Page 1 of 1

Loot

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:33 am
by jayphailey
-*-

The deck tilted drunkenly. Glithaw and Ohjoss waved their team to hold, and took a breather. The air was hot and filled with acrid smoke. The Orion cruiser was on it's last legs and ready to explode.

They were on a crew deck which was mostly empty, which was a blessing. Their job was to quickly seek survivors and rare or salvageble items before the ship utterly failed and exploded.

It was a dangerous job. No one would be forced to do it. Glithaw and Ohjoss had developed a good eye for how long a damaged or doomed ship had before it scattered itself across space. They would be well rewarded in terms of energy credits. Also although it was never mentioned, bravely leading away teams looked really good in ones service record when consideration for promotion came up.

"Help us!" A voice called.

Ohjoss and Glithaw looked at their team. They closed face screens and scanned the area. There could be people in need of aid, or it could be a trap. You had to be careful both ways.

They followed the voice to a holodeck. "It's on Lieutenant," one of the assault team said.

"Hello in the holodeck!" Ohjoss called.

"Please, help us!" a voice called back.

"Drop all weapons and come out!" Glithaw yelled back.

"We can't! We're stuck in here!"

Ohjoss looked at the scanner technician. "No weapons, sir, but it's active."

Ohjoss carefully went around the corner.

The holodeck was displaying an Orion Brothel.

Right in the foyer were three Green Orion women. "Was that you calling?" Ohjoss asked

"Yes!" The lead one answered "Please help us!"

"Just Holograms!" Ohjoss called. The rest of the squad relaxed.

"We're holograms but we've been upgraded!" The lead one said "Please help us!"

Ohjoss blinked. "Who needs upgraded holograms in a Brothel?"

The lead Green Orion hologram waved her hands in frustrated and unhappy gesture. "I can't speak to Borlasko's motivation. All I know is he preferred to torture sentient holograms."

Ohjoss recoiled "Ugh!"

"We know the ship is in some sort of jeopardy, but we're trapped in this holodeck! Please, help us escape." She pleaded.

"Hold on," Ohjoss said "Richman, we have holograms here who say they're upgraded, but they're trapped in a holodeck, please advise."

T'ari the CO of the USS Sheldon Richman replied "We have someone on the way."

A few minutes later, the transporter fizzled in a humanoid figure. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The Emergency Medical Hologram said.

"We're trapped in this Holodeck." The Green orion hologram said.

The EMH Mk 1 blinked. "Aha. I see, " He tapped his comm-badge "Sheldon Richman, please send me portable computer storage." He turned to the Green Orions "Will 36 kiloquads be sufficient?"

"Easily, but the access is locked." The Green Orion said.

There was a booming explosion somewhere else and the deck vibrated.

"Auxiliary reactor." Glithaw said looking like a connoisseur sampling wine. "The power system is unstable."

"Right hand side, about two thirds of the way aft." Ohjoss said.

"Very impressive," the EMH said "We'll have to gain illicit to the root of this Holodecks operating system to free these individuals."

Glithaw looked grim. "I don't know that we have the time."

"These are life forms. If we abandon them, they'll die." the EMH looked upset.

"If we stay too long, all of us will die." Glithaw said. He seemed casual but people who knew him could see he didn't like the idea much.

Ohjoss said "Glithaw, you and the guys clear the area then hook up with Commander Sockalosky and her group. I'll stay here and assist the Doctor. If we run out of time the Richman can do an emergency transport if it's only the two of us."

Glithaw took a deep breath and then said "Alright." Glithaw and the rest of the assault squad begann to make sure there was no one else left near the holodeck.

The EMH was looking at the main control panel of the Holodeck. "This is a highly unethical abuse of Holographic life forms."

"It's really unusual, too, because the Orion Pirates are so ethical in other ways," Ohjoss replied. He looked at the control panel. "We'll have to find a way to crack the owners password." he said

"Agreed, but I fear that will take too much time." The EMH said.

