Warning: This
story contains spoilers to "The Medusa Syndrome" adventure in Last
Unicorn Games' Starfleet Academy Boxed Set.
Cadet Krystal relaxed on a couch in the test lab of Danger Squad's base
(i.e. the living room of her apartment). On a table were strewn about
various small mechanical and electrical doodads and gizmos, most of
which she didn't have the foggiest idea of their function. She sighed
and looked at the Tellarite: "So Gonar, is this contraption going to
work or are we all going to fail History 112?"
Gonar squinted at Krystal and grunted in response: "Is not easy to
jury-rig a Resonating Particle Catalyst. Much work needs be done. Very
difficult. You not help by sitting pretty."
"I'm supervising," she explained to her mechanically-inclined friend.
"Is it my fault that Betazoids aren't as technically attuned to the
universe as our Tellarite brethren?"
"Yes."
Just then, Cadet Jon Cabote jumped into the room, his tail straight up,
a sure sign that he had some brilliant idea he wanted to tell his
friends. "I have a fantastic idea for getting a date to the Sadie
Hawkins Dance. Absolutely this is a sure-fire stellarific idea!"
"Hmm, and this would require us to do what?" Krys was used to Jon's
'brilliant' ideas by now, most of which seemed to require help from one
or more of the other cadets. "Hey, you're supposed to wait for a female
cadet to ask you out, that's the whole point of the dance."
|
"Oh, that's
just a rule waiting to be circumvented," replied Jon with one of his
favorite phrases. He shared the common Ktarian view that rules and
regulations only applied to those who couldn't find a loophole around
them. "All we have to do is convince the girl to ask us out. And I have
the perfect way to do that."
"Don't keep me in suspense. I'd like to see how you boys are going to
get dates for the dance." This being Starfleet Academy, dances and
other events were almost mandatory functions for every cadet. A cadet
who didn't participate in the many social activities was sure to pick
up extra demerits. Keeping to oneself was not ~The Starfleet Way~.
Hence the importance of the Sadie Hawkins Dance, as it forced female
cadets to take the initiative and male cadets to nervously wait to be
asked to the dance.
"All we need to do is find a matchmaking program, then rig it to make
us a perfect match for the hot babes. Then we can show it to them and
of course they'll ask us out. Brilliant isn't it?" explained Jon with
that big feline smile of his. Sometimes Krys couldn't help but feel
that he was some sort of giant rambunctious pet.
"That sounds promising," encouraged Krystal. "But aren't you going to
need help to rig the program?" With that last question Krys stared at
Gonar meaningfully. Gonar grunted again. "Me help him? Then who build
part for Warp Field Containment Unit? You?"
Krystal thought a moment. "Sure. Gonar, you help Jon get dates for the
two of you and Serin. I'll get us a Rotating-whatchamacallit-"
"Resonating Particle Catalyst," corrected Gonar.
|