TEST DRIVE #3 - Alien Bazaar/Ten Forward

[tenforward_m]

#1

Option 001. Alien planet, marketplace: So you're new to this whole space travel thing. The ship is cool and all, but there are hundreds of alien worlds out there. You want to explore. To see what the universe REALLY looks like.

Well, here's your chance! Your first stop is this lovely indoor marketplace, which looks kind of like a mall. There are stalls one after the other as far as the eye can see, and they sell all kinds of things: food, clothes, trinkets, animals, fabrics, jewelry, perfumes, books, etc etc. Some things look human, easy to recognize; other things look very alien. There are two levels, and constant chatter as people hawk their wares and discuss prices.

Do you want to explore? Poke at the weird shops? Buy a gift for a new friend? Flirt with someone at the food court? Maybe you see a pickpocket, and must run to the aid of the victim. Maybe there's some other villainy afoot. After all, a crowded marketplace is a good place for villains to lurk, causing trouble. Whether you're a hero or just an unassuming traveler, there proves to be some adventure for you on this planet.


2

Option 002. Aboard the Enterprise, Ten Forward: You have no idea what just happened. One minute you were home, and now you're on a spaceship, in the middle of a crowded room. It looks like a bar. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens.

You've managed to land in Ten Forward a long bar with barstools and a bartender, tables sprinkled throughout, and the far wall is nothing but windows out to space. It looks like a nice lounge, low conversation making the room hum.

Better ask some questions and find out where you are, or just tap the closest person on the shoulder and try to make friends. The bar is open.

Comments

[osirian_doctor]

It's been a long time since Simon could set foot in a public place without constantly wanting to look over his shoulder.

Every inhabited planet Serenity has landed on, he's been on the lookout for Alliance Federals. Even before he left Osiris, he'd been on edge, waiting for someone to realize what he was planning. Waiting for it all to go wrong. Being on Serenity had helped, of course, but there have been so many close shaves and the stakes are so high he's never allowed himself to relax.

But here, the Alliance doesn't exist. He doesn't exist.

There may be no River here with him on the Enterprise, but there's no arrest warrant out for him either.

So he's wandering, hands in his pockets, around the bazaar, stopping every now and then to finger the fabric on a dress that would be pretty on River, or Kaylee, and wishing they were there.

[tanteiotaku]

Along the way, there's a young man trying on a few different fedoras. He seems to be enjoying making "cool" faces in the mirror a bit more than considering which of the hats he prefers. He's off in his own little world, so much so that he doesn't notice Simon's there until he reaches for another hat blindly and whacks him in the arm. "Ah, sorry," he gave him a nod.

Look at me, dropping the ball. Sorry.

[osirian_doctor]

Simon's distracted by his own thoughts, thoughts of his sister back on Serenity and how much he wishes she could be here with him to enjoy the feeling of stepping out onto a world without constantly waiting in fear of the Feds.

So he's not paying much attention either, as he touches the fabric of the shawl, reaching for it at just the same moment as somebody else reaches for something, so that they run into each other.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he says, at the same moment as the other man apologizes as well. "I didn't realize you were there."

No problem!

[tanteiotaku]

"Same here," he replied, returning his own hat to his head. "You look like a man with a lot on his mind," he said. Sometimes he couldn't help being nosy. It came with the trade.

because detective + fugitive is gonna go down SO well :D

[osirian_doctor]

"Oh."

He supposes it's true.

It's always true. It's been years since he didn't have a lot on his mind. That's what happens when you wind up having to rescue your sister from secret government experimentation and take her on the run away from everything you've ever known.

It's a lot of responsibility to look out for her and keep her away from the Feds, but here ... as hard as it is, he misses it. Because he misses her, wonders how she's doing without him.

"I suppose. I was just thinking about home."

This detective knows a few things about harboring former human experiment fugitives

[tanteiotaku]

This guy was a solid dresser, now that he got a good look at him. Waistcoats and ties never went out of style. He smirked a bit at that thought. "Ah, homesick? The holodeck is a good remedy for that. But you might have to tell it all about the place if it doesn't come up."

Most excellent :)

[osirian_doctor]

"I was just thinking about someone."

Home.

It's become a strange concept to Simon. Once, he'd barely have thought before he'd said Osiris, specifically the hospital he'd thrown everything into. But that home is irretrievably gone now, and insofar as he has one, now it's Serenity, moving on from place to place, and safety in movement.

