STF

Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown...Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted Oct. 19, 2022, 1:51 p.m. by Lieutenant Commander Dagen Thor (CE) (Gene Gibbs)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Reia Shandy (C Intelligence -Comm Officer) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dagen Thor (CE) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)

Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in Holodeck- Halloween Hoedown…Werewolves and Vampires and Ghosts - oh my (Open to all)
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Vanessa stood back and looked at the space. “Well second time is a charm right,” she said panning her personal communicator around the space for her mom and grandmothers to take in the view. The flyers she had put up were simple.

Hoedown in the holodeck
Come for the fun stay for the beer
Wear a costume. Snacks will be provided
Saturday the 12th from 8 to ?

She had no idea who was going to come but she hoped it was more than the clam bake. The holodeck was currently running a program turning the gray walls and floors into a large open field with a giant bonfire crackling in the middle. Surrounding the space on the west side were tall trees as if the spot was in the middle of a forest clearing. Along the east was a huge cornfield with half-dried husks clinging to the stalks appearing as noose-like shadows. To the north was a small path between a row of trees that led to a lake. Only the small dock and a hint of inky black water could be seen from where Vanessa was standing. To the south, a large mountain range with craggy peaks so high, the tips could only be seen slicing through the gray clouds that drifted in the night. Night sounds punctuated the silence between when Vanessa and her family spoke giving the space an eerie feel.

“The place looks amazing honey. Youh fathah and I almawst thought about pawpping in and saying hi but the chuhch bazaah is making us crazy,” Valerie Slade took a sip of her coffee looking at the event her daughter had planned. Now she was regretting not telling the St. Anthony’s Womens League to stuff it for a weekend.

“Oh that is so sweet but like I said it is best if you call so that you don’t get here and I am out on an away team mission.” Vanessa needed to keep her mom under control. If she and Doug showed up on Vulcan only to find her daughter was halfway across the galaxy on the Genesis, Vanessa would be requiring last rites.

“Hey, Ness wheeuh ah the apples mah sent you? You did get them on vulc’n didn’t you?” The voice of Dylan Slade came over the comm before she saw his smug expression. Dylan was one of the few Slades that knew his sister had basically slipped out the bedroom window. The darkened setting helped to hide her scowl to her brother.

“Yep they are on the table,” Vanessa’s tone was crisp and slightly irritated. Ever since Dylan found out she was not on Vulcan, he continually threw out vague nuggets placing Vanessa in sticky spots.

“Mah and Grandmah Cawnnie and Grandmah Gaht spent like a whole weekend making them and sending them to you. Is that them ovah theyah? Pan the camera.” Dylan could barely contain his joy knowing he was setting up Vanessa right now.

“Have I told you how insanely supportive and helpful you are,” Vanessa stared at him behind her mother and Grandmothers.

“Yep, I try to be,” Dylan winked a the camera with a smug grin.

It was them the senior Slades got a glimpse of Vanessa’s costume. “Nessa, ah you going as a hookah?” The disproval in her mother’s voice as clear and instantly made Vanessa feel like she was 13 instead of 30.

“No,” Vanessa squealed pulling up the top of her costume more. The guffawing by Dylan felt like it was almost echoing in the space. The soft pswshhhh of the pneumatic doors opening gave her the perfect reason to end the call. “Mah…Mah I gottah go. Love you,” she blew several kisses at the screen and stuffed the comm in her pocket. Talking to her family was the norm but it was time to socialize with real crew.

Vanessa Slade CNS

It had taken Reia hours to figure out what type of costume to wear and even longer to convince Dagen to take a break from whatever refit he was running to come see her in it. She could have made 90% of it holographic but there was just something about having a physical costume that Reia enjoyed.

Stepping in carefully, she glanced back over her shoulder one last time before deciding the edge of ehr delicate wings would not be crushed by the door. Reia had no idea if this particular butterfly, with it’s purple, gold, and silver wings could actually exist on any world but, the design had struck her and she went with it, braiding and placing her hair carefully, she had even managed two bejeweled antennae. The body of the outfit was black, sheer, and very close fitting.

Seeing Vanessa, she walked towards her and smiled. Bowing slightly, she had learned to dip the wings in a manner of greeting.

