Drop It Like It's Hot

Posted on 11 Feb 2022 @ 5:01pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Lieutenant JG Karras

4,261 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 04, 1629 hrs

[ON]

"Simulation already running," said Galileo's soft female computer voice. A dark finger forcefully tapped the holodeck control panel a second time. It was met by another distinctive error tone and verbal denial. "Simulation already running."

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius stared at the small LCARS screen next to the door. Anger was starting to build within him. The other holodeck was already in use and had been for...several hours. Someone was being greedy and exceeding their allotted time and now the second holodeck was occupied. During shore leave at dinner time.

"Computer, override program. Darius, Lamar. SS-267-8444," he ordered. Another negative chirp sounded. "Authorization denied. Simulation already running."

Darius' eyes widened and he slammed the palm of his hand forcefully into the holodeck door. "Can't a man just get some holodeck time?!" he yelled in the empty corridor. "Shit!"

A few moments later, the holodeck doors parted, and the sounds of distant seagulls and breaking waves seeped into the corridor. Karras followed the sound out of the room, barefoot, wearing loose fitting black shorts and a matching tank top. He looked around with concern until his eyes settled on Darius.

"Is everything okay out here? I thought I heard something."

Lamar stepped back with surprise when the door swished open. "Oh," he muttered out loud. He'd been expecting someone he knew from the Galileo crew to be inside and already had his chewing-out speech half-prepared. Now, however, an unfamiliar youthful face stood in front of him. The man was dressed in casuals and was of average height with a slim build. He looked to be in his early twenties, at best. "Yeah," he finally answered. "I was just trying to get into the holodeck. The other one's been busy for while." Then he frowned. "Who are you?"

"My name is Karras. I'm, um, the new counselor." He ran a hand through his tousled hair. Yet another face familiar from the records he'd been pouring over for two days, but of course he could not recall the name. "And you are?"

New counselor? The former Marine wasn't too familiar with the Medical department's operations but knew most of the shrinks he'd encountered in the fleet were officers. "Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius. Conn officer." He hesitantly extended a large hand in greeting. "Welcome to the Gal..."

Karras accepted the offered hand and gave a friendly shake. "No need to be formal with me, Lamar, unless that is your preference. It's nice to meet you!" With their handshake complete, he looked tipped his head towards the open door. "I've been attempting a walking meditation on the beach, but to honest, I've mostly just been watching the waves. You are welcome to this holodeck, if you'd like."

Darius shook his head at the polite offer. The young man seemed pleasant upon first impression. Way more relaxed than most people he'd served with. He was definitely new. "It's tempting but it's your holodeck time, sir. The beach isn't really my thing." He then cocked his head slightly. "You are a 'sir', right?"

"I am," Karras answered, not entirely sure if the question was in regard to rank or gender identity, but the answer was the same either way. He considered it quite thoughtful that Lamar didn't want to deprive him of holodeck time, which was a little bit ironic given that Karras rarely used the holodeck. "It doesn't have to be the beach," he proposed, thinking of compromise. "Maybe there's something we both could enjoy?"

The chief warrant officer wasn't opposed to the idea. He tried to remember the last time he'd spent his holodeck time with any sort of company. His brain rewound time back months, then years. Eventually he gave up as a long silence formed. "You any good with a phaser?" he finally replied.

"I am, if we're talking Velocity."

Lamar looked at the man, perplexed. "What?"

"Oh, um, Velocity. The sport?" Karras attempted to clarify. "Two players, holographic phasers, tiny little flying disc? It was very popular at the Academy..." Realizing the other man was not likely suggesting a match given his reaction, he decided to revise his response. "So, I guess my answer would be 'No'. If it isn't Velocity, then no, I am not good with a phaser."

Tilting his head back with recognition, Lamar exposed an open palm. "That velocity." He turned his hand parallel to the floor then sliced it back and forth through the air a couple times. "Never played. But I've seen a couple matches here and there." He proceeded to give the younger looking officer a knowing look. "I was thinking something more fun. You like combat simulations? Jem'Hadar?"

"Not particularly," Karras answered, his brow furrowing just a bit. He knew that different people had different perspectives, different philosophies, but he would never be able to equate 'combat' and 'fun'. And regardless of his pledge to Commander Blake, this was not training. This was recreation. "Not at all, actually. Any other ideas?"

