Doz Finch Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 Hilarious opening and a brilliant sim! @Robin Hopper stuck in isolation singing ABBA!? Are you kidding me!? It's actually genius. đ Thanks for sharing the first bit with me and then keeling to my demand to see the rest of the sim! [ACT 1] Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper: I'm hearing images, I'm seeing songs (google.com) Quote ((Isolation Cell, Paak Military Complex â The Paak Planet))  Hopper: ::Singing softly to herself:: Soldiers write the songs that soldiers sing⌠The songs that you and I won't sing. Let's not look the other way⌠Taking a chance⌠'Cause if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance⌠ Robin trailed delicately along the last line of the song, then sighed. She sat in the isolation cellâs floor, alone, her legs tucked up to her body and her arms wrapped around her knees, staring across the room at the seamless door that closed her in. Surely their captors â the Paak people (if one even dared think the word!) â were listening in.  Hopper: Well, that was Side One of ABBAâs 1981 record album, The Visitors⌠ With no way to tell exactly how long she had been in the room thus far, and no way of knowing how long they intended to keep her there, she had started singing to pass the time â and perhaps allow the locals to see that they really werenât such bad people, after all. Her particular album of choice seemed particularly appropriate, given their circumstances⌠ Hopper: Letâs flip the record to Side Two. Starting off with I Let the Music Speak.  Closing her eyes, she began to hum the opening strings of the melancholy song, before beginning to sing gently.  Hopper: ::Singing:: I'm hearing images, I'm seeing songs, no poet has ever painted. Voices call out to me, straight to my heart, so strange yet we're so well acquainted⌠I let the music speak, with no restraints, I let my feelings take over. Carry my soul away into the world, where beauty meets the darkness of the day⌠  ((Two Hours Later â âThe White Roomâ, Paak Military Complex))  At least two and a half hours⌠Probably closer to three, given sheâd needed to take a few breaks. Thatâs how long sheâd been locked in that cell for before they dragged her out of it and back to the white âinterrogationâ room â long enough to make it through The Visitors and Super Trouper and Voulez-Vous and eleven of the twelve songs on Waterloo⌠given that she did not know how to sing the Swedish version of the titular track.  Now she found herself, voice slightly hoarse, back in the room theyâd started in after being brought to the facility⌠But at least Wil was there with her again and she wasnât alone anymore. She was glad to see that he seemed no worse for wear. At least they werenât getting tortured. Yet.  Wil sat on the floor, as she had done in her cell, while Robin now paced about the room slowly as they both did what they could to stay sane given their relatively insane predicament. After Wil had shared another one of his own stories, it was now Robinâs turn â and, since she wasnât sure theyâd even escape the planet alive â sheâd even been talked into sharing one of her more embarrassing memories.  Hopper: âŚBefore I knew it, the tour guide said âAlright, everyone! Keep it moving.â I guess there was some sort of school group following us â a bunch of kids⌠I was so distracted, I didnât even realize I still had it in my hand.  Ukinix: Really. And then what happened.  Hopper: I⌠Must have stuck it in my pocket. ::Pointing at him intensely to make her point:: Accidentally.  Ukinix: The whole thing?  Robin nodded.  Hopper: I havenât been back to the Jonathan Archer museum sinceâŚÂ ::Shaking her head:: Iâm sure theyâd have come for me by now if they knew Iâd walked off with a piece of history in my pocket â and now itâs been so long I donât even know how Iâd go about returning it.  She put a hand to her temple and grimaced.  Hopper: But, uhh, I will someday. When I can figure out how to do it and not face some sort of tribunalâŚÂ ::Sigh:: What about you?  Ukinix: ::Shake of head:: I once got entered into a cheeseburger speed-eating competition by a few cadets in my second year, at a burger joint in âCisco. Worst day of my life.  She furrowed her brow, sure that he couldnât have understood the assignment.  Hopper: Thatâs what comes to your mind when you think about your biggest regrets?!  When he seemed unphased, she sighed again â more annoyed than remorseful this time.  Hopper: Alright, well, how many burgers did you eat?  Ukinix: Three and a half. And they were *delicious*. But not so delicious on the way back up.  Hopper: ::Rolling her eyes:: I mean, I know Iâd regret eating even one burger â let alone three. Wait⌠you were beaten? How many did the winner eat?!  Ukinix: The guy that won it somehow got through eight of themâŚÂ And he was *tiny*. Funniest part was he was a medical cadet. ::chuckle:: Arrogant little bastard. A medical tricorder that read his cholesterol levels afterwards would have exploded.  Robinâs face openly communicated her disgust at the thought of shoveling that much hamburger into oneâs mouth, let alone the digestive regrets that would follow.  Hopper: ::Yucked right out:: Well, for what itâs worth, Iâll bet he had a worse day than you did. Probably a few days. Ugh.  Wil looked at the mirror on the opposite wall, and gave it a wave. Robin glanced at it as well, following Wilâs gaze.  Hopper: Is there even anyone in there? What are they waiting for?  Ukinix: Thereâs a bunch of them there listening to us. I can sense curiosity and wonder, and concern. I donât think they know what to do with us.  Robin turned to face the reflective glass.  Hopper: ::Speaking to the mirror:: Well, whatever it is, I hope they do it soon before I spill anymore legitimately-incriminating secrets in exchange forâŚÂ ::squinting at Ukinix:: âŚâI shouldnât have eaten thatâ escapades.  