Why now?

[cityship]

It was the worst possible time for it. The crew was about to be embroiled in a battle for their lives. Half of them were infested with alien parasites and restrained in MedBay.

||Pod Release Protocols Initating,|| Stacy's familiar voice sounded out to all the podmates.

In the Pod Caverns, there were the sounds of: Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There was condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in the pods, as the people inside slid out onto the floors, covered in slime.

Pop. Poppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiissss.

Comments

[cityship]

"Such a statement, naturally, makes me somewhat curious and yet completely repulsed at the same time," says a hologram that flickers to life before him.

[thehollycopter.livejournal.com]

From the pod next to Jack slid what looked like a child. Except she had pointy ears. She quickly awoke, and a stream of curses from just about every human language - and some not human - flew from her lips.

She looked around, assessing her situation. And then she spotted the naked man and the hologram.

"Okay, someone's got some explaining to do."

[faceofboeshane]

Jack shrugs. "Yeah, I tend to run into that a lot. You'd be amazed at how open-minded humanity can get, given a few thousand years to get over our hangups... But in the meantime, people miss out on way too much fun." He flashes the hologram a completely unapologetic (and slightly flirtatious) grin, and then looks over abruptly as someone slides out of the pod next to him.

"Don't look at me," he tells her. "I just got here." Never mind that these look like stasis pods -- he's not going to get into experiential time vs. chronological. "Captain Jack Harkness. And you are?" His gaze flickers from the person next to him (nonhuman, obviously, and not a species he's familiar with) to the hologram.

[cityship]

"My designation is Shining Path to Truth and Knowledge AI model GRA 112, serial number XMC-10-182. I was formerly the core AI of the Commonwealth Glorious Heritage-class heavy cruiser, the Andromeda Ascendant."

Head-tilt.

"You may call me Andromeda."

[thehollycopter.livejournal.com]

Holly's eyes narrowed. So the human didn't know where they were - but he could be lying. Seemed like every human she'd ever met lied at least half of the time.

"Captain Holly Short, Lower Elements Police." Might as well state some authority. Which would be a hell of a lot easier if she had her gun and badge.

[faceofboeshane]

Neither of those designations is familiar. And Jack knows ships. A species he hasn't met, sure, but he'd recognize a ship designation like that, unless it was after his time. "All right. Two captains and an AI, and I'd lay odds we're not all from the same universe, either. And someone seems to have quite the collection." He gestures at the other pods. "So, Andromeda. You seem to be the one with the answers. Feel like sharing?"