Holodeck Two Tests - RPLOG
Participants
Date
21/5/478
Log
The Creator science vessel is as stark and sterile as ever. Presumably, any comforts or personal touches are relegated to the crew's personal quarters, though it is almost certain that no beings would be permitted to access those areas. Dax, the pygmy space rhino is standing at the gangway, much smaller than the actual loading area, awaiting the first comers. The hirsute little rhino looks decidedly uncomfortable in his uniform jumpsuit. Black, while the scholars all seem to wear white.
Cara walks into the area, admiring the entire entire ship. The feline stares at the nice looking ship, amazed at how something like this can reach past the stars. Strangely, the feline is wearing her normal attire. As soon as she makes it to the pygmy space rhino, she takes a few steps closer, but stays silent.
A second feline soon enters after, her quartet of tails swaying behind her, ears flicking, and her ears twitching lightly as she moves along. Fur white as ever, stripes brightly orange as usual, the she-cat soon stands at a chosen spot, simply waiting for further instructions or information.
Zuri is as awestruck by the ship as Cara, the salamander being having to remind himself to stay focused on the job instead of running around exploring. He's wearing his finest outfit, a three-piece tweed suit that he had just finished cleaning meticulously to prepare for this meeting. Unsure of what to do he stays close to Flora, standing primly beside her.
Dax shuffles uncomfortably, certainly unused to being in situations like this. "Um," the rhino clears his throat noisily, though the sound does not really seem to match his normal speaking voice, "Welcome to the GSS Venture. Or welcome back, as the case may be." The little rhino has an oddly mechanical voice, much like a Creator translator, and his lips don't quite seem to match his words. "I am BIOMOD designated Delta, Alpha, Chi, called Dax," he drones, "And I will be your guide for today." This whole spiel seems very rehearsed, and Dax seems all the more uncomfortable for it. "If you will follow me, I will take you to see Doctor Farnsworth," he says, turning his back and stumping away into the ship.
Cara turns her head slightly from the strange word. "I wonder what a Biomod is?" The feline just shrugs her shoulders pushes that thought to the back of her mind for now and begins walking to the ship, but before she enters, she takes a look at the tournament grounds and sighs, "I wonder if I'll make it back here.", and walks onto the ship, her tail slowly moving through the air.
A short nod, another rumble as Flora moves after the others, her tails still lazily swaying, her ears flicking as she glances towards Zuri. "Friend Zuri is... Rather well dressed, yes. Did friend Zuri just come from a bonding?" she mumbles with a raise of her brow.
Zuri briefly slips to his usual self, briefly waving excitedly at Dax before he remembers himself. He returns to standing politely in place while the pygmy rhino speaks, and follows along when bidden. He peers up at Flora and offers her a bright smile as she speaks, and giggles at her question. "No Lady Flora, I just want to be presentable for the Creators. It's my first time meeting one in person!" He pauses, then asks. "Is it not appropriate to wear suits near them?"
A piercing cry comes down from the clear blue skies! Is it some local bird of prey having spotted its quarry? No! It's a cloudy grey pegasus, her tightly-cinched labcoat still flapping wildly in the wind as she spreads her wings, slowing her descent.
It looks almost majestic, save for those misaligned eyes behind the giant oversized leather goggles replete with unnecessary gearwheels and sprockets, the strange plush toy she insists on carrying about, and the way the piercing call resolves into a nasal whine.
"WAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaait!" Dupree cries, hooves beating madly on the ground as she huffs and puffs to a half. "You can't...have science...without me!" she pants, dropping her stuffed plush (and razor-tipped) cat.
"Nah," Dax drones, finally breaking from his script, but not looking around as he leads the way, "They will like it, Mister Zuri. They always like to see you folks in fancy dress." He picks at his own skin-tight suit. "I wish I could just wear my regular clothes, though," he says, "It's been half my life time since I've had to wear a standard issue crew uniform!" The rhino shuts up after that and leads the group in silence through the sterile halls to a room that will be familiar to Flora, if not to the others.
