TEST DRIVE MEME #3

[sailmods]

1. you're the only one you owe (GUEST STARRING: selenokinesis and creepyoldguy)

[you wake up.

it doesn't matter where you were before. going to bed? dying? opening the door to face a great evil? same result. you wake up in a soft bed with starched sheets in a cool, darkened room, sunlight peeking out from behind thick curtains. maybe you're alone; maybe you aren't. maybe you immediately notice the folded paper on the bedside table near your head. if you don't, you better fix that real quick: you won't be able to even open the door before you read it.

the note itself is written in a neat hand on white card stock; there is a stylized logo of a ship with the words SERENA ETERNA printed underneath. the note reads as follows:

Dear Passengers(s),

You'll be unable to leave your cabin until you read this note. Congratulations on making it past the first step. Keep reading if you wish, as I have information to share with you, as a fellow passenger stuck aboard this ship. Or don't continue reading, and burn the note. I'm not particularly invested either way, especially if you choose to throw away valuable warnings.

Watch out for the Captain.

Be cautious what you sign up for.

If you die, you'll come back to life eventually, though I would recommend you try not to die.

Your life is the Captain's plaything.

Do not think for one moment that someone isn't watching you.

With that aside, I am now contractually obligated to tell you the following: You will find a life jacket within your cabin's closet, and you are required to bring it with you to your assigned muster station on deck one. A companion and I will take you through the drill. If you cannot find us, look for a tall male with white hair and blue eyes and a friendly-looking man with unkept brown hair and a winning smile.

Respectfully,
Moon Master Ebalon

you walk to deck one. you have no other choice: every time you try to step in a direction some unseen being considers "not towards deck one," you find your legs no longer move, staying stock still, frozen. whether compelled quickly by curiosity, or delayed by pure stubbornness, the result is the same, and you are left milling around with other similarly curious or stubborn people.

you see two people standing at the front of the crowd: an exhausted-looking man with white hair who seems rather displeased that he's been roped into this, and a man with a wide grin, bright green tips on his hair, and amber eyes. the latter is waving cheerfully, having an armful of leis. he quite happily puts them around people’s necks and while they’re distracted, attempts to dip them into a kiss.

as he’s basically a walking corpse, and smells like one to boot, it’s not exactly hitting the jackpot. but, he does at least listen to the word “NO”.

the tired-seeming man ignores this and announces over the drone of chattering passengers like yourself,]

Welcome to the Serena Eterna. Do try to enjoy your stay here; it is rather permanent in nature, huhu.

[and from next to his companion, the… er, overly-affectionate man who sounds as though he smokes ten packs a day rasps,]

You’re all doomed!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the duo complete the drill, you'll find that your legs suddenly obey your command, for what that's worth.

welcome aboard, passenger. we hope you enjoy your stay.]

2. one by one they'll do you in

[it starts, as most things do, with a table lamp. floating down a hallway, or the length of the promenade. ambling at a distinct clip: one-two-three-KICK, one-two-three-KICK.

and that's... not immediately concerning. after all, things float around here all the time; usually plates and drinks, but maybe the shades want to mix it up a bit. the lamp is alone for about a half hour before it is joined by others. a pillow. some knickknack from the ship store. Friday's clipboard. an empty vodka bottle. all have lined up, one in front of the other, and lead a procession snaking around the ship, growing with each passing hour. anyone familiar with the concept would begin to recognize it as a massive conga line.

there is a small chance you will want to join of your own free will. most likely, you will not want that. this does not matter: something compels you, like pins and needles in your feet, to join the dance. and once you have joined in... your body fights your mind on the subject, even as it grows more and more tired.

you pass by a familiar face. they could help pull you out. or you could pull them in.]

3. the price of vice foretold

[the scent of citrus and coconut rum hangs heavy in the air. there is a new storefront on the promenade, tucked between Sand Dollars and John's in a place where you are very certain there was not enough space to tuck a store before.

the clothes for sale are... a lot. like, a lot a lot. but, there are quite a lot of choices, though they do seem to repeat a little, once you've gone in far enough. in fact, even if you actively attempt to find it, you can't seem to find the back of the store. you can see a wall, sure, but it never seems to get any closer, even as you walk towards it.

be forewarned: the infinite tommy bahama does not have food or water.]

