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Posted on Tue Nov 28th, 2023 @ 6:41pm by Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Wed Nov 29th, 2023 @ 10:53pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: USS Pioneer, various.
Timeline: MD002 2030 hours
Rubbing at his eyes, Neil glanced at the chrono which flashed 2035 at him and he yawned. It had been a long day and he still needed to get his last workout in. Picking up the mug that sat stewing on his desk, he sipped at it and his stomach rebuked him slightly. He’d worked through lunch again today, based on the caloric intake from shore leave. Looking at his inbox, he weighed things with another glance at the firmly blinking clock and began shutting down his office.
Standing up, he keyed the controls to secure his workstation and moved the mug to the replicator. Glancing around to make sure everything was stored and set correctly, he stepped pulled out a set of basic workout gear and changed, then exited. Glancing up and down the corridor, Neil checked the holo-suite availability and reserved HD3, preloading his gym program as he went.
It had been a minute since he’d used the program and it suited his mood.
His contact activated the holo-deck as Neil approached and he walked in, feeling the atmosphere of the place. It was a really well rendered program and he saw Mick, washing down one of the walls.
“Mick,” Neil said casually as he walked over to a locker and began taping up his hands.
“Well. About time you hauled yourself back in here,” the gruff old man said as he let the cloth and sponge he’d been holding fall, the former to the padded deck, the latter into a bucket of sudsy water.
“Been busy out galavanting with that woman and tucking your ever widening ass behind a desk with no time to come down and see old Mick,” the old man continued to grumble as he walked up and took over for Neil. “It’s not like I don’t keep tabs yahknow,” Mick continued. “Even went running with her yesterday…your road time dropped by nearly a minute this morning.”
Peering at the old man with amusement, Neil countered, “We were running at a higher than normal G….”
“Fahhh,” Mick told him, finishing one hand and starting on the other. “Excuses. You were looking at that fine form of hers at the last. Not that I blame you. I would. But that’s me and I’m retired. You’re just a kid.”
Chuckling, Neil let Mick finish his hands then stepped onto the mats, picked a jump rope from the rack and began slowly, warming up.
Thirty minutes later, Neil glanced at the fighter who’d just finished beating him like a drum around the ring as he stripped off his headgear and gloves. “Thanks Rocky,” he said panting. “I’ma going to go die now.”
“You’re pretty funny, Major,” the raven haired bruiser grinned. “Not even a bad boxer. Don’t listen to Mick. That right cross of yours isn’t that much slower.”
Casting an eye toward the corner where Mick was entering the ring, Neil said, “It’s not that ba…”
And caught a face full of water as Mick threw the contents of his bucket over him.
“That desk job is slowing you up. And you’re getting old. It happens,” Mick told him. “That cross Rocks talking about is nearly a second slower.”
Spitting, Neil just caught the towel Mick tossed at him and began drying himself off. “Fine. I’ll be in here more often. Going to need to bring in Miyagi-san. For a few bouts.”
“Bahhh,” Mick grumbled. “He was talking about brining in some posers from some clan. Scottish maybe.”
“Clan?” Neil asked as he rubbed water from the back of his neck and then began stripping his soggy shirt off. “That’s strange…guys in kilts?”
“Noo,” Mick said as he rubbed at his own head and straightened his watch cap. “Dudes in suits. Arashikage or something. How the drahk should I know?” Glancing at where Neil was squeezing the water from his shirt, the old man reached over the ring ropes and grabbed a mop and threw it at the Marine.
Neil barely caught the inbound mop before it thwacked him in the face and he glared at Mick, “Hey now. What’s got your nose in a twist?”
“You getting water all over my ring. You clot,” Mick grunted at him as he picked up the wrappings, gloves, and discarded clothing. “Now mop it up, then get started on your cool down.”
Neil began mopping and watched Mick clamber out out of the ring. There hadn’t been that much water and within a minute, he’d returned the mop to its bucket and began shadowboxing in his usual corner. His mind had cleared and his stomach grumbled again, letting him know it wanted attention too.
After eight minutes he stepped back and regarded his shadow on the wall, then bent and retrieved his towel. As he mopped at his face and glanced around for a good place to stretch out, he was caught up in the program. His friend Jon had done a really good job on it. Had perfected and refined it through the years and kept Neil with the updates. The sights, sounds and even smells of the gym were there. Other fighters were sparring around, though there were only a handful per Neil’s preferences.
Even if they were holograms, he didn’t like crowds.
Or spectators.
He really enjoyed working out with Jayna but there were times he needed time to himself too and this place was about as far from the Pioneer XO’s office as you could get. He idly cracked his neck and then motion caught his attention and he saw his shadow emerge from the wall.
The shadow figured stayed formless for a few beats then morphed into the figure of an athletically built, brunette human woman, approximately 167 centimeters and weighing (probably) just over 8 stone, dressed in what he’d learned was called a gi. With a mischievous smile curving her lips, she beckoned him to follow.
Intrigued, he looked around and saw Mick glaring toward him. Neil raised his hands and tilted his head in wordless question. Mick gave him a disgusted look and waved for Neil to follow the woman and then disappeared into his office.
Neil walked through the door the woman had disappeared, continuing to stretch his shoulders. Jon had obviously made an update and gotten cute about it…
Neil stepped through the portal and found him in Miyagi’s sparring room and found the woman sitting on the bamboo flooring, stretching. She smiled wordlessly at Neil and pointed to the floor in front of her. He complied and she began working through stretches with him.
After eight minutes, she stopped and slipped to her feet and gave him a bow, then disappeared through another door. Before she disappeared, she gave him a mysterious little look and smile.
