Theo Whittaker

To be honest- it should probably replace the quote on the ship's dedication plaque!

Congratulations on your graduation and welcome to the fleet!

@Karrod Niac

After classic from the master of shade, @Genkos Adea:

This made me chortle into my morning coffee.

Another one from @Arys that had me howling with laughter!

😂

Congratulations Ensign! I hope you have an amazing journey with us!

It’s taken almost ten hours for me to get that joke. 😐

Honestly, Gott is already in my Top 5 favourite 118 characters -of all time!- and this post really reinforces why that is. @Karrod Niac has created such an indelible character and we have to stan!

I double checked but Tuesdays are usually reserved for us to solve the latest galaxy-destroying incident.

This was stunningly written and I felt from this one scene that I understood who @Maz Rodan was as a character. An absolute joy and pleasure to read ❤️ ((Deep Space 224 - Deck 9; Observation Room)) Maz felt most at peace gazing at the stars. He had such fond memories of his childhood stargazing into the Trill night sky. His thoughts drifted to Collins House in Maine, and the grand old observatory situated near the attic. He'd felt a comfort there, and half-wished he had access to the seemingly ancient technology the old clan Collins' used to use. He half-hoped David would begin regular upkeep on the telescope, but knew deep down that he wouldn't. The thought brought a small smile to his lips. Here, though, it was different. He stood in front of the massive windows of DS224, secured by force fields and transparent aluminum, The neutron star the station orbited pulsated regularly, and he felt a certain peace in the rhythm. The wonders of modern technology meant he could literally be this close to the star. So close, he could possibly touch it... His meeting with the Captain had been a learning tool, as always. The closer Maz got to command, and the easier it seemed to be able to navigate, the more it seemed he had to learn. Not for the first time he wished to be back in that royal blue uniform instead of the crimson red, tinkering with his scanners and sensors. No one had died beyond the Galactic Barrier. Not really. He felt his thoughts drift to Kelar, and wondered what his life would now be like all those thousands of light years away. Beside him, someone stepped up to the railing of the observation gantry and leant on it casually. They indicated the star in front of them. Maz still had his sunglasses on, and couldn't quite make out who it was by their reflection in the force field. Birack: Go on then, how hot is it? Without missing a beat, Maz replied almost computer-like. Rodan: Ten to the twelth power kelvin. Suddenly turning to see the identity of the speaker, Maz removed his aviators in an instant and grinned. Rodan: Lee! His old Academy friend - Lee Birack - stood next to him, grinning like a cat himself. Maz let out a genuine laugh and embraced the blonde haired man like a brother. Rodan: You son of a... what are you doing here? Birack: The Brave is docked for a little while. Saw the Arrow was this way on, and knew you wouldn't be far away from a viewing port. Maz smiled. He smiled so much his cheeks started to hurt. It had been a long time since he'd seen his old friend, and he looked well. Rodan: I got your last subspace letter. You made full Lieutenant on the Brave! Congratulations! Below them, the USS Brave - a Defiant class ship - was nestled in between the other Starfleet and civilian ships currently docked. Birack: Thanks, Nev. Though what a little warship like that needs with a Chief Science Officer I'll never know. Hey, congrats to you, too, Mr. First Officer! Maz almost blushed but took a gentle elbow to his ribs from his friend. Birack: CSO of the Dickens, then XO of the Arrow, that's quite a career! And you're Joined, too. I feel like you've grown up a lot since we shared a dorm at the Academy. You'll have to tell me what that's like! Rodan: Grown up too much, sometimes. It's a bit crazy, isn't it. ::Beat.:: It's good to see you, Lee! Lee nodded and patted Maz on the shoulder. Birack: I'm so glad you're here, man! He leaned closer almost conspiratorially. Birack: I know we haven't had a Storm Chaser meeting in a few years, not since the Academy... Maz nodded the affirmative. During his senior year he joined with Birack and a few others to experiment with developing the technology to create a galactic pre-warning system for ion storms. The drive and the energy was there, but Starfleet remained skeptical. There was never anything above a Category 2 storm in the entire sector, and Starfleet wouldn't authorise use of anything better than an old Class 2 shuttle for their research. After gathering as much data as they could in the field, their research seemed to fall stagnant. Birack: But... there's one developing three sectors away. A BIG one. Maz's mouth gaped open in comic surprise. Could he mean? Rodan: A Cat-5? Seriously!? Here? Birack nodded sagely then broke into a boyish smirk. Birack: Yup. It should give us enough data to perfect our proposal to Starfleet. Rodan: You mean you've got the sensor drones working? Birack: And my CO has convinced DS224 to authorise the use of a Runabout for the storm hunt. We're back in business, buddy! Suddenly, despite his doldrums after the Arrow's latest mission, he felt spurred into life. This was what he was passionate about. This was science! How long had he waited for a call from Lee to say their work could continue? What started out as a student's curiosity suddenly became a real, tangible goal. Rodan: I don't believe it. I'm literally so happy... Birack: So what do you say, Nev? You in? I need you. You're the best goddamn particle cascade mapper in the Quadrant, no! The galaxy! C'mon buddy, you could pick a grain of sand out of a black hole with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass... The Trill scoffed incredulously and rolled his eyes, but his friend patted him on the shoulder again. Birack: Say you're in? Maz looked at his friend in the eyes. He could see the passion and determination. He nodded, and caused the human man to punch the air in triumph. Rodan: You've got the Runabout? Birack: I've got it. Rodan: And the shielding? Birack: Laszlo is working on it as we speak. It's a green light! Rodan: I can't believe it... ::He thought for a moment.:: I'm gonna need a Class IX optrical calibrator scanner! I know where I can get one... He rushed off excitedly. Lee called out after him, and Maz turned and started walking backwards toward the large doors of the observation room. Rodan: I'll be back soon! I'll meet you at the bar in an hour! He turned back the right way and almost sprinted out of the Observation Room and into the massive corridor. He was excited beyond belief now, and fished his comm.badge out of the top pocket of his loud Hawaiian shirt. Rodan: =/\= Rodan to Collins! =/\= Collins: Response Of all the people he knew on the Arrow, he knew Quentin would be most intrigued by this new venture, and he'd love to share it with him. Rodan: =/\= Have you ever wanted to fly head on into a Category 5 ion storm in the name of science? =/\= Collins: Response TAG -- Lt. Commander Maz Rodan First Officer USS Arrow, NCC 69829 C237708DW0 --- Co-Wiki Operator Mission Archivist Training Team Member FNS Contributor

