Lt. Cmdr. Josh Herrick: Digging
Mark P
((Simulated Toronto [Earth], Holodeck 1, Deck 5, USS Thor))
Josh hadn’t visited Toronto himself, but recognized some of the street names from nameblades that had been on some of the research rooms.
Spadina stuck out like a sore thumb; it had been the research room they’d been accosted and subsequently hauled away from. As they continued to stroll, he chose to ignore it and instead further elaborate on the technology that had blinked their destination into existence.
Herrick: The holodeck has a number of uses, ranging from professional to personal. In the absence of a pool aboard, quite a bit of time has been logged for swim practice. We’ve also been logging quite a bit of flight time to practice navigating the rougher patches of The Tangle to sharpen the skills of our helmspeople.
Thornman: ::Nodding to Herrick:: Like Lieutenant Kreshkova.
Kol: There are more than just Lieutenant Kreshkova aboard that fly, but yes.
He glanced at the lieutenant and then at the Chief Minister. He plastered a disarming smile on his face and tried to patch things over. The last thing a peace summit needed was a prickly negotiator. He tried to think of how to make a course correction that hopefully wouldn’t feel like the interior dampeners were offline.
Herrick: And good memory, minister. ::beat:: We can also modify the program as we see fit, for example, Computer, update the program to represent the location before the Third World War.
The buildings flittered as most exteriors changed in height, colour, signage, and even building material. Outfits changed, characters rematerializing as humans. Josh watched the minister with interest as she dropped her hands, turning slowly and eventually stopping with one hand placed on a historical brick facade.
Thornman: This would make a marvelous training facility.
Kol: Yes it is. It safely exposes people to just about any scenario we can think of, and allows us to better hone our skills.
Thornman: ::Turning only her head toward Kol:: Earlier, you said this was made up of photons and force fields, correct? What are the room’s limitations?
The first officer also turned his gaze towards Kol. She seemed to take a moment to consider her answer before responding.
Kol: There are safety parameters and protocols that are dictated by various people, and those mainly prevent anything out of line being simulated, but the technical limitations are beyond my knowledge. I know that it works by using holograms, photons and force fields, but that's about as much as I know.
Josh had a background in both holography and engineering, so he picked up the remainder of the explanation.
Herrick: Yes, while everything seems real, generators that are large enough to sustain this degree of projection are limited. If you were to take most items out of the holodeck, they would lose cohesion. And, if there is a malfunction, the safety protocols Lieutenant Kol mentioned could malfunction… posing a real risk.
As he’d lived through on the mission just before his transfer aboard the Thor.
Thornman: Response
Josh appreciated her perspective. Technology had been one of the items shouted out in the parliamentary gatherings, and now it was on full display. As a small moment of shared silence fell between them as they took the scene in together, it ended with a slight hum from Dazra.
Kol: If you don't mind, Minister, I have a question.
Josh issued a silent plea to the gods: Please don’t let it be about subspace weapons, please don’t let it be about subspace weapons.
Thornman: Response
Kol: Why are your people so wary of offworlders? As I understand it, the people of United New Earth collaborated for their defense approach, but what prompted you to be so defensive?
Well, at least she didn’t use the words subspace or weapon. It appeared his prayers had been answered, albeit not how he’d expected.
Thornman: Response
Herrick: Well, as you can see ::waving his hand around the holodeck:: we’re pretty free with our exchange of information. I think it’s a fair question with everything that transpired.
He kept his tone light, hoping the slight nudge wouldn’t be misunderstood.
Thornman/Kol: Response
That was more than they had before, and the former intel officer didn’t discount the crumbs, no matter how small they were. Perhaps the other side shared enough additional information for them to have some sort of fleshed-out picture.
Josh felt the padd in his pocket vibrate, and he withdrew it and read the message:
Promontory: =/\= (text) Finishing up here, heading over to the Green Room in about 5 minutes. =/\=
Herrick: It appears that we’re reaching the end of today’s tour. In Occam’s razor fashion, to call the exit, you simply say… exit.
The holodeck doors opened at the explicit command, sliding to reveal the Deck 5 corridor. Given Iona’s unfamiliarity with the ship, he led the way with Dazra pulling up the rear. It would be a short jaunt, and the opportunity for one more run at intel.
((Corridor, Deck 5, USS Thor))
Herrick: So, tell me more about General Syms…
Thorman/Kol: Response