Shaking his head, Neil climbed to his feet and sighed. Jon, for all of his companies supposed busyness, had too much time on his hands.
Neil reactivated his contact, checked the time and made his way back to Mick’s gym and into the locker room where he took a hot shower and climbed into the soft, somehow really well fitting OD green marine sweats. Even the running shoes fit better than most replicated footwear and he let his mind start thinking about food.
Mick was waiting for him and beckoned him into the office. “Jon’s on the phone for you, so you might as well take it in here.” The old man told him gruffly. I’m going to start locking up so don’t stay on the horn all night chatting like school girls.
Neil gave Mick a mocking salute then walked into the office which was decorated with much boxing memorabilia. Sliding into the office chair, he picked up the archaic handset and asked. “Jon?”
“There you are,” Jon’s voice came over the receiver. “How goes it, Neil?”
“Fine,” Neil said. “Still amusing yourself with old earth customs I see.”
“Always, dude,” Jon said. “I was surfing today. Caught some wicked waves.”
Snorting, Neil said, “Real or another program?”
“Real, my dude,” Jon assured him. “Might write a program but it’s zenning me. I may keep it for myself. How’s Jayne?”
Neil sighed and put his feet up on Micks desk, crossing them. “Gorgeous. Sexy and smart as hell.”
“Why’s she hanging with a broken down, crusty old marine like you then?” Jon joked. Neil could hear some sort of active music with a strong beat in the background and picked up on the sound of Jon shifting the receiver from one hand to the other.
“Taking pity,” Neil told him resignedly. “Kinda like Marissa. It’s still Marissa, right?”
“Yup. She tells me I’m done playing the field, dude. Kinda sucks but I guess I’m of that awkward age now, right?” Jon laughed.
“Adulthood?” Neil asked sweetly. “Yeah, it’s about drank time too, my dude.”
Laughing, Jon said, “Man, we have to catch up. Get the ladies together. I even bought a ring for her.”
“Drahk,” Neil swore, grinning as he slouched into Mick’s chair and glanced around at the old earth, cinema posters of boxers that were displayed. “You? Married? What happened? What did you do?”
“Nah,” nothing like that this time,” Jon assured him. “Just time, you know. I want to do this right. She deserves it.”
“Yeah,” Neil quipped, but I’m not sure she deserves you.”
“Screw you man,” Jon laughed. “You got there first before I could ask the same about Jayna. I want to meet his woman…”
“You will in time, Jon,” Neil reassured him. “Needs of the service and all. Some of us still work for a living.”
“Bah,” Jon scoffed. “Work. You just like the toys.”
“Well, there is that,” Neil conceded. “And how’s Claire, Sisco and Ebert?”
“The Ex..and kiddos are doing good,” Jon told him. Family is all good. We had a big meet-up beach barbecue a month ago. My dad said he saw yours on the Mars leg to Io.”
“At least he’s not in the brig,” Neil said. “Last we talked he’s running around with my soon to be new, ex-stepmom.”
Jon hooted and laughed, “How many does that make, not counting this one?”
“Six,” Neil said. “He always said he was too good a man not to spread the love around.”
“Yish,” Jon said with a noise that Neil took to be him shaking his head. “He’s braver than either of us.”
“Maybe, the old lech,” Neil said with his own shake of the head. “It’s even money if I’ll meet this one first or not. I only ever met number three, four and five after the fact. And the divorce.”
Jon laughed and Neil could hear a soft scraping noise, then muffled conversation before Jon’s voice came back stronger a few beats later.
“Yo dude,” Jon said, “Marissa’s telling me to shake it off so I’ll make this quick. The program let me know you had activated the newest updates and I wanted to tell you about Rommie.”
“I take it Rommie is Miyagi-san’s helper?” Neil asked, brining up a mental image of the brunette.
“Not so much his as possibly yours,” Jon said. “I’ve been working off and on on an AI assistant for awhile now. One that’s geared toward Command officers like yourself. Mind testing the prog out?”
“A hologram AI,” Neil asked with doubt. “I don’t know, Jon. Fleet and the Corp is iffy about that kind of thing. Civilian and staff officers are one thing but one for a line officer?”
“It’s cleared,” Jon assured him. “Test phase is for officers of your grade and posting. Confined to spaces you allow, probably only your office and quarters, then linked though your contact for all other things. The Rommie program is smart and allows you to give verbal commands like a good starship senior officer should. She’s set to function as Yeoman, Orderly, Batman, etc.,” Jon continued.”
Neil scratched at the back of his neck with his free hand and tried to find (and failing) a more comfortable position in Mick’s chair. “Might come in handy,” he grudged. “Especially right now. You sure it’s cleared?”
“Yup,” Jon said, “The shell you saw will finish updating and be on-line by the start of your next shift. Rommie’s great, man. She may take a minute to get a handle on things, but I think you’ll work well together. And she’s..”
“.. Easy on the eyes,” Neil said at the same time. Jon nearly always said the same thing when developing a feminine character for his programs.
“Cool,” Jon said. “Really got to run. Say hello to your Mother, Hugo and Aggy, when you talk to them.”
“Roger that,” Neil replied. “The same to your family from me. Take care you layabout.”
Neil heard laughter, then a click and buzzing and he hung up the handset and slowly eased his feet to the deck, sitting up. He was getting hungry and tomorrow would be soon enough to worry about Jon’s new AI holo-orderly.
Moodily sticking his hands in his pockets, he wandered out of the office. After trading more banter and words with Mick, Neil exited the holodeck, then saved the program and shut it down.
“Dude…” Neil said, shaking his head as he headed toward the lift.
Major Cornelis Tremble
Commanding Officer, The Cure
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
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