Unexpected attack

Posted on Sat Mar 19th, 2016 @ 2:52am by Lieutenant JG Victoria Drani M.D. & Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD

1,707 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Point of View
Location: Jeffries Tube Beta 07
Timeline: After Senior Staff Meeting

Drani climbed down another section of the Jeffries Tube. With the power down, the only way to move between decks was by using the Jeffries Tubes. "This is one time I wish we were aboard a Defiant Class vessel," she said as she joined Barak on the landing.

"At least we are getting our exercise," Arnon replied with a grin. "In fact, we could probably be lazy next week and not suffer any ill consequence. I think we only have a few more decks to go. We could break here for a moment, if you'd like."

"Sure, let's take a small break. Any idea what could have caused this power outage?" she asked, sitting down on the ledge.

"Techno-Gremlins?" Arnon replied. "Maybe someone forgot to purge the zero point power converter before boosting the graviton stabilizers. The tau resistance balloon could have irreparably damaged."

"You lost me after Techno-Gremlins. I'm a doctor, not an engineer," Drani stated with a smile.

"I just made that whole thing up to see if you were paying attention," Arnon replied. "None of it made any sense. Engineering baffles me, too."

Arnon leaned against the bulkhead and took a deep relaxing breath.

"One hundred," he said. "Even fifty years ago I could have made this climb without a complaint. It seems that middle age has settled in."

Arnon looked as though he had just thought of something.

"You know," he said. "I just realized I've never asked if you prefer to be called Victoria or Vicky. I've always made a point of calling you Victoria, even when...caught up in...things. You always seemed more of a Victoria to me, but I would rather call you by the name you wish to be called."

"Call me Vicky, and it will be trouble for you," she said with a laugh, pointing a finger at him as she looked up at Arnon. "Victoria is fine." She was silent for a moment as something crossed her mind. "Damn, I have to drop by your quarters. I left my medical tricorder there. At least it's on the way to Sickbay. Do you want to join me or meet me in Sickbay?"

"I think Doctor Newmark can handle things on his own for a little while longer," Arnon said. "I'll join you. Do you want me to lead the way?"

"Sure, why not?" Victoria replied with a shrug before gesturing to the downward shaft. "After you."

"Of course," Arnon replied, beginning his descent. "And if you slip I will gallantly catch you. Unless I lose my grip, in which case I will gallantly use my body to break your fall."

"Always the gentleman," she replied, following him.

Arnon chuckled. They climbed down until they reached the deck his quarters were on. Arnon opened the Jefferies tube hatch and stepped out. He offered a hand to Victoria and helped her out. The two walked to Arnon's quarter. Remarkably, the door seemed to have power and opened for him when he typed in his code.

"Normally this is where I would usher you in ahead of me," he said. "But considering my quarters seem to be powered up while the rest of the ship is dead..."

Arnon led the way into his quarters. Once inside, he saw a trail of rose petals leading towards his sleeping area.

"Uhm...." he said to Victoria. "I hope you'll believe me when I say I have absolutely no idea what is going on here.

Victoria couldn't sense any deception from Arnon. "I believe you, but it wasn't me, so you must have a secret admirer." She looked around the room for her medical tricorder.

Suddenly the lights flickered back on and held steady. There came from the bedroom the sound of someone approaching.

"Oh Arnon, sweetie, I've missed you sooo much," said a sultry female voice. "It's been sooo long since we were last together, but I'm free now and I'm yours to..."

In the doorway of the bedroom appeared a curvy Orion woman in a short nightie with one shoulder strap draped down her arm. When she saw Victoria, the come hither look in her eyes changed to one of jealousy and hatred.

"Arnon!" she said. "HOW DARE YOU! How dare you bring this...this...this...HUSSY into our home?"

Arnon looked from the Orion to Victoria and back a few times. He appeared to be caught totally flat footed.

"Uhm..." he said. "I think that might be the Orion version of my Emergency Culinary Hologram, but I only saw her once. By 'saw her' I of course mean that I activated the program, saw that it was in poor taste, and immediately shut it off. I swear I have never even used her to make a cup of coffee, let alone as a sex hologram. Computer, deactivate the Emergency Culinary Hologram."

Needless to say, the hologram did not deactivate.

