Romyana Casparian

Cadet Romyana Casparian stood at the back of the bridge of the long distance federation transport vessel from where she could see the spectacular Trojan class Starbase growing bigger and more beautiful on the large view screen. The ship moved carefully closer toward the upper section of the base, preparing for the docking maneuvers. She was totally amazed by the enormity of the structure as it quickly occupied the entire view screen and continued to dwarf the entire ship. Then the view screen snapped into focus on an impossible sight - a blue planet she immediately recognized as Earth - the Starbase was nowhere near Earth! How could this be? A voice from her past spoke to her, and when she turned to look, she saw her good friend Cadet Nommi Jarr suddenly standing next to her. He sure wasn’t there before, he couldn't be, he was back on Earth. Then Romyana remembered how only a little while ago they stood, exactly like this, side by side watching the view screen on their voyage towards Earth. “We will beam down to the Academy directly from the parking orbit?” Nommi asked. “Yes. To San Francisco, the city. And finally we will take the monorail to cross the campus grounds.” Romyana whispered to not disturb the bridge crew. “Oh, I hope we don’t make any mistakes and get lost.” the Cadet worried. “Don’t worry, I’ve done it before. I’ve lived in this city for 2 years. We won’t get lost.” Romyana reassured him. For him it was the first time, though Romyana was returning from her cadet cruise to finish her fourth year. They had met on the deep space station and during those months became inseparable companions - two young and naive students whose mission seemed to be to give their mentoring superiors headaches, while enjoying a carefree life. She'd been ecstatic when he got the news that he was accepted to the Academy. *** “Well, this is it, the first year student dormitories. My room is in the thin high building way over there. The petty officer will fill you in on the rest.” Romyana said to Nommi when they had arrived at the entrance of building FD3 on the Starfleet Academy grounds. “So, where are you going now? You still have some free days left. How will you spend them?” “I haven’t thought of that yet.” “Maybe you can visit your family. They live in this city, you told me once.” “Hmm, maybe. Though, I think they are not very eager to see me.” Romyana said somberly. “And you? You must have missed them. Just go and see them... while you can.” Nommi tried to convince her and placed a hand on her shoulder to convey the importance of the last couple of words. Romyana decided to follow Nommi’s advice. He had lost his father a few years ago and he used to say that ‘you don’t realize how much you love a person until he is gone, then it will be too late’. “All right then. See you tomorrow!”. So Romyana put aside her stubbornness and went to see her mother and father. They both had positions at Starfleet Headquarters at the moment, so that is where she went first. It was right next to the Academy campus, she walked there through the park. It was a calm and sunny December day and it had been snowing the day before, so the grass was all covered in snow. It had been a long time since she had seen snow and her nose felt cold and tingly in the freezing air. At that moment she felt very content being back on Earth. It took the Ensign a while to find the whereabouts of her father and mother. Father had a free day and was at home, in the center of San Francisco. Mother was in her office, some floors up in the Headquarters building. Romyana went to see her first, as it was nearest. When she announced herself to the secretary, she was told to wait. The Ensign took a seat in the waiting lounge, but it took more than an hour before she was called inside the office. “The Captain will receive you now.” the secretary said monotonically. Anxiously Romyana stepped inside the office and approached the desk. While doing so she noticed the stern expression on her mother’s face didn’t change. The Captain didn’t show any sign of gladness for her daughter’s return. About halfway to the desk Romyana halted and croaked a greeting. “Hi mom.” “Have you forgotten how to salute an Officer, Cadet?” her mother said sternly, with the emphasis on Cadet. The young Cadet knew her mother was never one to show much emotion due to her Vulcan upbringing, but she was also half human and had been able to show some kind of tenderness when Romyana and her brother were young children. This certainly was not quite the welcome she’d expected. She stood at attention to salute her mother, who was a Captain in rank. “So tell me, they have sent you back home because they couldn’t use any inexperienced students out there.” mother said nastily and without any kind of expression on her face. “No, Ma’am. I have returned to finish the last of the fourth year