Phase Chasing
Posted on Mon Sep 22nd, 2025 @ 5:03pm by Ensign Millicent Ambrose & Staff Warrant Officer Rommie
Edited on on Wed Sep 24th, 2025 @ 3:54pm
1,666 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Deck 3 Jefferies Tube
Timeline: MD010 1500 hrs
Millie had gone back to her quarters to grab a quick shower before she headed to work. She couldn't sleep not with Tyr and the others being down on Wren.
She stepped inside the sonic shower and when it turned on, the scream of James Brown's beginning of 'I feel good' blasted out. Millie's back slammed into the wall of the shower, her eyes flaring rather wide.
The sound of the song was reverberating in that small space. The words continued as she reached out and shut the sonic shower off, the song stopping abruptly.
She stumbled out from the shower, Millie's ears ringing from that music. Something was wrong, and she needed to find it.
Her search tracked the problem on Deck 3 to a node which was a relay for the ODN/EPS system. She ran the scan over the area, and frowned. It was out of phase.
"Son of a gun. Did something get crossed here?" Millie grumbled, as she investigated what was happening. Was there a piece of schmuts there?
"And I wish I knew how Tyr and the others were doing." she huffed. "Wait a second, maybe if I just adjust this." working on it, "I can work things out to where I can maybe listen in on how they are doing-Maybe if I utilize my commbadge I can zero in on their frequencies--"
From the Ops station on the bridge, Rommie kept a silent vigil. They'd lost contact with the ground team nearly half an hour ago and before that, the Colonel had reported contact with the enemy. They'd been able to use the ship's sensors for about the next ten minutes to track the Cure and weapons fire.
And now nothing.
The Teams had all headed underground, which would explain why the Pioneer wasn't picking up readings. But the comms blackout was troubling. The AI agreed with the Pioneer's intel section that something or someone was blocking the Cure's comm traffic. Which meant the enemy was aware they were there and most likely taking active steps to deal with the landing Team.
An alert buzzed on her consciousness and Rommie turned to see that someone was attempting to tap into the Cure's telemetry from aboard the Pioneer. Glancing back at the tactical/security officer, Rommie tracked the signal between one heart beat and the next (if she had such a thing) and saw it was a member of engineering.
Squelching the alert that would have worked it's way to Security, she then inhabited the nearest screen and asked, "Ensign. Is there something I can help you with?"
Millie gave out a gasp, seeing the image of someone she'd not seen before.
"Uh oh" were Millie's first words, as she stared at the woman in her viewscreen.
"Hi uh, ma'am. I was just hmmnn." Better to tell the truth. She'd been caught.
"I was trying to check on those down on Wren I know I am in trouble but, I just needed to know how they are doing. Officially I am dealing with a glitch which is playing music from sonic showers." giving a wry smile.
The screen snowed for a second, then Rommie stepped out of the panel and took up an at ease stance and said, "Understandable. We're all concerned but with the ship at alert, you had to have known it would trip security, Ensign." Rommie's uniform trim shifted from marine green to operations gold.
Eyes widening, who was this lady? "Uh so-I thought you were security, but you are not. Ma'am who are you? " Millie was watching the change with great interest, and also some trepidation.
Rommie flashed through the front page of the ensigns personnel jacket and smiled slightly, arms folding behind her as she said, "Staff Warrant Officer Rommie. Artificial Intelligence. You technically outrank me Ensign so no need to ma'am. me. Warrant or Rommie will do. I am Colonel Tremble's aide-de-camp, though the terms dog-robber and bat man, though archaic, also suite to describe my function. During the Cure's deployment today, I have been assigned as bridge liaison, manning the dedicated Marine Ops station."
Rommie's uniform again shifted through marine green, then operations gold and finally checkerboarded into a mashup of the two as the AI finally decided on how she should present herself and which logic channels to use during this face situation. "I do know that you are Ensign Millicent Tabitha Ambrose. Engineering officer. Serial# MA-0119-320532, with level two data access and level four security access. The information you're attempting to look at currently is data access three, security access six."
