Deep Black Sea: Bazaar of the Bizarre

[Jorus Merrill]

MISSION

• Traverse the Nagai Trade Spine across 150,000 light-years of intergalactic void to chart the satellite galaxy known as Firefist. Identify safe sites for library vaults and gene banks to preserve civilization against future Dark Ages.
• ...and go shopping.

LOCAL CIVILIZATIONS

• Tof Kingdom - Greenish near-humans, martial culture.
• Nagai - Pale near-humans, honor-based culture. Ancestral enemies of the Tofs.
• Maccabree - Squid-like cyborgs who live in vaguely humanoid mechanical suits.
• Faruun - Mysterious but talented shipwrights.
• Sharuka - Blue-gray near-humans, elitist semi-xenophobic culture, totally incompatible technology.

CREW MANIFEST

• Captain: Jorus Quentin Merrill
• Security Officers: [member="Noah Corek"] (armorer), Daymon Vale (secondary role), Nyraen Mirhage (secondary role), [member="Nemo"], [member="Jake Awaud"], [member="Delila Castillon"]
• Medical Officers: [member="Isis Varida"], Oros
• Tactical Officer: [member="Aedan Miles"], [member="Dax Fyre"]
• Science Officers: [member="Chip"], [member="Oros"], Jake Awaud (secondary role)
• Communications Officers: [member="Kimiko"], [member="Jian Kylo"]
• Navigators: [member="Kalen Genet"], [member="Ivy Lasranae"], [member="Sebastian Thel"], Tegan Katarn (secondary role)
• Shuttle/Fighter Pilots: Ivy Lasranae (secondary role), [member="Daymon Vale"], [member="Hypatia Najwa"], [member="Xin Boa"]
• Engineers: [member="Losena Kyru"], [member="Dash Kessler"], Noah Corek (secondary role), [member="Nyraen Mirhage"], [member="Simone"] (IT systems specialist), [member="Tegan Katarn"]

(source)​

​

COMPANION GALAXY BESH - 'FIREFIST'​

INDEPENDENT TRADE BAZAAR​

UNPRONOUNCEABLE WORLD​

​

The Gossamer expedition's shuttles touched down at the edge of the bazaar, and Jorus commed all of'em.

"Folks, this is the Captain speaking. I've got three jobs for you on shore leave. Number one, relax. It was a long trip, and cleaning out those stone mites was a job and a half. Been a long few months, so take your time and get comfortable. Number two, find the weirdest crap you can. We're here to barter, so you've all got access to our trade goods. And number three, make friends, whatever that entails. Get connections, learn things -- like I said, get comfortable. This place has Faruun, Tofs, Maccabree, Nagai, the occasional Silentium drone, a bunch of Asogian extragalactic explorers, and at least one species I've never met before. Enjoy, folks."

He turned off the comms, left the shuttle's pilot seat, and headed into the bustling market.

 

[Heron Graile]

She'd never been on a ship before the Gossamer, not for longer than a day or two. The hardened spacers might be comfortable on board, but to Heron, this wasn't just shore leave, this was the next best thing to home. Before this trip, if you'd told her she'd feel nostalgic for the Lower City on Taris, she'd have laughed harder than politeness allowed. Now she slipped out of the Gossamer's shuttle with a pack of trade goods and vanished into the marketplace.

Alien music, alien smells, alien goods and tech and street food: the unfamiliarity only made this place that much more comfortable. Within minutes she found herself bartering by sign language with a hundred-eyeballed merchant. Of the Gossamer's trade goods, she'd opted for basic datapads, datacards bearing the latest Core Worlds entertainment programs, and samples of strange alloys. The locals responded well, so far.

 

[Delila Castillon]

​

​

Location : Alleyway Foodstuff Market (Local Name : Unpronounceable ) | Assignment : Trade for fresh foodstuffs |​

​

​

​

Since joining the Gossamer Delila had turned into full-time Supply Officer and part time security. How secure does one vessel get with three former or current military Generals on board? Instead of taking the easy path she had requested her transfer below decks in the bowels of the vessel to learn the ins-and-outs of inventory control and running a vessel lean. With the possibility of running a shipping company with [member="Xin Boa"] on their return, learning everything possible now would help reduce mistakes in the future. Besides it was a chance to do something besides shooting at things.


