species and cultures, and Ikaya got a kick out of watching them. Across the room, a very short, hairy thing was trying to get up onto a chair while balancing his tray in one hand, his drink precariously edging toward oblivion.
"How did that even get here," she muttered.
Tag Any
After securing the ship, she waited inside until the domed field materialized over the platform and atmospheric conditions and gravity were established. Her heart rate rose several beats higher, as always, while she opened the exit door and stepped out onto the platform. There, she was at her most vulnerable. All it would take was one malicious swipe of the hand by the operator and she would be exposed to the brutality of space. She longed for the day when some wealthy alien would build an internal docking bay, but having visited Ni'Kroph for over a year, she knew that wasn't likely to happen in her lifetime.
Entering the control booth, she dropped her docket on the desk and waited impatiently as the Bolian inspected the list of cargo.
"Sparse today," he said.
She nodded once, but said nothing, having learned her lesson long ago. Once the Bolian started talking, it was almost impossible to get away.
Later, having unloaded the cargo and logged it in at the Parcel Repository, she was free to wander the outpost for a while. Hunger drove her to the food court and she stood at the entrance for a few seconds, waiting for the initial sensory overload to ease before making her choice. The individual booths changed almost weekly as the alien proprietors either failed to make a profit selling what was only a delicacy on their own planet (Mehtak skin sauce, for example), or they moved on to another portion of the galaxy after being threatened by the owners of the one booth that seemed consistent, the Ferengi run Grub Pub.
Payday was several days away, and Ikaya's credits were dwindling rapidly. This always forced her to the bargains, not a good idea when food was concerned.
"A Trilekian combo plate," she said as she looked at the digital scrolling menu above the server's head. "And..." A quick glance at her credits told her the dessert was not to be on this day. "Water, cold."
Carrying the acrylic tray, she found a table and settled in to people watch. Creature watch was more like it. Nowhere else in the quadrant was there such an eclectic mix of species and cultures, and Ikaya got a kick out of watching them. Across the room, a very short, hairy thing was trying to get up onto a chair while balancing his tray in one hand, his drink precariously edging toward oblivion.
"How did that even get here," she muttered.
Tag Any