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 Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 3:22 am
Welcome to the Sphere.
You have entered The Sphere. You are now in the aft end of the ship.
Be aware, due to working Gravity Generators, earth scale gravity has been reproduced.
The Sphere is just shy of 4 miles in diameter and has an internal surface area of around 40 square miles. Observe the Plasma Generator, which is the plasma exhaust from the main engine which acts as our artificial sun.
Heat and light reflectors control the light from the plasma exhaust causing periods of light and darkness in the sphere. Keep this in mind during you stay.
The Sphere will sustain the life of any plant or animal, consult your local Agro worker for what sector would be more effective. Therefore the entire sphere is one large botanical garden and farmstead for the ship, giving 12800 acres of land for farming and forestry.
To access information, or location maps to the following sectors, enter your preference.
Tropical
Semiarid
Mediterranean
Humid subtropical
Humid continental
Highland
Only authorized personnel with access granted by The Agro can enter this area. If you do not have a pass, contact your local Agro representative.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 4:18 am
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Tropical
Temperature: 32 C
The small forty acre allotment within the Tropical sector had genetically modified rain forest growing densely on it. Trees grew in the nutrient rich topsoil and were all now around twenty meters high, depending on canopy height. The atmosphere was humid, and easy to sweat in. Serena rode along on her motorized bicycle, her cloak down due to the heat and her glasses fogging up slightly from her breathing. She had several lots of land, one for each of the sectors she had crops or plants growing in. Her specialty was medical grade plants or ones that generally had an effective use. People wanted drugs in this place, for good and bad, and she charged a pretty penny for some of them.
Parking her bike on the side of the road, she swiped her access card at the gate, and waited, being very careful not to lean on the electrified fencing that surrounded each allotment. Anyone coming to visit, that wasn't shady had to wait at the gate or meet her at her quarters back in the Ring. With a beep her access was granted and she pushed through, taking off a shoulder bag and opening it. Walking through the trees they all looked normal, and a trained eye was needed to collect the special flowers, leaves, bark, sap or roots that contained the medicinal properties. Collecting all the samples she needed, and heading back out, she updated her notebook.
Back at the fence she swiped her card, and exited. Getting on her bike, and rode back toward her other allotment which had some basic sheds built on it. Payed for with the starting money she had with her when she boarded. Inside she could manufacture her products, package up produce and store any equipment that wasn't safe left out in the open.
--->
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
The forty acre allotment within the Humid Continental Sector of the biosphere was up ahead, and from her current distance could see the two sheds, and a crop of GM corn and sugarcane. Arriving not long after, riding along the flat roads at about 40 kph, safe enough for somewhere like a school zone. Pulling up, she searched around for her card, before quickly swiping it. The same setup protecting this lot.
Entering, she put her bike away and noticed she was about half empty. Another tank of fuel would need to be bought soon. Pushing one of the large doors open after walking down past the corn field, Serena looked in at her belongings. A buggy drove down along the road, and she gave a wave. Security again.
Closing the doors, and flicking a switch, a small one-person tractor (buggy with weighted down welded blades for plowing fields) could be seen, as well as some older farm equipment, most made from scratch using the welding setup. She wasn't too bad, but a lot of parts had to be custom made, and had cost her enough to make her first year come out even. No profit. This year she was expecting a nice profit, and the growth stimulants were working just like she expected. Sitting down at a bench, she pulled all the plants out she had collected and washed them, before separating them into specific containers to be dried, or heated, or crushed later on.
A lock box, inch thick metal plates, bolted to the shed wall, and countersunk into some cement blocks buried in the ground contained her products. Unlocking the box, with a ten digit pin number, and her card, she picked up a brown paper package, inside a fine pink powder. Gewroot powder, a wound disinfectant and blood coagulant. The cigarette packet sized container would fetch as much as four hundred credits from some of the factions, and took about three months and one hundred credits to produce.
A plastic bag contained leaves that were dried and could be made into a poultice, or a powder was a yarrow species, and was a herbal and less expensive way of treating minor wounds. Easy to produce, it was fifty credits for a weeks supply.
One of her favorite products was Cannabis sativa, and she had just harvested some of it from her tropical allotment. The stems were sold to fabric manufacturers, the sap was made into a nutritious oil for the rich, and the flowers were used for drugs whether medicinal or recreational.