Yet while dealing with some gentleman from the Tof Kingdom knowing how to shoot things was critical. So was being a woman. While others could go off with fancy goods Delila was in the alley with several guns and a good amount of cleavage. What was the point of having them if she couldn't use them to her and the Gossamer's advantage?


Right now was trying to gain advantage for several crates of fresh fruits and vegetables. A large long-range blaster rifle was in her grip, showing it off.


"Worth more than several crates of fruits and vegetables. You can hit a target eighty meters out. Won't fail, hardly needs cleaning. I've used them myself."


"We donut hav' the gas. The ones ya use."


"You've ever gotten blasters from our 'verse? None have trickled inside this one? The gas system is basic. Surely two gentleman such as yourself know an enterprising being who performs modifications."


"Dat has a price."


"Everything in life has a price my friend."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

Xin was doing his best not to gawp at everything around them. This wasn't like a market back in their own galaxy. Basic or huttese were typically used as the common languages, but so far Xin hadn't identified one. He had picked up on at least seven being used frequently and basic wasn't one of them. This was the first time he had felt like an alien in a long time and he was loving every moment. He didn't know what he could or could not eat, he didn't know who was or was not safe to talk to. It was a big change from the drab grey of the Gossamer's bulkheads.

He could smell something good, but the question was whether he could get it back to the ship and tested before eating it. He'd seen some Nagai around. If one of them spoke basic they might know.

So whilst Dells used everything she had to try and negotiate for more produce, Xin was trying to use sign language to ask a small, insectoid cook if the skewers on his hot coals would kill him.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Heron Graile"] | [member="Xin Boa"]


The pair of Tof (or what she assumed to be Tof if her readings on this galaxy were correct) soon struck up a conversation in their own language. There was quite a bit of gesturing, both towards the fruits and the long-range blaster. Delila couldn't make heads or tails of the entire thing. Perhaps if she spoke the languages or knew some common gestures it would make more sense to her.


"No."


Well they had that piece of basic down. This was a bit of defeat. Xin had argued her cleavage trick wouldn't work with aliens. She pointed out he was technically an alien and hadn't stopped staring at them since they met over a year ago. However this made Xin correct so far. Not that she would admit such a thing to him. Pride was on the line at the point.


Hefting up the rifle once more, Dells went in search of another stall or being that would be more interested.

 

[Oros]

"Oh, how horrid! Don't leave me here, Master Oros!"

>> Keep up Q.

The Celegian Jedi Master manipulated a keypad attached to his life support tank through minor telekinesis, transmitting messages for his protocol droid assistant Q-3PO to translate. Not all species were comfortable with telepathy, nor every member of the Gossamer's crew for that matter. While some were understandably skittish to meet the locals Oros had been one of the first to volunteer for shore leave. Native to cyanogen based environments, all humanoid life was innately fascinating to him. Their home galaxy was just as much a spectacle to his invertebrate sensibilities, this was simply a unique opportunity.

Other than to satisfy his curiosity, as one of the expedition's two senior medical officers, he decided that he should accompany this away team to examine some of Firefist's more exotic curatives. It was also not a bad idea to have a doctor on hand just in case someone on their crew provoked a less than cordial reaction from the locals.

"Oh dear, oh dear! Do you suppose the others may have gotten lost?"

>> More likely they lost us. Let's look around, they can com us if they need us.

Oros had been following [member="Delila Castillon"] and [member="Xin Boa"], wanting to stay close to their ride back to the Gossamer. Somehow, despite his expansive awareness, the two had managed to give him the slip. He suspected they did not believe a Jedi would approve of their activities, which was potentially true. He had passed by [member="Heron Graile"] not long ago, and while they had not spoken much before on this journey it had been comforting to sight a more familiar species. At least they had not left without him.

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Oros"] [member="Delila Castillon"]

"How's it going?" Xin asked, appearing at her elbow. Skreech made a quiet noise in greeting. Quiet was a relative term for anything Skreech did. It was still a loud skwark right against his ear.

"All I've achieved so far is working out dat cook signing warnings for de ting I wanted to eat. Apparently it is only fah species with three or more stomachs...I only have two."

