Holograph Dreams

Posted on Thu Jul 21st, 2011 @ 6:24pm by Lieutenant Jasad Broca & Lieutenant JG Toshie Minamoto

Mission: Tomorrow's Arizona
Location: The New Marine Holodeck
Timeline: After Visions of Demons of Air and Darkness

Jasad looked up and around, taking in the vast room they'd rebuilt. It was the singular largest Holodeck he'd ever seen. Few units were designed to accommodate up to 50 people at the same time. The space, energy requirements, and processing power needed for such an endeavor were formidable. Fortunately, Starfleet ships had plenty to spare in all departments. Unfortunately, warp power had just been taken offline.

"It seems a shame," Jasad said to the Chief, "after all that hard work, I was hoping to find out what sort of holoprogram you had up your sleeve. Now, with warp power offline, we don't have enough energy to spare to find out."

He went to the coffee service he'd brought daily throughout their progress on this project. "Perhaps we can at least enjoy a celebratory coffee before the ship is shaken to pieces again? Which reminds me- Mister Gordon reported in while you were in the jeffries' tube. The viewscreen on the bridge is fully repaired. We should enjoy this moment of serenity while it lasts."

Toshie was of two minds at the moment, as any Chief Engineer would be in her shoes. The holodeck building had gone swimmingly. The silver-grey lattice work of holoemitters covered the walls, the power systems were installed, even the diagnostics went perfectly. All that remained was to try it out, not that they could at the moment.

"Yes, yes, it is a shame. We will have to finish running our tests after we get the cores back on line." She let out a long sigh, "It would be nice to be consulted on these things before they send word to one of my subordinates to do a total matter/anti-matter reaction shutdown. It's their job to break the ship, it's ours to fix it."

She rose to her feet and stretched, "Good, one less repair job to worry about, especially one that the Commodore has to stare at. Still, we don't have time for the coffee just yet. We will need to stand by in engineering and have the rest of alpha shift ready for damage control if needed. You felt that lurch too."

Jasad regarded his superior dubiously. "The first day we met, you had managed to wear yourself down until you'd begun to fray. Since we started this Holo-project, you've been working double-shifts." Which, of course, meant that he himself had been working double shifts. He couldn't very well let the Chief Engineer go on working while he relaxed in the lounge, after all.

"Now, you are my superior officer and my department head," he said. "You can make it an order if you like..." He poured her a cup and held it out to her. "But barring an order, I intend to make you sit down and take fifteen minutes for yourself. We'll be sailing between these storms for hours, from what Commander Aix has said. You can't stay on hot-alert for all that time and expect to be sharp for whatever comes after. The Warp drive is completely off-line, and if the staff can't handle routine 'shaking around' repairs while you enjoy a coffee break, then they ought to be spaced."

"I know, I know, I push myself hard and my team too. I'm too much of a perfectionist." Toshie sighed while she shook her head. She had heard all this before, going back to grade school. "I guess I can take fifteen minutes off for some relaxation..."

Her hand reached out, took the cup, and she brought it to her lips and had a sip. "Not too bad for replicated coffee, I suppose. You should try some of my grandmother's tea. She grows the leaves herself." She crouched down by the tools, cradling the cup between her hands while she spoke quite frankly. "This is my first time as engineering chief, so I'm still a little protective of this ship. I've barely gotten a chance to get to know her."

Jasad smiled, "I love Red Leaf tea," he told her, "but it is worthless when replicated. I've often wondered about that. Replicator technology should be able to create a good tea without trouble. But I think it's the sample. Somewhere back in time, someone sampled a bad cup of Red Leaf tea, and that same sample has been passed to all the replicator libraries in the galaxy. So now, if you want a good cup of tea, you have to brew it yourself." He looked at her, "I would love to try your grandmother's tea."

He sipped his own cup of coffee. It was not his favorite beverage, but it did provide stimulation. "Of course, my mother had a different opinion on the flavor of replicated food. 'You can't replicate love,' she'd say, 'And that's the most important ingredient.'

When Minamoto confessed her feelings about her position, Jasad felt honored. It was the first time she'd confided in him about anything that could make her seem vulnerable. On Cardassia, such confessions were worth their weight in latinum, and indicated no small amount of trust.

"You command your department well," Jasad assured her, "even in your unbridled tenacity. After working on the Shras for so long, the environment of competence on the Arizona is refreshing. I think if you remember to take a little time for yourself on long days, you will be able to handle everything that comes."

The ship shuddered again, and Jasad sighed a little. "Though I doubt you will be able to relax at all while this is going on." He finished his cup, and set it down. "Very well. Let's go. I shall fret by your side over the myriad of little breakdowns that require none of our expertise. Worry is the glue that holds these ships together, is it not?" He smiled at her, and stood by to escort her back to Engineering. For the first time in his entire Starfleet career, he found that he really liked his boss.

Toshie smiled as well as she thought back on her favorite teas, "I always get some from my grandmother when I'm near Earth. I have a bundle in my quarters right now. It's the best." She brought the cup to her lips and took another sip, "My parents were traditionalists, which isn't surprising, considering my father's line of work. They were practical enough to use a replicator for a lot of things, though. My mother still cooked a lot, but she used the replicator as well."

Her face darkened behind the coffee cup as another shudder was felt through the deckplates. "Alright, let's go." She rose to her feet, cup in one hand, her toolkit in the other, "I want to keep an eye on the EPS grid while we wait this out."