Holodeck Power!

[Keb 0]

Stardate 50505.08

 

Keb’s Personal Log

 

Manticore is flying through the endless night of infinite stars. Why does it look like night unless you’re very close to a star? The only difference is simple distance. On Earth, one star lights up the world, and it’s day. A million stars light up the world, and it’s night, simply because they’re a bit further out.

 

The poor ship has been through too much. She’s going to need serious repairs in space dock; we can’t completely fix her from inside, though we’ve been doing our best.

 

The rumors flying around that we’re going to be stationed on the station seem to have been confirmed. I don’t believe it will be permanent; the admiral would never allow that, I’m sure. The crew’s been through too much together, just as Manticore has. I have mixed feelings about leaving—my friends are here, and I’ve come to know the ship so well that it would be heartbreaking to leave her in the care of another. Though the captain is the one who traditionally calls his ship “his ship”, I think every good engineer comes to think of the ship she works on as her own child. Or maybe that’s just me.

 

I’m writing a letter home to my family to let them know I’m all right. There’s not much I can tell them—I can’t talk about the Phase Cloak or the admiral going down on their bridge or, really, much worth telling at all, but I’ll let them know I’m working hard and that I’ll be at the starbase in a few days. I don’t think they’ll have the time to come visit, though, from the sound of the last letter I got.

 

After we got the main systems functioning, I got permission to spend some of my spare time bringing the holodeck back to functioning. It wasn’t damaged directly, but when the EPS relays were destroyed, the power to the holodeck was cut off rather severely. Though it’s a non-essential system, with the rest of the ship being safely towed, we were able to secure some rationed hours on the holodeck, and I think that’s improved my morale at least a bit. I was able to argue that I needed the exercise…I knew I was getting out of shape again, but I hadn’t realized how much until I had to run the length and breadth of an unfamiliar, dangerous ship.

 

Besides, working on the holodeck was much more relaxing than sitting in my quarters wondering whether it’s true that I won’t be on Manticore anymore.

 

Keb out.