01 VIDEO »

[dow]

Greetings. I am Commander Spock of the USS Enterprise, a Starfleet contingent of the United Federation of Planets. I understand that we are temporally isolated as well as spatially displaced and that this is not a subdivision of any one possible multiverse, neither a pocket dimension of any one universe, but a unique quantum singularity linking many and each possible variation thereof. If others here have scientific findings of this nature, I pre-emptively extend my gratitude in the event of any information being divulged.

[ AKA pls share ur theories. He's not human, in case anyone with eyes and ears missed the blatant memo staring them in the face, the approximation of what would happen were a dollop of raw science and a great jawline to get mixed with an elf in a blender. Spock pauses thoughtfully, glancing away, and a single slender brow arches when he looks back; there are likely a great deal of customs to be observed from numerous new species and races, none of which he seeks to offend. ]

It has been brought to my attention that this is not my first foray into Keeliai. While I would request that you exert a measure of patience with my ... freshly acquired outlook, you will find me amenable to revisiting former acquaintances. [ Again he hesitates, though this time it comes across as more of an amendment. If you've been hanging out with his BFF, prepare to explain why, how and to what end. ] Similarly, I wish to meet with any and all allies of Captain James T. Kirk at their earliest convenience.

All remaining Starfleet personnel are to submit a fully comprehensive report effective immediately regarding their time here. Audio will suffice, given the circumstances.

[ And off goes the feed. ]

Comments

[dow]

[ Spock doesn't make eye-contact while answering professionally, without pause. (He needs to be impassive, abruptly.) ]

I do not know.

[mightythinice]

Okay... well, what about being on a spaceship? What's that like?

[she notices, just because of the abruptness, and vaguely wonders if she was somehow breaking some sort of cultural norm here. Aliens had different cultures, after all.]

[dow]

[ He could say something rote, but she's young and he gets the strong impression she'd prefer an opinion. ]

It is ... satisfying. [ Well, he tried. Again, Spock ventures, ] There is a constant abundance of stars through which to explore.

[mightythinice]

[you just made her grin widely at the console]

Satisfying, huh? Is satisfying for you what most people would call amazing? What sort of stars have you been to? [a little less opinion based]

Oh! I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you Commander Spock.

[dow]

Hello, Ellie. I have been to numerous worlds, largely M-class planets with the same atmospheric conditions as Earth. A star is essentially a sun, but can only be classified as such if it is orbited.

[ A brow arches pointedly, though his tone is not severe and merely guides her logic. ]

I would not think it wise to set foot on one of those.

[mightythinice]

Well, yeah, I guess that was kind of a dumb question. But what's an M-class planet?

[dow]

It is a standard method of classification. M-class planets are suitable to host humanoid life.

[mightythinice]

Soo... what are the other classes?

[if you let her, she's just going to keep asking questions. Curious teenager is curious...!]

[dow]

[ Good, good, questions are the lifeblood of learning. ]

M-class, as we have discussed, is terrestrial. D-class qualifies as a moon, H-class is uninhabitable, J- and T-class are gas giants — such as Jupiter and Saturn in your solar system — K-class is adaptable with pressure-domes, L-class is marginally habitable and N-class is sulfuric.

Y-Class is known as a Demon, inhospitable and dangerous even to passing starships.

[mightythinice]

[Y-class, huh? That was the one that stood out in the list he just gave her, and she scrunches her nose]

So would Y-class be like... I dunno, a black hole? Demon's pretty different from all the other classes.

[dow]

The temperature on a Y-class can exceed five hundred Kelvin while the planet itself releases thermionic radiation discharges which incapacitate a starship.

[ Best to set some defining characteristics down now, lest she confuse her two points of interest in the future. ]

A black hole is a singularity, a dead star that has collapsed in on itself under the pressure of its own gravity. They have extremely strong gravitational pulls and nothing can escape them, not even light. [ To draw her focus, he holds up a trio of fingers to count off three simple facts for Ellie to take away. ] In conclusion — a sun is a star orbited by planets, a star has no planets and a black hole is a star that has died.

Can you repeat these classifications?

[mightythinice]

Class-M, habitable. Class Y, demon. Class... D, H, J and T...

[she seems to be thinking]

I think I missed a class or two...

[she ticks off on her fingers, all the ones that she recalls hearing, mumbling to herself-- little did she know she'd be getting an impromptu school lesson]

Class-M, Y, D, H, T... K? That's the one with domes, right?

[dow]

That is correct, Ellie. And the three types of stars we have covered are —?

[mightythinice]

The sun, black holes, and normal stars?

[dow]

How do they differ from one another?

[mightythinice]

The sun has planets, a black hole's collapsed on itself, and a star doesn't have any planets?

[dow]

A perfect score. Have you studied astrophysics before, Ellie? If not, I believe you would do well in it.

[mightythinice]

Yeah.

[she grinned and raised her fist in victory]

I haven't studied much of anything, I just really like space ships and space. I've read every sci-fi book I could get my hands on!

[dow]

If I come across any textbooks that may interest you, I will set them aside on your behalf.

[ Just so she has something interesting to read, bright little spark that she is. ]

[mightythinice]

Really?! Dude, that would be so cool! I would so take you up on that offer. You'll tell me if you find anything?

[dow]

I will. Which aspects of space would you prefer to investigate?

[mightythinice]

Hmm... What kind are there? Like, real stuff, not just the stuff from comics. Since I just learned real planet classifications.

[she grins widely]

So cool.

I think that's the first time I've done school stuff in at least a year.

[dow]

Perhaps it would be wise to find an encyclopedia, it would allow you to browse a range of subjects.

[ Did she just say a year, that is. That is unacceptable. ]

Ellie, has your parent or guardian currently enrolled you in a Keeliai school? [ Surely there's one somewhere. He recalls how rebellious he felt after his kahs-wan, the distraction of the desert and I-Chaya's loss all working together to make something as important as school seem so mundane by comparison. Spock doubts a child who has been out of the education system for as long as Ellie would take well to being thrown back in at the deep end. ] While you are here, your time might be better spent studying topics that solely promote your interest.

[ Such as the stars. ]

[mightythinice]

I don't have any parents are guardians. And the only guy I was with probably won't be making me go to school any time soon.

[she sighs in annoyance, some of the petulance of being a kid in the post apocalyptic world showing]

Besides, I don't want to go to school. School's a joke, they just made us clean their stupid cars and other random bullshit and called it 'military training.' I'm better off just reading an encyclopedia like you said.

[dow]

[ If that's the kind of tutoring she's been having ... ]

I will attempt to find you satisfactory reading material, Ellie. If I cannot, I will produce it myself on whatever you wish to learn about.