Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
AN: First fic, still learning formatting etc. Star Wars XOver doesn't begin until around 80k words, so if you're here for that it'll be a while. Hope you enjoy and stick with it until then!
Star Trek TNG: The Next Gamer
Episode 1.1: Post-Encounter at Farpoint
Stardate 41155
U.S.S Enterprise-D
The creature that had once been Farpoint Station emerged from the planet's surface, reuniting with its companion as the crew of the Enterprise watched from the bridge. Counselor Troi, her eyes misting with emotion, spoke of the joy and gratitude she sensed from both creatures.
Captain Picard turned to face Q, the omnipotent being who had orchestrated this test for humanity. "Why do you use other life forms for your amusement?" Picard asked.
Q began to quip in response but was interrupted by the Captain. "Leave us. We've passed your test."
"Temper, temper, mon Cap-e-tan," Q mocked, drawing out the syllables of Picard's rank. "Get off my ship," Picard said with a tone that left no room for argument.
Q disappeared in a flash of white, only to reappear behind Picard. This time, he was accompanied by another burst of light and a man appeared alongside him. The man, who stood the same height as Q, was dressed in denim jeans and a cotton shirt, clearly out of place among the uniformed Starfleet officers on the bridge.
"You believe yourselves to be more evolved," Q said. "This man is from the 20th century. Prove that you've changed."
Picard objected. "You can't just take someone from the past and drop them on my bridge. This is not a game, Q."
"Maybe not for you," Q retorted. "But it will be for him." With one final flash, Q disappeared, leaving the newcomer to face the stares of the bridge crew.
"Umm," the man said, raising one hand in greeting. "I come in peace." He plastered a wide smile on his face, but when no one spoke, he continued, "I'm Tyson. Where am I? Or, I guess from that whatever that was, maybe the better question is - When am I?" He gestured towards where Q had disappeared.
The confusion in Tyson's tone was understandable to the bridge crew, except for Deanna Troi. She sensed not confusion, but excitement, happiness, and awe.
Lieutenant Commander Data, sitting at a console to Tyson's left, responded, "You are on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. The current date, based on your calendar, would be February 26, 2364."
"Well ain't that some shit," Tyson muttered.
Data's head tilted. "Some shit. Ah, excrement, feces, manure.." He was interrupted by the captain. "Thank you, Data. Tyson, I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. We will do what we can to ensure you're taken care of. For now, I'd like to have one of my crew take you to get checked over and make sure you're healthy and that Q did nothing to adversely affect you. Counselor, could you please escort him to Sick Bay. Lieutenant Worf, could you please accompany them."
Troi approached Tyson with a smile. He accepted Picard's dismissal with a nod and began following her toward the turbolift doors. The Klingon, acknowledging Picard's unspoken caution, followed behind the pair.
Inside the 24th-century equivalent of an elevator, Tyson worked to hide his budding smirk. As a fan of all things nerd culture, he knew exactly where he was and had a decent knowledge of what was to come. Troi, sensing his eagerness, decided to investigate. "You seem to be handling this well."
"There isn't much to do about it," Tyson said. "Being teleported here is so far beyond possibility. I can take what you've said at face value, getting free medical treatment and a trip to the future. Or what? Try to fight you? If this is a starship you have technology beyond what I can fathom. I wouldn't know where to run and I doubt I could take this guy in a fight." Tyson punctuated his last sentence by pointing at Worf. Turning his head he asks," That being said. I mean no offense, but I'm guessing you're not human?"
"tlhIngan jIH." replied the stoic officer. Tyson had no idea what the large man said. It was then he realized, he didn't have a universal translator and wouldn't understand anyone not speaking English. That would be a major drawback going forward, universal translators were small devices implanted at a young age that allowed people from all races to communicate with each other.
Worf did not speak further, He assumed Worf spoke English since he was raised by humans and was just trolling him. Not wanting to reveal any hints of his knowledge, Tyson returned his attention to Counselor Troi. The turbo-lift doors opened and the trio began walking down the corridor.
"Okay. Cool. Are there many non-humans on this ship?" Tyson asked.
"The Federation has many member worlds, representing dozens of species. There are a few hundred non-human crew members on the Enterprise. After you've been checked out by the doctor, I'll provide you with information to try to get you caught up to the times."
They entered through a double-sized door into a large room lined with beds. Tyson had visited the hospital a few times as an adult and noticed the differences between this place and those he had visited in the past. The beds seemed fixed, no wheels were visible. Additionally, there were no privacy screens or curtains around each bed. It seemed medical privacy was an archaic concept. Alternatively, this was a starship, a military vessel. Tyson had never visited a military hospital or been on a navy vessel so didn't know if this was standard.
