Mages! In! SPAAAACE! (for heirtothearcane )

[smartass_captain]

When the fabric of reality warps leaving the Nexus behind with a tiny barely audible Bip! and reasserts itself into something recognizable once more Viatorus Durant will find that they're in--actually a really ordinary looking apartment, all things considered. By the warnings Jim gave you'd think there's be beds on the ceiling and other weird things but aside from several computer terminals built into the walls of the apartment and everything feeling ever so slightly off the design of the living room they're standing in could be hyper-modern for his time.

"Alright, pardon the mess. I couldn't just PINpoint us anywhere interesting in case someone saw. This is my place." Oddly, what Jim would consider to be clutter rally looks out of place compared to the rest of the apartment. A few very old looking tomes scattered about the coffee table. A few sprigs of some sort of dried flower still sitting next to a mortar and pestle on a sidetable next to the couch. Another dried flower torn apart and scattered all over the floor, probably by the very content cat lounging on one end of the couch.

Rather than bother with a tour of his home, Jim turns a conspiratorial grin to Viatorus' way and by proxy Lyall's as well but he's been urged not to pay the other man too much attention so Jim keeps his focus on the mage.

"You ready?"

Comments

[heirtothearcane]

After all of Jim's descriptions Viatorus was ready to see something completely alien, strange shapes making a confusing layout of a building, perhaps. So the perfectly normal apartment brings about a sense of disappointment, which he hides behind a thoughtful frown and small nod. It looks like somewhere Isidor would want to live, so at least that's interesting.

Beside him, Lyall did his usual observations before allowing his gaze to linger on the computer terminals. When Viatorus nods and makes to follow the captain, he's quick to move again.

"Very ready." After a second he whispers, "Will we see any aliens?"

[smartass_captain]

Jim grins then and steps up to one of the terminals to tap at it's menu options. Whatever he does must control the windows because it's only a moment later when the opacity on them disappears leaving a crystal clear view of the colony outside the four walls Captain Kirk calls home.

The urban development of the street is impressive enough for being an artificial biome but the street curving upward in view might draw a bit of attention. Or any of the other arcing structures that can be seen just barely visible in the distance. They're built up on both sides of the arcs. There must be a whole other populous walking around underneath their feet. Or maybe it's Jim's home that's upside down. Difficult to tell, really.

"Yes, you'll see aliens but please. please do not ask one that to their face. it's pretty rude. I'll do my best to point everything I can out as we go, okay?"

[heirtothearcane]

Initially the mage isn't sure what he's doing when he goes to the computer. Thoughts of him calling a car around soon vanish as the room becomes that bit brighter, revealing a surreal landscape through the window.

A small gasp escapes Viatorus. His eyes can't absorb it all, despite how wide they are, so he ends up all but pressing his nose against the window. He tries to see as much as he can, craning his head this way and that. It's hard to tell if he hears the pleading for him to be polite, he's so busy trying to see everything from this one window.

"The sky is blue. Is it meant to be blue? It makes it all look so... normal... Apart from the..." He turns to Jim as he gestures vaguely to the looping structure of the colony itself.

[smartass_captain]

"It's an artificial biome. Simulated sky, day-night cycles, weather. Stays at an average temperature to be tolerable to most federation species. Yorktown's Starfleet base first and foremost, but with any outpost comes the need for business and supplies so now it's a thriving colony."

The captain folds his arms over his chest and gives a small smile. This was more the reaction he'd been hoping for when showing this place off to folks. He's two for three so far. Felix finds this place utterly fascinating, and Viatorus seems to be taking to the idea alright as well.

"There's a Vulcan tea shop a ways up the arch from my place. I can show you around."

[heirtothearcane]

Viatorus' gaze soon wanders back to the window, lingering in the sky while Jim talks about it. There are so many questions, so much to ask about, he's not sure where to begin. Not that it matters, because Jim has him distracted again.

Spinning around, he smiles at the captain. "A tea shop? I'd love to see it! I have so many questions I'll need a drink."

That brings another thought to mind. He blinks at Jim, and his expression sinks into sheepishness. "I can't use my credit card here, can I?"

[smartass_captain]

"I thought that might interest you. Come on, temperature's cooler than it was in the Nexus but if you need a jacket let me know as soon as we get outside and I'll grab you one of mine."

Jim considers opaquing the windows again but it seems pretty unnecessary for the moment. Isidor knows Viatorus is here--she won't be stopping by. And if Felix sees things he'll probably just sit by the window and watch the people go by without too much question. It'll be fine.

The sheepish question has Jim pausing though, and a very real blank look passes across his face for a couple of seconds.

"A what?" He's heard this term before in the Nexus but he still has to wrack his brain trying to remember the phrase and the point behind it. "Oh, oh! No I'll handle it. Currency's a bit weird out here and most Federation planets don't use any at all. The galactic standard is credits but ah--I don't think yours will work here."

