Barentsburg, Your new home (IC)

[Romberg]

The old man took the piece of paper off Lars and studied it closely

"We don't have that exact brand in stock but we do have a close equivalent, a carbon rod so its nice and light, I think I have one on the...." he paused for a moment as he scanend the rack "...ah yes we do" at which point he leant into the rack and pulled out a black carbon fibre rod, around 10 feet in length with a 2ft handle making it ideal for sea fishing, "and for a reel you want one of these units here", he says as he pulls out a chrome reel that can hold around 300m of fine line. "now, you mentioned about catching to eat, well for one you don't need a rod licence, and so long as you are not on private land you can fish pretty much anywhere, though if you want to fish on a private lake, just get permission of the land owner. As for eating what you catch, thats not a problem, and the best area round here for fishing is near the outflow pipe from the condensers of the power plant down the road as the Fish love the warm water. Incidentally, that rod I was showing you, it was one of those that landed that forty pounder, which to you sir, line reel and rod, thats one hundred Fifty Dinars"

With that the old man walked over to the computer to check his stock levels "we have six in store, orange or black??" he asked

That in mind, Lars quickly did a bit of budgeting in his head. Though he was now more than capable of paying for anything he needed in general, regardless of it being in the Confederacy or back home in Romberg, his less prosperous days behind meant that he still would like to judge how much an item was worth before making a purchase. To him, 150 dinars was a bit on the expensive side, since the usual price for a decent one, according to the current exchange rate, 150 dinars would be worth NS$ 180, or approximately ◊225. Yet back home, he could get a decent set of equipment for ◊200, or NS$ 160. But still, he loved fishing, and though he could have just shipped his old set here, the new one certainly looked like it was of high quality. Besides, what's to lose to have a backup rod?

"A black one please, then." Lars thus said, and got out his wallet to pay the full 150 dinars. By now, having been here for some time, he did still have the awkward looks for not slashing prices or bargaining, but still he chose to pay full price anyway, if not more, just to show recognition and respect of these people who only wanted to go about their lives and make a living through business.

[Aurora Confederacy]

[ooc] its only really the bazzar that gets the bartering

The old man tapped a few buttons on computer then went into the back of the store and returned a few moments later,

"Here you go sir, one Renegade one thousand rod in black, turbo reel six fifty and some line to go with it..." he says as he taps the amount in on the till "...The warranty covers for two years as well and its designed for heavy use so you won't have much trouble with it, Mine is ten years old and still as good as the day i first used it, so if there is anything else you need let me know..." The old man hands Lars a business card with details of the shop and the stores website on it "...I am open here monday to friday eight till six. and every other saturday as on alternate weekends I like to head to the fishing areas" he says with a happy voice as he loves the store and loves his fishing

The store was racked full of rods nets even clothing as well, including some rubber chest waders for those who like to get into the water, tents and camping gear is also sold here, most of it is good quality so a little expensive for this store likes customers to come back, the philosophy being sell crap and the reputation will be bad, sell good stuff and people will come back and reccommend the store to others, its a simple philosophy of quality sells and it seems to have worked as the old man, soon to be 88 years old has been running this same store here in Barentsburg for the thick end of 50 years.

The rod was telescoped down, and the display rod was at 10 feet because any higher it won't fit in the shop, for it can telescope out to 12 feet

[Aurora Confederacy]

Johann smiled at Michelle "So, what sorts of music do you like to listen to?i am a big classic rock and country person." He said, as he finished cleaning a tank and went on to repairing a pair of fins.

"When I am on the treaddie I like something that has a good bpm to keep my speed up" she says as she leans on the counter looking at Johann "oh by the way you missed a bit" she jokes as he cleans the tank. "so..." asks Michell "...are you going to the festival this weekend in town, its the end of summer festival, they close off the main street to traffic and it comes into a huge carnival. Starts at six thirty in the evening, finishes in the morning, they put a travelling fair outside the Ryan's bar"

Outside, a ferry boat breaks the silence as it leaves the quayside, sounding its horn for a good few minutes, though down in the huge area across from the Northern Cross, the carpark is being closed in preperation for the travelling fairground that is to come and set up.

