FltCapt. Sidney Riley

August 3, 2010

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Top Sims 2010! The contest began on Monday, January 4, 2010. We will be using the original rules for submission. For more information, including the rules, please see the Top Sims Contest Website. If you have any questions feel free to ask on the Top Sims Discussion thread for Round 6.

Also please note the following:

Important Dates:

- Round 16 Submission period opens: Tues 08-03

- Round 16 Submission period closes: Sun 08-15

***Rounds 13, 14, and 15 had no submissions***

Procedure:

1. Submit sims (from your ship, or another ship -- all sims welcome, member or staff)

2. Rate sims you see in this forum

3. Vote on sims submitted in the last round

Notes:

- Please find a balance between "too much" and "too little" on the submission end of this contest. Don't submit every post from your crew. But please encourage everyone to submit at least one post to the contest whenever they can.

- REMEMBER: This is NOT a popularity contest. We welcome submissions of your crewmate's sims, but ALL sims should be rated based on their MERIT, and NOT the fact that someone is your crewmate. Any crews found "stuffing the ballots" or ratings, will be disqualified PERMANENTLY - yes, that means the whole crew.

- Want your crewmates to win more? Nominate only the best sims, and encourage higher quality sims!

August 3, 2010

Congratulations Lieutenant Commander Della Vetri and Lieutenant Commander T'Leah! Their sim, "Union", has won Round 10 of the Tops Sims Contest. Their sim will now be entered into the final round of the year for a chance at the title of Top Sim, 2010.

Congratulations Vetri and T'Leah!

August 3, 2010

Congratulations Lieutenant JG Keval Trollin! His sim, "The Bleeding Beast", has won Round 7 of the Tops Sims Contest. His sim will now be entered into the final round of the year for a chance at the title of Top Sim, 2010.

Congratulations Trollin!

August 2, 2010

It's great to see you on the Forums Tanjar-Ongra!

You should be contacted by your new CO soon.

August 1, 2010

DATES: The class began on July 26, 2010, and ended on August 01, 2010.

LIST: sb118-academy3

COMMANDING OFFICER: Captain Sidney Riley

FIRST OFFICER: Lt. Commander Lance Firestarter

CLASS MEMBERS:

- Tanjar-Ongra

- Arielle Teagan

Congratulations! And Welcome to the Fleet!

June 6, 2010

No sims were disqualified due to low rating. Due to the fact that there were less than 10 submitted sims, they are all eligible to compete in this round of voting. This round of voting only qualifies one sim to be part of the final round of voting for the title of "Top Sim, 2010."

REMEMBER: This is NOT a popularity contest. Vote based on MERIT, not the fact that someone is your crewmate. Any crews found "stuffing the ballots" or ratings, will be disqualified PERMANENTLY - yes, that means the whole crew.

Which of the following is the best written sim, deserving of a chance to compete for this year's "Top Sim"?

June 6, 2010

No sims were disqualified due to low rating. Due to the fact that there were less than 10 submitted sims, they are all eligible to compete in this round of voting. This round of voting only qualifies one sim to be part of the final round of voting for the title of "Top Sim, 2010."

REMEMBER: This is NOT a popularity contest. Vote based on MERIT, not the fact that someone is your crewmate. Any crews found "stuffing the ballots" or ratings, will be disqualified PERMANENTLY - yes, that means the whole crew.

Which of the following is the best written sim, deserving of a chance to compete for this year's "Top Sim"?

June 6, 2010

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Top Sims 2010! The contest began on Monday, January 4, 2010. We will be using the original rules for submission. For more information, including the rules, please see the Top Sims Contest Website. If you have any questions feel free to ask on the Top Sims Discussion thread for Round 6.

