Played on 2 January, 2011

As recorded by our reporter, Manon-Thérèse Renard.

A Night At The Pub

11 November 2378

The deal sounded too good to be true, non? Sinopec has a filter to reduce toxic emissions, and the know-how to install it. The corp didn't want anything in return. I observed monsieur Cheng, but found no signs of subterfuge. Perhaps mankind had moved on after all and could be altruistic? Then I remembered that the planet would be left behind in a better state than without the filter, increasing its value to Synopec.
Furthermore, we were offered a salary of 800 Galactic Credits, paid up front. One small problem, none of us had the required credit-chip implanted.)

I was assured of Cheng's shrewdness as wasn't fooled by Rusty's and Knut's act. (Of course, the act wasn't that good to begin with...) Instead of making it hard for us or indeed taking Rusty away, he provided a cover for us. Apparently there were some "heavy-G" worlds where some people have replaced a lot of human tissue with implants and other mechanical "upgrades". Rusty could be one of those humans, an extreme case where only his brain would be original. (It struck me as odd that there was a taboo on artificial intelligence but it was OK for humans to forsake almost all humanity. This sounded like a worthy subject for une documentaire pétit.)

The rest of the evening is best summarized, I guess. We decided to go into town, get to know the people and let our hair down. The "city" was more of a town, a small settlement with approximately quinze mille inhabitants. It was laid out with an eye towards functionality and efficiciency, especially in the centre. The outskirts were a bit more haphazard, using more local materials. There was little in the way of night life.
Firstly, we went into a bit of a sleazy bar where we stuck out like bikers in a nunnery. Somehow, Mr. Van Maelsaeke got into trouble more than Morisson did, and the latter tried to interfere with some game of chance!

When the police arrived my friend Jasmin and I decided to visit the other pub. Since we had no credits at our disposal, we did a small "pretty ladies in a bar" routine to get ourselves a free drink, and started a conversation with two guys. They weren't all that bright, pretty or important, but it was nice to have a quiet chat, drink something and get to know the local customs.
Our guys weren't very happy with the rate of development of the planet. However, they were rather satisfied with the local politics, such as they were. Sinopec had installed a local goverment and tried to keep out of local stuff. At some uncertain point in the future, democratic elections will be held.
Three tidbits were mentioned as gossip: Firstly, a new ship would arrive shortly. It didn't seem to be a colony ship like ours. Secondly, there was mention of some "idiot" living in the jungle. What little I had seen of the jungle, it didn't seem very hospitable so this one is probably baloney. Finally, they mentioned that there's a rumour of the foundation of a new, independent city somewhere on Gnapho II. This was condemned as idiocy by our hosts, as that would mean the people there were without Sinopec's or the goverment's support.

The fruitful evening came to a screeching halt when Morisson came in and pretended that Jasmin and me were his "girls" or, I guess, his "geisha's"? Since it was late anyway we decided to make ourselves scarce and go back to the appartment.

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