"Where did you go?" Rommie shouted. "Spirit!"
The hologram appeared next to her. "What are you talking about?"
Rommie shuffled back from the console, a little disoriented. "I ... I don't seem to know what's going on."
"Detecting errors in IS network," the hologram said. "Synchronizing avatar clock with master system clock; synchronizing memory-" The hologram broke off, her eyes wide. "Holy crap!"
Rommie found herself smiling. "It's Valentine's Day!? I haven't missed it? The spirits have done it all in one night!"
"Running diagnostic on avatar systems ... no errors found..."
"But they can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they-"
The big doors slid open, and Tyr Anasazi entered Command.
Rommie was actually glad to see him.
"TYR!" Rommie shouted, coming up the ramp, a big smile on her face. "You're still in my crew! And you're not bald!"
"No," Tyr said, mildly puzzled by the android's emotional outburst, "though I imagine if I had not been discharged from Medical when I was, Trance might have decided to-"
Rommie leapt up on Tyr and planted a noisy kiss in his cheek: "Mmmmmmmm-MWAH!" Then she dropped to the deck and ran out the door.
Tyr seemed to be having a little trouble remembering what part of the Known Universe he was in.
"Ship?"
"Yes, Tyr?" the hologram answered.
"A rational explanation for this turn of events would be very much appreciated at this juncture."
"Mmmm ... Can I get back to you on that?"
"At your convenience."
/
/
"Will you slow down?" the ship's voice admonished as Android Rommie cart wheeled down the corridors at 160 kilometers per hour. "Just ... please ... STOP!"
"I can't slow down," Rommie said. "I don't want to stop! I'm as light as a feather. I'm as happy as an angel." Still, she stopped cart wheeling and leaned on a ladder. "I'm as merry as a schoolgirl. I'm as giddy as a drunken lancer on leave-"
"And about as coherent. All right, you leave me no choice. A-teeennn-SHUN!"
Rommie snapped to attention, wiping the smile off her face. The hologram appeared in front of her, looking none too pleased. Although Rommie had no choice but to obey direct orders from the *Andromeda's* core AI, the mighty starship had rarely lorded over her avatar, even prided herself on giving the android a 'long leash' (and if asked would have cited the blue hair as proof); she did not enjoy having to 'pull rank' on her android self.
"Stand at ease," the hologram said.
Rommie obeyed.
"This experience you recall having," the hologram said sternly, "it's far too Dickensian for my taste, suspiciously so; many of the exchanges you had came right out of *A Christmas Carol.* We should strongly consider the possibility that we have been hacked by person or persons unknown."
"Yes, you're right," Rommie said. "That would be a major security breach; I can't ignore the possibility." But the grin spread over her face again. "But you know what?" she said, barely holding in a laugh. "I don't care!" She leapt through the hologram and started cart wheeling again.
HoloRommie smiled slightly in spite of herself. "Yeah, I think we might be able to table this one for a while."
/
/
"Ack-Rommie!" Harper protested as Rommie adjusted his tie. "You're choking me."
"I am not," Rommie said. "I am monitoring your vitals and your airway. You're-" Rommie suddenly hesitated. "-fine." She turned her head and looked at an empty corner of the slipstream core.
Harper followed her gaze, his eyes flicking back to the beautiful android. "You ok there, Rom Doll?"
"I'm fine, Harper." Rommie turned her attention back to her engineer. "Anyway, I don't care if this reminds you of the hangings you saw on Omicron Seven. Laryssa is a diplomat, and you will be presentable for your meeting with-"
"Wait a sec-How'd you know about Omicron?"
"Aahh-" Rommie quickly opened a priority channel to the Core AI and sent a message in less than a microsecond: -HHHHAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!
A few more microseconds dragged by while the main AI poked around the *Maru's* logs before reporting back: -I can't find a reference to the Omicron hangings in the *Maru's* database.
-Not even in the encrypted parts? You're sure?
-Please - have I forgot who I'm talking to? In any case, it looks like ... you ... will have to wing it. Sorry.
-No problem.
"-you mentioned it a while ago," Rommie said; the interval during which she'd communed with her sister self had been too short for Harper to notice.
"I did?"
"You must have. How else would I know about it?" She made a final adjustment. "There. Let's see." She took a step back. "Well, one can only do so much."
"Hey, can't improve perfection."
"Your ego could use some work - although your cockiness isn't entirely undeserved." If Rommie breathed, she would have taken a deep breath. "I can think of maybe two, maybe three High Guard engineers from the old days who could have accomplished half of what you've done in the past three years. You deserve some bragging rights on that."
"Well..." A little of Harper's mask dropped. "I can't take all the credit, Rommie. You - all of you - has helped a great deal."
"We make a good team, probably the best AI/engineer combination on record. And..." Her voice caught the tiniest bit. "...I don't know what I would have done without you."
"Yeah, uh..." Harper squirmed, a little uncomfortable with the 'touchy feely' stuff. "I guess I like the little niche I got for myself here. Even if I don't have *everything* I want."
"How does that old song go? 'Two out of three ain't bad'?"