Other plants she grew, and payed high attention to were Crataegus, otherwise known as Hawthorn, Tanacetum parthenium commonly called Feverfew, and Verbascum known as Mullein among others. And as Serena closed and locked up the box again, she held onto a few packets of various use, putting them into her cloak pocket, and lifting the hood up to cover her face.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 12:41 pm
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
"I hope I ain't interrupting nuthin'!", a thick street-accent welcomed outside the building. "Our boss sends me pick up ya drugs, ya know?"
He was a small man, the one you stereotypically imagine to wear deadly blades and some STDs. He had a surprisingly clean looking bag with him and eyes which would probably sink inside completely if he tried. "I gots the doe, and ya should gots the stuff, eh?"
He didn't like being a delivery guy, but Boss sure could convince people if he wanted to. Nobody wanted to be too close to that blade of his.
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 5:20 pm
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
With the voice behind her, Serena turned to see the small man standing outside the building at the door. She looked him up and down before walking over to him, then checked outside to make sure nobody was coming down the road.
"Come in then...please" she instructed, purposefully neglecting to ask for his name. Closing the door and walking over to her work bench again, Serena sat down on the edge of it. Picking up another book, a written ledger of all off-the-book transactions. She did a lot of legal business as well, the majority was legal actually, and all went through the credit system.
"What type and quantity did he want again?" she asked, jotting down whatever he said. Having trouble remembering the exact types, she actually hoped she had made them earlier...delays cost her money, if not more.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 5:58 am
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
"Thanks, bra", the courier said and walked in in the building. "Whoa, so this' is da spot! Now I know why ya has all the good stuff, ya know whaddaim sayin'?"
Then he noticed Crowl sitting down and sliding out a ledger. "Ya know, med-set. Some bros are down with fewer, few need anido... atni... stuff you put in gunwounds. Our doc needs meds, drugs and herbs."
He wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he knew the strength of money. "Boss said ya can be trusted, so.." he took out the cash, growth enhancers and NYD-7 pistol. "How much meds ya can give for dat?"
Artemis felt a sting when he had to give the pistol away. It was a good gun, all he had was an old projectile revolver.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:22 pm
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
The cash was shown, and it was a decent amount, enough to fun her continued process line for a few more weeks. And the pistol she had been hoping for since a confrontation left her banged up last month. It was for self protection, and that of her crops if need be. She took in his rather broken down language, and managed to get the main information out of it.
"I keep things in order, and it's turned out to be a rather lucrative business since I settled here. I never would have expected for my starting credit to go so far. Guess I can haggle or something."
Pulling the packages she had taken from the lock box earlier she set them down on the desk and checked the labels, weights and worth. Writing it down, she stood up and counted the money.
"I trust it's all here, but I have to still balance the books...you understand?" she explained, her fingers flicking the cash furiously until it was all accounted for. "Very good."
Tossing him the first packed she explained it's contents. "This should be enough, Gewroot for the wounds should last you a good couple of months if it's just one person. Not cheap but better than what medical would offer you for about the same price, plus they ask questions usually. That's what's taken most of the cash up."
Holding up another small box, she smiled. "You got enough medicinal cannabis for your wounded, or recreational depending on your need. Not my place to say, but should take away the pain."
And added to the pile several cotton wrapped vials, "I've also managed to process a small supply of morphine...another few hundred credits for about four shots of that."
Then lastly, a larger bag of leaves. "And the ingredients from various different plants to create a poultice for increasing bone regeneration and keep wounds free from infection. Do you need someone to administer all of this or will you be right?"
She know held the cash, the pistol and the growth enhancers. And he held the four packages. All up he was taking away about four months of work, but she processed more than just one batch at a time.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:40 am
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
Artemis sat onto a small stool and sniffed while the medicine-lady wrapped up the goods. "Yea, 'stood."
He wasn't too worried, and the idea of a reward back in Ferals' place made him even happy. When he saw the box he enlightened. "Pot, eh? I like ya! There's lots pain to take down..."
Artemis sprung up and offered his hand near the medicine set. "Nah, we're good, ya know? Doc has everything but this stuff." He sniffed and had one more look on the pistol. "Boss must like ya, he don't give guns away this easy, ya know?"
