The cadets see their professor beam onto her dais in the newly built lecture hall just before she glances around at all the second year and a few enterprising first year academy cadets arrayed in the few hundred seats surrounding her. Her eyes taking in the few empty seats scattered here and there throughout the hall. More than she expected. The male cadets appreciating her Academy issue uniform showing her long legs and many female cadets glad she is not their age and competing for the same males whenever time allows.

---

Their professor has just gone from teaching advanced theory to a few dozen highly intelligent cadet-engineers only an hour previously before migrating now to this large assembly of moderately new academy cadets where basic appreciation of certain inventions will be discussed during the ensuing term. The former individuals are about to graduate from the academy to join the ranks of those now flying through space on their missions of daring-do. These in this hall are still in the throws of learning about the vast gardens of worlds and galaxies available to those who shall in four or five more years finally graduate and move out to make room for even more new minds anxious to follow in their footsteps.

The sphere of exploration which began within this system hundreds of centuries after those so many others which occurred in distant galaxies and upon other such innocuous worlds has now expanded beyond that of even those brother’s and sister’s efforts. This being the first race which managed to combine with those oh so many others and to produce such a large expanse of joined cultures all wishing to explore and learn. You might say this race is the amalgam which holds it all together. Therefore, the academy was built here on this home world for these strange bi-pedal beings who’s curiosity and innovation propelled them further from their homes than had any other and which allowed so many other races to now considered themselves allies, however unwilling, due to the mediating of this far younger race.

In a voice tinged only slightly with the accent of her own home country and planet due to the many years presence she has placed within this institute of learning and upon this planet within this small solar system and which has become her home of sorts she begins, “I expect you are all wondering why I summoned you here...” Eliciting the groaning response which she expected of the beginnings of an old, old joke.

“Today I am going to introduce you to ‘The ŹarakÅ‘v Effect’. Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with it although perhaps not by that name. Most who have learned of it have done so through the holo-game consoles which, while quite effective in their operation, barely touch upon the true capabilities of the original concept. Those of you who make it into space will find most of the large ships will have one or more holo-suites which are capable of creating extremely large expanses within their confines.

Some of you have already learned from your gaming or training experiences that groups of you may be involved in a single creation and that you may all go in your own selected direction away from the others watching them vanish completely out of sight behind objects around which you are exploring and permitting you the illusion of traveling up to several hundreds of kilometers each in a different direction such that you cannot yell to one another for your voices cannot reach the distance involved. Yet, while you are all at your own lonely place within the created world, the projection may be cut off and you will find yourselves within easy reach of each other still within the holo-suite.

As your training intensifies you will be made conversant with the ‘Richmond-Yeats modifications’ which have allowed for more freedom on the part of those projections and which, ultimately, was the reason those computer projections were granted sentient existence rights . A part of this training will be in learning ways to determine if what you are seeing is real or a projection. Keep in mind, however, the Richmond-Yeats modification removes the restraints which protect you from harm so when you encounter an RYM you must keep in mind it is just as capable as any other sentient life form... in it’s ability to take your life. Both of the individuals who discovered this modification were in fact killed by their creations... accidentally, but killed non-the-less. Now, if you have not fastened the seat belts you find on your lecture seats please do so before we begin. If your belt is non-functional, immediately say so. What you are about to experience could be extremely hazardous if your belt is not working properly.”

The professor allows thirty seconds for the cadets to find and secure their belts with only two indicating their belts do not appear to be working properly. Less than a minute is needed to allow those cadets to make their way to an empty seat with a working belt.

“If everyone is now secure, we will begin. Do not believe just because the floor is at your feet that you are safe. A fall or impact within the projection during the Richmond-Yeats interval could be just as fatal as one in reality. The computers would make it so. We had a serious injury just last month which washed out a cadet who thought he would be safe leaving his seat.”

She pauses once again as she sees a few cadets now begin to scramble to find their seat belts, after another thirty seconds she continues.

“This two hour introduction to ‘The ŹarakÅ‘v Effect’ will slowly work up from the essentials to some rather complex projections. At the time of these complex constructs remain in your seats and belted for there will be ‘things’ interacting with your own reality. I wish you all to confirm you may hear me through your com links. Do so by tapping the link. Computer, has everyone complied?”

“Cadet Hershell has not so responded, seat 196, Doctor Bentall.”

A slight murmur goes through the seated cadets as they realise who is teaching the class.

“Cadet Hershell. Why have you not responded? Answer verbally.”