The door at the wall to the side of Wil opened, and in walked a Paak, this one wearing a grey outfit that looked velvety and more tailored compared to the military uniforms Robin and Wil had seen so far. The Starfleet officers both turned towards the door, Robin stepping back a few feet at the sudden appearance of the new and unfamiliar Paak.  Paak (Counsel): ::Flatly:: They *can* hear you. But not any longer, theyâre obliged to leave. For now.  The door closed behind him, and the sound of locks making sure no-one could get in our out could be heard, clearly being locked by someone from outside.  Hopper: Oh yeah? And who are you? Some sort of⌠well-dressed⌠torturer?  The Paak casually and momentarily formed a triangle above his head.  Paak (Counsel): Iâm Paak, your assigned Paak. âWith loveâ and all that.  Just as quickly, he lowered his hands from above his head, then took a seat on one of the free chairs. While his voice still had melody, it had nowhere near the same melodic sounds as the previous Paak that Wil and Robin had spoken with. She looked at her fellow captive, then back to the Paak sitting at the table.  Ukinix: So youâre âPaakâ too?  Robin and the Paak both looked at Wil with derision. The Paak blinked his eyes for a moment, before casually and nonchalantly pulling out a blue and almost spherical object from a pocket, then biting into it. It crunched like an apple. With his mouth half full, he answered Wil.  Paak (Counsel): ::Crunching, talking with mouthful:: Using offensive names like that is what got you into this mess. ::Swallowing, chewing:: Youâre just lucky the military has rules about the right for a Paak to represent you. I didnât want this assignment, representing âaliensâ is probably the low point of my career.  Hopper: Sorry â so youâre a⌠legal⌠representative? ::Glance to Wil:: So they have some sort of legal system⌠and more importantly, theyâve decided weâre eligible for protection. Thatâs great news! ::Back to the Paak:: Did you say âlow point?â  Paak (Counsel): Well, Iâm not convinced youâre aliens, they donât exist. Half of the population agrees with me too, if you read the chatter on the wire.  Youâre trending on Paak like no-oneâs business.  Robin furrowed her brow again, then poked the space between her eyebrows, which had begun to grow rather sore over the last few hours of worrying.  Ukinix: Weâre definitely not Pa- I mean, not the same species as you. Iâm sure you could perform non-invasive scans with whatever medical tech your civilisation has to find out for sure, ::looking at Robin:: right?  Hopper: Right. ::Pointing to her face:: I mean, for one thing, our epidermis â our skins â are clearly made of different materials⌠ Paak (Counsel): Cosmetic surgery could make me look like you. It would cost many Paak, but a qualified Paak could do it.  She tutted and crossed her arms.  Hopper: Tsk. Fine, well surely if youâve managed warp travel you have some sort of radiometric medical scanning devices. I donât know what your insides look like, but Iâm betting they wonât look like mine. ::Pointing to Wil:: Even our insides wonât match, seeing as heâs part Betazoid and Iâm half-Centauran.  Ukinix: Response  The Paak, however, waved their hand dismissively, then indicated the two other seats across the table from themselves. They took another bite of the crunchy blue fruit(?) they were eating.  Paak (Counsel): If you want to discuss your legal rights, I recommend you sit and we focus on that instead of discussing your anatomy. Otherwise, I can always tell the Paak you have no need for me.  Hopper: No! No⌠We want your help. This has all been a terrible misunderstanding. Iâm sure we can clear things up. ::To Ukinix:: Right, Wil?  Ukinix: Response  Robin made her way to the table and sat down across from the Paak representative, hoping that theyâd be able to work something out â ideally, be able to convince them that they were, in fact, from other worlds. The legal counselor pushed a dossier forward on the table and began flipping through pages.  Paak (Counsel): So, as I understand it, the two of you violated Paak airspace, unlawfully entered a Paak military facility â causing several million Paak in damage, I might add â and after being greeted with all possible honours by the Paak, decided to insult Paak? ::Shaking their head:: This is certainly going to be a challenging case. Not to mention how the Paak are taking it.  Hopper: Okay. We need to stop you right here and clear something up â because otherwise weâre going to just keep stepping in the Paâ ::cutting herself off:: see, I almost just did it again. ::Taking a deep breath:: Even if you donât believe we are âaliensâ, surely you can understand that we speak different languagesâŚ?  Ukinix: Response  Paak (Counsel): I donât see how thatâs relevant.  Hopper: Well, thereâs a word you keep using. Or, I suppose itâs probably several words â only, to our ears, they sound exactly the same. When we use that word, weâre obviously getting it wrong. Unintentionally. This is what happened when we talked to your Paak.  oO DAMMIT. Oo  Ukinix: Response  The legal counsel across from them flared their translucent nostrils in distaste, but leaned forward â an intrigued look crossing their features⌠the first sign of genuine emotion theyâd seen them express thus far.  Paak (Counsel): You mean to tell me that advanced aliens from another civilization have come to Paak and cannot even understand the difference between one Paak and another Paak? That you could have devices that translate your Paak to our Paak and vice-versa and yet cannot translate something as simple and plain as Paak? You expect me to believe this paak? And try to convince a panel of my fellow Paak to accept this explanation? You both must be out of your paak.  Ukinix: Response   TBC   == Lt. Commander Robin Hopper (she/they) Chief Science Officer, Amity Outpost Character Wiki Page V239806K11  2 2 Quote Link to comment
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