Welcome to the HoloDeck

Posted on Mon Sep 6th, 2021 @ 11:18pm by Lieutenant Commander James Trallos MD & Captain Dirk Taggart & Lieutenant Adora (Addie) Hart & Lieutenant JG Vespa Kale

Mission: Season Two - Incidentals
Location: Holodeck 1

Captain Dirk Taggart walked to the holodeck at the appointed time, he had invited three others and each one had a specific reason for being there. He invited Lieutenant's Kale and Hart to see how they would function together and brought the Doctor along to supervise. This was also an excuse to interact with Kale outside of the bridge and to learn more about the Dalacari. "Thank you for coming," he said to the others, "I was afraid I was going to be late, but it all worked out. Now then does anyone have a specific scenario they would like to participate in?"


The binary form of Vespa Kale gave the captain a pair of nods at his arrival, looking around at the vast nothing of the holodeck in its deactivated state. "Well, I... I've converted some renders of some relaxing places back home. Brought one or two personal favorites with me to help me, well, relax." she offered.

"It might help put, you know, everyone at ease if we had someplace to relax?"

The doctor nodded. He had a couple ideas but he had a feeling the Captain was on the more professional side, at least as of today and would hold his comments in check. He also was interested to see what Vespa had in store. "That sounds nice Lieutenant Kale."

Addie kept her hands clasped behind her back as she looked at the small group that had gathered in the corridor. "I agree, it sounds lovely," she offered quietly. "From the little bit I've gleaned from the ships computers your homeworld is beautiful."

"Well, I'm a bit biased but, it's very beautiful. You know what, let's load it up. Computer." and there was the acknowledgement chime. "Load Vespa Seven Two, conversion..."

"... five. Visitor center and surrounding region."

The computer acknowledged, and after a full minute the system responded and loaded the area. The surrounding environment was replaced with the paused moment on Dalacar. The visitor center was a grand building, sweeping arches and rounded architecture, while the rest of the region around it was similar in design. Rounded edges, arches and doorways. An attempt was made to put plants and small trees in aesthetically pleasing areas, but in the end the urban sprawl was the winner here. Paved streets, traffic signals, adverts and commercials suspended in a moment. Birds flew overhead, along with small discus-like automatons about the size of a conventional Earth frizbee. Higher up, commercial airlines were on route to their destination, paused in the moment until the holodeck was given the command.

Along with those commercial transports were other, smaller flying vessels. Something of a command pod about a meter long, if that, suspended between two rings, sailing through the air despite lacking obvious means to do so. Three hundred years ago, Earth would call it magic. Now, it's just science. High above, drones. Overhead, drones. On the ground... a humanoid automaton was seen sweeping the sidewalk. Gold and white chassis, frilled headpiece, and a singular optic. And another drone over there. And another. And another.

And the people. This section of the visitor center was full of Dalacari. Always in pairs, always social, always chatting. Some were mid-step, others were mid-getting into a cab. Or a bus. Mass transit existed on schedule here, and behind the wheel of every conveyance... a drone. It was hard to find anywhere without a Dalacari, but it was equally difficult to find anywhere without a drone.

(tag for reactions. This is the paused simulation)

Captain Taggart slowly spun around taking in all the sights, seeing so many pairs of singular individuals was a bit unnerving, the atmosphere reminded him a bit of earth. He was glad that Kale had decided to share this, and he looked forward to learning more.

"Computer, engage simulation. Spectator mode." Vespa wanted her friends to get a feel for Dalacar before being overwhelmed by Dalacar. The locals moved, like she did, in sync in pairs. They chatted on linked blutooth ear pieces, they shopped, they voted on local trends. The news on one of the larger displays showed that a local team in a some form of sporting event won the local championship, and was moving on to the next bracket. The weather showed that a gentle shower around 3pm local time had won the vote, and that citizens and guests should plan accordingly. No projected slowdowns or delays. And then the results of local trends, set by region. Beverages and meals of choice, relaxation hot spots and best times to mingle, movies, upcoming sporting events or demonstrations.

Dalacari of all walks of life walked along in the villa, the looming presence of a larger city on the horizon. Towering skyscrapers, buzzing with drones to patrol the skies. Here, in the visitor center, life seemed pretty easy. Dalacari walking to their academy, to their job, or just to a shop. Dalacari with their parents, or with their children, or just getting by. No graffiti, no clutter, no mess. Wherever there were parents, if they had a child, they only had one. Well, one Dalacari.

