Channel Surfing (Open to All)

[Kyan Mackenzie]

Read this first!

Setting and Rules ""

The setting is at an unspecified time after Frontier Day. Discovery and Challenger are both docked at Starbase 153 for unimportant reasons. This is a holodeck story which takes place in the station's new holodeck complex. Unfortunately"¦ there are some bugs that haven't been worked out.

The Rules!

One person will start. Every time a new player enters the story, the holodeck program changes. The new player chooses the program, and then places everyone already there into whatever situation they choose in the new program. If the player wants to keep the same program running, that's ok too. The new player can figure out that there are others there quickly or be oblivious to start. If the new player picks a new program, the people already there will suddenly find themselves in a completely different situation. Everything changes over to the new program. (Place, events, wardrobe"¦ everything.) The safeties are on, so injuries aren't really a concern. So be creative and have fun!

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Holodeck Complex, Starbase 153]

[Program: Monopoly: Ferenginar Edition.

Kyan laughed aloud as he looked across the life sized game board to where his friends stood. Max had just stepped onto the Risa square and was being pestered by a squat little Ferengi about paying the rent he owed. "œHave fun at me new pleasure resort!" Kyan called out.

The Ferengi looked cross. "œThat'll be one hundred strips of latinum!" he grinned devilishly. Max forked over the strips, which were transferred immediately into Kyan's account. A pair of huge holographic displays over the center of the board indicated the number of slips, strips, and bars that each of the boys had. After getting payment, the Ferengi disappeared. It was Kyan's turn. He stuck out his hand and two six sided dice materialized. He shook them up and tossed them toward the center of the board. When they left his hand, the dice grew in size until each was as large as a small boulder. When they stopped, several squares in front of him lit up. He began walking; past Destitution Avenue and Begger's Road, and past Golp's Transport service. He passed the Chance Square and finally stopped on Sluggo Cola Road.

When Kyan stopped, another Ferengi appeared. He wore a cheap suit. "œHave I got a deal for you!" he crooned. "œFor a mere two hundred and twenty strips of latinum, this property could be yours! If you purchase the neighboring properties, you can build businesses on then and earn even more profits!" He indicated Max with a thumb. "œHe already bought one of them. Get in now and you can undercut him!"

Kyan thought for a minute before finally producing the latinum. "œIt's a deal!" he smiled. "œHey Max"¦ wanna"¦"

"œNo way!" the other boy cut him off. "œI'm not trading you so you can get the Sluggo Cola factory!"

Kyan shrugged. "œOh well." He thought. Hopefully he could get double ones on his next roll and buy up Nilva Alley. Max rolled the dice and once again they grew as they travelled. After they landed, the squares in front of Max lit up all the way to the Chance square. As soon as he stepped on it a huge chance card flew off the stack in the middle of the board. A Ferengi in a lavish suit appeared. "œGo directly to debtor's jail. Do not pass the Tower of Commerce. Do not collect two hundred Strips of latinum!"

After he finished, a pair of big Nausiccans appeared on either side of Max and picked the boy up by his arms. Kyan broke out in a fit of laughter as his friend was hauled across the board kicking his legs and protesting as they carried him to the corner square just three squares in front of him. The Nausiccans tossed him into a jail cell that rose up from the game board and slammed the door. They disappeared and a smarmy Ferengi took their place.

"œGoba"¦ F"¦ C"¦A.." he offered haughtily as an introduction. "œYou'll be here until you can bribe your way out of here, or roll doubles on your turn."

Kyan howled. Max Scowled from behind the bars. "œShuddup!" the other boy grinned. "œI hope you end up in here too!"

[Kinley Garrison]

[Holodeck- Program: Epic Fantasy Holonovel]

Kinley rarely had any time off, and if there was any holodecks open, she usually spent it  in the Choose-Your-Own Adventure Holonovel series. Knights, sorcery, kings, political intrigue"¦. The works.  She never seemed to really know anyone who would openly want to do it with her, but she held out hopes that she'd ever find a group who would want to join her,  beyond the  guys in the Science labs. She liked them, but as technically their boss, asking them to join her  genuinely felt awkward. So, it was just her, Steve, and the story to get lost in.

Either way, she wondered what would happen next to her character,  Lis,  a tricky elven thief and part-time magician. Steve was the loyal companion and tracker raptor. It was genuinely funny to see a velociraptor in a medieval fantasyland scenario. Still, Steve took it in stride and dutifully carried an unusually tiny bag full of potions, knives, and a crystalline skull she was playing keep-away from the wizard. (Long story with that. )

Entering into the holodeck, she wasn't expecting to walk into a"¦ giant board game? That was unusual.

