Hollow Drama
Posted on Thu Mar 27th, 2025 @ 2:07am by Lieutenant Mira Jayna & Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Edited on on Fri Mar 28th, 2025 @ 6:23pm
2,048 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Holodeck 2 - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD006 1100 hrs
Jayna didn't have much to do right now. Intel had no information on The Silence and the Marines were training—which didn't include her. It left her time to bone up on her own training. Or add to her current regiment. She was spending more time on the blade range, but it had been a while since she'd worked on her phaser training.
So, she decided to take some time during alpha shift and use one of The Cure's training holodeck programs.
Miranda had checked and double-checked the communication equipment for a space deployment and needed to do something to decompress. that either meant running, shooting, or taking apart a radio. Today, she opted for the range. While her job usually meant staying with the rear guard, it was always a possibility that she'd have to go planetside. And if she did, she'd need to be up on her phaser qualifications. So, she headed for the holo range to run a few shoot-don't shoot scenarios for a change of pace.
As soon as she saw Jayna, she snapped to attention. "Lieutenant Mira, ma'am, can I help you with anything?"
Jayna didn't think she'd ever get used to having people salute her. It still felt awkward. "As you were, sergeant. No, I don't need any help. I'm just heading to the shooting range."
"So am I." Miranda grinned. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Jayna hadn't really talked to Miranda since they got back to the Pioneer after visiting the underwater research facility. This would be an excellent opportunity to see how the sergeant was doing. "I'd love the company."
When they reached the holodeck, Miranda asked, "Did you have anything in mind? I was thinking of a shoot or don't shoot scenario myself."
That was not something she'd considered, but it had been a long while since Jayna had done one of those. Wasn't it something like Hogan's Alley? "That sounds good." She mentally began to review the rules.
Miranda looked over the list. "There's a hostage rescue scenario. It's level 1, so it should be easy enough. It might be fun. When Jayna nodded, she selected the program and waited for it to be ready.
When the door opened, there were two tables in the near end of the room with a variety of weapons on each. They each went to a different table. Miranda chose a standard phaser rifle. Jayna preferred a phaser as it was more familiar and easier to slip into a pocket if she needed both hands.
After they both checked their weapons, Miranda indicated that she would take the lead. "Computer, begin."
The holodeck became a generic, dingy street in a rundown area of a 21st century city with a dilapidated hotel in front of them. The street was empty of both people and traffic. Miranda ran to the front door, paused, then kicked it in, rolling to the side with her weapon at the ready. She quickly swept the room, looking for any sign of the bad guys.
One man stood at the front desk, hands raised. "Don't shoot. They're in the back. Half a dozen of 'em. I think they got a kid."
"Armed?"
The man shrugged. "I think so."
Miranda kept her weapon on the man as she scanned the room again. Then she nodded "Which way did they go?"
The man pointed down the hall to his left. She nodded and hurried down the hallway, pausing at every door to listen before moving on.
Ahead of her a door opened. As soon as she noticed the gun, she fired, taking him down in one shot. Then she paused at the doorway to look inside. One person was tied up on the bed, but the room seemed to be otherwise empty. She checked the bathroom and closet, but saw no one. "I'll be back," she promised, then went down to the next room, and the next.
Finally, at the end of the hall was a set of double doors. She paused to listen again. She heard multiple voices, and a child. Good. She hoped she'd reached was the final stop. This time, she stayed back and shot the door knob and lock.
The force of the shots pushed the door open. She dropped to the ground, weapon ready, and shot. She took out two before the third fired. Instinctively she dodged and fired, taking out the third gunman.
But the man at the desk said half a dozen. That was only four. The child was now on the floor, crying, so she ignored him and went for a door in the far wall. But before she got there, she was shot in the back.
Miranda was immediately sent back outside.
"Score: 4" the computer said. "Scenario reset. Enter now."
Jayna didn't say anything. She moved silently to the door and paused, listening. After a moment, she carefully opened the door a crack and peered in. She saw part of the entrance, but it told her nothing—except that the carpet was a faded red and threadbare. The paint was a yellowed white and peeling in places. So, she pushed the door open with her foot, phaser at the ready. Then she stepped in and checked the room. If this were a realistic situation, she'd go in through a window or a back door, but this was supposed to test her reaction time and how well she read a situation, so front door it was.
She first noticed the scent of decay and neglect. The place looked and smelled like it needed a good cleaning. One male stood at a wooden reception desk, hands raised. Humanoid, 5'10". Approximately 24. Threat level moderate. High if armed. She couldn't see behind the desk, so she didn't know if he had a weapon. She kept her phaser trained on him, just in case. There were two hallways, one to either side of a front desk. She stopped six feet from the desk.