classes, Ma’am. And I thought I might as well come and see you again.” Romyana said hopefully. “You might as well. Ah, has it been a year already then?” mother replied dryly. “More.” Romyana corrected. After a short tense pause, her mother spoke. “You have seen me now. Thank you for the announcement, you are dismissed, Cadet.” She wondered what had changed for her mother to become so distant like this. Was she still angry at her for what she did over a year ago? Despite the insecurity and hurt that Romyana felt due to her mother’s cold words she kept her head high, saluted and calmly left the room. Her mother remained ever emotionless. As soon as the Ensign closed the office door, tears came to her eyes. Partly angry, partly disappointed, she marched out of the building into the park and sat down on a bench, in a quiet corner near the water. There she sat motionless for a while, staring across the water's calm surface. She wanted to scream, throw something or maybe even punch someone - instead she counted slowly to seven. It was a trick her grandmother taught her on one of the rare occasions that the Vulcan relative left the home world to come see her -mostly- human grandchildren. “Romyana?” she heard a familiar male voice say in the distance. “What a nice surprise and wonderful coincidence to see you here!” The Cadet looked back over her shoulder and to her delight she saw her father approaching. She quickly wiped away her tears on the cuff of her uniform sleeve before he’d see she was crying. A smile came back to her face and he gave her his typical cheerful grin. Also a Starfleet officer, her human father had always supported and encouraged her to achieve the best in life. He sat down next to her on the bench, blew a hot breath on his hands to warm them up and folded them in his lap. “Well.” he said curiously, “How was it out there? Did you like it?” “Oh yes! It was wonderful, just as you had always told me. I met many people and different cultures, most are very kind. And I’ve learned so much.” Romyana said, her joyfulness had returned immediately when thinking back to her cadet cruise days. “The adventure you have been waiting for for so long, hey? I am glad it was as you expected.” “It was better than I expected!” “So you are finishing your fourth year classes now. Have you prepared well?” “Yes, I am confident about them.” “You have had a lot on your mind there, I’m sure. But you must try to score highest.” her father encouraged her. “Yes, I know. I will still go for top grades.” Romyana said reluctantly and produced a thin lipped smile. “Oh I’m sure about that. I don’t expect any less.“ he said, which only increased the pressure for Romyana to do well. “Why are you out here? You don’t have to work today.” “I thought I’d come and see your mother. I was planning on taking her out to lunch, and it is so beautiful to stroll through the snow.” father explained while looking out across the lake and the snow covered campus grounds. “Oh, well. I have to warn you then, she is in a bad mood today. She still hasn’t forgiven me.” “You have paid her a visit then? In that case, a good lunch is just what she needs.” father laughed the matter away. Romyana laughed too but she was not amused. “Well, I must be going now. I don’t want to anger her too. Oh, and do come by to have a drink or something. Your brother will be pleased to see you again. Goodbye.” he said whilst getting up from the bench. Then he marched away along the yellow path in between fluffy white and sparkling snow. Romyana sneezed. She thought it’d be best if she went inside her dormitory before catching a cold. She sneezed again and stood up from the bench and strolled through the snow, making the bottoms of her trouser legs cold and wet. She sneezed for the third time and found that she was suddenly back on the bridge of the transport vessel again and there was no-one standing next to her. It has just been a very vivid memory. On the view screen the Starbase’s huge dry dock area was revealed as the docking bay doors slowly opened. It was a captivating sight, and she stood gazing wide eyed, smiling from ear to ear of excitement. *** The ship had arrived at the station and it was time to disembark. Usually Nommi would be waiting for her just outside the airlock when she’d come back from a field trip, but now that would no longer be the case. Admittedly, they could always write or call, but she'd still miss him and his ever present positive attitude. The young Cadet would have to build herself a new life with new friends now, but Romyana knew she could do it, because she’d done it during the cadet cruise and she’d do it again on the Starbase. -END-

