Challenge #01813-D352: Everything Necessary?

Emptying your pockets/hold-all to find needed I.D. Boggling the official with the stuff you "really, truly Need". -- Anon Guest

There is no single worst thing to carry everything you need in than a gigantic pocketless tote. Especially when your needs are unfathomable.

Dithaan listed the articles as ze removed them. As is the rule with all containers that held objects of assorted sizes, the largest and bulkiest things rose to the top. "Spare jumper, emergency hygiene pack, personal medkit, tool roll, omnitool, towel, backup towel, change purse... Oh, that's where my cameras went." Four of them came out onto the counter. As did their charger plugs. "Glucose jellybeans, gum... Oh! There's my crochet kit. I thought I'd lost that forever. And there's my books, they're very good reads, all of them."

Customs Officer Grax sighed as the inventory continued. All the way down to several Standard Weight Units in loose, assorted change. Where Dithaan's ID was buried. "I can get you a beneficial exchange rate on all that planetary coinage, Mx, but... have you thought about minimising your load?"

Dithaan looked horrified. "Reduce the contents of my tote?"

"Ideally, yes. You don't need four cameras. And Galactic Medics have the same ready kits in their ready bags."

"But what if I'm somewhere without a Medik and I'm in a medical emergency?"

Grax boggled at hir. "But... you won't be able to perform first aid on yourself and the un-knowledgeable won't be able to help you either..."

"That's why I carry the instruction manuals in hardcopy. Every common language in civilised space."

Grax thought about asking about the uncommon languages. And then thought better of it. There was, after all, a weight limit for carry-on luggage that this cogniscent was already on the borderline of crossing. "For the convenience of others, please invest in a more organised bag."

Dithaan was already scooping everything into their huge tote. "Oh, but I'd never be able to find anything, then."

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Elenathewise]

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