[heirtothearcane]

"If it's too cold I can always heat the air around me." He's quick to add, "It doesn't look like anything. I know it's probably not idea to do any magic here that people can see."

Jim's blank look baffles Viatorus. His question seemed like such a simple one. Even trying his hardest he can't figure out how that might have confused Jim, so he can't even jump into an explanation.

"Oh. I understand." That should have been expected, really. Still, he's quiet while he thinks on this new information. Having no money doesn't make a jot of sense to him, but now that he thinks about it he's not entirely sure how money works in his world anyway, so… It hardly matters. He does find he has one question though. "If you don't have money, why do you work?"

[smartass_captain]

"I really wouldn't try it just randomly. Magic is pretty tricky to do out in space. There's nothing out here that you're used to drawing from. No ground, no latent energies, no soul juice from the totality of all human life that has ever existed, et cetera. None of that's out here in the Black. Or at least, very little. If you're going to try, let me know because I want to take notes."

The more data Jim can get on mages trying to do magic in space, the better, so far as he's concerned. He just doesn't want someone to burst into flames because Viatorus tried to heat up the air and got too forceful when it wouldn't come easily.

He's seen it happen before.

But the job gets another smile out of Jim has he makes his way for the door and holds it open for all of them to exit.

"Why do you read? Why does anyone do anything? I work because I enjoy it. Believe in the cause. I want to be out here."

[heirtothearcane]

What an odd and interesting observation. Viatorus listens, head cocked to one side. "Magic like that should only draw from the power in my blood. I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'll tell you if I do anyway."

Viatorus heads though the door, his guard close behind him. The few moments it takes for Jim to follow give him time to think about the captain's answer. "But it's dangerous and stressful, isn't it? Not just a little, but a lot. You still do that for no reward? And what if you need something expensive? You can't save up for that if you don't have any money."

[smartass_captain]

"Good to know. Seemed rude not to warn you about that ahead of time so you didn't freak out if something happened." Or failed to happen, as it were.

His security parameters are in place. They're good to go for a bit of a walk. The streets feel more or less straight as they walk but overhead it's easy to see the outlines of what their arch much look like to anyone looking on from those other arches overhead. How many more continue on underneath their feet?

"I get to see things no one's ever seen before, V. I get to be the first one to uncover the truth behind some of the mysteries out here. Yeah it's dangerous, stressful, sometimes fatal work. But there's no where else in the galaxy I'd rather be." Jim shoots a smile over his shoulder to the scholar. It's one that only lessens a little when he's asked more specifically about macrogalactic economics. Not one of his areas of expertise, really.

"It's not really something I've ever given much though about before. I got used to it being the state of affairs in the Nexus pretty quick, but. Typically folks only buy stuff they want around here. The basics are provided for."

[heirtothearcane]

While Viatorus' smile may be large, it's taking the place of a laugh. Warnings and concern. Jim really is taking Isidor's place for this trip. "Thank you."

That explanation of why he works resonates with the young scholar. Isn't that why he dreamwalks, after all? To seek out discoveries and secure his position in history too, that's quite true, but also to explore.

Speaking of exploring, although Viatorus initially watches Jim, giving the captain his full attention, his eyes start to wander as they walk. The arches overhead are surreal and impressive. They're like nothing he's ever seen before. He might have started the questions about money and economics, but his mind is entirely elsewhere when Jim answers him.

So when he speaks again it's a little off topic. "If someone jumped from a tall building, would they float upwards instead of falling down?"

[smartass_captain]

V's not the one risking bruised egos (or bones) if Jim does an inadequate job of keeping the mage happy and safe here. Though, it's something Jim would do anyway for a friend. It would be easy to get too far ahead of Viatorus while his head's craning back in all directions to look at the structure of Yorktown so Jim falls into step next to him instead and tries to keep anyone from bumping into him. The locals don't seem to mind overmuch--tourists aren't common this far out into the Black but they do happen. People gotta visit their families sometimes.

Though speaking of locals there's quite a few non humans wandering around hand in hand in some cases with the many humans who are here. Squat flat faced humanoids who have the body ratio of a Small Person, lithe blue individuals with antennae sprouting right out of their heads, tall robed figures with faintly green hues to their skin and somber expressions all around, and so many more not even close to being in the realm of humanoid. Many wear the same kind of uniform Jim is usually seen in in a primary color of their designation or sleek grey formal uniforms. This primarily a Starfleet base, after all.

There's so much to see. So much to take in. The question that comes out fo V's mouth is decidedly not the one Jim was expecting and he has to doubletake before he fumbles for an answer.

"Buildings all have a strict height limit here yeah. The gravity gets really weird closer to the center of the colony you get. None of the windows will open, but if you break one and jump...if you were at the right height you'd actually get caught up in the current and pulled along the center torus rather than falling down, yeah. It's...not the sort of thing I'd recommend. Feels really disorienting and it's hella dangerous."

Because of course Jim's done it.