((OOC: When reading this I could see the scene play out in front of my eyes the descriptions are spot on, and the conversation manages to weave through different topics both in the character's recent lives as well as past events. Very well done!)) ((Science Department Holodeck Facility #1, Deck 547, Starbase 118)) German had been configuring the holodeck to meet the right specs, but more he just wanted the room to look just the right way. He hadn’t seen Ayiana Sevo for a while after they were training officers together quite some time ago. After the barrage of emails between the two senior officers, they agreed on a day to go over a rather unique subject that the Trill Commander had experienced. Part of the large area had a section where a conference room was laid which was where German was at as he poured some coffee from the pot into a mug. There was another next to it that was empty, but he determined that he shouldn’t fill it in case Ayiana didn’t want any. After he took a sip, he grabbed a PADD on the table and then leaned backwards against the wall trying to make more sense of what the Gorkon had experienced. There wasn’t as much detail in the report which made sense given how important it was to summarize what happened than to dispel anything to any prying eyes. Dozens of light-years away, Ayiana stood in one of the Gorkon’s holodecks, the blank black-and-yellow grid surrounding her like an unpainted canvas. She was surprised to hear from Commander Galven in recent weeks; aside from a training class the two ran some months back on Starbase 118, she hadn’t seen him since his own final exam. He had nearly blown up a bomb in her face. German was mostly curious about Ayiana’s scientific papers, especially her theories on the recent Q encounter; more precisely, her own hypothesis on the nature of the Q. Some people had told her to drop it; by their very nature, the Q were unknowable and beyond understanding. Ayiana couldn’t accept that; to her, everything in the universe was explainable with science. This was the most unusual part. Galven had insisted they meet via holo-conferencing, a technology that had been up-and-coming in recent years. It was more personal than staring into a flat viewscreen, but she couldn’t help but feel some trepidation. With a final sigh of anxiousness, Ayiana established the connection. The blank grid disappeared around her, replaced with a lush furnished conference room in standard Starfleet decor. If she didn’t know any better, it could have been one of a dozen such rooms on the Gorkon itself. Sevo: Hello? The only other occupant in the room was a lanky man with his back to her. He wore one of the newly-issued Starfleet uniforms, a far cry from the grey-on-black jumpers with department undershirt. The new design was reminiscent of the uniforms worn just before the Dominion War, albeit with a slightly different shoulder design, subtle chevron stitching in them, and a wholly redesigned combadge. All-in-all, it looked sharp. She was still wearing the old, military-esque uniforms with a skirt. Galven: ::turns quickly around:: When did you get here? I didn’t hear you come in. Sevo: That’s what happens when you’re a hologram. Poof! :: She mimed an explosion with her hands. :: Ayiana took in the sight of the man. It had been a while since she’d seen him and his appearance seemed to have changed slightly. He stood the same height as her, but his hair was short-curled greying black. Characteristic Denobulan ridges ensconced his jovial face. Galven: ::wry grin:: Perhaps you’re right. ::shrugs:: Maybe not. Anyways, would you like some coffee? Sevo: Not unless I’m hungover, but shore leave is just getting started. You wouldn’t believe the mission we’ve had. :: She paused. :: I’ll take a Pepsi, though. When the redheaded senior officer remarked that a hangover hadn’t happened yet, German smirked as the thoughts ran through his mind. Momentarily shaking his mind off, he approached the panel and brushed his fingers along the numbered codes. Galven: Computer, activate G-SBH-001, requesting a Terran carbonated soda beverage and a Denobulan subterranean medium roast coffee. A holographic attendant appeared behind a small bar tucked into one corner. He quickly busied himself with her order while she strolled over to a couch. She sat down, crossing her legs and propped an elbow on the armrest. Sevo: I have to say, this is an unexpected venue. Is this really a holodeck? :: She half-wondered if it was a real room with holoemitters. :: German had walked over to the bar to grab their drinks once the holo-attendant finished when Ayiana was mesmerized with one of the newest holodeck features. When he walked back, he had to admit that even though uniform dress skirts were a little dated that the clothing actually fit her body type. As he sat her drink on the three legged metallic steel end table next to her side of the couch, German sat down on a black curved chair, slightly diagonal from where Ayiana was sitting, still holding his mug. Galven: ::nods:: It is. ::takes a sip:: One of the newest editions