"You're not getting off that easy, you...you...you CAD!" the extremely jealous hologram cried. "I'll deal with you after I deal with this slut you've brought home with you!"

The nightie turned into a chef's apron, and only a chef's apron, and a meat cleaver appeared in her hand. Raising it, she charged at Victoria.

"Victoria!" Arnon shouted. "Look out!"

He shot a roundhouse kick into the hologram's stomach, halting her, but not doing much more. The kick seemed to hurt Arnon more than the faux Orion. The Orion growled and back handed Arnon, sending him flying across the room.

The holographic Orion now had tear streaked mascara running down its face. The meat cleaver morphed into a frying pan. She began to sing.

"I can bring home the bacon," she sang. "Fry it up in a pan and never let you forget you're a man..."

Arnon rolled his eyes.

"Computer," he said. "Engage the Emergency Culinary Hologram's safety protocols."

A warped version of the computer's voice came over the audio system.

"S,s,s,s, a,a,a,a, f,f,f,f, e,e,e,e, t,t,t,t, y,y,y,y, safety, dance..." it sang. "We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind, cuz your friends do dance and if they don't dance then they ain't no friends of mine..."

Victoria was so enraged at seeing Arnon hurt that she threw her tricorder as she rushed the hologram. The tricorder struck the hologram in the head, loosening her grip on the frying pan. Drani drove her shoulder into the hologram's chest before grabbing her wrist and twisted the pan out of her hand and as she spun, she struck the Orion hologram on the head.

The pan clanged against the Orion's head. There was now a dent in the cast iron pan. The Orion shook off the blow and growled at Victoria.

"Oh for the Prime Number's sake!" Arnon said, getting up and running over to his computer console. He got down his knees below the desk and removed a panel. "Be a dear and keep that thing occupied for a moment would you?"

Victoria was stunned at the Orion shaking off the blow while denting the pan. "No problem," she said sarcastically before turning to the Orion. "You're hard headed, I'll give you that," she said as she swung the pan again and missed.

"He's MINE!" she shrieked. "You can't have him! I was made for him!"

Then the Orion's lip began to tremble and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"I was made for him," she sobbed. "And he just shut me away. I'm so lonely!"

"Normally I'd feel for you, but you're nothing more than a combination of forcefields and light.," Drani said coldly, keeping the dented frying pan in her grip. "Your emotions is simply a result of computer programming." She hoped Arnon was close to deactivating this hologram...and she would be sure to have a word with Arnon about this afterwards.

"Ah Ha!" Arnon said. He pulled something out of the console he had opened and the sobbing Orion disappeared, along with the dented frying pan. "I think I'll be doing my own cooking from now on, just in case she tries to overwrite the default settings again."

He rushed over to Victoria.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Wait, let me check."

Using his sensory empathy, Arnon examined her.

"Thank goodness," he said. "No harm done. I know this looks bad, but I swear to you that I have never used this version of the program for anything. Never, ever. I've only ever seen her one other time and that was when I turned the program on for the first time. I thought it was tasteless so I immediately shut it down. I have no need for nor interest in sex with holograms. I prefer the real thing, particularly with you. I have never lied to you and I am not lying now."

Arnon stood before Victoria, trying to be confident but still pleading for forgiveness with his eyes. Would she let him off the hook?

Victoria could sense Arnon was telling the truth. She looked at her broken medical tricorder on the deck and then back at Arnon. "I think using these holograms alot less, if at all would be best," Victoria replied after a moment, realizing she was shaking. She had always hated fighting.

Arnon sensed Victoria's distress and kicked himself for not comforting her earlier.

"Come here, my dear," he said, putting his arms around her. "You're fine, we're both fine. It's all over now."

"I know...just never been a fan of violence. Nothing good comes from it," she stated. "I suppose we should get to Sickbay."

Arnon gave a npd of agreement.

"Absolutely," he said. He rubbed his jaw and winced. The hologram had packed quite a punch. Only his higher, Vulcanoid bone density saved him from a broken jaw and lost teeth, not to mention that it saved him from having his head taken clean off. "Let's go be the healers we've worked so hard to become."

She smiled as she walked down the darken corridor with Arnon.



Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD
Chief Counselor

Lieutenant JG Victoria Drani, MD
Chief Medical Officer

 

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