Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade James Rowe (Scientist) in Side Sim: Open Mic Night (Open To All)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Counsellor) in Side Sim: Open Mic Night (Open To All)

Posted by Ensign Michael Easter (Engineer) in Side Sim: Open Mic Night (Open To All)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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.

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

Brenna entered the pub with her three constant companions. She noticed Easter up on the stage singing. She grinned. This was great. Geri, Fekri, and Fenris padded along beside her, noses twitching and ears up. Fenris grumbled once, “No. You don’t need to sing with him. It’s his turn, not yours Fenris.” She swore Geri rolled his eyes at the younger dog. She moved toward an empty table and sat down. Her boys settled under the table and her chair, out of the way, but ever watchful.

Her own eyes scanned the area, looking for any of the few faces she might know. This was always her most favorite part of a new posting. The excitement of meeting new people and the surprise of it all.

Lt. Cmdr. Atoded, Counsellor

Though James had yet to grace the stage in his previous visits to the Agora, he had started his own ‘tradition’ by having a standing order with whoever the barkeep happened to be each time that when a performer finished, they were to receive a round of whatever they typically drank to show his appreciation. Seeing an empty handed waitress make her way over to Easter’s table led Rowe to believe the bar didn’t know what the Engineer drank.

Rowe found his attention drawn to the newest crewmember to join them in the Agora and her three dogs. He’d heard of service animals, and even some pets being permitted on ships… but he’d never seen it first hand. As the dogs curled up beneath Brenna’s chair, he couldn’t help but watch them.

The next performer to grace the Agora Pub’s stage was a Vulcan civilian in her mid sixties. James didn’t know her, but overheard the couple at the next table say something about her being their son’s teacher.

She approaches the microphone carrying a small PADD, and waits patiently until the room settles. She makes no attempt to smile.

“Good evening.” She consults the PADD.” For those of you I have not yet met, I am T’Vara. I oversee Nursery One on Deck Fifteen.”

She pauses for a moment.

“I have recently completed another month of observations.” There’s a smattering of chuckles from those who know what to expect.

“Despite the confidence with which many of you entrust your offspring to our care, I regret to report that they continue to behave as children.” A few laughs. “This was… anticipated.”

Another pause “I have reached several conclusions.”

“First. There is no statistically significant relationship between volume and correctness.”

“Human children remain convinced that speaking louder substantially increases the likelihood that an incorrect answer will become correct.”

A pause as the audience laughs.

“I have tested this. It does not.”

“Second. I have observed that Andorian children negotiate every request.”

“‘Please put your toys away.’”

“‘How many?’”

“‘All of them.’”

“‘Counterproposal.’”

A longer pause. “I respect this.”

“Third. Tellarite children argue with instructions they already intended to follow.”

“‘Please wash your hands.’”

“‘I WAS GOING TO.’”

“This appears to be culturally reinforced.”

A glance at the PADD.

“Ferengi children attempt commerce.”

“‘May I have another dessert?’”

“‘No.’”

“‘What if I cleaned the classroom?’”

“I considered the proposal.”

“It was… surprisingly competitive.”

“I have also discovered that there exists a universal constant among children of every Federation species.”

“They believe I do not notice when they are being quiet. They are incorrect. The quiet ones concern me the most.”

“I recently asked a class to draw their families. One Human child drew six people. One Bolian child drew fourteen. One Klingon child attempted to draw an honorable death. As a result, we discussed alternative assignments.”

“My greatest challenge remains explaining Vulcan humor. The children insist that I do not possess one. I remind them that humor requires timing to which they reply…’Exactly.’”

The audience laughs harder.

“I continue to evaluate this criticism.”

“I leave you with one final observation.”

“Children spend every day attempting to become adults. Adults spend an astonishing amount of time attempting to remember how to become children again.”

For the first time, the faintest hint of warmth enters her voice.

“I have not yet determined which group is more successful. Thank you.”

T’Vara gives the slightest inclination of her head, retrieves her PADD, and walks offstage to warm applause, still apparently unconvinced she has said anything particularly amusing.

James watches the Vulcan woman leave the stage, unsure of what he just saw… but somehow feeling thoroughly entertained. He watches as a Tellarite man takes the stage to perform his version of a folk song. Rowe finishes his first Old Fashioned and holds the glass up to Larry to indicate he’s ready for another round.

-Rowe

It was later in the evening when Talia entered the crew made club. She kept herself from looking around at those who were present. She didn’t want to get nervous by thinking about performing in front of them. It would be better to think it was a room of strangers. She signed up to sing and made sure the sound system had queued up the version of the song she was going to sing. Dressed in a dark lavender sequined dress that bared her shoulders and legs, she awaited her turn at a table while she drank a dirty martini for courage.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena