Posted by Lieutenant Anastasia Darren (Chief of Psychiatry) in Side Sim: Relaxing on the Holodeck

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Achilleas Petrakos (Scientist) in Side Sim: Relaxing on the Holodeck

Posted by Lieutenant Anastasia Darren (Chief of Psychiatry) in Side Sim: Relaxing on the Holodeck
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Another shift completed, Ana made her way from her office to her quarters in desperate need of some quiet, alone time. She had ensured one of the Ogawa’s holodecks would be available to her and so she planned to make good use of it just as soon as she could change.

Beelining directly into her bedroom space, she sat on her bed to unzip the black boots she wore. Pulling them off one by one, she set them at the end of her bed, straightening them to be perfectly parallel to one another. She lifted her hips just enough to push down her uniform trousers, removing them one leg at a time and then carefully folding them into a tidy square. Her uniform tunic and undershirt quickly followed, joining the pants in their small pile. She darted over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of soft black leggings and an oversized, cowl-neck gray wool sweater, tugging them both on as the excitement of her time on the holodeck increased. A pair of fuzzy gray socks and then purple slippers later, she made sure her comm badge was securely pinned in place in the event one of her patients needed her and left her quarters. She forced herself to slow her eager gait to a simple fast walk as she made her way to the holodeck.

Once there, she calmly ordered, “program Darren Alpha Six” and barely waited for an acknowledgement before stepping through the holodeck doors, forgetting to lock the holodeck to herself for the time being. As the doors slid shut behind her, she immediately closed her eyes and took a slow, deep, measured breath. The programmer had done a fantastic job of perfecting the slight dusty odor of a bookstore and she could feel the tension slowly melting from her shoulders as they relaxed downward. She focused on the feeling of her fingers brushing the softness of her sweater, the grounding of her slippered feet against the holodeck floor, the utter silence…

In an almost hypnotic fashion, she slowly opened her eyes to take in the orderly rows of books, comfortable seating areas, and welcoming fireplace installed in a wall of the homey store. There was no one else present, another perk of the holodeck where she didn’t have to be concerned with being interrupted by a talkative patron or a salesperson. Her pace slowed considerably, she made her way to a large table in the center of the room with stacks of books on it and a handwritten sign signifying “NEW RELEASES.” She methodically picked up each book, gently and carefully paging through them before returning them back to their precise place on the table. This went on through several books until one with a classically handsome shirtless man and well-endowed princess piqued her interest and she carefully carried her treasure to a nearby seating area by the fire. Her back to the entrance to the bookstore (and holodeck), she went to kick off her slippers and then shared a smile with herself as she collected them from where they landed and tucked them neatly under her chair. Her legs tucked up underneath her as she curled in the oversized seating location and she opened the book carefully to the first page, sinking into a world of fantasy, castles, princes, and princesses as she devoured the pages in front of her.

Darren, CoP

Achilleas was walking down the corridor holding a large tripod in one hand and the long body of a telescope in another, while a large wicker basket was hung on the crook of his arm. He was excited as this was his first real break after coming aboard. So many scientific equipment recalibrations, orientations, psych evals, DH and CO meetings. It was nice to finally get a chance to breathe and enjoy some down time. He was in a hurry but was being careful not to jar anything. This equipment was ancient and held great sentimental value to him.

The computer directed Achilleas to the nearest holodeck from his quarters, but curiously not the nearest available one. He absentmindedly didn’t even think to check before entering, not realizing a program was already running before he was seven steps inside and then froze into place. The doors closed behind him and vanished from sight. He was immediately entranced by the sight and smells pervading this homey looking store. Noticing a table near the entrance, he moved to it to set down the stuff in his hands while being extra careful with the telescope.

His hands free and his curious mind spinning with fascination, Achilleas begins slowly moving down the rows of books and felt the spines with his fingertips. He saw books by Jules Verne, Arthur C Clark, Hemingway, David Brin, Isaac Asimov and many others. This was a treasure trove of stories and epic tales he thought to himself. He slipped a book off of the shelf but unwittingly toppled over three others which sent them crashing to the floor.

Lt Petrakos, Sci

The only view of the occupant of the holodeck Petrakos might see was the top of a black-haired head. Upon dropping the books, however, that black-haired head quickly elevated as its owner leapt to her feet, her black eyes widening in fear. “Hello?” she called out, her voice full of panic as she wildly looked around the holodeck. Could it be an error in the program? She had specifically worked with the programmer to make sure that there would be no interlopers into the quiet time she so needed at the end of a shift. The presence of another being crashed over her telepathically to emphasize the point and she let out a soft growl of frustration. It was definitely another person, she quickly identified. Skirting her way around the armchair, she stood facing the door with her hands firmly on her hips. “Who is there?” she demanded.

Darren, CoP

Achilleas stood there like a deer in the headlights with one hand holding a book while another was reaching to grab one of the fallen ones. He looked over slowly with wide eyes at the sudden appearance of another person.

“Oh… um, I should’ve realized another person was in here. What with the holodeck running and all. Sorry about not checking beforehand, though the entry was unlocked.” He responded to her while feeling chagrined. Just because he was excited and on break didn’t give him the right to slip up and barge in on someone.

Lt Petrakos, Sci

As Ana caught sight of the interloper, her glare softened slightly, but not significantly. She opened her mouth to criticize his lack of forethought in stumbling into an occupied holodeck, but she quickly closed it just the same. It would not be helpful in this situation and, really, what she most wanted to do was get him out of her simulation as quickly as possible. “Apology accepted,” she offered perfunctorily, dropping her hands from their aggressive position on her hips to a more neutral one by her side. Her left hand played lightly with the edge of her sweater as she shifted nervously from foot to foot, not sure what to say next.

Darren, CoP

Achilleas smiled foolishly after getting pardoned, then finished picking up the fallen books before reshelving them. Still holding the chosen book in his hand, he closed the distance to Ana and excitedly showed the book to her.

“Now this is a fantastic read if you like stories of dragons at all. It’s a mix of sci-fi with heavy fantasy elements. Has honor, betrayal, romance, combat, you name it. I haven’t finished the whole series, but I’ve liked the first five or so I’ve read.” The cover of the book read Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.

Lt Petrakos, Sci

The shifting side to side slowly stopped and her head tilted to the side as Ana listened to Petrakos’ review of the book. Her eyes focused on the cover as he spoke. “That sounds… interesting,” she finally commented, her intrigue genuine. She carefully set the book she had been reading down on the chair arm and held out her hand in a request to see it.

Darren, CoP

Achilleas handed the book over to Ana as he continued to gush enthusiastically. “The world building is pretty fantastic. There’s so many different ideas to grasp while trying to figure out whether there’s any hidden intrigue between any of the characters.”

He stopped talking while noticing the book she had set down and took a look in that direction.

COS Petrakos