Too bad the lady seemed determined on getting that pistol, Artemis could've found an use of it. But "business is business" was the Ferals' motto.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:30 am
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
After she had inspected the money, and updated her log book she picked up the pistol and examined it. Before sliding it into the shoulder bag that was on the desk beside her. "He's a fair client as well. It's a good trade agreement."
Turning her attention from the pistol back onto him, she smiled. Lowering the cloak she wore since she was indoors. "So you have time for a smoke? Or would that get you in trouble. First sample is just that...a sample. If it means a private customer later down the line."
As if to further push the point she opened a wooden box about the size of a small pencil case and took out a freshly rolled joint. Flicking a lighter a couple of times before placing the paper between her lips and lighting it. She breathed in deeply before holding, removing it from her mouth and offering him a drag.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:52 am
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
Artemis' face went into light like a bulb. "If ya don't mind..."
Who was he to turn down a free drag? He looked at the face of the seller, smiled with his somewhat empty rack of teeth and took the smoke. "Thanks..." he said after a good inhale of the stuff. "Dis' good..."
He sat down again and evaluated the joint like a wine-taster dose a vintage wine. "How much for 100 g?"
It would last for him long enough.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:15 am
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
Watching as he inhaled, she let him keep that one, and took a second from the case and went about lighting it. As he asked about the price for 100 grams she pulled out her book again, running a long finger down the columns. It was a large amount, but for such an amount she assumed he meant to deal it. Breathing in as she read she finally answered him.
"For one hundred grams, enough to make between one hundred to two hundred smokes, your looking at around one thousand credits. You sure you want that much...all up it's about the same as what your boss just spent on medical supplies! Although, its from original Earth stock, which is rare considering the hybrids on the market."
The smoke exited her lungs, and she smiled, the familiar buzz slowly filling her up. She hoped he could walk out of there after, as it often kicked your a** if you were not a regular smoker.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:28 am
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
Artemis heard the price and nodded. He calculated in his ruined mind and eventually tossed a small pouch from his pocket. "Crystals, take enough of 'em. I'll buy off from da Earth stock."
Earth product was rare, so the deal was well worth the price, should Crowl be trustworthy enough. If Boss trusted her, why wouldn't Artemis?
"I don't wanna do dealings too often, ya know?"
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:42 am
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
"Crystals, take enough of 'em. I'll buy off from da Earth stock."
His rough accent was difficult to understand at some points, but as she caught the crystals she smiled. One of her friends made jewels for the richer passengers, and could create some beauties with the assortment he offered. Like a business woman she emptied the pouch and inspected the crystals, taking one extra because some were cracked, before putting the rest in the bag. Passing over his pouch, and his 100 grams of weed.
"Earth stock, same as what your sampling right now. Just so your not too worried. How are you feeling?"
She asked, because even though she smoked every night, she could feel herself getting lighter, happier, and the colour's begin to vibrate around her. Later she would be intoxicated to the point of laying on her back staring into a whirlpool of hallucinations. Earth stock pretty much ensured that effect.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:50 am
Land Title: 1020
Person: Artemis "Arty" Hadder
Faction: Gang Ferals
Artemis was in his own worlds when he heard Crowl's question. "Just fine..."
He would have to doze off a bit somewhere before being in strength enough to travel. He pokceted the valuable load, wobbled a bit here and a bit there and finally made it to the door. "Byee, missus", he said and saw all the pretty lights imaginable. Good stock, certainly, and with the load he had now he'd be content for weeks. Usually it took a bit more than one slowly smoked joint to get him into the state he was in, but usually he was a bit more high already, too.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:07 am
Land Title: 1020
Tenant: Serena Crowl
Faction: The Agro
Climate: Humid Continental
Temperature: 24 C
Putting out her smoke as he walked out, after of course waving him goodbye and closing the door, Serena slipped it back into her container and checked she hadn't buggered up and of her transactions. With the cash and crystals she would trade them for proper credits, and make it seem like a good old fashion food buying transaction.
"Happy customers always make me feel happy" she muttered to herself before heading to work on producing some more products from the plants she have collected that day.
She would wait for another customer, or for those who she did dealing with to show up. Or for the security force to come along and ask for their share of the payment.
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