More Fun to Explore With a Friend, Part IV
Posted on Sat 28th Apr, 2018 @ 12:09am by Captain Ranulf MacBain
1,611 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Brushfires
Location: San Diego Wildlife Zone, Deck 1553
Timeline: MD 7, 1340
After lunch, the zoo-thing was next. Ranulf held doors they needed to pass through to get across the deck to the San Diego Wildlife Zone train station. He purchased tickets and waited for Jenna to pick a seat.
"This is different. I suppose they can't allow people to just walk among the beasties though?"
Jenna nodded, settling into a seat near the front of the train car, about a third of the way back from the engine. Each car was short and held six double seats, three on a side with an aisle between. They were padded and comfortable, and she knew, from experience, that this was about the best place to see all the animals.
"They can't, not in this setting. They've built very ... well, not life-like, because it is all living, but realistic, maybe ... yes, realistic settings." She nodded her head, happy with that word choice. "You'll see in a minute when we pass through the force-field that holds the animals separate from the people sections of the deck. Each animal, or a group of animals which can get along together, is in a natural habitat, or thinks it is. There are a lot of Earth animals, but many from other worlds, as well. Zoos have always been favorite places of mine, and this one is quite nice, much better than cages, even very nice cages."
"I saw pictures of the old Earth zoo in San Diego, California. They had no bars there either, just a wide concrete sort of ditch as a barrier. I remember watching the polar bears in a pool. The pool was see-through from below, and the bears would swim down and look at you as you watched them play. I think the funniest animal was a mountain ram creature. He was hitting a large round rubber tire hanging from a rope. He was banging his head against the thing, and it would swing away and, when it swung back, he would rear up and head butt it again. Just goes to prove nothing is stranger than the truth." Ranulf sat close to Jenna, right up against her but he made no other advances toward her.
Ranulf was animated as he shared his memory of the animals he'd seen. "Before they built this, I'd only been to a couple of zoos in smaller cities, and they are much better now than they used to be. Still not always as natural as I'd like for something caged. On the other hand, there's always the issue of keeping visitors safe, if you don't have the kinds of force fields and back-ups we have here. I do love to watch animals, though. They can be very amusing, like the ram you mentioned."
The door opened, and a group of four people entered the car, making Jenna just a little sorry it wasn't to be a private experience for the entire zoo trip. They were laughing and seated themselves noisily across the last four seats in the car. Just as the newcomers settled, there was a click on the train's communications system, and a voice said, "Good afternoon, folks. Welcome to San Diego Wildlife Zone. In just a few moments, we'll be starting our tour of the Zone. I'd like to remind you to keep all hands, feet and objects inside the train at all times."
Jenna smiled. "That has to be patter from an old zoo script. There's no way we can put anything outside these cars!"
Ranulf nodded in agreement. "I would be very surprised if you could. So they based this after the zoo on Earth? That is interesting." He looked up, "I guess I don't need a hat here." He laughed, "You know, Jenna, I feel like I have been talking your ear off here. How about you tell me a story about you? Nothing too embarrassing or anything like that. Just something you had fun doing, or an experience that made you feel good about others."
"Hmmm, harder than you might think," Clark responded thoughtfully. "I spend a lot of time working, and not so much creating stories. A few years ago, a troop of players came through here, or a circus, really. The captain let them set up in one of the cargo bays.
"I really enjoyed all the animals and the performers. The clowns were entirely funny, even though I wouldn't have thought I'd like that part. If I'd been born in a circus family, I might have liked being on the trapeze! So, little secret here, after the circus left, I had Th'elex make a holodeck program where I could try it. No one would ever have wanted to watch it, though! I don't think I ever once didn't end up falling in the net!" Jenna laughed, remembering that it hadn't always been funny at the time.
Glancing out the window, she saw the train controller wave and, shortly, they started to move. "It seems odd that we pass through here and don't feel anything different. I suppose if we were on foot and hadn't permission to go through, we might ... or bounce off the surface, maybe? Do you know how that works?"
"Depends, some of the internal fields have an electric current that gives a sort of warning you are getting close, not really powerful, at least in the Federation. It is a barrier, just like a wall, for something like this. It can be made porous on one side so, for example, the train here can pass through. On the flight deck, we can fly in and out, but atmosphere stays in and the freezing cold of space is held out. I imagine the handlers, feeders, and staff have a some sort of code card or bio reading so that the shields allow them free access and exit." Ranulf made eye contact and blushed, "I guess you got a fifty credit answer for a half credit question, sorry."
Jenna laughed, "Are you undervaluing my question?" The train sped up as it went through the shield, and down a slight grade, going up again on the other side, and then curving to the left.
"All right, folks, keep your eyes on the area to the left. If the inhabitants are cooperating, you should see a few African elephants from Earth. These are the largest land animal in the Zone, and the largest on Earth, too. They can weigh up to 10,000 pounds, but our largest one here is 7,000 pounds, a young male with several aunties, moms and baby elephants in his group. He'll probably reach 10,000 pounds, and could live as long as 70 years. These are Savanna elephants, and they die when they have worn their molars down and the starve to death. Nearby, you may spot some Savanna zebras as well. They have a distinctive black and white striping." There was a click as the sound went off, and everyone looked out Jenna's side of the train.
As the train wound up the final hill, Jenna realized they'd been looking at animals and making jokes for almost two hours. "Wow, the afternoon has flown by!" she commented.
Ranulf was enjoying watching Jenna's reactions as much as the animals they were both looking at. This was why he liked going with someone else, and because he preferred the company of women, he had wanted someone like Jenna to spend the day with. She was fun and he liked her. The afternoon had indeed flown by.
As the train stopped, he stood. "Can I escort you anywhere? Seems I should as you have been a terrific hostess." He had a warm expression and he hoped she understood he had enjoyed himself. As usual, he just had no idea how to say the right words to end their time together. "I really enjoyed spending time with you."
"It was fun, wasn't it?" she asked. "I can't remember when I've enjoyed myself so much. If you'd just walk me to the 'lift, I'm think I'm going to head home and have an early evening. Sometimes a girl really does have to wash her hair!" She took his hand as he helped her down the steps to the train platform. They began the walk out of the area of the San Diego Wildlife Zone and toward the turbolifts.
Jenna glanced at the business development sector. There was a large building for Disney Interstellar, two stories and quite spread out. A few more one story buildings were scattered through the sector. She saw logos for Alcatel-Lucent Communications and Rosetti Engineering which she recognized from Earth. Also, Ferengi Acquisitions, Prophet's Orb, and Bat'leth Sports all had branches here. It didn't begin to fill the sector.
"Lots of opportunity for growth here," she observed, as they approached the lifts at the Central Cylinder.
"There does seem room for expansion in this area." He stopped at the turbolifts and bowed. "Jenna, you have made this a delightful experience, and I thank you." He made eye contact his eyes warm, "So is this when I ask if I can see you again? You did say there was more to see just down here."
"This is when," Clark confirmed. "I would be happy to tour more of whatever you want, but my next day off isn't for almost a week. Maybe we could plan a picnic. You know how to reach me," she said, stepping into the express lift, and giving him a last smile, "and you know where I work." The lift doors closed, and she moved behind others riding the tram to the upper decks. As she leaned against the wall, she realized she was still smiling.
RSS Feed