Welcome to the Illyria!

[statusreport]

Stardate 58561.8: Day One

Now that you've all got your room assignments and communicators, it's time to explore this ship. Please check out the deck plans to figure out where you're going. You can read about some of the existing crew members you might run into here.

Even those of you who may feel right at home on a spaceship will find that the Illyria is definitely a bit... different. Mostly because she's kind of a wreck right now. Whatever it was that threw the ship all the way out here to wherever we are, it really did a number on the ship itself. There's a lot of damaged areas, and several of the ship's systems have been compromised. You'll find that the replicators don't always work right (I asked for hasperat and I got pok tar!?), the turbolifts are unusually persnickety (I said bridge, not engineering!), and the environmental controls in your quarters may not do as they're told (why is it snowing in Room 4J?). Several corridors are blocked by debris, and more often than not the lights are flickering if they're on at all.

So what will you do? Help clean up the mess in the hallways? Try some bizarre alien food in the mess hall? Try and infiltrate restricted areas to get a peek at the ship's systems? Feel free to make your own top level comment, and treat this as a big mingle. Get to know your new crewmates, explore your new home, make friends or enemies, and whatever you do, don't try the gagh. If you need the captain or the first officer, please let a mod know, but try and stick to threading with your fellow new recruits!


(Don't worry about the entry tags for the moment, they will be added shortly. Before we throw ourselves into missions on alien planets, we wanted everyone to have a chance to get to know one another, so please use this opening log as an opportunity to kick off some CR with crewmates and bunk buddies, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask a mod!)

Comments

[senkan_yamato]

Yamato knelt down until she was sitting on her knees, legs neatly folded beneath her, and offered the plate. "I had heard that you had missed a few meals. This is just a snack, but I believe you will find it refreshing." The tall Japanese battleship set the plate down between them and looked down on it. "This is...all I am good for right now, except maybe lifting heavy things."

[snapturtle]

B'Elanna just sat there in stunned silence for a few moments as the girl knelt down and placed the food in front of her. Literally leaving the engineer speechless.

"You didn't have to do that..." she starts. And she certainly hadn't expected it either. But... it was a kind gesture, and it would be rude to turn her down.

"... Thank you."

[senkan_yamato]

Well, that earns a faint smile. "I, Yamato do not need thanks for such a humble effort." Never mind that getting the rice had taken an hour of fiddling with a machine she barely understood. "These are very simple, even a child could make them. And as for the other things, I had the materials to make them on hand. For one like me, this is hardly a generous offering."

Despite her protests the six triangular rice-balls were each perfectly identical with pleasingly rounded edges and corners. The ice cream was slightly melted but looked to be a bland but inoffensive vanilla. The bottle of soda...was made of glass, and had no cap, just a ball held in the neck by pressure. Yamato had thoughtfully provided a chopstick to poke it aside with, but hadn't considered that not everyone might be familiar with traditional Japanese delights.

[snapturtle]

"You made these?" This said with a bit of a mouthful of riceball. She looked at them. They were so... neatly done. Perfect triangles. B'Elanna is no child but she's pretty sure she couldn't make food look this nice.

"They're good."

Not really what she's used to but, they weren't bad at all. That ice cream looked like it was melting though, so once she finished her first riceball, she started on that. The drink though is given a curious look.

"What is that?"

[senkan_yamato]

"I'm afraid I couldn't find any fillings so they are just plain rice and a bit of salt." Julia Child she is not, for Yamato is always apologizing even for her most splendid meals. "I consider myself lucky to get even that-one crewman did not look closely at what he had been given and had to be carried to the infirmary when it disagreed with him."

Once again, Yamato found herself flustered. "Ah, I'm sorry if you are not used to it. That is Ramune, a drink which is something like carbonated lemonade. It is uh...not from this ship's stores. I had it with me." Yamato smoothed the truth over a bit there-she had her own bottling plant of the stuff squirreled away inside her hull. But explaining the nature of how that worked was a lot of trouble.

[snapturtle]

"You don't need to apologize," B'Elanna said as she ate the ice cream. "This is more than I could expect from most anyone here."

Especially with the malfunctioning replicators.

"In fact, this is some of the best food I've had in awhile. It definitely beats Neelix's cooking half the time." Let's not get started on Leola root stew.

She then peered curiously at the bottle again. Picking it up to look it over. "How are you supposed to open it?"

[senkan_yamato]

"Cooking must be something of a lost art if those replicators are any good. If they were seriously broken, the crew would be in considerable trouble. Is there even a backup mess and supplies?" It would be rather like her having sails, she supposed, a rather useless amount of space and weight spent on something that was't needed.

"If this 'Neelix' shows up I would be willing to perhaps give him a few lessons. Though it may not count for much upon this ship, I am known for my hospitality, and my skills."

Yamato thought about demonstrating for a moment but then thought better of taking it from the woman. "You take the chopstick-or anything that will fit down the neck of the bottle really-and push the marble in to break the seal. It takes a bit of skill to drink it without the marble rolling back into the neck however. I apologize if that gives you any difficulty." Yamato offered a sheepish smile. "I am afraid that is the only kind of bottle it came in." Glass bottles and marbles. A design from the 19th century, no wonder the woman from the 24th was having trouble with it.

