A Game of Velocity

After a long day analyzing samples in the science lab, Lt. Jen Lee leaves her post, and heads for the holodeck, hoping for a nice relaxing evening. "Maybe someone's got a good program running that they wouldn't mind sharing. I need to find more things to do with myself than just sitting in my cabin reading, that's for sure!" she thinks to herself.

At the same time, Lt. Vectra is relieved at his tactical position on the bridge. "Ahhh, it's good to get off work!" As he enters the turbolift, and the doors close, he says, "Computer, Holodeck One." The turbolift moves in response to his order, letting him off on the proper deck. He steps up to the control panel for the holodeck, and starts debating which program to run. "Hmm ... Let's see ... What can I do now?" Pointing to a program he says, "I could do this program, or hmmm maybe that one." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his new friend Jen walking up to him.

"Hey Vec! Imagine meeting you here!"

Smiling, Vec replies, "Good afternoon, Jen."

"Are you going to be using the Holodeck?" She replies, giving him a warm smile.

"Nope, we are going to be using the holodeck!" He pushes a button and the doors open. He motions for her to go in first.

Bowing at the waist, she replies, "Why, thank you, kind sir!"

After following her into the holodeck, he calls out his program choice, "Computer, Velocity, round one." The computer beeps in reply to his request.

"Oh wow ... I don't play often!"

Throwing her a phaser set on low, he says, "Get ready! ... Computer, GO!" He jumps out of the way of the hurling disk, and shoots it. "Let's rock!"

The disk is set flying towards Jen. She hesitates, then finally takes a shot at the disk. It flies off at an odd angle, careening off the wall.

Yawning, Vec says, "This is boring. Computer, end program." Almost as an after thought, he hits the disk before it disappears.

"Was I that bad? Hey, at least I hit it that time!" She said, giving Vec a weak smile.

"No, I just forgot hot repetitive Velocity is when you almost never miss."

"Oh. That's very true. I hadn't thought of that. Well, I could have given you some comic relief anyway!"

"Computer, begin program Vectra Alpha Beta." A Borg cube appears. "Oops, wrong program. Creepy isn't it? Computer, Vectra Omega 7, please."

Shivering involuntarily, "Yes, it is."

A beach slowly comes into view. The sun is warm, and the water is cool. Jen looks around her and starts walking along the beach. "Oh, now, this is nice! Is it modeled off anyplace in particular?"

"It's what I call the plain of my mind. It's what I imagine when I think of the perfect place."

"Well, it's definitely very inviting, that's for sure!"

"Computer, two strawberry daiquiris, please." As the drinks materialize, he takes hold of them. "Would you like one?"

Relieving Vectra of one of the sweet drinks, she replies, "Why, yes, thank you!" And takes a sip of her drink while still looking around the beach area that has formed around her. She stretches her neck muscles, to the sound of audible pops coming from her vertebrae. "Mmm I'm relaxing already!"

"Computer, music ... Earth ... Caribbean ... 20th century." A band appears and begins playing some soothing music. He notices Jen walking near the water, and remembers a subroutine he forgot to disengage. "Watch out for the crabs in the sand!"

At that point, Jen steps on something hard, which then moves. "Ack! What's that?? Crabs? Why would you have crabs buried in the sand, Vec?"

"Computer, delete subroutine beta gamma." The crabs vanish. "Oh, I like to go crabbing now and then. Don't worry. They're gone now."

"Oh, OK. What do you do with them, once you've caught them?"

Smiling, he says, "I make the most delicious sauce ever over in the lodge kitchen."

"Oh really, now? You can cook? That's a long lost art!"

"I can cook quite well, actually."

"Hmmm now there's a prospect! I, for one, can't cook a thing. I don't know what I'd do without a replicator!"

After spreading out two blankets, he says, "Have a seat?"

She looks down at the blankets, then back up at Vec, with an eyebrow raised. "OK ..." Vec busies himself with a hidden control panel in the sand, and a cooler appears loaded with lots of food. "Ah, here we go! Dinner's served!"

She looks at the cooler. "Mind if I open it?

Settling down on his blanket, sipping his daiquiri, he says, "Dig in, that's what it's there for!"

"Thanks!" She opens the cooler, and peers inside. "Wow ... you think of everything! You've got sandwiches ... cold chicken ... cheese ... crackers ... " She puts down her drink, and starts hauling the food out.

"I try," Vec says while smiling and blushing just a bit. He grabs the tray near his left hand and holds it out to her. "Would you like some fried chicken? It's still hot."

She looks at the chicken and begins to salivate. "Oh, yes, thank you! It looks wonderful!"

Vec snags a large piece of white meat for himself and bites into it heartily. "Not bad at all, if I do say so myself!"

She takes a drumstick, and when she bites into it, juices dribble down her chin. Giggling and wiping her mouth, she says, "This is great! Is this your recipe?"

Vectra decides to have a good chuckle when he remembers what is on the bottom of the cooler. Chuckling inwardly, he says, "There is the best tasting hot wings down there."

"You know, you are going to make me gain thirty pounds just from chicken alone! You are a great cook." She drinks more of her daiquiri while taking the hot wings from the cooler. She bites into one, and starts chewing.

Vectra starts laughing uncontrollably.

"What are you laughing at?" Jen says, getting self-conscious.

"That isn't hot wings ... it's Gagh!" He falls over laughing hysterically.

She spits out the Gagh all over her uniform, "WHAT??"

"I know it's your favorite food. I couldn't help it. I'm sorry." He says, still giggling, and wiping the tears from his eyes.

Jen looks down at herself, seeing the half eaten, still wriggling Gagh on the front of her uniform, and feeling the grease from the fried chicken running down her chin. "Well, I guess it's OK ... just no holo-pictures of this moment, OK? I'm such a mess!"

