There's no place like home.... or not

[orbed_out]

Paige orbed into the middle of Ten Forward. She was just about to orb a weapon into her hand when she froze, her eyes wide and her hand outstretched.

This was not P3, and it was definitely not the manner.

"You have got to be kidding me," She muttered, as she made her way to the bar. "I thought we were done fighting things. So not fair."

Comments

[hasopinions]

Now that sounds familiar. Ishka regards her strange gesture with curiosity. Probably trying to do... something, right now. "Q seems to particularly like taking people when they start thinking that.

Ferenginar was better. The war was over. It was all she'd wanted. And now here she was in an alternate past.

[orbed_out]

Paige stared at the creature talking to her. She reached out a tentative hand, before retracting it quickly because how rude. "I'm sorry.... really.... I just wanted to make sure you were real you know?

[hasopinions]

"You've never seen a Ferengi before." She's been here long enough that that isn't even a question. So few people had. "I'm as real as you are and here for the same reason."

[orbed_out]

"I haven't.... what is a Ferengi?" She asked, genuinely curious. She wasn't trying to be rude or anything.

[hasopinions]

"We're from this universe, native to Ferenginar." Something important to clear up, with the people here. "Galactic traders, for the most part." THat was changing, but there was no removing commerce from the Ferengi culture. It would always be the centre.

[orbed_out]

Paige mulled over her words. "Dumb question, but how far away are we from your home?"

I spent far too much time trying to find this. Also Granny isn't a Ferengi.

[hasopinions]

"A hundred lightyears or so. Not too far to travel, but I'm not keen to go there in this time." For one thing, she was quite enjoying her clothing and people had resisted it a lot more in this time.

[premonitioned]

Now that she's got her empathy under some sort of control, Phoebe is spending more time in the bar, doing one of her favourite things - people watching. She spins around on her bar stool and it's hard to disguise the relief in her face. With Piper and Paige now here, she doesn't have to worry about them getting into trouble while she isn't there to help them.

"Paige. This time it's pretty cool though, we are in space and we are nearly demon free."

[orbed_out]

Paige throws her arms around her sister. "Thank God. I thought.... well never mind what I thought, but you're okay right?"

[premonitioned]

Phoebe returns the hug just as vehemently. "Of course I am okay, why wouldn't I be okay You sound relieved that I am here." This premonition gig, is still taking some getting used to, and she's still working out how to stop herself from blurting out what she is feeling.

"Well I'm mostly okay, Cole is here."

[orbed_out]

"Eeeew, Really?" She made a scrunched up face like she had just eaten something racid. Cole had hurt Pheobe and that was an auto not okay in her book.

"I am relieved, but I can't tell you why."

[student_lighter]

Chris was multitasking at the moment. A few of his charges were hanging out in Ten Forward, so he was taking the opportunity to get some food and keep an eye on them. Cramming a grilled cheese in his mouth (hey, orbing burns a ton of calories!), he tried not to choke when Paige orbed into the middle of the bar.

He finished chewing and swallowing before giving his aunt a wave. "Wow. We have almost the entire family." Chris looked around, pausing, waiting to see if Leo was going to show up and complete the reunion.

[orbed_out]

"Chris.... Thank God, a familiar face," She said, rushing at him and wrapping him in a fierce hug. "I thought for sure I would be here alone."

Paige stopped talking as her brain caught up with her mouth. "Did you say the whole family?

[student_lighter]

Chris returned the hug, squeezing his favorite aunt. " Yup. Whole family. Piper, Phoebe. Even Prue. Haven't seen Leo yet though." Or Wyatt, thank goodness for small favors.

[orbed_out]

"What about Wyatt?" Paige asked. The last she knew the whole family was together minus Cole of course.

[student_lighter]

Chris made a face. "No Wyatt. Either my Wyatt or the toddler. And honestly Paige? It's nice."

[orbed_out]

Paige looked at her favorite nephew very seriously for a long moment. "Has no one mentioned Wyatt to you. I mean the Wyatt we saved?"

[student_lighter]

"Piper mentioned that Wyatt's fine and that we got Gideon. But I haven't seen it. I haven't lived it. For all I know, that future might not happen to me." Chris was neurotic. And the one thing he knew how to do really, really well, was worry about Wyatt.

[orbed_out]

"What happened to trusting Auntie Paige?" She asked.

[student_lighter]

Chris gave her a look. "I trust you. I trust Mom. I just don't trust him."

