The Bar, 29918-2237

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  • #32622
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    The Bar, 29918-2237

    A sizeable group of Cadets and Ensigns, in their off-duty fatigues, is gathered in an area of the Bar in the temporary research base. Calling it a Bar is perhaps an exaggeration, as it consists of a cluster of tables and chairs, and an improvised serving area around crates and refrigerated storage units. However, the Cadets and Ensigns are in the process of consuming a variety of food and drink, and some have reached the early stages of relaxed inebriation.

    Cdt. Yukiko Sawamura stands, and taps on her glass with her fork. Since her glass is actually a metal mug, the sound is rather flat, but it serves its purpose, as conversation quietens down around her. She calls,

    “Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please. I call this meeting to order…”

    A voice from the crowd interrupts:

    “You mean, to DISorder!”

    “You are correct, Mr. Singh. To DISorder. Thank you,” Nakamura gives a slight bow in acknowledgement. “Now, do we have any nominations for awards or medals for the shift that just concluded?”

    An Acting Ensign raises his hand. Nakamura nods to him,

    “Mr. Lopez-Romero, go ahead.”

    “Thank you, Ms. Nakamura. I nominate Mr. Schwartzberg for the Skutter Scatter Ribbon, for having successfully driven eight construction Skutters into the power conduits, where they are currently still in hiding and refusing to surface, even when bribed with promises of the best engine oil and new batteries.”

    A ripple of chuckling and applause. A voice from the back protests,

    “I object!”

    “Denied!” A chorus of voices replies.

    “Denied, Mr. Schwartzberg,” Nakamura says with a grin. “Objector buys the next round. You know the rules.”

    General cheers, and a number or orders for elaborate cocktails, to which the barman responds,

    “You must be joking. We have beer, Hjorden ale, and mystery distillate. And Hjocoa, naturally.”

    A few people set up a chant of “Hjocoa! Hjocoa! Hjocoa!”, which dies down as full mugs are handed round.

    “Now, ladies and gentlemen, if we may proceed?” Nakamura asks. The group quietens further, as drinks are sampled. “Do we have any other nominations?”

    Lopez-Romero nudges the arm of the Cadet sitting next to him. She shakes her head. He whispers, perfectly audibly,

    “Go on, Song. It’s a good one. And you know Hamilton would want you to.” He raises his hand, and points to Cdt. Song.

    “Ms. Song, your nomination, if you please,” Nakamura urges her. Cdt. Song rises to her feet.

    “All right then. But it isn’t my nomination, it’s Lt. Cmdr. …” she is interrupted by shouts of

    “No ranks in the Bar!” and “Your round! Your round!” to which she replies with a few well chosen words: “青蛙操的流氓 (Qing Wa Cao De Liu Mang)” Lopez-Romero looks at her in shock. She raise an eyebrow.

    “… then it’s Ms. Mundy’s nomination. To Mr. Xavier Wise, the Sim Purple Heart, for doing what ships’ captains, let alone fleet captains, should only do in mass media entertainment, to wit, taking helm control on a shuttle and flying out into an armed encounter. And getting blown up on a mine.”

    Deafening cheers.

    “May I suggest, ladies and gentlemen” says an NCO who had been sitting nearby and listening, while pretending to be engrossed in her food, “that such a momentous occurrence deserves the creation of an all new award?”

    Loud cries of “Hear hear!”, as mugs are pounded on tables. Cdt. Nakamura looks around, and asks,

    “Do we have any suggestions from those present at this meeting?”

    There are plenty of suggestions, many of which are greeted with cheers, laughter and more drinks. Eventually, the choices come down to:

    “What about the ‘Hoist by Your Own Picard Manoeuvre’?” and“Let’s call it the Z’ha’dum Medal!”

    This leads to much debate, over more drinks, until the gathering is approaching incoherence, and Cdt. Nakamura recommends,

    “We shall vote on this suggestion. All votes should reach this urn” she raises an empty jar of bar snacks, and ceremoniously puts it down on the Bar “by 24.00 hours, 41018-2237, so that a decision may be properly communicated to this assembly at the conclusion of the next shift.”

    More cheers, and final orders as the barman threatens to throw everybody out.

