Austen World

Posted on Wed Nov 10th, 2021 @ 10:44am by Executive Officer Jake Ford & Evahnae Kohl & Jinx Jorasco & Chief Helmsman Eden Bowers

Mission: Mission 14: Holoworld
Location: SS Mary Rose
Timeline: MD-03
968 words - 1.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Eden couldn't believe what she'd found. Having always been a fan of this period, the Napoleonic wars in Europe, the Regency era, the time of Jane Austen, it seemed remarkable that a ship like this would just happen to have a program waiting for her. In fact, she'd forgotten all about her earlier feelings of dread.

"Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake!" She bounded up to him. "Look at this, look at what I found! Can we go, please, please, please!"

Seeing Eden excited about something wasn't necessarily an unusual daily occurrence, but she sounded positively exuberant this time. Jake had to give himself a few seconds to work out whether to calm her down or see what she wanted. On the small PADD he could see some old-looking images and text.

"Period drama...romantic..." He raised his eyebrow and opened his mouth to both question and protest, but then he saw her eyes. Those eyes that told him if he even objected to this idea for a second that her heart would be broken. So he had to figure out the right answer. "This is...certainly something."

"I can't believe it. Since I was a little girl I've wanted to see what it was like to be in a time period like this. Holodecks weren't really a thing yet when I was in Starfleet, and of course I've been on Rosie, so I haven't had a chance to check them out. But now...this looks like my chance!"

"Yeah. I guess it does." Jake eyed the virtual documentation. Normally a break to enjoy one of these immersive experiences cost a fortune; certainly it would have needed months of saving up some pay to afford. Here it was, at their fingertips, completely free. "All right. Let's check it out. Maybe post up a message to the rest of the crew, if we're going to take a dive at it?" he suggested. Having other company on this trip might be helpful.

“You two going swimming?” Jinx asked, walking into the mess hall and overhearing Jake talking about diving. The little woman went over to the replicator and ordered a coffee. She inhaled the scent with a smile. The Kisongo had a root that made a similar concoction, and she found she was just as wakeful in the morning with coffee. She turned to the others and sipped carefully.

Eden raised her eyebrows. "No, I'm dragging him with me into the land of empire gowns and carriages and tea and biscuits. Want to tag along?"

Jinx’s face scrunched up. “I don’t know what any of that is, but sure!” she said, grinning broadly.

Jake's hand went to his face in a momentary facepalm. The way Eden explained it, he wasn't sure if this was going to be quite as fun as exploring a Texan Wild West or one of the other action-filled scenarios they'd already spotted. He had to remind himself this was for her and not for him. "All right. Maybe we should see if that new barkeep lady is interested. She sounded like she was up for something a little different."

“Oh!” Jinx said with a smile. “I haven’t really had a chance to meet her yet. She did sign up for our D&D game later, though.”

"Sure," Eden smiled at him, knowing this probably wasn't his cup of tea, so to speak, but he was willing to indulge her. "Invite her along, I'm going to see if I can scrounge up the appropriate clothing." Eden wandered off in search of a replicator and was back within ten minutes with all kinds of garments in her hand. "We need to change first," she said, handing Jake his clothing first and piling the dresses in a big pile. "You two can choose first, I don't mind what I wear."

Jake hadn't been sure what to expect. There were a lot of ruffles, and even more layers. "Are you...sure this is the men's clothing?" he wondered aloud, lifting up something that he wasn't even sure where it went.

Eden giggled. "Yes, I'm sure. You're wearing something that resembles pants aren't you. I mean I could put you in a dress, but I doubt you'd like it," Eden said, working on putting her hair up into a bun after she'd gotten the empire waist dress on. They were pretty comfortable actually because she wasn't about to wear any type of corset. "Are we ready?"

Jinx ruffled through the dresses and found one Eden had replicated in her tiny size, a dark blue gown. Not at all shy at changing in front of others, the small alien woman undressed and pulled it on. “How do they do anything in something like this?” she asked, twirling the skirt around. Sure, it allowed for good movement, but it would get caught on everything if she went hunting in it, or trip her up if she tried to run.

Jake reappeared with cream pants that seemed to ride up a lot higher than his usual jumpsuit. The high-collared shirt she had provided matched in colour. Over the top he wore a red coat with tails, tight over his muscular physique. He tugged at the various seams. "Did the ancient Humans really wear this? How did they even sit down in these?"

“Oh!” Jinx said appreciatively, eying the tight material over Jake’s bottom as he turned around. She smiled. “I would say very carefully,” she noted with a giggle.

Eden frowned at her. "Maybe don't sit at all. Come on. Let's get this show started. I want to practice my ancient English."

A little noise escaped Jake's mouth as the unusually-dressed trio headed for their destination. He wasn't entirely sure what he was in for, but hopefully it couldn't get any worse...