[2006: JUL-AUG] Life as we know it

[Nerreht]

:: This was a tough one... The way he would react at that precise moment would have an influence over the course of things and he wouldn't be able to change it after it was done... Would he fire a phaser? Use some harsh language? Run away? This definitely wasn't easy... ::

:: But then again, with the push of a button, everything could be changed... No reason to panic, right? Even if the outcome was not the perfect one, all of that could be changed according to what the final result was supposed to be... But then again, where was the fun in that? The ability to change every single detail was too easy of a concept to really be amusing. The fun was in the repercussions of every action, every word... ::

:: This simulation was definitely good enough for one to ask himself such questions... What if one really had that control over his own life? Yeah, that's a nice concept... No more illness, no more problems, no more arguments... Everything would be perfect... But how so boring... All would be predictable and pointless since the outcome would always be what one desires... ::

:: So to hell with the perfect world, let's go with the fun thing... Knocking out the Chief Engineer to save his life would definitely bring some excitement around and probably for a while too. Not quite the usual Starfleet way, but in the long run, it would make things pretty interesting. ::

:: What next? Creatures that can take over people's minds when they sleep? Interesting concept, to say the least. Okay, so he was human so there was nothing he could do about it... However, he could easily be immune to them, after all it is a simulation... He could be the hero, save everybody's life... But what if he actually went paranoid, did not trust anybody around him and stayed awake until exhaustion where the creatures would gang up on him to make sure he stayed down? Yeah, that was good... He would have his fifteen seconds of glory, but someone would have to save him at some point so he wouldn't end up as being the ultimate perfect hero of the story... ::

:: The great thing about that technology is that it allowed him to do pretty much anything he wanted no matter what the outcome. No real consequences meant that anything goes, the gloves were off, total freedom... Perhaps not... After all, there were people around doing the same thing he was and he had to take their presence into consideration. One's freedom stops where the others' begins... ::

:: Maybe by joining someone else in their story could be interesting... Adding his own twist to see where things would go... Yeah, that would be nice... Let's see... The Chief Engineer still not happy about that punch on the nose... Hmmm... Not quite... The Chief Science Officer wants to play the mother of a child that is hers but that she never actually had... Takes a real twisted weirdo to come up with something like that as a simulation... And it was the perfect story to move into because he was not the one to lead it and he would have some difficulty predicting the outcome... ::

:: It was fun to see what could come up from another person's imagination... Such details, such creativity... Just what a superiority complex would need to settle down by seeing someone else having great ideas... And the best part of it was that he actually enjoyed the CSO's simulation... Once again, the fascinating capabilities of that technology... With it, one could be anything and everything... Super powers, live a fantasy, be somebody totally different than who he was for real... ::

:: Life as a Starfleet Officer definitely was great... Not only did technology allow people to do pretty much anything, it also allowed to visit so many different worlds and meet some incredible species! Well, okay, there were the bad guys too, the deaths, the pains, the political nonsense, the extreme religious beliefs, the heartless techno-freaks that only wanted to get some free upgrades... But that was what really made things interesting... If everything always went smooth and without any problems, once again, it would just be boring... ::

:: But even with all that technology at hand, life had to continue... Work to do, people to see, responsibilities... Bills to pay, family to take care of... Car problems... Neighbors that keep making huge amounts of noises... ::

:: The player in front of his computer screen shut everything down.... Real life always had a way to bring you back in it with a slap in the face... But it did not really matter because after all, when he wanted to get away from his life and become someone else, all he had to do is push a button, click a couple of times and let his imagination and fingers do the rest... ::

Edited July 12, 2006 by Nerreht