with the latest updates. Sevo: I don’t think I’ve communicated like this before. It’s much more...real. Galven: One of the many perks being on the starbase. I can send you the schematics if you're interested along with the upgrades for it to properly run in one of the holodecks on the Gorkon? Sevo: I’m sure we’ll get it during our next layover. As a Task Force flagship, we get all the bells and whistles. Besides, we’re upgraded enough to have this little chat, right? :: She winked at him as she took a sip. :: Galven: ::shrugs:: The offer is always there. ::grins:: So, how have you been? A lot of things have happened ever since we last trained some cadets together. Sevo: Indeed. You’ve got a few more pips on that collar. You haven’t blown anyone else up, have you? :: She eyed him playfully. :: Galven: More or less. We've been trying to locate a group of Klingon cultists that have devised a poisonous bioweapon. A powerful gas that kills Klingons instantly and other species. Sevo: That doesn’t seem very honorable. Klingons regard the use of poison as a coward’s weapon. Galven: I'm more interested in what you and the Gorkon crew have encountered. You said in one of the emails about encountering Q, right? Sevo: Yea. She put us in an alternate reality based on an earlier experience we had in a dream state. The difference is, this time I remember *everything* that happened. German leaned forward a little and took a sip of his drink. He was already getting pretty enthralled in what she was saying which was more than what German had to offer because he didn’t have anything to say when she paused for a second. Sevo: Don’t know how much you’ve read up on the Gorkon’s mission reports, but a couple of years ago we were captured by a renegade Trill who put us in a collective dream. We thought we were a Maquis cell still fighting the Cardassians. Anyway, Q used that as the basis of her own “science experiment.” I think she wanted to see what made us tick. Galven: That doesn’t sound like she was very experienced at all. Sevo: I got the impression that she was relatively young, or at least naive, for a Q. She wanted to learn and know about us. Galven: Well, I know about one thing. We are a pretty explosive bunch. ::chuckles as he playfully tapped her knee:: So how did you guys get out of it? Ayiana ignored the bad joke, obviously referring to the incident between them at Galven’s final exam simulation. Sevo: *We* didn’t. :: She emphasized the “we.” :: Q did. She got all the data she wanted from us, then popped us back to the Gorkon at the exact moment we left. To those around us, it looked like we hadn’t left at all. Except that one moment we were fine, then the next we were sprouting injuries. Ayiana took a sip of her soda, letting Galven soak in the news. Sevo: I don’t suppose you’ve had any experiences like that, huh? Galven: I can’t say the same for me. There haven't been any missions like that, only personal struggles and demons. Sevo: Oh, I’ve had those too. Care to give an example? Ayiana paused again, finishing her first quarter of the sandwich, took a sip of wine, then moved on to the second quarter. Sevo: Anyway, what’s this about you in the *BORG UNIMATRIX?!* :: She emphasized the last words rather loudly. :: He nearly choked on his sandwich, but caught himself in time. Her raised tone made him realize that not everyone had heard about his experiences as well as being able to create a way to go in and out of the unimatrix. Galven: Oh, yeah. Well ::takes a drink:: It started about several years before I even considered joining Starfleet. Another scientist and I worked on stray Borg nanobots and with enough tachyokinetic energy conversion, we were able to minimize it into an ocular device allowing me to enter into the unimatrix. It took her a moment to translate the technicals he just explained. Sevo: So...you don’t actually connect your mind to it? It’s more like a virtual reality tour? Still sounds dangerous. Anything having to do with the Borg is dangerous. We’ve been lucky not to cross paths with them. Galven: Eh… well… that was the plan in the beginning until there was an accident. I don’t remember too much of what happened, but during my first mission on the Veritas, I was trying to disconnect a drone from the Hive Mind when they caught on to my device and used that to partially assimilate me without me even realizing they did so. Ayiana nearly choked on her sandwich; a look of surprise and fear was on her face. Sevo: You nearly got *ASSIMILATED?!