Milestones

Posted on Wed Mar 25th, 2026 @ 11:07am by Commander Rin & Lieutenant Commander N'vok Holv & Lieutenant Camryn Shepard & Lieutenant Anthony Cardel & Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Reece [Reece] & Captain David Tonelly [Reece] & Cadet Freshman Grade Selenoa Ravari

Mission: Interlude
Location: Deck 4 — Arboretum, Level 3
3444 words - 6.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The Arboretum was packed. After days of repairs and mourning the dead, people were eager for a chance to step away and have something tangible to celebrate: their own successes and the successes of their comrades.

In dress uniform, Rin milled with the revelers, sipping a glass of red wine. She met congratulations with a nod, a thank you, and a genuine smile.

But she would never be great with crowds. She was mostly OK with that. But in moments like this she did feel a bit more like a visitor than a participant. And the Arboretum had memories. It was where Ebi had worked in his brief time aboard Elysium. Before the accident.

Anthony blinked in mild annoyance.

Was he getting fatter?

He wriggled in his dress uniform, shifting his body enough to settle into the stiffness of the material. He hadn’t worn the thing in nearly four years, and it showed in the slight bulge at his back. If he kept completely still and didn’t sit down, he’d be fine.

“No more carbs,” he muttered, poking at his side again, trying to decide whether it was extra fat or the result of time spent in the gym.

Anthony took one last look at himself and breathed in heavily, hoping to pull a pound in from his sides before exiting his quarters. He nodded politely to a passing lieutenant. It was a small thing, but over the last year or so it had helped him break out of his shell.

He arrived at the Arboretum. Hundreds of officers crowded the space. The mood was somber, but there was relief threaded through it. The worst of what the ship and crew had suffered was behind them.

He felt pride in what the crew had done, in what they had all done. It had come at a cost, even within his own department. His arm trembled for a moment as he fidgeted with something in his pocket.

“You would have liked this party, Givens,” Anthony said quietly to himself.

His eyes caught a glimpse of Commander Rin through several clusters of chatting crewmembers. Working his way through the crowd was slow, and he kept bumping into a lieutenant or an ensign.

“Congratulations, Commander,” Anthony said politely as he slipped past a waiter carrying a large tray of drinks.

“The department did good work,” he added, his gaze flicking briefly to her pips.

"It did," she acknowledged. With a bit of a smirk, she added, "and so did you."

Anthony smiled. He was proud of the work of the entire department. His team, small as it was, had really shone through. He even felt good about the work he had done. The months of uncertainty hadn’t dissolved all at once, but right now he was feeling something he hadn’t felt in years. Was it finally starting to change?

Anthony smiled again at Rin, then looked away, a bit ashamed at how good he felt. There had been a cost to all of this, and not just outside his department.

Rin's gaze made another pass through the Arboretum. "This... is not how I expected my life would go," she confided. "Heading the department on Elysium was surprising enough. Although, for whatever reason, the Elysium was having the worst time keeping Intel department heads. But this..." her free hand touched the new gold pip, "...this is... unexpected. Although being in another galaxy does mean no one can object."

"And who would object, Boss?" The familiar deep bass of Nicholas Reece sounded from behind Rin as he approached. Dressed in his equally immaculate dress uniform, he also sported a new rank pip. "Anyone who dares say you don't deserve that promotion will have to go through me first." He gave her a friendly grin and respectful dip of his head.

"I appreciate the sentiment, and congratulations to you as well. It's well deserved," Rin replied. "But you're not naive. I would have been lucky to even make Lt. Commander back home. I was fine with that. Or at least I thought I was." She frowned at the thought. Considering now, she realized she probably hadn't had that opinion for some time. "Maybe that had been the emotional regulator talking. I... appreciate being appreciated."

Anthony nodded respectfully to the newly minted commander. Even after almost a year on the ship, he sometimes felt like more of a stranger among the older crew. It was the lingering cost of drifting through Starfleet without a plan for years. Still, with a fresh win behind him, he felt a small boost of confidence.

“There’s a long queue of crewmembers on that list, Commander,” Anthony said, half serious, half joking. This was what people had always told him was the path to promotion. Not competence or proficiency, but schmoozing with other officers at cocktail parties. He felt a twinge of revulsion that left a sour taste at the back of his throat. One step forward, two steps back, eh, Anthony? he thought to himself.

