Fade to Black… NOT LIKE THAT!
Posted on February 26th, 2008 by T'Kirr and Ian Blackthorne

Ian Blackthorne and T’Kirr

A droplet of water made its way down a purple stalactite and fell into an utterly still pool of water, dimly lit by natural iridescent stones at its bottom. Once the ripples of water had faded, no sound or movement disturbed the place – until a pair of spelunkers could be heard approaching the cavern, their footfalls slowly grinding away more of the glowing rock into powder. They entered through a narrow tunnel and stood, as if in homage to the sanctity of the cavern, as they took in the scene.

“The highlight of Betazed’s Aladon Caverns, at least in my opinion.” Ian gestured with an arm to the expansive cavern filled with dim purple light and a faint haze.

T’Kirr’s wrist was secured by his other arm, content to be led through the shadowed depths of the cavern when both hands weren’t needed to assist in climbing less friendly pathways. She took in the high ceiling and its soft ambiance, its veins and spots of luminescence like glowing jewels, a bit of sharp rock twinkling every so often as they moved. Although she was characteristically straight-faced, she thought Ian could probably tell her reverence of the place. All was peaceful. “You made it out to be a much busier location.”

“Well,” Ian chuckled, “if we were actually on Betazed and not the holodeck, it would be full of tourists. But I like it better this way, with just us.”

T’Kirr glanced at him, letting a hint of amusement show through her eyes, and they moved further into the cavern. Gesturing off to his right at an alcove, Ian added, “If they were here, over there would be the uttaberry crepe stand, which I believe sells the best crepes anywhere.”

She perked a brow in response, eyeing the empty space as if she could imagine it there. T’Kirr gave him another meaningful look. “If it sells the best, then perhaps I need to try one.”

“Computer, add uttaberry crepe stand, without the vendor.” A small booth appeared, festooned in purple ribbons decorated with embroidery obviously designed to emulate the surrounding rock. A two burner stove, several pans, and containers full of various other ingredients made up the back wall. Two freshly made crepes sat on the counter. “Obviously not as good as the real thing, but it’ll have to do,” Ian said as he picked up the crepes and offered one to her.

T’Kirr received the crepe, still warm, and took a small nibble. She looked up at Ian with raised eyebrows. “It is good.” Treat folded in her hands, she began to wander around the space, noticing the rocky ground here was well clear of pebbles and debris. A cluster of stalagmites created a sort of nook under one of the natural ramps. Curious, she crouched down and ducked her head to look inside.

“I’m impressed.”

From the sound of it, Ian could tell she really was. “That alcove is famous. Many generations of couples have immortalized their names there.”

“I imagine it would have to be famous for the holodeck to imprint such detail.” Her eyes were searching the ground, and one hand left the crepe to pick up a sharp rock. Without hesitation, she picked it up and began scratching at the wall.

Putting his crepe back down on the counter, Ian walked up behind T’Kirr and watched over her shoulder. “To carve on the real wall, you have to get a permit,” he remarked, a mischievous tone to his voice.

“Then we needn’t bother,” she replied quietly, matching his tone as she concentrated on the wall. After a few minutes, T’Kirr put the stone down, the words “Ian & T’Kirr” enscribed on the wall’s surface. They were bigger than the rest.

A smile made its way across Ian’s face upon seeing the carving. He encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her close, quietly talking into her ear, “How is it that your writing is so neat, even with a rock?”

T’Kirr leaned back, unresisting. “You must ask?”

“Touche. Someday you’ll get the chance to carve on the real wall, but this can be permanent, for us.” He looked up and said, “Computer, save program.”

Instead of the familiar chirp of the computer’s acknowledgment, they were plunged into absolute darkness.

T’Kirr stiffened in his grip, her comment ironic. “I suppose… it didn’t save.”

“Computer, lights.” Silence. “Computer, arch.” More silence. “Blackthorne to Harper.” It was beta shift, so Harper would have the bridge, but the only answer was, of course, silence. Ian instinctively reached into his spelunking pack for his hand-torch, but it wasn’t there anymore, because it was holographic.

Pushing up from Ian’s embrace, T’Kirr reached for the non-existent rock above her head before she realized she didn’t need to. There was no more glowing rock, not even when she squinted, just blackness. “Would Betazoids, by chance, have echolocation?”

“Afraid not.” He found her hand fairly easily and clasped it in his own. “Let’s find the walls, then the arch.”

T’Kirr nodded uselessly, then responded, “Agreed.”

They walked, arms outstretched, until they bumped into the wall, then shuffled around it until the arch could be felt. None of the controls were operational. “It does seem to be a complete power failure, but how far it extends is a mystery. Let’s try to force the door.”

While Ian pulled one direction on the door, T’Kirr pulled the other way just below him. Even with their combined might, it wouldn’t budge. Sensing he’d given up, T’Kirr let go, feeling discouraged. “It’s too heavy… it’s not meant to be forced.”

“I imagine there should be a manual release, for just this situation, if we can find it.” He began to feel the door and the archway, for a compartment to open. Hearing the brush of his hands, T’Kirr began to poke around in the other corner of the arch.

The door abruptly opened, light streaming around a woman’s silhouette, standing with her hands on her hips. “Admiral, Commander,” came Kathryn Harper’s Risan-accented voice, “I trust you’re alright.” The lights came back on, revealing her smirk.

“Yes, of course,” T’Kirr assured Harper, squinting in the light. “What happened?”

“A holo-emitter blew out and managed to, in a feat of engineering, short out power to the entire holodeck. Power’s back on, but the emitter still needs to be replaced before this holodeck can be used again. Holodeck Two is open, though.”

Blackthorne nodded. “Thank you, Commander.” He and T’Kirr made their way past the Risan and toward the nearby turbolift.

“The program did save your last change, by the way,” Harper added as they were almost out of sight, the smirk on her face turning into a knowing grin. “You two have fun!”