Or as we like to call it- “a normal Wednesday afternoon”.

🤣🤣🤣

@Vitor S. Silveira showing personal growth!

I guess you could also say that it's a long road... getting from there to here?

Yup, @Arys is going to fit right in!

This is beautifully written ❤️

The way I not only knew the reference but could hear Bea’s voice. Bless you @Yalu

Totally accurate.

This is absolutely stunning and beautifully written @Talos Dakora and Adri’s relationship really jumps off the page and you can tell how much he cares for her. Love this ❤️ (Chief's Office - Intel Suite - Deck 16 - USS Excalibur-A) It had been a few days since the Senior Staff's return from... wherever CloQ had sent them and Talos' sleep schedule had improved marginally. The random bouts of anxiety that the rogue Q would appear and reveal that this was all just one more layer in their game had become less frequent, but weren't gone entirely. He was sitting at his desk with his nose buried in a report when someone barged through his door unannounced. Halfway through an annoyed head-raise-to-scowl maneuver, he felt her presence and immediately replaced it with a warm smile. She stopped on the other side of his desk and he had the distinct impression that he was about to be roped into some mysterious errand for the second time in as many days. That said, the last time had turned out rather enjoyable and he hadn't ever found himself regretting a moment spent with Adriana Morgan. A.Morgan: Talos. Let's go. It was clear that he wasn't being asked to join her, rather he was being informed that he was now going with her to... wherever. He cracked a wry smile and quirked an eyebrow. Dakora: Am I allowed to ask where we're going? There was a sense of urgency to her thoughts, but for the most part, she seemed keen on keeping her intentions to herself. A.Morgan: You'll see. Come on. Even if he'd wanted to argue, and he didn't, the grin and the look she hit with would've brought him on board anyway. He set the padd he'd been using down and rose from his seat to follow her out the door. Dakora: I guess, I'll just follow you the- Just as the doors to the Intel Suite closed behind them, she took his hand and tapped her badge, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. A.Morgan: =/\= Computer, initiate site to site transport, Morgan Alpha Nine Seven Tango.=/\= He laughed and shook his head, as he prepared to let himself be transported to wherever she had planned. After all of his paranoia and anxiety that CloQ would appear and maliciously take him away from everything that was familiar once again, he found it odd how unconcerned he was about letting her take him wherever she pleased. It made sense though, considering that wherever she was, was exactly where he wanted to be. Dakora: ::Smirking.:: See you on the other side... Still holding hands, he met her gaze just before they disappeared into shimmering light. ((Observation Deck, Deep Space 224)) When they reappeared it took him a moment to get his bearings. The surroundings were familiar; The walls were dominated by large windows and the black floor was polished to a reflective sheen. This was one DS224's observation lounges, but rather than facing the docking area, like the one where he'd met Adri, this one faced out towards the black void that was the ever-present backdrop of their lives. Clearly, some kind of event was happening as there was a larger crowd than the usual gaggle of people that congregated in these spaces and someone had set out a table of refreshments and hors-d'oeuvres. He turned to Adri curiously, wondering if she was ready to reveal why she'd brought him here yet. A.Morgan: It's about to start. Watch. Right on cue, a magnificent spatial phenomenon began to blink, flash and dance sending long beams of colored light pulsating away from its center. From their position, right in front of the big picture windows, it looked like the universe itself was putting on a show for them. He put an arm around the woman next to him and pulled her in tight by his side as they watched; only taking his eyes off the spectacle to commit the memory of her face, dressed in wonder and contentment, bathed in the light of the pulsar to his memory forever. Dakora: ::Quietly:: Holy strokes. This is... ::He let out an involuntary sigh of contentment.:: Amazing. A.Morgan: Response? He nodded towards the phenomenon- Pulsar? Quasar? He wasn't sure, what exactly this type of anomaly was called, but it was undeniably gorgeous. Dakora: How long is it going to last? A.Morgan: ? As their emotions intertwined and tried to imitate the dance of the cosmos in front of them, he wondered why he hadn't come to her sooner. As their relationship progressed, he was still occasionally finding old holdouts within him, little seemingly innocuous habits that were like tiny barriers to letting himself accept that he was in a relationship and he was happy. After the traumatic experience of being thrown through time, he'd sort of retreated into himself. He'd tried to internalize what they'd been through and work through it on his own. Realizing how much better he felt already after only a few minutes with Adri was a rather stark reminder that he wasn't alone in the universe anymore. He took advantage of their telepathy, so that they didn't disturb any of the other viewers. Dakora: ~I don't think I realized how much I needed this. ::Beat:: I needed you. The fallout from the stuff from CloQ has had me in a kind of bad place, lately.~ A.Morgan: ~? TAG/TBC ======//////======> LtJG Talos Dakora Acting Chief Intelligence Officer USS Excalibur-A O238811CD0

Congratulations and welcome to the fleet!!! Can’t wait to see you around

Famous last words…….

@Yalu’s not wrong, either.