[Romberg]

[ooc] its only really the bazzar that gets the bartering

The old man tapped a few buttons on computer then went into the back of the store and returned a few moments later,

"Here you go sir, one Renegade one thousand rod in black, turbo reel six fifty and some line to go with it..." he says as he taps the amount in on the till "...The warranty covers for two years as well and its designed for heavy use so you won't have much trouble with it, Mine is ten years old and still as good as the day i first used it, so if there is anything else you need let me know..." The old man hands Lars a business card with details of the shop and the stores website on it "...I am open here monday to friday eight till six. and every other saturday as on alternate weekends I like to head to the fishing areas" he says with a happy voice as he loves the store and loves his fishing

The store was racked full of rods nets even clothing as well, including some rubber chest waders for those who like to get into the water, tents and camping gear is also sold here, most of it is good quality so a little expensive for this store likes customers to come back, the philosophy being sell crap and the reputation will be bad, sell good stuff and people will come back and reccommend the store to others, its a simple philosophy of quality sells and it seems to have worked as the old man, soon to be 88 years old has been running this same store here in Barentsburg for the thick end of 50 years.

The rod was telescoped down, and the display rod was at 10 feet because any higher it won't fit in the shop, for it can telescope out to 12 feet

"Alright, thank you. Maybe if I can get free time on the weekends, I should see how you Aurorans fish. And if you can, maybe you should visit my home country Romberg. It's got access to one of the richest fishing grounds in the Arctic Ocean, so it's open ocean, but all the same it's great fun fishing there. And although there are strict government quotas, it has ensured that there is always a large supply of seasonal catch all year round." Lars thus took the rod, and then realized he was missing a few other essentials.

"Sir, on bait, what would you recommend if I'm taking your advice and heading over to the nuclear power station? And also, how much for a decent icebox?"

[Aurora Confederacy]

"As for bait, I use these..." says the old man as he reaches down for a box of freeze-dried fish and places the said box on the counter "...Its from neu Engollon its five dinars per one kilo tub, and as for an icebox, we have them, ten dinars for a box big enough to sit on, however for twenty five dinars you can have one with a twelve volt plug in as well, extending the thermal range of the box as you can freeze the packs in your freezer, load up the ice box and put the packs in it, then use your car to keep the box cold preventing the ice packs from thawing on the drive to the water. It has a standard twelve volt lighter socket for a car, also comes with a converter to adapt it to allow you to run it off the mains. Things stay cold in the box for fourty eight hours when there is no power supply to it making it ideal for a weekend trip, and with a dialable temperature on it, you can use it to haul tinnies as well to a barbeque without the need of the ice packs or worry about freezing the beer" he pauses for a second "would you want one?, we have two in stock at the moment" he asks.

The electric ice box is around 40cm wide, 50cm long and 50 cm deep with a small grille on one side where the refrigerater equipment is located, it looses some capacity over the passive cool box, but has the advantage of being able to extend the range of the box by keeping things cooler for longer, The little cool box is also popular with long distance drivers as well who have not got a fridge or freezer in their cab.

[Romberg]

"Yeah, sure, I'll have two kilos of bait and an ice box with the twelve-volt socket then." Lars said as he took out the required money and placed it on the counter. "Hmm... anything else you'd advise me to have?"

[Aurora Confederacy]

The old man took the payment for the cool box and bait then went out back to get the electric coolbox up on returning he gave his advice.

"Yeah.." says the old man, "Perhaps some beer and a warm jacket, and if you are in the wilderness, a rifle. I recommend a point four five eight savage safari, have you got a keep net and scales as well as some hook pliers to get the hook out of the fish's mouth?"

