Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade James Rowe (Scientist) in Side Sim: Open Mic Night (Open To All)
OOC: There are so many new faces on the ship, including mine that I was looking for an IC way to meet some new folks. Please feel free to drop in! - Justin

In the aft section of the Athena’s saucer, located on Deck 20, sits ‘General Purpose Area 1’. The official designation for this space is a flexible area designed to accommodate the crew’s needs while in flight. It has been used for everything under the sun… VIP offices, overflow storage, even mission specific laboratories… but on not quite random Friday nights, the space is converted into The Agora Pub.

No one can say for sure when The Agora started popping up. Some say the original Chief Engineer was an Irish lad who loved two things… his hometown pub back on Earth… and a nurse of Greek descent who saved his life after a work accident. Others say there was a Counselor who had a passion for spoken word poetry. Ultimately, no one cared… When The Agora Pub appeared, those in the know… knew it was going to be a good night.

James Rowe entered the makeshift space and marveled at the ingenuity of his shipmates. It wasn’t perfect, but the Agora was a serviceable facsimile of an old pub right down to the appearance of wood paneling and the scent of questionable decisions. This was his third venture to the Agora and he was excited to see what his fellow crewman would perform tonight. He’d seen talents both great and small take the replicated stage in this venue, but it was the courage and vulnerability to put themselves out there that James was most impressed by.

Rowe made his way up to the bar and ordered an Old Fashioned. A NE Engineer with a red beard and boisterous personality mixed the cocktail. When he returned he said “Is this the night we get you on stage Mr. Rowe?” James blushed slightly because he didn’t know the man’s name, but it was clear the NE had never met a stranger. James replied, “I’m sorry but I don’t know your name.”

The Engineer laughed and said, “I’m Larry Ledbetter. Don’t apologize, you’re still relatively new here… but you have failed to answer my question.”

Larry’s laugh was infectious and James found himself half chuckling as he replied, “Nice to meet you Larry. It might be the night, but it’ll probably take a couple of these first.” James tipped his glass to the man in thanks and made his way to what was becoming his usual spot near the wall, but with a clear view of the stage.

• Rowe

OOC Obviously, no one warned you about offering an open mic night on a ship that I’m part of. Well … it is dangerous. :)

IC Michael heard noises on the ship on his exploration of the lower decks, and because he was a curious sort, he followed them until he found the ‘Agora Pub’.

He sat back and watched for a bit. Then, when there was a break in performers, he finished his dark and stormy, and went to the mic. He saw Larry from Engineering still behind the bar, and he cued up the holographic music to support him as he prepared to perform a well known tune. Through the years it had many a name, depending on the singer and the audience, but in here, Michael was calling it “The Starfleet Pub”.

The music began, a lively beat, a jig that some in the audience recognised almost immediately. Michael wouldn’t win Beta Quadrant’s Got Talent, Fleet Factor or Andorian Idol, but he could hold a tune.

“You were walkin’ down a corridor, It could’ve been deck two,
And you hear a distant callin’ and you know it’s meant for you,
So you drop what you were doin’ and you join the merry mob
And before you know just where you are, you’re in a Starfleet pub!”

CHORUS
“They’ve got one out there on Vulcan, there’s one on Quo’noS too,
There are ten of them on Tellar, and a couple on Rigel II,
If you’re lost in the Badlands, or perhaps the Galactic core
You’ll find a Starfleet pub if you follow the drunken roar!”

“Wherever you go around the galaxy
Wherever you warp, there’s a place to be,
Have yourself a bloodwine, a Romulan ale or two
The ‘tender at the Starfleet Pub knows just what to do “

“Well, we’re tunin’ up the warp core, calibratin’ the drive,
Makin’ sure the plasma conduits are keepin’ us alive,
But when the shift is over and the chief says we are done,
We’ll be racin’ down the Jeffries tubes to have a bit o’ fun”

“There’s one on ol’ Andoria, where the ale is served up cold,
A dodgy one on Ferenginar, where drinks are bought with gold,
A quiet one on Betazed, where all all your thoughts are read,
Best find yourself a Starfleet pub ‘fore a red shirt turns up dead.”

“You can drink it out glasses, you can drink it from a bowl,
It might be green and bubbly, or as dark as a black hole,
But as long as you’ve got crewmates and a yarn ya want ta tell
You can raise a glass to Starfleet and the ship you love so well!”

“They’ve got one on Oed V, open each and every day,
There’s one on DS9, where the wormhole lights the way,
The one on Old Earth Station floats right above the bay,
But the best one’s the Agora, no matter what they say!”

Once the music ended, Michael sat down quickly so he didn’t get asked to go again.

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Michael Easter - Engineer - USS Athena
There’s always a solution … it just takes some
creative thinking (and a roll of duct tape).
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