"Perhaps I could help." The lead Orion Hologram said.

"Please do." the EMH replied.

"Unfortunately, I cannot see the Holodeck controls. I have been programmed to regard them as invisible."

The EMH scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Use my eyes."

"Is that wise?" Ohjoss asked.

The EMH shrugged. "Not normally, no, but the circumstances here are dire."

One of the assault squad ran in with a case that held the memory the EMH requested. "About three minutes Lieutenant."

The EMH and the Green Orion Hologram touched each others hands and flickered in a sort of light rainbow pattern.

The Doctor, flickering, ran his other hand over the control panel. "Well, that's progress." He said "I estimate that we'll be able to brute force the password in about three days."

"We totally do not have three days," Ohjoss beheld the vision of himself explaining to his Commanding Officer how he let the EMH get destroyed trying to free the Green Orion Holograms.

The Green Orion Hologram said "May I borrow your tricorder?"

OhJoss considered this. Then he nodded "One moment."

"OhJoss to Richman, I am about to compromise my Tricorder, please adjust as necessary." Ohjoss told the starship.

"Roger, Lieutenant OhJoss. Two minutes 45 seconds. " Lt Commander Ceriar replied.

OhJoss offered the Green Orion Hologram his tricorder. She pointed at a spot on the floor right in front of the control panel. OhJoss placed his tricorder there.

All lights went out in the corridor, leaving only occasional orange emergency beacons.

The Green Orion Hologram, still holding the EMH's hand stepped over the tricorder.

Suddenly there was an Orion Pirate Captain in all his glory there. "Yarrgh! " he said "MY organic functions are causing me distress I am not even processing consciously!"

One of the other Green orion Holograms actually snorted in surprise. The other one clapped in glee, "You've got it!"

The Holographic recreation of the Orion Captain Said "Load Holodeck Program True Love!"

The Holodeck beeped. The lead Hologram resumed her usual form. The EMH quickly pressed a number of buttons. "The memory pack is open."

The Green Orion Holograms looked at Ohjoss and the other Assault Squad member. "Thank you ever so much."

The lead one winked at Ohjoss "Perhaps I'll be able to show you my gratitude later."

All three disappeared. The control board made a complaining beep and the Orion Brothel program crashed, leaving the empty holodeck.

"Well, that was in no way scary or concerning." Ohjoss said.

The EMH checked the case. "They're in there, as snug as a bug in a rug." He picked up the case "One to beam back."

As the EMH fizzled away, more explosions sounded. Communicators chirped "Everyone out, commencing beam out in 5...4...3...2...1...."

Ohjoss and the Assault Squad member found themselves on the transporter pad.

Grinaka took off her helmet. "I wonder how those holograms are at giving massages?"

"I want them scanned eleven ways from sunday first," Ohjoss said patting his assault suit. "Crap I left my tricorder on the ship."

There was a vibration in the deck.

"The Orion ship had exploded. Did we get everyone?" T'ari asked.

"Yes, Captain!" The Transporter officer said "Everyone's back in one piece."

"Good! Thank you, everyone!" T'ari said.

OhJoss pulled off his helmet. "We need to design a better process for rescuing holograms."

"And now what do we do with sentient Orion Brothel Holograms?" Glithaw said.

"I Have my ideas." Grinaka grinned a toothy Klingon grin.

"That's really, really unethical." Ohjoss said.

"You didn't think of it?" Grinaka asked the Trill Lieutenant.

Ohjoss replied. "I didn't say that. I said it would be unethical."

Grinaka shrugged "Who on the ship has expertise on holograms and consent?"

"No idea," Glithaw the Bolian Lieutenant answered. "Is there such a thing?"

They walked out of the transporter room towards the Security area where they could change back into normal uniforms.

"Another day, another dollar." OhJoss said, even though he'd never actually seen a dollar anywhere but the holodeck.

-*-

Re: Loot

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:57 am
by Innkeeper
A writing! I like it.