The group was approached by a red-haired, fair-skinned woman. "Hello, Deanna, Worf, is there something I can help you with?"
Troi responded," We have a guest. This is Tyson. He was brought to the Enterprise by Q. They said he was from the 20th century and the captain wanted you to examine him."
"I'm a couple of hundred years behind on my vaccinations," Tyson interjected.
" I'm Doctor Crusher, I'll make sure that you're in good health and we'll see if we can get your vaccines up to date," she replied jovially. "Please come over here and have a seat."
The doctor leads Tyson to the nearest table. She picked up a handheld device a bit thicker than a smartphone and pulled a small thumb-sized sensor from it. Crusher ran the sensor a few inches away from Tyson as she read the information displayed on the device. "Any family history of diseases, allergies, hospitalizations?" She paused briefly and inquired," Genetic augmentations?"
"Dad had some cardiac issues, but that was from smoking. Mom was a diabetic. Seasonal allergies only. I stayed in the hospital overnight once from a car accident. Had a concussion and a herniated disc, but no lasting complications from either. Umm. Genetic augmentations didn't exist in my time."
Crusher who had been nodding along with his explanation squinted her eyes at his last statement. "What year were you born, and your place of birth?" she asked.
"1985. New York City, United States of America."
"My history may be a bit rusty, but are you sure no genetic augmentations were being done?"
Shaking his head, Tyson responded," Nope. I remember they cloned a sheep. I think I read something about mapping the human genome when I was a kid. Later I remember an article about a CRISPR technique or machine, not exactly sure what it was. That level of science is beyond me. Pretty sure there were laws against genetically modifying humans. Oh. A lot of our food is genetically modified. GMO labeling was a big debate a few years back."
Crusher finished her evaluation and returned her tools. She said," You seem to be in good health, as you said, you will need a few inoculations. I'm going to have you stay here for a little while though. I'll have someone arrange living quarters for you, but some of the things you've said require investigation."
She tapped the badge on her chest," Crusher to Captain Picard."
"Go ahead, Doctor."
"Could I borrow Commander Data? Some unusual results came from my evaluation and he could help me quickly resolve some questions."
"Yes, certainly. Commander Data, report to sick bay."
Minutes later, the android arrived in sick bay. "Lieutenant Worf, you may return to the bridge. What can I do for you, doctor?"
"Can you quickly familiarize yourself with Earth's world history major events and formulate a series of questions? There are some inconsistencies in our guest's history and I want to make sure it's not a memory-related issue. Focus on the years 1950 through 20." She turned to Tyson asking," What was the year you come from."
"2022."
Commander Data nodded and walked over to the console in Doctor Crusher's office. After a few taps, the console rapidly shifted through information. In less than a minute, walked over to the bed where Tyson sat.
"I'd like to ask you a few questions. I'll begin with world history of major events and work towards what you would consider current events."
After 20 minutes of questioning and discussions, Data believed he obtained enough information. "I see what you were referring to Doctor and believe I have a conclusion. Captain Picard, please report to sick bay."
Captain Picard entered sick bay approaching the biobed where Tyson was seated surrounded by Troi, Data, and Crusher. "Commander Data, report."
"Captain, I believe that Tyson did indeed come from the past, but from an alternate timeline. Analyzing his answers using standard regression analysis revealed a divergence during the Cold War era in the 20th century. Subsequently, there was no widespread advancement in genetics, no Eugenics War, and key precursor events to World War 3 were missing, according to Tyson's accounting."
After a moment's thought Picard responded," Why would Q send a man who wasn't even from this timeline? Commander is any of the information you found relevant to the supposed trial Q mentioned?"
"Unknown, sir."
"Thoughts, doctor."
Crusher responded," There are some markers that indicate exposure to diseases and vaccinations that are appropriate, but slightly inconsistent with records we have from that period."
There was a lull in the conversation. Tyson decided to speak up, "Doctor do you have somewhere private I could speak with the Captain and mister Data?"
Captain Picard raised his eyebrow and Doctor Crusher gestured to her office. The three men went inside. Picard sat at the doctor's desk with Tyson across from him. Data stood nearby. Tyson began, " You may have noticed I'm not freaking out about this situation."
"Your stress response is outside of the expected norms," added Data.
Tyson had been mulling over letting them know about his knowledge of Star Trek and the consequences of informing them. He settled on letting the Captain and Data know. Data's objectivity and android nature ensured he wouldn't divulge information if ordered not to.