It is a fairly large room, with everything made of gleaming steel and gentle, white lights. Along either side of the room is a row of smooth, white, egg shaped chairs with soft, cushioned seats. Three Creators, two men and a woman, in the white suits of Creator Scholars stand waiting. One of the males steps forward. "Welcome!" he says with a dazzling smile, "I am Doctor Farnsworth. It is a pleasure to have you all aboard. Please, take a seat." He waves at the padded egg-chairs and takes a seat himself. "Today, we will be exploring some problem solving scenarios in an ILLUSION landscape," he explains, "You will feel some disorientation as the ILLUSION begins. Do not panic, this is perfectly normal."
Cara just shrugs and takes a seat in the egg chair and smiles, "Well, I guess I'm going to be looking at pretty lights today." The feline grumbles for a moment and continues, "Although, I would have loved to look at the ship, since it
Cara just shrugs, takes a seat in the egg chair, and smiles, "Well, I guess I'm going to be looking at pretty lights today." The feline grumbles for a moment and continues, "Although, I would have loved to look at the ship, since it's really interesting to me."
"There is... No reason not to, no. But there's also no real reason to do so, no," the cat mumbles with a raised brow. "Flora is wearing Flora's work-outfit because it's comfortable, yes," the cat mumbles as she enters the room.
And of course, not even three words into introduction, Flora has already taken her seat, and is making herself comfortable.
Zuri grins widely as Dax mentions the Creator's liking for beings in fancy dress. He peers up at Flora, nodding. "This is comfortable too, and-" He pauses as one of the Creators, presumably Doctor Farnsworth, stands up to address them. Rather unlike himself he is lost for words at being so close to not just one, but three of them, and can do very little but nod timidly and taking his seat next to Flora.
Dupree darts all about the room in rapt attention, making all sorts of noises of interest--"Hmm! Ooh! Aah! Fascinating." Turning to the Creators, she smiles broadly and speaks cheerily.
"So! Which one of these machines lets you take over the world?"
The remaining two Creator scholars assisst the beings, making small adjustments to make the chairs fit a bit more comfortably for the wide range of sizes. The female smiles as she adjusts Zuri's seat, though she says nothing. Doctor Farnsworth looks around at the seated beings, then waves a hand dismissively at Dax and the little rhino lowers his head subserviently and walks out of the room. "I fear we cannot offer a full tour of the ship, Miss," Farnsworth says, "But the time may yet come." The doctor turns a smile on Dupree. "All of them," he says genially, "Although, I imagine that you will find the one we are about to use to be the most interesting." Even as he speaks, the chairs raise up and tilt backward a little into a reclined position. Dark visors lower down from the top of the egg, covering the faces of the beings within. There is a brief moment of darkness, a sudden sense of vertigo, and the small group of beings find themselves on a featureless gray plain!
Cara groans loudly from the vertigo and begins rubbing her head, "Ughh, I honestly don't recommend that. It felt almost as bad as that time I got caught in that one Aranian's wind strikes." The feline gets onto her feet and looks around for a moment. "Is everyone else okay?"
Flora flicks her tails, a soft rumble, and the she-cat watches the other beings, her ears still aflick as she stretches her legs in the, by now, familiar featureless plane. "Flora is going to assume Flora can't do anything again, yes?" she mumbles, taking a moment to attempt to carve a shape out of mid-air to test her theory.
Zuri smiles shyly up at the female adjusting his seat, suddenly rather timid and reserved around the Creators he so wanted to meet. He leans back patiently, and jolts slightly when his chair starts to move. His eyes follow the movement of the visor as it locks atop his face, and then... a sudden wave of dizziness, a clumsy stagger to the side, and he finds himself in the middle of a strange, featureless landscape. He instinctively paces close to Cara, nodding at her. "I'm well miss Cara. Where are we? Where did the Creators go?" He looks up at Flora with curiosity, quirking an eyebrow at her strange gesture.
The Creator Doctor's words ring in her ears, and as the new landscape coalesces before her, she draws an awestruck breath. "A...a world of my own! By my beakers, it's true!"