[Romberg]

"Ah yes, pliers, net and scales. How could I have forgotten it? Wow. It's certainly been some time since I last fished, even back home. Of course I'll have a set. But for the rifle, I have a few things I hope that you could clarify. Firstly, I'm a foreigner, although I'm on a diplomatic passport. But is there any special regulation for that? Secondly, is there any other caliber of rifle available? I know that the .458 is a good round, but even back home, I'm not used to it, so I'd probably prefer something I'm more used to... And finally, any special rules for hunting? Especially since again I'll be sharing my catch with the staff back in the embassy."

[Aurora Confederacy]

"sir, if you were carrying a pistol then yes I think you need a permit, however a rifle, particularly a bolt action, it is seen as a tool and essential for when you are out in the wilderness so there are no permit requirements for a bolt action rifle. Though your catch, I don't think you would even hit the commercial quota, so catch what you want and enjoy your meal" says the old man before he reaches down for the scales "thats five dinars for those, four dinars for the pliers, and fifteen dinars for the net", he turns around and walks along the counter to pick up the net, currently wrapped up in a plastic film. "We normally stock a fishermans half shell, like half a dome tent that provides a weather break but we have none at the moment, they're twenty five dinars, have you got a number i can call if you wish to have one?..." he asks, "...You mentioned Calibre, well there are a load, the four fifty eight is personal choice, though a point thirty ought six remington, or seven point six two is just as good."

[Romberg]

"Oh, I don't think I'll need a hard shell. I've got other ways to handle it. But on the other hand, I'm interested in a 7.62mm rifle. 7.62x51mm NATO, I presume?"

As a combat engineer back in the military days, Lars was much more used to the standard 7.62x39 Russian round, since it was calibre of the standard issue assault rifle, but still he had some experience in general with the other weapons used in the IAFR, and hence the 7.62 NATO round was probably one of the calibers available that he was most familiar with, yet still packed enough punch to down large prey.

"Well... your rifles seem of rather high quality. Do you have a shooting range? I'd like to test one out first."

[Federal Female Asian States]

Taeyeon sat in one of the local coffee shops, waiting for her secret lover. Taeyeon had told nobody but the person she was in love with. Because secretly, she was a lesbian. But the thought of leaving Todd saddened her, because it would cause him to become depressed. But she loved this girl too much to let her go. It was true love.

[Aurora Confederacy]

"Oh, I don't think I'll need a hard shell. I've got other ways to handle it. But on the other hand, I'm interested in a 7.62mm rifle. 7.62x51mm NATO, I presume?"

As a combat engineer back in the military days, Lars was much more used to the standard 7.62x39 Russian round, since it was calibre of the standard issue assault rifle, but still he had some experience in general with the other weapons used in the IAFR, and hence the 7.62 NATO round was probably one of the calibers available that he was most familiar with, yet still packed enough punch to down large prey.

"Well... your rifles seem of rather high quality. Do you have a shooting range? I'd like to test one out first."

The old man did wander if Lars had any stories he could tell from his military days, for he himself had served with the navy, maning one the 18" guns of a heavy battleship so in terms of out right action, certainly not in the same sence a soldier sees, however like every military person, he had to do his training with a rifle. "Yeah, seven six two by five one, not a bad calibre if I say so ma'self, it does the business, unlike five five six, thats a varminter round, too easily deflected in undergrowth. The four five eight however will stop pretty much anything, loud bastard though!" he says, "the gunshop however, thats down the road about a kilometer from the docks, small place owned by Ranolph Rasmussen, he'll sort you out with the guns and such, oh one law is no automatics here in the country, semi automatics however are okay so long as there is a restriction of ten rounds, scopes legal, in fact pretty much recomended, he's closed today however but he's open tomorrow"

[Romberg]

"Alright then. Thanks." Lars said as he got the details down. He'd probably go fishing today, then go over to buy a rifle the next day. He certainly preferred an automatic rifle, since he was trained in one, although a semi-automatic one was better than none, since he'd like to do some hunting in the first place.