Also please note the following:

Important Dates:

- Round 12 Submission period opens: Mon 06-07

- Round 12 Submission period closes: Sun 06-20

- Rounds 7 and 10 Voting period opens: Mon 06-07

- Rounds 7 and 10 Voting period closes: Sun 06-20

***Rounds 8, 9 and 11 had no submissions***

Procedure:

1. Submit sims (from your ship, or another ship -- all sims welcome, member or staff)

2. Rate sims you see in this forum

3. Vote on sims submitted in the last round

Notes:

- Please find a balance between "too much" and "too little" on the submission end of this contest. Don't submit every post from your crew. But please encourage everyone to submit at least one post to the contest whenever they can.

- REMEMBER: This is NOT a popularity contest. We welcome submissions of your crewmate's sims, but ALL sims should be rated based on their MERIT, and NOT the fact that someone is your crewmate. Any crews found "stuffing the ballots" or ratings, will be disqualified PERMANENTLY - yes, that means the whole crew.

- Want your crewmates to win more? Nominate only the best sims, and encourage higher quality sims!

June 6, 2010

This thread is for any general discussion or questions about the 2010 Tops Sims Contest, Round 12.

((Please remember, do not post praise or criticism for submitted sims in this thread. Instead, post those praise or criticisms in the submitted sim's own thread.))

June 6, 2010

Congratulations LtCmdrs. T'Lea and Zubowskivich! Their sim, "Walking Your Terran", has won Round 5 of the Tops Sims Contest. Their sim will now be entered into the final round of the year for a chance at the title of Top Sim, 2010.

Congratulations LtCmdrs. T'Leah and Zubowskivich!

May 20, 2010

This is an area for members of this training class to keep in touch with each other.

DATES: The class began on May 11 2010, and ended on May 20, 2010.

LIST: sb118-academy2

COMMANDING OFFICER: Captain Sidney Riley

FIRST OFFICER: Lt. Commander Daniel Wood

CLASS MEMBERS:

- Christopher Shan

- Tercenya Derryth

April 15, 2010

((Morgue, Main Medical Facility))

Avandar: Perhaps this played a role.

::Avandar pointed to the patches where the red fluid was most concentrated. Sasak scanned it with his tricorder.::

Sasak: The tricorder reads the liquid as some kind of fructose enriched water with multiple unidentifiable compounds. ::beat:: I will have more information once we are allowed to take samples.

::Ethan quickly ran Sasaks description of the liquid through his mind, letting the words filter through what little he remembered of his chemistry classes.::

McNair: Fructose enriched water? That's a fruit sugar in water, could it be juice?

Reed: That makes sense. There's something other than blood staining his clothes. A liquid. Perhaps a drink was the source, from the replicator or one of the nearby establishments that serve refreshments. Dr. Sasak, Ensign McNair, I need you to analyze and identify the liquid and the poison. You will need to discover their source and shut it down for further investigation. Make sure there are no similar incidences. Counsellor Avandar and I are going to speak with the Romulan ambassador. We'll notify you when it is acceptable to proceed with an autopsy.

Sasak: Indeed. ::pause:: Thank you.

McNair: You got it Commander.

::As Avandar and Reed left, Sasak turned toward McNair.::

Sasak: I suggest we start with this man's last known location before being transported to Sickbay 12.

::Ethan thought for a moment and reached for his PADD.::

McNair: The computer would have picked up his bio signature, I'm sure we could-

::Before he could finish or even start typing on his own PADD, Sasak spoke up.::

Sasak: The wait station on Deck 1043.

McNair: Well...uh...right. What Sasak said. Deck 1043, I guess.

Sasak: This way.

::Ethan smiled wanly at Commander Reed, fighting the urge to mentally berate himself for dropping the ball as he followed after Sasak as they headed back through the medical centre towards the transporter wait station.::

McNair: So, uh, this kind of thing happen often? Explosions, terrorists, dead ambassadors?

Sasak: RESPONSE

McNair: Ah. So...not a common occurrence. Glad to hear it. Hate to think I got assigned to a station with a habit of getting bombed.