Cue the manic cackling. "Hahaha...haAAAAHhahaha! Finally, it's come true! I am master and creator, lord of all I see, and--" she pauses suddenly, staring down the others. "I didn't ask for you!"
Fingering a nonexistent beard, Dupree is consumed in thought for a moment, her eyes nearly aligning properly... and then with a snap, the clarity disappears. "A-HA! You must be...my minions! MWAhahahahaaaaaaha"... and off she goes on another cackle...
"N-no. Flora doesn't do being a minion, no," the cat mumbles with another browraise, her eyes focused on Dupree. "Miss Dupree is acting... Odd today. Flora isn't sure what's going in... If it were one of Flora's golems, that would be solved by percussive maintenance, yes," the cat mumbles, before she turns towards Zuri. "Friends Zuri and Cara, Miss Dupree and Flora are here. Here is everywhere and nowhere," she starts off, before gesturing at, well, nothing in particular. "The Creators can make illusions, walk around in them, yes. Right now, the illusion is simple, she rumbles, gesturing at the featureless sphere she's drawn in the air. "When... They show us what they want, we could be in a forest, or in a mansion," she continues, reshaping the form into a tree, then a stately house, though still simple in shape.
Doctor Farnsworth, who appeared right along with the others shakes his head at Flora's question. "You are quite free to do as you wish here," he says as the feline's gesture is rewarded with the appearance of flat, gray matter, "Only hear me out first." The Creator male waves a hand at the featureless plain. "In this illusion," he explains, "Anything is possible. As the HIGHLADY said. Whatever you request, the MACHINE SPIRIT will provide. You need only ask. Today, I would like to present you with a series of challenges and I only ask that you solve them as simply and as quickly as possible." He gives Dupree a bit of a Look, but decides to let it pass for now. "And here is the first task," he says, before waving in a complex gesture. Before the group, a table suddenly rises from the ground. On the table are are four boxes, each with a rather impressive looking lock. "This task is quite simple," he says, "All you need to do is tell me what is inside of that box. Go about this any way you like." The man folds his hands behind his back and stands, watching.
Cara just walks over to one of the boxes with a smile and looks at the lock. The feline makes sure to get the shape of the keyhole correct and draws a small three dimensional key attached to a staff with her finger. The feline jumps into the air, "Yay!" and instantly tries to unlock the box with the key-ended staff.
A soft rumble, a nod, and a flick of Flora's tails as she looks at the boxes, moving around them for a short moment, before flicking her ears. "Flora wants a note which says what's in each box, yes," the cat rumbles softly, watching the creator doctor curiously. "If Flora can have anything..." she mumbles.
Zuri looks up at Flora's display with a gawp. "You can just make anything?" He peers over at Doctor Farnsworth who was suddenly just there, listening to his explanation and to the details of the task. He grins widely. "Oh, I can do that Sir!" He says excitedly to the creator before running over to one of the boxes. He peers into the lock, sticking one finger inside as if testing it. "Uuh.. umm... hm!" He looks over at the Doctor. "We can ask for anything at all?" He looks up at the sky.
"Uh.. Sir." He says, addressing the Machine Spirit that he cannot quite grasp the name of. "I need a flat-tab, a rake and two spikes." He pauses, before explaining. "A tab is a flat length of metal like this." He gestures to mimic a seven-inch long flat and thin object. "A rake is like a thin tool with a claw thing at the end." He gestures with a crooked finger to indicate a claw. "And uh.. well.. two spikes are what they sound like, about this long and pointed." He gestures again before waiting to see what happens.
"HeyheyheyHEY!" Dupree fusses, flailing at Flora's shape. "Bad minion! This is my world to rule with an iron fist! You find your own world to take over and befoul."
As this fails to have any effect, Dupree frowns thoughtfully for a moment, listening to the Creator and the chatty cat speak. "But...if I can have anything I want, then how come my minions are so disobedient?" It almost looks as if reality is sinking in... until she snaps her fingers again. "MACHINE SPIRIT! Give me minions, loyal and strong, with which I can take over...THE WORLD! HAHAh--ehhh, you get the point," she sighs mid-cackle.
