Parallax (Bar on Psyche)

History

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Aspects and Troubles

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Notes and Info

The Parallax has been in operation on Psyche for the past 28 years. Situated in the spaceport's main marketplace, it initially served only Company employees, providing them a basic, but appreciated alternative to rationed meal packs. The kitchen and the original crew table still greet customers today. An additional bay of seating complete with a well-stocked bar, and a third bay for shipments were added under the ownership of Robert "Robin" Nance in its sixth year of operation, with the promise to bring people and booze together from around the galaxy. The change in the ownership and alcoholic presence also brought the change in the Company-only limitations, and Nance opened the doors to anyone traveling to the spaceport.

Nance managed the bar until an arrest and his reported death. His partners, Reginald Barnett and Casper Jessop, have been running the establishment since, but have not filed any change of ownership. Rumors exist and continue to ebb and flow.

The bar's original bay boasts a long crew table, with benches comfortably seating up to six averagely-sized humans on each side. The famed kitchen, with a new entry door, and two reconfigured restrooms are in this first bay. The original front door now serves as alley access, barred off for emergency exits only. Two spacious lanes in the empty corner are provided for dart players and bet makers. The middle bay houses the newer main entrance opening up to five round-topped pedestal tables that seat up to six persons each. The back wall of this central bay is the bar, with an entry to either end, and stools for four. It is stocked with examples of some of the galaxy's cheapest and finest, proving the selection Nance had promised many years before. The third bay has a single walk-in door near the bar and a shipment storage area with roof access. The shipment bay is partitioned with secured storage of the liquor and food supplies behind a cage wall, an office, a small sleeping area, a cleaning area with a utility sink and laundry machines, and pallet storage for crates. The office is the most secure point in the establishment with extra measures installed for privacy.

In a place of honor behind the bar are also two notable items. One is a displayed length of what might even be real wood. It may have once served as a table leg, whatever its composition, but now bears the pits and dents from years of regular contact with tables, skulls, boots and other hazards of the bar trade. This chunk of mayhem is known as The Priest, and it is almost as much a manager of the place as Barnett or Jesse. The second item is clearly a contraption designed by someone seeking function over form. It is a modified industrial switch that when flipped, causes a mechanism to contact a dusty gray packet on its strike plate. Around the strike plate are the burned-in striations of its prior use. The packet contains a small amount of gunpowder of undetermined age and stability. It has not been used in some time, but those around the place long enough will recognize its attention-grabbing blast of sound. It is a single warning to cease shenanigans before real ammunition comes out. It has no name, but whenever Nance threatened that someone was about to flip his switch, this was likely what he meant.

With booze comes many shenanigans, and those are usually borne from gambling. There is a card game in play nearly at any given time since the bar is open 24/7. Play is at the gambler's own risk. There is a sign boasting rules of the establishment including some about the games, but the sign has been healthily and unhealthily edited and re-edited by staff and patrons alike. The bar staff does try its best to keep things and people in line, having a bouncer or two and a series of cameras and sound recording on watch at all times. Sometimes, though, this just isn't enough. Staff are always armed in some fashion. They expect the patrons likely are as well.