Sasak: RESPONSE

::With that Ethan decided it would be prudent to keep his mouth shut. Instead he simply looked straight ahead until they arrived at the wait station, where the solitude of transporting was a welcome reprieve, at least for a few seconds.::

((Wait Station, Deck 1043))

Sasak: It is most likely that Surellis obtained the liquid from those ::Sasak pointed with his right index finger.:: public replicators.

::Ethan was barely aware of his surroundings and already Sasak was in full detective mode.::

oO I'm starting to feel like one of those detective sidekicks like Watson or Lewis Oo

McNair: Alright, so we know where he got his drink, what exactly do we do with that knowledge?

Sasak: Retrieve the replicator logs and the security footage for the time in question. ::beat:: Please.

::Ethan grinned slightly and switched over to his best Newcastle accent (admittedly not a very good one)::

McNair: Aye sir. I'll get right on it.

::Ethan pulled out his PADD and began interfacing with the replicators while at the same time accessing the local security net with his shiny new access code. Meanwhile behind him Sasaks commbadge beeped.::

Reed: =/\= Reed to Dr. Sasak. =/\=

Sasak: =/\= Sasak here. =/\=

Reed: =/\= Doctor, report. =/\=

Sasak: =/\= Ensign McNair and I are investigating the origins of the red fluid present in the body's mouth. =/\=

Reed: =/\= Very well. Continue. We have permission to proceed with analysis of the body. =/\=

Sasak: =/\= That is most agreeable. ::beat:: Were no restrictions… ::Sasak looked for the most diplomatic word.:: requested by the Romulan authorities? =/\=

Reed: =/\= RESPONSE =/\=

Sasak: =/\= Acknowledged. =/\=

Reed: =/\= Counsellor Avandar and I are proceeding to investigate the victim's quarters. Reed out. =/\=

::Ethans PADD beeped as the download completed and the young Ensign gratefully began scanning through the data instead of eavesdropping on Sasaks conversation. Almost immediately something caught his eye, or rather a lack of something.::

McNair: Sir, there's something strange going on...

Sasak: RESPONSE

McNair: Well, first off nobody was near him when he ordered the juice. Oh, yeah, it was juice, Uttaberry actually.

Sasak: RESPONSE

McNair: Anyway, nobody was near him so it didn't get spiked with anything, but there was a glitch in the security feed shortly before he arrived here. At that exact same time somebody accessed the replicators main memory file where the replication equations are stored.

Sasak: RESPONSE

McNair: Well, it wasn't like they just smashed their way in, they did a pretty good job hiding their tracks. I wouldn't have found it if that security glitch hadn't given me a time frame to focus on.

Sasak: RESPONSE

TAG!

Ensign Ethan McNair

Engineering Officer

Starbase 118

April 15, 2010

((Ethan's quarters, *USS Independence-A*))

::Matthew was finally asleep. Karynn was sitting on the couch, leaning on

the arm with her legs tucked up beside her. She smiled at Ethan from across

the room.::

Ehlanii: I wouldn't mind something to drink while you're up.

:: Finishing off his yawn with the back of his hand, Ethan shook his head

slightly to get rid of the residual aftershocks and [...]ed an eyebrow in her

general direction.::

Brice: Raspberry Mocha, by any chance?

Ehlanii: ::laughing:: It's getting a bit late for caffeine... I was thinking

of maybe something a bit stronger?

Brice: Ooh, does this mean I have to crack out the vintage or would a tall

glass of Romulan tickle you?

::Karynn laughed. Romulan ale did seem to be a bit stiff for her comfort.::

Ehlanii: Something weaker than Romulan ale. I don't think I want to pass

out.

:: The Engineer smiled.:: Brice: Tea? Coffee? Whiskey? Brandy? Beer?

Stout? Come on, Kii, I'll run out of ideas soon and resort to water.

::She scrunched her nose up.::

Ehlanii: Not beer. ::she shuddered:: I still don't like the stuff. I'll

let you pick between whiskey, brandy, and wine.

Brice: Ah wine, I forgot we had any of that.