Something just does not come out right with Cara's attempt. Instead of an actual staff or key or keystaff, she gets a flat, inch thick cutout of the shape she drew! It is not especially helpful in opening the box in front of her.
Flora's request is answered by a friendly sounding chime and a lovely, illuminated scroll appears, hovering in the air before her. Zuri meets similar success as his requested tools are suddenly on the table before him.
Doctor Farnsworth seems to take particular notice of Dupree's request as three figures materialize from the ether. All three are big, burly, and not terribly bright looking, seeming to be strange amalgamations of various beings all stitched together, rather inexpertly. Still, they look like they can rob a grave or throw a switch as well as anyone.
Cara looks at the cardboard cutout and throws it to the ground in a huff. "Crap!", The feline marches over to the machine spirit and sighs for a moment before asking, "Can I just have a key, or a staff, please? I won't try to do it myself like last time." The feline looks to her left and to her right to see if anyone else hears this and asks, "An explosive along with something to light it would help too."
"Flora has the list, yes," the she-cat rumbles, before raising her brow at the other member of her species. "Friend Cara is... Being quite violent, yes," the cat mumbles after a moment of contemplation, before looking to the creator-doctor. "Does Mister Creator Doctor Farnsworth want to know which one is in what box as well? Flora assumes yes, yes. Even so... Wooden duck, shoe, flour, and three marbles, yes. And if MIster Creator Doctor Farnsworth wants to know the contents of the specific boxes... Flora supposes a better list would work. Or a key to open all locks, yes.
Finally, she turns to Dupree, her brow raised still. "Flora is not a minion, no. And Flora really things Miss Dupree might need some percussive maintenance, yes... Can the computer make that happen? No harming miss Dupree, though... Just make her act less... Odd?"
Zuri giggles happily, jumping in place and clapping in excitement. "This is awesome!" He takes up the tab and pick, sliding the former into the lock to test its depth and following it up with the latter to poke at and learn the position of the pins securing the lock. "Let's see if I can do this the clean way.." He applies torque with the tab and starts using the rake to tug at the lock's moving parts, trying to force in the pins that prevent the cylinder from turning. He nibbles on his tongue as he works, swapping from the rake to one of the two picks when he has to push in a moving part rather than rotate it. Feeling the lock is close to opening he jiggles and applies force with the tab, trying to get the cylinder to finally turn.
"Wh--pf--bu--mu--what?!" the Mad Mare finally manages to stammer. "I need an ARMY of minions to take over the world. This isn't even a platoon! It's more like...a detachment of a squad!" With a most vicious roll of the eyes (well, as much as you can roll misaligned eyes like hers), Dupree crosses her arms and snorts most indignantly.
"Okay, sure, whatever," she huffs, gesticulating absently at the box. "MINIONS! Open the box! I await your results with fingers steepled malevontly." Which is true--no sooner does she say it, then her palms are together, fingertips tapping against each other rhythmically in the classic villain pose.
There is another friendly bell tone and several items appear before Cara. A thick, iron key, a wooden staff, some sort of cylinders wrapped in red paper, and a strange, metallic device with a trigger like a pistol.
Doctor Farnsworth accepts Flora's explanation with a nod. "Honestly, HIGHLADY," he says, the machine spirit chiming in with the correct honorific, "I only wanted to know what was in your own box, but I appreciate your. . . enthusiasm."
Only a moment later, Zuri's box opens with a click, revealing a single, small shoe! That was not so hard!
There is a gentle tone near Dupree at her outburst. "I am sorry, TEST SUBJECT FOUR," comes a vaguely feminine voice from the air, "But a full army exceeds the peramiters of this situation. Would you prefer smaller minions?" The monstrous minions are hard at work while Dupree plots and schemes, one of them idly picking up the box and smashing it on the floor, causing three glass marbles to ping off somewhere in the infinite plain.
Cara smiles and takes the wooden staff. "Thank you!" She walks directly over to the box and begins spinning her staff through the use of both of her hands. The spinning stops with her raising the staff over her head and promptly swinging it into the box on the side of the lock.
