Welcome to Star Trek Simulation Forum

Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. You'll be able to customize your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for submitting content, while also communicating with other members via your own private inbox, plus much more! This message will be removed once you have signed in.

Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0
Brian Graham

You Call That Fun?!

Security Chief's Personal Log

Lt. Brian Graham Recording

USS Excalibur

Stardate 200504.15

 

The text on the PADD had started to blend together. Brian tossed the electronic device onto the small table that sat next to his couch. Brian had been sitting there for the past two hours catching up on the security reports that were fled daily by that particular division of labor on the Excalibur. Mostly routine information: crew rotation logs, phaser diagnostic results, weapon inventory reports, progress trackers for training. Sometimes there was a report filed that involved a need for actual security involvement. There was some noise-related disturbance, but these were usually easily taken care of. Some officers showed up late for duty shifts which had been logged. There was one file about suspicious noises in the Jeffries tube on deck 7. Founder or Hundred involvement was suspected, until Brian had turned a corner and a cat leaped out at him. Ensign Folmore was happy to get her pet back, but it didn't have any significant contributions to the overall mission as capturing one of the Hundred would have. Then again, he wasn't sure what the outcome would have been had there been a Changling there. In the confines of a Jefferies tube, not good he surmised. All in all, maybe the cat wasn't a bad alternative. He had become somewhat attached to it on the trip to Folmore's quarters, but gladly handed it over to the Ensign. Brian did like cats, but didn't quite care for them inside. His family on Earth had one, but it was primarily an outside animal, which suited Brian just fine. He'd hate to stand a watch on the Bridge and be distracted with cat fur all over his uniform.

 

Brian rubbed his eyes. Yes, he had been reading too long; he needed a break. It would be several hours before he and Crispin would meet to discuss the security provisions for the listening post, so Brian needed something to occupy himself. He did not want to sleep, and he wasn't hungry... He'd been to the gym today already, but after reading those reports, he had a extreme desire to be active.

 

"Computer, are any of the Holodecks being used at the moment?"

 

"One Holodeck is currently active."

 

"Are there any scheduled users for one of the vacant Holodecks for the next two hours?"

 

There were a few chirps as the computer consulted the Holodeck schedule. "Affirmative. Holodeck three is not scheduled to be used until 1900 hours."

 

"Excellent, thank you computer." Brian said as he got up, stretched, and headed to Holodeck 3. Arriving, Brian quick checked the LCARS display near the door to confirm that the room, was in fact empty, input one of his saved programs, and entered after the computer informed him that he could. The doors opened onto a pristine landscape. A sprawling lawn opened before him, a few trees dispersed throughout. Clear sky, sunlight beating down on him. The temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit, quite comfortable. A breeze was programmed to blow through on a variable frequency. There was a house located somewhat off-center of the property with two small sheds placed somewhat close to it. There was a significantly larger building 150 feet to his right, containing some equipment. Brian knew this place quite well, it was obviously his house. At least as close as a Holodeck could simulate it. Brian walked over to one of the sheds, noticing how the grass as he walked through it came a few inches up the boot of his uniform, though Brian would remedy that in a few moments. Opening the door to one of the sheds, Brian wheeled out the lawnmower he'd used for the past 18 years of his life. Well, it was simulated too, but it ran pretty close to the real thing. It looked pretty authentic, circa the year 2000, like most of the equipment his parents had, minus the replicator and a few other things. Brian grasped the pull cord and started the thing up. Coming to life almost instantly, the mower's blades underneath whirled at a fantastic rate, cutting down the grass and blowing it out the one side. At about this time the computer decided to activate one of the random breezes, throwing the grass clippings all over Brian, covering his uniform and hair. Deciding that it made it seem more real, Brian pushed the mower along.

 

The landscape was pretty much flat, so pushing the mower wasn't too difficult. He remembered the first time he mowed, he was 8 years old, and it seemed like torture pushing this piece of machinery all over the property. But, as he got older, Brian learned to enjoy it. There was a satisfaction of looking over a freshly mown lawn, all the grass cut to the same length. It was aesthetically pleasing, though he doubted anyone would appreciate it. He even considered locking the door to the Holodeck, fearing that someone would walk in and see him. All the hobbies in the galaxy and Brian Graham chooses lawnmowing, that would make great news around the Excalibur. Brian decided to take the chance and just continued with the activity. Maybe he was just a boring person.

 

He directed the mower around a rock that protruded just enough from the ground to cause a problem. His first mowing experience, he took the machine right over it, bending the blade all to heck. He'd gotten quite a lecture from his dad on being more attentive, even though all that really had to be done was replicate a new blade. He'd learned both how to mow that day, and how to replace a blade.

 

It wasn't really much of a mentally stimulating activity, but it was good exercise. Plodding along in one direction and then heading back in the other. With the blades the size they were, it took some time to mow the whole thing. Three hours had gone by before Brian finished the place. Putting the mower back in the shed, a really stupid thing to do actually since he would just stop the program in a few minutes anyway, Brian looked over the freshly cut grass. The cut grass smell filled the Holodeck. The computer did a satisfactory job of recreating the aroma, but his Andorian olfactory senses detected that it wasn't totally the real thing. Pity really, but it gave him an excuse to mow the lawn at home if the Excalibur ever got back to Earth again.

 

"Computer end program and reset" Brian said. The surroundings faded to the interlaced emitters that generated the holo-environment. When Brian activated the program again, it would look the same as when he had first come in. The grass clippings faded from him as well, which was an advantage to using the holodeck. He still needed to get cleaned up though, so he hurried back to his quarters. After reading those reports about those who showed up late, he'd hate to have to write one for himself.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0