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This one was much more his kind of thing, open-air markets were always fun, and this one was very open-air. It was set into a gigantic area almost as large as an amphitheater in size, with a light purple and yellow canopy tied to large poles along one side of the area. It was rolled back now, but presumably there to cover the area in case of rain. The flags and pendants of the planet flew on poles on the opposite side from the rolled up canopy, and the entire space was filled with stalls, with hundreds of local vendors selling their wares, shouting over one another to be heard through the tumult of the crowd.
Harry moved through the crowd, sniffing occasionally, sampling here, listening to cooks explain how to cook this or that local delicacy, filing it all away in his mental cabinet marked cooking. Only occasionally did he purchase things and ordering them to be delivered to the ship later on.
He was having so much fun, that it took Harry a while to feel the change in the atmosphere of the crowd, and here the voice shouted over the hubbub. Someone was using a megaphone or something similar to be heard, but it still took a few moments for his words to register. "This is what we are, local grown, local owned! Say no to the Republic!"
As Harry zeroed in on the voice he saw a local man, his age indeterminate standing on a series of crates. He held a simple megaphone to his mouth as he exhorted the local crowd, most of whom ignored the rabble-rouser. Others simply nodded along to his words, and there was a crowd around him of around 20 people that seemed to be taking in his words avidly.
"The governor and Baroness must be removed!" The man shouted. "We cannot allow them to ruin us, cannot allow them to ruin our way of life! The Republic is well and good, but not here, not like this!"
Harry shrugged, turning away. Having looked at some of the things Master Fay was looking into for this problem he understood the man's point. He didn't know that he agreed with the man that this was the right medium for it, after all it was sort of preaching to the choir in this area. Harry hadn't seen a single product that wasn't local.
Shrugging his shoulders and deciding to leave the man to it, Harry went back to his fun for a few moments. He nodded to a group of women, of all ages including one his own age, who seems to be enjoying themselves just as much as he was. Moving up to the one who seemed in charge he asked, "Excuse me, but do you know the difference between this kind of meat and this one? I've heard about six different answers from the locals so I thought to get another perspective."
"I'm afraid not young one," the woman said, shrugging her shoulders in ignorance. "I do know that this one is quite tasty, and expensive," she said pointing to one of the meats that Harry had indicated on the tray in front of them. "While this one is an unknown to me though looks much the same."
Harry frowned thoughtfully and decided to order small supplies of both, saying aloud, "After all, I'll simply see which one tastes better myself. It's always more fun that way."
The woman, a rather fat jolly sort, chuckled while the others in her party rolled her eyes at her attitude. Most of them wore clothing that was quite a bit more formal than hers, including the young girl of around six or so by Harry's estimate who was staring at him with startlingly purple eyes, a small sneer appearing on her face as she spotted his padawan braid, which Fay had told him to grow.
Harry nodded to her, and she seems to sniff, looking away for a moment. Harry shrugged his shoulders, turning back to his work.
Then he heard another voice over the crowd. "This is an illegal gathering. By order of the Baron and Baroness, all locally grown foodstuffs must pass through Lord Vetnine's properties. This market is therefore shut down! Disburse to your homes or you will be arrested."
Harry gaped, staring towards the speaker. He was a tallish individual apparently, clad in black form fitting armor from head to toe including a helmet with a wide visor for his eyes. He had a riot shield on one arm, and around him were several other men arrayed in black clad armor and helmets and carrying stun sticks, some kind of large-barreled gun, hopefully some kind of crowd dispersal weapon.
The man's voice emanated from his helmet once more, louder than before as the crowd quieted in reply. "Disburse immediately or we will take action and disperse you ourselves."
Harry scowled and was about to move forward intent on stopping the man when someone in the crowd lobbed a piece of local fish or produce at him with surprising accuracy, the fish splattering against the officer's helmet. "No more off world influence!" shouted the man with the megaphone, and that was when it was all went to hell.
The weapons on those troopers' shoulders were shock cannons rather than blasters set on stun. The difference was that one simply sent out of stun bolt, able to knock individuals unconscious relatively painlessly. At least from the bolt itself, someone could still hurt themselves badly falling down after all. Shock cannons however were something else, area affect weapons that shot out arcs of electricity, electrocuting individuals until they fell unconscious.
In response to the attack on their commander two of the men in black lowered their cannons from their shoulders firing into the crowd, sending the crowd into shrieks of agony and pain. Then the others, around 50 men all wearing the same outfits moved forward, there stun batons swiftly smashing out at anyone in their way as they formed a shield wall.
Harry had been out range of the shock cannons, and simply stood there for a stunned moment, appalled.
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