Comments

[starfleetcleaner]

i. You're the only one you owe

Tendi looked around almost frantically after she got feeling back in her legs, then seemed to collect herself. She was..on a ship? Not the Cerritos, but an actual ship on the ocean. She could see the sea in front of her, could smell the salt, even if there were no landmasses in her current frame of reference. Well, first step, in a new unknown weird environment. 

"Computer, Holodeck stop." 

After a moment, she looked up at the sky and repeated herself louder. When no responce was forthcoming, she let out a sigh and started muttering to herself, pulling out a small device which began to beep at her. 

"Oh come on! I will take you apart and fix whatever is wrong with you, I've done it before!" She looks up at this, trying to spot anything that looks familar. "Don't suppose anyone here knows what's going on? Is this a holodeck error, some kind of psychic space whale, what?"


iii. Tommy Bahama

The store was...odd. Colorful would be the first word, with racks of clothing, some unmanned checkout stations up front, and seemingly going back a..strange distance. Tendi walked in, looking over the racks of loud clothing. 

"Huh. This is...interesting clothing. I think I've seen people wearing them on the holodeck, in the beach simulations. They're kinda nice! Very colorful, and kinda comfortable." 

Tendi picks up a shirt in rather garish blue, holding it up. "Hmm...Always hard to find a good color that goes with my skin."

i.

[gapmoe]

Well, now. Gear Station may see many visitors on a daily basis, though this is the first time Ingo has ever met someone quite so colorful. Besides, he is glad for this excuse to strike up a conversation and perhaps get away from the mounting dread, the anxiety of not having Emmet by his side.

He offers her a greeting in the form of tipping his cap by its bring, trying his best to fix her with a friendly expression. The last part doesn't work, so it's a good thing that at least his tone of voice sounds very friendly. If louder than what most would consider to be normal.

"I'm afraid that this situation appears to be exactly what it looks like, miss."

Re: i.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Yes, but what does it look like to you? To me, this could be any number of things, and I'd be able to at least eliminate some of them if this dang tricorder would work!" Tendi gives out a sigh, and puts the device away. "I'll try to fix it later, things seem to be stable so far. At least Q hasn't shown up..."

She then looks to the newcomer, and gives a bright smile. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself. Hi! I'm Tendi, Nice to meet you!"

[gapmoe]

"No, I believe I am the one who should apologize. While the circumstances may, from my point of view seem quite self-explanatory, I did not take into account that this might not hold true for everyone else."

It's the stress, probably. But stress is no excuse to be inconsiderate, so he tips down the brim of his hat again, in a way that seems to indicate some degree of shame. While Ingo hopes he's managing to mirror her smile in turn... experience with being told he looks stern or stiff at best has taught him that this is probably not the case.

"I am the Subway Boss Ingo, and it is a genuine pleasure to meet you, Tendi! Looking at the circumstances from my perspective, I've come across no reason to assume this is not a genuine cruise liner. Have you tried stepping close to the railing to better feel the breeze, by any chance? It seems quite authentic."

He may be stress rambling. A little. At least he's friendly...?

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh, I agree it looks real! Maybe it IS real, but that also leaves us with the question as to why. Just because it looks real, well, holodecks are designed to trick you in that way!"

Tendi does take a step closer to the rail and look out over the ocean. "Nice to meet you Subway Boss Ingo, glad to see that no one so far has been outright mean, I was a bit worried from that message over the loudspeakers but seems nice so far. Strange, but better than a weird alien dungeon!"

[gapmoe]

It does seem as if the possibillity of this being an elaborate— hologram, he presumes —is very real from where Tendi hails. All the more reason why taking a moment to consider his stance was most likely a good call.

Though Ingo can't claim to be particularly fond of ship travel (trains are safer and much sturdier), he follows her to the railing.

"I take it holodecks are highly advanced, in that case? At any rate, I agree that even if this might be a product of holographic technology rather than an actual seafaring vessel,
the fact that the company on board appears pleasant puts me at ease."

