Fire Jelly: Sold in 8” tall tin cans, fire jelly was originally designed as an alternative to camp fires for soldiers during the Unification War. When lit, the jelly burns at 550 degrees at a rate of ½” per hour; the can is largely heat-proof, and putting the lid back on quickly snuffs the low-burning, smokeless flame.
Garden Bunk: When you can’t afford to buy fresh vegetables, you can grow ‘em–even on your boat where the ‘garden bunk’ has become moderately popular. Consisting of a plastic soil trough (sized to fit on a small bed), it comes with growing lamps and a small sprinkler system. Garden bunks don’t afford a huge harvest, but when morale is down, a few fresh tomatoes can do wonders. The listed weight includes the soil and plants the unit will hold.
Gun Case: Since most weapons need atmo to fire, it stands to reason someone would think of a way to fire one in space, too. A gun case is designed for a specific type of gun. It closes around the front end, making it look like it’s got a barrel about five times wider than it should be. The case pumps air into the chambers and barrel when you pull the trigger, allowing the weapon to discharge normally. Unfortunately, a lot of the internal atmo is wasted with each pull, so the air generally lasts for only 10 shots before the case needs to be refilled back on the ship.
Gun-Cleaning Kit: Every good soldier (and settler) knows that you need to take care of your weapons if you want them to take care of you. Guns need to be cleaned and sometimes repaired. This small kit includes all the tools necessary for such. Bought on the Rim, the kit most likely comes in a leather pouch about the size of a shoulder bag. Purchased on the Core, it will come in a professional-looking metal case.
Multiband: The evolution of the digital watch has led, at long last, to the Multiband. It’s an allin- one watch, digital compass, calculator, alarm, radio receiver, generic remote control, and voice memo. Unfortunately, multibands break easily and are mostly popular among students as a fashion accessory. The varieties range from cheap versions in plastic cases to gold-plated ones sold out of suitcases by shady men on street corners.
Patch Tape: A holdover from the war, patch tape looks like a roll of shiny rubber material. The thin tape is airtight, and the adhesive coating on one side provides a hold strong enough to seal a vacuum suit at full pressure. Hull breaches and the like usually can’t be fixed in this manner, but if some sah gwa wants to try it, it’s his funeral. Keeping a roll in a vac-suit pocket can often be a life-saver.
Purification Crystals: Frontier settlers and soldiers usually stock packets of these powdery, pale blue crystals. One packet (a box has 20) can cleanse up to a gallon of water for human consumption, killing pretty much all bacteria and parasites, just as if you’d boiled it.
Trash Incinerator: Most ships come equipped with some way to dispose of garbage, but there is always a market for ways to quickly and quietly get rid of refuse. The incinerator is a small metal crate fitted with electrical heating coils; it can destroy, in a matter of moments, almost any organic material that can fit into the 2’x2’x2’ space. The resulting residue and ash is collected in a small filter that occasionally needs to be cleaned.