"Hmm.." Lamar pondered under his breath. Guess he doesn't like Jem'Hadar. Understandable. "Klingons?"

"I don't like combat, real or simulated," the counselor clarified. "My people, the Ba'ku, are pacifists. I've grown accustomed to replicators and sonic showers, but violence is another matter. While I've come to accept that, in the Offland, violence appears to be justified at times for the defense and safety of others, I just... it's not me."

Darius listened to the words coming from his mouth but they didn't seem to register properly. He tilted his head at Karras as if he were an unknown species of alien. Wide eyed and with bizarre curiosity. "So...Romulans, then?"

Karras stared at Lamar without a clue what to say. While he hadn't memorized every personnel file he'd reviewed the past two days, he didn't recall seeing a traumatic brain injury listed for anyone in Flight Comtrol. "No," Karras replied, talking a bit more slowly. "I do not want to fight anyone."

"Oh. ..Okay." Lamar scratched the curly dark hair on his head then snapped his fingers with a eureka idea. "Ever done an orbital drop?" he grinned. "Space and atmospheric insertions?"

"Can't say that I have," Karras admitted. "I'm good to try, if you're willing to take me through it. Is it anything like bungee jumping? I tried that on Earth, once." He'd also wet himself in the process but decided to keep that to himself. They were finding something to do that didn't involve battle and bloodshed, after all.

"Bungee jumping?" Lamar'd never done it himself but recalled seeing some holovids. He shook his head with a frown. "I wouldn't know but I can guarantee this is better. Don't worry, drops are easy. Just strap in and enjoy the rush." He gave the other man a hearty slap on the back of his shoulder to reassure him. "If you get stuck, I'll talk you through it."

"Mm-hmm," Karras nodded, wondering what he'd just agreed to.

The chief warrant officer stepped to the holodeck's small LCARS control panel and keyed in his authorization code. "Computer, load Darius-Omicron-Six." A short series of audible whirs and chirps sounded followed by the computer's voice.

"Program loaded. Select difficulty."

"Level Seven." Lamar looked back at Karras then reconsidered. "Level Five."

More computer chirps followed. "Simulation ready. Holodeck safeties engaged."

Confusion and concern continued to rise in the counselor. "Safeties engaged' was a bit of comfort, but one that immediately was washed away by wondering why the program needed to announce that the safeties were indeed engaged. He looked towards Lamar, waiting to follow his lead.

Darius stepped forward and the door to the holodeck hissed open. Inside the simulation chamber was a large and expansive hangar complex not unlike a Starfleet shuttlebay. It was brightly lit and measured the approximate size of a full football field. Over twenty unique-looking support craft lined the bulkheads, spread across each lateral wall. They resembled Federation shuttlecraft due to their similar hull designs but were lacking any visible warp nacelles or impulse engines. At the aft end of the bay was a large open hangar door through which the cosmos could be seen. The view of space was pitch black and dotted by luminescent stars, as well as an obscured view of a nearby planet which the holographic starship seemed to orbit. The small world's surface displayed prominent signs of cratering and a thin atmosphere not unlike that of Mars before its terraforming.

The holodeck door hissed shut behind Karras and suddenly a fully body suit of atmospheric armor plating materialized on both of their bodies. The rapid addition of 60 lbs of extra weight bent Darius' knees for a brief moment before he expertly adjusted and stood up straight again. He shrugged his shoulders within his suit to optimize the weight dispersal while cradling his helmet in his arm. Strapped to both of their backs was a Type III-C phaser rifle along with a Type-2 sidearm embedded into the leg holsters.

"All hands, this is the captain," the overhead comm speaker loudly blared. "We are T minus two minutes until drop. Report to your drop ships and prepare for launch."

In the near-distant background, a sudden cacophony of footsteps started to become louder and louder until it was right on top of Darius and Karras. From behind them, an entire battalion of armored personnel sprinted past the two towards their designated drop ships, each one yelling with adrenaline and bumping past them to furiously get to their assigned seats.

"Go go go!" screamed several larger personnel in tandem who seemed to be directing their respective crew members.

"Jones, Iona, I said go!" yelled another.

