FY 10.092 Brant had grown far more accustomed to easing information out of strangers after two decades in Catherine’s company. Sometimes, monetary encouragement was needed. Often, though, all that was required was basic psychology. Bring the subject around to talking about themselves and it all came tumbling out. He spent three of the four hours wandering through the bazaar and talking to the stall owners. Because this was Shanta and technological devices were their primary export, the bazaar mostly featured stalls of gadgets and tools, all with the premium Shanta stamp. Brant had become more and more comfortable with computers and technology over the years, but such a concentration of non-human thinking machines made him mildly uncomfortable. He finally made his way to a food market and sat at a table next to a group of three red-skinned Shanta natives wearing the tags and IDs of station personnel. If the locals ate here, it would be good food. He consulted with the AI, that recommended a small meal of Shanta cuisine with an unpronounceable name and offered a discount, too.