Tyson continued," The reason I'm not in shock, is that everything I've seen today, including the Enterprise, Q, and all of your crew, exist during my time. But only as fictional characters. You've all been portrayed in books, movies, video games, and primarily a television show."
Tyson continued before either of the officers could interject," I know it seems farfetched but let me state some things I remember about you from the show." He turned to Picard," This is a Galaxy-class starship, the flagship of the United Federation of Planets. Humanity's first extra-terrestrial contact was with the Vulcans, after Zephram Cochrane's first warp flight. Your previous ship was the Stargazer, a Constellation-class vessel. Your family is from France and has a vineyard. You got stabbed in the chest by a Nausicaan, I think." Looking at Data he stated, "I don't know as much about your past. I know you're a Soong-type android and relatively unique."
Refocusing on the Captain, Tyson resumed," I'm telling you this because I also have general knowledge of the future. I hesitate to divulge too much information. I know of the Prime Directive, but I don't know if there is a Temporal Prime Directive yet. I also don't know how my presence will affect events to come. I'm also not entirely sure the events I know of from fiction match up exactly with the ones here. I wanted to be honest with you, and I'm not entirely sure I could pretend to be completely ignorant of this time."
"Yes, I'm aware of the Temporal Prime Directive," stated Picard. "All Starfleet captains are briefed on previous Federation officers' experiences with time travel as well. I appreciate your honesty. Everything you stated about me is correct. I'd like you to keep that information and any information you have about future events to yourself. We want to minimize any impact your presence may have on the timeline."
"Commander, per General Order 157, you will not speak of this revelation to any of the crew besides myself for now. We'll arrange your accommodations and provide you with information on current events and history. You can make your determinations on if this is indeed the timeline described in your fiction."
"Yes, sir," replied Tyson, matching Data's," Yes, Captain". Tyson winked at Data good-heartedly. He rose to leave the office, but Picard spoke again.
"Before Q disappeared, he mention that this would be a game for you. Do you know what he meant?"
Tyson was about to respond that Q was speaking metaphorically. Before he could speak, a blue box appeared in his field of view.
Welcome, Gamer.
Moments later, the box disappeared and was replaced with a new, much larger one.
You have been granted access to The Gamer System. This RPG-style power system gives you multiple aspects.
Status
You can open a status screen that shows information about you, your current state, and your abilities.
Crafting Menu
You can open a menu through which you can craft items without going through the process. You still need to supply all the required materials. The success rate and result quality depend on your skill and luck.
Inventory System
You can open an inventory menu where you can store items in your pocket dimension.
Leveling System
The system has a mechanic through which you can earn experience points. Earn enough experience points you will 'level up' increasing your overall power.
Party System
The system has a menu through which you can add a limited number of allies to your party. You'll be able to see information on the current state of your party members. You can distribute experience among party members in a manner of your choosing. You can grant people in your party access to any number of this system's features and can revoke access at any point.
Skill Proficiency
When you use your skills, they gain proficiency, improving their performance. Eventually, a skill might evolve into a more potent form.
Quest System
The system may give you quests based on your current goals and circumstances. Completing them will grant you skills, items, and potentially other rewards. The skills will be sourced from your abilities and your setting. Completing quests will also reward experience.
Perks and Disadvantages
Completing great achievements gives you access to titles and exclusive skills. Disadvantages can be gained through different means including failing quests or quest objectives.
"I think I might have an idea what he was talking about," Tyson said to Picard. He willed the box to close so he could focus on the Captain.
"In my time, there are games known as RPGs, roleplaying games. They were popularized in the 1980s as a group-based tabletop experience and progressed into video game interactions as computer technology improved. Right now, I can see windows in my field of view that are reminiscent of those found in digital roleplaying games. I'm not sure if this is some kind of illusion, maybe created by Q or technological in origin. An implant or drug that could create visual illusions should have been revealed in the doctor's evaluation." Thinking of the party system, Tyson focused on Picard, " I might be able to show you."
Skill Unlocked!
Observe (level 1) - A skill to find the target's information. Observe is obtained through continuous observation of a target or object. At level 1 you receive information on a target's name, and primary class or title. Skill level cannot exceed governing attribute, Wisdom.
Above Picard's head appeared floating text.
Jean-Luc Picard
{Captain}
Looking at both Picard and Data, Tyson thought, Invite to Party.
"Fascinating," said Data. "Captain, I don't know of any technology that could create this kind of visual phenomenon outside a holodeck."
