YE/D06 - Holodecks

[Paul]

==

[Kal-Geal Beinn]

==Holodeck 1==

Lt Beinn ducked as a simulated disruptor bolt flashed through the dead trees, followed by returning phaser fire. The Child of San-Tarah was running through a former forest, dodging fire in the middle of a warzone. Running from cover to cover, the wolf-like officer bolted through the woods, before running out into a trail. The sounds of battle behind them, Kal-Geal began to run at a brisk pace on all fours, his fur ruffling in the light wind blowing at him. Up ahead, was the finish line of the race, but then the departure alert beeped on his new Star Fleet-issue PADD.

"End program."

The holodeck returned as Kal-Geal went over to the exit. He tapped at the access point for the holodeck and added,

"Save to Sickbay Physical. Number of tries to reach the end allowed, five. Randomize firing patterns from opposition forces but keep safe spots static. Add water cooler at the end of the warzone, add secondary obstacle course in race track."

The Child of San-Tarah then exited the holodeck and returned to his quarters to change out of his field uniform and into his duty uniform so that he could get sickbay ready.

>>Next Post: Sickbay>>

[Kal-Geal Beinn]

==For Arwen Qi==

The holodeck would come to life when Arwen entered the doors. A program began to load up, but as Kal-Geal had been informed of the appointment being made, the program also had Lieutenant Beinn present.

"Glad you took the earliest appointment Commander Qi. I am Lieutenant Kal-Geal Beinn, Child of San-Tarah and Chief Medical Officer. Unlike most physicals, which are done in sickbay, this one is a comprehensive holodeck program that will test you physically and mentally. The first stage is a warzone, where you must rescue a wounded officer that has information vital to the Federation. The choices you make, determine your scoring. The second stage, is a physical run, and incorporates a few mental puzzles into it, to assist with gathering baselines on your mental state under high stress."

Kal-Geal had a few bottles of replicated nutrient water with him, as he added,

"Refreshment will be provided between stages, and I'll be on hand to make sure you don't overload or harm yourself during the exam. The safety protocols may be on, but you are still your own worst enemy when it comes to the possibility of injury."

==tag Qi==

[Arwen Qi]

<<<< Bridge <<<<

Qi arrived in the Holodeck with a quizzical look on his face. A typical physical aboard the Geronimo consisted of a quick chat on the biobed, a few instruments waved in his face, and a hypospray for his allergies. Still, he dressed in athletic clothes, just in case there was more to this exam. He’d learned many times that anything could happen on the holodeck.

As he entered, a program sprung to life. The wolflike Chief Medical Officer materialized before him and explained the structure of the simulation.

Is all of this really necessary? Qi thought. Still, he was intrigued. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest. His muscles tensed, ready to move. He had hiked the Ranaka Falls during his last visit to Trill, but that trail barely fazed him anymore. It had been ages since his last intense workout.

“Alright, let’s do it,” Qi replied, taking one of the nutrient water bottles. “I’m ready.”

== Tag Beinn ==

[Kal-Geal Beinn]

==Pre-launch timeline==

The doors of the holodeck opened, and the CMO himself entered the holodeck. He growled something, and the holodeck began to activate. A dense forest began to generate, with the sounds of battle around them. A fairly destructive battle seemed to be going on around them, with phaser and disruptor fire lancing between the trees. There seemed to be a pattern to the volleys of fire that Qi might be able to pick up on, but every so often, the pattern would change, as if being randomized. The trees offered plenty of cover, but his goal was unknown till Kal-Geal said,

"Commander, your goal is to reach an officer at the center of this mess. They have information vital to ending this battle, but they are trapped in No Man's Land. There are multiple ways of recovering said information, but its up to you to find a way to satisfy the simulation. This is part one of two though, with this testing your physical and mental agility, as well as both forms of endurance. Getting hit by fire from the simulation will hurt, but the safeties are fully enabled, and the backups checked."

==tag Qi, and sorry its been this long==

[Arwen Qi]

Qi nodded, feeling more like a test subject than a patient. He wondered if all Klingon physicals were quite so visceral.

Surveying the scene ahead, Qi was quick to notice that the disruptor fire seemed to obey a consistent pattern, randomizing at set intervals.

The pattern is too well synchronized. That means it’s simulated machines shooting at us, not simulated Klingons.

Qi waited a moment, measuring the timing between shots, then broke toward the treeline. If he was right about the weapons being turrets, he might be able to disable the group by tampering with their internal network. He just needed to reach one of them.

== Tag! Is Qi right about the weapons being turrets, and is he able to access one? ==

[Kal-Geal Beinn]

As Qi approached the firing position, Qi was indeed correct, as his tricorder displayed that there was only a single Klingon controlling an array of turrets with holographic disguises. However, as the data came in, he would notice that behind the firing position was a camp of Klingon civilians. Furthermore, once he interacted with the control systems, a warning displayed that disabling the turrets would allow the Federation to lock onto their position with an orbital bombardment, most certainly obliterating the position, but also potentially destroying the civilian camp behind them.

A furred CMO crouched next to a tree and said, "And therein lies the test Commander. How you proceed, is a determination of your mental and emotional abilities. The Federation doesn't have these precision turrets, and will most likely be wiped out by massed fire from the Klingons given time, and then their position will be vulnerable to bombardment."