[snapturtle]

"Unless cooking is a hobby of yours, yeah. There's a mess hall, but probably not any supplies."

She smiles though at the idea of giving Neelix lessons. He would probably be rather enthusiastic about that. Wanting to learn new cuisines and recipes to help the crew. He wasn't bad at cooking just... he didn't have much to work with and had different tastes. He really did try though.

Finishing the ice cream, B'Elanna put down the bowl and focused her attention on the bottle. Taking the chopstick, she prodded at the glass marble. She frowned as it didn't budge, and tried harder, eventually it came loose with a pop as the seal broke.

"Takes a little elbow grease," she says with a grin and takes a sip. Which is very brief as the marble gets in the way. Takes skill indeed.

[senkan_yamato]

"Well, I would call it more than a hobby of mine." Vocation or calling was probably too strong a word, and she didn't do it professionally though-she was a warship. "A bit of a shame, but I suppose I can see what else I can make from available things with it. If that would be allowed."

"There are a pair of flanges inside the neck that will hold the marble out of the way-you just need to turn it the right way." This time Yamato almost moved to turn the bottle, but hesitated at the last second.

[snapturtle]

"I don't see why not. I come from a ship that's in a situation just like this one. We'll probably need someone who can cook."

She doubted that even after the replicators were fixed, that they'd be able to rely on this as much as the crew was used to. If it was anything like with Voyager, they would have to conserve energy, and that meant replicator rations.

At the mention of the flanges, B'Elanna looks and turns the bottle the right way. "Oh, I see it." And takes another sip from it. Yep, that worked much better this time.

[senkan_yamato]

"I suppose that is all I am good for, unless you have a sudden need to move large objects." Yamato looked forlorn for an instant, a bit melancholy. It would be too strange if they needed her for her primary skills she supposed, but...

Well, no need to burden B'Elanna with her concerns on that. She automatically put on a cheery face again, especially as she figured out the soda.

[snapturtle]

"There's always clean up duty. We could use a few more hands with that."

She doesn't know how strong this girl is but... any help is appreciated really. It's hard to do clean up and do repairs at the same time.

Taking another sip from the bottle, this stuff was pretty good, she also started on another riceball. Yamato had gone to all this trouble and she didn't want to be rude and not finish what she had been brought. She could use a break anyway.

"So... Where did you say you were from?"

[senkan_yamato]

"I do not object to moving large objects, but it still feels like I could be doing more. And there is always the risk on a ship of inadvertently making matters worse. Bad damage control can be worse than none at all."

Yamato blinked at the question and then chuckled a bit, demurely covering her smile. "I did not say, please excuse me. I am from Kure in the Hiroshima Prefecture of Japan. I moved around the whole Pacific for business though."

[snapturtle]

"Sounds like you've had some experience on ships," B'Elanna noted after eating another one of the rice balls.

"Japan? I've never been there."

She's visited several places on Earth. But Japan was certainly not one of them.

[senkan_yamato]

"Kure has always been a naval town-it was originally just a shipyard and the supporting communities, building warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It gave Japan it's first natively built capital ship, Tsubaka. These days though, Kure makes ships for Japan Marine United and attracts tourists to museums." Yamato paused, her brow furrowing. "Did make? We are in my future but perhaps not...my future?" Time travel, even to alternate timelines was confusing.

"If you want to know more about it, I know a great deal myself. Elaborating on our culture or our beautiful landscapes would be a pleasure." She sounded like a tour guide or a hotel clerk, ready to make a suggestion for a would-be tourist.

[snapturtle]

"Did you serve on one of those ships? Or build them?"

It was a curious question. She didn't really know much about ancient naval vessels, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested. Time travel is definitely weird though, and she's heard a lot about it from Starfleet history.

"Maybe another time, I do need to get back to work."

Which isn't a lie. She does have a lot to do, and taking this long of a break was an indulgence.

[senkan_yamato]

"...Something like that?" She didn't know how to break the news about actually being a ship. She had on occasion said it outright but...it didn't feel right to just blurt that out right now.

"Ah-oh no, I do apologize, I didn't mean to distract you for too long..." And now she blushed, flustered and standing up much too quickly. Things had gone all pear shaped.

[snapturtle]

Something like that? Well, okay. She wasn't going to pry, but it did make her all the more curious.

When the girl got to her feet, looking all embarrassed, B'Elanna probably should have expected that.

"No, it's all right. ... Thank you again, for the meal. It was very thoughtful."

[senkan_yamato]

Yamato finished gathering up the things and nodded to B'Elanna. "I suppose that if you need something moved, you know where to find me..." Or if they needed something cooked, that much was true as well.

In either case, she beat a hasty retreat, ponytail practically whipping as she moved.

[snapturtle]

B'Elanna just watched her go, a bit puzzled. Was it something she had said? Well, she did seem a bit shy and maybe a bit too polite for her own good. Something that she would probably get over eventually. Being on a small ship in close quarters with other people tended to do that.

Shrugging a bit to herself, she just went back to work. A little more refreshed now thanks to Yamato.