“Oh my god you look amazing,” Vanessa said looking back at Reia and feeling a warm rush knowing not only did Reia show up but also dressed up. Not only did she dress up but her costume was exquisite. Now Vanessa began to doubt if she should not have gone with something more elaborate. Since Vanessa was newer to the crew, she had decided to go with more ship spirit than an actual costume. The cheerleader costume she had chosen was cut in a fashion reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader outfit that put American football on the global map of 1980’s earth. The bra-like top and boy short bottoms were not blue and white but red and white giving a nod to her favorite football team back home. Over the red bra-cut flowing sleeves of the top was a white vest with USS down one side and GENESIS down the other in blue lettering. The white shorts and white calf-high boots had blue stars along the tops of both.

“Oh wow! I love what you’ve done with the place.”

  • Reia

“Thanks,” Vanessa hooked an arm for Reia to follow her. “It is so much easier to do this via holodeck than a real park. Back home I used to throw these things all the time for the Veterans. The only difference was the invitation said come for the beer and stay for the beer.” Laughing she opened a cooler and showed Reia the selection that ranged from beers, ales, and various canned alcoholic drinks. Reaching for her traditional Sam Adams she waited for Reia to make a selection.

“If you would prefer the witch’s brew,” she nodded over to the bubbling cauldron on the table, it is a mulled apple cider wine but deadly. Use caution because it is strong enough to make you metamorphose from a delicate butterfly to Mothra the party monster. I have seen it happen. Is Dagen coming?”

As if to punctuate the point a crewman moved between them getting another drink before stopping to look Reia up and down. “How you doin’,” he gave Reia a flirty smile before pulling out two drinks and with a wink moved back to his group over at the fire.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Reia looked over the cooler and reached in finding some dark beer that struck her fancy at the moment.

“Oh I’m sure he’ll be here and, if not, I’ll drag him in in chains in about an hour.” she said smiling at Vanessa and the new comer that had looked her over.

Marius thought about what he was going to wear. He wouldn’t have chosen this topic, but he had a couple of ideas, ‘Blackula,’ he chuckled to himself, but he suspected he was the only one who would know that reference. He actually went with an old school ghost, putting a huge sheet over him. Nobody would know who he was, at least nobody who didn’t recognize his over six foot height and 220 pound bulk.

Calvin approached the duo, this would be the first test of the costume. Pitching his voice up. “Ladies, ladies, ladies,” he said in a tone that resembled a stoner in front of corner Quik-e-mart.

the Ghost

She looked the XO up and down.

“I don’t think I can pronounce the name of this holiday in your native tongue. I’m sorry sir.” She said beginning to giggle, “Love both of your costumes.”

  • Reia

“Thank you,” Vanessa brought her beer to her chest and then raised it over her head, speaking in the same sing-song tone most cheerleaders tended to use. “I was on the fence about what I was going to be and then I remembered this was a Starfleet function and not Waples bar back home. I figured I needed a bit more clothes than I wore last year.” The fact her tops and bottoms were barely hiding her tricks and treats gave a hint that Lt. Slade was far different than Vanessa Slade. While she had been on the ship for six months, Vanessa had kept her wild child safely locked in the closet like a skeleton.

Calvin continued to pitch his voice up. “I was about to say the replicator had missed part of your costume, it didn’t occur to me that you’d wear less. That being said, its appreciated.” He couldn’t sound to daddish… they would identify him as the Captain in a moment.

“Now as to you big guy,” she looked at the apparition costume standing before her. “I am not sure you are the old man’s plucky side kick.” If it was Magnus, Vanessa could not help but wait to hear how he reacted to being called a plucky sidekick. Not getting an immediate response, she changed her tactics.

“Who are you? Who who…who who,” she sang the first few bars of the classic band by the same name.

It didn’t occur to him that he would be confused as Magnus. In fact he didn’t think the costume would hid his identity from anyone who actually tried to figure it out but he leaned into the confusion. But now he regretted not wearing gloves or something of the sort over his hands, his skin coloration would give him away in a heart beat. He puzzled that for a moment and just lifted the hem of his costume over a table pulling a beer and a snack into the sheet without revealing his hands.

He couldn’t order a whiskey, that would give him away too.

Vanessa wasn’t sure it was the XO but with only the size 13’s poking out from below the edge of the sheet she could not be sure. Taking a long swig of her beer, Vanessa began to run the options through her head. There was not a lot of crew with the height and mass of the person in front of them but it was not like there were only two that fit the bill. “Spin,” she said twirling a finger as if it were an inspection.

“Do I look like a ballerina?”