[starfleetcleaner]

"Well, Sort of advanced, the ones we have on the Cerritos aren't exactly top of the line. Oh wait, what year do you think it is? I've gotten some inconsistent answers with that! I think it's Stardate 57623.87, 2381 to be less precise."

Tendi pulls out the small device again, fiddling with the display, but it gives another loud disappointed Beep at her attempts at fixing it. "Damn it! Don't suppose you know where engineering is on this ship? I'll need to go by there later..."

[gapmoe]

Resigned, Ingo shakes his head. There's unfortunately been nothing so far that might let him provide a good answer.

"Unfortunately, I fear I cannot answer in either case. This date is entirely unfamiliar to me, and I've not come across anything indicating there may be an engineering section on board."

Looking down at the waves is making him a little queasy... so he decides to step back for now, hoping to cover up the discomfort with a sigh.

"But perhaps we might be able to find a map of the ship somewhere?"

We, because of course it would only be polite to help Tendi look, should she be receptive to the idea.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Oh, good idea! Most of these ships should have a map somewhere...is there a central promenade or...other crew members? I mean, a boat this big has to have a lot of other people working on it right? Thank you for the help!"

[gapmoe]

"Regrettably, I have not yet spotted any crew members... but I believe the majority of large cruise liners feature a central promenade."

Out of habit, he points in the general direction of where he believes the elevators are.

"Shall we perhaps set course for the elevators and see for ourselves?"

[starfleetcleaner]

"Sounds good! We'll figure this out, or at least see some more of the ship. This is quite large..." Tendi takes one of the doorways and starts heading to the elevators.

"No crew members is very odd. Maybe we should try to find the bridge or something, there has to be a Captain, right? Someone must be in charge, in some way."

iii.

[myagic]

Fashion hasn't been Rita's biggest priority the last couple of months, but she can't not take at least a quick look around a new location on the ship. And maybe she'll just check out the clothes while she's there, since she does need to replace her old ones--the oversized tee she's in is better than nothing...but it's a little boring, too.

Hmm...the bold colours in here aren't bad, even if pastels aren't her favourite. Oh, the shirt that green girl is holding up is--

Wait.

Rita stops short, openly gaping, before sputtering out a very tactful, "Are you green?!"

Re: iii.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Huh?" Tendi looks over at the newcomer, and gives her a bit of a odd look, before smiling. "Oh, yes! Heh, I think that most people here haven't met many people from...well, not-earth, but yes, I'm Orion, but more important, my name's Tendi, nice to meet you!"

She shifts the few pieces of clothing she has in her arms, and holds out her hand, still smiling in a friendly way.

[myagic]

"Huh..."

It takes Rita a moment to process all of that--Orion means nothing to her, and at first she thinks it's her name, but apparently not--so...her race, then? Well...she supposes a green person isn't the oddest thing she's encountered (even if it is still pretty weird), so after blinking at Tendi's extended hand a moment, she awkwardly takes it.

"Rita Mordio," is her own succinct introduction before she moves on to what she sees as the more interesting topic. "What you said just now--you know what that Earth place is, but you're not from there yourself?"

[starfleetcleaner]

"It's nice to meet you Rita! D'vana Tendi is my full name, but most people call me Tendi. And, nope, I'm from Orion, came to Earth for the Starfleet academy. Graduated from that in Sciences bout a year ago, and been on the Cerritos since!"

Her rather sunny disposition takes a bit of a downturn as she sighs. "At least until I arrived here. Been trying to figure out what's going on, and how to get back home, but no luck so far. What about you, where are you from?"

[myagic]

Ah, she could tell already, but it really seems like Tendi is the peppy, cheerful type. Rita is somewhere between feeling a little endeared, already tired, and dearly missing her best friend.

Well, even if most of the terms Tendi uses mean nothing to her, she can at least answer her questions. "I've from Terca Lumireis, but I doubt you've heard of it. Anyway..." Rita crosses her arms and makes a vague shrug as she launches into a rather blunt explanation. "Here's the deal, Tendi. This is some weird, separate dimension, and we've all been pulled here from different universes. The captain's some all-powerful smug jerk who's keeping us all captive here, and so far nobody's found a way back. Oh, I've been here for a couple of months already. Got all that?"

Introducing this sort of information more gradually? Nah, that'd take too long. This is fine, right?

