Underground, the environment is much more Spartan, no neon signs or blinking digital come-ons, just a few posters on clean tile walls. That seems to h...ammer home the unfamiliarities -- the odd word on an ad that certainly looks like English, but doesn't mean anything to American eyes. Or the candy machine stocked with brands you've never heard of, next to a drink machine selling only boxes of something called Ribena. What's a blackcurrant? Why do the same flavors show up in regular and. ‘Anna is a bitch, Melody not much better for allowing herself to be led around by one such as that.’ ‘You must be Lady Mathews,’ Joan said. ‘Please, call me Ellie.’ Ellie’s smile noticeably warmed. ‘I apologize for the overly friendly greeting but it seemed warranted.’ ‘No apology necessary, I appreciate the assistance.’ Joan frowned, recalling Anna’s words. ‘Is it true? Are there rumors?’ Silently, Ellie cursed Marcus for leaving his bride unaware. ‘There are bound to be rumors, given the. “My name is Alex, and I'm here to get you started. What are you looking for in today's visit?” He spoke as if he really enjoyed his job, which was always convincing to me. “I'm looking for a new apartment, one that I could spend 2 or more years of my life in. Nothing cheap, but nothing too expensive.” “Plan on living with anyone?”“No, but I'd like a three-room anyways.”“Alright, I’ve got the person for you. Follow me over here,” he said, as he left for a small cubicle with a girl who was at the. All missile tubes were full, as they had been since before the Archerfish had left drydock weeks before. All hatches were sealed and even the battle shields were at full power.Captain Koenig chewed his lip and ordered, "Drop to normal space."The light returned to normal and Helm reported, "In normal space, Sir." No encroachments on forward sensors, Sir." No encroachments on aft sensors, Sir." Good. Passive sweep for sign of a Sa'arm ship." Koenig breathed a little easier. He still rubbed his.