Then, intrigued at the owner's knowledge of guns, Lars decided to stay a while longer for a short conversation. He opened up his diplomatic passport, which also contained his identity card, as well as something else. It was his military enlistment card, and this one was taken a few years ago. It showed that he was indeed still a reserve combat engineer, and with the rank of Captain. Although as a diplomat, it would be unlikely that he would ever be called up into battlefield service ever again, he was still required to remain as a reservist and train regularly so that he would be able to protect the nation if anything happens. And although the rank of Captain would put him in a commanding position instead of actually a front line engineer, once again his speciality was also listed so that in times of war, he could indeed still be a backup front line combat engineer.

He smiled as he said "Been a few years since I got discharged from the Imperial Armed Forces then... Combat engineer, two combat tours of service abroad, three more active combat operations back home, and active military for quite some years. I'm working here now as a trade representative, but I'm still a reservist. You seem like someone quite knowledgeable with weapons and stuff like that..."

[Aurora Confederacy]

"Alright then. Thanks." Lars said as he got the details down. He'd probably go fishing today, then go over to buy a rifle the next day. He certainly preferred an automatic rifle, since he was trained in one, although a semi-automatic one was better than none, since he'd like to do some hunting in the first place.

Then, intrigued at the owner's knowledge of guns, Lars decided to stay a while longer for a short conversation. He opened up his diplomatic passport, which also contained his identity card, as well as something else. It was his military enlistment card, and this one was taken a few years ago. It showed that he was indeed still a reserve combat engineer, and with the rank of Captain. Although as a diplomat, it would be unlikely that he would ever be called up into battlefield service ever again, he was still required to remain as a reservist and train regularly so that he would be able to protect the nation if anything happens. And although the rank of Captain would put him in a commanding position instead of actually a front line engineer, once again his speciality was also listed so that in times of war, he could indeed still be a backup front line combat engineer.

He smiled as he said "Been a few years since I got discharged from the Imperial Armed Forces then... Combat engineer, two combat tours of service abroad, three more active combat operations back home, and active military for quite some years. I'm working here now as a trade representative, but I'm still a reservist. You seem like someone quite knowledgeable with weapons and stuff like that..."

The old man studied the cards carefully,
"Draft?" he asked, as when he was in the army, there was a regime of compulsory national service, a practice that is now discontinued, though the military, really more of a border and self protection defence force now, still turns out to be a popular recruitment for people of the Aurora Confederacy with the ability to get their hands on fast fighter jets and tanks, after all who wouldn't like to drive a tank or fly a fast jet?

"When I joined the navy, much of the metal we had back then was capital ships, we had only got a handful of carriers, the ship I was on didn't see much in the way of active service, however I was still required to be proficient with a rifle. We had M1 Garrands and Armalites there after, nice weapon is the Garrand, plenty of stopping power as well but takes a lot to keep it on target as it likes to climb unlike the Armalites that followed, though that was a step backwards, calibre is too small. Damn things wouldn't even harm a mouse!.." he says "so what made you become a diplomat?"

[Calizorinstan]

Johann smiled at Michelle "So, what sorts of music do you like to listen to?i am a big classic rock and country person." He said, as he finished cleaning a tank and went on to repairing a pair of fins.

"When I am on the treaddie I like something that has a good bpm to keep my speed up" she says as she leans on the counter looking at Johann "oh by the way you missed a bit" she jokes as he cleans the tank. "so..." asks Michell "...are you going to the festival this weekend in town, its the end of summer festival, they close off the main street to traffic and it comes into a huge carnival. Starts at six thirty in the evening, finishes in the morning, they put a travelling fair outside the Ryan's bar"

Outside, a ferry boat breaks the silence as it leaves the quayside, sounding its horn for a good few minutes, though down in the huge area across from the Northern Cross, the carpark is being closed in preperation for the travelling fairground that is to come and set up.

