Arrival -Locked and OTA-

[engineermage]

Locked to Dr. Crusher

In a moment, perhaps for some, of deja vu, a red haired man appears in ten forward right near the door.

"But who else is going to talk to the unicorns?" he said before realizing that he's no longer where he was a moment ago. A severe case of vertigo takes him as his body suddenly catches up with the mind and notices that it's no longer tied to the land he came from. That he's no longer connected to his world's ley-lines and to Eire itself.

It disapproves of this greatly.

And after wobbling a moment he drops to the floor as everything spins around in unfun ways.


Later - OTA

It seems like Trever is sitting with a somewhat bemused expression on his face in Ten Forward. He's watching everything, completely and utterly fascinated like he's never seen it before - a cup of tea next to him. His hands are being kept busy by idly fiddling around with some little device, moving parts around. Though not looking at what he's doing, his hands seem to know what to do.

For those who are good at noticing things, they'll see that there are a few things different about him:

A. There is no sign of his ubiquitous cat. Anywhere at all.

B. He's wearing gloves.

C. He's playing with electronics which is not something he's shown any sort of inclination towards before.

Comments

[dictaphonic]

Will smiles, relieved to get a positive response, and takes the seat--followed by a sip of his tea.

"Good to meet you, Kale. Um. Do you mind if I ask what it is you're working on?" He points at the device, his expression alive with curiosity.

[engineermage]

"It's going to be a little robotic bug."

He moves his hands so that Will could see exactly what he was working on. It's about the size of a matchbox with six legs. Kale was working on the insides. So, yes. it does look like a little bug.

It's also the other sort of bug.

But Kale's not going to mention that one.

[dictaphonic]

"Oh, I see!" Will leans forward, peering at the device's insides with a trained eye. Thankfully, he doesn't make out the other use--not from a cursory look at what's visible, at least. "Hmm...those are intricate workings, certainly. I see you're wiring it for movement. Are you planning for it to be a programmed device or one that you control remotely?"

[engineermage]

"It's my own personal design," Kale said with a little bit of pride. "I've been working on it for about a year now. And I'll be controlling it remotely."

Perhaps not exactly how Will expects. But, magic is useful that way.

[dictaphonic]

"That's very impressive!" Will's words are earnest. "I have to admit, I have far more experience reverse-engineering devices than designing them, and from that perspective, this looks quite skillfully done. Was this your career--ah, where you're from? I-if that's not here, I mean."

[engineermage]

"I'm good at reverse-engineering things too." His eyes light up with excitement. "There is so much here that I'm looking to trying my had at."

Because, really, how could he not?

"It was... I did design work for the military. Got out about a year ago. I was thinking about re-enlisting but something else came up."

[dictaphonic]

"Really?" Will lights up as well. "I'd be very interested in what you have to look at!"

At Kale's career explanation, he nods, smiling at the common ground he's found. "I work for the military as well! W-well, a military organisation, at least." He pauses for a beat. "Well. I'm not actually a soldier myself--but I do work for them!"

[engineermage]

"So far everything! It's years beyond my own time. I haven't had a chance to actually pick something to look at yet. The replicators look interesting though," he said with a waggle of his screwdriver.

"Contractor work?"

[dictaphonic]

"Oh, have you arrived recently as well? Yes, they're certainly intriguing technology." As is often the case, Will jumps between the situation at hand and scientific speculation.

"No, nothing so short-term." He shakes his head, smiling a little. "You see, I'm their scientific advisor! Well...her assistant. Erm. Probationary assistant, if...we're being exact." He looks a little sheepish. It's not the most impressive of roles, but it's a position he's worked hard to reach.

[engineermage]

"Just a few hours ago. The closest we've got back home are 3D printers and they're still spooling out plastic."

Making something out of nothing - essentially - now that is something Kale wants to know how to make.

"Civilian attachment then? I hope you're not as annoying as the one attached to my unit. She was utterly obsessed with paperwork and completely convinced that she could do things better than us because she had a degree."

[dictaphonic]

"Goodness, I had no idea! I suppose in that case I've been here a bit longer--though only by a day or so." Kale's comment makes Will's eyes widen in interest, though. "3D printers? That sounds fascinating! What sort of th--well, objects would be the term, wouldn't it? What do they print?"

But he makes a face at Kale's impression of the scientists he works with. "Well, we're more of a permanent fixture, really." Brightly, he adds: "In fact, I'm training to become a field agent! B-but no, I don't think I would describe Dr Klein quite like that. I mean...she is a bit unapproachable. S-still, she's always treated me well, and she's really a very good person! Once...you get to know her."

[engineermage]

"Cheap plastic shit... My brother has one and he makes miniatures for his D&D games," Kale said. "But companies use them to create 3Ds of cars or other products. The one we had in the army we used to make spare parts of certain things. Apparently there's one that can make pizza... for a given value of pizza."

Not all scientists. He's friends with some very nice ones. The one in his unit was just annoying. "Field work is fun. I didn't get to do it as often as I'd like to. But there wasn't much call for it when I was in the army."

[dictaphonic]

Will listens with interest. "That still sounds like it would be very useful! Especially if it can make parts that actually work. Though I would guess very different systems would be required to make edible food. That sounds more like the replicators here..." He trails off, thinking about how something like that might be done.

But at that, he tilts his head, curious. "Really? Do you mean you were in the army during peacetime?"

[engineermage]

"It's still a new technology so we'll get it better eventually," Kale said. "But yeah. It's pizza is kinda squirted out which... even the more adventurous people I know were kinda 'uuuuhh' about it."

He nodded at the question. "Yeah. Joining the army is a sort of family tradition on my mum's side of the family. One aunt and uncle were in it," he said and technically speaking while on record they've been discharged they were still in it. But it's been redacted. "My grandparents were in it - during the last war - and my mum's now in charge of our military."