"I'm sure. A good half dozen at least," Rin said with a smirk. Her humor generally came in two forms: absolute deadpan, and deadpan with a smirk at the end. The deadpan could sometimes be infuriating, if she was saying something half-believable. The smirk was like punctuation, a signal at the end of a sentence indicating "thus endeth the joke." Sometimes it was friendly. Sometimes it felt like she was just taking pity on the hapless listener. Tonight it was the former.

There were times where she was more free, but it generally involved someone she was very close with, or else a fair amount of alcohol, neither of which happened very often.

She looked at her mostly empty wine glass. "I still haven't figured out how to do these events. How to relax with people," she confessed.

Anthony started to feel a little out of step. There were plenty of people he didn’t know, and instead of trying to interject himself into the group he nodded quietly to Rin and blended back into the crowd of officers.

By the time the next round of conversation picked up, he had already slipped out into the corridor.

Camryn walked through the crowd, sipping her mocktail. She lost the umbrella somewhere in the din. Someone might have nabbed it, not that she's mad about it. Approaching the group in her engineering uniform, she replied to Rin with a shrug, "I've been alive since the early 2300s, not knowing how to relax around people. Let me know if you do, Commander."

"I've been told I used to be a party girl, so if I ever remember how...I'll probably never tell anyone, honestly," Rin said. "Congratulations on the promotion, Lieutenant."

“Thanks, Commander, though,” Cam looked at her half empty mocktails, swirling the dark colored drink before finishing, “It hasn’t hit yet.”

Rin looked at her empty glass. "Right, I definitely need another glass of something. Recommendations?"

Cam replied, offering a suggestion, “Have you tried a Roy Rogers? It’s pretty good. It might not hit as it’s non alcoholic.” She shrugged, lightly sipping her drink. She exhaled, muttering, “Wonder what happened to my drink umbrella. I really wanted it.”

While the women talked, Nicholas had peeled off to the bar to refresh his synth mojito. He over heard the conversation and requested both the Roy Rogers and a new cocktail umbrella.

After securing his cargo, the tll man moved back over to the group. "Here we are...one Roy Rogers for you to try, Ma'am," he handed the drink over to Rin, then turned to Cam, offering the small, pink decoration with a grin. And a replacement cocktail umbrella for you, Cam."

Rin looked with suspicion first at the Roy Rogers and then at Nicholas. "I appreciate the gesture, but this is not going to get me through this event," she said, sipping.

Cam looked up at the tall man with suspicion, accepting the umbrella gingerly. She replied, raising her eyebrow, "Thanks." Turning over to Rin, she sipped her drink and twirled the pick through her fingers, replying, "It doesn't have to. You can, you know, pretend it's working. I do that sometimes.

"I can barely socialize with a couple of drinks. A couple of pretend drinks is not going to cut it." This was a very weird conversation, Rin thought. "I'm going on drink reconnaissance. Anyone want to join me?"

Nicholas nodded. "I'll go with you, Commander."

Rin made her way to the bar and got herself a whiskey sour. "Not creative, but I suspect this is going to be long evening," she quipped to Nicholas before taking a sip. "Honestly, the promotion thing is a bit weird. Before you protest, I'm not saying I don't deserve it. But...I just got a promotion. That one was earned. Arguably overdue. I did run the battle bridge in my pyjamas. I feel that was worthy of commendation. But this..."

She shrugged as they started to walk back toward the group. "A bunch of you absolutely earned them. They're a long time coming. We've just been busy trying not to die. It's just weird, for me. Or maybe it's just..."she waved a hand. "...all of this. Although, with a bit of luck, a Borg pinata will not be involved this time."

Nicholas gave Rin a sober look, then asked quietly, "Permission to speak freely, Ma'am?"

"Of course, Nicholas."

Nicholas paused, gently halting Rin's movement with a hand on her elbow. When he looked into her eyes, his conveyed a sense of earnestness. "Ma'am...from someone who has nearly died at the hands of others, on more than one occasion, I feel that any form of celebration, be it a promotion, award ceremony, or pizza party...is simply how our superior officers recognize us for our accomplishments. So clearly, the Commodore must have felt that you deserved you promotion, even after recueving the previous one not so long ago. Also, you do remember that combat-earned praise does come faster than peace time ones do."