Kal-Geal smiled however, and added, "I have faith that Star Fleet always finds a way to avoid casualties on both sides whenever possible. The choice is yours though Commander, but Intelligence suggests that the officer downed in the middle of this killzone might have found a way to stop both sides."

The Lieutenant watched and observed Arwen however, having given him some guidance that was allowed by the CMO's exam rules.

==tag==

[Arwen Qi]

Qi raised an eyebrow at Beinn. It seemed that his mental and physical acuity weren’t the only things being tested. The doctor was presenting him an ethical dilemma as well. He looked up at the sky, where the Federation presumably sat ready to rain hellfire down upon the battlefield, then turned his gaze back toward the camp behind them. Whatever he was going to do, he would need to act now.

Typing quickly, he configured his tricorder to upload a few million lines of junk data to the targeting systems. He didn’t want to disable them altogether, but he might be able to slow them down, give himself more time before they changed patterns. There was no time to check his work, he’d just have to trust himself.

“OK doc, I’m going in. If I don’t make it, it’s up to you to water the plant in my quarters,” Qi said, cracking a smile. He exhaled sharply and dashed toward the center of the battlefield.

Qi kept his eyes low, watching for gaps in the disruptor beams. Staying close to the trees would offer some cover, as long as he could avoid tripping over their roots. He stumbled once, barely catching himself before he fell. His right arm lit up with a flash of pain as the ionized beam seared through the edge of his shoulder. Only simulated pain, but it felt real enough.

He kept moving, adopting a shorter stride that he’d seen trail runners use. The pace was a little bit slower than a full sprint, but he felt his center of gravity stabilize. It was easier to adapt to changes in the terrain. He swept his eyes over the no-man’s-land, hoping that it would be easy to identify the officer that he was meant to assist.

== Tag! Is Qi able to make it to the wounded officer? ==

[Kal-Geal Beinn]

As Qi made it away from the Klingon emplacement, the disruptor beams became interspersed with phaser beams from the Federation side of the battle. Kal-Geal was nowhere to be seen, but when Qi caught himself after stumbling, he could see the former KDF officer waiting next to a body in the grass.

The downed officer was wearing the grey colors of Intelligence, a Lieutenant Commander's pips on their collar. The officer in question appeared to be a Kelpian, though it was quite clear from the multiple phaser and disruptor burns that they were beyond saving. Arwen was able to find the officer's PADD however, which displayed both the codes to the Klingons' turrets, and to the Federation's defenses as well. A recording began to play,

"To whomever finds this, I hope you're Federation, and not a Klingon, but if the latter, I hope your choice is honorable. I have recovered the codes to the Klingon outpost, and I can lower their defenses at a moment's notice, but I have also found that the Klingons are sheltering civilians of their own. I cannot bring myself to lower their defenses, nor can I lower the defenses of Star Fleet, who I am bound by my duty, and the concern of my fellow officers. I have determined that there are two starships in orbit, waiting to fire on the planet below, and the loss of one outpost's defenses will result in its destruction. I don't know what I can do, except try to get these back to command for a decision to be made."

The sound of a phaser blast hitting the officer could be heard, followed by several disruptor impacts. It seemed that the officer didn't have time to follow through with what they wanted to do, but they had left behind all of the technical data of both defenses, including the shutdown codes for both sides. The Federation outpost had about 18% of their shields left, the Klingons had 41% remaining, and the firestorm of phasers and disruptors continued to intensify, driving Kal-Geal to go flat on the ground to avoid the firepower.

"As humans would say, the ball is in your court Commander. The choice you make today, will echo through the future." Kal-Geal said as his ears flattened against his head. High above, Arwen could see both ships in low orbit, ready to rain down fire on the other side.

==tag==

[Arwen Qi]

Qi shot Beinn a wild look, struggling to catch his breath. The sprint to the clearing had taken its toll.

“I thought you said that the officer found a way to stop both sides! This intel could eradicate  everyone. If either side sees an opening, they’ll —“

There was another option, one that Qi hesitated to say out loud. If neither side could attack, they might buy some time to evacuate the Klingon civilians and transport the injured away from the Federation outpost. This plan would require three things:

1. Willingness to betray one’s own side in a war, something that the Kelpien officer had refused with his dying breath

2.  Sufficient computer savvy to hack two disparate systems simultaneously, such that neither side would gain an advantage

3. A good defense attorney for the inevitable court martial that would follow this decision.

Would Beinn report him to Star Fleet command for this? No, at least Qi didn’t think so. Their oath was to Star Fleet, but they were scientists, not soldiers. Somehow he thought Beinn would understand.

Qi began tapping frantically at the Kelpien officer’s PADD. Using that intel, he suspected that he could write a scrambling code that would temporarily inhibit targeting from the Klingon weapons. He knew that he could do it for the Federation weapons — he’d written one by accident while they were calibrating the Yeager in drydock.

Once he was finished, he would need to upload the codes to a communications tower with enough range to reach orbit. With any luck, he would find one that hadn’t yet been destroyed.

== Tag! Any luck generating the scrambling codes and is there a comms tower to upload them to? ==