:: Sue enough, stashed at the back of the small cabinet underneath the vinyl

player was a bottle of red. The label was in Italian, so he couldn't read

it or remember where exactly he'd procured it from. Still, two glasses in

hand, he sat down next to Karynn on the sofa and popped the cork out with a

satisfying "pop".::

::The Haliian took one glass from him, and held it while he poured. The

dark red liquid streamed into the cup. At about half a glass, Karynn nodded

and smiled.::

Ehlanii: That's enough, thanks.

:: He poured his own and set the slightly dusty bottle down on the table in

front of them. For a long moment, he contemplated the liquid, swilled it

around the glass a bit before putting the glass down alongside the bottle.

He slid his arm across the back of the sofa and sighed.::

Brice: Is it just me, or are these days getting longer?

::She sniffed her glass before raising it to her lips. It was a dry-ish

wine, but beyond that she really had no clue about what it was. She

snuggled into his body, leaning her head against her shoulder.::

Ehlanii: I'm sure our new CMO would tell you that each day is still

precisely 24 hours long... although I bet he'd break it down to the number

of seconds.

Brice: ::smiles:: Not micro-seconds? He's not good enough yet, then.

:: He brushed his own head against hers gently and sniffed her hair, rather

subconsciously at first, then his brain got a hint of the fragrance.::

Brice: I missed this on DS17.

::She snuggled in closer, gently rubbing his leg with her thumb.::

Ehlanii: And I definitely missed this. :: She paused.:: You know, we really

ought to start making plans for our wedding.

:: Ethan took a deep breath.:: Brice: Plans? Like what?

Ehlanii: ::laughing:: You sound so serious. We have where and when,

roughly, but it might be nice to work out *how*. What we each want included

in the ceremony and such.

:: The Engineer saw an opportunity to take.:: Brice: Well, the *how* sort of

comes with us saying vows, exchanging rings and that's pretty much it

really. We can go on honeymoon, if you like.

::Karynn laughed and snuggled in deeper.::

Ehlanii: Yes, but do we use Terran vows? Haliian vows? What from Earth do

we include, what from Halii do we include. Which of our friends are we

going to have in our wedding party? HOw are we going to incorporate

Matthew, if at all?

::She tipped her head up and smiled at him before gently kissing the edge of

his jaw::

Ehlanii: See? Lots of questions.

:: He blew a sigh in response and let a small smile play at the corner of

his lips.::

Brice: All aright, all right. I get the point. I think we might need a

padd and some creative magnitude for this discussion. Did you have

something particular in mind? Anything Haliian we "without doubt" need to

have?

::She nuzzled his shoulder, moving her head to rest against his chest.::

Ehlanii: We *always* use the *canar* during our vows on Halii. I'm told it

makes that moment that much more intimate. ::She paused, thinking for a

bit.:: I've always imagined using the traditional *Haliian* vows.

Brice: Doesn't that mean I'll have to learn more Haliian? At least enough

to get me through to the end. ::he looked down to her and kissed her cheek,

lowering his voice:: What's wrong with just saying I love you and I will do

for a helluva long time?

::She closed her eyes, smiling gently at the warmth of love that came with

his kiss. At the same time, she felt a twinge of sadness. Since she was a

girl, she had always loved Haliian weddings and especially the beauty of

Haliian marriage vows. She chewed the inside of her bottom lip gently.::

Ehlanii: I... ::she sighed.::

:: He caught the sigh and moved slightly to get a better view of her gentle

face, softening his voice for the reply.::

Brice: "I" what?

Ehlanii: I guess... its just something I always wanted. ::she paused:: I

suppose we both wouldn't need to say them in Haliian. ::smiling slightly::

Our guests really wouldn't understand if we did anyway. Maybe...

Brice: Maybe... ::he smiled:: Maybe we should say them in Haliian. Disable

the Universal Translator for the ceremony until afterwards.

Ehlanii: ::laughing:: I was thinking more like you could be *my* translator,

in a way. We say the same vows but I do it in Haliian, you do it in

Federation Standard?