    #32623
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    //Feel free to add in your own suggestions, and/or vote, in the comments. And remember that, according to the time-honoured rules (which I made up today, and are therefore considered The Immemorial Custom of the Service), the ribbon/medal/whatever may only be presented by an Ensign. But since votes are anonymous, everyone can vote.

    #32624
    Zyrxes Tam
    Participant

    Zyrxes scratches ‘Picard’ into a beer mat with a corner of his omnitech and posts it into the top of the jar

    #32626
    Rodger Wilcon
    Participant

    Wilcon pulls a small flimsy pad and a ink stylus out of his undress pockets and quickly writes down, “Meritous Comendation for Self Degredation in the Interest of the Common Good”, and drops said flimsy into the emptied snack jar.

    #32627
    Xansta
    Participant

    Xansta sits isolated at a corner table, carefully writing. He has a sample of Mundy’s hand written log and he’s carefully emulating her handwriting. He surreptitiously stuffs the jar with “Collateral damage becoming of an overconfident shuttle pilot,” “Innovation award for the Wise maneuver” and “Destruction award for the shortest shuttle simulation.” Hearing the blurred speech of some of his fellow officers, he pulls the last entry out of the jar and changes simulation to shimulation and puts it back in the jar, smiling at the faux-drunken alliteration. Whistling casually, he takes his drink and exits the bar.

    #32628
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    //One problem with the above: Mundy does not hand-write her logs, she dictates them to her Computer.

    #32629
    Xansta
    Participant

    //And I can’t go back and edit to expunge anachronisms

    #32630
    Matsiyan
    Participant

    //Actually you can. Put in the URL of your post and add /edit

    #32631
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    Cdt. Nakamura stands before Lt.Cmdr. Mundy’s desk, looking rather worried. She hands over three hand-written pieces of paper. Lt.Cmdr. Mundy reads them, tries not to smile, and asks,

    “Other than the fact that some Jr. Officer can’t spell, what’s the problem, Nakamura?” Nakamura hesitates, but replies
    ,
    “We think somebody is trying to copy your handwriting, Ma’am.”

    Lt.Cmdr. Mundy looks terribly official as she counts out,

    “One: if they are, they’re doing a terrible job of it. Two: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Three: how do you know what my handwriting looks like? Oh, and Four: who is ‘we’?”

    “Uhm, that’s Cdt. Song, Ma’am. She said you hand-wrote a recommendation…”

    “So I did. Fair enough, Nakamura, that isn’t my handwriting. But, again, why is that a problem?”

    “Well, Ma’am, we didn’t want it to look like you might have…”

    “They’re better suggestions than the Sim Purple Heart. Even though that was spur of the moment, and I hadn’t had time to come up with anything better. Still, I would hate for anybody to think I’d spell “manoeuvre” like that, so thank you for your concern.”

    “So… is that it, Ma’am?” Nakamura looks somewhere between confused and relieved.

    “Of course it is. Off you go, Cadet, don’t you have some votes to count?”

    #32635
    Xansta
    Participant

    Xansta sits isolated at a corner table, carefully writing. He has a sample of Mundy’s hand written communication and he’s carefully emulating her handwriting. He surreptitiously stuffs the jar with “Collateral damage becoming of an overconfident shuttle pilot,” “Innovation award for the Wise maneuver” and “Destruction award for the shortest shuttle simulation.” Hearing the blurred speech of some of his fellow officers, he pulls the last entry out of the jar and changes simulation to shimulation and puts it back in the jar, smiling at the faux-drunken alliteration. Whistling casually, he takes his drink and exits the bar.

    #32636
    Xansta
    Participant

    // Adding /edit to …

    The Bar, 29918-2237


    …didn’t work. The /edit may only work in a different context, or I don’t have the correct url (or something else)

    #32637
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    //Don’t worry, Xansta, the addition I posted works with your handwritten notes post.
    //And I always forget how to edit posts myself, I have to go back and look at the instructions every single time, which is why I didn’t bother to edit my original post, where I mysteriously changed Nakamura’s name without realising it.

    //Also, I forgot to say, but a shiny No-Prize to the person who can translate Song’s well-chosen words… an even shinier No-Prize if you can tell me where I’m quoting from.

    #32638
    Donovan
    Participant

    // I do not do that to frogs, can’t deny the rest of it, though! (Someone else here is a Firefly fan, too!)

    #32656
    Adele Mundy
    Participant

    //Donovan wins the shiny No-Prizes!

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