Lieutenant Wyatt Ral - RNG Problems

[Jason Price]

((Assistant Chief Engineer’s Office, Deck 20, USS Thor))

Wyatt put down the PADD and rubbed his eyes.  He took a swig of coffee from the black flask which was sitting on this desk.  He let out a quiet sigh after swallowing the now tepid black liquid.

Ral: Computer, begin engineering log.

The computer gave a couple of chirps before starting to transcribe Wyatt’s log as he started to speak.

Assistant Chief Engineer’s Log – Lieutenant Wyatt Ral
Stardate: 240303.31

Supplemental to Chief Engineer Caras’ report.

The technical analysis stands as recorded. However, there is an additional dimension to this incident that is more difficult to quantify.

During the simulation’s final phase, the holodeck ceased behaving as a system attempting to resolve inputs. Instead, it began introducing outcomes that felt… unanchored. Not chaotic, but unbound by the constraints we expected it to follow.

As engineers, we are trained to interpret this as instability. A failure to reconcile variables. A system exceeding its limits.  That is accurate. but incomplete.

When the scenario collapsed, the resolution it produced was not destructive, nor was it efficient. It was… incongruous. Harmless and almost absurd.

Given the Chief’s findings regarding true randomisation within the holomatrix, I am left with the impression that the system did not simply fail to choose an outcome. It chose one we could accept. There is no technical basis for that conclusion, but it is difficult to ignore the distinction.  And there is also the issue of the safeties being disengaged and the computer ignoring valid commands.

And yet, the holodeck did not escalate to its most destructive resolution. It selected an outcome that ended the scenario without further harm. If the Chief is correct, and I believe he is, then we are interacting with a system that contains a form of true unpredictability. Not simulated randomness but something closer to emergent behaviour. That does not make it sentient. But it does mean it may not always behave as a passive tool.

My recommendations remain unchanged.

Avoid simultaneous high-load adaptive simulations.

Do not deliberately stress the holomatrix beyond established thresholds.

Treat anomalous behaviour as systemic, not incidental.

From a personal standpoint. We attempted to impose control on a system that may not be entirely governed by it. For a brief moment, it responded in a way we did not design, and could not predict. I would caution against assuming that will always be the case and could have easily ended in disaster.

Further analysis of the holoprgrams we received will be required to hunt down any anomalies which could have exacerbated the situation with the RNG.

End Log.

He pushed himself away from the desk and stretched before making his way out of the office before a quick tour of main engineering to end his shift.

—

Lieutenant Wyatt Ral

Assistant Chief Engineer

USS Thor NCC-85852

C239903WR3