LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Drink Hopes Dashed
Travis
((Port Side Observation Deck - The Nova Gamma Borealis))
Together with his unlikely band of fellow looky-loos, Talos had settled into the rather comfortable seats facing the massive deck-to-deck transparent observation panels on the well-appointed cruise ship.
He felt a twinge of excitement, which he thought was just a little strange. He’d been in Starfleet for years, and traveled all across the known reaches of the galaxy, but for some reason transiting the wormhole– an act that had become rather pedestrian in the decades since its discovery– had him feeling giddy.
He smiled to himself, deciding to accept the little endorphin rush as one of life’s little hidden pleasures.
As the ship pulled away from DS9, he spoke aloud to no one in particular.
Dakora: …And here we go.
Sadar/Savel/Gnai: Response
As the luxurious cruise liner, glided smoothly toward the mouth of the wormhole, a sort of bing-bong chime sounded and the amplified voice of the same surly Bolian who had welcomed them aboard sounded throughout the deck.
Guide: Welcome to the Nova Gamma Borealis, the only Gamma Quadrant tour provider licensed and recognized by the Government of Bajor. ::He paused.:: If you look out our port side, you will see the dazzling display of blue particles called verterons that make up the structure of this beautiful corridor.
He continued his monologue as Talos watched the dazzling display outside, leaning toward Savel slightly.
Dakora: He could be making all of that up and I wouldn’t know. ::He shrugged and pointed to the phenomenon.:: It does look very nice though. Brighter than I thought it would be.
Savel: Response
Sadar/Gnai:Response
Finally, with the ship poised to enter the wormhole proper, Talos tuned back into the guide’s speech.
Guide: –-we’ll pass through the mouth of the wormhole here in the Denorios Belt and emerge from the terminus in the Gamma Quadrant some 4.7 lightyears from the Idran system. And here we go!
The wormhole seemed to expand in front of them as the ship approached, until finally they edged close enough for the swirling mass to expand and envelop them on all sides. The dancing, pulsating light show was like nothing Talos had ever seen. For a moment he could only stare in awe, but eventually, he remembered to check on his crewmates.
Dakora: Amazing. ::There was a sense of wonder in his voice as he spoke.:: I’ve never seen anything like it…
Sadar: Response
Savel/Gnai: Response
As the excited murmurs of the tourists died down, the guide’s voice continued.
Guide:That’s 60,000 lightyears in a matter of about a minute. ::He paused, ostensibly to advance the prompter he was reading from.:: At the time of its discovery it would have taken the Federation’s fastest ship 67 years at maximum warp! Now, sit back and relax as we take a quick hop over to the Idran System, the historic site of Starfleet’s first foray into the GQ!
With the excitement of the wormhole transit behind them, Talos stared out into what looked very much like space anywhere else and frowned slightly. Sure, they were 60,000ly from where they started, but on a cosmic scale, but the same void and stars that twinkled outside his windows each night were visible here.
He wasn’t sure what he had expected.
As his eyes fell on another guest with some kind of fun-looking cocktail, a tiny little umbrella jutting out of the side of the decorative glass, he spoke up.
Dakora: Well I’m thirsty and I think I saw a concessions replicator over there somewhere. ::He thumbed back toward the central central deck.:: Can I get any of you anything?
Gnai: Response
Savel/Sadar: Response
Truth be told, Talos wasn’t sure if Gnai even could drink– at least, not in the typical manner– but it felt rude not to ask.
Dakora: Doctor Sadar. ::He shifted his gaze to the nervous Mizarian.:: Care to come with me and help me carry all of this?
Sadar: Response
As the unlikely pair made for the concession stand, they’d nearly made it there when he felt the unremarkable subtle shudder of the ship dropping out of warp.
The intercom made the same bing-bong sound again and the Bolian’s voice echoed throughout the deck once more.
Guide: And we’ve arrived at the historic Idran Sys– ::His words broke off.:: Wait. What’s that? Uh– stand by, we’re having some technical difficulties.
Talos raised an eyebrow, fixing Gila with an expression that was more confusion than concern.
Dakora: As long as the drink replicators still work…
Sadar: Response
The voice of the Guide broke through again, but this time his tone bore more than a hint of panic.
Guide: There is no reason for alarm! It appears there are some other vessels in the area right now and–
A deafeningly loud static hiss erupted from the speakers, followed by the garbled electronic beeps and boops that Talos recognized immediately. Someone had just executed a hostile brute-force override on the Borealis’ comms.
A new voice spoke now, with a tone that sounded like gravel rolling around in a metal drum.
Voice: Unknown Vessel, you have invaded the sovereign territory of the New Idran Confederacy. Stand down shields and prepare to have your vessel impounded.
Talos let out a groan as his mind processed the words.
Now he’d never get his fruity drink with the little umbrella.
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0