The decibels within the shuttlebay made it hard to discern who was talking to who, and so Lamar reached out and grabbed Karras' shoulder plate to pull him close. "That's us!" he yelled, pointing to their drop ship. "We got to go. You ready for this?!"

For his part, the counselor was negotiating the sudden sensory overload. The flurry of movement, the heaviness of the holographic armor, the shouting, the huge SFMC emblem dominating both the wall of the shuttlebay and, well, just about everything else in view, ships and armor all bearing the green icon. Everything except the weaponry strapped to his body.

"This is NOT going to be a fighting thing, right?" He asked, a touch exasperated with the program having a strong military connotation but still willing to participate as long as he didn't have to shoot at anything.

A very large and robust armored Marine Corps man had approached Darius and Karras from behind and now stood over the two within breathing distance. "Who said anything about fighting?!" he projected, his voice throaty and boisterous. A quick look at his face revealed intense and semi-crazy eyes along with multiple battle scars on the left side of his jaw. "We ain't fightin', we're killing!"

"KILL!!" came the united war cry from all the other male and female Marine drop troops who were sprinting past them.

Both Lamar and Karras were suddenly lurched forward by the large man who'd grabbed a hold of each of them with his arms and pushed them towards their assigned shuttle. "Darius, you better get the f-ck in my dropship before I smoke your sorry ass!"

"Yes sar'maje!" Lamar yelled back to the man, feeling the adrenaline starting to release in his body. It'd been too long since he'd felt any enjoyment like this even if it was just a simulation. He held on to Karras' arm to guide him. "Com'on!" He started to sprint towards their assigned shuttle then quickly entered the rear hatch. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure his companion was still with him.

Karras was not amused.

The screaming, the swearing, the rampant testosterone? No thank you. As non-judgmental and open as he strived to be, if this was typical of how marines behaved, he was not at all surprised the SFMC had been disbanded. It was taking some effort not to summon the Arch and leave Lamar to his fantasy, but the truth was, his crewmate seemed to be having a lot of fun. Karras did not want to interrupt the flow and kill the vibe, especially since he had no idea the last time the other man had been able to cut loose. So, he kept pace and held out hope that the drop part itself would be fun.

"Darius, Karras, left side!" yelled the sergeant major who'd been following them from behind. "Strap in!"

Entering the drop shuttle, Lamar moved to the next vacant seat on the port side then forcefully himself plopped down in the cramped chamber. The chair resembled a simple metallic plate upon which to sit with several safety harnesses hovering overhead. Once he was settled, he looked back to his new friend to see how he was doing.

"Karras I said sit the f-ck down!" the sergeant major screamed at the Ba'ku man before looking backup at the rest of his troops. "30 seconds until drop!"

"30 SECONDS!" sounded the joint reply from the rest of the squad with enthusiasm.

The counselor could not help rolling his eyes as he slowly and deliberately took his seat. Just think of this as an observational opportunity, he told himself. All the better to understand and relate to a colleague and potential patient. Probable patient. Appointment pending.

The countdown to drop was now T minus ten seconds. The two-pronged overhead seat restraints swiveled down and descended. They pressed atop each of the Marines' shoulders, forcing themselves securely against each body to minimize movement during atmospheric turbulence. The surrounding troops in the drop module started to don their helmets.

Lamar tapped Karras on his arm and motioned for him to follow suit. He pulled a pair of mouth guards from his armor's pocket and slid one between his teeth while giving another to Karras. The chief warrant officer then raised his robust tactical helmet above his head, then carefully lowered it over his face until it created a solid atmospheric seal with his neck armor. He turned his head from side to side a couple times to make sure it properly secured then looked over to Karras to help him. "Over the top, secure it, then wiggle," he advised.

Accepting the mouth guard, Karras lifted his helmet and brought it down, but did not hear or feel a seal connect. He jiggled the helmet, turning his head from side to side, and felt a drop of panic that he wouldn't have it in place in time and that the simulation would freeze or falter. Determined he would not be defeated by headgear, he slowed his breathing, pulled down as hard as he could, and was rewarded with the soft hiss of air signifying connection. He then wiggled as instructed and gave Lamar a thumbs up.