Dupree's eyes cross rather crossly as she continues to argue with thin air. "Forget about your situation, what about mine? How am I suppose to take over the world with only three fleshy abominations? I've seen bigger dinner parties at The Stained Labcoat! ... what? Smaller minions? What good will THAT do me?" she cries. "I'm beginning to think you don't take me seriously herer!"
Just as Dupree begins her sulking, she hears a loud CRACK followed by a fainly familiar echoing 'clack' as the contents (and remainders) of her container spill out, the spheres rolling into the distance.
"Oh, you overgrown oafs! Now I've lost my marbles!"
A soft rumble, a nod, and a flick of Flora's ears. "Flora... Suggests asking the question more specifically next time, yes," she mumbles, before looking towards Dupree. "Flora... Flora is quite sure miss Dupree already lost those a while ago, yes," she mumbles, before clapping once for Zuri as well, and drawing a simple chair in the air for herself to rest on... After all, no reason not to get a tad more comfortable after finishing the assignment.
Zuri picks up the shoe from within the box, smiling brightly. He turns to Flora and holds the shoe up towards her. "You guessed it right Lady Longtail, one of them did have a shoe!" He keeps the shoe with him, for some reason believing that to be a part of the game as he walks over towards Cara to watch her at 'work'.
With a loud CRACK! Cara's box pops open, spilling a wooden duck onto the featureless floor of the infinite space.
"Very good!" applauds Doctor Farnsworth, "That was certainly enlightening for me. Are you all ammenable to one more test?" The boxes, broken, shattered, open and closed all vanish at a wave of the Doctor's hand, as do their contents and the various tools that the beings asked for. Strangely, the three mishapen minions remain, clustering around Dupree and waiting for orders.
Cara lowers the staff and answers, "Sure, I believe we have plenty of time for one more test." The athletic feline shifts her gaze back to everyone else and smiles, her fangs showing by mistake, "Do you guys have anything that you have to do that might get in the way of that?"
Flora leans back in her chair, before looking back to doctor Farnsworth. "Flora has no issues, no," the cat rumbles, before setting to sculpt a few shapes with her hands as she waits for the next challenge.
Zuri blinks as the shoe he was holding disappears, the small salamander still marvelling at the wonders of this strange place. He nods at the Creator, smiling brightly. "Yes Sir! I'd like to play again please!" He skips over to Flora's side, standing next to her as she sits upon the conjured chair.
Dupree appears to assent, or at least fails to object, now preoccupied with her minions. "Oh, I'm sorry," she murmurs softly, wrapping an arm around the two at her sides. "I've...I've just been under a lot of stress lately. And it's not right for me to snap at you. I hope you'll forgive me."
She heaves a sigh, calming her voice down to an ingratiating tone. "You're very good minions, and you all followed direction very well. I'm very proud of you. Now c'mon! Group hug!" she chimes with a smile, opening her arms (and wings) wide.
The minions fawn on Dupree like overjoyed puppies. Oversized, disturbingly lumpy puppies, anyway.
Farnsworth gives a sidelong glance at Dupree and her fan club, but ignores them for now. He waves his hand in a few more complex gestures and a segement of the floor rises in a craggy pillar. "At the top of this pillar," he says, waving at the imposing ediface, "Is a small glass box. You must get to the top and touch the box. Please begin whenever you are ready."
Cara just walks up to the pillar and chuckles for a moment, "Okay, they are many ways to get through this challenge." The feline smiles and asks, "Is it okay if we have a nice staircase that leads to the top of the pillar? If that won't work, then how about a ramp?"
"Flora would like a moving platform right... There," the cat rumbles. "Going to the top once Flora is standing on it, yes. Comfortably. Not too fast, not too slow, yes," the cat rumbles, before moving over to where she pointed out.
Zuri giggles. "Ooh, maybe I could make a ladder." He pauses. "Nah, too easy, not fun at all..." He rubs his chin again. "Hmmm... maybe I could make a moving.." He peers at Flora, and giggles. "Okay, not that idea either, I wanna be original!" He nibbles on his lip briefly, then giggles. "Oh I know. Sir, I would like a rope, and two climbing picks. A rope is.. well.. long. And a climbing pick is like a spiky metal thing like this, and with a handle."
