Into a Quarantine Zone?

Chiana

Who is this tralk to speak to me in that kind of voice? I mean....!

You were staring at her lumas, a voice says in my head, not my own. Besides, she's not really angry at you, just is excited about this upcoming Quest. That and the whinny and extra volume is just something that slips into even the best of centaur voices. Sometimes her primary lungs put a little extra umph into it when excited. Usually while speaking, their secondary lungs up in humanoid portion does the job to speak.

Oh, right. Inquirer had say in passing that centaurs had two sets of lungs (up in the human looking part as well as down in the horse barrel part of their body). Same for their hearts.... By whatever or whoever (or Whoever) designed them, to spare their human vocal chords undue strain and stress, the lungs down in the barrel halt whilst the human lungs pump out the air for the chatter!

She'd also explained that the centaurs, male and female, go around with minimal clothing (if anything) because clothing is uncomfortable to their skin. This centauress in particular had broken out in hives all over her lu....her breasts after bowing to some human sensibilities in a place called Nantucket.

My, given the rather large size of 'em (which don't need a corset for support, being that nature made 'em rather firm so that at a full gallop she don't get knocked silly by the bouncing!)

Nevermind.

Oy, glad my love caught me before I put my own foot in my mouth (again). Still, I was curious about something....

"Uh, just wondering about a few things . . . . like the . . . well . . .sorta archaic weaponry?" I manage, waving at the bow and other melee weaponry she has on her person. "I mean couldn't you save a bit of weight and get more effective weaponry and armor? I believe you had been offered something like one of those Traken shield belts by Probe, right?"

Solik'tril

"Well, kind of have to take some blame for that," I says, speaking up from the side. "Has all to do with the admittedly skimpy briefing I got. Amongst other things at least one of our targets had come from a timestream where they'd been subject to what we've come to know as the 'Two Girl' prophecy. Besides the obvious that it means that at least one target is female and maybe even suffering some other kind of transformation . . . . perhaps even amnesic to their true past. Well, by and large from what I've learned about the subject means that the world we're heading into is low tech, most likely."

"Oh," Chiana nods. "But what if it isn't? What then?"

"Then this," Frieda smiles, pulling out one of the new style (pistol configuration) Military phasor as well as a Military issue shield belt (don't ask me HOW Probe got one of those....they're still rare and expensive)!

As for the phasor, it's not the type you see in Star Trek: TNG. No, something more akin to a shape you'd see in perhaps a "Han Solo" style blaster, but a phasor all the same. Military rather wasn't taken with the Star Fleeters style of weaponry, despite it being rather versatile otherwise. Learned that not from my father (who does mean so well but goes overboard sometimes in his attempts to raise me as an elfin boy "should be") but from the Base Junior Auxillary troop leader.

Uh, Military has something akin to the Boy Scouts, the Base Junior Aux. Get to learn all kinds of things, in that, and get special discounts on the current fashionable clothing, the urban cameo.

What, you thought I wore this stuff out of some kind of para- militeristic Gestapo thing? Nope, it's what all the "in crowd" onbase wears, friend. Will do even wherever we're going, being that most elves wear green (though not cameo like me). Just will tell anyone that asks it's a new elfin style.

Nevermind, not important right now. Perhaps if I hadn't become a Champion I'd have gone into the Military (despite being able to do local deployment only in the Terra Prime reality, what with elves needing magic to live and all that) and be wearing the "high and tight" along with the greens, but.....

Last time I'd checked the recruiter had said empathically that by treaty and convention we Champions are already earning our franchise in spades. Besides, our bosses (the Celestrials) kind of make regular Military folk nervous (and by extension we Champions would make them nervous). Why make things uncomfortable for the regular troops with sudden visits from On High and all that, right? Doing my civic duty already and will soon enough after a few years earn my franchise (i.e. get to vote in elections and such in the Military Protectorate government business)....

....

Was Inquirer joking when she'd said in passing that she'd actually met some Starship Trooper?! I mean....

Sigh, later.

Do wish that by Elf Custom I got to bring my wife along for this! Oh, the others of the "Upper Crust" get to, but not me...

....

Sigh. Well, while not everything is perfect I'd still rather be an elf any old day. Though to be fair Diane Walker really has shaped up those dwarves. Oh, not much of a change really, what with them having been a rather militaristic lot already even before Walker got to be their Empress. No, she just added a bit of Military windowdressing (clean shaven being the most visable, but that was their choice to denote their rejection of old, bigoted ways as they called it) and some table manners (some good manners, period), 'tis all. Wouldn't be too out of sorts as a dwarf. Wouldn't mind doing vacuum forging up in orbit, myself, but still....

I like being an elf. Had been born one, in this life and the last one....

"This and a few other trinkets I already wear by habit to get around in human settings should do me," the centauress adds. "Especially the necklace I'm wearing! Allows me to shrink myself to get around those tight corners, it does."

Yeah, you should see a centaur try to climb stairs in a human house. Without that kind of magic item (and a few others), it's a nightmare!

That's right about the time the TARDIS arrives to where the Celestrials have sent it. The Doctor pushes a button on his control and on the view of what's outside....

Tells me that "Two Girl" prophecy or not, this place we are at isn't low tech, but Star Trek tech (even if it's of Kirk's era by the looks). Looks like we've arrived at a truly delightful time: Red Alert!

Hm, wonder what's up? I think lamely as I look at the screen.

1. "But what in name of the Creator are those naked girls and Centaurs doing in that briefing room," Elrondir asks, pointing at the at least the human figures who are staring at us.

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