“I tapped my com-link, Doctor.”

“Do so again now... Mr. Hershell, your link is defective. You must leave and have it replaced. If you are unable to hear and respond to my voice during this demonstration you could be put at risk. Computer, alert the maintenance techs that Mr. Hershell will be visiting them in seven minutes and then direct Mr. Hershell to their location. No detours, no delays, authorization Gamma Three Beta.”

“Gamma Three Beta, Doctor Bentall.”

“Cadet Hershell, move! You are holding up my class. You will be rescheduled into tomorrow afternoon’s lecture and your schedule adjusted to accommodate the change. Failure to attend tomorrow’s lecture could affect your standing in your class. Your academics are quite good thus far as I see here. You don’t want to take the chance of dropping low enough to hold you back a season.”

“Yes Doctor, I’m on my way.”

After the student departs, Doctor Bentall continues her lecture.

“Any other interruptions? No? Then let us begin. The ŹarakÅ‘v Effect was a brilliant piece of work. Realizing that the eye had a limited range of sensory capability, ŹarakÅ‘v originally considered ways in which the intersection of trans-light beams coupled with both ultra-sonics and radio modulations could cause the production of visible light and eventually sound at the junctures. After several years of experimentation he actually was able to produce an image which could be seen as something approaching a hazy form and which could be projected as moving through a region covered by the limited number of projectors he had available.”

The classroom has darkened and tens of thousands of small specks of light begin to sparkle throughout the room slowly coalescing into larger and larger indistinct forms following the thread of the lecture.

“It wasn’t until he was given additional support by the union of nations and, thus, the access to ten thousand emitters and four of the most powerful computers available that he was able to make his first real breakthrough. While his first attempt with the new equipment was rather simplistic it was, non-the-less, a discovery of monumental proportions.”

Small cubes of multi-colored material are now rotating before each of the students. Their outlines remain hazy but far more defined than the specks of light previously seen.

“The discovery was important and necessitated a great deal of further consideration before he continued his experiments. Nearly a year went by before he and his team implemented his latest revisions to the software and to the emitters... refining them into narrower projections allowing greater detail within those projections. These changes permitted him to achieve some remarkable increases in the definition and character of the projections.”

Again the cubes are rotating, but now solidly defined and in far greater numbers.

“The new software allowed far less computing power to produce much more definition, quantity, AND substance to the projections. Yes, substance. Your holo-games allow you to see the projections before you as though they are reality. Gently wave your hand through the cubes before you.”

She pauses to allow the cadets to do so before continuing.

“Now take your hands away from the cubes... Computer project solids.”

The cubes shimmer a moment before steadying once again. Something appears to have changed but it is difficult to decide exactly what has happened.

“Now, carefully touch the cubes. You may hold them, you may reverse their spin, you may do most anything to them that you would do to any other object found in reality.”

The cadets begin to play with the cubes, one stacking eight of them together into a more complex shape then allowing it to rotate upon the axis of one cube near the end thus creating an object which is sweeping around before him.

“Have you all felt the cubes, tap you links?.. Good. Move away from the cubes once again... This discovery brought about a number of interesting side effects which will be considered preparatory to the RYM 201 lecture series.

With the discovery that his little light show could also produce near solids of enough density to be touched and felt caused him to spend yet another year in pursuit of that avenue of material projection. What he was doing was essentially allowing a computer the ability to create solid objects of sufficient consistency to be considered ‘real’. This was the earliest precursor to our modern holo-decks and matter replicators which, following the introduction of the Richmond-Yeats modifications, allows us to now derive our nourishment and building materials on a permanent basis from the devices. As you all know this has had a far reaching impact upon our lives.”

During this portion of the lecture the images become solids and take on forms well known to the cadets who have just begun to knowingly experience holo-teaching suites but who are still unaware of the far-reaching capacities they hold. As the lecture continues, each person seated in the lecture hall gradually sees fewer and fewer of the other cadets with more and more of the region surrounding them taken by the projections. Finally none of the cadets may see another and the image is of space without a ship around any of them. Each is in their own isolated bubble looking out at the vast expanse before them.

“As we created materials through gigantic consoles and assembled those materials through the use of robotic technicians, we made large ships which, through the use of anti-matter containment, allow us to generate the energy to power these ships and the addition of another important discovery - trans-warp drive. Now we began to explore. Virtual gravity also became very important for we found we could not survive long in zero gee before serious difficulties began to occur in the bodies of those who were exploring. Some never were able to return to more than a light gravity planet or moon.