There was a note of regret in his tone; the skewers on the grill had smelled fantastic.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Xin Boa"] | [member="Oros"] | [member="Heron Graile"]


As she moved the crowds started to get thicker and she was recognizing more and more crew from the Gossamer. Reminded her of shore leave back in her younger days really.Dells was reaching the end of most of the fruit and vegetable stalls that she could see in the alleyway. Either the locals didn't believe in variety or these were the only options available period. It was difficult to tell without knowing the area better. As Xin and Skreech appeared, Delila reached up and scratched the monkey-lizard on his head in greeting.


"Well I still have the blaster, so what does that tell you? I hope I'm not losing my touch."


Shoulder bumped his in a silent hello. Dells listened to the regret of not being able to eat. Typically if they found something she could eat it was safe for nautolan digestive systems as well. How Xin managed to work out sign language for 'three stomachs' was beyond her comprehension but she didn't question it.


"Then how about I take a break from trying to sell a blaster rifle using nothing but my assets and find something to eat? Skreech is probably hungry too....wonder if they got any wrap things like we had on that deep space station. Those were amazing."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

Xin looked at the rifle and gave a shrug. "Different currencies, different cultures, languages, trading practises and differently shaped...bodies."

The nautolan chose his words carefully. Even his senses picked up emotions less clearly out here. It made him think of the Yuuzhan Vong. They had come from another galaxy that had been cleansed and unified behind one culture. What would all the other Galaxies be like? His idea of a very diverse galaxy was in all likelihood quite a narrow slice of life. Xin decided to stop thinking about that as it was starting to make him feel slightly dizzy.

"De chief has some rare elements from back home to sell. We did nuh need as much as we brought and it should fetch ah good price. Saw some Nagai speaking basic on de way. Maybe try dem after some food."

He felt Skreech changing his stance and gave him a look. This was the kind of place where the monkey lizard could find real trouble. Skreech settled back down, content for now that sticking with his ride brought food.

 

[Jaster Awaud]

Placing two bricks of Zeltec Ultra-Anium on the stalls table the large man looked at the Nagai merchant who was selling a type of blade that was outside his understanding. His transportation to this unknown region of space had really increased his drive to learn as much as he could before he was needed back at the Installation. He and his company had secured a few routes through his space of unknown marvels. However how he was able to travel between the two galaxies were still a close guarded secrete.

<This metal can only be found in the Skyriver Galaxy,> He smiled at the merchant, he was speaking their native language, <I am still willing to trade you for those Starcharts you were talking about to bypass the Maccabree homeworld, how does a shipment of three crates a month sound to you?>

He could see the Nagai was very interested. The alien figure was ready to ponce at the chance, but was holding back, <Outsiders treasure these maps, how->

Jaster stopped listening as the corner of his eye caught the sight of [member="Xin Boa"]. He thought to himself, 'What the kark is a Nautolan doing in this galaxy, was he lost, trading?' It was then that he also saw [member="Delila Castillon"] and [member="Oros"], all three of them seemed to be settling in at one of the street side restaurant ready to grab a bite to eat. Looking back at the merchant, <Apollogies friend, I will have to pick this conversations up another time.>

The two mandalorian guards in full armor beside him were also looked at him, "Everything okay Alor Awaud?" One of the warrior spoke up.

Leaving the metal bars on the merchant stand he smile and nodded. Then looked back at the guards, "Spotted some people from our galaxy, we need to get out of here before they spot us."

The two Mandalorians looked around and then nodded, they moved into the crowed to get lost in it. Jaster had little expected to find other sentient of his galaxy, though the two Mandalorians with him were Force Users and in the rush did not inform them to conceal that aspect. He was more concerned with getting away from them and not being followed.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Losena sat in the shuttle for a few moments, biding her time as she prepared to step foot into a galaxy she had never seen before. The nervousness was set in, but she refused to show it to the others. Instead, she feigned a slight smile on her face the entire time she sat there in the shuttle. After a few moments, she worked up the courage to unbuckle her safety belt and walk up to the shuttles door. She only felt somewhat comforted by the captain's little speech. Then, she remembered she had friends there with her. She wasn't alone in this venture.

"All right. Let's see what kinda gear I can get my hands on.."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Losena Kyru"] | [member="Xin Boa"] | [member="Oros"] | [member="Heron Graile"]



Delila drifted closer to Xin, catching the concern in his voice and actions. They would be unwise to not be cautious in the area. It was quite the unknown and it would be easy for themselves or the Gossamer crew to find themselves in a spot of trouble quickly. Speaking of trouble, Dells was certain she saw the flash of a Mando lurking around nearby. Small face was made - she wasn't their biggest fan. How one managed to find themselves out there was beyond her at this point.