Appearing to look closer at the Ensign, Rommie processed a few beats and said. "Ah. Sergeant Fry."
Millie let out a breath as she was listening to Rommie rattling off her designation. Then when it came to the mention of Tyr, a slight chuckle and a smile.
"Yes, I am seeing Sergeant Fry." A pause as Millie regarded Rommie. "Rommie it is. I called you ma'am as its better to do such when first meeting someone. Now that you've caught me, what now?"
Mentally Millie made a note as to being a bit more security minded, and make certain not to trigger it again. If she decided to try to link into something secure.
Rommie's mouth quirked, the irises of her almond shaped eyes turning gold before fading back to marine green. "That's a very good question ma'am. What do you think should be done?"
Millie's eyes went back to the previous project she was working on. "I'm going to finish with taking care of this problem, I don't think that the Commodore would want to have" she hmmned for a moment as she ran her scan on the conduit.
Looking back towards Rommie. "I don't think that he'd appreciate the song 'Wild Thing' piping through his sonic shower."
As she spoke, Millie pulled out a pair of gloves made to keep herself from getting zapped. Then turned back to what she had found.
She was concerned with the fluctuating energy flow that was there. From what she could tell, part of the conduit had come loose, it was touching another conduit. And it was forming a very small field of energy which was circular in shape.
Arms folding, Rommie watched the engineer and replied wryly, "So, ignore the security breach and hope it goes forgotten, overlooked or written off as a junior officer making an oopsie? I suppose that is a method, ma'am. Does that actually work?"
Millie rolled her eyes, while she re-hooked the coupler, giving a slight wince at feeling the energy run up her arms. It was strange though how the small ball of phasic energy made her fingers look a bit long and slender longer than what they were supposed to be.
Rommie watched Millie, a smile crawling more over her face as she also watched the engineer's progress from within the system, commenting "You may want to secure those eyes, Ensign. Distractions....."
"Nope, it was a security breach and once I get done here, I can be taken to the brig. That's protocol." Millie huffed.
Moving one of her hands away from that area, Millie fumbled about her tool kit and grabbed the phase decompiler, to bleed off the energy there. Activating it she saw her other hand go back to normal as the phase bubble dissipated. She turned the tool off setting it down.
".....can be distracting and painful," Rommie finished, her smile tugging at the corners of her mouth more.
Millie glanced towards Rommie, once more, before taking a closer look at her work, giving a frown at the coupler.
As if to keep her mind focused, Millie softly spoke "Okay now to tighten it down more." using a hypospanner to do the job. Then moved to take care of the other one.
That done she lowered the hyperspanner to the tool kit. shaking her hands as she was still feeling tingles going up her arm.
"Okay. Looks like I am going to the brig now?" Millie turning slightly towards Rommie. "Since you are the Aide for the XO. Sure I could possibly say, yes we can call it an oopsie. That just doesn't gel with me."
"Very good," the AI said. "You passed, Ensign. Log your work as always and let your department head know. I believe any decision they make will be adequate for this situation. My log will applaud your initiative at doing work you know needs doing without needing to be told, despite clearances. I'm sure the Colonel, should he take note will agree."
Softer then, the AI said, "Eight minutes ago we lost all contact with the teams on Wren nine. Up until that point, Sergeant Fry was doing his duty. I am sorry if that is blunt, but it is the most up to date information I have."
I was being tested? A sharp intake of breath, at Rommie's information then Millie gave a nod, "I appreciate the directness, Rommie. I just needed to know, not just about Tyr, but the others. And thank you for the guidance.
Rommie's figure began to sift back into the wall display, sparkles twisting within a data stream until just her face, then eyes remained, Her last words floated in the air as she said, "Of course. My error, ma'am. I'll leave you to your duties. Have a pleasant day."
Her error, what the heck! Millie felt a bit bewildered at the last statement of Rommie. And those eyes. Millie broke her stare at where she last saw Rommie, shook her head picking up her tools and went on her way.
A Joint Post By
Staff Warrant Officer Rommie
Artificial Intelligence, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
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