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

[deus_ex_harper]

"Hey boss." It's just an automatic thing to say as he sees Dylan as he's making his way to the bar for a drink. Wait a moment. "What are you doing here?" He wasn't there a moment ago. Harper was sure of that. Or maybe it was just what he was drinking. He'd not had any of the sparky cola so was making do with the vast number of beers and spirits he could try out.

Honestly, he still missed the sparky cola. He missed Andromeda. Rommie, Beka, Rev and even freaking Tyr. That had to be bad he was missing the crazy uber.

[dreams_dont_die]

"Mr Harper."

He doesn't need to turn to face the voice. He knows it. And if he didn't, the hey boss would be clue enough, because even on his incredibly informal-at-Beka's-insistence crew, there's only one person who says that to him.

And sure enough, when he does turn around, there's Harper.

"You know, I could ask you that."

He crosses his arms across his chest, then lifts one hand to wave at the room around them that's not on his ship.

"Where are we?"

[deus_ex_harper]

"In a bar." Well Dylan did ask him. Harper tried to slip past the Captain so he could find a spot at the aforementioned bar and start drinking. He still had a fair way to go on that list. He stopped. "We're still on a spaceship. From what I can tell so far." No Harper do not go mentioning the chaos caused already. "She's got some engine problems. She's not Andromeda that's for sure but she isn't so bad. Few things could do bring her up to a little more. Give her some proper AI and the body to go with that."

He hopped up onto a stool. "Least let me get you a drink so you can join me." He's happy to see you Dylan. "Oh Trance is here as well."

[dreams_dont_die]

Dylan's eyebrows lift, just slightly, and his chin tilts upwards, the only real sign that he still sometimes finds it irritating trying to get Harper to answer a question that doesn't have to do with fixing his ship (and sometimes, even then). But there are ways of managing Harper, and getting upset with him isn't a good one.

So he lets Harper talk and ... in there, there are a couple of answers.

Admittedly, most of them are about the ship they're on and how Andromeda is better, but that's something Dylan and Harper will always agree on, because he's her captain and Harper's her engineer.

But, as much as he is of the opinion that the Andromeda Ascendant is the best ship out there, that doesn't actually help much.

Still, you've gotta pick your moment with Harper, so he follows him over to the bar and when Harper perches on a stool, Dylan stays standing, leaning one bracer-clad arm against the bar.

"Of course she is," he says, his voice a little amused in spite of himself. Because if anyone was going to be wherever this is with whatever is going on here, it would be Trance.

Especially the new Trance, the one who's come back from a broken future to fix the path of events.

"Harper. How did we get here?"

[deus_ex_harper]

"Yeah, gotta have Trance with us. After all we need our good luck charm." And best friend, co-conspirator, partner in crime. All were valid titles for Trance. He reaches over and grabs himself a bottle of something. He isn't quite sure what but it's a new one for him. Sitting back again he spins around to face Dylan.

"I sorta wasn't awake during that bit of orientation." Harper opened the bottle with a careful knock of the cap against the bar. A fairly well practiced motion since he didn't spill anything. "I turned up here, thought I was a goner. Larvae about to..." He scrunched up his face as he remembered. "You know. I pass out, hear Trance's voice." He leaned forwards a little. "She's not purple. First I thought it was just my mind saying bye bye to this world, which I know ha ha, Beka's been saying for a while."

The engineer derailed the conversation himself and had to take a moment to think what he had been saying. "Right. Trance. Not purple. Still Trance." He takes a long swig from the bottle and nearly chokes. "What the freaking... that is..." He's making another face at the bottle like it somehow offended him and yet... there he is drinking more.

"So we're here. Do you want a drink?"

[dreams_dont_die]

It took him a while to learn quite how to work with Harper. You have to listen and sift through what he says, working out what's important and what's important only to Harper. It's pretty much exactly the opposite of what he'd have expected from his High Guard crew, and anyone who'd answered a question like Harper does would have been reined in fairly quickly.

That doesn't work with Harper.

So instead, Dylan leans, apparently nonchalant, against the bar. But his senses are alert, and his eyes aren't always resting on Harper.

Nor are the fingers on his free hand all that far from his lance.

"Harper. She hasn't been purple for ..."

But wait.

Wait.

"You're saying you came here when the Magog eggs were about to hatch?"

He shakes his head. "Harper, that was weeks ago. Trance hasn't been purple for weeks, she changed that day."

He holds out his hand to Harper. "Okay then."

But after a moment, he frowns.

"You've been on board the Andromeda this whole time. How long have you been here?"