Pholin Duyzer

“I want it on record that I think this is a terrible plan.”

This mission has been a bit of a chaos, having us chased by dinosaurs every other minute, and this was some really good writing of @Caitríona Cayne describing it all! 🍻 ((Control Center, Asteroid Trueno, Bratax System)) After sustaining an injury trying to open the doors to the operations facility inside the control district, Ensign Bavo was successful in her attempts and one by one the group was able to slide through the narrow crack which had been opened - but a Dilophosaurus' head followed. Lt. Commander Sevo fought back and was able to disorientate the beast by punching it in the side of the head, forcing a momentary retreat back outside. This gave the group enough time to push the doors closed fully, sealing the entrance. Now with two injuries, Bavo's abdomen and Sevo's hand, the group needed to make their way to a medical station before moving on to find weapons. Feeling a little anxious just standing around, M'ira pointed in the direction of the emergency medical station - trying to prompt everyone to go. M'ira: Let's get to the emergency medical station first and make our way towards the weapons locker. From there it would be an even shorter run to the control room. How does that sound to you? And so they did move on. Slowly they walked through the entrance hall of the facility, past a security checkpoint and finally they took a right down a hallway which displayed their shining glory for now - a red cross. Duyzer led the team forward, M'ira tried to keep to the back of the group. She was always watching, listening out for anything that might be a cause for alarm. Finally, they made their way past double doors and stepped into the medbay - she faced the hallway, stepping backwards as she let the door close in front of her. Sevo: Well, s---. Turning around to face the others, she was able to now see the disarray that had fallen upon the medbay. It looked like it was completely ransacked - it only caused her more reason to be alarmed. "Why did this happen?" "Who would do this?" Her mind filling with such questions. Bavo: I’m sure something’s here that we can use. M’ira: I hope so, for your sake. ::She spoke with a nod in Bevo's direction. Her gentle purring p's and hissing s's more prominent as she whispered her words.:: Duyzer: ::he whispered:: We should get what we need and leav- ::he heard something, and held his breath:: There was a noise, a crunch of glass which was being pressed into the ground by an unseen force. She held her arm up instinctively to make sure the others stayed quiet for now. Turning her head, while her body remained completely still - she tried to glance around to the direction of the noise. A light flashed in the same direction coming from the science officers torch. There was a moment of silence before the chaos ensued. A Dilophosaurus had burst into their view out of nowhere as it launched itself onto a counter as the already misplaced equipment shattered and cracked off the ground as if a collection of pans in a kitchen had fallen to the ground. With a loud shriek, the creature had been joined by another member of its pack which gave a much softer reply to its partner. Sevo: Um...run? Duyzer: ::he stumbled over his own words before blurting it out:: RUN! Bavo: Where?! M'ira: Remain calm, and if they move towards you - try to run towards me. M'ira wanted to position herself in the group where the creatures would need to pass her first to get to them, however the way they initially entered the room put her at the back. She stepped slowly forward but noticed the lingering eye of one the Dilophosaurus shift in her direction. She remained still for a moment, her arms raised and out as if she was surrendering, although she was only trying to make herself look bigger and scarier. The others seemed to shift and she tried to follow with them, stepping forward each time she did - if anything she was getting closer to the dinosaurs, who moved along with them - like a game of chess, who was going to