ten_fwd_ooc | TEST DRIVE #10 - Cetacean Pool and Ten Forward

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test drives

TEST DRIVE #10 - Cetacean Pool and Ten Forward

Option 001. Cetacean Pool/Aquatics Lab: Of all the places in the world, you open your eyes and you find yourself in a medium-sized aquatics laboratory, filled with various living specimens along with various science officers bustling about trying to maintain order. There's much to explore here (and hopefully, in the crew's opinion, not break), but the main attraction is the large pool at the far end of the lab; enormous but tanklike in appearance, it contains several dolphins happily swimming about, seemingly without a care in the world.

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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.

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"I just got here, yeah. From home." He glanced at her. Hadn't tried to leave? What? "You think you could build something to get people home, and you haven't? Why not? How long have you been here?" Was she experiencing space dementia?

He stared at her as she spoke and he wondered for a moment if she was crazy. "A space... dirigible? And interesting pen? "

He was lost, very lost.

"Well, I figured Tarvek and Gil would have found me by now, and they need the practice working together, so I am content to wait. So long as they don't kill each other without me there to referee, there is no law of physics those two couldn't bend to their will...if only they would put their devious minds to a common goal, rather than to bickering."

Not that there were many laws of physics that could stand up to her but that was neither here nor there.

"Anyway, most people I've met seem content enough to be here, once they've settled in. For me... there is so much technology I've never seen before. Even if they wont let me near the engines and stopped me from taking apart the walls, there is still so much to LEARN! I mean look here," she waved to the dolphins. "Dolphins. On a dirigible. But however they're adapted.... I've yet to be able to fathom," she whispered, not intending the pun.

"I mean, if this were back at the university or on Castle Wulfenbach, I'd expect them to have suits to keep them moist and a way to travel the ship, or devices to help them speak human... but here... as far as I can tell.... they're just dolphins. I've never seen a pure dolphin before! Can you just imagine? A science so strong it is indistinguishable from nature? I mean, even human constructs tend to have stitching, or mismatched eyes or... something... that shows you they weren't born naturally. But these... whatever was done to them... seamless. Flawless." No, it has not occurred to her that they were just... dolphins.

She glanced back. "Yeah, I met someone and he thought it would be more useful to build a pen. I did offer him a nice death ray, can never have too many of those, but he preferred a pen that changed ink depending on your mood. I warned him it would have a slow learning curve, but he still seemed so surprised when it asked him his mood..."

Scott nodded slowly, blinking at her. "Well, if they can. If they can't, then no amount of stubbornness will help them." He nodded to her.

"Adapted? What do you mean?" Despite himself, he was drawn in to look at the dolphins, which, he had to admit, were pretty cool.

Maybe he could learn more here, for a short time.

"I'm confused. Why aren't they normal dolphins?"

Scott blinked and nodded slowly. "A pen? " Then he blinked and stepped back a bit. "Why would you ever want to build a death ray?" It occured to him,right about then, that she sounded like a more absentminded and less maniacal supervillain in a lot of ways.

Her analytic mind absorbed all his questions, piled them up and she considered order. Answer them as they came? Or in order of importance, or..? She grinned slightly, and while it might only make sense to her, she was pleased enough with the order.

"They're on a space dirigible," she said. What practical purpose could dolphins serve in space, if they weren't either enhanced or here to be studied and enhanced?" She had a cat who walked, talked, wore a greatcoat, and thought himself her master. She could see talking dolphins smart enough to fly a ship. She just didn't see that yet in THESE dolphins.

"Tarvek and Gil are sparks. Strong sparks. With enough determination and teamwork they could build or destroy ANYTHING. The three of us together were able to fix the castle while under attack from all sides. There is no law of physics and no scientific theory we cannot bend to our whim if we just figure out the RIGHT science to apply!"

Madness gathered in her eyes, and anyone who knew her would either be putting a tool in her hand, or getting out of dodge. Well, there were people who might try to calm her down. At this stage, it was still possible... not easy or likely. but possible.

"The pen was brilliant!" in her mind this was a perfect segue, because the pen was an example of how one could bend the laws of physics on a whim. Not that she shared that leap out loud. On the edges of madness, she thought it was so obvious that it did not need to be explained. Like many sparks, she was beginning to forget that non-sparks couldn't just follow her leaps or do everything that she could do... But then... since becoming a spark, she's fond herself surrounded by sparks and minions. She's spend very little time recently without people around that were one or the other.

"The pen, as I said, writes in different colors based on your mood, blood red with little clots for happiness or joy, gold for madness," to her madness was not necessarily a negative thing. Being a spark changed connotations all over the place. "Blue for sadness." Finally, one that would make sense to anyone else. "Purple for sneakiness," Thank you, Violetta, "and Green for bravery." Thank you, Zeetha.

Agatha blinked, then grinned, as she realized that she'd mostly be writing in gold and green. Very nice.

"And really, why wouldn't I build a death ray?" she asked. "People here KEEP asking me why I would need a death ray. Well, some people asked why I need more than one, but really, what do you do if one breaks or run out of charge? But why would I want any? I really don't understand the people here."