Johann laughs "Sure I missed some. I would notice if I missed something.. I am going to go to the festival, are you going to go? It would be nice to know at least one other person there.."

[Romberg]

The old man studied the cards carefully,
"Draft?" he asked, as when he was in the army, there was a regime of compulsory national service, a practice that is now discontinued, though the military, really more of a border and self protection defence force now, still turns out to be a popular recruitment for people of the Aurora Confederacy with the ability to get their hands on fast fighter jets and tanks, after all who wouldn't like to drive a tank or fly a fast jet?

"When I joined the navy, much of the metal we had back then was capital ships, we had only got a handful of carriers, the ship I was on didn't see much in the way of active service, however I was still required to be proficient with a rifle. We had M1 Garrands and Armalites there after, nice weapon is the Garrand, plenty of stopping power as well but takes a lot to keep it on target as it likes to climb unlike the Armalites that followed, though that was a step backwards, calibre is too small. Damn things wouldn't even harm a mouse!.." he says "so what made you become a diplomat?"

"Back home, there is a compulsory draft for every single person, regardless of male or female, upon completing compulsory education at the end of high school or upon reaching the age of 18, whichever the later, and we still keep this going to this day because even though we have been in a state of peace for many years now, and indeed we hope for it to continue indefinitely in the future, we still have fresh memories of our past under Nazi and Soviet rule. That was brutal, and it taught us the importance of having an always-ready defense force ready to cope with external threats. It's also what makes us so defensive-minded on war."

Lars paused, and put back his passport before taking out his tablet PC. He opened up a photo gallery, which showed him in full military attire. "That was me in my military days, It wasn't too far back, and I kinda agree with your ideas on assault rifles. I used a Rk 62 when I last served. It was reliable and fairly accurate, and thanks to our usage of the 7.62x39 round, it has poorer ballistics, but sure packs more stopping power. Nowadays though, soldiers are generally issued the AK 12 from Russia in the same calibre. We've got production licenses for those back home.

As for why I got into the diplomatic service, it was of money, really. I got discharged from the military because I wanted to return to civilian life. And so I did. I've studied to be an engineer, and coming from the important naval base and ice-free port of Sturmhåll, it's only natural that I help work at the shipyards."

Lars then shifted to another photo of him. Behind him was a destroyer, still under construction. "I was with Sturmhåll Shipyards, the primary naval shipyard in Romberg. I've helped designed quite a few of them. All pack a punch, but are structurally sound at the same time thanks in part to my work. And then I got married and had children. I was earning quite well for my job, and life seemed fine.

And then my work got noticed by the government. Apparently, since Sturmhåll Shipyards was owned by the government, they send inspectors to check our progress occasionally, and they spotted me. They thought that my service to the state was good enough So they gave me a better contract and asked me if I wanted to rejoin the government as a diplomat. It was better paying, and although I have to be abroad, my wife didn't mind, and my children fortunately had the rest of my wife and my extended family. At least now they know, and they're OK with it so far. Sure I do miss my family, but I've got to put food on my plate. So long story short, the government sponsored me on a crash course on diplomacy, and then I was sent here as a trade envoy."

[Aurora Confederacy]

the old man smiled when he saw the picture of the warship under construction

"Thats a nice lil boat, the one I was a gunnery operator on was somewhat bigger than that, twin turrets each with three guns, eighteen inch each, not a bad vessel, slightly smaller than the Prometheus, but now she's consigned to the bottom, she ended her career as a target in excersize Everlasting hope. At two hundred feet down and on her side, you could dive to it, she's about one hundred kilometers from Rai'lal in a secluded bay. Shame to see a ship go like that but theres a time when in training you need live fire, and with a sixty year old boat, well she was ideal for the task, though I gotta admit I dont like the thin walls they put on these modern warships"

[Stretta]

OOC: Going for a short time jump if thats OK?

