Game Change
Posted on Fri Apr 24th, 2026 @ 7:18pm by Ensign Connor Turner & Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Edited on on Wed Apr 29th, 2026 @ 8:19am
2,552 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 17 - Going Home
Location: Holodeck 2 - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD026 1400 hrs
Connor had not thought much about Millie lately. The last time they talked, well, beyond work, was when they had that private dinner. For whatever reason, Millie had forgotten that he had a girlfriend in Marjani. Well, he did not anymore. Since they were very good friends of some sort, he decided that he had at least better inform her. So, he tapped his commbadge and said, =^= Millie, this is Connor. Do you have some time? =^=
Milie was in the holodeck working on a better hologram of her time at home. She had taken images of the changes and was entering it into the program.
=^= I am in the holodeck working a program. If you want to join me come in holodeck two. Maybe you will be able to help me refine my holodeck program. What d'ya say?=^= Millie answered.
=^= Sounds like fun. I'll be there in a tic. =^= True to form, Connor arrived in just a few moments at Holodeck two and entered. "What are you working on, Millie?" he asked.
When Connor entered, Millie was seated crosslegged, upon a flat rock, surrounded by trees and near a waterfall. Upon her lap was a small console hooked up to the holosuite control panel. For the moment the waterfall was frozen in place, Millie having put it on pause while she worked on the images.
When she heard Connor, "Hi Connor, I'm working on the recordings I took when I was back home in Montana. I'm just adding in changes for my program. There is a minor glitch I found when adding to the waterfall area. I think there is a samll two nano second hesitation in its movement."
Millie looked over, and patted a spot next to her on the rock.
"Think you can help smooth it out, and while we are working on it, want to talk?" Millie asked smiling.
"Most likely," Connor answered. "Was there a glitch in the recording or is something in the upload?" he wondered. "As to talking, I would like to. It has been awhile. What have you been doing?"
Millie answered Connor's first question, "I think it is something in the upload." Millie handing over the equipment she was using.
"Also I was at Commodore Malbrooke's ranch playing in the band, with my boyfriend. It was great fun." Shifting her position to watch Connor at work. "What have you been doing? Did you go see your family yet?"
"Your boyfriend?" Connor asked surprised. "When did you get one of those? The last time that we talked, you said that you were going to try to come out again. That was rather quick. Are you sure that was smart?" he asked concerned.
Offhandedly, he asked, "Where is the original? I'll try another upload and see if it takes better."
Millie gave a wry smile. "It happened and I am glad of it."
"It may seem to have happened rather soon but it felt right and so I decided to take a leap of faith. So far its been working out. Still on the road of discovery. It takes time to get to know someone. If a person allows themselves to do so."
After her statement, Millie handed the crystal that has the program upon it. "Here you go, perhaps it will listen to you," she told Connor giggling a bit.
Connor took the program and asked it, "So why are you being fussy for Millie? She's a nice woman. let's behave, shall we?" Connor then ran a diagnostic and uploaded the program. "That should do it," he told Millie. He then ran the program and sure enough, the delay was eradicated.
"Well, at least one of us is doing well in the relationship department," he finally told Millie.
"Oh? Aren't things going well with Marjani?" Yes Millie remembered, this time.
She activated the program, looking over towards the waterfall, it worked properly now. "Thank you, Connor that is perfect!" then she turned to look at him, noticing something in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Millie placing the small console down, and giving Connor a scrutinizing gaze.
"She just terminated our relationship," he said with a simple shrug.
Millie was shocked, she looked at Connor speechless. "Wait, I thought things were going well. "
Frowning, she crossed her arms across her chest. "Did she have any reason why? And maybe she needs a boot to the head." Millie stated.
Connor shrugged. "She suddenly decided we were not right for each other and our ages were too far apart, she said. I don't really know, Millie. None of it made too much sense to me."