"Don't shoot. They're in the ballroom. Half a dozen of 'em. I think they got a kid."
"Why do you think they have a child?" Jayna asked. "Did you see them?"
"Maybe. They came running in. I was so scared I didn't count. I just ducked. But I think I heard a kid cry."
"Did you hear which way they went?"
"Left. They went left."
"Do the two hallways meet in the back?" She knew many of them did, circling around the center section which often held an office, stairs, or an elevator.
"Yes. Rooms are on the outside. Hallway ends at the ballroom where meals are served."
She assumed they either went into one of the rooms to her right, or around to the ballroom. She looked at the man again. He looked nervous, but he wasn't meeting her eyes. "What were they wearing? Were they armed?"
"I don't know. I didn't look. I was hiding."
Again, he didn't meet her eyes. He was lying—badly—but she didn't know why or about what. This was a timed exercise, so she shouldn't keep asking questions. She switched the phaser to stun and shot him. If there was time later, she'd come back. She'd already lost faith in the program because reading the desk clerk was too easy.
She decided to go right anyway, expecting it to be a trap. Forty meters down, a bedroom door opened. Jayna dropped to the floor as a man looked out. 5'7", stocky, 60s. As soon as she saw his weapon, she shot him. He was either number one or number two, depending on if the guy at the desk was an innocent or not. She was more convinced now he was not.
She made sure no one else was hiding in the room, checked that the prisoner was alive and breathing, and headed back down the hallway. She didn't untie him because she didn't trust him to not shoot her. It seemed like that kind of program.
After another forty yards, the hallway turned left in front of two double doors. Twenty yards down, it turned back toward the front of the hotel. There were two more double doors along the back wall.
Before she checked the ballroom, she was curious to see what the opposite hallway held. Ten meters down, a door open to her left. She paused and took a quick glance. A woman stood in a doorway, looking both directions. mid 70s, 5'2". Unarmed. When she saw Jayna, she screamed and ducked back inside, slamming the door.
Disappointed that it wasn't more interesting, she silently slipped back to the first set of double doors. They knew she was coming, but she wasn't going to make it too easy for them.
She turned the knob and threw open one of the ballroom doors, moving back so she wouldn't be a target. A gun fired, hitting the door frame. Jayna dropped and rolled until she could see into the room as another shot went wide. One humanoid male, 6' tall, early 50s, armed. Would kill her if she held still. The second was a half Klingon female, 6'3", late 30s, also armed. Her attitude alone was a serious threat. The third, a Ferengi male, 4'8" mid 40s. Dangerous only if he was armed or at a Dabo table. The fourth occupant was a female Trill, 3'7". Maybe 7. The girl was waving a cloth doll with one hand while she covered her face with the other. She was crying loudly. At first glance, she was more a danger to Jayna's hearing.
A moment later, Jayna dropped the two humanoids, but the Ferengi pulled the girl in front of him. "Shoot me and the girl dies."
Jayna observed the Ferengi, looking for the best shot. His weapon was pointed at her, not the Trill. The girl's face was mostly visible now, although she kept from looking directly at the half Vulcan. She was still crying loudly, but now Jayna could see that there were no tears. And her feet were far too large. Something that looked like hair poked out from the top of her shoes. She was also holding a doll in one hand like she would hold a weapon.
Jayna shot them both. Then she was back outside the hotel with Miranda.
"Score: 6."
"I only saw four. Where were the other two?" Miranda asked.
"The desk clerk was lying. I assume he was one. And the little girl wasn't."
"Wasn't a little girl? How could you tell? I admit I don't usually do scenarios like this, but still, what told you she wasn't a victim?"
"There were no tears and her feet were bigger than mine. And I saw hair sticking out of the top of her shoes."
"Maybe she was a hobbit?"
"Hobbits don't wear shoes," Jayna countered.
Miranda knew Jayna was from Bajor, so didn't expect the answer. "Why am I not surprised you know that?"
Jayna just shrugged. "I also checked the other hall. A woman came out and screamed. I don't know if she was one of them or just something the program put in to make it more difficult. The scenario reminds me of a bad old earth police drama."
Now that it was pointed out to her, the program did look a lot like a bad detective show from the 20th century. "I don't think it's supposed to be realistic. I think it's just supposed to make you think."
Jayna shook her head. "It was too simplistic and too cliché. I can see why it was level one."
"Let's try something else this time. There's a program where you shoot colored bubbles. If your color hits the floor, you get a shock. Sound good?" This was more Miranda's style and it sounded like fun.
Jayna grinned. "Yes. I hope the bubbles come faster and there are more of them as you go."
"Of course you do." Miranda chuckled as she reset the program.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Communications Specialist HQ, The Cure
USS Pioneer
RSS Feed