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Side Sim - Holodeck: A Taste of Home

Posted July 16, 2021, 11:13 a.m. by Lieutenant Commander Nivor Rhansi (Executive Officer) (Nathan Miller)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Nivor Rhansi (Executive Officer) in Side Sim - Holodeck: A Taste of Home
Nivor entered the holodeck, the empty black and orange grid yawning before him. The amount of space dedicated to a room primarily devoted to entertainment still surprised him after years of experience with Federation vessels. He waited for the doors to close behind him before he turned to the command panel in the arch.

“Computer,” he began, waiting for the attendant beep in response. “Activate Rhansi program Barzan Alpha, phase 1.” The holodeck space filled with a grassy field, an artificial walking path cutting through it, with trees scattered about. Insectile creatures flittered among wildflowers. He stepped out of the archway, looking into the sky and slowly spinning about. In the distance, beyond some trees, he could see the tops of some buildings, but he knew these were unreachable via the program.

“Place field,” he requested, and a force field snapped into place between the arch and the holodeck proper. “Phase 2.”

The colors shifted slightly as the intermix of gases in the room changed. He sensed the difference in the way the air coming through his breathers tasted and smiled. He slowly reached up and removed each breather one at a time before taking a lungful of air. He laughed out loud, a sharp barking cry.

“Gas intermix change complete,” the computer intoned. “Priority door lock engaged. Rhansi Barzan Alpha safety protocols engaged.”

The doors now would not automatically open for anyone attempting to enter without a priority override code or his authorization. Even once given, they would only have access to the standard air mixture in the archway, protected from the Barzan standard atmosphere by the force field.

Now he held back a sob and sank onto a bench beside the walkway, staring at a world he hadn’t visited in decades, and likely would never see again.

XO Rhansi

Nivor woke with a start, an odd patch of light across his eyes. He held up a hand and realized it was sunlight filtering through a tree, then panicked when he did not taste the soft metal-ness his breathers gave the air. And yet, he did not feel the regular symptoms of air deprivation. Then he recalled leaning against this tree on the holodeck, in a simulation of Barzan II.

He relaxed, sighing, and sat up. The muscles in his back and neck complained of the position they had been in for too long. “Computer, time,” he called, and was relieved it had only been twenty minutes or so since he had leaned against the tree. He looked out across the park, pulling his knees up and resting his arms across them.

“Computer,” he called again. “Add Barzan population.”

“No interaction programming has been set up for program Rhansi Barzan Alpha,” the disembodied voice responded.

He nodded. “Yes, that’s fine,” he said, and then Barzan individuals phased in around the landscape - couples walking, children chasing insects through the fields, a person leaning against the same tree he was, reading a tablet-like display device.

He couldn’t talk to any of them, but it was good to see them. He smiled, and just watched.

XO Rhansi


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