Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

[sumarusfinest]

On a sleepy summer morning a wonderful smell begins to waft throughout the Nexus. For those familiar with this place there can only be one explanation but for those new faces to the nexus this may be a strange thing: seeing so many people flocking toward the sweet and savory scents perfuming the Nexus.

There are a few tables set out this morning in the Plaza in front of a small cafe loaded with several carafes of coffee, a myriad of pastries from more than a few different worlds and cultures, and a large pan of eggs and sausage kept warm over a chafing dish. On either end of the table are disposable plates, cups, and cutlery as well as a few welcome pamphlets in a small container. Along the front of the tables is a hand made banner.

Meet and Greet

Manning the tables is Katsuya Suou, red apron on and a cup of coffee in hand. He looks far too cheerful for how early in the morning it is. It's always satisfying to put one of these on and see the throngs of different people stuck in line together to get their food and find a place to sit among the tables and couches nearby.

"Right then, is anyone hungry? I've got more than enough here for everyone so please mingle among yourselves or feel free to ask me anything you'd like."


((OOC: This thread is ALL ABOUT threadjacking and hopping. I encourage folks to tag on each other's comments and mingle rather than to reply only to me. This is a huge opportunity to have your characters interact with people they wouldn't have talked to before. Branch out! Meet new people! Scheme new schemes! Steal the last chocolate croissant!))

Comments

[jarheadclan]

"Oh yeah, no prob. That's what the bond's for. It's kinda like plugging your brains into each other, like jacking into a computer." Oh, wait, this dude hasn't heard of airplanes yet? Bad analogy. They had electricity back then, right? He sure hopes so. "Or, uh, hooking up to electrical power. Direct control only works when we're ridin', but it's more like having an extension of your body than just telling them where to go."

[ottershawastronomer]

"Don't worry, I know what computers are. Big clunking things - a man from my planet, Charles Babbage, invented them. He called it the Analytical Engine." Ogilvy is still confused about the banshees. In his world, people rode horses without "jacking" into them, and there was no risk of your horse trying to kill you, at least not on purpose. "What other creatures live on your planet?"

[jarheadclan]

"Oh man, all sorts of stuff. We'll be here all day if I gotta list 'em all," Jake says with a chuckle. "I'm still seeing critters I didn't know existed, and I've been on Pandora for years now."

[ottershawastronomer]

"For years now?" Ogilvy's been wondering something for a while now, but he hasn't felt ready to ask it. "...You aren't from this Pandora place yourself, are you? Not originally." That would explain Jake's name, and his knowledge of Earth species and concepts.

[jarheadclan]

"Nah. Human, born and raised. Got a permanent upgrade when I decided staying with the Na'vi was better," he says, thumping himself on the chest. "Long story."

[ottershawastronomer]

"You can change species?" Ogilvy is still confused. "You were human, but you became Na'vi permanently. How did you do this?"

[jarheadclan]

"Not anymore, just once." Jake's gotten used to condensing the story, but he's not sure it'll make a lot of sense to somebody whose Earth hasn't even figured out powered flight yet. Worth a shot. "Like I said, it's a long story. Short version... Earth scientists made these artificial bodies that could be piloted remotely, just stick your consciousness in and off you go for a while. I went through a Na'vi ritual to make it stick."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy has the general gist of what Jake's talking about down, but the entire concept is strange and wondrous to him. Artificial bodies and the transfer of human consciousnesses? How did that work? What happened to the person's original brain while they were in a Na'vi body? How did you grow a living body? Jake's human body was dead?

"I confess, the more I learn about your world the more curious I get. Where I come from, the things you describe would be left to science fiction authors, like Verne."

[jarheadclan]

He doesn't hide the laugh, because honestly, it seems like that to him still too. "Kinda is, yeah. We even had to ride a spaceship to get to Pandora in the first place. Like somethin' outta those old movies."

[ottershawastronomer]

"Space travel?" Ogilvy's curiosity is raised even further. "They're capable of space travel where you're from?" The more he learns about Jake's universe, the more interested he is. "Even the Martians couldn't travel freely between their planet and ours. Their cylinders were made for one-way trips."

[jarheadclan]

"Yeah, but not the ridiculously fast kind. Takes five years to get from one to the other, so they put us in cryosleep for the whole trip. Not as exciting as it sounds."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy has to admit, that does sound boring. "Cryosleep. I can guess what that means from the prefix. Guess they don't have much to do out in deep space, I assume."

[jarheadclan]

Jake chuckles. "Nah. Only need a couple people to run the ship I guess, and it saves on food and oxygen and stuff. Had the worst morning breath when I woke up, but better than being bored stupid for five years."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy is impressed by the technology in Jake's time. "How advanced are these spaceships of yours?" He clears his throat. "I encountered a spacefaring species before coming to the Nexus. They weren't friendly."

[jarheadclan]

"Oh man, I'm the wrong person to ask." Jake doesn't look offended though, more amused than anything. "I was a Marine, not a scientist. I don't know how any of that cr- uh, stuff works, just how to use what I had to. Mostly the weapons and field gear."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy recognizes the word, and guesses Jake is ex-military from the information he was given. "Where on Earth were you from? I'm from England. When I left my world, it was around 1900 or so - though I was a scientist. An astronomer, if you want to be precise."

[jarheadclan]

"Detroit," Jake says, with a hint of hometown pride. "United States. Haven't been there since 2148 though, that's when I shipped out. I think it's probably 2159 now, or something like that." It's easy to lose track, now that he's not relying on the Earth calendar anymore.

[ottershawastronomer]

"Oh." Ogilvy decides to explain where he's from. "I'm from Ottershaw, in 1900. It's a quiet hamlet in the Surrey region of England. Born there, worked there, think I must have died near there. At least I think I'm dead." If he was dead, that would explain a lot.

[jarheadclan]

Dead, huh. Not the first person Jake's met here with that kind of story, and none of them have been able to go back, not without risking making it permanent. He frowns down at Ogilvy, not really sure what to say. "You're okay now though, right?"

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy nods - well, he still has flesh on his bones and not the least bit burned. "I was hit point-blank by what I suspect was some kind of Martian weapon. So I am probably dead." The other men with him were killed, so that was the only explanation. "So I suppose I'm here for good."