fall first? One of the dinosaurs stepped closer, advancing towards the group and then she heard running and could see the shape of Duyzer running towards the entrance behind her. The other two remained frozen where they stood, the dinosaurs didn't seem to be alarmed yet by one of their prey running, and why would they when three of them remained in front of them? Sevo: ::whispering:: I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it. We need that one to charge. She looked at the one Sevo was pointing, but her eyes still stayed fixed on the dinosaurs - not wanting to ever give them a chance to jump them when they glanced away. All she could do right now was trust that these officers knew what they were doing. She would have preferred they backed out of the room and ran to weapons storage but if they had a plan to deal with this now - well, who was she to interfere. She heard the door open from behind as the others moved back - maybe they were just going to do what she had hoped after all? She stepped backwards, just as she entered, she exited the same way. Duyzer: Commander?! Duyzer shouted from behind them, but from the sound of footsteps, she could only guess he was moving closer to them again. Bavo: Are you even sure that’ll hold them? ::Miri whispered loudly as Sevo was already putting her plan in motion:: M’ira: Whatever you are doing - I hope it works. These animals will tear us apart in seconds if you... Sevo: Hey, ugly! Over here! ::she waved her arms back and forth furiously:: ...antagonise them. She would have said - and now all she could do was hope that they would have a chance to run. A screech from in front of them came from the room and everything happened quickly. One of the dinosaurs leapt from inside and out into the hall but just then from the corner of her eye, M'ira saw Duyzer come into view. He launched himself towards the dinosaur holding two cables in his hands which he laid down onto the creature. There was a crackling noise and another screech from the creature - a painful one, and both the dinosaur and Duyzer dropped to the floor. M'ira rushed forward, and luckily the man was still alive - by the gods, he was a brave man. She reached out to grabs his arms to help him get back onto his feet quickly. The partner of the not so lucky creature let out a screech of its own before making its way in their direction quickly. Sevo: Response. Duyzer: I don’t care- we’re gonna run. As they began to move, the young Bajoran with the yellow adorned uniform who had made a head start before they moved towards a maintenance cart. With a quick tinker, the wheels unlocked and M'ira could see it veering slightly off to the left. Bavo: M’ira help! With her quick pace, the Caitian was able to move into position next to the Ensign quickly. Positioning her body slightly off centre, she slammed her shoulder into the cart with all her might, digging her lower paws into the ground as it began to move. She kept pushing and pushing as it picked up momentum - even pulling the injured officer along for a moment before she let go. Glancing past the edge of the cart she could see the dinosaur approaching fast, she tried to push hard, faster. Finally with one last shove, stretching her upper paws against the edge - she launched herself away from the cart and sent it hurtling on its collision course towards the dinosaur. She didn't rest to make sure that her mark was hit, instead, she turned and ran as quick as she could back to others - catching up with them just as they hit the main lobby. Sevo: Response. Duyzer: Where do we go?! ::he shouted, not planning to stop running:: Bavo: Weapons? Control centre command? Back to the petting zoo? M'ira: Weapons! Right! ::She shouted - glancing back she could see the cart had flipped and the dinosaur was gone. Did it hit and retreat? She wondered.:: Sevo: Response. As the group swayed to the right and began to run down another corridor they began to slow down - they had been running so much by now that it was understandable people needed to catch their