He hands her a napkin and a drink to wash down the aftertaste of the Gagh. Grinning, he says, "The computer is logging this you know."

She scrubs furiously at her face and front, while looking at him horrified. "No! You're kidding, right??"

With a mischievous grin on his face, he says, "Well ... maybe ... "

She stops scrubbing herself. "Maybe??" She sets down her drink, and starts looking around for something to get revenge on Vec with, when she spots the ice cubes in the drink Vec handed to her.

"I'm joking. I wouldn't do something like that ... to someone as beautiful as you."

Blushing profusely, and still fishing an ice cube from her drink, she replies, "Oh. Well, Thank you." While looking at Vec from just under her eyelashes, she leans towards him, ice cube in hand, behind her back. Just when he's within range, she puts the ice cube down the back of his uniform and jumps away quickly.

Vectra leaps up, "Computer, delete ice NOW!" He rolls his shoulders to be sure there isn't any ice left, and sits back down with a smirk on his face.

She looks down at him, sitting there all smug and sure of himself. With her hands on her hips, and her tone of voice stating she isn't kidding, she says, "Truce? No more funny stuff?"

He smiles for a minute, then replies, "Fine, no more funny stuff." He hands her a can of peanuts. "These are great. Try some."

Looking at him warily, "Oh no you don't! That's the oldest trick in the galaxy!" She sits down, watching Vec's every move.

"Fine." He takes back the can, opens it, and starts to eat the nuts. "These are good!"

Giggling, "I still won't have any ... you've probably got the can rigged! So, how was your day?"

Vectra lays down in the sun, letting his mind drift, wondering what he is going to do about his troubles, and to things in his past. "Just great," he answers, not really knowing what was asked of him.

She leans back on her elbows, relaxing and enjoying the heat of the sun on her face. "Oh, no big bad aliens to shoot at today, huh?"

"Actually, I was producing holographic bad guys to test the crew."

"Oh? And how did they perform?"

"Some did well, others, well, let's just say, had the test been real, they wouldn't be here right now." He lets his mind wander again, and stretches completely out. His mind goes back to a point where he was still a part of the collective. "Yipes!" He snaps up like an ironing board.

Sitting up and looking sharply at Vec, "What happened?"

He looks at her. "Really bad memory. I wasn't expecting it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Sure," he gets out, though his heart is racing and he has started hyperventilating. "That is, if you don't mind."

"Are you OK? Do you need to see the Doctor? I'm always here to talk to you ... I told you that, Vec."

"Yes, no, I'll be fine."

"Just relax ... breathe slowly."

He takes slow deep breaths. "I'll be OK."

"You're sure now?"

"Yeah. No doctor required."

"OK!" Gives him a salute.

"Do you remember that program I activated before this one?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"That wasn't just a program ... that was a memory." He swallows hard.

"Oh? Well, you did tell me you were once Borg ..."

"But, I did not tell you my function."

"No, you're right ..."

"My job, my function ... was to become a member of a crew ... not Borg ... gain their trust, so they could be assimilated easier."

She reaches for his hand, but then remembers what happened last time, and pulls back. "You mean they didn't change your looks? You could integrate with a non-Borg crew and not cause problems?"

"No, my looks were not changed. And, I used my mind to trick people into trusting me." Seeing what she had wanted to do, he motions to his hand, and looks at her, "It's fine ... you can."

Reaching back towards him, she takes his hand in both of hers. "Wow ... "

"Ship after ship, planet after planet, person after person, I killed ... "

Forcing him to look in her eyes, she says, "It wasn't YOU who did that ... even though you remember it, you were BORG!"

"I know, but I can't shake the feeling."

"You didn't have control over it, Vec. Let me ask you this. Would you do the same thing now?"

With some mental manipulation, the implants around Vec's eye, and in his hand decloak. "No, no. Not to the crew I care about, that has taken me in despite this. Never."

"Well, then, even though you are still part Borg ... you AREN'T Borg. It's what's inside that counts."

Smiling a little, "Most people run in terror when I do that."

"Well, then, they just don't know you." She reaches up and touches the edge of the eye implant. "All of what happened in your past, makes you YOU, Vec. And that's a good thing."

He reaches over and hugs her. "It's so nice to have someone I can relate to, someone I can tell everything to. Some people just care about themselves. But, you seem so open to new ideas. And ... to Gagh."

Hugging him back, "Hey Vec ... that's what friends are for! I do try to be open, that's for sure. But, Gagh ... I draw the line there, Vec!" She laughs.

"It could be worse, I could be feeding you vinery. That is nasty."

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a type of Romulan stew. The looks turn you off, the smell is like something rotting, and the taste is the worst part."

"Ew! Why would anyone eat it, then?"

Shrugging, he says, "Romulans, go figure."

"True. Are you OK now?"

"Yes, thank ... Thank you."

"You're quite welcome!"

They both settle back down on their blankets, and Vec whispers something to himself in Klingon.

She turns to him without opening her eyes. "What was that?"

"I said, it is good to know someone cares."

She smiles, and peeks her eyes open, and pokes him in the side to make her point. "And don't you forget it, mister!"

Over the com system, "Ed to Uncle Vec"

"What is it Ed?"

"Joe is going crazy again ... he had those sugar candies."

Jen giggles softly.

"I'll be up in a couple of minutes. Vec OUT." Shaking his head, "Kids! It's always something!"

"Hmmm more to talk about at a later date, hmm Vec?"

"Definitely. I'm sorry I have to go."

"Well, I've definitely enjoyed myself! Thank you again, for dinner!" She stands up, brushing herself off.

He slowly gets up, and walks out wishing he didn't have to go.

"Uncle Vec! Hurry!"

He begins to run, and leaves Jen in the holodeck, shaking her head, and laughing softly to herself.

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