Una Notte de Ricordare (A Night to Remember) (Part 1)
Posted on Sun Oct 27th, 2024 @ 2:26am by Captain Maho Takahashi & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Commander Elisabeth Churchill & Lieutenant JG Takumi Fujiwara 'Tak' & Commander Ichika Misono & Commander Victor Delling MD & Lieutenant Ami Rori & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair & Commander Chiyomi Anzai & Lieutenant Karen Kujo 'Union Jane'
1,137 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
The Twilight Zone
Location: Holodeck One
Tonight's story begins with a celebration: This is Commander Elisabeth Hood Churchill: Diplomat, holoprogrammer. Recently, she has completed a brand new holoprogram- a stunning recreation of the Italian luxury liner Cristoforo Colombo. Elisabeth has invited her friends from the crew of the Starship Myogi to celebrate by retracing the Colombo's maiden voyage in 1954. However, what Churchill or any of her crewmates don't know is that a holodeck malfunction will place them on board the Colombo's sister ship, the Andrea Doria, on the fateful night of her final voyage: July 25, 1956.
Will the crew of the Starship Myogi be able to survive the night? Our story begins in the world they know, but this malfunction will take them directly to... The Twilight Zone!
For Elisabeth, this occasion had been a long time coming.
For a long time, she had been working on recreating 'art deco' era ocean liners after the booming popularity of her Edwardian era programs. And now, the first of these programs was finally in a complete state: And that program was an accurate recreation of the Italian luxury liner Cristoforo Colombo. She and her sister, Andrea Doria, had been symbols of national pride for Italy following Earth's Second World War, and now, one could finally step aboard her once again and truly get immersed in what she was like.
To celebrate, Elisabeth had been running her program continuously for the past several days as the Colombo retraced the route of her 1954 maiden voyage, and had invited the crew to come and go as they pleased to experience the ship. She had been assured that it was alright for her to do so, as the Myogi's holodecks had been designed to run programs for much longer.
Amongst the first to arrive- not all that surprisingly- was Lieutenant Kujo, but Elisabeth was keen to observe that her girlfriend was drawn to her holoprograms like a moth to the flame- whether that be to ogle over the painstaking attention to detail or just to find another place where the two of them could engage in adulterous activities was a bit of an enigma, but either way, it was no less her girlfriend's way of providing her support, so who was Elisabeth to look a gift horse in the mouth?
"Uwah..." Karen gasped as she stepped out onto the Cristoforo Columbo's forecastle deck, where Elisabeth was presently taking stock of her handiwork. "Did you do all this, Izzie?"
"It took a lot of man hours... Woman hours? But yes." Elisabeth responded. She had previously worked with other modelers, but none held her eye for capturing detail, or sought to compromise the program in some way because the proper way seemed impractical to them.
"I'll say this much," Karen remarked as she glanced over the railing. "The view from up here is amazing!"
"Just look at all of this!" Jane observed as she joined them on the deck. "We never had anything quite like this on Proxima. Such luxury! And the craftsmanship, not just yours Elisabeth, but the original builders."
"The Italians were very proud of this and her sister, the Doria." Elisabeth commented. "They were symbols of national pride for the former Axis power, and rightfully so. I'd say the only liners of this era more beautiful than this were the United States and the America. It's a shame that they were both reclaimed by the sea in the early 21st century."
"But, enough about that." Elisabeth said, noting the shifting light levels. "Sun's going down, and dinner's about to be served. You guys won't want to miss it."
"You said this was an Italian ship, right?" Karen inquired as Elisabeth began to lead them towards the main superstructure. "Do they serve Parmo? I could go for a BBQ Parmo right now..."
"I get the feeling that they'll do a bit fancier than that, Karen," Jane said with a giggle. "For one, we're on a ship, so seafood is likely. My one time in Italy, I remember a carbonara with mussels that was to die for." She sighed at the memory of one of the better meals she'd ever eaten, one of many positive memories associated with carbonara. "That said, I wouldn't mind some parmo later," she added with a wink.
"And if they don't, I can add in new items to the program as needed." Ami chuckled from next to her. The dilemma about the holodecks being used for longer periods had been one of her solutions so she was determined to be here when it was tested. Quality Assurance was the keyword to this and she was determined to squash any bugs as they arose. "I've only ever eaten Italian food and one thing I can say is that most of the time, the servings are massive, which is all the better because they're delicious!"
"It's a shame Commander Anzai won't be joining us again." Elisabeth sighed. "You'd think she would be on this like spaghetti and meatballs."
"You were saying, Commander?" Came a familiar voice.
The four of them turned and were just in time to witness Maho stepping out onto the holodeck, followed closely thereafter by Ichika, Keisuke, and- yes- Commander Anzai.
"Hoorah! The Italian's here, Man!" Karen exclaimed.
"Ah, Commander:" Elisabeth grinned. "I thought you weren't going to show."
"And miss out on an opportunity to honor my heritage?" Commander Anzai grinned as the four of them made their way over to join up with Elisabeth's group. "Take a look around you, Commander; before us lies 29,191 gross tons of postwar opulence- the largest Italian merchant ship in service for her time, and a harmonious matrimony of both style and luxury. Truly, a testament to a culture that prides itself in its craftsmanship!"
"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away forever..." Elisabeth smiled.
As darkness fell, dinner was served in the Colombo's dining rooms. Naturally, the grouping of Myogi crew had chosen to eat in First Class, and were serenaded by the sights, sounds, and food of Italy in the 1950s.
"So, I take the Ambassador, fly him back to the Starbase, lead him to the Admiral, and I'm like 'Boom: Is this who you're looking for?'"
The holographic diners at Elisabeth's table burst into laughter.
"Oh, that's-a great!" One of them proclaimed. "That-a sci-fi story is-a gonna be a bestseller!"
Keisuke sat twirling an unlit cigarette in his hand: He had been offered it from a fellow passenger, but had refused a light. Keisuke was slightly anxious, as he had invited Lieutenant Fujiwara to join the rest of the crew on the holodeck. Takumi had said he would as soon as he could find someone to take over helm.
To be continued...
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