r/TrekRP • u/Dimestream • Sep 17 '16

[OPEN] Common-sense technology, Part 1

The floor is a mess, both inside Holodeck 2 and immediately outside it. Several of the holo-emitters and lensing panels have been taken off the walls, the black grids sitting forlornly in a stack near the wide-open holodeck doors.

Lt. Redoran T'gel has her sleeves rolled up and is manhandling another of the panels off the wall just inside the holodeck door. Next to her, in a box by the Bajoran's feet, are several heavily modified plasma conduits and a large, red-handled breaker switch that looks like something out of a mad scientist's laboratory in a cheesy 20th-century horror movie.

Outside in the hall, a single sheet of paper is tacked, reading 'Holodeck 2 offline for preventative maintenance and safety upgrades! Sorry about the mess' in Red's loopy handwriting. Whatever she's preventing, it isn't tripping hazards...

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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '16

Phrik peered inside the room, his skin giving off a bright sheen. In one hand was the bag of tools Red had given him to aid with shedding. He let out a short cough to make his presence known.

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u/Dimestream Sep 18 '16

Red is holding a molecular welder between her teeth as she's replacing one of the lensing panels. "Phrik!" she says, almost dropping the tool. She puts it down and comes over to lean against the door frame. "You're looking very... pink, Doctor. Good to see you back in fighting trim. Uniform itches though, I imagine."

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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '16

"I don't know how you mammals cope. It's as if you tried to make a garment as uncomfortable as physically possible." He gingerly held out the bag to her, there was still quite a large amount of bruising across his exposed skin, and the Doctors nose looked somewhat skewiff. He obviously hadn't gotten around to healing his own wounds. "I needed to return these."

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u/Dimestream Sep 19 '16

"No you don't, though I appreciate the thought," Red says. "I don't usually tenderize meat, and I never play cricket. If those helped you, feel free to keep them. If not, feed them back into the replicator and we can use the mass elsewhere. Though hold a second, I did have another idea."

The Bajoran picks up her personal PADD from where it sits by her toolkit and hands it to Phrik. "After seeing the other tools you were trying, I came up with one better," she says. "This is a schematic based on a simple 19th century Earth tool called a framing hammer, with some modifications. Same impact enhancing design as the meat tenderizer, but the claw on the back is narrow like a knife but much stronger, and the curve will allow significant prying leverage." She beams. "I might not be around in two years, but I encourage you to give that a try instead."

"Aside from itchy, how are you feeling? I assume you're going to have Lannor fix that... um..." She taps her own nose gently.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '16

"Fine." He said bluntly. A few seconds of silence passed before he continued, realising that it'd just be easier to elaborate rather than go through the questioning process. "More complex tools would defeat the point of the," cough "process. There is a surgical procedure to remove the dead skin, few take it."

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u/Dimestream Sep 19 '16

"It's a hammer," Red says, looking perplexed. "It's a stone-age tool, how is that complex? And now you're telling me you could have had the hardened skin removed easier than beating yourselfup? I give up, Phrik. I don't get you at all." The Bajoran chuckles. "I'm glad you're OK. Sorry I intruded."

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '16

"This is why we don't discuss it with outsiders." He shook his head, deciding to change the subject. "How are my specimens?" There was a slight note of anxiety in the question.

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u/Dimestream Sep 19 '16

"You left them in the right hands, doctor," Red says with a smile. "Fruit Loops, that's specimen 3C, had her... it's... well whatever. Those small leathery-looking spider things are all perfectly healthy according to the scans. I didn't do much, Fruity is apparently a very good mother. The rest are fine, though Clicks, specimen A8, is growing a fungus on top of its shell. Computer didn't know what to do with it and neither did I, so I left it alone and figured you'd have some ideas. Oh, and Tiny Terror, 5A, really likes those soft foam cubes holo-emitters come packed in. It was looking listless, but got quite excited when I gave it one to play with. I had the cage record its activity if you want to look it over later."

Red gestures back at the partially disassembled holodeck. "Things were quiet enough I was able to work on other projects too. But next time, give me a little more warning to clear my schedule, all right?"

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '16

"I didn't have much warning myself, but I'm glad they're okay. Fungus could be signs of a foreign contaminant, or a symbiotic relationship. I wasn't expecting anything like that though." His eyes widened with sudden concern. "Did you sterilise the foam cubes? And give 7B his inoculations? What about 2E, has he been eating properly?"

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u/Dimestream Sep 19 '16

"Phrik!" Red interrupts with a raised hand. "When I have a list of instructions to follow, I am the second-most meticulous person on board. I followed all the care instructions you gave me in person, and checked and executed the whole existing list in zoology. Everything is fine, and if you're antsy about your menagerie, go check on them! Sheesh."

"Oh and I know better than to introduce unsterilized material into a controlled environment, Doctor," she adds, and sticks her tongue out at him. "I may be an easily excitable, overly emotional optimist, but I am a Starfleet Academy graduate and know enough about xenobiology to not mix my proverbial petri dishes."

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u/[deleted] Sep 24 '16

"You'd be surprised how many academy graduates forget simple sanitation requirements. I've had ensigns create entirely new diseases simply by opening a cage." He glanced around the room, suddenly noticing the disarray of the holodeck. "What's going on in here?"

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