* :: She was beginning to think Galven was rather reckless. :: He stopped to take a drink and waited for the next reveal so that she could digest more about what he said. After a few seconds, he took another drink and began speaking again. Galven: ::shakes his head:: No nearly. Another mission aboard the Montreal, a Klingon terrorist had poisoned me which activated the nanoprobes that I injected into myself during those earlier years which acted as a bridge leading towards my nervous system which I basically assimilated myself, but it actually saved my life by improving my nervous system to act as a strong barrier from the poison that would’ve killed anyone else. She paused, taking a long, slow chug of her drink. Sevo: I’m going to need more bloodwine… :: She paused, finishing the mug. :: So you still have the nanoprobes in you? :: Ayiana eyed Galven up and down suspiciously, as if he was ready to burst into a Borg at any moment. :: Galven: Don’t worry. The nanoprobes were taken out by Lael. You can even see for yourself if you want? Lael Rosek. Ayiana remembered her; served with the woman for a time on the Victory and Gorkon. Sevo: No, I’ll take your word for it. Glad to hear Lael is doing well. How is her spinal injury? He didn’t even realize he said Lael’s name until Ayiana said it back to him. As he furrowed his brow and took the rest of his drink. German really tried to find the words that were suddenly lost on him. As if a long forgotten memory had just been burned into his mind. Galven: Computer. Another round of drinks. Double on the Ale. Ayiana paused her meal, blinking. Did she say something wrong? The last time he had seen her was very short and sudden. With all the work German busied himself with, he hadn’t had the chance to mourn the loss of the relationship. Galven: ::murmurs:: She had to stop taking the medicine when she found out we were pregnant. ::grasps his second drink:: Last time I heard, she was doing well enough. ::grasps the mug with both hands:: The sudden transfer orders the Astraeus received really affected her. ::takes a drink:: I lost her when the baby was lost. ::clears his throat:: Win some and you lose some, right? Anyways, that was too much to say and to put on you. I apologize. Ayiana straight up dropped her food on her plate, completely forgotten. She stared right at Galven. Sevo: *Pregnant?!* I haven’t heard from her in a while but...she was...you were…damn. She paused again, taking a long, slow sip of wine, more to shut her mouth than anything else, while she regained her composure. Sevo: I...I’m sorry. I didn’t know you and her were like that. I’m sorry for your loss. Galven: I chose not to have our relationship broadcasted so others wouldn’t think my promotions and awards were given to me because I was sleeping with the First Officer. No need to apologi-- Sevo: Don’t put down the loss so quickly. You lost *a child.* I have no idea how I’d feel if that happened, and I’ve had several over the centuries. It was a good thing that she had interrupted him because he hadn’t put two and two together ever since the news broke about it. German was always a workaholic, but when something so tragic happened, he would hammer down which would help his memory from thinking about any of those transgressions. Galven: ::stares at his mug:: Her name was going to be Galilea Belle. I was so excited about finally being a father. ::smiles softly, lost in thought as he saw more of his reflection in the mug:: The things I was going to spoil her with. It hasn’t been easy, but Lael is most likely better off without someone like me. ::takes a sip, then glances back up at Ayiana:: Are you seeing anyone? Ayiana smiled as Galven revealed his daughter’s name. Sevo: That’s a beautiful name. I’m sure you would have been a great father. :: She took a sip of her freshly refilled wine. :: No, I’m not at the moment. I hope you’re not asking...I mean...we just met...again...um… :: This time, she stuffed her mouth with a large bite of the sandwich.:: oO SHUT. UP. MOUTH. Oo Galven: ::chuckles:: I wasn’t asking, but more like trying to reverse engines on myself for the time being. I wouldn’t be a great candidate to match your prowess anyways. ::extends his mug to klink hers as a signal hopefully allowing the awkwardness to drift away:: She lifted her mug, completing the toast. Sevo: Well, I haven’t exactly had the best luck with relationships recently. Not sure what you’ve heard about me or my… “prowess”? You mean my work? Galven: Your work and being the best training officer to work with as a cadet and trainer. Even though we’re galaxies apart, I still like to brush myself up with what other scientists are doing. Especially Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo. My students hear enough about you from me. ::smirks with a wink as he takes a drink:: Her cheeks were starting to turn a shade remarkably similar to the bloodwine she was drinking. Sevo: Heh, thanks, I guess. I keep up with most of the scientific community, and I’ve seen your name here and there. You’ve become something of a celebrity among temporal mechanics circles. Galven: I don’t know about celebrity status, but when you’ve got plenty of time to work on, there’s suddenly even more time to further more research. ::smiles at his own bad pun:: Sevo: :: She arched an eyebrow at the bad joke. :: Ha. Ha. Ayiana smiled at German as she took a sip of her wine. She was glad to meet another scientist, and someone who made her laugh. JP written by Lt. Commander German Galven 2O/Chief Science Officer 6reatDane@gmail.com Starbase 118 Ops - USS Narendra V239507GG0 “Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life.” - Abraham Lincoln & Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo Research Coordinator U.S.S. Gorkon V239109AS0 “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” -Carl Sagan

