Mix and Mingle Part 1

Posted on Mon Dec 31st, 2018 @ 1:23pm by Death & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott & Lieutenant Asa Dael
Edited on on Tue Jan 1st, 2019 @ 2:41pm

Mission: Escaped Pantheons
Location: WORLDSHIP
Timeline: 2395

The sound of frantic footsteps approaching Transporter Room 5 heralded the arrival of a very harried looking Lieutenant Junior Grade Asa Dael. The young genderless doctor was dressed in black cargo pants, a black long sleeved shirt made of a fine weave of black and silver threads, a silvery blue vest, and sturdy looking black boots. They carried a silvery blue cap in their left hand, and carried a near bulging messenger bag slung over them from left to right. Asa tricorder and phaser were attached to a utility belt that also held a hypo, canteen, and small, thin looped rope segment.

First away mission in armor, second in civvies. Wonder if I get to wear the uniform soon? Oh well, easier to mingle out if uniform. In sure that's the reason for the order.

Screeching to a halt right outside the transporter room, Asa gathered themself and walked deliberately through the door. The doctor was surprised the baroness was not there yet, and relaxed in for the wait.

They didn't have to wait long as Schwein soon arrived, a bit flustered. She was wearing something she definitely just got out of a replicator and was very mismatched with a pink 'Miss Piggy' hoodie, black cargo pants, and combat boots. Under her hoodie she had what looked like a purple 'Pork Fritter and Sons Diner' T-shirt. Though she had her eye patch on, it was flipped up and her golden cybernetic eye was exposed. On her belt, she had almost everything you could find in a normal civilian medkit, and then some. On her back she had a small bag with who knew what kind of goodies in it.

"Sorry I'm late. I don't exactly have many normal clothes." The augmented human looked a bit sheepish. "And I got caught up in writing a letter."

With a cordial laugh, Asa turned to greet the Baroness. “Hey, no worries. It’s not like the locals are waiting on us, are they? And it sounds like you had someone who is, so….” Taking in the full kit the Baroness carried, it occurred to the doctor they might be a bit over-prepared.

“Shall we?” they inquired, moving to the transporter pad.

"Ja," the Baroness replied, stepping up onto the transporter pad as well. "Strange new places wasn't originally in my job description, but where the Prinzessin leads..."

As the transporter sequence completed, the pair found themselves standing in a deserted alley in what appeared to be a commerce district. The smell of dining establishments mingled with that of perfume, people, and perspiration. Hawkers could be heard enticing passers-by into their stores with promises of youth, beauty, satisfaction- all the typical retail claims. The bustle of people carrying on with their lives was a palpable feeling in the air, and Asa had the immediate impression they had beamed into an area where the every-person of the worldship went about their lives.

Turning towards the Baroness, Asa gestured to closest end of the alley and slowly began to make their way towards the egress. They stopped just short of exiting to the main thoroughfare and turned to the baroness, waiting to see if she had any thoughts before they stepped out.

Most of the locals were 4-5 feet tall and looked rather elfin in appearance, wearing colorful clothing, but some of the locals were definitely more like the pair from the USS Hera, being summoned deities doing their best to go about their own lives as best they could. "Perhaps our first step should be to see what they use for local currency? I'm sure we have something that may be considered of value to the locals."

"Excellent idea!" Asa replied cheerfully. Adopting a casual stance, Asa walked out and into the shopping bazaar. They felt slightly like a giant as most of the environment was designed with a shorter populace in mind, and the doctor was mentally watching for arches and head-rails to make sure they did not bump their head into them and cause a disruption.

The nearest booth seemed to be selling warmed beverages with some kind of foam on top. Unless Asa was very much mistaken (unlikely given the subject matter), it was hot chocolate. Their eyes lit up with the prospect of drinking one and they motioned to Schwein to observe the exchange.

The augmented human studied the exchange and saw that there wasn't much to it. The peddler asked for some coinage and the customer handed over a couple small metal discs. The next customer happened to be one of those summoned rather than one of the local elfin peoples and after some haggling, was able to trade a small block of cheese that they produced from seemingly nowhere.

That's when Schwein got a brilliant idea. "Doctor... I happen to have a small marshmallon replicator in my bag. It may not be worth much to us, but to the locals, it may be enough to get some of the local currency and a couple drinks, ja?"

"Oh. Heck. Yes," the doctor replied emphatically. There was little in the universe that excited them less than the prospect of hot chocolate, and combining exploring with that? This was turning into an excellent outing. Waiting for Schwein to complete the transaction, Asa appeared much akin to an overgrown elf themself as they shifted from foot to foot in anticipation.

As Schwein approached the vendor and proposed the exchange, the vendor looked skeptical for a while before the augmented woman produced the device and popped out a pair of marshmallons, handing them to the vendor. As the elfin man chewed thoughtfully, his eyes went wide and he plopped one in his own cup and watched it float on top in awe. Smiling, he nodded and pulled out a small coin purse and slid a bunch of coinage into it and started preparing two drinks for Schwein.