Dupree is awash in non-evil laughter this time as the lumpy minions lavish attention on her. It'd be adorable, if they didn't appear to somehow have an odd number of arms, legs, eyes, faces, or what-have-you between them. Well, it still might be anyway.
Hearing the orders, she scoffs, though she pauses a moment, contemplating the minions in silence.
"Minions!" she bellows, sticking her out to the sides. "One of you, grab each arm. You, hold my hooves." She stretches her wings outward, before tucking them in behind her. "Swing me upward toward that," she instructs patiently. "Oh--you, in the back, you'll push. On the count of three, and when I say "three," throw me towards it!"
She seems awfully trusting of these strange...things...of hers, not even giving a second thought as they pick her up. "Alright. Oooooone....twoooooo...three!"
It is almost laughable how easy this is! How could the Creator Doctor expect the beings to have even the slightest difficulty with the task? A flight of gently sloping stairs appears before Cara while Flora's platform materializes just where she wanted it. A long coil of rope and masterfully made climbing picks rise from the ground before Zuri and Dupree. . . well, it looks like the direct approach should server her well as her misshappen minions fling her to the top of the platform!
Cara nonchalantly walks up the stairs and begins making her way to the top of the pillar. As she walks, a thought comes to her as to why the doctor would make it so easy. The feline puts that thought to the side as she gets to the top and gets closer to the glass box.
Soon enough, Flora's on her platform, which, presumably, is moving upwards at a steady, comfortable pace. Task ahead of her clear, she simply waitss for her ride to arrive at location, before extending her arm, intent on touching the box. Assuming nothing odd happens, of course.
Zuri picks up the tools and gets to work. The agile salamander wields a climbing pick in each hand, and uses his tail both as a climbing aid and to manage the length of rope, securing it around holds that allow him to climb more effectively. He's being outpaced by the others, but tries his best to keep up while using his far more traditional way of solving this particular 'puzzle'.
After being flung airborne rather roughly by her helping...hands?...Dupree flaps her horsefeathers rapidly, trying to gain a little bit of control over the air. After a minute, she finally seems to have levelled off, and begins tracing a long, narrowing helix upward, towards the top of the craggy spire.
The ascent is. . . well, easy. The plinth does not seem so high or difficult to climb, even for Zuri's method. Soon all four beings find themselves on the flat top of the tower with a glass cube bobbing gently on the air before them. Was that all there was to it?
Cara gets to the top on foot and reaches over to touch the box. "I guess it really was that easy after all. I'm wondering if we're allowed to get back down through the same method though."
Zuri perches on the edge of the craggy pillar, using his tail for support as he peers at the box. "Huh.. that was easy!" He giggles happily and hops forward, reaching out with his hand to touch the floaty box as well. His tail swings happily from side to side, the jovial being having the time of his life.
Finally having made her way to the to top, Dupree spreads her wings and dives towards the litte cube, hands out, hoping to snatch the thing mid-flight! Forget just touching it, she was gonna take it...and take over the world!
Each being reaches out to touch the cube at roughly the same time! When Dupree swoops in to grab it for her own, there is a brilliant flash of light!
The endless plain is gone! Once more, everyone is back in the soft, egg shaped chairs where all this started and Doctor Farnsworth is standing from his own seat. "Thank you very much for your cooperation," he says with a smile, "You have been very helpful in our research. Please accept some of these Freesword Guild tokens, with our thanks."
Cara waits for the eggs to float back down and she gets back onto her feet. "Um, thank you for tokens." The feline blushes for a second and abruptly continues, "Is it okay if I get to chance to look at the ship more closely if you ever come back?"
Zuri blinks as he returns to reality, letting out a little 'aww!' of disappointment as he realizes the game is over. He slinks out of the chair almost reluctantly, pacing slowly towards the others and smiling over at the gathered Creators. He tucks his fancy tweed suit back into place and straightens his lapel to make himself presentable once again. "Thank you for the fun games Sir! I hope we can do this again sometime!"