[Jalen Kartos]

[Program: The Gardens of Emperor Guilan, El-Auria

Jalen and Lorian had decided that after the trauma of the Doomsday & Frontier Day events, they as a family needed some downtime and thus they checked Learn out of school for the afternoon once they saw that the Holodeck was free. They were now walking down the hall a perfect image of familial bliss. They stopped before the entrance of the Holodeck and Jalen knelt down and placed his hands on Leran's shoulders.

"œSo, what does my favourite Boy want to do in the Holodeck? Today is all about you for being such a brave, strong Boy during the recent scary events." The young Bajoran boy beamed at his father and made a big show of thinking about it for a few moments, while looking back and forth between his fathers.

"œI"¦ want to go to the Imperial Gardens of Emperor Guilan." Jalen nodded, he knew that program well it was one of the things in his personal effects when he had been dragged away from El-Auria, and he felt a pang of guilt. He of course was the one who had shown the obscure historical program to his son, but he had only done so in an attempt to give the boy a glimpse of the glories of El-Auria during it's golden age. But the boy had taken to it the way that some take to The Adventures of Flotter. In fact Jalen had been forced to utilize some of his considerable personal resources to get one of the best Holonovel designers to expand on what he'd had, which was purely environmental, and add characters and events from his Historical Database to the program to make it interactive and entertaining.

Emperor Guilan was the first and only Boy Emperor during the Golden Age of El-Aurian Enlightenment. Due to a disastrous war that had taken its toll on the ruling dynasty, and Guilan, the youngest son, was only 14 when he took over the throne. He was quite a popular figure, whom history painted as the greatest listener of a race of listeners, who had negotiated an end to the conflict by truly understanding his enemies, and in the end forgiving them. He was known for being a boy, and thus throwing lavish parties on the grounds of his Imperial Palace, but unlike other rulers, everyone was welcome no matter what class of person they were, and especially all the children of the area.

Jalen got up and inputted the information needed to start the program into the panel on the wall beside the doors and waited for computer to respond. After a moment it said;

"œProgram created, please enter when ready."

*****

Inside the holodeck the various people would see the game of monopoly morph into a lavish and well manicured tiered garden that was overlooked by a massive and alien looking palace that seemed to be made of pure crystal of some kind. Around the garden were strategically placed tables of food and drink, so no attendee would have to walk further then a few steps to indulge in them. Around the garden were various people all mingling about, and hundreds of children who were playing various games around the gardens, the adults didn't seem at all bothered by the children and made no attempt to hinder their prolific play. From games similar to tag, hide and seek, Cowboys & Indians, Red Rover, Captain My Captain, and all others one could imagine were being played on the various tiers. Spread out at strategic points were formally uniformed guardsmen who kept watch as well.

The two Onlies and the Human who were there saw their clothing be holographically replaced by appropriate style of clothing, reminiscent of something from Earth's Renaissance period. Lieutenant Commander Garrison was suddenly clad in a silk and taffeta ballgown with flowing skirts and a bodice, her hair done up in a high tiered updo with nests for various small creatures who were politely chittering away at each other, seemingly completely tame and trained for this kind of do.

The two Onlies on the other hand were transformed into something more appropriate for children. Lieutenant Commander Kyan was now dressed in a miniature version of the uniform worn by the various guards scattered about, his chest even bore some medals, and a miniature sword at his hip. The sword seemed heavier than it should be to be made of something akin to steel, but not so heavy as to be unwieldly for a boy of his size. Max on the other hand was now dressed in the style of a noble child of that era, with pantaloons and puffy shirt. After a moment the sound of the heavy doors opening could be heard and Jalen, Lorian, and Learn, entered the holodeck as they crossed the threshold their clothing holographically changed to suit the environment, Jalen was now dressed in an obviously expensive if serviceable khaki style suit, and had an obvious erudite air about him. Lorain was dressed all in grey, in what might pass as a cassock analogue of some kind, but obviously looked like a clergyman of some kind, though the exact faith was impossible to place by the Human and Only observers. Leran the boy of the group was suddenly dressed in the clothing befitting an upper middle-class boy, in a style that seemed a fusion of the colours, styles, and fabrics of his two parents. As so as he was inside Leran ran off and joined the mass of children. While Jalen and Lorian held hands and mingled out slowly amongst the various adults, seemingly content in their own world.