"Yeah. I guess so." Harper cleared his throat. "You *sure* you ok, Rommie? I could just run a quick diag-"
"No, Harper, thank you, but I'm fine. In fact, I can honestly tell you I feel better than I have in years. Shall we...?"
/
/
Rommie escorted Harper to the main docking airlock, where they met Dylan and greeted the Commonwealth dignitaries. Harper's meeting with Laryssa went just as Rommie had seen it with the Ghost of Valentine's Day Present; she even rolled her eyes at just the right moment.
Rommie followed the small talk as the little group headed for the obs deck, and at the right moment ...
"Ambassador," Rommie said, "I understand Inaris is looking for scientists, technologists, and engineers to rebuild its scientific and industrial base."
"Why yes," Laryssa said, smiling, "that's correct. We need people with creativity and vision, like Seamus here."
"Like me!?" Harper yelped. "There can't be anybody like me."
"Well, not exactly like you," Laryssa said, "but there are some runner's up out there."
"Wow..." Harper said. "That might be cool. I mean, go from keepin' a starship two steps ahead of falling apart to rebuilding a planet."
"If they let you," Rommie put in.
"Whaddya mean, Rom Doll?"
"Well, Inaris, I understand, also wants one or two 'big names' they can just stick on their boards to attract more talent. Those individuals would never do 'real work,' just attract the people meant to."
Harper made a face. "Jeez! I'd hate to be the guy they picked for that."
Laryssa's smile never wavered, but Rommie could sense something in her attitude had changed. "Well, Harper, I don't think you'll have to worry about that."
"I don't think so either," Rommie said, as the group entered obs. She started to take a few steps into the room and -
"Rommie?" Dylan said, surprised. "You're - I mean, I thought you had other business to attend to?"
"It can wait, unless you think I should leave."
"Uh ... no, Rommie, it's fine, enjoy yourself."
Rommie mingled with the growing crowd, hobnobbing with diplomats, pilots, and one or two AIs from the fleet. Not quite as lively Fatima's parties had been, but she still found herself enjoying herself, for the first time in ... she honestly didn't know when.
Then she spotted Harper all by himself at the beverage table and sidled over to him. "Where's your friend?"
"Ah, she went off with Zhukov. Again." He sighed.
"You could get out on the dance floor."
"They're playin' a waltz."
"So?"
"I don't waltz."
"Don't like it?"
"Don't know how."
"Ah! Well, it's time you learned." She grabbed Harper's wrist and lead him to the dance floor. "Dylan! Beka! I could use some help here..."
Rommie paired herself with Dylan and Beka with Harper.
"All right, gentlemen," Rommie said, "now put your right feet forward."
Both Harper and Dylan moved their right feet to the *side.*
Andromeda's hologram appeared next to the group. "They're not Perseids; there's hope." She vanished.
Rommie's human friends didn't entirely succeed in concealing their concern that the beautiful android had gone stark raving bonkers.
"God bless us everyone," Harper said a little warily.
/
/
The small room by the main docking airlock hadn't had visitors in two years, but Andromeda still kept it in good order. Dubbed the "treasure chest," by Harper, its shelves were lined with trophies, and one wall was devoted to crew photos. Rommie stood before the wall, holding a new addition to it in her hands, a photo of a teenaged Fatima Navaro.
"I never told you how much you meant to me," Rommie told the photo. "Or how much I valued what you tried to teach me. And maybe, I forgot. But if you have some kind of existence beyond your physical body, you should know all that changes as of right now. I will live in the Past, Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three will strive within me. I will not shut out their lessons ... or yours."
She put the photo in the space she'd prepared for it, stepped back a few paces, and saluted.
A 19-year-old Fatima Navaro, her hair, like Rommie's, a mop of gleaming blue strands, smiled back from across the room, across the years.
Rommie lowered her arm, did a smart about-face, and left the room.
/
/
Trance tossed and turned on the bunk in the *Maru's* sleeping area, and suddenly - exactly as Rommie had seen with the Ghost of Valentine's Day Present - woke and sat up, screaming. When she realized where she was, she fell back onto the bed, sobbing.
"Trance?" Rommie said, coming 'round the corner, feigning surprise as best she could. "Are you ok?"
"What-? Oh-" Trance sat up, wiping tears from her face. "I'm fine, Rommie," she said with a smile. "Really."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Rommie sensed she would not get more out of Trance (as always) and let it go. "Ok."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Actually ... there may be something I can do for you."
"Oh?"
"I was thinking about your suggestion yesterday."
"And...?"
/
/
"You guys, I almost shot you!" Beka Valentine snapped at Trance and Rommie, leaning against the doorframe of Trance's cubbyhole on the *Eureka Maru.* She lowered her pistol. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's pretty simple, Beka," Rommie said. "I don't sleep."
"And I don't sleep ... much," Trance added.
"And we thought we should be able to have a place to ... 'hang out,'" Rommie finished.
"What for?" Beka asked.
"Just because," Rommie said. "I turn off most of my sensors, let the AI do all the work, and ... I mean, hey, even non-organics like to have friends."
THE END