---

John looked around Hunting Cars a little more as he waited for the salesman to check on the details of the vehicle. It was quite an old car, but these Land Cruisers held a reputation for running and running. At the very least, it would do until all the heavy moving work was completed. The salesman headed back out. "If everything is in order, I would be willing to drive away today."

Realistically, John had to get to the estate agents today as well to get the house search underway.

[Aurora Confederacy]

"yep, everything is in order, except you just need to get the insurance sorted out, its pretty cheap for one of these puppies, two hundred a year if you give the meerkats a call at Comparitive Insurance*..." says the salesman. "she has a full twelve month roadworthiness ticket and a full service history, aparantly one owner from new, only reason he sold it was he wanted something a pickup rather than a full SUV, he traded this in for a twenty eleven Hilux, If you want it I can put it on hold for you whilst you get your insurance sorted"

The Land cruiser is fully loaded with electrics, a marine band UHF radio, AND a CB radio, hence its two eight foot antennas mounted to the bull bar. Its tyres however are not your average street tyre, these 14" tyres, yes 14 inch on a landcruiser, with fat baloon tyres mean a low ground pressure thereby giving this landcruiser some serious go-anywhere ability. The front bullbar also mounts a power winch whilst the left hand A-pillar has an external air intake, the roof also had a stowage rack with a ladder up the right hand side of the back door, all features typical of Auroran vehicles, especially ones owned by what many call "ruralites" .

(* A take on a comparison website "compare the market, played out by puppet meerkats with the catchline "compare the meerkat")

[Romberg]

the old man smiled when he saw the picture of the warship under construction

"Thats a nice lil boat, the one I was a gunnery operator on was somewhat bigger than that, twin turrets each with three guns, eighteen inch each, not a bad vessel, slightly smaller than the Prometheus, but now she's consigned to the bottom, she ended her career as a target in excersize Everlasting hope. At two hundred feet down and on her side, you could dive to it, she's about one hundred kilometers from Rai'lal in a secluded bay. Shame to see a ship go like that but theres a time when in training you need live fire, and with a sixty year old boat, well she was ideal for the task, though I gotta admit I dont like the thin walls they put on these modern warships"

Lars chuckled. "To be fair, the ship would sink anyway if it's hit by a torpedo or something like that. Nowadays, our main innovation comes from increased power in weapon systems, and increase in performance. For us, that means better engines and also making the ship lighter. One way we done that was to use advanced alloys that are indeed thinner than the old types, but with more structural strength. That beauty could easily outrun your average ship from thirty years ago. And I swear it won't sink on its own."

[Stretta]

"yep, everything is in order, except you just need to get the insurance sorted out, its pretty cheap for one of these puppies, two hundred a year if you give the meerkats a call at Comparitive Insurance*..." says the salesman. "she has a full twelve month roadworthiness ticket and a full service history, aparantly one owner from new, only reason he sold it was he wanted something a pickup rather than a full SUV, he traded this in for a twenty eleven Hilux, If you want it I can put it on hold for you whilst you get your insurance sorted"

The Land cruiser is fully loaded with electrics, a marine band UHF radio, AND a CB radio, hence its two eight foot antennas mounted to the bull bar. Its tyres however are not your average street tyre, these 14" tyres, yes 14 inch on a landcruiser, with fat baloon tyres mean a low ground pressure thereby giving this landcruiser some serious go-anywhere ability. The front bullbar also mounts a power winch whilst the left hand A-pillar has an external air intake, the roof also had a stowage rack with a ladder up the right hand side of the back door, all features typical of Auroran vehicles, especially ones owned by what many call "ruralites" .