Ooo, Yay! Many, many thanks to @Sheila Bailey for the great cooperation for this sim. And Kudo's to @German Galven for combining them into this post. ~ Rebecca

Hello Tobias, Welcome to the SB118 community. Your character introduction is like reading the start of an exiting sci-fi adventure novel. I can't wait to read the rest of the chapters! (And lucky me, since you are now also stationed on Ops, my character gets to be in those chapters from time to time.) Happy simming! ~ Rebecca

Thank you for the compliment! I didn't think my very first post would be worth a special appreciation. This is very motivating and I cannot wait to write more and sim with the others aboard SB118 Ops. Ciao! ~ Romyana Casparian

Hello Jeriko, Welcome to the SB118 community. I enjoyed reading your introduction. So much information in a few paragraphs and still a pleasant read. Well done! Hope you will enjoy your time here. Ciao! ~ Romyana Casparian O239703RC0

Hello everyone! My name is Rebecca, I am from the Netherlands, have a fondness for mills, cheese and tulips, but do not wear clogs. Ever since I was a little girl, I had a facination for the moon and the stars. When the teacher asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, most of my 7 year old peers said policeman or doctor. When it was my turn I said, "Astronaut". Sadly, when I grew up I realised the chances of this becoming a reality were VERY small, especially because I have a liver deficiency and to go into space one needs to be top fit. So, dream shattered? No, dream adjusted. I would not go into space myself but I could build stuff that went into space. The very next best thing! So with the new goal in mind, I studied hard and my aptitude for technology helped me to get good enough grades to enter into a technical university. When the head teacher asked what I wanted to study next I said "Aerospace Technology". He looked at my grades and told me I did not have all straight A's on my scorecard, so as a girl it would be better to choose something a bit more fitting... Dream adjustment again? No way! This time... I already knew I could achieve what I wanted as long as I would set my mind to it and so... ignored the teacher and did it anyway. It was the best choice I ever made. At the beginning of my Aeronautical Engineering studies, I worked on Fokker 100 aircraft maintenance, dove into the student life of Delft, spent 6 months working on design stress and fatigue calculations in the UK, had a blast developing and building a lightweight fire extinguisher as graduation project and visited many schools in the country to enthuse kids to study Technology. (Okay, and I did lots, and lots, and lots of homework and cramming for exams) Now, 13 years later, graduated Aeronautical Engineer and managing the Quality Assurance team for one of Europe's biggest Satellite Constellation projects! I am single, so the person I love most in my life at the moment is my younger sister. 😉 No pets. Had some fish for a while, but the tank did not fit in the car when I moved to Germany, where I currently live. My work takes me all over the world and I enjoy to meet new people and explore new cultures. Gardening 🌷 is the Jin, to my technology filled work, Jang. It keeps me balanced. (in other words, it prevents me from going totally insane, though I am already a bit bonkers...) Each time in spring when seeds start to germinate or the new growth starts to appear, I think to myself, what a wonderful world we live in. And I think the same when an airplane takes off or when a used rocket lands back on a platform in the middle of the ocean. Oh, and I do not have to tell you that whilst I was dream chasing I became a massive Star Trek fan! After having seen DS9, Voyager and ST Enterprise air on tv, I eagerly awaited the next series, but year after year only repeats were broadcast and eventually the ST universe seemed to have become totally silent. To satisfy my yearning for new episodes, I started to write them myself. Now, over a decade later, luckily Star Trek is back, but I still enjoy the creative process of fantasising and writing. However, typing on a pc in the evenings is a lonely business.... Imagine the smile on my face when I found the SB118 community! I am ready. Beam me up!