Trouble in the Arboretum - Part 2

Posted on Mon Feb 7th, 2022 @ 4:17pm by Captain Michelle Bartlett & Lieutenant Cor Cordale & Lieutenant Renee Salchin & Lieutenant Valeria Mordin & Lieutenant JG Stan More & Lieutenant JG Siobahn Fallon

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Arboretum

Trick is, for a Daughter of Ts'usu, a piece of home wasn't just where you relaxed or what you thought of, it's what you defended. Step after step, slow and calculated. This might as well be a war. A war between a rabbit and a squirrel. Valeira's ears lowered from their usual upright posture to lay low and long against the back of her head. She looked menacing, giving back to the snarling squirrel what it put out.

Lin looked at the squirrel... "Yeah, aren't these little guys supposed to be more uhhh... docile?" she asked, offering one of them an acorn.

“ Watch out!” He said rushing over to Lin.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Stan suddenly realised the safety was off. He managed to push Lin away just as the ‘ docile ‘ squirrel leapt towards where her face had just been. Waving its claws and showing some rather nasty teeth.

Lin jumped up immediately and got away from it. "What on earth? Are we able to shut it down? Something seems off with this."

Siobahn shrieked, jumping to her feet as a squirrel turned toward her. She had maybe two steps backward she could take before she'd end up in water, which was always a viable option. Squirrels couldn't swim could they? In the brief moment she procrastinated, the squirrel raced toward her at an alarming speed. Without thinking, Siobahn stumbled backward, miscalculating her steps and splashing into the water, landing flat on her bottom, almost shoulder deep in the drink, another shriek as she covered her head with her hands incase the squirrel decided to use her as a landing pad.

Stan saw what had happened but there was nothing he could do as three more of the creatures , had plopped down from the over head branches. Their small incisors glistened in the artificial light.

“ Computer end arboretum animal Holo program” Stan did not hold out much hope.

++” Unable to comply.”++ The computer voice said

“ Why?” Stan asked

++” Arboretums Holo program is not under main computer control.”++ came the reply.

“ That can’t be correct? Is it?” Stan asked

"Cut the power." Valeria offered, as she shifted to cover Siobahn. The squirrel that was threatening her was greeted by a large, broad paw and removed from the immediate area via a well placed sweeping kick across the floor. It felt real, it sailed real. But it wasn't real.

The hand reaching out to help Fallon out of the pond, however, was very real. "Assaulted by woodland creatures. This is a new one for me."

"How is the computer overriding a holo program?" Lin asked. "I... I don't even know where we're at. I'm a doctor, not a starship engineer. Wasn't even an engineer in any of my other hosts."

As if the creatures had understood what they said. The woodland creatures moved towards were the power cut off was housed.

“ Does anyone have a phaser on them?” Stan asked

Having been pulled out of the pond, Siobahn tried, pointlessly, to wring some of the water from her clothing. "I don't care about the phaser," she frowned as she dropped her skirt, leaving it cling wetly to her legs. "Give me a baseball bat and I'll take care of them. I'm not a violent person but I'll be damned if I am going to be held hostage by trash eating rodents any longer!" Every bit of her Irish temper was starting to come out as she stormed across to the tree, reaching up for a branch of decent thickness, tugging on it, trying to break it off.

“ Don’t do that your damage the tree.” Stan said

On the ground some branches had snapped off and lay on the ground. He picked one up and using some vines. Attached a rock to the branch. He then swung it at a squirrel which squeezed as he flew through the air. Stan then handed it to Siobahn.

“ Here take this.” Stan said as he handed it to her.

"I didn't think I'd be fighting squirrels when I woke up this morning." she added, swinging it at the rather troublesome rodent. Should we try and raise engineering to see what's going on?"

Stan nodded grimly.

“ To look at these wee beasties. You would not think they could hurt yer. But those incisors bite through nuts. Plus the claws are used to climbing. Plus if the holodeck program is faulty who knows what extras , it has given them.” Stan explained

"Lin to Engineering. We have a.... weird situation. Is there an issue with the power relay or the holoemitters? We're under siege in the arboretum by.... If I tell you you'll never believe it. Holographic squirrels that are a little protective of their stash."

"Mister Stan, if you could EEEEeee!" a very undignified sound from the Daughter of Ts'usu as one of the angry squirrels started to climb up her leg. A quick swat at the creature caused it to dodge, now scurrying up along the back of her leg. "Huuuuuurrry!!" she bristled, standing almost as straight as a reed before she turned to Siobahn, her sister in arms against this threat, "Get it!" she motioned in the general direction of the squirrel scaling up her orm.

Stan tried to help but he was having problems with an angry squirrel that had also attached itself to his leg. The creature simple refused to let go. No matter how many times he shook his leg. This could not be happening to them. Attacked by creatures who if they were not trying to injure them. Would normally look cute and run around doing silly things. If only he could reach the holodeck control panel. But the creatures had massed around it. They needed engineering to shut down the program. He tried to tap his comm. badge but another creature had crawled onto his chest and was putting its body over the badge. It snarled at him baring sharp teeth.