But really, home is where River is, wherever their little family, cut down to just the two of them after their parents' betrayal, takes them.

He's not really homesick for a place, but for people? Yes.

His brow creases, just a little, at the unfamiliar words. "I'm not sure I know what the 'holodeck' is."

Re: Most excellent :)

[tanteiotaku]

"A girlfriend?" Home meant a lot to Shotaro, and until joining the ship, he'd only once stayed overnight in Kyoto on a class trip. The unfamiliar smells and sights and the different way the wind blew made it difficult to get to sleep that night.

"The holodecks on the Enterprise can simulate anything. Volcanic areas of planets, people, and I think there's some programs in there that can let you be a part of a story as it unfolds, like a movie that you're in." He knew he was probably explaining this poorly. "But," he added, with a wave of his hand. "It's still not the same as the real thing. Not even a finely-crafted hologram can fool a detective's highly-trained senses."

Re: Most excellent :)

[osirian_doctor]

"Sister," he corrects, feeling a little warmth in his cheeks at the word girlfriend, because ... well. Because it's true that his thoughts have been on Kaylee, too, but it's also true that is always more complicated than he'd like it to be, and he can hardly call her his girlfriend when he can barely begin to express his interest to her without stumbling over his own words and making her mad at him.

The holodeck sounds like impressive technology, and he's about to say something about that when the man waves a hand, almost dismissive of it. And points out that he's a detective.

A detective.

"Oh. You're a ... detective?"

It doesn't come across as lightly as he'd hoped.

Re: Most excellent :)

[tanteiotaku]

A man that got nervous about the word 'detective' was one Shotaro wanted to pay attention to. But he grinned, as though he took it as Simon being impressed. "Shotaro Hidari, detective from the 21st century," he said, bringing his fingers to the brim of his hat, as though the hat alone were as much evidence as an officers badge.

Re: Most excellent :)

[osirian_doctor]

21st century.

If that's true, then the man is, at least, not a Fed.

He may have nothing to fear from the people on this planet, but there's nothing to say that one of his fellow passengers aboard the Enterprise might not be somebody hunting for Simon and perfectly willing to take the fight to another time and place.

But somebody from the 21st century is from centuries before the Alliance even existed, from before Earth-that-Was was used up. He's no threat, and tension Simon hadn't realized he was suddenly holding in his shoulders relaxes.

"Simon Tam. Doctor. From the, uh, 26th."

That's a strange way of introducing himself, but he'll follow Mr Hidari's lead.

[home_fires_burning]

It is nice to be out and about, isn't it? Well, shops are basically the same everywhere; the currency may be different, and the exact items for sale, but they have the same feel and the same sales pitches.

So here's Sigyn with a bit of money, looking for a nice dress for her husband.

"Oh, that's a lovely color. These seem well-made, too."

thanks for your patience! :)

[osirian_doctor]

He's surprised when a voice speaks, apparently to him, and he looks up from the shawl to see a young woman standing beside him, looking at it too.

He smiles, covering for the surprise at being spoken to. He's still not used to the idea that people other than the crew of the ship might want to speak to him for reasons that aren't bad, after months as a fugitive waiting for the Feds at any moment, after the bad experiences he's had on several worlds Serenity has visited.

But here, there are no Feds, and there's no reason not to try to be at least a little friendly. She certainly seems friendly enough.

"Thank you. I'm ... I don't know a lot about textiles, so that's good to know."

[home_fires_burning]

"I know a bit," she says with a smile. "From raising the sheep, to shearing, carding, spinning, weaving, sewing--it's a lot of work. Much easier with machines."

She doesn't use the machines. When your biggest problem is finding a way to fill time, there's no point in time-saving devices.

"Those over there, I'd be more reluctant with, but then again, laundering seems to be gentler now. All sonic, or whatever they call it."

talk of fiber work makes this mun extremely happy ;)

[osirian_doctor]

Simon looks at her with what starts out as polite interest and becomes curiosity.

"I'm afraid I've ... only ever bought them." His laugh is self-deprecating, a little bemused. Of course, he's been to markets a little like this on worlds in the Outer Rim since be joined Serenity, but his purchasing decisions have always been based on taste rather than on any understanding of the work itself.

"You ... actually sound like you know a lot."