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17 Forward (Anyone welcome)

Posted Feb. 5, 2021, 3:27 p.m. by Ensign Matthew Riley (Science Officer) (Nathan Miller)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharah Fayth (Chief Science Officer) in 17 Forward (Anyone welcome)

Posted by Ensign Matthew Riley (Science Officer) in 17 Forward (Anyone welcome)
<snip>

Claude sat down carefully placing his tray on the table as to not spill his tea. “Yes, Yes I did.” he replied, “I needed to get out of the lab. I realized after looking at the chronometer that I had not eaten in some time.”

As he spoke he realized that he had just started talking, and not even introduced himself. His social skills were truly eroding once he transferred to the Ark Angel. After wiping his hand on a napkin, he stood for a moment and extended his hand. “I am Claude Genard, I’m one of the General Scientists. Please excuse me for not introducing myself previously. Also, Thank you for allowing me to join you.”

  • Lt. Genard

Telana smiled at the gallantry of standing to introduce himself. She was fond of manners—it was one thing she really liked about Andone—the woman was calm and polite. She took his hand and gave it a shake. “Nice to meet you, Ensign Genard, general scientist. I am Telana Bray, first officer.” The mention of her position wasn’t done to make him feel awkward. Bray was simply giving him the same information about herself that he’d chosen to introduce himself with.

She gave a nod towards his chair, silently asking him to sit once again. “I find looking out at space to be relaxing, so I often come here when I need to think.”

—Bray, XO

Charra entered the 17 forward and stopped for a moment. Seeing so many stars that the view had, as well as so many officers at once, and she stumbled a bit. Ordering a mocha and some food, she continued to scan the room, looking for a place to sit. After her tray is handed to her, she stood and stared in quiet.

Ensign Charra Lana, medical officer

Flint saw his colleague enter in the distance and looking a little lost after receiving her tray.

He waved his hand in the air as to catch her attention and motion her to his area, a stool next to him was vacant.

“Like me, she might need a pickup…” he thought to himself.

  • Ensign Locke, Medical Officer

As the doors swished open to the crowded lounge, Riley realized that he likely wasn’t the only one seeking comfort, relaxation, or familiarity after today’s events. He paused, taking in the variety of crew assembled. He spotted Claude among the sea of unfamiliar faces, but he was seated with… was that the XO? He refocused his attention on the port side bar and made his way there.

“What’ll you have?” the bartender asked, and Riley almost laughed at how nearly every bartender he’d ever met used that exact phrase.

“Centaurian brandy, neat, please,” he responded, strumming his fingers on the bar top.

The bartender turned and squatted at a cabinet behind the bar, opening it and shuffling some bottles. Riley expected him to use a replicator, so this surprised him. “I have an ‘84 and an ‘86,” the man replied, standing with the two bottles, setting them on the bar and retrieving a highball glass.

Matthew looked at the two bottles for a moment. “‘84, please.”

The barman opened the specified bottle and poured a practiced measure into the glass, sliding it across to the ensign. He started capping the bottle, and Riley slammed the drink back, gulping it down. He got none of the flavors he enjoyed from the drink so much, but the gentle burn as it made its way down his throat soothed him. The bartender raised an eyebrow.

“The ’84s are strong, but it wasn’t a great flavor year,” Riley said, setting the glass down. “Now, ‘86 on the other hand, was a great year for flavor.” He pushed the glass forward, and the bartender switched bottles, pouring the new drink. Riley lifted this one and took a small sip, letting the liquid remain in his mouth for a moment, spilling across his tongue before swallowing. He sighed. “Yeah. That’s… beautiful. Thank you.”

The bartender began putting away the bottles and Riley looked out across the room, then wound his way to the nearby stairs to the upper deck, taking a spot leaning his forearms on the railing overlooking the lounge below and the huge windows out into space. He tried not to look at the unknown stars, but he couldn’t, and the expanse out there seemed to stretch before him. He closed his eyes and sipped the drink, then watched the people below as he cradled the glass in both hands.

Ensign Riley, Science

Today had been a long day, and Sharah wanted nothing more than to go home. First Q, then everything that came with it afterwards, the staff meeting, the shuttle bay, and then meeting with Drudoc. But today was not a day to be selfish. One of her jobs as a department head was to make sure her staff was not only fit for duty but was fit outside of duty as well. She smiled slightly thinking of Lt Mika. She was always available off hours to the cadets she was responsible for and even those she wasn’t. Dr. Zarath, on the Europa, was as well. Sharah wanted to be like them as a department head. So with that in mind, she headed to 17 Forward. She sent Joseph a note so he’d know where she would be and he could join her, if and when his duties allowed him. Otherwise she’d see him later.

She entered the upper part of the lounge and looked around. She made her way around towards the replicators, not in any hurry. She stopped to talk to anyone from her department and anyone else she knew, even if only briefly. She even knew some of the security officers. A couple asking her where Lt Rainns was, but unlike the security cadets on Challenger, their question was genuine. Stopping at a replicator she ordered an uttaberry juice. Like many in the lounge that night, she was thinking of family she may never see again. It was an almost overwhelming sense of melancholy among the hundreds, thousands, of unguarded thoughts and emotions making up the mental sea of the ship. Sharah breathed and rose above it looking at the crew with clear eyes. Sad yes, scared yes, but their situation was not hopeless. She continued to move around the room. She saw Genard with the XO on the level below and smiled. It didn’t surprise her that he was willing to approach the XO, she was just another person to him. She liked him, he was an amazing science officer and she had no regrets about putting him in charge of the general labs. Which brought her to Riley. She looked around and spotted him on the other side of the upper deck and made her way over. He was fresh from the academy and she didn’t regret putting him in charge of astrometrics either. She walked over towards him. “Not the assignment you expect when graduating the academy is it?” And where was his ever faithful stylus?
Lt. jg Fayth, CSO

In another circumstance, Riley would have stood to attention, but the alcohol had relaxed him, without making him drunk just yet. He raised his glass slightly to Fayth. “Hey Boss.” He took a small sip of the amber liquid. “Not precisely, no.” He gave a small chuckle. “Not sure anything at the Academy could have prepared me for…” He gestured across the room with the glass, mostly toward the windows. “…this.”

He rolled the glass between the palms of his hands, staring at it, still leaning on the rail, before he finally looked at the stars. “Part of me is excited. We’re going to see things here that won’t even be visible to our galaxy for thirty-two billion years. This is the literal final frontier, the very edge of the known universe - we may even be able to see what’s beyond this, if there even is anything else out there. We have the opportunity to quite literally expand scientific knowledge.”

He turned his back to the wall of windows and leaned his lower back against the rail overlooking the floor below. “Doesn’t do much good when no one else will ever know.” He sipped the drink again, eyes looking at the back wall, but focused on nothing.

“It’s not even that I’m missing anyone in particular,” he spoke again after a moment. “It’s more of a… an existential dread.” He furrowed his brow. “I’ve never had that before, but that’s the best way I can describe this. I -“ He suddenly stopped and looked at Sharah. “Sorry, Boss. I tend to ramble when I drink. Well, I tend to ramble when I don’t drink, too. Huh. Maybe I just tend to ramble all the time.”

He sipped his drink again, staring at the wall. I wanted to be alone, he thought, but not really. So thanks, Boss.

  • Ensign Riley, Science

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