[orbed_out]

Paige pursed her lips some glancing out the window. "I know, but you will. Trust me."

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

"Miss, if you're going to fight things, we'd rather you didn't," he said. No one else seemed to be reacting, getting used as they are to sudden visitors.

[orbed_out]

Paige spun quickly on her heel. "Who..... are you?" She asked, moving a bit closer. Her senses ready just in case.

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

"Sergeant Bob Fraser, RCMP," he replied, as if she'd just asked for an introduction. "And you are?"

[orbed_out]

"RCMP?" Paige asked. She stuck out her hand though. "Paige Mitchell. Nice to meet you. Did you know that we are in space?"

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

"Royal Canadian Mounted Police," he answered. "I did know that, yes."

[orbed_out]

"How long have you been here?" Paige asked. Yes, rapid fire questions was always the way to go.

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

"Long enough, Miss. Do you have any questions?" he asked, feeling that they're wandering off the point. "You should probably head to sickbay. They'll check you out, find you someplace to sleep while you're here."

[orbed_out]

"But I'm not sick?" She said. "Do I look sick, I mean I know I died, but that kind of stuff happens all the time." She paused. "You know what? Never mind."

[bob_fraser_rcmp]

"It's not about making you feel better," he replied. "It's about making these guys feel better." He indicated the people in uniform. "It's a bit of a shock to them. Being invaded thanks to some entity."

[thesurlyone]

"Yeah, I thought so too," came a familiar drawl.

Piper held her hands up and approached Paige carefully.

"Gotta ask, when are you from?"

[orbed_out]

Paige turned smiling she through her arms around her sister. "Oh My God, Piper.... you don't know how happy I am to see you! Can you believe this? Crazy huh. I thought we were past all of this with the Hallows. How much more can the elders ask really?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Fighting?"

Gaila is...well. Green skin, masses of red hair, a grey uniform which makes all the other colours pop out even more.

Not human, and faintly alarmed.

"Uh, no, no fighting here, actually."

[orbed_out]

Paige just stares at the woman in front of her. She looked at her with her head titlted. She wasn't quite sure what to make of this place yet. It was kinda freaky actually.

"How do you know?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

Gaila blinks at her.

"Um. Lived and worked here for about eighteen months?"

(There might be just a slight exaggeration on the 'working' part, timewise, but, details. It's all technically accurate.)

"Nothing to fight. As a general thing. I really don't recommend trying to fight Q, he's the being who brought you here? But otherwise, it's fairly peaceful."

[orbed_out]

"I don't think I like the idea of being "brought here against my will," She said using air quotes and everything. "Wow Eighteen months? That's like an eternity." To Paige it would seem like one.

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Eighteen months is better than the alternative," she says, wryly. "And no one much likes it. Q sometimes turns up, if you ever wanted to give him a piece of your mind."

[orbed_out]

Paige shrugged her shoulders some because yeah her alternative wasn't so rosey either actually. Paige smiled then. It did sound like a good idea to her. "And what about the blowback?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Welllll," Gaila says, drawing out the word. "He is of the Q Continuum and has enough power to bring us all here, from multiple points in time, space and alternate universes. I haven't seen any major blowback, but would you really wanna tempt it?"

[orbed_out]

Paige shook her head a little. "Yeeeeah.... not so much. I have seen blowback, and not so fun when you are on the receiving end." Paige shook her head. "So how do you survive here then?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Oh, it's so really super not that bad," Gaila quickly says, bouncing back to cheerful. "Most people from worlds not like this one, there are classes where you can learn new things, and we visit plants and space-stations-"

She pauses.

"I should back up, shouldn't I, and try and start from the actual start."

[orbed_out]

Paige smiled. "Maybe, but you see my sisters kind of start in middle too, so I'll catch up eventually." Paige motioned for Gaila to sit, as this looked like it could take awhile. "So space stations?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Space stations," Gaila confirms, taking a seat. "So. You're on a spaceship, the USS Enterprise, flagship of Starfleet, of the Federation of Planets. This has been happening a lot, people popping in, so you're with a bunch of company. You're going to be treated as a guest, we just ask that you don't go into crew-only areas."

[orbed_out]

Paige's head was now spinning around a little bit, and she held up a hand. "Woah, woah.... information overload. So we're really in space? This isn't some sort of joke?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Oops, sorry! Okay. Yep, we're really in space. And, no, this isn't some sort of joke."