"Sounds like a plan....You seeing what I'm seeing? Lets make sure we keep our heads on a swivel..."


Unlike Xin's meat on a stick, Dells took a moment and found some type of odd kebab place. 'Place' was generous as it was a fire and a grate on an alleyway street. Yet locals were in line and she joined the back of the pack. Eyes fell on some more colorful of their fellow crewmates.


"Lets hope of ours doesn't do something stupid. I just want to get a meal that isn't in a tin can and wander around for a few minutes. Where is Corek? He's been trigger happy for years....Five credits says he shoots himself in the foot before our journey is done."

 

[Oros]

Oros didn't see like a creature with eyes would, rather perception of his immediate surroundings existed as an extension of his telepathy. It was possible for him to completely absorb relevant information in a three hundred and sixty degree angle, but that was mentally taxing and so like most other species the Celegian Master tended to limit his active perception to a cone-shaped field of vision.

It was for this reason that he and Q-3PO trundled by the kebab shop, completely oblivious to [member="Delila Castillon"] and [member="Xin Boa"] not five meters away, and yet managed to more or less immediately pick up on the presence of someone who wasn't supposed to be here in front of him. The Jedi Master could tell by their auras that [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] and his troupe were natives to the same galaxy, their leader appeared humanoid and seemed to bear some Mandalorian accoutrements.

"I say! Excuse me, sirs! Master Oros here would like to know if you are with the Gossamer?"

Q-3PO called out to them, translating his owner's keystrokes. To both of their surprise, instead of reacting the group of fellow expatriates continued to ignore them, in fact seeming to pick up their pace as they vacated the area.

"Have you seen a scruffy looking Nautolan?" Q Three persisted, waving his arms frantically in case somehow they just hadn't been noticed, "Oh, my goodness gracious! They've run off. How rude!"

[member="Losena Kyru"] | [member="Heron Graile"]​

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Oros"] [member="Delila Castillon"]

"Long way for dem to come out..." Xin trailed off. "Must have run out of Sith to club to death."

In recent times the mandalorians had either gone to war for other factions as mercenaries or waged war on each other. He suspected that they just preferred to be at war, regardless of who it was with.

The celegian Jedi floated past, but Xins mind was mostly on his stomach. He had a very strange sense of Oros. It wasn't quite the same as his usual empathy. Xin had not realised that whilst he could pick up on thoughts through his untapped force sensitivity, his head tails couldn't trace the typical pheromones and chemical signals from Oros at all. A normal nautolan would pick up nothing.

Xin turned his head quickly at the sound of the word 'nautolan.'

"Yih shud nuh had said dat..." he murmured to Dells. "Skreech, go fetch."

The monkey lizard darted across the floor. In a show of his mastery of subtlety he jumped on CPO's show and jabbered at him. Tugging at his head to draw his attention over the shoulder towards Xin.

 

[Oros]

"Goodness! This galaxy could use a few lessons in civility."

>> Q, look out!

"What-" the silver plated protocol droid turned face first into the Kowakian which had suddenly perched on his shoulder.

"Oh! Help me, master!" Q-3PO let out a plaintive wail, flailing his arms in a useless attempt to dislodge this unwelcome passenger, "I'm dying!"

The Jedi sage focused his mind, plucking Skreech off of his translator's shoulders and levitating the now squealing monkey lizard with the Force. Slowly, he guided the little creature back over to [member="Xin Boa"] and [member="Delila Castillon"]. It took some coaxing, but eventually the Celegian managed to convince his artificial companion that there was no imminent physical threat.

"Master Oros bids you greetings," Q translated warily, remaining a safe distance from his new reptilian nemesis, "He believes you have misplaced this, and wonders how the two of you have fared in procuring supplies for the Gossamer."

 

[Heron Graile]

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]

In Dinko's limited experience, people with T-shaped helmet viewports were best avoided. 'Bucketheads,' people called them in the Taris Undercity where she'd spent the last couple decades. But it looked like they'd come here to trade, and trade was always good. As the bucketheads went elsewhere, Dinko slunk up to the stall. The Nagai merchant was just making a couple of metal brick things disappear.

<<What you got there?>> she asked in Rammocate, a trade language that folks seemed to speak a bit around here.

