Security. Laurence is immensely relieved to hear it. Without qualifications or status, it seems unlikely that he could return to command anytime soon in this world, but combat at least he expects to be qualified for. Perhaps he can pick up the skills for the peaceful part on the job; it's how he's advanced in his life so far.

"Then there is at least one form of work I may be able to do here, I hope," he says. "I have seen my share of combat actions." Rather more than most men in his position, but Laurence won't venture so far as to boast.

Harry isn't sure 18th century naval combat is a transferable skill to Starfleet security. But it seems like a more likely job than, say, engineering, and he recognizes a need to be useful in Laurence from himself, and from his fellow students at the academy.

"I'll ask Lieutenant Tuvok to talk with you, then. He's chief of security."

He realizes the tour is pretty much over.

"If there's nothing else you need, I should probably get back to my duties. But, uh, I'm going to be getting lunch in the mess with a friend of mine at 1300 hours, if you want to join us."

"Thank you. I would be happy to accept."

Um. "How is time kept on Voyager?" Surely not by a man ringing a bell every half hour, he senses. He doesn't know how to get there either, but assumes Ensign Kim will fetch him or send a runner.

"Oh, just ask the computer. Computer, what time is it?"

"The time is 1127 hours."

He nods. "Please, don't let me keep you from your duties any longer, Ensign."

"See ya!"

Harry leaves.

Laurence takes stock of his situation.

In some ways, it is extremely dire. The loss of his old life presses down on him as a heavy weight in the empty, alien room.

In other ways, it is much less so than many situations he has faced at sea. He faces no danger of starvation -- in fact, it seems he'll eat as well as he ever has in his life -- and has more luxury here as a penniless passenger than he did as a captain in his former life.

But luxury holds little interest for Laurence; if it did, he would never have left his family to pursue his dream of joining the Royal Navy. What he wishes most now is to satisfy his honor. He has very little idea how to do that here, but perhaps he can begin by assisting this Lieutenant Tuvok.

And there are two things, among the wreckage of his life here, that stand out.

First: He wanted to sail as a boy to see the world. The world as he knew it may no longer be available. But on Voyager, he is certain, there will be no shortage of strange and enticing sights.

And second: the Federation, it seems, is an empire worth serving.

Painful as it is to contemplate a life constrained to this vessel, with only a small number for company and no prospects of family life-- Laurence can accept almost anything, if his life is still to have an honorable purpose.

But there are some things he must know, though they have little bearing on his life ahead.

"Computer," he begins uncertainly. "Is Lord Allendale a name known to you?"

"1 match found. Viscount Allendale, a heraldic title of the United Kingdom. Created July 5th, 1911."

Laurence had always believed his family's title to have been created sometime in the 16th century.

"Have you any record of a fictional character by the same name?"

"1 match found, from the holonovel 'The Adventures of Captain William Laurence'. Lord Allendale is the father of the protagonist, Captain William Laurence."

Oh.

He was already nearly certain this was the case, but hearing it stated so plainly and factually is another matter.

He is not quite masochistic enough to ask further questions about the holonovel of which he is the protagonist.

Instead, he struggles to formulate his next question. "How many... That is, are there any lords of noble title assigned to the vessel Voyager? Gentleman officers?"

"Access to the crew manifest is restricted."

Restricted? "Are noble titles no longer a matter of public record?"

"Of the 1,782 systems of nobility on record, 1,292 have publicly available membership lists. However, access to the crew manifest is restricted, so cross-referencing is not possible."

"I see.

"Is the English nobility one of those systems?"

"Membership records for the English nobility are available."

Laurence spends a few minutes ascertaining some basic historical facts, such as: King George and Wilburforce were real; the American colonies still exist and are called "The United States of America"; England abolished slavery not long after Laurence's seeming departure, but it took the rest of the world rather longer; the English empire no longer exists, much like the French one.

It's all exceedingly strange. Laurence wishes he had a confidante, a friend to talk over all this with. Not Tom Riley -- the abolition of the slave trade might pose too difficult a subject -- but Edith Galman, perhaps.

A thought occurs to him. The holonovel that contains him-- might it have Edith as well?

But no. Ensign Kim said that holodeck characters were just that-- characters. Laurence has no desire to unburden himself to a phantom.

"Computer, can the replicator create a map of this vessel?"

"Please specify scale."

It can produce a map at any scale??

He struggles to recall his arithmetic lessons. "What are the length and width of the ship?"

"This ship is 343 meters long and 116 meters wide."