So I slip out of Callahan's and I'm on my way back to the Star to brief the crew on the SOS-dan's intentions when I'm jumped by a fan.
Jumped by a fan at a Convention. Yeah, I know. Big shocker there. But this fan was... unique.
I heard somebody call out my name behind me. The voice was high, young, female with a bit of something synthetic behind it. I turn around, and I'm expecting something like a 15 year old Warsie in stormtrooper gear who wants me to sign something. I tell you true, I was not expecting what happened next.
"OMG Captain Mal! I'm like, *so* your biggest fan! I read all the stuff about you in National Geographic and I've seen all your documentaries and it's like, wow!" My interlocutor was a spindly, flat-topped robot, rolling along on six small wheels. A mast toppped with twin cameras at right about my eye level looked at me as the 'bot unfolded her manipulator arm in friendly greeting. "I'm Opportunity! Nice to meet you!"
Never let it be said that Captain S. Malaclypse Fnord of the good ship Explain Star is an ungracious boor. I took Opportunity's manipulator and gave it a friendly, um, handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, Opportunity," I declared. "As it happens," I added in a bit more confidential tone, "I'm something of a fan of yours as well."
Opportunity's cameras swiveled. "Really?" she asked. "Cool! We need to, like, do a book or something together! I can write and you can take pictures!"
I smiled. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea," I said. "Do you have a phone number or something handy? I'm sorry to be in a rush, but I've got to meet with the crew and I'm kind of pressed for time..."
"Oh, no problem! No problem! Just call the Terraforming Office and ask for me, I'm always on-call. It was nice meeting you!" I signed her just-bought copy of 'Lonely System: Ceres' and she rolled away happily, drawing stares from even the more jaded fen.
I turned back to the path towards the hangar deck when lo and behold I found two of my crew standing there with bemused expressions on their faces. I guess they came in near the end of that exchange. "So what was that about?" asked Zib. Kat didn't say anything, she just gave me that look, the one where she didn't know what the hell was going on, but was impressed all the same.
"Oh, just another one of our adoring fans," I said breezily, grabbing them both by the arm and pulling them into the crowd. "I'll tell ya though, this place gets weirder every fucking year."
...don't give me that look goddammit, it came to me in a dream. Blame it on the Discordians if you have to. Or just go read Opportunity's Livejournal---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
Jumped by a fan at a Convention. Yeah, I know. Big shocker there. But this fan was... unique.
I heard somebody call out my name behind me. The voice was high, young, female with a bit of something synthetic behind it. I turn around, and I'm expecting something like a 15 year old Warsie in stormtrooper gear who wants me to sign something. I tell you true, I was not expecting what happened next.
"OMG Captain Mal! I'm like, *so* your biggest fan! I read all the stuff about you in National Geographic and I've seen all your documentaries and it's like, wow!" My interlocutor was a spindly, flat-topped robot, rolling along on six small wheels. A mast toppped with twin cameras at right about my eye level looked at me as the 'bot unfolded her manipulator arm in friendly greeting. "I'm Opportunity! Nice to meet you!"
Never let it be said that Captain S. Malaclypse Fnord of the good ship Explain Star is an ungracious boor. I took Opportunity's manipulator and gave it a friendly, um, handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, Opportunity," I declared. "As it happens," I added in a bit more confidential tone, "I'm something of a fan of yours as well."
Opportunity's cameras swiveled. "Really?" she asked. "Cool! We need to, like, do a book or something together! I can write and you can take pictures!"
I smiled. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea," I said. "Do you have a phone number or something handy? I'm sorry to be in a rush, but I've got to meet with the crew and I'm kind of pressed for time..."
"Oh, no problem! No problem! Just call the Terraforming Office and ask for me, I'm always on-call. It was nice meeting you!" I signed her just-bought copy of 'Lonely System: Ceres' and she rolled away happily, drawing stares from even the more jaded fen.
I turned back to the path towards the hangar deck when lo and behold I found two of my crew standing there with bemused expressions on their faces. I guess they came in near the end of that exchange. "So what was that about?" asked Zib. Kat didn't say anything, she just gave me that look, the one where she didn't know what the hell was going on, but was impressed all the same.
"Oh, just another one of our adoring fans," I said breezily, grabbing them both by the arm and pulling them into the crowd. "I'll tell ya though, this place gets weirder every fucking year."
...don't give me that look goddammit, it came to me in a dream. Blame it on the Discordians if you have to. Or just go read Opportunity's Livejournal---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"