TEST DRIVE #10 - Cetacean Pool and Ten Forward

[tenforward_m]

#1

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.


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

True, but you are a very scary man when you want to be, Hook.

[contocricket]

"Ursula and Cruella came to town, revived Maleficent, and kidnapped Pinocchio."

His stomach churned at the last part. Given that the boy was abducted with magic, there was nothing Archie would've been able to do by being there, but the fact remained that he felt like he should've been able to do something.

"Why?"

He's working on not being so scary anymore

[seekingcrocodile]

"Malef -- " He'd only ever faced her as a dust monster, but if she's back at full strength, he knows how bad that could be. "I don't know any of that. It hasn't happened yet for me. The people who are brought here come from different points in time. I came here from earlier than that. Right after the crocodile tried to kill me again, and Emma restored my heart."

Wait a moment. He said -- "Ursula's in town too?"

The phrase "I've always wanted to dissect a cricket" lives on in Archie's nightmares. :|

[contocricket]

"After he tried to use the hat to free himself from the dagger," Archie said quietly.

In response to that last part, he nodded. "I'm guessing that you two know each other."

he grew a conscience, Archie

[seekingcrocodile]

"Aye, because more power is exactly what the Dark One needs." At least everyone else realizes now that he was up to something.

"Pirate, sea witch, we crossed paths."

Which he's glad for, Killian, but the fact remains that it's there.

[contocricket]

Archie paused for a moment, considering that. "...I guess that makes sense."

He's sorry for that.

[seekingcrocodile]

He may tell Archie about it someday, but they're not at a point right now where he'd agree to that.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think she's got the potential for making trouble that Maleficent does. Although I haven't seen her in awhile, so that may have changed."

Archie will forgive him. Just give him time. It's Archie, after all.

[contocricket]

"Right now it's hard to tell. Particularly since the Charmings have been pretty closed-lip about it all."

There was a note of frustration in his voice.

However, he motioned to the empty seat across the table from him. As uncomfortable as Hoo-Killian made him, that was no excuse to be rude. He knew in his head that Killian wasn't likely to hurt him if only for Emma's sake, but it was going to be a long time before he could look at that hook without wanting to flinch or to stop hearing Hook's voice in his nightmares talk about dissecting crickets.

he'll make a better apology sometime too

[seekingcrocodile]

"They're like that." He assumed it was because they didn't trust him, and maybe it is in his case (though that does seem to be improving), but maybe it's more because they figure they're hero types, they don't need any help. "Perhaps they feel obligated to do everything themselves so it's not necessary to inform anyone else of the situation."

He will at least sit down.

[contocricket]

"Which is the wrong way to think. One reason heroes are able to succeed so often is because they don't work alone while the villains do," Archie countered.

It was like the script was getting flipped. Archie wasn't a pessimist, but he knew nothing good would come out of this.

[seekingcrocodile]

"I would say that perhaps they don't like the idea of working with someone they consider a villain, but I don't know how that would explain not telling you anything."

He has faith in Emma's ability to sort things out, at least, and by now she's actually been telling him things.

[contocricket]

"They also don't seem to consider you to be a villain anymore given that you seem to be in on whatever they're doing," Archie said, idly rubbing one wrist.

[seekingcrocodile]

"If I knew what they were doing, I'd tell you. Seeing as they don't typically ask for help but need it anyway."

They had started including him in things before he arrived here. Even if they never bothered to ask him how he felt about them trusting Gold all the time.

[contocricket]

"I appreciate the thought," Archie said with a sigh.

In a way, it felt like being a cricket all over again. He'd had to fight to be heard by the royals during the War Council before the first curse. This time it felt like he had no backup.

[seekingcrocodile]

"So now that we've established that you're not in Storybrooke, I may be able to answer some other questions for you. This is something called a starship. You were brought here by some creature called Q."

What kind of name is that? Even Hook is a word, not just a letter.

[contocricket]

Archie stared across the table at Killian before pointing out the window. "That's actual space. We're in actual space."

Forgive him. That was not what he'd expected to hear at all. He'd been hoping at the worst he'd been transported to some hyper-trendy bar. Or was dreaming. Either worked at this point.

[seekingcrocodile]

"Aye, so it would seem. I wasn't aware such a thing was possible, but apparently it is."

It's an adjustment, he knows it is. He had to make the same adjustment.

[contocricket]

"I've seen science fiction before, but...this is...I..."

Wow. He had no words for this. It was unsettling and somehow exciting all at the same time.

[seekingcrocodile]

He doesn't know what science fiction is. It was just an impossibility to him that he could end up in space until he did.

"Aye, and we're a few hundred years in the future as well, or so I've heard."

[contocricket]

"Time travel and space." Archie shook his head in amazement. "And something called 'Q' did this?"

[seekingcrocodile]

"So I've heard. I have not met the man myself. He seems to be doing this out of some desire to get attention from the captain."

If any of his crew members had acted like this, he would have removed them from his crew.

[contocricket]

"Ah. That's one way to get someone's attention, I suppose," Archie agreed. "And he does this often?"

[seekingcrocodile]

"Fairly regularly. Monthly, it would seem. He does send someone home on occasion, or at least that is my understanding." So that's something.

[contocricket]

"How long have you been here?"

With time travel, this Q could probably send them back a few seconds after they disappeared.

[seekingcrocodile]

"A few weeks. I haven't quite adjusted to the change in location yet." Not just because of being in space. Also because of all of the strange technology. It's even fancier than what he's seen in Storybrooke.

Sorry for the delay.

[contocricket]

"I can see why. This is an even bigger jump from the Enchanted Forest," Archie said.