// EVENT: STATION-WARMING PARTY

[aqdidit]

It's like a long, long blink, and then, pop - the uncomfortable feeling of squeezing the very last stubborn little bit of toothpaste out of the tube, but you're the toothpaste.

And then you're sitting in a chair in a strange bar, with several people you've never seen before in your life. The light is low, the sort of comfortable level reserved for comradely conversations around some nachos and beers. The architecture of the bar itself looks industrial - someone might be forgiven for thinking it's located in a reclaimed warehouse or something of the like.

It's not. (Not unless you want to call a repurposed mining space station a warehouse.)

There's food on the tables, and drinks - much of it looks like staple bar food (is that deep-fried mac and cheese???), but some of it is a little unfamiliar (is that a bowl of worms? are they moving???????????).

After you have a moment to look around in sheer bewilderment, a man in what seems to be a uniform stands on the dais in front of a stained-glass mural and raises a glass. "A toast. To the new crew of Deep Space Nine. By which I mean, of course, all of you!" He chuckles. "You hardly look like a crew, though. Why, you're all out of uniform!" He snaps, and you suddenly find yourself wearing a uniform like his. "Where are my manners. You don't even have your marching orders." A handheld tablet appears on the table in front of you, between a glass of something blue and what's definitely a basket of loaded potato skins. And it's definitely yours, because it has your name on it. "There! Now you all have your PADDs. Read them at your leisure."

He takes a sip of what's in his glass and makes a face. "Ugh! Kanar. Terrible stuff, don't know how the Cardassians drink it." There's a small flash of light, and it's replaced with something bright teal. "Much better. Now, the Romulans, they know how to make a spirit."

Then he sits down in the chair up on the dais and leans back so it's only on two legs, looking down his nose at everyone. "Now. I imagine that all of you have some questions for me. So to avoid any blah-blah boring repetition, I am Q, and this is Federation Starbase Deep Space Nine - your home for the foreseeable future. Don't ask me any boring questions like 'ohhh why am I here ohhh', you can find most of what you need to know on your PADD. You're here because the station needed a crew and I thought you'd be a good fit."¹ Q twirls his wrist and a pocketwatch appears in his hand. "Yes, I can dilly-dally long enough to answer some questions. At my discretion." He snaps it shut, an oddly final sound.

Once Q is done holding court, he grins. "Oh, you're going to have such fun, mes amis," he says, and vanishes in a flash of light, leaving everyone to mix and mingle. The bar is unattended if anyone is interested in trying some amateur mixology, and Q has thoughtfully taped up instructions on how to use the replicators.

THIS IS NOT MY SLEEP NUMBER
When the party is starting to wind down, information for your quarters flashes on your PADD - including the location in the Habitat Ring and how to get there. They're spartan and lacking creature comforts, but your original clothes are there, neatly folded on the bed, along with anything else you may have had with you upon arrival. The PADD periodically chimes with information that you need to know, like how to work the sonic shower, or that the station runs on the 26-hour Bajoran day. It's almost like the PADD knows what's going on...? Eh, it's about as creepily invasive as Alexa, anyway. And speaking of Alexa, the PADD also provides a crash course in how to interact with the station's computer! Which is essentially plain-language audio querying. Ask Ms. Majel Barret Roddenberry the computer anything you like and she will help you.

A message appears from Q later on everyone's PADDs, unable to be replied to:

It'll take about a week before they finally figure out how to get transmissions through the chroniton field.

You've got that much time to get a handle on things.

:)

-Q

---

¹ This is a lie. He picked you just for shits and giggles.

Comments

[wearethespark]

"I see..." Poe starts not sure where to even begin, how much information to start her off with as she believed the emperor was still alive and kicking and she doesn't even know what the Death Star was so he has to assume she never heard about Alderaan, "Well, let's see if I can answer your question because that's a whole long story in itself. The Death star was basically a battle station and superweapon. It was the size of a small moon and it could... destroy a planet using a superlaser. It was mostly invulnerable. Thousands working on it, a lot of fighters ready to scamble at a moments notice. The group of people died getting the plans to the rebels and they managed to exploit one weakness purposely built into it. They later tried to rebuild it. Don't worry that got destroyed too, but well, it's not a pleasant thing to even think about. And it worked, the first one, Alderaan... it destroyed Alderaan."

Poe can only shut his eyes. He had never went up against either version of the damned space station, though, his parents had. His father on Endor, part of the ground forces - the pathfinders - and his mother from space, a extremely skilled pilot. He had barely been able to sit up, placed with family during the war. But he had gone up against Starkiller. And Starkiller had managed to do even more damage during it's short life than either Death Star. He felt his hands shake slightly remembering when it happened but at least there had been a mission to focus on to keep from thinking about it. But he wasn't going to mention that just yet. He felt he was already overloading her. It was a lot. A lot, an unbelievable amount, had happened over just his life alone. Going into the recent past was enough to even make him stare blankly and blink on a bad day.

AFter his explanation, a general one at that, he can't help but think outloud.

"I wonder what are the odds the New Republic screwed up worse when it came to the Outer Rim than the Republic had. I mean, I knew they didn't do really enough with the planets that everyone knew had been and still were struggling, to help? Govern? That kind of thing. Well, in any case, we can at least agree that we're from the same part of the galaxy - more or less?"

Though, based on what was happening to them a thought did cross his mind...

"Q took people from all over the place, right?"

A question more to himself, however.

[sensitiveapple]

She scoffs. Nothing can do that, and there's nothing true about what he's saying. "Alderaan is still there, still run by the Organas." She shakes her head. "There is no reason to believe anything like that." She says, sighing.

They are from the same basic area of space. He knows Cantonica, he knows Canto Bight. That's something.

"Well, he's not from the Hutt Syndicate, that's for sure. They don't tend to be so flashy." She knows that too.