“ We need engineering to shut the power down. I can’t reach my comm. badge!” He said

"We need the power and holoemitters shut down in the arboretum." Lin said. "This is ridiculous!"

Stan knew something had to be done. So he dragged himself towards the access panels location. The squirrel attached to his leg. Dug it’s sharp claws into Stan’s leg. The other on his chest did the same to his chest. A raccoon like creature reared up its head at him. Stan kicked out trying to knock the thing away. But it just bit into his boot . Somehow Stan managed to get the thing off.The pain was beginning to really hurt him from the two squirrels attacked to his body . Without thinking he grabbed the Creature on his hand. Pulling the snarling thing away plus some skin from his hand.

“ Oh my.” He said as he staggered along. Trying in vain to get himself clear of tiny attackers.

Lin came back from where she stepped off to. "Engineering has a solution. They're rebooting and we're going to have to knock these guys unconscious. Anyone not up for a round of whack-a-mole? Run."

Stan remembered playing whack-a-mole at a family fair that used to visit Edinburgh when he was a boy.

“ Och. Count me in......count me in.” He said

"Guess it's time to get a stick to fend them off with. Or a bag of acorns. Not sure which." Lin replied. "Probably the stick though. Lin to engineering, proceed with reboot."

As if they sensed the end of their furry shenanigans was coming to an end. The squirrels began to act in a frenzy. Stan hit one squarely on the head. Crossing the little nipping machines eyes and making it squeak. Then they all vanished.

“ Is it over?” Stan asked

It suddenly dawned on Stan. That only half of the attacking squirrels and chipmunks had vanished. So either there was a fault and power was still getting to the Holo grid or these nasty little nip and scratchers. Were real!

Valeria struck a defensive pose, ears flat back, eyes glancing everywhere. "Too soon to say." she muttered, ready to thwap a squirrel that came her way.

Lin continued thwapping and bonking these things. At last, she seemed to get the one she wanted. She hit it repeatedly over the head. So much for that "First do no harm" bit. Once they vanished, she tapped the commbadge. "Engineering, this is Doctor Lin. I think we've got it. You can probably bring the program up whenever you're ready."

At that moment, a chipmunk appeared along with a cage. The squirrels behaved but the chipmunk was gradually becoming more aggressive.

"Engineering to Doctor Lin. Get someone to lure the chipmunk to the cage on the other side. I'll explain later."

"On it." Lin said. "Whoever's close to that chipmunk, we have to get it in that cage." she said, gesturing.

"Right!" Siobahn straightened up, a look of sheer determination on her face as she dusted off her uniform and started marching toward the chipmunk. "You listen to me you little acorn eating vermin..." every word she spoke dripped with anger. Once she was close enough she threw herself bodily forward, a shriek of triumph as her hands closed around the body of the chipmunk, the shriek turning to pain as the chipmunk rounded on her, digging piercingly sharp claws into her arm and clinging to her. "Open the damn cage!" She yelled, holding the chipmunk by the scruff as it clung to her arm.

Stan nodded and looked around. He had not seen the cage until now. Quickly he opened it. But something about this made him wonder. A chipmunk flew towards him he grabbed it by its head. Clamping his hand over the things face. Pulling out a tricorder he ran it over the struggling beastie.

“ What on my old great great great grand mothers old bones is going on! This wee beastie is real!!!” Stan said

"No idea!" Lin said. "As soon as we get that thing in the cage, I can let Engineering know."

[ Someone put the chipmunk in the cage please! ]

Stan grabbed the chipmunk and shoved the bundle of aggravated teeth and claws inside.

Renee walked in less than ten seconds later and everything that was holographic, except for the chipmunk in the cage, vanished. Her eyes alighted on the group and she clicked over in her inch and a half heels and gingerly took the cage out of the hands of who held it, slapping something on top of it, a portable holo-projector, then tapped her commbadge, “Brady, do a full shutdown on this holodeck and run a diagnostic, I’ve got our friend in hand.” She tapped it again to cut off whatever reply the Cadet would have had and smiled at the men and women around her brightly, “So sorry about that, and no, Stan, this thing isn’t real, I just… essentially manifested it so the program inside couldn’t just flit off into another sliver of code.” She lifted the cage up and looked into it, poking a finger through the bars and withdrawing it quickly as the ‘chipmunk’ inside attempted to sink the sharp fangs into her digit, “You and I are going to get to know each other very well.” She informed the critter.

Stan wanted to say more. After all this caged creature had attempted to naw through his fingers. But common sense and a desire to keep his Lieutenants pips. Kept him silent and just nodding.

"Well... That's almost nuts." Lin said, unable to resist the pun.