During these explorations the Źarakőv Effect became more and more important to us. The food, repair materials, entertainment and more were all created using variations of the original discovery. In some extreme cases with the implementation of the Richmond- Yeats modification, the holo-suites were able to become factories which allowed the creation and shaping of materials which were used to repair damaged ships. So long as the anti-matter containment continued to operate there was enough energy to power the replicators. And no, we cannot replicate anti-matter, at least not successfully. There are now safeguards to prevent such attempts. Many of you may recall Nor-Delta Prime? For those of you who do not, that was the planet and system upon which someone attempted antimatter creation. The resultant fusion with a small amount of the matter of the planet resulted in the destruction of the entire system and placed dozens of surrounding systems into imbalance. Playing with anti-matter is not a good idea.

Once again, look about you at all you see. How do you determine which is generated and which is reality? At the moment it is relatively easy for you know this as you could not be in space without the protection of a ship or suit designed for that protection. However, if we place you on a planet with an agrarian economy, how do you know you are in the lecture hall and not there watching the farmers who are tilling the land? You are able to see it all... You are able to touch it... smell it. Reach out to the wheat before you and pluck one small piece. Does it not feel real in your hands? Place a kernel in your mouth, can you not taste it? What is reality and what is created?”

The lights come up once again in the lecture hall and the cadets may see each other.

“The hour has ended. We shall continue this next week at the same time. Rise! Dismissed.”

The doctor watches the cadets as they work their way out the exits and on toward their next classes or breaks. The cadets walk out of the building and make their individual paths toward the locations of their next assignments small groups discussing that which they have seen until they are nearly across campus in a multitude of directions from the building where they were receiving their lecture.

Suddenly everything is black. Slowly light begins to creep back into existence around them as they find themselves back in the lecture hall still buckled into their seats.

“How do you know you are in the lecture hall and not walking around the Star-fleet Academy grounds? Now it is obvious. Was the reality of leaving my lecture hall sufficient? Shake hands with the cadets on either side of you. Are they real? How do you know? What would you do if everyone in this room was a projection except you? What would you do to learn everyone else was real and you are the projection?”

As the Doctor says this, each cadet sees those around them fade away as though they were but projections, the only voice which may be heard is that of the cadet him or herself echoing through the empty lecture hall. Slowly everyone fades back into view.

“Our modern holo-suites are capable of some unbelievable realities. Doubt your senses but rely on them. Earlier you thought you were walking out on the grounds only to learn you actually remained here. Question everything. Be aware of all around you. There are hints here and there. Observe carefully that which you see, hear, smell or taste. Reality is perceptions, the ŹarakÅ‘v Effect and it’s many subsequent alterations now blur that reality so we may find ourselves training in a ship hundreds or thousands of light years from here only to discover it is our own back yard and we are simply experiencing a massive projection allowing us to learn.

What is reality? It is what we perceive and accept. If we don’t accept it, is it still able to harm us? Yes, because reality is far more than any of us could believe. Next week we will begin to examine the ŹarakÅ‘v Effect and exactly how we may determine if we are dealing with a projection of the ŹarakÅ‘v nature or of the modern RYM type. Dismissed.”

She watches as the cadets again file out of the lecture hall, this time for real, and when the hall is cleared she beams off the dias and to her home across the bay on an overlook which permits her to view the Pacific in an effort to alleviate the longing for her home world.

“Home early I see, dearest; and still using that projected form.”

“Yes...” As she reaches toward her dainty watch and moments later there is a wizended older man blue in color standing where once the human female did. His robes in swirling hues far unlike the uniform skirt seen on the young woman.

“I still use that form. It is far more receptive to those being trained than this, my own. Old animosities are difficult to overcome despite all this young race has done. Besides when I go to eat there are always those who would purchase me a flask of the Daktarian ale of which I am so fond or pay for my meal simply to have the opportunity to talk. In my own form our Vulcan, Romulan and Klingon allies would walk out of the lecture hall. Further, the voice is appealing to the cadets for some reason so they learn more. It makes no sense but that is the way of prejudices.”

“You are incorrigible my dear old fraud.”

“Ah, but my darling wife... I am your incorrigible old fraud.”
 
 

 © 2010 by Rénae Dáºmas. This work may not be replicated or presented in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the work’s Owner (copyright holder), with the exception of the private and non-commercial viewing by the reader who is also the end purchaser. ALL Rights Reserved, including but not limited to ownership of Characters, final content decision, and more. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

An Aldoennetti Original.