"Before we explore this, let's have the doctor run some scans. Let us not dive headfirst into whatever this is if it's potentially dangerous."
Over the next hour, Doctor Crusher ran every scan she could on the men. She found nothing, even when Tyson was actively using his power. Eventually, a crewman came to show Tyson to his quarters. Picard left him with instructions to refrain from using any of his abilities on crew members until more is understood.
The quarters assigned to Tyson were bigger than his first apartment out of college. It had a large lounge area, and attached were a bathroom and a bedroom. There was no kitchen, but the lounge had a dining table near the replicator. Sitting on the sofa, Tyson got to what he'd been waiting for.
"Character Sheet."
Tyson
Title: (none)
Race: Human
Level: 1 (0/1000)
Energy Credits: 100
Hit Points: 80
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 7
Luck: 0
Status Effects: (none)
Skills:
Observe: Lvl 3
Perks:
'Out of Nowhere'
Drawbacks:
'Q and U'
If this gamer system followed D&D rules, those attribute scores were pretty bad. Focusing on his Strength score brought up a chart showing average lifting strength for each attribute value. 8 represented the average for an adult male, roughly the ability to lift 165 lbs. 25 seemed to be the upper limit of possibility for humans.
Having an understanding of attribute ranges made him feel better. His regular exercise placed him slightly above average in strength. Likewise with his education and mental attributes. His charisma was below average, no surprise there.
Focusing on other aspects of his character screen did not reveal similar helpful information until he reached the Perk section. Once his attention was on Out of Nowhere, it revealed a description.
Out Of Nowhere
People are far more accepting of what you claim to be. You're an omnipotent god here to test humanity? Eh, we got five of those last week. Last member of a dying race? We have a protocol for that. This is your springboard into getting onto a ship. What comes next depends on you.
Q and U
You've gained the attention of the omnipotent being, Q. Q's reputation as a trickster is well-earned. He may show up and grant a small boon, he may test you, or he may ruin your carefully constructed plans.
That perk explains why everyone seemed to take him at face value. It wouldn't be out of character for Starfleet crews to encounter many abnormalities, but this was the Enterprise's first mission.
Could that description be any more ominous? No sense in Tyson worrying about it now though. Q is a force of nature, you can't stop him any more than you'd stop a hurricane.
His use of observation while in the sick bay and the corridors earned him a few levels in the skill. There were a few things Tyson wanted to test. The simplest test is energy credits. At first glance, he just saw Energy and assumed it was a replacement for mana. The credit portion made him think it was currency. It was always stated in Star Trek that the Federation didn't use money. The idea of a society without currency confused Tyson. Though he understood that a society with replicators could provide for all its citizen's needs. Replicators have to run on energy though, hence the Energy Credits. To confirm his hypothesis, he approached his replicator.
"Computer. Root Beer. Cold. Most popular selection if there are multiple options. Please."
While saying please wasn't necessary, with how intelligent machines were in this century, Tyson figured it was better to be safe. The drink materialized in the replicator, accompanied by that iconic sound. Retrieving the glass, he took a sip. The root beer was passable. He'd consider it mid-range for a craft root beer. Certainly better than the high fructose corn syrup, mass-produced crap he was used to. Replicators were always presented as a less-than-perfect technology. The food they created in the show always seemed to lack something compared to real, grown food according to the characters. Tyson would have to sample a few other dishes, but first, he checked his character sheet.
Energy Credits: 98
Hypothesis proven. For the second part of his experiment, he placed the glass back into the replicator.
"Computer. Recycle the glass please." The empty glass disappeared in a similar particle effect. Checking his sheet once again.
Energy Credits: 99
The second part of the experiment was a success as well. He could recycle items in the replicator to earn Energy Credits.
"Moving on," Tyson muttered out loud. He would try for another staple of RPGs. Magic. Holding his arm outstretched with his palm facing forward he exclaimed," Mana Bolt!" Nothing happened. Not deterred by his first failure, Tyson shifted into a wider stance. He bent his knees, bringing his left hand down to his right hip, with his right hand hovering just above. Both palms face each other, fingers splayed and bent.
He focused all his efforts on the space between his hands and began chanting," Kah"
He rotated further to his right. "May"
Eyes closed, he sensed nothing outside of his body. "Ha"
He stopped his rotation, his fingers were shaking from his exertion. "May"
With as much force as he could muster, he thrust his arms across his body and shouted," Haaaa!"
