Valkriss

"Initialising program Valkriss 17," the computer announces.

Lieutenant Toluth quickly marshals the other two into position, forming a triangle with their bodies, their phasers being held out at 120 degree angles to one another's.

Ensign Teyna is facing you directly, her arm outstretched as though meaning to shoot you. You see her take a deep intake of breath and close her eyes for half a second as a huge landscape comes into being around the team.

A harsh, cold wind scrapes past the faces of the group as a simulation of the polar crags of Xentol IV is created. The total absence of natural water on the planet prevents this land from being covered with ice, and only the proximity of Mount Doherty, a perpetually active volcano unceasingly pumping magma from the geologically chaotic south into the area, makes the temperature even barely tolerable. A tumult of dark, grey stony peaks and troughs mark the landscape, and the threat posed by the array of viciously sharp rocks is further compounded by the merciless 1.9G gravity.

Ilya Karennina, the Outdoor Survival teacher at the academy, enjoys using the threat of a field trip to Xentol IV to quieten boisterous first year classes.

The team finds a PADD on the ground before them. Teyna picks it up, before handing it to Toluth to examine. Serviceman Leonard strides backwards and forwards as Toluth reads, scanning the area for foes whilst drawing his arms across him for warmth.

"We're to head a mile in that direction," Toluth announces, pointing. "It's directly beneath a weak spot in the atmospheric ionisation that's preventing a beam out."

Teyna nods, "We get there and we can get off this rock. Simulated rock," she adds, as though to remind herself of the fact.

"Speaking of rocks, can we not heat some up with our phasers?" Leonard asks. "You know, for warmth."

"We should not draw attention to ourselves from possible hostiles with unneccesary energy discharges," Toluth responds. "The ship will be plenty warm for all of us. Keep that in mind as we travel"

Leonard just shrugs, "I guess. Let's go then."

Toluth points in the required direction again, before leading the way. Teyna follows closely behind him, her phaser held close to her chin, her eyes darting back and forth as they had been before. Leonard stays at the back, his arms folded squarely across his chest for warmth, his head craned over, seemingly unconcerned about danger.

After walking about half a mile, the progress made torturous by the heavy gravity and the bitter chill, Leonard suddenly snaps into an alert posture, looking left to right quickly. At the same time, Teyna whispers.

"Lieutenant!"

Toluth looks back, before staring at the tall rock face to his right. A single disruptor blast misses him by an inch, just as programmed. The three all leap into cover, Teyna's left arm clipping through a sharp rock, only the holodeck safeties preventing her from sustaining a nasty gash, seconds before another blast is fired, programmed to immediately take out one team member if they hadn't yet responded.

"F*cking Nausicaans!" screams Leonard, before firing at the holographic foes, who had leapt out from their hiding places, working their way into closer areas of cover, returning fire.

"Concentrate fire on the closest hostile!" Toluth orders. He and Teyna immediately take aim at the lead Nausicaan, who ducks behind a large rock to avoid the twin phaser shots.

Leonard appears to have vanished.

"L... Leonard's down!" Teyna calls out, uncertainly.

"Hold position and continue firing!" Toluth shouts, his voice betraying a sudden panic. The Nausicaans outnumbered them and they had made one kill already. What chance did the team have?

After few seconds of shots, followed by quick returns into cover, Leonard leaps silently at one of the Nausicaans from his right side, the gravity giving his assault a huge impact, firing once whilst in mid-air. The shot misses, but there is a crunch of bone as the Nausicaan is hit by the gold-shirted projectile and is brought to the floor. Leonard pushes himself up, too slowly, as a nearby Nausicaan pulls a knife from his boot and plunges it into the back of Leonard's neck. Although it doesn't actually make contact with his skin, Leonard realises he is beaten, plays the part, and falls limp on top of his prey. He is pushed aside by the groaning Nausicaan, who limps back into the fight.

A minute later, Toluth has taken out one of the hostiles, whilst Teyna, desperation giving her focus, has killed two. However, both of them then fall, hit by Nausicaan disruptor fire.

