personal log stardate -310231.3593212407

[universaltranslator]

[video]
[Uhura stands against a wall in a dark section of the Underground. She hasn't seen any people yet, and she had quickly discovered that her communicator wasn't working. There was a device at her feet, though, that seemed to do the same thing. It took her a few moments to figure out how to record with it.]

My name is Lieutenant Uhura of the USS Enterprise. If you can hear this message, please respond.

[Of course, there's no guarantee that the people here speak Standard. If this was a Federation device, it would automatically translate her message into every known language. But it's not, so she's just going to have to do that herself. She starts with Swahili.]

Jina langu ni Luteni Uhura ya Enterprise USS. Kama unaweza kusikia ujumbe huu, tafadhali kujibu.

[Switching to Romulan]
Taeth 'nhqh 'hh Lt. Uhura --

[A man comes up behind her. Leering, he grabs her shoulder and whispers something in her ear. When she yanks her shoulder free of him, his expression turns ugly.]

You little--

[He tries to attack, but she easily flips him to the ground, knocking him unconcious. She looks annoyed but unafraid.]

Guess it's Standard.


[ooc: Action for Chekov, audio/video for everyone else!]

Comments

action!

[candothat]

[Being quick has its advantages.]

They are not here, sir. This is... a strange situation, and it is not easy to explain.

action!

[universaltranslator]

Try.

action!

[candothat]

You are in a place called the City. The City is like twenty-first century Earth, although there are many here from other times and universes. The popular theory is that this is a pocket universe, but I have come to believe that that is improbable, since-- [Chekov pauses; he can't remember the rest of it. How many times has he explained all of this? Why--

Oh, right.]

Ay, sorry. There are deities, also, and they have considerable power. They can alter minds, bring people back to life... they may also be responsible for causing anomalies that are called curses, but no one has proved that. Escaping is impossible, there is a very loud clock underground...

[That thought trails off into an embarrassed silence.]

action!

[universaltranslator]

[Okay, that's unbelievable but it's not impossible, as Spock frequently admonished her. Uhura is more concerned with Chekov's uncharacteristic behavior. She doesn't know the young ensign that well, but she's never seen him at a loss for words.]

Are you all right?

action!

[candothat]

Fine, yes, thank you. There are certain... areas of knowledge that I am missing, because of a trade with the deities.

[BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER.]

I am pleased to see you here.

action!

[universaltranslator]

[Uhura wished she could say the same. Better a friendly face than none at all, but everything Chekov has told her only worries her more.]

What kind of trade? What happened?

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[candothat]

It is difficult to explain. Please, Uhura, let me explain later.

action!

[universaltranslator]

[She looks at him, waiting for him to break. Nothing about this situation feels right, and she's not going to let him get off easy.

But if he leads the way, she won't push him. Yet.]

action!

[candothat]

[Uhura should consider becoming an interrogator. Chekov shoots her one of his best puppy faces (they throw people off more often than not) and turns to lead her to the house. Surely Sophie and Howl won't mind an addition.]

First, you should meet some of my friends. They do magic.

action!

[universaltranslator]

Magic.

[Uhura follows him, a little hesitantly. Something is definitely off about her crewmate. He doesn't know things he ought to know; he believes in magic.

It's quite possible that Chekov isn't actually Chekov. And until she can be sure, she plans on proceeding with caution.]

action!

[candothat]

Yes, magic. I did not believe in it myself until it was proven empirically to me. There are a number of things that this place will do that you won't want to believe at first, but, once you have been here for some time--I have been here for two-hundred sixteen days--it will all become easier to accept.

And, also, it makes sense that there is magic in a place like this, at least from what observations I-- [And there's that gap where information should be. Chekov continues walking.] But that's unimportant. Howl is a magical Welshman, and Sophie is learning magic... maybe they will convince you.

action!

[universaltranslator]

Maybe. [She's not convinced, but it's not worth arguing with him about.]


What do you mean, you've been here for 216 days? [She just saw you a few hours ago.]

action!

[candothat]

[He wishes he could explain his ideas regarding the passage of time (or the lack thereof) in the City.]

I mean that I have experienced two-hundred sixteen days in this place. Time is not the same here as it is at home. Sir.

action!

[universaltranslator]

[Fucking temporal mechanics. She hates them.]

What else have you noticed is different?

action!

[candothat]

[He shrugs expansively and covers his discomfort regarding the situation--namely, the part of the situation that involves him not knowing what to say--with a smile.]

Nothing that you will not learn eventually. ...Would you like something to drink? There is a cafe between here and the house that you would like, maybe.

action!

[universaltranslator]

I could go for some rokassa juice right now.

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[candothat]

Unless there are Cardassians here that I do not know about, finding that will be difficult.

action!

[universaltranslator]

[she sighs] Tell me they at least have orange juice.

action!

[candothat]

Of course there is orange juice. The City isn't entirely uncivilized.

action!

[universaltranslator]

[a little laugh] That's a relief.

[She spends some time looking around, taking in the details of the city around her]

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[candothat]

But I am afraid that you will find the technology to be most backwards. [seriously] There are no replicators.

action!

[universaltranslator]

Just like home then.

[Her father had never liked replicators, which was a shame because he hadn't been much of a cook either. Coming to Starfleet and having access to replicators had been like a dream come true.]

Do you know how to cook, Ensign?

action!

[candothat]

Your home, sir?

[He hasn't heard anything about Uhura's home and is openly eager to hear more.]

I cook very well, when I care to. I didn't get through the Academy on replicated borscht.

action!

[universaltranslator]

Thank goodness. I hate cooking.

[She looks off a little wistfully as his question makes her think about home. She had been meaning to send her parents a message before... this.]

My dad didn't like replicators. He thought they a threat to traditional cultures.

[He hadn't been wrong. The Federation had a way of smoothing out the differences between people, like a great big melting pot. Part of it was just from people working together, but a big part of it was also technology. The difference between her and her father, though, was she didn't see it as a problem.]

action!

[candothat]

Many people I know at home think the same way. [Some parts of Russia--particularly the more rural areas--are similarly resistant to technological advances that seem to threaten traditions. Chekov's parents, fortunately, are thoroughly urban and open to all things new and modern.] I would not have thought that your family was very traditional.

[He ushers Uhura into a small, out-of-the-way cafe. It's not one of the fancier places in the City, but they'll have orange juice and any other basics.]