He took a breath, then continued. "You deserved the promotion, Ma'am, and I am honored to serve under you."

"Noted, and thank you," Rin said, taking a longer pull of her drink. This was going to be a long evening.

Nicholas nodding in reply, and the two Intelligence officer returned the group.

N'vok arrived. Nodding politely to those he recognized. For the moment, he was content to observe, there would be time to congratulate his friends later.

Cam nodded, "Commander."

It took a split second for N'vok to realize Camryn was addressing him. "Lieutenant Shepard, how are you on this fine night?"

Cam nodded, noticing the others slipped out to get stuff. Drinking the last of her mocktail, she replied to N'Vok, "Doing good. Trying to stay afloat. How about you, commander?"

"It seems that I am not used to the new rank yet," he said. "Though I suspect the extra pay will be welcome when we make it back home." His dry presentation makes it unclear if that is intended as a joke.

Rin gave a nod to N'Vok a nod at the sentiment. "We've been spending a lot of time thinking about how to survive: the accident, the Arena, the Ice World, the Galatonians. I think it we should consider *why* we want to survive. Why we want to go home. What is waiting for us there."

She held up her glass in toast. "I'm going home to spend more time with my god children. I don't know what that's going to look like, especially after our long absence. But I want...I *plan*... to be a bigger part of their lives." She paused, considering whether to say anything more. Eh, fuck it. "And I'm going to have a long conversation with my ex about feelings, and I have absolutely no idea how that's going to go, but I literally decided I would the day before the accident, so here I am. So, I'm going home for family."

She clinks her glass against any drink offered in toast and takes a swallow, thinking this is going to be very awkward if no one follows suit.

"I am returning home to remain with Starfleet," said N'vok, obtaining and raising a glass of silvery liquid. "This unexpected journey has shown that we are a positive force in the Galaxy and something I wish to continue supporting." He nodded to Rin. "But, I also intend to take some time to visit my family and repair ties as needed."

Nicholas had been very thoughtful when Rin mentioned her family. Finally, he ra8sed his glass as well. "First thing Cass and I are doing, is taking our baby girl to Betazed. We need to figure out how much those fucking slavers messed with her DNA and natural Betazoid abilities." His jaw clenched at the memory of the hell he and Cass had been through because of the Thaielia. There was a part of him, many parts in fact, that wanted to head back to that slaver homeworld and glass the entire surface.

Cam nodded, raising her glass also. She listened to them, replying, "I wasn't assigned to the Elysium, but I came here for my daughter. She attends the academy on the ship. Then, everything went sideways and we end up halfway to another galaxy. I didn't plan for this. We didn't plan for this, to have our lives get set upside down and thrown haphazardly. No one asked for this. I didn't, but I will work hard. I will do whatever I can with my team to bring us home. I promise. For my daughter. For you. For us all."

"Where did you previously serve?" Rin said after another clinking of glasses.

Cam nodded, clinking her glass, "A listening station monitoring signals in space.""

Nicholas caught the unspoken words in Cam's statement as soon as she said it. However, good to his training, he didn't let any of it show.he briefly caught Rin's eyes as he turned his head to casually look around, smile at some of the others in attendance. He felt that she had heard it too.

It would be something to discuss later, in a more secure location.


TAG any


Meanwhile, hidden atop the second balcony of the party, Sele hid. Cloaked against the darkness of the dimly lit Arboretum, the small charcoal colored Orion Vulcan hybrid blended into the background as she sneakily slipped in and out among the partygoers. Seeing an officer place a full glass of a cocktail on the table, she nabbed it quietly and placed a stolen cocktail umbrella she took from a strange blonde-haired lady in a gold uniform. Sipping the cocktail, she jumped onto the small counter and observed the festivities with a keen eye. Exhaling, she blinked, her mysterious eyes scanning each person with a calculating glance.

As if appearing at her side, Marine Captain, David Tonelly, current Commendant of the AStarflwet Academy Annex, here on Elysium. "Enjoying the party, Miss Ravari?" His voice was just low enough for her to hear it over the din of the celebration.