After another minute, Schwein returned to Asa's side, a pair of the richest, creamiest chocolate drinks in hand, topped with thick cream and a pair of marshmallons. She couldn't help but grin at her success. "It seems he had never heard of them before so having a device to make them is perfect. I'm sure his business will go up now."

For one brief shining moment, Schwein lost Asa to the siren song of hot cocoa and marshmallons. The doctor drank deeply while wearing a huge grin on their face. When they finished a draught they looked up at the baroness completely unaware they had a huge hot cocoa mustache on their face.

“Well, we should probably start mingling a bit you think? Let’s walk around and see what other wares are for sale and see what the good people may be talking about,” Asa said.

With that, the doctor was walking about from stall to stall, perusing a variety of wares. A goodly amount of sweaters were on display, as well as candies made of red and white stripes patterned into a hook. The doctor stopped at an herb booth to see if any of the herbs had medicinal value, but they all seemed to be cinnamon, nutmeg, and other aromatic cooking goods.

Upon walking to a stall selling wooden rocking horses, a young elfin man came dashing out of a nearby establishment, screaming incoherently at an elderly man, then grabbed a purse from the older mans till and took off running.

Asa turned to Schwein, “Uh, should we do something about that?”

Before either of them could do anything, a giant white wolf leapt off of a building and snapped up the would be thief in his jaws, returning him to the shop that he had stolen the coin purse from. After some pets and a small treat, the would-be thief was released and taken into custody by the local authorities and the giant wolf padded off.

In the meantime, Schwein's eyes had gone wide as could be, her eye patch flipped up so she could see fully. "Did you see that? Was that? A giant white wolf?"

"Um, yes?" the doctor replied, unsure they could trust their own vision as well. "I, I think that wolf just acted like a security or police officer? Good grief, is the justice system around here based on bacon? This is one of the most peculiar places I've been. Speaking of, our clothing isn't really fitting in....but neither is our height. Think we should do something about the clothing?"

"Ja, our clothing does not fit with the deities, which we look similar to..." Schwein motioned off to a group of taller folk dressed in Asiatic garb going into a restaurant. Each one had bright kimonos and a scarf-like thing hovering about their head and shoulders like some sort of aura. The elfin locals all seemed to wear colorful panelled outfits, but the summoned ones were vast in their outfits, though seemingly no less colorful. "I worry that we may not be able to provide miracles if asked, though."

"Hmmmm. True, what do you recommend? We need to look like someone people will talk to..."

"Well... We don't exactly have divine powers..." Schwein thought about it for a moment as she finished off her hot chocolate.

That was when a nondescript five foot tall woman with long black hair, wearing long all black clothing, and a few bruises on her face stumbled out of an alleyway and bumped into Schwein. "I'm so sorry, I..." Then her eyes went wide. "You're... You're mortals... Please, you've got to help me. The locals won't do anything and there are a group of spirits after me. Please, you can't let them take my powers. They'll do horrible things with it."

Before she finished speaking, several yakuza looking spirits with long noses and long teeth stumbled out of the same alleyway threateningly. "Just give us what we want and we won't have to hurt you anymore, Death."

Schwein looked over at Doc Dael, one eyebrow raised. "I think I can take them."

"Well what are you looking at me for then?" Dael replied, slightly alarmed, "I'll cover your six and take out the ones that I can. Ma'am, um, Death? Can you please stand behind me?"

Moving to block their new...friend?....from the line of fire, Dael drew their phaser and aimed at the nearest of the Yakuza spirit. It occurred to Dael there was folly in firing a phaser at a spirit...after all, what did they have to lose? They were already dead. Nothing else for it though, and Asa fired a warning shot to the side of the spirit.

"Stop there, turn around and leave, or we will be forced to take further action," the doctor intoned solemnly.

The spirit that the phaser blast went past seemed to turn a bit more pale as the nearby locals all scrambled out of the way. The leader posed dramatically, a gleaming sword in hand. "We're not afraid of you! We'll do anything to get what we want!" With that, he launched into an attack that Schwein easily countered with her own shortsword, disarming the leader with a single strike and delivering a boot to his solar plexus.

Spirit or no, these were some incredibly weak foes and Schwein almost felt sorry for them as she twacked them with the flat side of her sword and casually parried their attacks. In less than a minute, they had given up and spouted off some generic 'you haven't seen the last of us' nonsense and scuttled off back into the alley.

Hiding her shortsword away, a cheer went up from the gathered crowd as a few locals came up and congratulated the two USS Hera crew members and thanked them for keeping the peace so handily, now and then handing them some of their wares - normally baked goods or sweet meats.

Her arms now loaded with several frosted baked goods and sweetmeats, Schwein looked at Asa somewhat confused. "Herr Doctor... What have we just done?"

"Made a scene?" Asa replied, "I think perhaps it would be best if we went somewhere....less conspicuous." Turning to their new companion, the doctor continued , "Um, Death? Could you show us to somewhere we can speak. We have...questions...."

"Thank you so very much," the woman said, grasping them each with a black gloved hand. "Please, follow me. I know of a noodle shop that isn't so... sweet..." With that, the woman led them down the street a ways to an asian style ramen shop that sold actual ramen. Not some sweetened version of it.

