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

[in_the_wrong_q]

"You're an unwelcome addition to the game, yet you've entered it of your own volition." A shake of his head. "That's incredibly rude. And there's a punishment."

He winks out to behind Alec, folding his arms.

"Call me the mediator. Your primitive control over space-time has led you to this situation, and now you're stuck here. Perhaps you'll think again next time you decide to crash the party."

Q grins again. "And don't think you can simply turn your powers back on. You should have done your research before invading. I think you'll find it most impossible."

[element_wizard]

"I wanted to see what was what. It sounded really interesting from what I've heard on the grapevine. You don't allow spectators?"

Then he bristles. "Primitive control?" he snarls, turning around. "I've survived..."

No. Wait. Pause. He's not going to get into a one upmanship match here. It's not going to work. It's not going to help matters. Maybe hitting the guy in the face would work though. He ponders the thought.

"And I've done plenty of research on the Q. Especially Picard's Q. Though I'm not exactly sure which version of reality you all are in. Because the one where Luxwana Troi turning Q into a tree and threatening to cut him down with a chainsaw I think it was, was hilarious."

He didn't read the book. He visited and watched. Like he was hoping to do here.

[in_the_wrong_q]

"Yes, but your basic knowledge of how we work is limited. You cannot possibly understand us to any meaningful level."

A shake of the head, and a sigh. "A pity. I was really hoping someone more intelligent would have discovered the secrets of the multiverse, instead of using it for perverse voyeurism."

And he looks back to Alec. "This is Q's game, I'm simply the mediator. If you'd read the game scenario, you would have known exactly what the consequences would be should you appear here."

A click of his fingers, and his Starduster appears in his hand again. He takes a sip. "So sit back, relax. You're going to get a first-hand account."

[element_wizard]

"Perverse voyeurism? You mean like gathering people from around the said multiverse and shoving them onto a spaceship to see what happens?"

Alec really should stop poking people like Q.

But he's always been very bad at not doing that.

[in_the_wrong_q]

"Sorry, but your point is moot. You didn't do the required reading on this course, and now you're stuck."

Another sip of the Starduster.

"And your purile attempts to try and get a... what do you humanoids call it... a reaction out of me are simply amusing. Yes, keep proving how primitive you are. Don't mind me."

[element_wizard]

"I was just asking a question. Obviously there must be some difference, but I can't figure out what. You certainly see one. So, I'm just trying to learn the rules of the game."

He's not sucking up. He's just asking.

Leaning back in his own seat Alec lets a flicker of flame dance down his fingers, idly shaping it into a horse and then a bird.

[in_the_wrong_q]

"You had better be careful. Fire suppresion systems are incredibly sensitive."

A shrug. "As for the rules? Ask Q. You had your chance, and now you've missed it. I don't see the need to explain myself."

[element_wizard]

"That would require it to give off enough heat," Alec says as he twists the flames in his hand like a snake. "I've got the air cooled just around it so that the sensors won't pick it up, but far enough away that it won't dampen it. I might not be the best at reality warping, but I can do fire like nobody's business."

He tilts his head and looks at Q curiously. "What do you get out of it?"

[in_the_wrong_q]

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Q comments, before winking back to the stool he occupied before. "And I don't follow. What could you possibly mean by that?"

[element_wizard]

Alec almost dares the Q to try and dump the fire suppressant system on him. Instead he continues to defiantly play with his fire.

"Well, you don't seem like the kind of Q that would just sit back and be happy mediating. So, there must be something you're getting out of it. And you're also interested in this little experiment as opposed to the other Q who are usually all about non-interference. This stinks of the sort of mischief that got Q into trouble a few times," Alec explains.

"I've seen other beings that pull people from alternate realities for things like keeping the clock that keeps the universe from exploding ticking, because they've liked watching men have sex, they feed off their energy, they're looking for a ... spouse for their prince."

[in_the_wrong_q]

And Q just bursts out laughing.

"Look at you! Working those primitive neurons to try and understand us." He keeps laughing for a moment, before looking back to Alec, still grinning. "I think you're going to be very interesting."

And, with that, Q winks out... Along with the fire in Alec's hand.