“Okay, no tail so you aren’t Kailston,” Vanessa commented noting there was not the typical Caitain tail poking out the back. “No brow ridge so you aren’t Lt. Peebles from maintenance.” Biting her lip a wrinkle formed between her eyes showing Vanessa Slade was pondering something. Reaching out she pinched a piece of the sheet between her fingers and slowly raised it so she could see his shoes. The webbed feet of Ensign Parker’s race prevented them from wearing shoes. Seeing the regulation boots issued to every security and work crew on the ship ruling out Parker from the about two dozen people it could be. Vanessa stopped raising the sheet past what would be the ghost’s ankles. She didn’t want to completely ruin the challenge. Letting it go she smiled up at the costumed individual. “I would go further but HR would have me in their office for inspecting you past the 1880s strip poker statue.”

Turning her attention back to Reia, Vanessa gave the newcomer a side-eye glance. “While I am not Sherlock Holmes, I think our ghost is one of the M-Team, MacGregor, T’Saul, Partel, Jaelin, Murphy, Bentra, or that new science guy what’s his name,” Vanessa rapidly snapped her fingers as if this would activate her memory.

Give me a ......V…A…N..E....double S…A Slade (just keeping it in character)

Reia had been eyeing up the apparition as well and smiling and laughing with Vanessa.

“Now wait a minute, I thought you were part of HR. Can you call yourself on yourself? Wouldn’t you have to recuse yourself?”

“Technically yes,” Vanessa waggled her head a bit as if thinking, “but my last presentation Conversations Unraveling?…Tuck Sheet Bend them to the chair went way over the heads of the moral high grounders. They thought it was some weird sex thing but a Tuck Sheet Bend knot is a boating knot used when joining ropes that might be hauled over an object or edge so it does not unravel. I personally thought the analogy was quite clever. I mean Boston is a city on the water. Boating and fishing are a way of life. The metaphor for the title was when communication is coming apart ie unraveling, tie the ends off so you can drag it over rough patches and nothing goes adrift ie the chair being a boat drifting away. It was the largest attendance by the veterans to the center,” she said with a hint of pride to her voice, “and the last one I was given permission to host. HR doesn’t keep me in the loop much after that. I am like their red-headed stepchild.” Vanessa could not help but let a snicker leave her lips. In retrospect, she probably could have come up with a better title but what was in the past was in the past.

“Any way that Ensign’s name,” she let her voice trail off as she looked at the ghost beside her.

“And that new Ensign? I can’t pronounce his name, too many ‘Q’s.”

Vanessa hoped that Ensign Q was not under the sheet or if he was, he would just blurt out his name.

“Quaquretelz.” Marius said quickly. He actually thought the name was fun and had learned it correctly. It would add to the confusion.

About this point the ‘gang’ came in, proving the adage that one doesn’t leave a bunch of engineers alone to work on costumes. Dagen led the way, evidently taking advantage of his pale features contrasted against the glistening, long, black cape over an equally dark suit. A raised, straight cowl circled the back of his neck, his head topped with a top hat. Smiling broadly, his teeth displayed rather elongated incisors.

The Bolian, Bat, his blue, bald head jutting up from a thick, coarse, brown monk’s smock, a large silver cross dangling from a chain was partially obscured by what he held, that being a wooden stake and mallet. Over one shoulder was a soft leather satchel and a loop around the rope belt about his waist was, likely, to hold the mallet. Leather sandals on his feet completed his outfit. He was saying to the Vulcan, Angel (Or Seraph being her Vulcan name), “… just don’t know what’s at stake here.” He paused and looked at her. “You get it? Stake?” and waved the wooden stake. Angel, longsuffering in this, was rather surprisingly dressed in a dark, spidery, low cut outfit, her hair tinted with a deep red, and her hair pouffy. The closest approximation to her outfit would be a very old Terran ‘horror hostess’ Elvira.

Behind them, Deeg came in, his uniform tattered and looking very aged, not to mention dirty. His gait was in ‘form’ with a shuffling limp. His fingers ended in claw like hooks, nails black and dusty. His face was highly made up, hair askew, eye sockets appearing recessed and dark - the classic zombie. Beside him was the short Sebastian, perhaps not precisely looking that much different from his normal appearance but only made more real in the guise and garb of a mad scientist - stained lab coat, glasses highly made up to be a mockery of science with ‘add ons’ that made it look almost sequined. His hair was an utter mess, even more than Deeg and in contrast to immaculate Dagen. He carried what looked to be a century old medical scanner attached to the end of a modified tricorder again from a century past, its lights blinking, the scanner twirling and his face looking like a kids who just got told he could go out and play.

