<> <> <> <> <> * Tomas glances around the bar and waves to the bartender, "What do you have on tap here?" <> "The usual. BudMiller, Arrogant Worm, GuiDunnos. Got a few more in bottles." (What's the general attitude wrt chain jumpers?) (The well-known ones are kind of folk heroes... even the lesser ones are at least envied. However, you're not one quite yet.) * Tomas grunts, "I'll take a pint of Arrogant Worm, I suppose." Any news from the frontier? (hah. I'm terrible at small talk as myself. Trying it as somebody else is even worse) (Heh. It gets a little easier when you practice.) (So how about that weather? The weather engineers sure have decided to make it...perfect out) <> "Planets out there. Lots of stuff on 'em. All I know is, chainjumpers are out there rakin' it in hand over fist, and I'm in here servin' beer to schlubs." <> "No offense." (Still working on a response?) (yeah) oh, no worries. I wish I were out there right now, too--discovering and exploring brand new worlds, befriending new alien civilizations, maybe even getting to help quash the next bug menace before it gets the chance to rear its head <> Mr. Holliday? Mr. Charles. Pleasure to meet you at last. * Mr_Charles holds out his hand. * Tomas shakes his hand, "Mr. Charles? Tomas Holliday." I'm eager to finally talk with you. Shall we find a table? Absolutely. One moment, please. (how tall is Tomas?) (6' ish) (shade over) * Mr_Charles turns to the bartender, quickly thumbs a credchip, and lays it on the bar. "I'll take a perfect martini up. Your best gin, please." He turns back to you and takes you by the shoulder, which is comical, as he is a fairly slight man, and steers you to a booth in the far corner. * Tomas snatches his beer before being steered off and sits down opposite Mr Charles * Mr_Charles sits down and leans back against the seat, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, he leans forward onto his elbows, slightly conspiratorially. "Well, now, Mr. Holliday - may I call you Tomas? - I'm pleased to see my inquiries got enough of your attention to draw you here." Tomas is fine. I don't see how I could have turned down the chance to at least have a chat with you about your offer. What is it exactly that you're offering? Well, now that we're safely away from the prying eyes of the all-seeing TVNet, I'm free to openly tell you that I am employed by a corporation, and am charged with recruiting people for a chainjumping team. * Mr_Charles smiles broadly. "A lot more interesting spelled out in total, isn't it?" * Tomas eyes widen a little before he quickly regains his composure, "That's...that's much more interethting. What is it that you intend us to do?" Well, the basics of chainjumping are fairly simple. You pile into a tin can outfitted with the Mole drive, head out into the great galaxy, and bring back data and samples. You file what you're required to with the Galactic Registry here on Mars, and then the company will take a pre-set amount of said samples and data - a quota, if you will. Anything you bring back that's above and beyond the quota, you can sell to the highest bidder. <> * Mr_Charles takes a sip of the drink, and smiles again. We just head off in a random direction, find some stuff, bring it back, you take a small cut, and we do what we like with the rest? This sounds too simple. Oh, it's hardly random. For most of the time we'll be hand-picking the destinations for you. And the cut we take will hardly be small, to be perfectly honest, but you'll be well-compensated for that. But beyond that, it is indeed that simple. * Mr_Charles grins as he sips at his martini. 'Barring, of course, the immense personal risk." Where do find this tin can with a mole drive? We'll be providing it to you, when you and the rest of the team meet for the first time. It's in the process of being... refurbished. What kinds of samples are we after? It will depend on the planet, but we're after things like mineral samples, air and water samples, and of course samples of local flora and fauna if any should happen to be on the planet in question. * Tomas tries to look shrewd, but is obviously brimming with excitement. "When do I get to meet the rest of the team and when's the ship taking off?" I'd like to know who it is I'll be working with before locking myself in a tin box with them. Unfortunately, Tomas, these kinds of things are hard to nail down in advance. * Mr_Charles proffers a datachip. "My contact information and the contract are on this datachip. When I have the firm information on your team and your first departure date, you can be sure I'll let you know." * Tomas takes the datachip from Mr. Charles and, shaking a little, says "Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you" * Tomas notices his neglected drink and picks it up, taking a hard gulp * Mr_Charles drains his martini and stands up. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Tomas. And now, if you'll excuse me, I've another meeting to get to, rather urgently." He holds out his hand. * Tomas pockets the datachip then stands up and shakes Mr. Charles hand firmly, bidding him adieu Feel free to enjoy the evening on me, and I'll be in touch. * Mr_Charles strides out of the restaurant, placing his fedora back on his head. <>