Fear Stomping
Posted on Wed May 27th, 2026 @ 6:41pm by Ensign Garath Of the House of Varal [Baas] & Ensign Josiah Lambert
1,908 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
What was Lost is Found
Location: Holo-deck
Timeline: Back Post - Prior to: Old Ways vs. The New
In his sessions with Niami, Ensign Josiah Lambert had been counseled to face his traumatic experience in order to conquer the fear that enveloped him. Face his fears? Lambert shuddered at having to do that. That thing which tore apart his friends and crewmates in security. It was daunting! After a couple of tries, with them being tiny, he shook his head. He needed Garath.
"Garath, Lambert here. I am in need of your advice and skill. I am in holodeck 3" Lambert sending out the message.
Staring at the little monsters who he had the computer freeze. They seemed to be moving back together and he didn't like that.
[Deck 11 - Mess Hall]
Garath was enjoying a hearty meal when his name sounded through the comm. Still chewing, he tapped his badge and replied. Lambert hadn't been the same since his away mission. He had been the only member of the entire security detail to make it back and he had wondered when he would seek him out. "Garath here. I'm on my way."
Closing the channel, he half stood as he took another healthy bite of his wamwI’ Ha’DIbaH washing it down with his tankard of blood wine. Capping the bottle he took it with him...just in case.
[Holodeck 3]
Upon entering the holodeck there was a damp feel to the air, musty and humid with the scent of decay. Wherever this place was it was underground with partially collapsed materials all around. The frozen simulation held a few small creatures that looked to be a mix of random flesh, fang, and claw. Lambert was staring at them.
He had seen the visuals of the recordings, and the other sensors so he knew what was on the holodeck was a fraction of size of what the Defile were, but he asked anyway. "Was that what you encountered?"
"Yes, well not exactly made to scale." Lambert grumbled. "I made them the smallest I could, to try to get over my fear of it. The things won't die, I tear them apart and they just seem to pull themselves together once more. It is obscene that they even exist. I can bring up the true size, its not pretty." Lambert, the tall muscular security officer shuddered at the thought. "Niami the counselor, she recommended me to face my fears."
Slapping Lambert on the shoulder. "On a first name basis with the counselor...well done." Bobbing his head approvingly.
"Its not like that, she just requested that I call her Niami, just to make things more comfortable for me. Make things more personable. Its how she explained things to me. Think nothing of it. Have you gone to speak to her? She is pretty." Lambert giving a bashful smile.
"I have not." Once again taking in the scene, "Not that I wouldn't object spending some time with her," he laughed. But did you really call me down here to discuss women?"
"Partially?" Lambert giving a friendly nudge with his elbow, then the smile disappeared.
"I want to know the best way to kill these things. I need to not be to afraid of them. I don't want to fall in a heap with fright taking hold. And being an embarrassment." he growled out.
Realizing what this was really about he turned, approaching the frozen hologram of the Defiled creature. He looked over the creature as he spoke, "Well I was on that orbital plat when you were battling these creatures so I can only go by Aseek's report, the recovered recordings, and the away team's report."
Looking back to Lambert, "Stun did nothing?"
"Stun did nothing not even the heaviest of stun, I went to use the kill setting." he shivered at that. "It was horrifying."
Garath nodded, given the information that had been made available even his houses former gin'tak would have set his bat'leth when facing these creatures. "What about these creatures is it that frightens you?"
"It withstood the kill setting but I don't think the phaser rifle was strong enough. then I was so shaky that I hit the ceiling instead...."
Lambert glared at the images of the defiled, "I don't think that the Federation phaser rifles are strong enough unless they need to be recalibrated."
Garath really didn't hear the last as he was envisioning the scenario Lambert had laid out. He had been the one to cause the collapse that had stopped the Defiled but had also crushed members of his team. Turning to Lambert, "According to the report I read Gonzalez and Hudson had been infected. Do not blame yourself for their death, they were already gone. Though not intended, if anything you gave them a cleaner death then letting them be transformed into one of these." Gesturing to the frozen hologram.
"Nothing like this has never been encountered before, no one knew how to react." He shrugged, "Had I been on the surface; I would probably be dead now. ...And most likely from my own stupidity."
Josiah flinched as he thought of Garath suffering the fate of the others.
"I am glad you weren't there. Now though, need to figure out how to kill these monsters. Let me summon up the true height of the creature." callilng out, "Computer lifesize hologram of the defiled that had been encountered, make certain it isn't active as of yet."
The small defiled images, were pulled together, Ensign Josiah Lambert watched with a horrified fascination at seeing this. When it towered over him and Garath, to his own surprise Lambert didn't crumple to the floor, shivering in terror.
