To Complete the Favor

Posted on 20 Mar 2015 @ 4:14am by Lieutenant Asahi Kita & EBH Mark I "Raven"

989 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: USS Atlas - Deck 2, VIP Quarters
Timeline: MD 01 - 0902 Hours

ON:

It was a short message Raven had received, but one that Asahi had found it impersonal to bid her farewell in a simple message. Even if she was 'just a hologram,' it didn't feel right. He sat in his chair, fingers tented, waiting for Raven to appear, channel open for her to easily do so. Hopefully this would all go as painlessly as possible.

Only a few moments later, Raven appeared right in front of him, fully decked out in her usual attire of dark clothes, torn fishnets, and spiked bracelets, courtesy of a subspace transmission. "I got your message!" she explained hurriedly, her eyes filled with worry. "I was on my lunch break. Which is a bit of a misnomer because I don't have to eat, but... is everything all right?"

Asahi was impressed by Raven's speed, even at such a length, and with such a low-strength hologram emitter. He had learned so much through one extremely complex piece of software. Hopefully Grayson would be just as receptive to her bubbliness. "Everything's fine Raven, but I wanted to contact you personally..." He offered a slight, bittersweet smile. "My grandmother's passed away back on Earth, and I have to return to help my mother with arrangements. It's poorly timed, but I won't be returning to the Galileo."

"Awwwwww," cried out Raven as she approached Asahi, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big hug. In her short existence, Raven hadn't even contemplate what it might be like to no longer exist. Of course, she didn't have the same frail biological bodies as her organic counterparts, but a lot could happen to a hologram. Her existence depended on a computer database, and a lot could happen to that database. Her program could be deleted, the computer containing her program could be destroyed, or it could end up lost somewhere without power with her inactive program trapped inside for all eternity.

Just thinking about the possibilities made her hug Asahi even tighter. She couldn't even comprehend the loss that he must be feeling right now. "I'm so sorry, Asahi," she added, "Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?"

Asahi blinked, confused at Raven's reaction, if only because she could actually hug him while her main program was on the starbase. The wonders of holograms never ceased to amaze him. "I... didn't realize your processors were so strong... but thank you. I think that might have been just what I needed..." He smiled, hesitantly so, and tapped a few buttons on the nearby PADD. "Actually, I called you to give you a proper goodbye, and a parting gift. Maybe it'll help you with your duties, but it might help you connect to people too."

"A gift?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. She wondered what one could possibly get a hologram. She hadn't even considered material possessions at all, never mind desired any. "You didn't have to do that..."

"No, but I wanted to." Pulling the PADD over, Asahi propped it up for Raven to see the screen, which displayed a complex series of codes for a short moment. Then the screen cut over to a visual of a colorful scene, filled with various humanoid and animal figures participating in all sorts of activities. At the center was an ambiguous humanoid model, with a tiny tophat, directing the show. "I've had this program under my name for years. I know kids love circuses-that's how I was raised-so I thought you could use it. If not for the kids, then maybe it would be something you could enjoy when you had a spare moment. I have the program set up for you to be ringmaster, but since I installed it into an auxiliary matrix for you, you can easily change where you'd end up. You could even watch everything go on the sidelines!"

Raven was shocked at the gesture. For a moment, she stared at the PADD, enthralled by the scene in front of her. As she did so, her eyes began welling up with tears. "You... got me my very own circus?" she asked, blinking away tears of joy before quickly wrapping we arms around Asahi. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "This is the most wonderful gift anyone could have given me! Thank you! I... I..."

Even Raven's advanced processors and subroutines, capable of an untold number of calculations per second, couldn't come up with the words to express her feelings. "I'm really going to miss you," she said, releasing Asahi from her hug and staring into his eyes.

Chuckling, Asahi returned the hug momentarily, cool demeanor broken once he caught sight of Raven's tears. He frowned, instinctively reaching up and brushing away the tears from her eyes. "I know we haven't known each other long, but you've done a lot more for me than I'll ever be able to say. I'll miss you too."

"And you've done so much for me as well," replied Raven. So this is what it is like to have a friend, she thought. It was painful to see Asahi go, but after a millisecond of reflection, she realized that having such a good friend, even for a short time, was worth it.

Stepping back, Raven just stared at Asahi for a brief moment, scanning his image into her database to better remember him by. "Look me up sometime, okay?" she asked, not wanting to say goodbye. "I travel very light, so it's easy for me to visit."

Asahi gave a half-hearted smile, nodding. "I will. Hopefully you won't have to travel all the way to Earth for a visit."

"Don't worry," replied Raven, returning the smile. "Wherever you are, I'll only be a subspace transmission away."

OFF:

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
Chief Engineering Officer / Acting Executive Officer
USS Galileo / USS Atlas

Raven
Emergency Babysitting Hologram
USS Galileo

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