It never felt crowded, but personal space was at a high premium. Privacy, even more.

Vespa looked very content.

The doctor nodded. He liked what he saw. He was not used to all the people, but it reminded him of down town San Francisco when he was back at Starfleet. It was similarly full of with all individuals and not pairs of individuals and drones. The architecture helped draw his attention over the swarm of beings and into the sky. It was a moment of wonder for him. He nodded to himself a second time. This was why he joined Starfleet. They were some of the first humans to see this, even in the holodeck. "Very wonderful Lieutenant Kale."

"This is home. Well, it's one of the many visitor centers of home. We have sections of our settlements available for visitation, mostly by the ..."

"... Ts'usugi, who request our ports as shore leave if possible. We accomadate, cause what are friends for. Though, they stick to visitation regions since..."

"... outside of the area, we don't regulate the gravity to visitor specifications. Dalacar's gravity is 1.3 times normal terran standard, as you..."

"... measure it, so it's quite the jump from visitor center to open air Dalacar." she explained, moving out of the way of a holographic citizen. "Dalacar's currency is digital, regulated to the..."

"... thirty seventh decimal by our computer networks, the same networks that control the drones. Massive interconnected quantum calculation engines. We..."

"... call them Thinking Engines, but I assure you, there's no sentience there. Just a clever name. she smiled. "The whole of the drone network forms predictions on..."

"... what the citizens need or want, and when. When it works, the drones know when to refill your drinks, what the order for you, where to deliver..."

"... goods in anticipation, it's a magnificent system. When it doesn't work, someone gets someone else's drink." she paused, "Now, these are the same..."

"... drones we use in our military, so they don't just help manage our lives, but they save them too. So, ummm, any questions to start?"

"Is there anywhere we should avoid? Anything we shouldn't do or say?" Addie asked, a slight hint of nervousness in her voice. While there was no outward signs of hostility from Vespa toward her, there was still a level of uncertainty in their friendship. Being surrounded by a city full of dual being Dalacari did lend an air of trepidation.

Vespa actually thought about that one. "The edges of the gravity influencer's ... well, influence... are always clearly marked. Visitor's receive a bracelet that helps track their digital..."

"... currency and helps drones find them if they're lost. It'll chirp or something if you're getting too close to the edge. Other areas to avoid are.."

"... standard danger zones. Middle of traffic, railways, the usual. But that's not what you meant. Visitor braces open a lot of doors, but if a door *doesn't*..."

"... open, that's a sign that it's above your visitor pay. Shouldn't do or say, well... don't injure or threaten others, that's standard. Don't talk about blowing..."

"... up Republic buildings, again another standard. Our laws protect the safety and wellbeing of everyone, and drones afford guests the second highest..."

"... level of protection. Second only to Dalacari, so if there's ever danger or an emergency, those guys are here to help." she motioned to one of the drones sweeping the street. As the group was still in Spectator mode, it didn't notice the extra attention.

"Security can transmat in more drones to an area as needed, depending on the crisis. Left to their own devices, drones travel the same way Dalacari do..."

"... to further cement them as just part of the day to day for the young ones. The average battery life of the standard units is about twenty hours, so a little..."

"... over half a day. When they get low on a charge they put out a call to a nearby drone to finish the task they were doing, then seek out a charge station." she pointed out that interaction and series of events.

"Help first, then recharge. Aerial Drones have internal reactors, so their lifespan is effectively unlimited. Though, you don't get a Beta Unit Fighter..."

"... Drone to show you around..." she paused, "Okay so you SHOULDN'T get a Beta Unit to show you around town."

Addie smiled and offered a small nod. "Well, lead the way, where do we go first? What do you recommend?" She looked around again. "There really is a lot of drones, isn't there?"

Vespa gave a pair of nods. "Oh yes, they're always nearby if you need assistance with something. Carrying bags, getting food or drinks, or going to someplace to get bags or..."

"... food or drinks. Seven percent of the population of any major Dalacari metropolis is its drones. We count them for floor traffic, not for voting parties." she joked.

