Assistant Captain's Log 1

[minicaptain]

[ the first floor of the library, hiding behind a shelf towards the back, is a little girl. an open journal is by her feet. whether she opened it or it was just like that is anyone's guess. either way, it's recording her voice. ]

Naomi Wildman to Ensign Samantha Wildman. [ nothing. ] Computer, locate Ensign Samantha Wildman. [ she expects some quip about her mom being off voyager and the computer being unable to locate her... but there's nothing. ] Computer, end holodeck program. [ again nothing. naomi's starting to feel really uneasy. at the very least, she'd expected an "unable to comply" and at least then she could work through the program until she gets out or someone else gets her out, but there's nothing, only a silence that echoes through her ears. she takes a deep breath and hits her combadge in the hope that she can talk to someone. ]

Naomi Wildman to Voyager... Away team to Voyager. [ this is becoming more and more frightening and the longer she's here, the more afraid she's becoming.

after a while, she picks up the journal and at least starts to speak at it, though she isn't sure if anything's recording or not. can't hurt to try, right? ]

Assistant Captain's log: stardate... [ she pauses to think. ] I don't know what stardate it is. Mom was still teaching me how to read those. I think I'm on an away mission. A secret away mission. I've tried contacting people but the computer isn't responding and the comm system isn't working.

Has anyone seen my mom or Neelix? What about the Commander or Captain Janeway? Maybe Seven or the Doctor? I'll even take Lieutenant Torres or Tuvok. [ she pauses again as she finally slides to the floor between bookshelves. ]

I'm scared. Mom? Neelix? Anyone?

Comments

Dictated

[rose_of_battle]

[Realizing that's a child's voice, Sheena's quick to respond in a gentle voice.]

Hello, there. My name's Sheena Fujibayashi.

[She pauses a second.]

There's a book that's letting me talk to you, at the same time the words are appearing, too.

[minicaptain]

[ she gets the voice. she's ignoring the text for the moment. the journal is awkward. journal... book... thing.

she hesitates before answering softly. ]

Naomi Wildman.

...What is it? How does it work? [ part of that is her natural curiosity and part is fear that somehow the recent aliens have captured her for some really bad reason. ]

[rose_of_battle]

Hi, Naomi. It's nice to meet you.

[There's a "Hmmmm" sound as Sheena thinks.]

Well, the journal is just that--a journal. But it lets you talk to other people like I'm doing with you. I'm not sure how it works though. There's nothing like it where I'm from.

[Oh, baby. Sheena won't let anything happen to you.]

[minicaptain]

Nice to meet you.

[ at least she's polite? ]

It's not a piece of technology, is it? [ she may be considering examining it for a power source. not that she knows everything about engineering, but her mom works in engineering. that counts for something, right?

...she can pretend, at least. ]

[rose_of_battle]

It's not like any technology I know.

It's been called a magic book, though. And, I kinda agree with it.

[minicaptain]

Oh. [ okay so not a computer involved. ]

But... magic doesn't exist. [ not to her knowledge, anyway. special abilities, sure, but magic? no. not outside the holodeck or her imagination. ]

Action!

[kid_apocalypse]

[Guess who else is in the library? THIS KID. Evan was reading one of the numerous sci-fi paperbacks that litter the tables, when he hears a little girl apparently dictating to her journal. A girl who's voice he doesn't recognize. He wanders over, hands in his pockets, to see what's going on.]

Can't say I've ever heard any of those names, except for Doctor. Are you okay?

[He kneels down so he's at Naomi's level.]

[minicaptain]

[ the sound of the new and unfamiliar voice causes her to shoot to her feet. she's still tiny, though, so it works out. the journal is left on the ground and she takes a step back, eyes wide with fear. ]

The Doctor's here? [ that could be a very good thing. at least he would know her. ] I'm not hurt. [ that she knows of. ]

[kid_apocalypse]

Oh, I'm...umm...sorry if I startled you. I didn't mean to.

[He manages a smile.]

Well, a Doctor is here, it might be the one you know, but I couldn't tell you for sure. This place we're in, Paradisa, takes people from all times and places, so it's hard to know who's from where.