Dagen and Company

Reia turned and was what the Engineering department had done to themselves and started laughing and clapping in approval. This made her wings flutter.

Dagen made an aristocratic bow; it seemed to fit the role there, but kept his eyes on Reia’s, er, wings. Sebastian made an exaggerated ‘scanning’ gesture all about while Deeg plucked at Sebastians wild hair, whispering ‘brains …’ Angel gave a glance to Deeg with the flat expression as though to say, ‘I’m quite certain we won’t find any here.’ She did eye up Vanessa and Reia’s costume as though to perhaps compare whether she wore the appropriate garb.

“See,” Vanessa flopped her hand about pointing to the engineers. “That is what I am talking about. Spirit and fun. Granted I feel like those are not two words associated typically with engineers but I have only been around the cantankerous Scot’s or Irish that are always bemoaning about people breaking something. You guys are so much fun and look great.”

Bat grinned widely. “You should have been in the committee meeting to decide on costumes. I haven’t got to do something like this since my Academy days.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing. And here I thought I’d have to drag you here in chains.”

  • Reia

“No, that’s later,” Dagen said with a wink.

Vanessa looked at Dagen and Reia and felt that tiny rush of aww fill her. They made an adorable couple. One day she would have what they did and like them, she would appreciate every moment of it. She loved the easy banter between them and while the comment was playful, it showed a the deep bond between them.

Vanessa also knew that engineers were the heart of a ship allowing everything to run smoothly and efficiently. Seeing the bulk of the engineering staff down here was a visual reminder that everything on the Genny was purring like a kitten.

“So you aren’t our resident Bolian, Casper,” Vanessa whispered out of the side of her mouth at the ghost next to her. Upon the arrival of the engineers, it seemed any chance of her guessing who was under the sheet by their drink choice evaporated like Casper’s spectral kin as they had pulled something from the cooler when she was not looking. The bulge of the material shaped like a bottle showed Casper was both enjoying his drink and his anonymity.

“Okay, you guys look amazing,” she commented. “I just have one question where were you all when I threw the clam bake,” Vanessa waved the bottle at them. “I am going to completely expect this level of participation at the Christmas party.”

Eyes looked from one to the other in uncertain guilty fashion, well, all but for Angel, who said with a raised brow, “One bakes clams?” Bat interjected with asking, “Do we dress up for that too? I make a mean Santa.” Angel pointed toward his portly belly. “A logical choice,” she said. Bat mocked a shocked look and tried to make the sign of the cross at her but it came out backwards.

A loud crackle of thunder erupted in the inky blackness followed by a ripple of lightning that was almost blinding. The sound seemed to echo for several seconds in everyone’s ears as if they were in a rock concert with an overzealous drummer. Vanessa jumped slightly and fisted Casper’s sheeted arm before letting out a laugh that made her double over. “Maybe I should have one of you guys look at the systems controls or we will all be wearing hearing aids before the night is over. I told Dane I wanted it realistic but this is deafening.”

“One hundred and thirty six decibels,” Angel said. Sebastian shook and gave his mechanism a smack and looked at it. “How did you do that?” he asked.

A distant rumble in the holographic sky indicated there would be more meteorological light shows coming. As one looked up however a thick black cloud seemed to be drifting and blotting out the moon casting a shadow on the moors and hills of the far landscape like a shroud from the moonlight.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Marius
Dagen and Company

Reia had been smiling and laughing throughout the whole scene. The clap of thunder had made her jump a bit but she’d rather enjoyed tempestuous weather.

“Oh this is going to be a lovely mystic night. Can somebody replicate me a small drum?” she asked grabbing Dagen’s hand and attempting to make her way towards the bon fire.

“A drum?” Dagen asked, wondering what was up there. There were a lot of different kinds of drums .. or was that some kind of code expression for a drink in something? He sent her a quizzical look. “Might be easier to just bite your neck,” he said, thinking that the pace they were walking wasn’t seemingly dignified for an aristocratic vampire, but Reia was on course for something, his own course trying to keep up with her lest he find himself messing with her wings that bounced about almost as much as her … ah, hair.

“Well next time you hold a committee meeting for costumes, in Engineering, please let me know, my vote is for Bat as Santa or, perhaps, our dear Captain. He is showing up tonight right?” she asked glancing back at Vanessa.

  • Reia

“We’ll dub you as an ceremonial engineer for that,” he said. “Bat would fit,” he said, not really realizing that he had made some form of pun.
- Dagen


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