ten_fwd | (no subject)

Jonas is ... experimenting.

Ever since he arrived on the Enterprise, he's been fascinated by the technology around him. By everything around him.

Like he'd told Ian, if he's going to be stuck here for however long it takes for the crew to sort out what's happened or for this strange being Q to decide to let them go, he may as well learn. So, learning is what he's been doing. He's still got the notepad he'd gotten the machine to make him, and it's already filled with notes in his small, neat writing, along with sketches of various things that have caught his attention.

Including one of the machines that make things. After he'd moved into his new quarters, he'd asked the one in the room to make him some tea, and it had asked him for clarification, telling him it had a staggering number of potential varieties, far more, he's sure, than exist on Earth in his time.

Then, he'd specified something familiar, asking for a Ceylon tea, but he'd been intrigued.

He'd wanted to hear more of the varieties.

That's why he's standing in Ten Forward in the Air Force issue cargo pants and tee shirt he'd been wearing when he arrived, listening to the machine listing off as many varieties of tea as it will give him if he gives it a vague description.

He's taking notes on his notepad.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jonas makes to open his notebook, ready to show her the diagram of a gate that he has in the notebook he usually takes with him off-world, before his eager expression freezes and the light that had sparked in his eyes dims again.

This isn't one of his notebooks from his office back at the SGC. This is the one he got the machine in his room to make him. He hasn't had a reason to draw out another annotated sketch of the gate into this one. It's full of sketches and notes he's made about things he's learning and seeing here. Nothing from back on Earth.

"Sorry. Usually I'd have a picture of one to show you." He waves a hand, gesturing in a circular shape. "It's a transportation device. Looks like a big metal ring with symbols all around the rim. It creates a stable wormhole you can use to travel between planets."

Rose shakes her head.

"S'all right," she says kindly, before listening to his description and trying to imagine it for herself. She has a bit of trouble really visualizing a stargate but at least she can understand what it does and how they use it.

It's actually pretty interesting. And not quite unlike a TARDIS, in a way.

"Your stargates sound a bit like the TARDIS," she says, voicing her thoughts aloud. "'Cept it sounds like you can travel around between planets a bit faster than we can."

Not that she'd ever give up being in a TARDIS for many reasons.

"It's the quickest way to get from one planet to another," he agrees. "It takes moments."

There is that strange sensation of dematerialization and rematerialization which, yes, takes some getting used to, but there's no more efficient or effective way of traveling between planets. Especially given Earth's current state of technology and the issues they've had developing a hyperdrive.

He frowns.

"I've never heard of a TARDIS. Is that ... that's the name of your ship? Or something else? Because I've never heard of a ship that uses anything like wormholes to travel."

That would be impressive. Far, far beyond anything of which Earth or even their most advanced alien allies is capable.

"Yeah," Rose says, grinning. "It's the name of the ship. Um. Time And Relative Dimension In Space, is what it stands for."

Sort of a brilliant little acronym for it, really. She might not have traveled for very long with the Doctor - yet - but she's rather fond of the blue box.

"I don't really understand the mechanics of it, that's more the Doctor's expertise since he's the one who owns it." Or maybe it owns him, who knows? "But it's definitely gotten us to a whole lot of different places and times."

"Times?"

Any curiosity Jonas might have about how her ship works and what she means that it sounds like the method of travel used by a stargate is suddenly shunted aside by that word.

Traveling between places is one thing. He does that regularly now, thanks to the Stargate Program and being a part of SG-1. He's helping to develop spaceships with hyperspace capabilities. He's been on Goa'uld ships. He lives on a planet he'd never even heard of a year ago.

Traveling to different times, though?

That's incredible.

"Wait, are you saying that your ship can travel through time? That's ..."

That's the second time he's spoken to someone who's familiar with other methods of time travel than the accidental one the SGC found using the stargate.

"That's incredible."

He's grinning. He can't help it.

Rose's grin doesn't leave her face as she nods in confirmation of Jonas' question - and, really, his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, that's right," she says. "It's a space and time machine. The Doctor's got all these bits and bobs that are able to manipulate the TARDIS through time and space. Makes an odd kind of sound too."

But it's a sound she's come to recognize immediately as soon as she hears it. Nothing else has ever made a sound like that before.

"One of the first places I'd been to was in the year 5,000,000,000. It ... was honestly a bit depressin'."

He shakes his head.

"The Stargates can do some pretty impressive things, but that ... is way beyond anything I've ever heard of."

Not that he thinks he or the Stargate Program know anywhere near all there is to know about what the Asgard, the Ancients, or any of the technologically advanced aliens out there can do. Focused, predictable time travel, though?

That's beyond anything any of them have ever dreamed of.

"Okay," he says, his eyebrows lifting. "He has a spaceship that travels in time and makes a funny sound? That is ... I've never heard anything like that."

He's still grinning.

"So what's it like? Time traveling when you actually mean to? The only people I know who've done it did it by accident."