Which has utterly terrified the other countries.

[dictaphonic]

"Oh yes, I'm certain you will!" Really, he can't imagine research into technology with that potential being abandoned. And as long as research is happening, technology is always developing in one way or another; it's one of the facts about it that excites Will the most.

"I see. Wait--your mother is in charge of your home's military?" His eyes widen. He can't say he's ever known anyone that close to their leaders in UNIT. "I suppose I can see how that might decide your career path. But I, ah, hope your time in the military was...all right...for you."

[engineermage]

"I'd be surprised otherwise, especially if I can take some of what I learn here and bring it back home." And Kale damn well plans on bringing that technology home. Even if they won't let him bring a physical piece back with him, he's hoping that he'll remember enough from his talks to at least recreate some of it.

Temporal prime directive whut?

"Yeah, a lot of the ministers were upset about that. After all, it's not what a queen is supposed to be doing... she's supposed to be doing... nice things. But mum's not very good at queenly stuff," Kale said. (Oddly, if we're talking Queens, Kale's accent is pretty dead on County Cork... but then again, most aliens Will's encountered probably speak with some sort of UK accent...)

Wait a few years, Will...

"But, nah. My brothers didn't join the army. One is a chef in a fancy place in Paris and the other's a veterinarian. I joined because I wanted to. She didn't become in charge until after I joined, actually."

[dictaphonic]

Will might not know of the temporal prime directive itself, but he certainly knows of the concept behind it, so he reacts with surprise. "You can do that?"

But if possible, the rest of what Kale says it even more surprising. "You're...a prince!?" It's the only reaction he seems able to get out for the moment, perhaps because even he knows that "you don't look like a prince" would be rude to say.

[engineermage]

"I don't see why not?" He's rather puzzled at the question. After all why wouldn't he?

Kale's one of those people always looking for an edge in everything. And if this technology can make people's lives better or safer then he'll happily steal it.

The question, 'you don't look like a prince' would end up with the question of 'what does a prince look like'? Admittedly, he's a bit on the - not completely scruffy side - but he is wearing well worn clothes with grease stains on the shirt and the beginning of a hole in his jean's knee area. So if Will thinks that prince is equivalent to nice and neat then yes, Kale doesn't look like a prince.

"Yup. Third in line to the throne, unless Nat has any kids."

[dictaphonic]

"W-well, I didn't mean that so much in the sense that you couldn't, but...um. Is that allowed?" Will once got chastised for reading issues of New Scientist from the year after his own time, so he has a pretty well-developed sense of some of the rules behind time travel in his universe.

Admittedly, when it comes to royalty, Will's thinking of stereotypes. Also, current royalty in his country and those around it just don't look like Kale--not to his knowledge, at least. "Wow. That's--well, impressive, I suppose!" He frowns. "But doesn't that mean it'll be troublesome for your country that you're here? Unless you're able to be returned to the exact time and space you came from, I suppose..." He frowns thoughtfully. For that matter, where will he go back to himself? It feels like too much to hope that he could reappear in the TARDIS in the exact place in the Vortex from which he left. But he has a feeling that idle speculation is going to be worthless--at least until he can meet Q himself and learn more from him.

[engineermage]

Still puzzled, Kale said, "... I don't know? I'm not sure why that should stop me?"

Time travel is SO not a thing in Kale's universe except in science fiction and he leaves that to his twin brother. Which considering all the weird stuff that does happen is kind of odd. But then again, lots of things in life are odd.

"Oh, definitely. It'll be blood murder." This... doesn't seem like a bad thing in Kale's opinioh. "My da' was kidnapped back when he was still crown prince and Grandpa Mal asked my mum to find him - that's actually how they first met - and she wasn't very subtle getting him out."

As in she left a large swath of dead and dying in her wake.

[dictaphonic]

This response, unfortunately, does not help with Will's confusion. "Well, because that sort of thing could change your own future. Aren't you worried?" From his furrowed brow, it seems that he is at least.

He makes a face at Kale's predictions, too. His voice is earnest as he says: "Th-then I hope you do go back where and when you arrived from--for your kingdom's sake!"

[engineermage]

"I don't know what my future is, so how would I know if I'm changing my own future?" Which makes perfect sense to Kale.

Again, despite being the tech-nerd he's not the science fiction fan and so doesn't care about the space time continuum.

"Me too." Though he does wish that they might be a little bit late. His betting book has 'kidnapped by aliens' as one of the possibilities if a family member or members go missing and it'd be fun to finally be able to use it.

[dictaphonic]

He falters at that. "Um. I'm not sure. But...wouldn't it be a bad thing if you did?"

Not knowing about that bet, he just nods. Cheerfully, he says, "Still, this seems like a nice enough place to stay for a while! Erm. So far, at least." He doesn't know much about the Enterprise yet, but he's hoping to learn.

[engineermage]

"I don't know. It could be a good thing too. Like I said, I've got no idea what my future is so why should I worry about ruining it if it hasn't happened yet?" Kale said, still confused on this point.

"I mean... what exactly would cause a future to get screwed up in the first place if it hasn't happened yet?"

Kale is going to have to start running a book for this place.

"Yeah, it is. It definitely could be worse." Kale is planning on learning. He's not hoping.

[dictaphonic]

He makes a face. "Well...because other people do know, I suppose. There's a way the future is meant to go." But he can tell that he's not convincing Kale at all, so he adds, "But I should probably let you work."

That said, he glances at his cup of tea, wondering if it's gone cold by now. He hopes not, but a sip confirms it. He sighs and stands; he'll have to get another cup. "I'm sure we'll talk again soon. It's been very nice to meet you! Good-bye."