breath, especially the injured. Turning at the end of the corridor, led by way of the curved walls - a Dilophosaurus burst out of one of the rooms directly into their way. The Ensign upfront darted into the opening closest which led into a large mess hall, so large that there were three doubled doors leading into the hall from this corridor. The door next to M'ira also led into the same room but she was still at a distance to the others. Bavo: Quick hide! Duyzer/Sevo: response M'ira ducked in and slid quickly under one of the tables, she could still see out as she lay prone, the dinosaur stepped into the room and then another one. She sighed - why were they always showing up in pairs? They stopped for a moment, but she couldn't see their heads - she wondered if they were going to try sniffing them out or something but then they started making their way further away from her and countertops blocked her view of their legs. She slid out from under the table, crouching she shifted quickly to the end of the long table and poked her head out slowly - just enough to see with one eye peeking out. On the other side of the room, she could see more doubled doors - presumably leading to the service area and kitchens. Realising that must be where the others had slid off to, she couldn't think of any other way to help them. Standing up she lept onto the long table she had been hidden behind, slamming her paws down as hard as she could. The dinosaur at the back was just halfway through the doorway and stood still when it heard her. Building up all the air she could in her lungs she let out a massive scream which erupted into the hall as a cat-like roar. The dinosaur stepped back into the kitchen and let out an equally deafening screech before launching itself in her direction. Moving quickly down the table, she glanced back to see the dinosaur leaping from table to table - making its way towards her and picking up its pace with every passing breath. As soon as she saw the other one tumbling into the room too, the following suit - she jumped down off the table and out into the hallway from where they came. The noise of the dinosaurs hitting into the wall as they crashed out of the room came from behind. She looked behind to see them catching up. They were a lot quicker than she remembered. Running as fast as possible for her legs to withstand, she could feel the breeze rushing through her fur as the hat - it was always a little too big for her, inside written on the label was an S. -- ((Flashback, over 30 years ago, Brentalia)) A young Caitian stalks their prey, prowling in the darkest depths of the area. Watching and being ever so careful not to alert them of her presence. She creeps closer, and closer and... An older Caitian turns and lets out a roar, grabbing the younger one from the ground he lifts her and spins her around in his arms until the sounds of giggling are heard. S'Terah: What is this wild beast that stalks my domain? He puts the girl down and gets down onto his knees before ruffling her mane. His fingers gently combing through the mess it had become - and so quickly too. He sighed. S'Terah: You need another haircut little one. M'ira: Noooooo! He smirked a little and took the hat off of his head before fanning himself with it. S'Terah: Listen - if you get your haircut I'll leave you run around with the hat for awhile okay? The child had a devilish grin form on her face as her two canine teeth came through her lips and peaked slightly. He smiled and ruffled her hair again. S'Terah: Someday it will be even yours. You see this here - ::he flipped it over and revealed the label inside:: this is an S - the first letter in my name. Can you spell my name little one? -- M'ira thought fondly about her father as she ran through the halls of the command center. Hoping that someday she would see him again, her last words to him where "I love you too". Running for her life, she was thankful she had said that to him. — M'ira Park Warden BetaGen Inc. simmed by Ensign Caitríona Cayne Medical USS Gorkon A238808CH0