Darius returned the hand signal then leaned back in his seat and pressed the rear of his head against the shuttle's bulkhead. Upright, stay tight. The support craft's aft loading ramp hissed and folded upwards until it locked into place. Suddenly there was a forceful jolt as the drop ship released free from its latches and started to maneuver away from its starship.

"Marines! Listen up!" called out the sergeant major who was standing between the two columns of seated troops. "We've got a problem. On that rock below us are a bunch of fortified Hirogen who want to push us out of this system. They want to take our planet from us and use it for a 'training ground'. They want to capture you and hunt your families for sport!" The man paced back and forth, staring at each Marine. "But this is our house!"

"OUR HOUSE!!" the Marines replied over helmet comms.

"Fleet can't do shit about it so they called us!"

"FLEET CAN'T DO SHIT!!"

"So we're going to take this planet and kill every last one of them!"

"KILL!!"

"Excellent!" The sergeant major walked to his designated seat at the front of the shuttle then sat down and strapped himself in just as the turbulence started.

For those who'd only served aboard Starfleet's ships of the line or traveled in a personnel shuttle, it was an uncomfortable sensation. Usually a robust system of inertial dampers and maneuvering thrusters worked in tandem to make space flight as comfortable as possible, but those were amenities not afforded to SFMC drop ships. Compounding the uncertainty was the lack of external stimuli - there were no windows or cues for the troops to see what was occurring outside of their confined chamber.

Rapid reverberating tremors were suddenly felt in the main cabin which increased in intensity. The drop ship started to pitch and sway across its lateral axes while it entered the planet's upper atmosphere. Lamar glanced over to Karras again. "Hope you don't get motion sickness. Don't puke in your helmet!" he warned. It was at that moment when the bottom dropped out of their stomachs.

The drop shuttle entered a state of controlled free fall and a sudden influx of negative Gs assaulted the Marines. Blood started to rush from their bodies and into their heads but was temporarily restrained by the constriction of their armor's internal G-suits. It felt like being on an ancient hydraulic roller coaster that was rattling off its tracks.

Karras didn't vomit but he did taste the icoberry juice he'd been drinking a few hours before.

All around them in the atmospheric shuttle, various Marines coped with the physical strains and impending combat stress in their own way. Several appeared jovial and excited through their helmets. Large grins and wide eyes of amazement at the rush coalesced across their facial features. Others expressed fear and doubt, emphasized by their anxious breathing and muttering vocalizations of worship and distress. Another one ripped off his helmet and vomited into his hand and across his lap.

"Remember your training...and you will make it back alive!!" the sergeant major yelled.

The counselor had no training to remember, but he seemed to be holding his own by mimicking the actions of those around him. He was thankful for the mouth guard because his jaw would not stop clenching, and he remained optimistic that the fun part would be starting any second. This portion of the program was exhilarating, though, and it was possible he might have enjoyed it a little if he wasn't preoccupied with all of the Hirogen foolishness that was apparently awaiting them on arrival. He tried to turn and see Lamar but the physics of the activity said no, so he kept his eyes on the marine across from him. The one covered in his own sick.

Redout symptoms started to creep at the corners of Lamar's eyes. He estimated they'd been in a controlled free fall for close to a minute which was pushing the limits of the Human body. He could feel blood pooling from his major organs into his brain, as evidenced by red blurs manifesting along his peripheral vision. Suddenly the drop shuttle activated its landing thrusters. The deck plating rattled even more as negative Gs turned into positive Gs within a matter of heartbeats. The same blood which had pooled into their heads was sucked back into their bodies.

Lamar contracted his diaphragm and sucked in air with short bursts to counter the onset of blackout. "...Breathe...from your core!" he said through his helmet comm. The G forces started to spike as their helmet counter passed eight, ten, then twelve times the gravity of Earth. They were close to GLOC but it would only be a few more seconds before the shuttle touched down.

Karras did his best to follow the instructions, but it was difficult. Although had mastered many breathing techniques in his study of meditation practices, his lungs weren't cooperating with his intentions. It seemed he could only manage short, shallow breaths, and he noticed his vision start to dim. He suddenly had the presence of mind to try to squeeze his hands into fists. He wasn't successful, but the effort focused his mind and allowed him to finally get his breathing under control... at least for the moment. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

There was sudden relief in the descent when the landing thrusters started to throttle back. The weight of ten men evaporated from their chests and was proceeded by a sharp jolt within the drop ship when it finally touched down on the planet's surface. The internal cabin's lighting changed from red to green, accompanied by a mechanical hiss as the forward and rear loading ramps deployed. The seat restraints retracted upwards from their shoulders allowing a brief moment for the soldiers to compose themselves.