Sele craned her neck, looking up. Her Vulcan ears twitched slightly. Despite her petite size of five feet five inches, she felt less crowded at the party. Raising her eyebrow, the half-Orion sipped her stolen cocktail, replying, "Eh, it's fine. Just...crowded. Sir."

David grinned softly, as he glanced around the compartment. "Sometimes crowds are a good thing," he said as he turned his knowing eyes on her. "They help us hide from what we are running from."

She looked up, watching him. Her pointed ears twitched again as she raised her eyebrow, "Oh, I know what I'm running from, sir. What are you running from?"

David looked into the young woman's eyes for a long moment. He knew her personnel file front and back. He also knew that there were some major inconsistencies with ir, but in the here and now, everyone deserved a chance.

"Me?" He replied with a gently grin. "I'm not doing either. I don't have that luxury. I have a family and a crew that depends on me. I'm right where I need to be." He took a sip of his drink, then asked, "Have you decided on which specialty you'd like to focus on yet?"

"Intelligence," she replied, hesitating before pulling a small piece of bread from her pocket and nibbling on it. She jumped off from the counter, dropped some crumbs onto the ground and quickly blended into the crowd.

David watched the young woman hop off the bar and move through the crowd. He knew she was running from something painful, but, did not know what at the time. Instead of pressing her for information, he decided to give her space. Though she had been on board for a little over a year, he could see that she was still not fully trusting of others yet.

It would clearly take time.

Moments later, she reappeared near the group and subtly placed the last bit of her bread into Cam's pocket innocently. She looked around at the group, her curiosity piqued, "What were we talking about?" Her ears could catch most things, but some words got lost in subspace.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice to his right, Nicholas looked down and saw the young woman who had asked the question. "Can we help you, Cadet?" While the tone of his question wasn't rude, it was clear that he was ensuring that she knew that she had inserted herself into a conversation between senior officers. Not something a cadet should do, if they wish to have a promising career.

After subtly removing her hand from Cam's pocket, the five foot five inches tall half Orion Vulcan looked up at the stranger and gulped. She replied, deflecting his question with self-confidence, "Woooow, you're soooo tall."

Cam watched the little gremlin insert herself into the group and coughed, nearly spitting her drink. She coughed, looked at her empty drink and replied to the group, "Excuse me, I have to get a refill." As she excused herself, Sele shifted uncomfortably and blinked at the tall commander with innocence.

After Cam left the group, Nicholas turned his attention back to the short cadet standing to his left. "You didn't answer the question, Cadet." Though his voice was deep and powerful, there was a glint of mirth in his eyes.

Sele thought for a minute and replied, rubbing her neck, "Uhh, no idea, sir. No help needed. Can I help you?" She placed her hands in her pocket.

At this point, the Academy's Commendant stepped over to the group. "Commander Rin, Lieutenant Commander Reece, if hope my wayward cadet isn't bothering you two?" He gave Sele a slight wink as he looked down at her, while bracketing her between himself and Reece.

"I admit, I'm somewhat confused by this conversation and the bearing of this cadet," Rin said, throwing a glance at Sele. "Who seems to have forgotten her name and her manners."

Nicholas nodded in agreement with his department head. He then looked back down at the young woman. "Well cadet? You heard the Commander. Name, rank!" He practically barked the order, though there was an underlying gentleness to his words. Ge knew he could be intimidating by his size and the power of his voice. No need to scare the kid to death right there. However...proper rank respect did still need to be observed.

"Oh!" Sele replied, waving her hand, her Vulcan ears making a tiny wiggle in response. "Cadet Selenoa Ravari, reporting in!" She finished with a respectful mock salute.

David spoke up. "You'll have to forgive her enthusiasm. Even after all we have been through this year, she is still as energetic as always." He looked at his fellow officers and added, "Of course, that isn't really a bad thing either." Looking at Rin, he continued, "The young cadet here has stated that she would be interested in focusing on the Intelligence field as her major."

Nicholas chuckled at this as he looked back down at Sele. "Well then, Cadet Ravari, sounds like you'll be taking my class on infiltration methods, once you reach fourth year."

Cam walked to the bar and set her drink down on the counter, asking, "A refill, please." She raised her finger while placing her hand in her pocket. Feeling something soggy and crusty in her pocket, she pulled out half-eaten bread. Groaning, she placed the bread on the counter and left the party for the day.