Coy's Internship: Breaking Altitude II
Posted on Thu Oct 23rd, 2025 @ 12:56pm by Commander Rosa Coy
1,052 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Character Development
Location: USS Sunfire
The next morning began in silence, clean, deliberate silence.
Rosa Coy entered the Sunfire’s auxiliary flight deck before dawn, the corridor lights still cycling from blue to gold. She preferred it this way: the calm before the hum, the empty hall echoing with the promise of order.
In her hands was a portable holodeck projector, her custom rig, a tool of choice when she needed something real.
She calibrated it at the center of the deck.
A shimmer of light unfolded, and an atmospheric canyon appeared—half-simulated Bajoran terrain, half-classified Starfleet test course. The air shimmered with density, the wind coded to buffet and bite.
This was her lesson plan: Advanced Situational Awareness: Module 5. Commonly known among pilots as “the stomach breaker.”
Sira arrived right on time. Still precise, still neat, her long brown hair pinned tightly under her uniform cap.
“Commander,” she said, voice firm but cautious.
“Cadet,” Rosa replied, eyes still on the data pad. “Ready for a practical today?”
“I thought today was flight analysis...”
“It was,” Rosa cut in, “until I changed it.”
Sira blinked, but didn’t protest. That was one thing Rosa admired about her—discipline, not obedience. The kind that questioned inwardly, not outwardly.
Rosa gestured toward the shimmering canyon. “We’ll be flying this in simulation mode, but without full interface control. No console, no guidance system. Manual neural relay only.”
Sira frowned. “Direct mental interface? That’s… risky.”
Rosa smiled faintly. “That’s why it’s advanced.”
The simulation began.
A rush of wind filled the bay as the holographic canyon expanded to full scale. Rosa’s boots gripped the deck as her body synced with the neural link—every shift in the landscape echoed through her muscles, the air pressure simulated just enough to sting.
“Follow my lead,” she ordered.
They launched together—two streams of light cutting through the canyon’s red glow.
No ships, no controls, just instinct. Rosa’s mind guided her form through the bends and dives, the system translating every motion into flight trajectory. The sensation was electric, wind clawing at her skin, adrenaline burning sharp and clean.
Behind her, Sira’s energy signature flickered, then steadied. The cadet was good. Too good for her hours logged.
“She’s matching your every move,” Coy murmured from deep inside her. “You feel that, don’t you? That symmetry? She flies like she breathes you in.”
Rosa gritted her teeth, banking left through a canyon split. “Focus, Coy.”
“I am focused,” came the sultry whisper. “On her.”
She forced the thought away, dipping lower, pushing Sira harder.
“Keep your altitude at six hundred!” she shouted over the wind.
“I can handle lower, Commander!”
“That’s not the point!”
A sudden gust tore through the course. Sira’s trajectory wavered—momentary loss of neural sync. Rosa reacted instantly, cutting across the canyon’s wind shear and intercepting her fall, forcing her own system to stabilize both streams.
The neural backlash hit hard. Rosa gasped, hand clutching her side, sharp pain blooming across her abdomen.
“Damn it,” Coy hissed, the first hint of concern in his voice. “You tear that connection again, you’ll take us both out.”
Rosa steadied herself. “Override neural sync! Manual override!”
The simulation dissolved in a burst of static, leaving both women standing on the polished deck, breathless.
Sira’s face was pale with shock. “Commander, I... I lost control of the lateral drift. I didn’t...”
Rosa raised a hand. “Stop.”
Silence.
She waited for her own breathing to slow before she spoke again.
“That,” she said, “is why we don’t chase altitude. You hold steady, or you crash. Instinct doesn’t matter if it’s not tempered by control.”
Sira nodded, chastened. “Yes, ma’am.”
Rosa turned away, hiding the faint tremor in her hand. The neural pain still pulsed where Coy’s presence bled through the interface, an echo of her mistake.
“She panicked,” Coy said. “But you didn’t. You pulled her out. You like that, don’t you? Saving her.”
Rosa ignored him.
After cooldown, Rosa dismissed the cadet group and lingered at the edge of the holodeck. She was alone again, or as alone as she ever got.
The canyon shimmered faintly as residual energy dissipated. She reached out, hand brushing the air where the terrain had been, her reflection caught in the faint light.
Sira’s voice broke her reverie. “Commander.”
Rosa turned. The Bajoran cadet stood at attention, but there was something in her eyes, uncertainty mixed with gratitude.
“I wanted to apologize,” Sira said softly. “For the drop. I should’ve trusted my altitude.”
Rosa’s tone softened. “You corrected fast. You didn’t freeze.”
“I froze for a second.”
“That second’s what separates life and death,” Rosa replied. “And you learned from it. That’s what matters.”
Sira hesitated, then stepped closer. “You put yourself in danger to stabilize me. You didn’t have to.”
Rosa tilted her head. “Would you rather I hadn’t?”
“No, ma’am. But...”
“But nothing.” Rosa’s voice softened. “When you’re flying in tandem, your survival is shared. One mind steadies the other.”
Sira nodded, eyes flickering up. “It’s… strange. When I was linked, I could almost feel you.”
Rosa’s lips parted, then closed again.
“Tell her,” Coy whispered. “Tell her you felt her too.”
Rosa took a step back. “That’s the point of the exercise. Neural proximity enhances synchronization.”
“But it felt, different.”
Rosa cleared her throat. “That’s just your adrenaline. The first sync always does that.”
Sira nodded, though her gaze lingered, searching Rosa’s face for something unspoken.
When she finally turned to leave, Rosa exhaled slowly.
“She’s drawn to you,” Coy murmured, quieter now, almost thoughtful. “Not just admiration. Something deeper. And it terrifies you.”
Rosa’s answer was a whisper. “It should.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt her.”
“That’s new,” Coy said softly. “Maybe we’re both learning.”
For once, Rosa didn’t argue. The hum of the holodeck dimmed as she powered it down, her reflection fading into the dark.
TBC
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