Dirk continued listening to Kale as he took in the sites. The number of drones and the pairs of single units definitely seemed quite numerous almost overwhelming. As he thought about it he remembered that the pairs were singular and with that thought in mind he looked again. It didn't seem so overwhelming this time, as the curiosity of his nature took firm control, after all it was his desire to explore that brought him to Starfleet in the first place.
"Lieutenant Kale, do your people have museums or places to see artifacts from your history? I don't want to distract you from your tour, but if there is one here in your simulation I'd like to come back and visit it. I find that immersing myself in the culture and history of a people helps me better learn and understand then."

"Oh of course! Museums and zoos, though zoos aren't artifacts from our history per se. I mean, the largest zoos on Dalacar actually have preserves dedicated..."

"... to the preservation of natural areas, since some of them are very threatened by our need for, well, space. Exocolonies really helped, otherwise a lot..."

"... of life would be threatened with extinction, including the Narada Vash which is our evolutionary ancestor. They're terrifying to watch, and sometime you..."

"... get a ringing in the back of your heads if you get too close to the enclosure, but they're terrifying." she shook her heads of the memory. "As for museums..."

"... we not only have collections from our history, but collections from famed artists, composers, and philosophers from the current era as well." she explained, as she walked her crewmates through the busy streets.

"We sometimes invite other artists and philosophers from neighboring regions to give presentations for any up coming college graduates. One time we..."

"... actually managed to host Feldspar Cadmoselite, a famed Slate thinker. It gave a marvelous presentation about a day in the life of a planet, from the..."

"... planet's point of view. Breathtaking, though a bit dry. Its presentation was seventeen hours long, though I hear the best way to experience it is..."

"... to actually lay down on the floor and let Feldspar's rumble kinda, go through you." she continued. "I have the recording, it... it helps me sleep." she admitted. Not the quality of the words, but the rumble of the voice.

She finally turned to Dirk, "The simulation I have here is just the visitor center and the local region around it. No museums or lecture halls unfortunately. If we're ever in Dalacari..."

"... space I could see about a trip. I mean, or I could try to load Feldspar's lecture in one of the unused buildings here as a proxy." she offered as compromise.

The doctor looked around and continued to take it all in. The Captain had a good point. Museums, cultural history, anything about the history of this people would be fascinating. He was always thinking with his stomach, it would do him good to feed his brain as well. "On our tour there, I would love to take in some of your music venues as well." He said as he moved around the group. It would be a fascinating visit for sure.

"Great idea Doc, I wonder if they have the equivalent of an electric guitar, I love the ancient classic rock bands like Metallica, and Shinedown."

"Well, funny story..." Vespa started, "Dalacari music usually consists of two instruments per player, but one of them is more a simple drum to keep the tempo."

"See, you all can do something that I can't." she paused, then pointed towards the floor. "You... can tap your feet. We can't. So we use the second form drum to..."

"... keep the tempo. From there it's a variety of stringed instruments, wind, major percussion. The usual. Now I have no idea what a guitar is, but if you show me..."

"... one I can see if we have a parallel. Dalacari vocals are amazing to hear, though I certainly can't hold a tune and... I'm way too embarrassed right now to..."

"... even try umm forget I mentioned it so what's a guitar?" Call the doctor, that topic shift was bound to give someone whiplash.

Addie lingered with the group though remained mostly silent, listening and observing, though the question about the guitar pulled her attention. "It's an instrument, usually wooden, hollowed out with a long neck and strings that extend from the neck, down the body of the instrument over the opening to the hollow inside. They usually have six strings, you play by plucking the strings and the sound of the plucked string is amplified by the soundboard and resonant cavity of the guitar," she offered as an explanation. "Sorry, that's probably not much help." She gave a slight shrug and small smile. "I used to play a little."

"It sounds fascinating. I'd love to see one one time, but maybe later." she continued to guide her crewmates along on the virtual tour. She made a point to travel to the edge of town, as it were, and motioned to the signage near the edge. Red markings on the floor, and a sign on nearby walls with some odd symbol. A box, with a downward pointing arrow inside of it, with two downward pointing arrows underneath and outside of it.

A warning sign.

"This is what the warning signs for uneven gravity look like. Just in case you ever come across them. Dalacar's base gravity is 1.3 times what you're used..."

