Acclimation

Posted on 16 Jan 2024 @ 6:27pm by Aiden Dhow
Edited on on 06 Feb 2024 @ 8:23pm

Mission: M4 - Falling Out
Location: Kalara City
Timeline: MD:04 - Evening
1554 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Previous:

Moreover, his initial report about paying a visit to the gallery had been met with approval from the home office; the owner had been directly connected to Sawyl in his last known location. She was an ideal point of reference, and Oly felt if he made it back around after a check on the planet, he could possibly turn up some information with her if Obsidian III proved fruitless. Now, he found himself wondering if Ms. Hardt wasn’t in danger herself. He briefly debated sending her a message, but held back - not wanting to wish trouble where it hadn’t arisen yet.

A shift in trajectory indicated that the shuttle was entering the atmosphere; an announcement indicated that arrival to Kalara City Port was minutes away. Oly secured his devices and set about making himself ready for the task ahead. He’d worry about Sharpton’s plans when he got back to the station, but for now he had an investigation to conduct.



Continued:

The heat caught him as he first stepped off the shuttle and onto the packed sand outside the Kalara port. Reaching behind him, Oly adjusted the burnoose he had worn in preparation to shade his head and face from the worst of the late day sun. He would have preferred his hat, but had opted to dress to kind; he was already going to be paler than most, judging from the environment and the specs he had read on his way here, so best to blend in other ways. Hoisting his bag over his shoulder, he headed off into the general flow of traffic, losing himself in the crowd as he began taking in his surroundings.

The community had … not quite a blend of cultures so much as keynotes that drew to mind familiar sites from home and abroad. He smiled briefly as he thought of family trips to Makoshika when he was younger, exploring the heights and bizarre profiles of the rocks and taking in the colors glinting in the sun. While Kalara was unique in its way, a wilderness was - after all - a wilderness, and the flavor of the space echoed in a familiar way.

Not so much the language. While he wouldn’t consider himself a polyglot, Oly was generally able to make some sense of the words spoken around him. This, however … the tones were different, rang at different registers than he’d come to know. If he were to go out on a limb, he’d say it made him think of Siksika from back home. Hitching onto that idea, Oly slowed his steps and took time to observe the pair yammering along at the side of the road. Sure enough, they talked just about as much with their hands and eyes as they did their lips. It still didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but he could get the gist of the conversational tone.

Wrapped up in his observations, he lost a bit of focus on the surrounding space until someone knocked home rather soundly in the backside, knocking Oly forward a step or three. “Hey,” he spun, catching sight of a glowering man who shoved on past him with his cart of goods. “It ain’t like I was in the middle, was it?” The man continued on as if nothing had happened and Oly exhaled before pressing on himself. His goal was to find a place to stay for the next few days, get a chance to know the people and the area. The bio on this Dhow had said he was located in the Bajada settlement, and judging from his features he wasn’t posing as one of the refugees. Oly looked more Romulan than that figure had which led him to wonder if maybe he was barking up the wrong tree. What if there was no connection between this Dhow character and Sawyl other than a slight resemblance?

Jumping ahead of the game, son. He could hear his old commander’s voice in his head, tugging on the rein and pulling Oly back to the task at hand. He’d seen something there; even if it ended up being a dead end, he wouldn’t leave until he’d explored it fully. Besides, the Captain had said he had a man on the planet already. That in itself bore investigation seeing as that man was supposed to be Oly. All the more reason not to be too obviously out of place amongst the locals. Reaching up to pull the hood a bit closer, he let his eyes glide over the sand-blasted buildings up ahead and tried to determine which of them would be most likely to offer lodgings to off-worlders.

Past experience suggested that ground-level stores tended to boast lodging in their upper levels. To that mind, Oly slowed his pace and focused on taking in his surroundings. Most of the structures were low to the ground - few higher than two stories - and he found himself wondering where all the people went to. Did they have dwellings outside of town? His question received a bit of clarification when he noticed an individual seeming to elevate from the ground - only to realize they were ascending an external staircase. Of course, he reasoned. Life in a desert meant avoiding the atmosphere as best possible.

Taking a chance, he made his way over to the nearest storefront and donned his ‘earnest traveler’ persona. “Could you -“ The shopkeeper seemed distracted, not turning toward Oly until he finished speaking with the dark-skinned customer who didn’t quite fit the Obsidianite mold. Both turned to look at him eventuallly, the latter with a curious gleam as Oly cleared his throat and tried again. “I was wondering if you could direct me to a place where I could rent a room for a few nights?” He held up a padd. “My boss wants me to do a piece on the community, and … well, I figured I’d have a better chance at getting to know the place a bit.”

”You want to rent a room? You have money?”

“I …” Oly’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I have credits to exchange. But, how much are we talking here?”

”You have money, I’ll rent you a room.”

As Oly tried to reason with the man - not wanting to sour his impression while still trying to extricate himself from the looped expectation of funds provided THEN service offered, he noticed the stranger observing him with no small amount of amusement.

“You’ve lucked out, young man. Faruz here is one of the more accommodating proprietors in town. His rates are perhaps a little higher than some, but his lodgings are worth the extra funds.” The vendor - Faruz, apparently - glowered at the stranger before turning back to Oly. The price he stated was daunting, until the stranger stepped in again to clarify the exchange. A hundred credits for a night’s stay; while not unreasonable, Oly still felt it was steep.

“Could I get some kind of discount if I paid for three nights up front?”

In the end, the proprietor settled for an equivalent of seventy-five a night and Oly transferred the credits for him to exchange with the stranger offering confirmation that the amount matched the expectation. When the proprietor slipped inside his shop, the man turned to Oly with a smile. “My name is Cyrus, by the way. I’m part of the Itoninan Colony, but I have business I conduct here in town. Do you work with the Federation News Service?”

Oly was shaking his head even as he reached for one of the bogus data-chips he’d prepared for the trip down. “Private sector, though I do have a few contacts in the service.” Because, of course he did … just not for journalistic purposes. “Bast Larsen.”

Cyrus observed the chip before slipping it into his pocket. “Pleasure to meet you, Bast. Look me up if you’d like a look at the colony as well. I’ll leave you to finalize things with Faruz, here.” With a wave farewell, he took his leave. Oly watched him go before allowing the proprietor to show him to his lodgings. It was an unexpected boon, all things considered, and he couldn’t help but wonder what ancestor had been looking out for him. “That’s not a local?”

”Who? Oh - no, he is … El Aurian. He speaks for the Colony - him and the lady.” Faruz motioned for Oly to duck his head as the descended into the lower level. “Cyrus is good man for an offworlder.” He unlocked a door, handing Oly the key as he stepped inside. “This will be your room. You can see the air-vent through there - the filter is changed just this month.”

Over all it was little more than a closet - bed, some storage, and a niche that might serve as a desk space, though Oly would most likely do his work from the bed for more space. Not what he would consider spending so many credits on, but it was clean and cool, and had external access. “It’s great, thanks.” With that, Faruz took his leave, trusting Oly to settle in on his own.