"Look," she said to him point blank, the madness the sparky need to build sliding to a different aspect of the Spark mentality, still a bit of madness, not quite megalomania yet but a messy and dangerous stew to be sure. She sounded almost...angry.

"If you know I build death rays, and by now, half the ship knows I build death rays, are you going to knowingly hurt ANYONE I care about? Anyone under my protection?" she asked, teeth bared in a snarl. "If I'm the only source to MAKE death rays for people, I can build in safeties, defenses, protections! *I* Control the death rays, *I* can keep everyone safe!"

She threw her hands in the air in frustration. "AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" she shouted, "WITHOUT A GOOD DEATHRAY, THE FIRST MONSTER OR GIANT CLANK THAT COMES ALONG, WE'RE ALL DEAD!"

She shook her head, panting a bit. "Good Gears! The question isn't why do I build death rays, it's why doesn't EVERYONE want one?!"

Yes, in her head this all makes sense, and all heroes should carry massively overpowered deadly weapons. The question is... does this say something about her... about her world... or both?

"Dolphins are smart creatures and maybe they are here merely to be studied for science's sake as part of the mission, not for any other reason?" Scott stared at her and blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "Generally most people don't ant death rays, because most people don't like killing, and in fact, avoid it as much as humanly possible. A death ray is only for killing and implies you will, if you feel it necessary, and maybe just because, use it to kill." His voice was cutting as he answered her in turn.

"People with that kind of power might start out reasonable, but power corrupts." He shook his head. "And death rays aren't remotely the worst thing in existence, so there will always be someone with something worse, so in able to combat them, you will build something worse. Then they will. Then you will again, an so on. History shows that build up as deterrent does not work, ever." Earth and other worlds had proven that, sadly.

"And you are hardly going to be the only source. Someone smart would likely build a better one and just quietly let it be known that a source existed to counter you, thus eliminating you effectiveness entirely. Anyone who controls death rays is not keeping anyone safe, they are endangering them."

He rolled his eyes. "This ship alone probably has nonlethal ways of dealing with a clank or a monster," whatever a clank was, "and I for one know I do. So for me, your Death ray would actually be a threat and something I would want to eliminate." That was spoken without violence or threat, simply and matter of factly.

He rubbed his face as she spoke that way. "If you want to eliminate threats to your people find nonlethal ways, or else you are no better than those who threaten you in the first place." Scott quite simply did not believe in killing. And while it sometimes happened, he always tried to find another way. Someone who thought a lethal measure something to crow about was a danger to him. Which thought had him seeing her in a whole new light, and his eyes focusing carefully.

"This ship," she said shaking her head. "If my castle is too lethal by far, this one is far too passive. The only thing I can say for it, defensively, is that it isn't insane." Which is quite the improvement over her home, really.

"And I CAN build something stronger than a death ray already. A CHILD could build something stronger than a death ray! That's what makes it a defensive weapon and a deterrent rather than an offensive threat!"

"And it's not like death is permanent anyway, so I really don't see what the big deal is!" she said, throwing her hands in the air again.

This guy was almost as badly cracked as Othar. On the plus side, he hadn't yet decided she was his spunky girl sidekick.

"This ship isn't crazy, maybe, I don't know, but your world must be, for sure. It's still an offensive weapon if it kills, in most worlds and for most people, death is permanent." Scott sighed.

"Besides, living in someone else's space, if you want to build things that can threaten that space or people in it, you need to ask permission. And even then, it isn't right."

He shook his head. "I don't know what your world is like, but you aren't there. You need to stop, breathe, and start looking around and paying attention to the rules here, instead of acting like you know them." He waved a hand. "I could be wrong about what rules are here, but before you act like you know them, you should find out."

"I've been here long enough that I know. One of their soldiers is my roommate. They never said we can't have the weapons, just that we're in big trouble if we fire any sort of a weapon or attack anyone. But no rule at all against building or having the weapon." Her tone had a distinctive "so there" feel to it.

"I don't know who you are," she advanced on him, finger out like she was about to poke his chest, "or who you think you are, but I know who you are NOT. You are NOT my father. You are NOT my liege. You are NOT the ruler of this ship. Therefore you do NOT get to dictate to me," and if he did not back off or stop him, she'd be poking his chest now, "what I do and do not do."

She was not as much of a megalomaniac as other sparks of her level. She didn't want to take over the world. Mechanicsburg was thrust upon her, and she feels protective over the town and its people, but she never set out to conquer it, only to protect it.

She didn't want to take over the world.

But that didn't mean she was still in the business of letting everyone else in the world dictate to her who she should be.

"A death ray is a pretty final weapon, and most places that even allow weapons don't allow those. Did you actually ask if it was okay to build a death ray?" Scott raised an eyebrow, looking at her with some pity and some determination. "Otherwise you are working on a false premise." And sound like a twelve year old, he did not say. He had listened to Hank McCoy long enough to know science had rules, and if you broke them, well, that was bad.

His hand snapped around to bat hers away from him, and he shifted his feet, training coming to his call, to move her away from him with his hands. His eyes narrowed as his power answered his call, and filled his head. But still he did not fire.

