Chapter 1: Ring of Fire

Zuni decided to relax and enjoy the ride and not get too anxious about the fact that they had no clue where their ship was. Seeing new sites had always been enjoyable. It's what attracted him to the scouts after all, so he settled in and tried to hear the tour guide over the din. He also made a mental picture of the place just in case hasty exits were needed. As to the rattletrap gravtruck, he places an arm gently on Fallon's shoulder.

"We will give you 10Cr. That's not exactly a luxury rig you got there."

"You want a tour?" he says, his ears perking up. "No problem! I'll show you all five restaurants, the cinema, the secret Imperial hangout club... Credits up front, please!"
"You got a point there," the Vargr concedes, "but I'm also the only ride in town. So you can take it or leave it, sweetheart."

Seally laughs at the interchange. She pats the crate, her precious cargo within safe and sound. "20 Cr it is, here," she taps the exchange with her comm.

"I'm sitting beside him," she announces, laughing again. "After he loads our gear."

"This 'secret Imperial hangout club' doesn't sound very secret," Fallon laughs as she climbs aboard. "But I'm excited to see the places. This world isn't half bad. Seems very relaxing and peaceful."

Zuni begrudgingly hands over the 20 Cr, tapping his comm loudly in protest and almost says I'm not your sweatheart, hun. But he resists the very strong urge to do so.

This vargr is full of shit he thinks but he is probably right about the lack of public transport. "Except for the guys that took the ship we came for, it's peaceful, maybe. Oh and the earthquakes," he says to Fallon.

Alerio waves to the girl, with a warm genuine smile, as she passes by the alleyway!

"Nice kid." she says, to herself more than anyone.

---

Getting off the train, she takes in the sights. To the doomsayer, she swipes a couple of credits across his pad. People like that were invisible, she knew. After a while, no one paid them any attention; not even the gangs. Back when she was working a beat, she made sure to keep those characters fed, because you never know what they might see or hear out there on the street.

Seeing another Vargr, trying to sell the crew a tour, she turns to the doomsayer, and speaks quiet and quick:

"Ekilati Onaki. Name ring a bell around here?"

The driver, who goes by Gino, drops the tailgate and helps you load the crate. "One Central tour, coming right up." Seally rides shotgun, while everyone else has to sit in the back with the crate.Gino takes you to see many sights in the span of 30 minutes. The highlights include:

* Central Lake Library
* Central Lake Community College. The slogan "The College of Knowledge" is proudly displayed across the entrance of the two story building.
* The Farmer's Market, where folks are selling local fish, produce, and other foodstuffs, as well as arts and crafts.
* Fredrico's Supper Club. This, Gino informs you, is the secret Imperial hang out, owned by a retired Imperial commodore. The fanciest restaurant on Walston, complete with a VIP room for gambling.
* Adwuj and Akanarzh, a Vargr bar / cultural center. Your guide informs you they have the best fermented meat loaf in town, perhaps the whole subsector.
* The Walston Inn - "Tell Mary that Gino sent ya!"
* The Palace, which holds all government offices and the planet's court of law.

He's happy to answer any questions you have as you cruise about in a leisurely fashion. When the tour is up, he'll ask where you'd like to be dropped off.

"See? That place isn't secret at all!... Fermented meat loaf? No, thanks... Oh, we should look at some local crafts for souvenirs before we leave..." Fallon responds for each of the place they visit, only coughing occasionally at the dust.

Seally enjoys the ride and the tour, repeating the observations to the others through their comm. As the gritty air begins to irritate her throat, she puts on her newly bought filter mask.

She asks Gino for stories about each of the locations, and passes them on. She agrees with Fallon's zeal for sampling the local wares. Her actions are on autopilot however, as her heart races for the adventure of discovering the Wayward Wind.

"What say you," she says to the others. "The Walston Inn to clean up, then on to the palace?"

"Something like that." Alerio says, before quickly departing. Best to keep things short and sweet.

---

"What time do things start to settle here? Business hours?" she asks their guide, not wanting to get locked out of government buildings over what passes for a weekend here.

"Its only lunchtime," informs your tour guide. "Shop won't close up at the palace 'til five."

"Plenty of time then. Give us a chance to wash off this dried salt. And buy filter masks." She sneezes as her nose tickles from the dust.

During the "tour" as they passed the fish market Zuni wondered what the fish might taste like and if a person would get any of those kaleidoscope hues after they ate some. But he wasn't going to ask and look like a smartass.

"A shower sounds good," he says to the girls, "but I'm not sure shopping sounds like my idea of a good time. Unless they have t-shirts. I could buy a souvenir t-shirt."

He nods at Alerio's question...a good thing to know about the hours they keep here.

"The Walston it is!" Gino says and gives the engine a little extra acceleration for show. He helps you unload, and gives Seally his number in case you need a ride somewhere else.



Deborah (proudly declared on her name tag) is manning the front desk when you enter the Walston, which is similarly decked out in prismatic decorations. She's on the phone with her sister, loudly complaining about her husband. It takes a while for her to finally put the phone down, and she gives you the rundown on accommodations, with prices listed per night:

Cr25 Bachelor's Suite: Single bedroom integrated into a modest living area. A block of 4 (a "quad") shares 1 bathroom. Ground floor.
Cr100 Deluxe Suite: Single bedroom with separate living & dining areas, private shower. Mid-level.
Cr150 Family Suite: Two bedrooms with separate living & dining areas, private shower. Mid-level.
Cr500 Penthouse Suite: Two bedrooms with four-poster beds, floor-to-ceiling windows, huge living area, terrace, hot tub. Top of the building.

All accommodations have access to the fitness area, holofilm library, and a VR games parlour.

"A quad, you say? There are four of us so is there any chance of getting a quad space all to ourselves? I'm sure Zuni here won't mind sharing a bathroom with three women," Fallon turns to give Zuni a teasing wink.

Alerio doubted there would be many other offworlders here to swallow up the bookings. Nevertheless, she lets Deborah answer that for herself. No sense in looking like a know-it-all to a local, and the person responsible for their comfort. Not to mention, but Deborah sounded like a blab.

A talker.

She might be good for some info.

Seally looks at the others and says with a wry grin, "Maybe we should share the bachelor, to get used to cramped ship living."

She also waits to hear if there is a quad option before suggesting two family suites.

"Well isn't this a fancy joint? Wow. I could get used to this," Zuni declares as they enter the posh Walston.

"I can get totally behind the idea of a cramped living space with you lovely ladies. I don't mind sharing a bathroom or even a shower."

He wanted to add at the same time as you ladies but decided that was a little gauche even for him and thus he kept his lips sealed on that one.

"Seriously though, the bachelor pad seems to suit us for the time being, uh.... he squints at her name tag, "Deborah. Such a pretty name."

"We have exactly one guest right now, besides you folks, so we can accommodate whatever arrangement you like. You will have to excuse the smell of fresh paint in the penthouse, just put it back together after some off-worlders trashed the place."

"So, four bachelor's and all in the same quad then? I'll get you your keys made up."

The rooms are sparse but clean, and less cramped than some starship berths you've seen. The crate barely fits in the quad common room after you move some furniture aside. When you are coming and going, you have to slide against the wall to get out.

You have a chance to freshen up, take off your filter masks, and breathe easy for a bit while deciding your next course of action.