"Move, move, move!" the sergeant major commanded at the top of his voice. "First squad, out the front! Second squad, out the back! Form up on me!" He quickly unslung his rifle from his atmospheric suit then sprinted out through the ramp from beneath the shuttle's cockpit.

The Marines on either side of Darius and Karras swiftly rose from their seats and followed their NCO's lead. Their boots thudded across the metallic deck plating as they filed out from the shuttle with hustle. Lamar looked over to his companion as he stood and un-holstered his rifle from his back. "Ready, Karras?"

"I am ready?" the counselor heard himself mumble, though he was in truth a bit disoriented. He awkwardly managed to find his feet and fell in behind Lamar.

Outside of the shuttle, it looked like a war zone. Multiple white flares blasted up into the low atmosphere from the landed drop ships in order to illuminate the barren and rocky terrain surrounding them. The hour was late and they'd touched down in the darkness of the planet's night cycle. Columns of Marines sprinted in unison from their landing platforms out towards the front line. Their battle cries were mostly silent except in their helmet comms, but they moved with a singular purpose: to confront and destroy the enemy. In the far distance, bright orange flashes from phaser rifles glowed and were countered by azure pulse blasts from Hirogen warriors.

His head now clearer, Karras couldn't help but heave a frustrated sigh. Yes, the drop had been... well, it had been exhilarating, but it was clear the program was moving into the very combat he had repeatedly declined. Removing his helmet, he focused his eyes on the ground.

"Computer, switch participant Karras to observer status."

The computer's voice acknowledged the command. "Observer status engaged."

The counselor turned to Lamar and gestured towards the battlefield surrounding them. "Go on, knock yourself out."

Darius was about to sprint out of the drop ship behind the other Marines when he heard the computer's voice followed by the counselor's. He hesitated, first wondering why the man had disengaged himself from the simulation - it had all been going so well. He'd spent hours doing amateur programming to make the experience as authentic as he could remember from his time in the Corps. His shoulders sagged when he suddenly remembered Karras' stated aversion to combat. Maybe this part of the holodeck program was too much for him.

"Computer, end program," Lamar ordered, disguising his disappointment. The expansive battlefield in front of them and the drop shuttle's bulkheads shimmered then disappeared, replaced by familiar checkered gray and yellow wall patterns.

Karras hadn't wanted to interrupt Lamar's fantasy. He started to protest the total shutdown, but he reconsidered, realizing it could cheapen the gesture. His new shipmate had clearly gotten the picture that fighting wasn't fun for him.

"Thank you for sharing this with me," he smiled. "That drop was... well, intense is maybe too tame of word for it, but I did enjoy the experience." Not the swearing and chest-beating, but the sensations felt in that shuttle were one-of-a-kind.

The armored drop suits each of them were wearing had quickly vanished as well, returning Darius back to his traditional red Starfleet uniform minus the formal jacket. The brown skin on his face was slick with sweat, and large dark patches of perspiration soaked his clothes armpits, chest and back. "Yeah. Kinda hardcore, right?" he grinned, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Guess I got carried away there at the end. I'm impressed you didn't puke."

"Me too," Karras agreed, heading for the exit. "It was nice to meet you, Lamar. I'm sure we'll run into each other, and maybe we can try another program sometime." He paused before adding, "And if you ever need to talk, I'll be happy to listen." He hoped the invitation to visit him in a professional capacity hadn't come across as heavy-handed; he just knew that many officers weren't always comfortable seeking out a counselor if needed. Hopefully this little adventure would help Darius be comfortable with him in the future, should the need arise.

Lamar gave the officer a mock salute and watched him walk to the door. His brain started to work a bit in an attempt to decipher the man's last words. Need to talk? Talk about what? It's just a holodeck program... Or was it?

[OFF]

--

LTJG Karras
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

CWO3 Lamar Darius
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

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