:: Now that was a better idea. He nodded in response, leaning forward to

pick up the glass of red and finally trying it.::

Brice: I think that's a rather good idea.

::She took another sip of her wine, savoring the pleasant flavors and trying

to ignore the slightly odd aftertaste. She enjoyed wine from time to time,

but it did have that rather strange kick to it. Leaning back into his

shoulder, she gently brushed his hand with her own.::

Ehlanii: What about you? Any traditions you want to include?

:: He tongued his cheek for a second and let out a small, breathless

sigh.::

Brice: A handfasting would be agreeable with our family. It's simple,

traditional and interesting enough to be diverse for the ceremony. I think

you'd like it.

::Smiling she closed her eyes, just resting peacefully in his presence.::

Ehlanii: Sounds cool. Tell me more about it.

:: The fact that she used the word "cool" made him chuckle.::

Brice: Well, a handfasting is the tying of hands together to symbolise a

union of two people. We have the ceremony, our hands get tied together with

ceremonial rope or braiding and we exchange vows.

Ehlanii: ::grinning playfully:: Haliian or Terran vows?.

Brice: ::smiles:: By choice, both. How about incorporating them? Melding

them together somehow.

::She bit her lip. Doing both made sense... but working them together?::

Ehlanii: I like the idea of getting both in there. I'm not sure about

mixing the wording, but using both at some point in the ceremony would be

nice.

Brice: Sounds good. Gets both cultures across anyhow. ::he frowned

slightly:: So what's actually involved in a Haliian ceremony? Doesn't

involve getting naked does it? I'm still not a hundred percent on public

nakedness.

::Karynn's musical laughter filled the living room of Ethan's quarters.::

Ehlanii: Getting naked? No. There's actually traditional Haliian clothing,

but I just assumed that only I would be in the Haliian "wedding dress." The

ceremony itself is fairly simple. Mostly it centers on exchanging

traditional vows while holding the *canar* and then sharing a drink from a

ceremonial chalice, symbolizing prosperity, joy, and, of course, sharing our

new life together.

Brice: And that is pretty much a handfasting, only without the traditional

dress. Could have it done in my uniform or overalls. ::he grinned:: Now,

my Indy overalls still with grease stains. I like the sound of that.

Ehlanii: ::laughing:: How about your dress uniform?

:: His eyebrow [...]ed, the corner of his mouth rising with it.::

Brice: Not in the whites. Come on, I barely put up with them for the awards

and the rest. Getting married in them would be defeating a rather big

point. It's like marrying into the service as well as each other. I'd

rather have something completely separate so when we do look back in years

to come, we can think it was a day where we didn't have to worry about

Starfleet getting in the way.

:: As he rose to stand up, he kissed the top of her head and moved to

Matthew's doorway, looking into the slightly open gap at his sleeping son.::

Brice: Besides, I don't suit them. Overalls, that's a good contingency

plan.

::She laughed and set her glass on the table. Crossing to stand behind him

she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder

she looked into Matthew's room.::

Ehlanii: ::quietly:: Not overalls. But we can figure out something

suitable. ::She paused for a moment and then spoke quietly.:: It's still

hard to believe, you know?

:: He smiled to the dark room in front of them as a little snore echoed

around. He leaned his arm on the doorway and ran his hand along Karynn's

arm.::

Brice: What is?

Ehlanii: Us... getting married... the three of us being a family... even you

being in my life. All of it, I guess. ::She smiled, leaning her head on

his arm, closing her eyes.:: Sometimes it just feels almost too good to be

true.

:: He turned around and ran his hands along her waist, wrapping around her

waist, looking down into those eyes he couldn't escape.::

Brice: I like that. The three of us. ::he chewed his bottom lip:: You

could... adopt him after we're married, you know. Jack's going through the

process right now.

Ehlanii: ::nodding:: I'd like that... that is, if he can have four parents.

::smiling:: I don't really know the rules.

