TEST DRIVE #16 - Turbolifts and Ten Forward

[ten_fwd_mods]

Option 001. Trapped in a Turbolift: This space travel thing is new to you, and you're starting to think the ship is purposely out to get you. A turbolift is just a grandiose name for an elevator, which should be the safest way to travel after all! But someone out there is out to get you, you're sure of it. Because the next thing you know, the lights flicker and the lift grinds to a stop. You're trapped, with whomever was unlucky enough to be in the lift with you.

It could be hours before you're rescued. These turbolifts span the entire massive ship, and don't just travel straight up and down. No, they can travel horizontally, vertically, sometimes even diagonally. You could be stuck between any deck now. There is a small access panel on one of the smooth walls, but how good are you with getting these things to work? Let's not forget that sudden stop tossed everyone around a little, and people could be hurt. Time to put your emergency thinking cap on, and make friends with the people beside you fast. You could be the only way back to freedom.

Conversely, you could slide that pack of cards out of your pocket and start a rousing game of gin rummy. Really it's up to you.







Option 002. Ten Forward: You have no idea what just happened. One minute you were home, minding your own business, and now you're on a spaceship in the middle of a crowded room! It looks like a bar. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens, and some of the food is looking rather strange too.

You've managed to land in Ten Forward. A long bar with barstools and a bartender span one side of the room, with a bank of strange computers on that same wall. It looks like people are ordering food and drinks from them. Tables are sprinkled throughout, and the far wall is nothing but floor to ceiling windows with a view out to space. It looks like a nice lounge, low conversation making the room hum.

Better ask some questions and find out where you are, or just tap the closest person on the shoulder and try to make friends. The bar is open.

Comments

Re: Neil Mackay | X Company | Option One

[deadmanbusiness]

"You'd think, this far in the future, they'd figure out how to stop these things from happening," Theo said, leaning up against the other wall of the turbo lift, knowing that people tended to get a bit creeped out by him in small spaces.

[withoutahammer]

Neil snorts and looks like he's considering punching the wall again. The only thing that seems likely to get him is broken knuckles, so he holds off for now. "Maybe they just like them this way."

[deadmanbusiness]

"Hah! Idle hands are the fairy's playthings?" Theo asked. "Have to give the engineers something to do?"

[withoutahammer]

"Yeah, mate. Otherwise they just spend their time rigging up new and interesting ways to distill things in the engine room or making things explode." Neil knows engineer-type people. They never change, even in the future.

[deadmanbusiness]

No.

No they don't.

"And the last thing we want are drunk engineers with explosives in a space ship."

[withoutahammer]

"Exactly." He's queasy enough about being on a ship that floats in the middle of space without introducing explosives into the mix. That's one reason he's glad his teammate Harry isn't here.

[deadmanbusiness]

"Sober ones with explosives are scary enough." Theo knows this from experience.

Theo wishes his engineering teammate wasn't here.

[withoutahammer]

"Useful, though, under the right circumstances." Harry's knowledge of how to blow up anything has a surprising number of applications in Nazi-occupied France.

"So, how long do you think we have to wait for someone to find us?"

[deadmanbusiness]

"Only reason to keep them around." Theo could say the same about Kale.

"That's a good question. We're on a highly sophisticated ship with technology that should inform the crew of a problem instantly.... so I'm guessing several hours."

He may or may not be being sarcastic here.