Windrose, where the wind blows

[tothefly]

Who: Windrose crew and you, distinguished visitors!
Broadcast: Naaah.
Action: Windrose, various points in the near vicinity
When: Until we get off this frozen rock

[On New Year's Day, the crew on board the Windrose and those nearby may notice the chill as the doors to the cargo bay are left open, and their captain making quite a bit of noise as she inspects their newly expanded home away from home. This is likely to go on for a while. Feel free to come investigate, chat among yourselves, complain about the cold, etc!]

Comments

[unbearablynaive]

[That gets a bright smile.] I'm very glad to hear that. I did see some of the natives with the blue carapace but I hadn't asked about the fungus. Did you share knowledge of the vaccine with them as well, in the event it should become necessary?

[dancingmd]

It proved not to be necessary. There were a few visiting red Nunnalis who already knew and explained things to the blue ones. It seems the different colors are not all connected to the same hive-mind, but they still very much believe in the open exchange of information.

[unbearablynaive]

[He looks relieved and pleased at that.] That's very good; I can understand why that would be their philosophy, given their social structure.

Though I could wish we had our own lab aboard the Windrose in case we should need to make a quick analysis like that again.

[dancingmd]

If you ever want to use the Blue Fish's, just let me know and I'm sure Allen and I could arrange something for you. I know it's not the same as having one right on board, but...

[unbearablynaive]

I appreciate it. No doubt I'll find something I'd like to analyze, whether here or at our next destination.

[dancingmd]

No doubt. Is this your first time in space?

[unbearablynaive]

[That gets a bit of a smile.]

As it happens, it is. I do have an open invitation to Asgard I'd like to take some day. However, as I only awakened a few weeks before arriving in the Fleet, I hadn't yet had the opportunity.

[dancingmd]

[So he is a young android! Ordinarily that would capture her attention first but-]

Ah... Asgard? As in the home of the Norse gods?

[unbearablynaive]

[A very young android indeed.]

Home of a powerful, long-lived race with very advanced science who like to send their younger members abroad to other worlds, where they interfere with the natives. I'd direct you to Loki of Asgard on the Paisley; however-- [he smiles ruefully and shrugs] --he is as his name implies not to be trusted.

[dancingmd]

[Ugh. Aliens masquerading as gods. Her favorite. Q, Ardra, the Greek gods... don't they ever get tired of that game?]

Thanks for the warning. I hardly need another like him in my life.

[unbearablynaive]

Another? Not anyone we have here, I'd hope?

[Or does he have someone else he needs to keep an eye on?]

[dancingmd]

[Well, yes technically they have Tek but she's not about to drag Vision into that mess.]

At home. There are these beings called the Q - very powerful, capable of manipulating space, time, and matter, which they primarily seem to use in order to meddle in the business of us mere mortals.

["Mere mortals" said in the most sarcastic way possible, of course.]

I have always suspected Atroma might be a being or beings of a similar make.

[unbearablynaive]

[He might actually be useful if that situation comes to a head...or he might not. It really depends.]

Somehow I can't be surprised they do that. I imagine they find it "entertaining", do they not? [Said very dryly.] Because if entertainment is their goal, I can see why you'd imagine Atroma has similar motives, if different methods.

[dancingmd]

They do, though it's recently been claimed by a member of the Q that he was actually testing us. I hardly find that more comforting.

[She sighs.]

I'll give this for Q, at the very least, he has deigned to interact directly with us so there was more possibility for... an exchange of sorts.

[unbearablynaive]

How reassuring. The laboratory mouse isn't being tortured randomly, but tested.

[Oh yes, he knows the type.]

If nothing else, it would give you a name and face to your opponent, and perhaps logic--convoluted though it may seem.

[dancingmd]

[The face of Q is a dubious thing… in their natural state, Q don’t have a face, not how humanoids would think of one anyway.]

Convoluted logic indeed. My captain seems to have bought his story but… I’m still not so sure.

[unbearablynaive]

[But he appears with one, mostly - which puts him on a level the human mind is more capable of comprehending. He's familiar with that.]

In this case, it would seem your doubt is warranted. Perhaps we are being tested by Atroma now, in addition to causing amusement.

I strongly disagree with the lack of informed consent on our parts, however.

[dancingmd]

As do I. Especially when there are so many children involved.

[unbearablynaive]

[He hasn't spoken to that many...but then, he isn't on the Blue Fish.

Also, technically the Vision is younger than everyone else in the Fleet.]

I'm sure the excuse is that it helps to attract younger audiences.

[dancingmd]

[She crosses her arms and snorts derisively.]

There's no excuse for it.

[unbearablynaive]

[The Vision smiles, very slightly.]

It's certainly not a good excuse. But then, neither is entertainment in general. Perhaps their writers are on strike and more reality broadcasts are the only solution.

[dancingmd]

[Yeah that reference... just goes right over her head.]

What do you mean, their writers might be on strike? Like a labor union action?

[IS IT SOMETHING WE CAN USE AGAINST THEM???]

What makes you think that?

[unbearablynaive]

[Well, it is much more current events to him. Does the Federation even have reality TV?]

It was exactly that that caused a rise in reality television programming in my own timeline. Though, conversely, once the strike was resolved, there was also a rise in the general quality of scripted programming and a move toward the story arc model rather than the episodic model.

[He shrugs apologetically.]

It would also explain Calibrations, if the signal were temporarily offline for some reason.

[dancingmd]

[Not really. She has some hazy recollection of it being A Thing at some point in history but well... It never took off the same way in her 21st century as it did his, with the devastation of World War III and its aftermath. So this only makes a little bit of sense to her.]

I believe the other fleet had something to do with that, personally, when they drove us into the nebula.

[unbearablynaive]

[WWIII is something that, thankfully, they've yet avoided. Of course, there's also the matter of alien contact long before the Vulcans in his time, so that may have something to do with it.]

You don't think it was intentional by Atroma, then?