Jean-Luc Picard let out an undignified yelp as he dropped nearly a foot to the floor. The police station in which he had been facing his interrogators was gone, even down to the chair he had been sitting in. What was left was a large black room striped in yellow to mark the grid of holoprojectors, plus three other people in period clothing.
"What happened?" Picard asked, even as the holodeck doors opened to reveal a concerned Yar and La Forge.
"Captain, the Jaradan are awaiting your response," Yar reported. "You must come to the bridge immediately."
"There was a malfunction in the holodeck," La Forge explained. "We couldn't communicate with you or halt the program."
"So, logically, you cut power to the holoprojectors, thus disabling the whole system," Data deduced.
"Of course we did," Geordi nodded. "The holoprojection systems are some of the most power-intensive components on the ship. Any time the system malfunctions, it would be incredibly reckless not to cut the power and evacuate the decks."
"Thank you, Mister La Forge, for your quick thinking. It's unfortunate that the Jaradan arrived so far ahead of schedule."
Brushing himself off, the captain straightened his fedora and headed toward the bridge.