A Non-Exhaustive List of Twenty-First Century Concepts
That Chris would be genuinely enthusiastic about and Una would go along with because she likes being an agent of chaos and suffering:
- Abbreviations (i.e., text speak)
- (Chris: What a fun way people used to chat with each other by comms! I'll send this to the comm team so they can reference it in the weekly ship's bulletin for their 'Fun Notes.'
- Una provides orders only in abbreviations for a solid month until the entire crew has memorized the article in self-defense. Then she switches to disdain and asks everyone to 'Speak in Standard, please. You're on duty.' She submits the results to Starfleet as a report on recommendations for conducting routine exercises in Handling Psychological Warfare.
- This does come in handy the next time aliens try to take over the ship and the crew uses Text Speak to blatantly organize their secret rebellion out loud and frustrate their captors to no end.
- Chris: I didn't realize the Fun Notes section was so popular!)
- Camping rough
- (Chris: Hey, you can ride horses out to the site. And there's fishing - Joseph will be happy.
- Una, planning on how to sabotage their gear so this also qualifies as the required Annual Survival Training exercise everyone keeps avoiding: Excellent idea, Captain. I'll handle the supplies.)
- Festive ugly sweaters
- (Not sure what Federation holidays exist - Founders Day Ugly Sweater Party in the Captain's quarters? Attendance and ugly sweaters made mandatory through the XO's subtle threats. If you show up without a sweater, one will be provided. You do not want the one provided.)
- Halloween
- (Chris: ...and then people go through a haunted maze! Or house. Or field? I think there were variations on the theme. Unless it's a very long maze. Oh! And then everyone gathers around to eat themed snacks and watch scary visual entertainment.
- Una, mentally making a list of their crews biggest fears and how to terrify the living daylights out of them via decor: That seems like a lot to plan on your own. Why don't you organize the snacks while I take care of this 'haunted experience?')
- *Matching* festive ugly sweaters
- (Chris: Team bonding! After all, last year's Founders Day Party went very well.
- Una, with eyes already on the prize of forcing their entire senior staff into matching hideous knit monstrosities with emblems of all the Federation planets in neon colors and a row of Vulcan hand salutes around the hem: Absolutely. That will definitely build camaraderie.)
#the possibilities are endless#as are the ways that una will turn them into a training opportunity#and sure you might have recurring nightmares or flinch when someone says lol#but doesnt that still beat a two hour seminar or 60 slide powerpoint on contingency planning and incident response?#strange new worlds#christopher pike#una chin riley