First entrance

[pattersongs]

What a day, what a day, what an absolutely glorious day. Finally something to do! Retirement does not sit well with the salarian temperament at all, especially not after a lifetime of busy-busy-busy. It's been months since the last meeting of the project crews. Months. That's long enough to go positively insane from idleness. Good thing there's so

Comments

[ol_yellow_eyes]

Data is sitting at a nearby table reading a data pad, but looks up when he notices the life form that walks through the door.

"Hello," he greets.

[pattersongs]

Hm. Looks human enough, certainly doesn't map out to any other known species-

"Greetings! Didn't expect anything on this order. Certainly didn't notice space anything like this on my omnitool map. Might I ask establishment's name, or who operates it?"

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"This place is called Milliways," Data answers. "Am I correct in assuming that this is the first time you have been here?"

[pattersongs]

Mordin nods rapidly. "Still relatively new to Omega in general," he notes. "Was under the impression all major spaces within the station already accounted for on the map. Obviously incorrect assumption- although beginning to suspect something significantly more complicated than bad spatial allocation at work."

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"I would say that your suspicions are probably correct," Data replies. "I believe it is likely that you arrived here the same way that I and many other people I have met here did-- by encountering some sort of dimensional distortion."

[pattersongs]

"Peculiar. Hadn't noticed anything unusual in the vicinity," Mordin muses. "Omnitool scans ought to've detected concealed equipment. No- no equipment capable of silent dimensional distortion available. Would've seen. Would've required entire mass relay even if only in miniature. Has to have been something else, possibly operated remotely- but by who? And how?"

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"The cause could have also originated on the other side of the rift," Data observes. "And it might not have been produced artificially. It could be some sort of naturally occurring phenomenon.

"That is the only solution that I was able to determine in my case."

[pattersongs]

"Phenomena of such magnitude or nature almost unheard of outside of bad adventure novels," Mordin says. "May need to catch up on latest in asari spatial experimentation at next opportunity. Then again, no asari in attendance, unlikely to leave equipment necessary to generate spot teleportation or spatial disruption unattended. Human origin? Possible, considering local visible population. Unlikely, but other possibilities few, difficult to assess."

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"I suppose I had not fully explored the possibility of someone creating such a distortion," Data admits. "No one here seems to think anything of it. But it seems to me that such a person would have made the purpose of their experiment clear by now. I have not seen any indication of that."

[pattersongs]

"Possibility arises of sizable experiment," says Mordin. "Would explain lack of elucidation of purpose. Telling participants in experiment about experiment tends to ruin controlled conditions more often than not."

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"To make a truly controlled environment, would it not be wise to force the test subjects to stay within the experiment?" Data asks. "That is not the case. I have found that most of the people here, myself included, are able to leave Milliways and return to their home worlds."

[pattersongs]

"Other possibility: mere observational data gathering," Mordin muses. "Watching unguarded behavior of multiple species in easily compartmentalized environment capable of yielding significant amounts of data. Of course, only hypothesis based on first few moments of interaction. Hardly likely to produce anything like viable data. Will have to consider further. Meantime- who am I speaking to?"

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"Lieutenant Commander Data, of the starship Enterprise," Data answers, offering his hand.

[pattersongs]

"Assuming that's human registry," says Mordin, reaching out to shake the offered hand. "Dr. Mordin Solus. Currently proprietor of newest medical clinic on Omega station."

[ol_yellow_eyes]

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Data says, sincerely. "My ship belongs more specifically to Starfleet, of the United Federation of Planets-- an organization that is admittedly somewhat dominated by humans. I would guess, however, that you have never heard of the Federation. Is that a correct assumption?"

[pattersongs]

"Systems Alliance yes, United Federation of Planets no," says Mordin. "No known multiplanetary governments use federated government model to the degree of putting it in the name."