<<Not sure yet,>> the merchant admitted. <<Alloy. Not for sale until I get it tested.> He pointed at her bag. <<You here to trade?>>

She was. In pretty short order, it turned out that he'd seen Season One of Big Verd Love, on a drip down the Nagai Trade Spine. And he was willing to pay a premium for Seasons Two and Three. Dinko swapped a couple holodisks for some funky tech that probably did good things, and moved on.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Delila Castillon"] [member="Xin Boa"] [member="Oros"] [member="Losena Kyru"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]

​

The Asogian explorer pointed at the door. "You know what you did," it gronked. Never mind that the incident in question had been fifteen, twenty years ago. Never mind that Jorus looked radically different now. Never mind that not a shot had been fired. And never mind that an awful lot of ethics and innocents had been at stake: Jorus did, in fact, know what he and Alna did. He turned on his heel and left.

So much for bargaining with the Asogians. Screw those sanctimonious vegans anyway.

​

A certain googly-eyed, unpronounceable species offered more interesting fare. Well, no, not more interesting, but at least he'd never crossed these particular people as far as he could remember. He settled down to trade.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Heron Graile"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Xin Boa"] | [member="Oros"]


The line for the weird kebabs moved as Skreech went to go make 'friends' with an extremely shiny protocol droid and floating brain. Delila supposed she had seen a weirder collection of beings in one spot but she would be hard-pressed to say the current experience was surpassing any in her past. Chaotic and extremely foreign was the best one could describe her current situation. Reaching the front of the line it took a lot of sign language (Xin could have been useful here but was too busy wrangling a monkey lizard.) and much gesturing to figure out the exchange rate for three kebabs and two odd looking drinks. Apparently three power packs was satisfactory.


Delila was taking a sip of her drink that appeared to be a weak cider. Water probably wasn't safe to drink in the area. The shiny put out droid was giving greetings despite just being attacked by Skreech.


"Sorry, my scruffy nautolan can't control his pets." A bite of the odd fungus. Tasted a bit like meat....if one was desperate anyway. "I've managed to trade for thus so far. Very productive day."

 

[Xin Boa]

[member="Delila Castillon"] [member="Oros"] [member="Jorus Merrill"]

Xin smiled, but he wasn't particularly subtle in looking down at his clothes. He was dressed much as he was from day to day. A grey vest with a worn out logo on the front, black sleeveless jacket and long pant that had at least eight pockets between them. He had to admit that some of the other engineers on the ship had dressed differently to come out and explore the trade station. He had not. Xin had not, for obvious reasons, thought back to their night out at an upmarket restaurant. It had been nice, up until the point when they had both been shot. Maybe when they were back in the Galaxy they could try a few new things that felt less comfortable to him. As a true gutter runner, sometimes it felt strange to move outside his comfort zone. Despite the fact that he had grown up with a distinctly middle class family of nautolans.

"Ah, he were just being friendly!" Xin protested with a grin.

Even if Skreech could have smiled he would not have done. A series of squawks were aimed at the floating Jedi. Much to Xin's amusement the monkey lizard also turned the air blue in four different languages.

"I tink he likes yuh," Xin said to the golden protocol droid. Unlike the nautolan, the droid had probably understood every word that had left Skreech's beak.

 

[Oros]

"I most certainly will not...but he is scruffy-yes, master. Forgive me, master."

It was impossible for Q-3PO's face to express emotion, but somehow the protocol droid still managed to look dejected.

"Master Oros demands that I apologize for my remarks. I am certain Captain Boa is...quite well groomed."

There was a tittering bout of laughter from Skreech and a few more clipped squawks.

"Why you horrid little beast! I'll have you know I was manufactured in a most respectable-yes, master."

The Jedi Master did not need a translator to convey his displeasure, his whole body was vibrating in its tank with frustration. After supplicating himself once more, the silver droid turned from [member="Xin Boa"] and his diabolical pet to [member="Delila Castillon"].

"Master Oros would like to congratulate you on your efforts. He says the preserves you have acquired appear...quite delectable. We have had no small fortune ourselves, my master has already acquired several uncatalogued specimens of the local flora which appear to possess remarkable restorative qualities. They will have to be tested back on the Gossamer of course, but one herb in particular he believes could very well revolutionize the field of..."

Q-3PO droned on and on about xenoherbology, oblivious to his audience's less than captivated reactions.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]​