[heirtothearcane]

"The centre? Not towards the other rings?" That doesn't make sense. Or maybe it does. Does it? He feels like his own mind is trying to navigate that bizarre gravitational fall.

Viatorus turns his head to Jim instead before he makes himself dizzy. Focusing on his friend is easier than figuring out wonky scientific concepts. "How do you know? Have you done it?" Wait, he thinks he gets this. "Is it like skydiving? Do they have a company that takes people on trips to try it?"

I didn't make star trek world rules, i just have to explain them

[smartass_captain]

"Well, it kind of depends where--nevermind. The artificial gravity is weird here. They've got constant staff on hand to make sure everything's acting like it should to keep this place going nice and easy."

Jim's expression clouds as he shoots a glance toward the monitoring stations out of habit. Krall isn't as deep a wound as Kahn had been. As Nero. He'd lost many more crew and his ship, but it wasn't because he'd screwed up this time. Still, it's not the sort of thing that lends itself to polite conversation. Viatorus is a friend though. He knows Jim's gone through some Shit.

"No, it's dangerous to go up there. The guy who trashed my ship tried to do the same to the colony a while back, so I went up there to stop him." He gives the mage a small smile. Sorry to bring down the mood. "You're safe though, I promise."

And V has to question them incessantly

[heirtothearcane]

How very odd to live in a place with people whose job it is to ensure the gravity works correctly. Does Jim realise how strange that sounds, Viatorus wonders. Probably not. Probably all spaceships have people like that.

It's not hard to spot the shift in Jim's expression, though, and for the first time since he came here, Viatorus focuses properly on him. He returns his friend's smile and then looks around them.

Lowering his voice he asks instead, "Do you know all the different kinds of aliens who live here? Or where they come from? There are so many..."

Re: And V has to question them incessantly

[smartass_captain]

There's engineers who live quite comfortably thanks to their knowledge and understanding of the theories that make artificial gravity work in all manner of places. Yorktown's a bit trickier to maintain than most is all.

V doesn't seem to be hugely upset by Jim's confession or frightened and that's a big relief. That kind of comment could have easily gone into the weeds and turned massively unpleasant. Not for the first time Jim's surprised at how resilient Viatorus seems to be about possible dangers and threats. He's quite level headed despite how nervous he looks. It coaxes a more confident smile out of Jim this time before he leads them on to continue the tour.

"All kinds. There's every Federation member species here, so that's three right off the bat aside from humans. But..." Even gesturing around there's definitely at least half a dozen species walking around the base and only most of them are humanoid. A couple look so quintessentially alien there's no way that they'd ever be able to be mistaken for any kind of species even close to human.

"I don't know them all personally no, but this line of work does let me get to meet quite a few of them both on and off the job."

[heirtothearcane]

Casual acceptance of the intense dangers others face is a by product of being surrounded by overly-capable family members who are far more capable than him. Sometimes it's hard to remember that those around him aren't pseudo immortal with powers, magic or skill. Overestimating the capabilities of others is pretty easy for the young Durant.

"I didn't expect you to know them all personally," he explains. "I meant, do you know their..." Out of respect, he waits for a not-so-human figure to pass, staring wide eyed all the way, before turning back to Jim and lowering his voice. "Do you know all the different species?"

[smartass_captain]

V's question startles a chuckle out of the captain but he's beaming back a huge smile before Viatorus can pull away or get nervous about what he's asked.

"Sure. I know every species that's living here. They're part of the Federation or allied to it." He gestures toward a small restaurant they're passing by as they walk. "That place is run by a Vulcan, and the hairless gentleman with the face plate just across the way is a Coridan for starters. I've got a pretty wide spectrum of species on my ship though they are primarily human. There's plenty of Federation ships with majority nonhumans too. Biggest difference is the default temperature and lighting settings on board."

[heirtothearcane]

The laugh almost makes Viatorus blush, but the good natured smile and the distractions quickly calm him again. Jim gestures, and Viatorus stares. There's so much to see! So much to look at! He wants to know why they look different, how they speak differently, what they eat, what they sing, what art they make, how they dance… He wants to know everything, but instead he stays by Jim's side and watches, awe and wonder plastered across his face.

"I should have brought my sketchbook," he whispers breathlessly. "Or a camera."

"I… I…" A thousand questions race through his head, but he can hardly pick one to ask. So instead he says, "I want to know everything about all of them."

[smartass_captain]

"Camera's probably a bad idea from what I know about the old tech. But a sketchbook...we could probably find something like that here if you wanted. And if you'd like to meet a non-Terran, I can definitely invite someone from the ship out. Maybe get tea somewhere?"

He wonders vaguely if Spock has finished the lab inspections yet. Or maybe M'benga from medical...Keenser's definitely busy with Scotty today. They've got briefings on the new engines all this week it feels like. Jim pulls out his communicator and gives a thoughtful hum.

"If you'd like to meet one, that is."