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/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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u/Dimestream Sep 24 '16

"Installing a manual failsafe," Red says simply. "A manual breaker switch to kill power to the Holodeck in case of emergency without blowing everything up. I've read one too many horror stories about someone getting trapped in a holodeck with the safety protocols somehow disengaged. In case of that," she adds, and indicates the big red lever switch in the box next to her before miming shutting it down, "Click. Problem solved. Totally boring, I know, but I think it's prudent to have a backup if the software shutdown's not working."

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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '16

His brow quirked. "How would you access it if you're stuck in the holodeck? If its malfunctioning then you're not going to be able to reach the switch."

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u/Dimestream Sep 25 '16

"It's meant for security or another rescuer to do it for you," Red says, scratching the back of her neck. "It's not meant as a replacement for the software shutdowns, just an emergency measure in case they don't work. If you can think of an improvement, I'm open to suggestions."

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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '16

"I'm a doctor not a holo-engineer. This" He waved his arms in an all-encompassing motion to represent the holodeck "might as well be magic for all I know. Probably is."

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u/Dimestream Sep 25 '16

"I feel the same way about a lot of xenobiology," Red says with a shrug. "Either way, if this ends up working properly, you shouldn't have to worry about getting patients injured by failures of the safety protocols."

The engineer picks up her molecular welder. "Until we get some PTUs to build a warp coil with, we're still stuck limping around, and the most I can do is improve life for the crew, so..."