(* A take on a comparison website "compare the market, played out by puppet meerkats with the catchline "compare the meerkat")

Despite being a "foreigner", as John would class himself, he found the whole process of insuring himself on the vehicle an easy process. This car really was going to do a nice job over the next 3 months, if not longer. While on hold, he thought about what his wife would say. Probably "this is a long way from our old Punto" or "it's a bit big isn't it". Still, when in Barentsburg...

Turning back to the salesman after obtaining his insurance, John began to sort out any paperwork to get the vehicle into his possession. He was thrilled to finally be making progress on his new vehicle. He wondered how driving in the Burg would be, what Lars might say about his new acquisition, and the freedom from the public transport he had to deal with yesterday. While an altogether pleasant experience, John much prefered a road vehicle to the air or the track variety.

John shook the dealer's hand after signing the paperwork, before throwing his folder onto the passenger seat and setting his mirrors up. "Thank you once again," he called out, putting the car into reverse and backing out of the car lot.

This was it. His adventure really was now beginning.

[Aurora Confederacy]

The engine of the Landcrusier started without fuss and idles sweetly, then as John reversed out, there eminated from the light bulb a feint (from the inside at least) beeping noise from the reversing buzzer the previous owner had fitted. The inside of the landcruiser has also been recently valeted, so despite being the best part of 10 years old, it had that new car smell in the interior which also glistenned nicely in the sun as it had been thoroughly cleaned out. A truck stopped by the entrance to the parking lot and flashed its headlights to let John out, the driver gesturing to come out, as it came to a stop, its two bull bar mounted antennas continued swaying and dancing like trees in the breeze. Once John was on the road and begins to drive on, the truck resumes its journey, though all John can see in his rear view mirror is the bullbar, though this is merely an illusion, for the truck is not actually tailgating him but having a frontal adornment that could do damage to a descent sized bear yet leaving the truck *relatively* unscathed does have that effect. The truck, a Scania T144 highline, has 4 large spotlights between the headlights mounted to the bull bar, with a roof bar that also holds another 6 spotlights, this could be slightly intimidating to the unfamiliar.

Traffic around Barentsburg was pretty light, thouugh despite having 20,000 inhabitants, the city is pretty spread out, so making for a relatively low traffic density,

[Romberg]

(OOC: Am I getting a reply or do I have to continue the story for my character?)

[Aurora Confederacy]

The fishing store

"Say sir, there is also a local angling club that meets at the power station once per month, head down to the power plant saturday daytimes and make your way to the social club, you can't miss it, its a large cabin just across from the boilers on the south side of the reactor building. Once there, speak to Rob West, he's the club sec there" says the old man.

[ooc] its Wednesday

[Romberg]

(OOC: You asked me to fill in a bit in between, so I'll do that and then reply the old man.)

Before the old man spoke, Lars then switched to another photo of the vessel, already commissioned into service. It was a Triumvirate Enterprises Karzelek-Class destroyer, produced at Sturmhåll through a domestic production agreement. And it was advanced. Armed with batteries of missiles and powerful guns, the class was the main service vessel class of the Imperial Realm of Romberg naval component. The one Lars worked on was the fifteenth of its class, and even now, it was still in active IAFR service. As was the norm, it was continuously upgraded so that it still possessed extremely advanced and new equipment. Indeed, it would be unwise for an enemy ship to try to pick a one-to-one fight with these Rombergian destroyers. And then he switched to another photo. This was even bigger, and belonged to IAFR Rombergia, a Halcyon Arms Noble-class carrier, the flagship of the IAFR and one of the largest vessels in Rombergian service. It used to be of an older class, but was recently refurbished and upgraded to Noble-class standard. Lars himself took part in it as a Rombergian consultant to the shipyards where they were being refitted.

And then Lars smiled. "Not quite what you're used to, but I think it seems like we have much more in common than we think. I personally admire your naval service too. Perhaps you could tell me more of your naval experience?"

---

After the old man recommended the fishing club, Lars thanked him, then made a small personal offer. "You know, if you have free time, maybe we should get together and do a bit of fishing?"