"I am not, but I am a member of the people who are here and I do get to register an objection to you bringing or building a weapon that will eventually get out of your control, since you lack any sign of self control, so your control over your inventions is likely just as faulty." His voice only got quieter.

"You don't get to endanger everyone else just because you think you know what is going on. I believe in self protection and caution and even I am not that crazy. Heck, even Magneto was not that crazy!" That he would get that crazy later, Scott did not know. But in his original time, Magneto had not gotten that nuts.

"Many other people on the ship know I build them, actually. I stated that previously. You are the first person to insist I desist, so I think the problem is clearly with you. Not with me."

"If you want to register a complaint, be my guest. If you can find the captain, have fun. But your complaint to me does not mean I'm going to fall in line, 'yes sir' you and follow YOUR ideals, because YOU think you know better."

"But given that all your knowledge of this place comes from me directly, that you are arguing from a stance of superior knowledge and calling my premise false..." she let that hang in the air, both brows raised, anger firing her blood.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do like controlling you. I'm trying to point out flaws in your thinking! And if many other people on the ship know, and have not reported it to the crew, then they are being assholes! And if a crew member knows, and they have not stopped you, then they are being absolutely not responsible." His voice never raised from an intense quiet tone and his eyes were on hers, through his visor, of course.

"And I'm not asking you to Yes sir me, or follow my ideals. But if you honestly don't see how flawed your thinking is, how can you possibly be a engineer or a scientist? The logic inconsistencies in your statements are huge!" He glared at her, wondering why the hell she was not in a cell.

"Actually, you've given me next to no knowledge at all, and any thing you told me by now would have been tossed out as presented by a flawed source, so anything I am saying is based off of observation, knowledge of societal structure, and of the fact that death rays are, quite simply a killing weapon. Making one is an attack, in and of itself, and a statement of intent. Disagree or don't, but I damned sure will report your statements exactly as you have made them to the authorities."

And he stepped back from her, still at the ready, using his exact memories and hearing to step around obstacles.

"Report whatever you want, but has it even PENETRATED your pea brain that maybe the reason crew members know and have not stopped me is because they TRUST ME?!" she asked, stalking after him, eyes lit with fury.

"My thinking is not flawed, yours is too narrow! You focus on single points and fail to see the whole vector! Maybe if you ever got over yourself enough to see that the world is larger than your view of it, then maybe you'd ever entertain the idea that someone else might EVER have a valid idea or thought!"

Finally she shook the head. "Bet it's the visor, looks just like Othar's, and you're both so blasted sure that Sparks are all evil, so blasted sure you're right. Well you know what? I don't need him, and I don't need you. I can validate my own existence thank you very much. So if you want to report me, BE MY GUEST, because you know what? You'll be told that I'm fine. That there is NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! Because I am fine! Because I am a good person!"

"I can never ever understand how some people can be so afraid of science!"

Scott snorted. "Think what you want, say what you want. It doesn't make your science less faulty, and it doesn't make you any less what you are trying to paint me as, an unreasonable and unwilling to see other viewpoints ideologue." Scott smiled, angry, but amused, at the same time. If it wasn't for the seriousness of this, he would almost be having fun.

He walked away from her, and laughed as he did so, never losing his awareness of where she was, or what she was doing, and heading right for the door, to find someone to actually report her to. His eidetic memory would help ion recounting her words and her exact description, and he would be sure to describe her certainty that she must have death rays and be able to supply them to who she wished.

He shook his head. Wow.

"I defy you to look at anything I've built" in the last several months "and find evidence that my science is faulty!" she snarled at him, stalking along after him. He wouldn't have to remember her appearance to anyone, she'd be right there ready to drop her roommate's name like a heavy cog.

"Insult me all you want, but leave SCIENCE out of it!"

Scott shook his head, spun, and headed on in a different direction. "Leave me alone. Inventing things doesn't mean you have any kind of sense of good science. It just means you have an ability to create."

He glared at her. "Go away. You are an unreasonable and dangerous person and I really want nothing to ever have to do with you again."

....Not have.... How dare he.... She sputtered. Fire in her eyes. She wanted to throttle him. She wanted to scream and rant and rage at him. She wanted to shove a calming pie in his face.

"Well then fine, I hope we NEVER cross paths again, since you clearly wouldn't know good science from bad fiction!"

She tried to remind herself that it could have been worse, there were worse people out there. Othar. Her mother. That last made her shudder and her hand touched the necklace she wore reflexively. She didn't realize that the look on her face as she touched the locket made it look important, made it look like a point of weakness, a target. She was just thinking about how very very bad it would be for everyone... if her mother ever got loose.

the fear shook her away from the anger, and she even forgot he was there as she stared off at nothing, shuddering. She had to find a way to not just control her mother... but purge her. The question was could she keep herself intact when she did so?

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TEST DRIVE #10 - Cetacean Pool and Ten Forward

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Thought he might react to the deah ray comment. :D

I apologize for Scott's reaction. Agatha just made the Supervillain list in his head.

Nothing to be sorry for! I kept hoping for someone to call her out on that.

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I have not gotten to have her in a screaming argument here yet! YAY! Thank you!

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