Brice: Biologically, it would still be me and Rebecca, obviously. ::he

sighed:: But, considering Jack and you will be in his life from a young age,

you can apply to the Federation to become his legal guardians in the event

of me and Rebecca... dying, as it were.

Ehlanii: ::nodding:: Then I definitely want to. ::She tightened her hug

just slightly and spoke quietly, more to herself than to Ethan.:: A family.

:: He breathed a smile.:: Brice: Our family, love. A unit of three.

::A playful smile crossed her features, a twinkle sparkled in her eye.::

Ehlanii: For now at least.

:: Eyebrow. He pulled back slightly and took one long look in her eyes.::

Brice: Excuse me?

::Her eyes twinkled in merriment and she laughed quietly.::

Ehlanii: I'm just saying that one day, sometime in the future, it might not

be just the three of us. Maybe you and I could... ::she shrugged:: ... not

yet but someday, perhaps.

:: The thought hadn't actually occurred to the Engineer. He was so

preoccupied with Matthew and trying to cope with him full-time that he

hadn't given having another one a second thought. Still, the idea wasn't

entirely unpleasant.::

Brice: In the future. In the far flung, right over there, way past the

sunrise future.

::She took a step back and ran her hand along his arm until she was tugging

on his hand. A smile played as her features as she nodded, taking another

step back toward the empty bedroom.::

Ehlanii: Far in the future... got it. Although past sunrise future might

mean I'm far past even being able to try...

:: A slight grin played around at the corner of the Engineer's mouth and

followed the tugging hand.::

Brice: Well, I didn't say anything about practising.

::A sparkle twinkled in her eye and she took a few more steps toward his

door, pulling him along gently.::

Ehlanii: I think that can be arranged.

The End

Lt. Cmdr. Ethan Brice

Engineering Research and Development

*USS Independence-A*

*

and

Lt. Cmdr. Karynn Ehlanii

First Officer

*USS Independence-A*

April 11, 2010

((USS Eosa, Main Engineering))

::Solor waited patiently while the team leader scanned his PADD for the pertinent data on the power systems for the antique ship. Despite being only 1/8 Vulcan, Solor still found himself driven by logic, even if he did allow his predominantly human emotions to run unchecked, much to the frustration of his great grandfather. However, this did lend him well to being patient, and so he was happy to wait for more instructions. He had never met Chalmers before, but he seemed to be a fairly likeable man, older than Solor and clearly a very competent officer.::

Chalmers: Ok. Set up the portable generators over here, here and here. ::He said as he pointed to 3 distince different spots around the room.::

Able: I got to tell you sir. I still think the guys that designed this ship were idiots. ::He managed to grunt out as he and another man lifted and man handled the powere generator into place.::

Chalmers: By our standards you would be right, but you have to remember that when this ship was built this was considered a brilliant advance in power design and distribution.:: He repled as he put the padd down and grabbed ahold of his side of the 3rd power generator and helped to move it into place.::

Bravo: Yeah. This way if they took a bad hit they would still have power for other systems.

::Now that the 6 men had all 3 power generators in place they quickly set to work to remove panels and connect the power transfer cables into the ships old relays.::

Solor: You know, this isn't so bad as an assignment, getting to see a piece of Earth's history up close and personal. What do you think, sir?

Chalmers: It's takeing longer that I hoped. Some of these power relays are heavily corroded.

oO All business, huh? Oo

Solor: If we were aboard the Challenger we could easily replicate new ones. I think there might be a way for us to patch the generators into the ship's systems. How far are we, sir?

Chalmers: Partial power to life support, internal systems in 5 minutes.

Solor: And then the next step?

Chalmers: After that bareing any significant problems we should have full power to all systems except the engines in another 10.

Solor: Isn't there any way we can power the Engines up faster?

Chalmers: The engines? No. We'll have to wait till we can check the ship from top to bottom and repaired any and all essential systems, power relays and other damage that may be considered important.