[He nods.]

That's good, at least. There've been people who've come here who weren't in the best shape, so I've always gotta check.

[minicaptain]

[ she's just scared and he's unfamiliar. ]

Is he a hologram? [ it's the only thing she can think of that might make the difference. ] The Doctor I know is an EMH. [ but he's still a person to her. ]

All kinds of times? Like what?

[ her little mind is reminded of the prime directive and her mouth turns down in a frown. will she have to uphold that now? ]

I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me.

[ aside from the being lost thing... but if this is part of the ship, or if it's a holonovel or something... he wouldn't know the difference, would he? ]

[kid_apocalypse]

I don't think so. He just came here like a week ago, and seemed real enough to me.

[He scratches at the back of his head.]

Well, I'm from the year 2012, but it's 2013 here, and I guess there's people who come from a long time ago, and from all sorts of places, like this place called Alternia, where by friend Aradia comes from. Paradisa doesn't really discriminate, I think.

[He shrugs.]

Well, I'm training to become a nurse. It's sorta my job to worry about people if they're not feeling right. My name's Evan, what's yours?

Dictated forever

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He pauses in his painting because...well, that's a child. A distressed child]

It's okay, darl. There's no need to be scared, no one's going to hurt you here. [If they tried it, he would murder them in many painful ways] You're in a place called Paradisa.

[minicaptain]

[ a very distressed child, yes. she hesitates. ]

What is Paradisa? I don't remember coming here. What class planet is it?

[ sob, naomi, honey. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[At least other planets aren't something unfamiliar to the giant alien rabbit]

Can't say for sure. It might even be another dimension, rather than another planet.

Anyhow, it takes people from their homes, and brings them here.

[minicaptain]

Another dimension? [ now she's really starting to think those aliens kidnapped her. still assuming this isn't a holodeck program gone horribly wrong. ]

Does anyone know how?

[ asking questions staves off the inevitable crying fit of loneliness. for a few minutes anyway. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

That's my guess, anyway.

[That's good, he has no idea of what you do with children when they cry. He really needs to ask Jack about that]

The castle itself is magic. A very strong magic.

...But don't you worry none. You'll have people who'll look out for you here. You won't be alone.

dictated;

[fantasies]

I don't think the computers here are supposed to work that way, sorry.

[minicaptain]

How do they work?

[ everything is confusing her. sob. ]

[fantasies]

Well... [wow, where do you even start explaining how a computer works.] You type things in. And click on stuff.

[minicaptain]

[ that's a huff. ]

I know how a computer works. I wanted to know how these are different. Are they older?

[ she's assuming they are. he mentioned clicking. who clicks? ]

How do you click?

[fantasies]

Maybe? Probably, if you usually talk to your computers.

[That's how it works in scifi movies, anyway.]

There should be a mouse near it. You click with that.

[inharperwetrust]

[Okay, so maybe Harper feels like being an utter troll. Either way, his voice comes across the journal.]

This is Lt. Seamus Zelazny Harper of the Commonwealth High Guard vessel Andromeda Ascendant. Welcome to Paradisa.

[minicaptain]

[ fortunately or unfortunately, military rank is something she understands. so she answers like she thinks she's supposed to, like the captain would. ]

Assistant Captain Naomi Wildman of the Federation Starship Voyager. Pleased to meet you, Sir.

[ a pause. she's never heard of that vessel before. ]

What's the Andromeda Ascendant like?

[inharperwetrust]

["Sir" is still weird, so he's going to double back on the whole thing.]

Just call me Harper. Everyone else does. And I've never heard of the Federation, either.

And the Andromeda? If you've never seen a Glorious Heritage-class High Guard warship, you've never lived. That ship is the love of my life. Best warship in the tri-galaxies.

[minicaptain]

[ this is what she grew up with. welcome to her life. ]

Yes si-- [ she catches herself. ] Acknowledged. [ she's honestly not even sure how to explain the federation. she knows generally what it is and that it's important to voyager's crew, but she doesn't really... understand it. so she just lets that one slide for now. ]

So it's a starship? [ that's all she really got out of that, sob. ]