[starfleetcleaner]

Tendi listens carefuly, letting out a sigh when Rita finishes. "Oh damn it! This is some weird Q thing isn't it, that guy is so annoying! You know we have a whole class on him and how to deal with his crap?" Tendi let's out an annoyed grunt.

"Normally it's a big puzzle, or some kinda weird test, he loves putting races on trial, judging them and everything, a real big jerk. Really obsessed with Capitan Picard. Arrg!" Taking a breath to steady herself, Tendi sighs.

"Well, in any case, no way to really get out of it from what I've read, you just gotta go through it. I also have noticed that ignoring him can work." Tendi takes a shirt and holds it up to Rita, this one was looked as if it would fit better, and the red flowers seemed to work well. "How do you like this? Too loud?"

[myagic]

Rita blinks, staring in stunned silence for a moment before finally sputtering, "H-hey, hang on, this isn't the time for shopping!" Says Rita, who was......definitely in here to shop, but details.

"Back up a bit--I don't know who the hell you're talking about, but did you say this kind of thing is normal where you're from?" At the same time, her mind quickly turns over the details. It doesn't quite sound like the same sort of situation, though.

[starfleetcleaner]

"Well, no, not like Normal normal, but it's a known thing that happens. I mean, He's not coming by every week or something. And it is the time to shop, the best way to deal with Q is to ignore him. If you start second guessing things and act like you're being watched, you'll just go nuts wondering if this is going to be graded."

Tendi picks up another shirt, this one with blue and purple flowers. "Of course, I could be totally wrong, and it's something else. Really, we just don't have enough information to make any kind of decision, so best to just keep your eyes open and try to figure things out. And part of that is blending in, after all. Here!" Tendi picks up a shirt with red and yellow holding it up to Rita.

"I think this'll look good with your hair."

[myagic]

Definitely sounds like a different situation, even if that's a pretty weird thing that's just known to happen in Rita's opinion.

"No," she starts, stares a moment at the shirt, amends it to, "I mean, I don't mind the shirt, but-"

Ah, dammit, she keeps getting distracted! She buries her face in a hand and groans, "Seriously, will you listen for a second? This isn't the same thing, unless that Q-whatever guy makes everyone kill each other for his own sick entertainment!"

[starfleetcleaner]

"I am listening. You've been here for a few months, no one has been able to escape, and if we die, we will eventually come back. The captain is an unknown, and our lives are at risk. This is not the first time I've been in a life threatening situation."

Tendi gives a sigh and puts down the shirt. "And I am taking this seriously as well. As of now, I don't have enough information to act on, so I need to wait and observe. But as you've been here, longer than me, what exactly have you learned so far?"

1

[bazooka_girl]

"Psychic space whale?" She grins. "I wish. That would be wicked. You could talk to a psychic space whale. But I don't think this is anything like that... it's really weird whatever it is." And if the Professor is behind it, she's gonna give him an earful. For now though she smiles and offers a hand.

"I'm Ace."

Re: 1

[starfleetcleaner]

"Ohh, I know! We had an alien probe come and try to talk to some whales back in the 2280s, caused some big problems, there was a whole...time travel thing cause they were extinct, a whole big mess. But yah! It's been really weird here. Oh, And I'm Tendi! Nice to meet you Ace!"

Tendi holds out her hand, smiling widely, her chipper attitude almost radiating off of her.

[bazooka_girl]

"Nice to meet you, Tendi." Ace shakes her hand and grins. "Yeah? Did you time travel too? It's pretty amazing so long as you can control where you're going." And you don't get caught in a time storm but even then. "I guess it can be pretty cool when you're spiraling out of control too."

Speaking of that though...

"Here, you haven't seen a man that has a question mark umbrella and looks like he knows everything but won't tell you, have you?"

[starfleetcleaner]

"Time travel? No, don't think so, but well...if this IS a diffrent time, then, yes, but not willingly. That is some high level science, and I think it's mostly banned by intergalactic law or something...We don't really mess with it, way too risky with little reward. Too many butterflies."

At the description of the man with the umbrella, Tendi shakes her head. "No, can't say I have, but I imagine someone like that would be easy to spot! I'll be sure to ask around though."