::Solor decided he liked Chalmers. Some higher-ranked officers were not keen on fresh-faced Ensigns asking too many questions, but the Lieutenant didn't seem to mind.::

Solor: So how long would it take to get her ship shape?

Chalmers: No idea but I would guess at least a week before we even get started.

Solor: A week? ::He whistled.:: Wait a minute, you're not doing one of those miracle worker things, are you? ::He smiled broadly, lighting up his face. His slightly pointed ears were the only thing that gave away his ties to the Vulcan people.::

Chalmers: Response

Solor: Y'know, where you overestimate so you can get it done faster? One of my family used to work with an Engineer that did it all the time.

Chalmers: Response

::Solor continued to work the whole time they were talking, attempting to repair one of the corroded relays.::

Solor: Well, sir, maybe that could be something to implement into your work ethic.

::He laughed, and Chalmers joined in. It was a good thing that Commander Netal wasn't watching or she'd have him hoisted for spreading dissension...::

TAG

NPC Ensign Solor,

Ops Officer,

USS Challenger

NCC-12886-A

as simmed by

Lieutenant Tallis Rhul

Chief of Operations

USS Challenger

NCC-12886-A

April 11, 2010

((Turbolift))

::Henk monitored the facial changes on both children. From his vantage

point perched on Marcus' shoulder it was difficult to get a full reading of

his face but even the side-on profile offered a wealth of information. The

subtle changes as he pronounced the word gramma were of interest. When he

described the rice and the vegetables Henk could detect signs of the

emotional state referred to commonly as nostalgia.::

::The Bajoran girl Dioron seemed confused at the notion of hot noodles.

Henk queried his cultural database and could not see a reason why. He

added it to his list of fringe cases, a set of unexpected emotional

responses to stimuli or vocalizations. It was like a long tail of

diminishing probabilities that never quite reached zero. Tell a Terran male

a story and there was a finite probability that he would punch the teller.

Of course that probability was lower than the probability that he might

smile. Indeed there were some Terran cultures whose members would be more

wont to thank the teller. For these cultures to be told a story was a

gift.::

((OOC: In case anybody's interested, have a look through Jill Jepson's

recent book "Writing as a Sacred Path." for where that little tidbit from

Henk comes from ))

((Holodeck))

::When they finally reached the holodeck Marcus requested the program he

affectionately called "Gramma." "Please turn it on."::

::When the computer requested a password Henk detected a slight change in

bloodflow beneath his feet, an emotional descent marked by further shifts in

Marcus' facial muscles and underlying frame, and then a rallying climb.::

::None of these things apparently registered with the Bajoran/human hybrid

who said simply,::

Dioron: What does that mean?

::accompanying the question with a more or less textbook suite of facial and

bodily movements.::

Henk: Um... You do know the password right?

::Henk knew already that the boy had the password. His body had yelled that

enough into Henk's sensors over the last few seconds.::

Marcus: No worries, I know the password. Computer.. Password is Poodles.

::Poodles? Henk's emotional simulation engine registered laughter. He kept

it suppressed as he reasoned that perhaps the reference to the miniature

hyperdomesticated Terran canine might somehow be sentimental.::

::The doors opened to reveal a landscape dotted with ornate structures. In

the horizon mountains jutted into the sky. The computer presented a

description of the scenery, Henk once again taking notes as it did so in a

Chinese accent. It was yet another fascinating thing to note the

connections sentient humanoids made between natural settings and poetic

language. The mountains, the computer noted, were dreamlike. Henk knew

that his analytical subroutines would be unable to grasp the connection

between thought processes during sleep and geological formations. He was

glad that Dr. Fengjian had programmed him to out-do the Vulcans in their

obsession with logic by giving him an emotional model as well.

Bridging the gap between reason and passion, his central bus connected the

two systems so they resided together not as single entity but rather as

something akin to a multi-province nation state, each land containing its

own distinct cultural heritage and dialect. His serial processor, usually

outside of his conscious awareness, maintained the physics engine and the

control suite that allowed him to keep his grip on Aaron's shoulder, while

inside the theater of consciousness played out the emotional state matrix,

queries to the serial processor, and linguistic processing directives.