"Okay so... What does Marjani do, is she in Star Fleet?" Millie wanted to know, and maybe if he'd already told her, she didn't remember so needed the reminder.
"I never told you?" Connor's eyes crossed slightly as he thought about it. "No, I guess I didn't. She was a marine. Well, I suppose she still is a marine.... She's a pilot. Fixed her ship and made it better than any in the fleet, I did."
"Wow, I can see that happening. I hope she was grateful for that. Okay so she was older than you, that was an issue for her." Millie mused. "At times that can make a woman uncomfortable with an age difference. It can also be the same for men as well. I've met some men who had problems if a woman was older then they were. And then there are those who don't care as something about the person, even if they were older, they didn't care as there was, love and also the ability to just not worry about the age difference. As they saw something in said person."
Millie rested her elbow on one knee, her hand dangling down, while she pondered over this situation. "She might not be comfortable with herself either, besides finding that she isn't feeling right in being with you."
"I think she's just afraid of relationships," Connor replied with a verbal shrug. "She nearly did the same thing a day after she pried me from Holly."
"I see, could it be that she's afraid of relationships, as she might not want to die on the person she's with? I have heard that marine pilots can have a shortened lifespan." Millie mused, "Though, all of us who are on a ship, can face that of a ship being destroyed in a battle."
Connor shrugged. "I don't know, Millie. I got the 'I'm a good guy speech.'" He heaved a heavy sigh and told Millie, "You know, it would be a lot easier if women were like you. I can talk to you and you usually make sense."
"Well, I don't know if what I just said made any sense, or even helped. I am sorry that it didn't work out with Marjani. I hadn't met her so I wasn't able to get a perception of her. Not even had a chance to observe her." Millie giving a slight sigh. "I was caught up in my own path that I found myself on."
Millie rubbed her chin as she thought over things.
"I am glad you find that I make sense, and also glad that you acknowledge, that I don't always make sense. You know, if other women were like me, it would be boring. Need to have different sorts of people to keep things running. "
"Almost makes me wish I played cricket for the other team," he commented with a small chortle. "Anyways, I suppose I have more time for gaming now."
"That is very true, giving yourself some time to do some healing." a look of interest could be seen in Millie's eyes, when he mentioned the game.
"What is the latest game you've played?" Millie deciding to follow up on what Connor had said. Just to get his mind from dwelling on Marjani any further. Though, Millie was sorry that this happened. The woman didn't deserve Connor at all.
In the back of her mind, Millie was now thinking of possibly finding someone for Connor, who he might feel comfortable in meeting and talking to. There were two she thought of, one of which was her room mate. Astrid. The other was--Rachel. Both were pretty, but perhaps if he met them in a not so... scary situation.
"Connor, when was the last time you played in or ran a table top game? DnD style?" Millie wanted to know, as a possible plan began to form.
"The last time I ran or played D&D?" he thought out loud. "I've mostly been video gaming lately. I don't have a group and don't know anyone that plays anymore, I don't think."
"What do you think about finding some people who do like to play table top games? I can ask around." Millie replied smiling.
Connor shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? Could be? I certainly like D&D."
Millie nodded, "Let me ask around, and maybe there are some who haven't played the game before. I feel there needs to be an investigation and this could be a good way to make friends as well. Let's do this. Okay? Find people who may want to play and we can get to know some more people."
Looking somewhat confused, Connor replied, "Oooookkkkkk. Um, why are you so interested in this all of a sudden? And, um, were you running it or did you think I should...?" He started feeling a bit squeamish.
Picking up from Connor's body language, about her excitement, Millie reached out to touch his shoulder, talking softly and apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Connor. I got a little bit excited. I've not been in a D&D game or even ran a game in a little while, and the idea of getting a group together got me all abuzz. I jumped ahead of myself, and you as well."
Millie gave Connor's shoulder a gentle squeeze, then pulled her hand away. "I don't even know what sort of character you would play in D&D." Millie added.
