ten_fwd_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #4 - The Arboretum/Ten Forward

Option 01: Aboard the Enterprise, The Arboretum: In exploring the Enterprise, you end up on Deck 17, section 21 alpha: the arboretum. Instantly upon entering you can tell this room is different from all the others. For one thing, you're now standing on grass. It's no illusion, no simulation; it's real grass, leading up to a small pond in the center of the room. All around you grows a variety of plant life, trees and bushes and hanging plants, flowers and herbs and even what one might consider weeds. The arboretum is, for all intents and purposes, a botanic garden, used both recreationally for passengers to relax and enjoy, and scientifically for research and study. After all, the scope of alien plant life is impressive, from the Cyprion cacti down to the Earth variety roses.

The room is well lit and large, with benches to rest on and small walking paths. Children are grouped off in one corner working on botany projects, while some passengers are seen kneeling in the dirt carefully tending to their garden patches. There are even windows along one wall, allowing for a view of space while the room itself gives the illusion of daylight. It's the perfect spot to relax, read a book, or grab a spare spade and dig in the dirt. Or perhaps you've been looking for the right moment to say hello to the passenger standing off by the venus flytraps.

Option 02: Aboard the Enterprise, Ten Forward: Or maybe not. You've just arrived, and you have no idea what just happened. One minute you were somewhere else, and now you're in what looks like a spacious, well-appointed bar. The hum of the crowd is inviting, and the drinks look invigorating. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens.

Try to find out why you're here, or catch a drink at the bar; there's always something happening here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Hey - hey, you might wanna put that down."

Spider-Man holds his hands up in front of him.

"I come in peace."

And Quill whirls up, aiming directly at Spider-Man.

He blinks, staring openly at the dude, because... woah.

"Who're you s'posed to be, dude? Spider-Boy?"

"Man," Spider-Man corrects, doing his best not to bristle. "It's Spider-Man."

Yeah, okay, he's like one year shy of being an official adult, but that doesn't change the name he'd given himself.

"Fine, fine. Boy, man, whatever." He's waving a hand dismissively, still keeping the Quadblaster level on him.

"You gonna tell me where I am, or am I gonna have to go exterminating?"

"Ha ha."

Like that's a joke he hasn't heard before. Spidey hops off the bench and straightens, still as harmless as he can make himself.

"Look," he says, "there's no need for the hostility. I'm seriously not gonna hurt you. It's - it's not really what I do.

"So how about you put the blaster down and we talk like two normal people? I can tell you all about how you, me and a whole lotta people ended up on this ship."

"Here's another idea." Quill says, taking a step forward, expression serious. "I keep the blaster in my hand, and you tell me what I need to know."

Spidey rolls his eyes. It's a pity Quill can't see it.

There's a sigh. What is it with people and guns always having to make things so difficult? It's like having a weapon tends to go to their heads or something.

"Y'know, this probably could have been avoided."

There's a hissing sound and a length of biocable is released from Spider-Man's wrist, aimed at Quill's blaster.

And the Quadblaster gets webbed to the far wall before Peter can even react.

"Hey!" He yells out, before reaching up and jabbing a device behind his right ear. A mask starts to form over his face, but he's also settling into a ready stance, leaning forward on one leg... before he taps a control on his belt.

The devices attached to his boots flare and blast off, propelling Quill directly for the teen. He can fight just as well without a gun.

And, yes. He has rocket-boots.

"- well, that's unexpected."

The tingling sensation he gets whenever danger's near fails to go off at just the right second before Quill is headed straight for him on those rocket-boots of his.

If they weren't attempting to fight each other, he might even comment on how cool they are.

For now though ...

Spider-Man is forced backwards, using his legs to launch him up into the air high enough to avoid a direct collision with his rocketed foe.

And he manages to stop himself before colliding with the wall, disengaging the boosters and whirling to face his opponent, the glowing red eyes of his mask locking on.

Spidey lands on his feet, a fair distance away from Quill, hands resting on his hips as though he might be about to give Quill a stern talking-to, mom-style.

"You done now? Can we talk?"

He raises a gloved hand, pointing at Spider-Man.

"Don't sass me, boy." He says, all outlaw-like. Probably be a bit more effective if he hadn't been seen grooving to the Jackson 5 ten minutes prior. "If what you give me ain't satisfactory, I'm not gonna hold back."

Although, to be real, Star-Lord does cut an impressive figure with the mask and the red leathers.

Well, he definitely looks the part.

And Spider-Man isn't stupid. He's faced on a fair amount of foes in his still young career as a superhero vigilante, so he isn't going to let his guard down any time soon.

Now if only the guy wasn't such a jerk, Spider-Man might even think he was ... pretty cool. Or something.

"Okay," he says. "No sass. Promise."

He waves a hand, slow, in the direction of their surroundings.

"First of all, we are standing in the arboretum on a spaceship called the USS Enterprise, some time in the 24th century.

"Yeah. We're in space."

In case Quill isn't used to that sort of thing; because Spider-Man sure as hell isn't.

"The Captain is a guy called Picard."

Quill is being a jerk because he's just been yanked from his own dimension, and the only one who can explain it is some lycra-clad, wise-ass, punk teenager.

He's just going to keep staring at Spidey, giving a silent indication to keep talking.

Spider-Man is totally none of those things. None. HDU.

"Uh - he seems like a decent guy, Picard. Says he's trying his best to get us all back to where we came from, since it wasn't his intention to have us all here anyway."

He sighs, rolling his shoulders.

"Yeah, so the one you want to get your blasty gun thing on is called 'Q'. He's an alien from a race also called 'Q' because apparently his people lack imagination in the nomenclature department.

"I've never met the guy personally, which is probably better for him, but he's got the ability to transport people from any point in time and space.

"Hence - this." A quick hand-sweep between himself and Quill.

Star-Lord is silent for a long minute, before relaxing his stance a bit and sighing.

"Well, why didn't ya just say so in the first place?"

"Are - are you being serious?"

Spidey rolls his eyes behind his mask, letting out a sigh too - and a shake of his head.

Need he remind Quill of the blaster-gun still webbed to the far wall?

"If you said "Oh, a powerful space-being is behind it all" I would've understood." He taps the control behind his right ear, causing his mask to retreat. "Wouldn't have been the first time."

He's just going to walk on over to retrieve his Quad Blaster, tyvm.

"You ... deal with powerful space-beings often?" Spider-Man asks, eyes following Quill as he heads back to his gun.

He crosses his arms.

"Because this is definitely a first for me."

"You get used to it." He remarks, idly, pulling the webbing off, before trying to shake it off his gloved hand.

"Great. So what would you do in this situation?"

Spidey isn't particularly impressed with this guy's PR skills, but he'll admit that he could be useful in a fight.

"Uh - that stuff'll start to dissolve in a couple hours."

"Go up to the guy who took me and persuade him to let me go."

Obviously.

TEST DRIVE MEME #4 - The Arboretum/Ten Forward

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