"... to, so we regulate the local visitor areas down to, well, 1.0 Federation standards. Dalacari can navigate in 1.0, but we prefer our home gravity." she paused, "This..."

"... is kinda why I use the holodeck gym alone." she admitted to such. "I know, I know, dangerous, need a spotter who isn't also me." she fended off the comments before they happened.

"So, next questions?"

"Can we swim in the water?" Addie asked, her gaze firmly fixed on the shimmering blue water in the near distance. "I didn't bring a suit, but, it might be nice for next time? It looks gorgeous."

Vespa gave a pair of nods, "Of course you can. It's a little easier for you to float in our water, since the density of the ocean is thicker. Floating and relaxing should be..."

"... a breeze, but if you want to actually go diving, you'll need to bring extra weights, and realize you'll be fighting to go deeper the whole time." she pointed out. Her twin picked up the rest, "Casual swimming shouldn't really be any different. Our gravity compensators can affect out to about a hundred and fifty meters, but..."

"... we'd advise caution past that. After that radius, you're dealing with Dalacar's full gravity." a pause, "There's always drones flying over the region..."

"... to make sure people are safe, though. Any trouble, and they'll swoop in before you get into real danger." she reassured. "Dalacar's native waterlife doesn't enjoy the affects of the gravity compensators, so they avoid the affected shores."

Addie nodded and offered a smile to Vespa. "Thank you Lieutenant," she offered gratefully. "Next time I'll be more prepared. The beach does look like a gorgeous place to spend a day."

Vespa gave a pair of nods, "Oh after a hard day, relaxing by the shore really is the best. The sand on your paws, the spray of the ocean, the last bits of sunlight before the night sky..."

"... lights up. On a clear night you can see the lights of the lunar cities, and if the night isn't clear you can start a poll to request it be a clear night tomorrow." she continued, then her twin took over. "Oh it really is a fantastic place to just relax. And the best part is you don't HAVE to even leave to get a drink or a snack or anything really."

"You just call for a drone. The ones for beach duty are designed around the danger of sand in the servos, so they're special makes and models." like that solved the problem. There really wasn't anywhere on Dalacar you could go without a drone being a summons away. "So don't..."

"... you worry about being prepared. Life is full of surprises, and Dalacar is full of drones."

The doctor looked at Vespa. "Really? On the beach, all I need is to ask a drone for a drink and they'll mix me one?" He knew she had mentioned previously that they helped in all manner of ways, but this? He could take lazy up to a whole new level.

"Well... yes." she sounded a bit shocked that such a clarification was even needed. Not doubting the doctor's intellect, but c'mon, OF COURSE they'd come out to the beach with your drink.

"They'd take your order, facilitate it, deliver it, return for the glass, and if you wound up too inebriated to safely get home, they'd walk you home. Or call you..."

"... a transport. Your home drone would be notified of your status, and be waiting to receive you. Discretion filters would dictate if any family member would be..."

"... alerted as well, and whether the primary bedroom or the auxiliary bed in the living room would be prepared for your arrival. Though if you lived alone, that..."

"... wouldn't be an issue."

"Doc don't get any ideas," Taggert said with a wink, "Lieutenant Kale, this has been most impressive, but I am afraid that duty calls, We need to do this again some time. I really want to explore your museum, next time, thank you." As he finished speaking his comms badge chirped

=/\=Captain, your presence is requested on the bridge =/\=

"On my way," the Captain radioed back quickly as he exited the holodeck.

"Well, I guess we can still enjoy the surroundings, right?" Addie asked, glancing between the twin forms of Kale to Trallos. "Which way's the bar?"

Kale first turned to looked towards the Captain, "Thank you for coming, and next time, I'll have more." and then he was gone. The pair turned to Addie and Trallos, and gave a pair of smiles. "The recreation here is a bit sparse but I think I can manage..."

"... something until I can get a proper Dalacari menu, and some trend data. Might need to exit spectator mode, but that's easy enough." she looked around.

"There's a few lounges this way." and she led the party off...


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Capt. Dirk Taggart
Commanding Officer
USS Pennsylvania

Lt JG Vespa Kale
Assistant Science Chief
USS Pennsylvania

Lt Adora (Addie) Hart
Counselor
USS Pennsylvania

Lt James Trallos MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Pennsylvania