Tyson stood in the middle of the lounge, arms outstretched. His forehead was starting to glisten from forcing his entire being into his hands. Holding the pose, he was glad there was no crew around to witness his failure. No energy beam rushed from his hands. He didn't even manage to create any light, glow, or anything else to indicate he'd done more than act like a child having seen and acted out their first anime. He ended his pose and sat down.
He couldn't manipulate ki or mana, and couldn't force the skill creation. Thinking of other ways he knew characters in fiction unlocked energy manipulations, he sat down. Tyson crossed his legs assuming the lotus position. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, focusing only on his breathing. The following moment of clarity revealed that trying to fire a beam of ki energy inside a starship was a horrible idea.
Meditation was not a skill Tyson would say he had previously. He was mostly going off what he'd seen in pop culture. He knew there were different breathing techniques, and in lots of cultivation settings, there was a heavy emphasis on them. Unfortunately, he didn't know any. The only thing he could think of was a yoga class he took once where he was instructed to breathe and hold. So that is what he did. Breathe In. Hold for 3. Breathe Out. Hold for 3. Breathe in. and on and on. Tyson lost track of time. He didn't know how long he sat on the floor of his room. Eventually, he stopped needing to focus on breathing. The pattern became natural and his mind was left to wander. When he opened his eyes sometime later, a box was waiting for him.
Skill Acquired!
Meditation (level 0 - Locked) - A skill to find a mentally clear, emotionally calm, and stable state. At level 1 this skill actively increases the regeneration of energy, including mana, ki, chakra, etc. Skill level cannot exceed governing attribute, Wisdom. Meditation is locked at level 0 until an energy manipulation skill is acquired.
"Well, that kinda sucks," Tyson stated dejectedly. He decided to turn in for the night. "Night. Hah. I have no idea what time it is. Can't tell in this place, it's like a casino. Computer. What's the time."
"The time is 2231 hours."
"Late enough I guess," he muttered.
Tyson walked into his bathroom, stripped, and folded his clothes. He placed them on a shelf and got into the stall. Going to the panel to turn it on, he remembered Federation crews didn't bathe in water, they used sonic showers. Shrugging he prepared himself for a new experience.
The sonic shower used vibration to remove everything from the skin. Tyson enjoyed the new sensation. He didn't think it was as relaxing as a warm shower, but it was close. The strangest part was he could almost see the small particles being lifted from his body. The barely visible residue left from sweat and dead skin misting off him.
Not needing to dry off, Tyson stepped from the shower nude. Instead of putting on his worn clothes, he brought them to the replicator. Placing them inside he said," Computer. Recycle and create a new pattern."
After his clothes disappeared he asked," Computer. Please create the last recycled pattern, omitting any non-cotton or non-metal alloy materials." Moments later he had a fresh, clean, shirt and jeans combo, the exact duplicates of the ones he arrived in. Who needs a laundry mat, when you have a replicator?
For just a second he considered himself clever. Then his smile faltered when he remembered an area on the ship called the replimat. There must be settings already in place for refreshing clothes. If starships didn't use water for showers, why would they use it for laundry? Tyson recycled his pants and replicated some sweatpants for bed.
Tyson lay in bed. "Computer. Set an alarm for 0700 hours, please."
You have slept in a bed. All Hit Points recovered and negative status effects were removed.
Tyson went to the replicator, recycled his sweats, and replicated another pair of jeans and a toothbrush. After brushing his teeth, he recycled the toothbrush. He was surprised when he checked his energy credits.
Energy Credits: 199
With regular recycling of non-consumable goods, he wasted no credits. Additionally, he gained 100 credits daily. That explained how basic needs are covered.
His musings were interrupted by a chime at the door. Recognizing the sound Tyson loudly spoke," Come on in."
Counselor Troi entered, wearing a purple v-cut jumpsuit uniform. Her hair was intricately up-styled with a tiara-like hairclip. Speaking as she approached," Good morning Tyson. How are your accommodations?"
"Best vacation I've been on in a while. A beach and a few drinks, and I'm set." He replied, smiling.
Troi said," I'd like to take you on a tour of the ship. We could start in the replimat for breakfast, visit a holodeck and maybe find that beach. Then engineering, shuttle bay, and anywhere else you want to see. Also, I brought you a PADD, one of our personal access displace devices. It has history from 1950 to the present as well as basic information on Federation laws and ship operations."
Tyson accepted the PADD," Thank you. Breakfast and a tour would be lovely."
After leaving Tyson's room they went down the corridor towards the turbolift. Troi stopped at one of the wall screens and showed Tyson a schematic of the ship and basic instructions on using the screens to navigate and locate crew members. Entering the turbolift they headed to their first stop. The replimat.