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

[data_2]

Data almost smiled before he caught himself. He would have to watch that, until he decided if he would fully reveal the extent of the changes that had taken place between this time and his own. "Thee is no need for pardon." He had already signaled the science team who had been staring outright at the man that all was well.

He nodded as he extended his hand to the other. "I am Lieutenant Commander Data, second officer of this ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise.

[professorhotpants]

Augustine shook his hand, glancing curiously at the strange man before him. "Data? Is that a common name? What navy do you work for? I am not familiar with USS."

[data_2]

"No, it is not. I am an android, and one of few in existence." That the current day Data and his fellow crewmembers knew of, that was.

"And this is no navy ship. The Enterprise is a starship of the Federation's exploratory arm, Starfleet." Data nodded.

[professorhotpants]

"Starship? We're in space?" He boggled at Data for a moment, then smiled widely. "Are there pokemon in space? I have theorized that a few species might be able to survive. Most likely rock-types, potentially in asteroid belts. Of course such research is costly and dangerous, but if we are already here it is less so."

[data_2]

"We are. We're in Sector 159, near the Paressi Beacon, to be exact." Data spoke without emotion, but with a certain sincerity that he recalled having had a lot when he was younger.

"I do not know what Pokemon are. Are they a type of animal?" Data did not have to fake the sound of curiosity in his voice. New information was always welcome.

[professorhotpants]

Augustine frowned a little in confusion. "Ah, no. They are all animals. The two are the same." This was so strange!

[data_2]

"Ah." That did not clear things up... at all. Data refrained from sighing. "I believe they must be native to your sphere and not this universe. It is likely they are not here unless contained on a world which has not made contact with the Federation yet." Data spoke succinctly and quietly.

"It is possible you could request to search this vessel's databanks to find out, however, once you are settled." Date knew that no mentions of them would come out, but he would not cut off another's attempts to find truth.

[professorhotpants]

"This universe?" Augustine asked, his expression becoming lost and uncertain. "Am I not where I came from? Space is one thing, but a different universe is too much." He wouldn't be bothering to look at all that information just yet.

[data_2]

"Yes. It seems most people brought here are brought from not just other times, but other universes as well. reality seems to consist of multiple universes overlapping in some ways." Data nodded, watching the other man. Perhaps he would adjust to the rest more slowly.

[professorhotpants]

Augustine blew a breath out between his pursed lips and closed his eyes. This was all so much! Still, there was little he could do about it, and it was certainly an adventure. "I understand, I think. I am far from home, there are no pokemon, and the technology around me is very advanced."

[data_2]

"I believe that may be very accurate. If it is any consolation, there are now quite a few others here from different worlds like you, who are in the same situation. You are not alone." He canted his head to look at the other man. "The Enterprise crew will do all we can to make your stay as un-disruptive as possible, for you and for the people of this time."

[professorhotpants]

Augustine nodded and took a deep breath. "What are the creatures in the pool? They don't say their name."

[data_2]

Data cocked his head to the side. "They are known as dolphins, a species that does not communicate, in most ways, with humans. They do possess a language, but most do not do such things." Data had never heard of such a thing. "Do these pokemon you mentioned do so?"