Taking a seat at a table in the back, she motioned for the pair to sit with her. "Thank you again. Those spirits have been hounding me for weeks, trying to take my powers. I'm the living embodiment of Death, by the way. And you are Doctor Asa Dael and the Pirate Schwein von Alcott. It's a pleasure meeting the both of you."

Laughing nervously, Dael replied, "I really hope we don't have an appointment soon ma'am, if you take my meaning. Your profession and mine are somewhat opposed." Motioning to a nearby seat, Dael retrieved three bowls of ramen for the group and hot tea.

"So, what are your powers and why are spirits trying to take them? And why should we stop them? Not that they looked like the good guys of course, but help me understand what the heck is going on here, will ya'?" the doctor continued.

The young woman laughed happily at the joke the Doctor offered. "Yeah, you've snatched a few people from me and given them a bit more time on their clock. I'm happy for that though. It gives them a chance to live a bit longer and do more good."

Expertly twirling her chopsticks, even with her gloves on, Death dug into her ramen humming with delight at the flavor as the pair joined her. "Oh goodness... You have no idea how hard it is to get anything that isn't sweet and sugary in the upper levels of this place."

Schwein tried her ramen as well, finding it a bit sweeter than the ramen she was used to, but shrugged. It was pretty close to the ramen she was used to and the broth was spot on. "Please, go on. Your explanation?"

"Ah, sorry." Setting aside her chopsticks for the moment, Death took a sip of her tea to clear her mouth. "They're yakuza akayashi spirits that I sent to the underworld... I forget how long ago. The locals summoned them for stupid reasons and they've been trying to get my powers over the gate between life and death to try and come fully back to life. As you can see, I'm pretty weak physically, though I can kill people with only a touch." Pulling back part of her glove, she revealed that it was hiding a skeletal arm. She then pulled open her black blouse, revealing a ribcage with a deeply red glowing orb inside.

"Not too impressive compared to most of the other summoned beings here, I know." The woman looked down at her bowl of ramen sadly. "I can't even perform blessings or miracles for the vendors for food or shelter. I tell them I can kill their enemies with a touch or tell them the exact time and day they'll die... or how they'll die... Where... That's not a blessing for normal people and those that would want something like that, you don't want to work for. On top of that, you have risen hoodlums you have to constantly run from and no one will help you with... And because of the power here, I can't seem to just leave."

She then looked up with hope in her eyes. "That's why I asked the two of you for help. You're mortal but you both have amazingly long lives and you're so kind and pure of heart. I just knew you would at least consider helping me."

The soup tasted off to Asa, but they were never really a ramen fan, so they went along with the others enjoyement. While slurping a noodle a bit more messily than strictly called for, the doctor paused to reflect on what Death had shared with them. Why were all these beings being called to the worldship? What did the peoples here want? What were Yakuza spirits even doing here?

“Of course we want to help,” they replied cautiously, “But I do have a few questions. What is the nature of this place? Why are there Yakuza here? And why in the seven hells are there celestial beings all over the place?”

Death motioned with one hand at their surroundings. "This whole ark is a failsafe made by the god of the elfin peoples that live here to save them from some great calamity that destroyed their world... Or so the story goes. As for why all these spirits and summoned things are here now after a millennia of flying through space, these immortal elfin fools stopped procreating and evolving and aging and dying because of their so called god so they started summoning us to try and spur their own development. They never even invented computers or poirn. Do you have any idea how boring that is? Over a hundred forms of sugar, but no porn?"

"Um, uh, well, I guess?" The doctor squeaked. Being asexual themself, and a known sugar addict, Asa was beginning to wonder if they were not closer to elfin than mortal.

"Perhaps we could help with their endeavors though, then they would release you. Who is their lead scientist?"

"Sorry, I guess I made that argument to the wrong person, didn't I?" Death looked a bit sheepish for a moment as she seemed to read something floating above Asa's head, a blush forming across her cheeks. "As for their scientists... The Flumia Priestess that summoned me now resides on the surface as one of the head Flumias. They don't so much have scientists as spiritual energy researchers that they call priestesses. They lead the coven, which can be any gender, but from what I've seen, a priestess has to be a Flumia, Delia, or Gajia... Which are both titles and names in this society. When you're chosen for the position, you give up your old identity and take on the role fully, it seems. Rather selfless of them, but a bit annoying in a way."

"Oh good, another cult," Asa muttered to themself, turning to look over head and seeing nothing that Death could have been looking at. "Still, it sounds like we should go talk to the cult. What say you, Baroness?"

"I say ja, that sounds like a good plan. Always good to seek information from the source." Schwein finished off her ramen and tea and grinned, wiping her face off with the back of her sleeve. "Bodyguard for Death. The wonders never cease, do they, Doctor?"

With a resigned grin, Doc Dael nodded in assent, rising to follow the figure of Death wherever she might lead. "After you," they said, holding one arm out to indicate Death should lead.

"Then we'd best be off. Time is of the essence, as they say." Finishing her tea, Death stood and headed out the door, leading them on their way.