"Me?" he asked with a quick laugh. "I'm usually a wizard, though I'm not sure that I want to do that at the moment. Marjani called me that."
Millie gave out a huff. "You are going to let her keep you from playing a character class you enjoy playing? Connor that isn't a good reason to not play your favorite class. You, can't let her ruin things."
Crossing her arms over her chest, fire in Millie's eyes. "I feel like going and hunting her down and giving her what for!"
"I don't know that she's ruining anything," Connor replied looking away. "I'm, well, I don't know. Maybe it is better that I GM this time...." He then paused and looked Millie straight in the eyes and said, "Leave Marjani alone. She's just a coward."
Millie's eyes widened, she'd not seen this side of Connor before and well, it was a good thing that he was letting out his emotions.
"Okay then, run the game. That would work as well," Millie replied with an emphatic nod. "As for Marjani, if you want me to leave her alone, okay, I will." Though in the back of her mind, Millie really did want to quiz the woman who hurt Connor.
Connor mused audibly. "Hm, we could do a mission to escort a princess to get married.... Let's see.... We could all come from a town that gets destroyed and we don't know why, but it turns out to be part of something larger. Hmmm. We could even do something isekai-like where our characters are transported from the 'real world' into a fantasy environment.... Then there's always the run of the mill quest type games.... Hmm...." He looked over Millie's head as he continued to think about potential plots.
The moment he stopped thinking, he looked at Millie and asked, "I guess that leaves you with finding players. I just wonder what type of plot to run. What would you like, Millie?"
"I can ask around, and just in case I find a couple or so who don't know much about the game, but are interested to learn..." Millie answered as she thought over the choices. "Maybe something that would be simple with a little bit of excitement tossed in, just to whet their interest even more."
Millie rose from the stone to gaze out towards the waterfall, "You know there is the classic bit of escorting a wagon to its destination, and finding a runaway princess who is trying to escape a marriage."
"Those are classics, as well," Connor readily admitted. "I guess a lot could depend on what people want to play. Maybe we would need a session zero."
"That is a rather practical solution." She hopped down from the rock and turned to Connor. "Thank you for the help on this program, it looks wonderful!" Giving Connor a hug.
Millie released him from her quick hug, giving a slight leap in the air.
"Okay, I will go scout out some people who might be interested in the game. And where shall we meet for this?" Millie looking at Connor.
Connor did not have time to react to Millie's hug, so he stood silently for several moments as he tried to sort it out within his brain. Millie had not done that before to him, that he could recall. "Um, meet?" he asked, considering the situation. "Um, hm.... Why don't we meet at my quarters? Then we would not have to fret about booking holodeck space or playing in cargo space."
"Okay that sounds great, and it makes sense." Millie answered, with a smile. She held out a hand for a high five. "We will need to figure out snacks or just use the replicator. What do you think?"
Connor looked at Millie's hand and then gave her a polite high five. "D&D is not D&D without snacks and drinks. Maybe I shall get some proper ale and beer on Earth to share. Synthahol isn't quite the same. Of course, the alcohol won't last overly long for a campaign, but.... I suppose we will make do."
"Maybe you could get a supply and put it a storage locker somewhere on the ship. And I can help out." Millie stated. "Best to do this before the ship leaves for where we need to go next."
"Alright," Connor agreed readily. "Want to do it now? Your program is working...."
"Let me send a message to my boyfriend to let him know what we're going to do. I've got a date with him later on tonight." Millie giving a smile.
She pulled out her padd and sent a message to Tyr.
heading out to go on an alcohol run with Connor Turner, my co-worker and friend I told you about. See you later tonight. Hugs and Kisses. your girlfriend Millie PS I'll grab some bottles for us as well. I Love you!
"Okay, Let's go." Millie said putting her padd away.
A Joint Post By
Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Connor Turner
Computer Systems Specialist, USS Pioneer
RSS Feed