The land was beautiful, winds at approximately seven kilometres per hour.

The five holy mountains ascended the skies, human observers being unable to

produce linguistic expressions of their emotional responses to them. The

Yangtze stretched out across the landscape, Marcus excitedly directing

everyone's attention to it. He pointed out other things as well, each

gesture cuing the computer to speak on the object indicated. Finally, he

pointed out the temple in which his grandmother lived.::

Dioron: This is beautiful. The plants and the trees and the river...

Marcus: Yeah, it reminds me of home...

::More subtle gestures: He missed his grandmother, he looked forward to

seeing her again, he liked it here.::

::Dioron was somewhat surprised to hear that Marcus' grandmother lived in a

temple. "Yep," Marcus responded, "that one over there. Up the path and

across the bridge."::

::Henk directed his eight eyes toward the temple itself. The railing along

the path on which they stood cast shadows containing bright circles that

invited them toward the building. A surge in the columns of his emotional

matrix and a call into his lexicon directed him to say,::

Henk: That is a beautiful temple!

Dioron: How does one get to live in a temple?

::Henk could tell Dioron was delighted with it as well. Marcus explained

the martial art his grandmother practiced and taught.::

::"This is amazing," Dioron said, Henk registering more facial expressions.

He found the increases and decreases in bloodflow to the nasal ridges an

interesting part of the Bajoran emotional expression system. It hearkened

back to the staggered folds in the designs of Bajoran priestly garments.

"And it's all real." It was real. The emotions, the scenery, the winds.

They were all real. And yet.::

Marcus: Well....it is sort of real.

::What was real? Henk was not one to philosophize but he knew that an

element of this entire experience was fake: The robot Henk. He himself was

an artificial implementation of a set of experiences and moods and states

which for millions of years had been a given in so many naturally evolved

species. Gramma was cooking. It punctured the reverie of the emotional

matrix, philosophy flowing still like a river somewhere else outside the

periphery of Henk's conscious awareness.::

Marcus: I bet she is cooking the cabbage too... I can not wait to get there.

::Henk detected the odor of the cooking plant wafting about him.::

Henk: Smells good!

::Dioron seemed unsure of what to do. Indeed, Henk could understand her

confusion. The building seemed to emphasize beauty over function. To be

sure, there was a door and a stairway toward it, yet Henk knew the eye was

meant to be drawn into the intricate lattice of designs on the panels and

walkways that girdled it.::

Marcus: Follow me up this path, and after we cross the bridge we will be on

the temple grounds.

Henk: I'll hold on.

::Dioron remarked that she had never met a "grandmom" before.::

Marcus: You will love her....you can call her gramma too, she responds to

that in here, no matter who says it.

::They headed toward the temple, Marcus telling them of more things.::

::As they entered the grounds Henk almost lost his grip on Marcus' shoulder

as the boy ran toward an elderly woman, a bounce in his frame conveying

levity. He caught glimpses of rows of boys who looked exactly like Marcus

practicing what appeared to be kata forms.::

Marcus: GRAMMA!

::Henk scanned the face of the elderly woman. Her eyes showed no fear, a

reaction to which Henk's sensors were growing steadily more accustomed. The

elderly face could at times pose problems for older models of emotion

registration systems, but Henk's had been programmed with algorithms and

filters that more accurately mimicked the human system of filters. He could

unconsciously drop data on the wrinkles and folds and tease out the woman's

emotional state just as easily as he could with the children.::

Henk: ::To Gramma:: Hey, how ya doin?

Gramma: Response?

Dioron: Response

Marcus: OVER HERE DIORON... :: feeling his shoulder:: you still there Henk?

::The boy's hand brushed over Henk's hairy abdomen and legs.::

Henk: Yep, I'm here.

Dioron: Response?

Gramma: Responses?

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