The program, recognising the end of the combat, freezes, the Nausicaans vanishing all at once.

"Simulation complete. Subjects were defeated by hostile projections."

Yarin

As you enter the sickbay, its novel design is immediately apparant. The room is a perfect circle, a much smaller circular room positioned at its centre. Biobeds are spaced evenly along the walls, a plethora of shelves of equipment between each one. The central room is partitioned only by chest high counters, with four equally spaced exits, unbarred by doors. A huge array of supplies lie across the countertops, as well as a large desktop computer. There are no screens on the walls, instead, smaller monitors are positioned around each bed so that multiple people can observe the data whilst standing around the bed's occupant. The overall effect is of simeltaneous symmetry and disorder, which is initially disorienting.

From where you stand, the entire room is easily visible. Four members of medical staff are present. Two stand to your right, a female Vulcan and a male Bolian, both apparantly testing a stack of medical tricorders on one another.

"Strange, this one appears to be malfunctioning," the Bolian says, his brow furrowed with apparant concentration.

"What is the error?" asks the Vulcan.

"Well, it's detecting a pair of warm beating hearts inside you, I'm sure there should be a shard of ice and a shard of flint in their places."

"Equipment evaluation is an innappropriate context for humour Doctor."

To your left, the other two staff, both female Humans, are positioned beside the bed of a patient, a male Denobulan.

"Like this?" asks one of them, standing at the patient's side, her pale face obviously young to your eyes, as she holds a laser scalpel over the man's chest.

"Yes, but carefully now, just a small incision," says the dark-haired one at the end of the bed, wearing a blue coat, her face concealed from you, facing the patient directly.

After two seconds of cutting, a huge expulsion of froth erupts from the patient's stomach. The man's eyes widen in shock, whilst the young nurse gasps, steps backwards and drops the scalpel. The dark-haired woman in the blue coat just nods.

"I thought as much. Give him 90ccs of setylprexin-B, and 45 more in an hour. That should let his enzymes break it down and digest it naturally."

"Di- digest?" utters the Denobulan weakly, as the two women walk away.

"Doctor Zar!" says the woman in the blue coat as she turns and sees you. Her dark brown hair colour is matched by her eyes and skin, and her imposing height is made more visible the closer she strolls towards you, her arm outstretched to yours in greeting. "Excellent to meet you at last, my name is Doctor Elmoss, Chief Medical Officer." Before you can respond, she grasps your hand firmly and shakes it vigorously. "I have to say I'm exciting by working on a ship with a joined Trill, I've always wanted to get to examine a symbiont myself. I do hope you'll be at all your physicals!"

Yudith

"And who'd believe my luck! Half an hour on the job and a beautiful woman walks into my bar. Pull up a seat here and I'll fix you up with one of my favourites, hoping it'll help make me into one of yours."

The barroom on this deck is suitably spacious, the metal floors, walls, ceiling and supports all coloured to look like wooden panelling. Plush, dark seats surround each of the tables, with sofas and coffee tables facing some of the windows, each of which face outwards towards the stars. Opposite the celestial view, one third of the wall is dedicated to food replicators, whilst the rest gives way to the bar itself, behind which stands the only present occupant of the room besides yourself, who grins broadly as you enter

He looks half-Human, half-Bajoran, wearing a unique cross-cultural outfit, including the earring (women love it), as well as a loud Hawaiian shirt from Earth (they love that too). He looks about sixteen, although you have no doubt that him being in this job would violate regulations if he really was that age. As he pulls four differently coloured, unmarked bottles up from underneath the bar and begins to mix them, you feel him noting that you appear too old for him, but that a little charm could still do wonders for getting customers to return.

"Sorry the place is a little quiet, but it'll heat up before too long." He finishes making the drink and pushes it towards you, continuing to smile. "This is one of my own, designed it specially for the first gal I ever loved. Named Creamy Phoenix; sweet, smooth and fiery. The drink that is." He chuckles at his own joke. "Say, what can I call you, or do I have to guess?"