Instead there arose within him an anger, make that a vengeful wrath.
"We need to figure out how to take this thing down. Find its weak spots, there has to be some." Lambert growled out.
He looked at Garath, "Did you bring a sling?" Lambert joked, as now he felt that they were like David facing a Goliath.
Looking from the 2 meter plus monstrosities the computer created he huffed. "I don't think a stone would do any good here, nor any blade. And that mega creature...the shuttle's phasers did nothing yes?"
Josiah brought up the report he had read earlier, "The shuttle phasers only made it more angry. There has to be an achillies heel to bring it down. Too bad that we can't come up with some solution that can make the cells of that thing disappate, make it to where it can't pull others into it. " he looked back at Garath. "I don't know if a disruptor had been used on it."
Garath looked to lambert with surprise, but then the setting was so rarely used it was probably not even considered. "Computer, standard phaser rifle."
The weapon materialized and Garath picked it up and set it to maximum. "Run program."
The two 2 meter Defiled roared to life and attacked. Garath raised his weapon and fired. The first was vaporized and as it flashed out of exitance he looked at the creature closing on Lambert, shouting. "Catch!"
Lambert caught the rifle, this time it was on its highest setting, he backed away quickly firing at the beast that was bearing down upon him.
To his surprise and satisfaction, it atomized. The roar of the beast ended, the silence of the holodeck a stark contrast to the noise that was there before.
Turning, Lambert looked at Garath,"That worked! Now though I want to go through the data of what happened. I thought I had set the setting to kill... then.. maybe the shock that I felt, I hit the roof instead, causing the cave in." he mused.
He hit the darned thing, he killed the beast! Even more realization hitting Lambert. He raised up the rifle giving out a raor of triumph.
"It feels good!" Lambert having a huge smile. "this calls for drinks!"
Garath laughed, "Not so fast. There is no honor in killing a hologram, though the satisfaction can be similar. You may have had it set to kill, but to vaporized...that's an addition few increases in the settings." Stepping over to Lambert he took the weapon holding it up as he looked about.
"This is also a simulation. We won't know if this will work on the real the thing or if the recharge rate will allow one to stand against many." Putting his hand on Lambert's shoulder. "Let's look through that data, cover all the options and let Rogers and the Captain know what we've found. That way after we face them again we can toast our victory and avenge those we lost."
"Good point, and my fear is now turning into vengeance, a better tool than to be quivering in a corner with fear and shock." Lambert answered, with a steely glint in his eyes. A grim set to his jaw.
"Computer, bring out data of Lambert for the Defiled. Code word cringe." he looked at Garath when he said the code. "Well that was the best thing I could think of." giving a shrug.
All around them images, set in what appeared to be bubbles where, Lambert went up to one to bring it into view. It was where he had panicked and shot the ceiling after he got startled by the Defilied. He focused on his own hands then zeroed in on the settings itself. He growled out, "I didn't have it in kill position. I was afraid of hitting one of our own, then when I switched it, it hit the ceiling instead."
Garath followed him, looking past the phaser rifle, past the archway at the approaching creatures seeming birthed from a massive creature spanning the area that had been before them. "THAT* is what you had faced?"
Josiah looked beyond the rifle, towards the creature. "Yes, it is THAT!" he turned to look at Garath. He gulped, steeling himself. The image still causing him to shudder but he didn't crumple to the floor.
"That thing killed our brethren. And I was labeled a coward because I went into shock, after seeing them ripped apart." Lambert said with a lot of heat in his voice. "It still bugs me seeing it but I want to find out how to kill it, to destroy it."
Garath shock his head. "A coward... I think not. Was your reaction from fear. You have admitted to that..." He paused gripping Lamberts shoulder firmly. "...but you stood your ground. Everyone feels fear, especially facing such an unknown, but remember...without fear, there can be no courage."
Josiah clasp one hand on Garath's hand on his shoulder. "You are right. Now though, we have a fearsome foe that needs to be destroyed. Ready to figure that out?" A half smile at whom he considered a brother.
Garath looked raised an eyebrow at his bravado, "I believe the expression is...'Pretty corny dude'.
Lambert gave out a laugh, at Garath's response. "Okay lets test out the theory of using the rifles on full power. And this perhaps will help me out in being more, accurate in my shooting skills. As that thing is bigger than a barn door."
With a chuckle of his own Garath checked the setting on his own holographic weapon and readied himself for battle and the Defiled they were about to face. "Computer, reset simulation."
Ensign Garath of the House of Varal
Security Officer
Ensign Josiah Lambert
Security Officer
* - https://valkyrie.harperhold.com/images/conglomerate-sm.png
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