All much deserved! 😘

Congrats, 2nd lieutenant!

Welcome to the fleet, ensigns! 🥳

If we're expanding it, I'm a huge fan of Archer's theme. Might be even better than Voyager's theme in my humble opinion.

I've gotta say, the Discovery theme has definitely started growing on me. They're both a very different style though, so I can understand why we all love the classics. 😆

I have to go for Voyager's theme. It's mostly nostalgia for me, although the tune's amazing.

Also... not enough love for the Miranda variant Soyuz! She's like a Miranda but even more sexy.

SCIENCE! 😜

The Defiant definitely is a beautiful little thing- but it's the Nova who's always had a special place in my heart. I love the idea of a tiny science vessel zooming through space with barely enough room to breathe. 😂

He hadn’t been back to his childhood home in six years, Pholin realized as he was walking through the blossoming fields of Denobula. It had been the day before he left for the academy, when he met his parents to say goodbye. He remembered the looks on their faces when he told them he’d be leaving for good. So much had changed since then… “I should never have left…”, he grumbled to himself, watching the gravel move underneath him. The planet’s three suns had just appeared from behind the clouds, casting their dawn shadows on the path to the residence. The relationship with his parents had always been shaky, but that day had been particularly bleak. Even though he’d been planning it for months, he’d barely told his parents he was about to leave. They’d always wanted him to continue the family tradition, never leaving the planet as they’d done for over ninety years. When he broke that tradition, as a young and naïve scientist, he’d scarred their relationship for life. On that day, he’d managed to disappoint them once more. Pholin had grown tired of life on Denobula and wanted to explore the galaxy like he did when he was younger. “And look how that turned out…”, he exclaimed into the emptiness around him. He’d missed the birth of his first grandson, he wasn’t there when his wife’s health declined, and he was thousands of light-years away from Federation space when he lost his mother and brother. Pholin felt like he’d turned into the person he hated most growing up, a person who was never there for his family, valuing his career more than his family. His father had been the captain of a submarine for over fifty years, exploring the vast depths of the Denobulan seas. His mother was the biologist on board, and his brother would later study to become its helmsman. It was anything but a part-time job. Pholin’s father especially would be away for months on end – leaving his children alone with his wives. He’d always hated his father for that. “Yet I ended up exactly like him…”, barked the Denobulan. Even though he’d never been close to his parents, Pholin shut down when he learnt there had been an accident on the submarine. His father, the captain, was the only one to escape the sinking ship alive. He lost his mother and his only brother. He’d just been promoted for the first time and started to dive into his work to deal with the pain. His career skyrocketed, while he barely sought therapy. He’d only opened up to a couple of friends but hadn’t shed any tears. He was always tired, always grumpy. He spent more and more time alone – working in his science lab. It wasn’t until the Columbia was decommissioned, that he seriously started to question his future. He more or less forced himself to go to therapy and moved back to his home planet to serve as Research Coordinator at the Miratha Research Centre. It was mostly a desk job, but it gave him some peace and quiet. “Ah, there you are…”, he mumbled with a sense of nostalgia. He looked up to see his parents’ home show up over the horizon, at the end of the lengthy trail. Enjoying the sight of the place he’d once called home, he couldn’t help turning his frown upside down. It wasn’t much more than a small cottage, with white walls and a thatched roof. The Denobulan approached the house, which seemed particularly messy for an abandoned home. Usually, his mother would tidy up the house before going on a mission – they had left the house last June before the accident, if he recalled correctly. He walked up the steps of the porch, seeing they hadn’t even bothered to clean up the dishes. A half-empty glass of Andorr-Loatac Ale was still on the wooden table. “Well, I didn’t come here to clean up after them…”, he said with a smirk on his face. Continuing his journey back to his childhood memories, he entered the abandoned house. He turned on the lights in the hallway and took off his shoes. Just because he hadn’t been back here in half a decade didn’t mean he could forget his manners, he thought. To his left was a gold-rimmed mirror, showing Pholin’s considerably… fuller body. It had grown into a small problem recently, having to replace his entire wardrobe for a larger size. Below the mirror stood a tiny hallway cabinet, which prominently featured one of his favourite childhood pictures. It showed him and his mum, on top of a nearby hill which had taken them three hours to climb. Pholin had been eleven years old for just over a week when his father took that, and he’d loved that picture ever since. It was just him and his mother hugging, their love so clear, nothing in their way. He missed her. A single tear managed to escape the Denobulan’s emotional defence systems. He knew continuing to explore his home would only trigger more memories, but there was something inside him with a raging need for nostalgia. He wasn’t quite sure why. Pholin opened the door to the living room. “…”, there were so many words he wanted to say, but not a single one escaped his mouth. “Pho! I’ve been waiting for you all day!”, she said, getting up and walking into the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink? The tea’s hot already!” He was left speechless, seeing his mum standing right in front of him with the classic Denobulan smile on her face. He blinked, but she was still there. “Oh, come on! Don’t be so shy, now.” The woman approached him, seeing his worry, and went in for a hug. Pholin stood there, frozen, unsure how to process what was going on. She smelled like his mum, she talked like his mum, and she hugged like his mum – although it had been a few decades since they’d last hugged. But… this couldn’t really be her, right? “You look so pale! Why don’t you sit down, sweetie?” She accompanied him to the sofa, where Pholin sat down with his head in his hands. Thousands of possibilities were zooming through his mind. She could be an alien; this could be a trap he walked into. She could have survived, without anyone knowing. She could be a hologram, set up to scare him. She could- “Have some tea, Pholin. I’m so happy to see you again!”, the woman said, chuckling. She sat down in her chair, which nobody was ever allowed to sit in when he was a little kid, and enjoyed her own cup of tea. Pholin was still not quite sure where to begin, but he picked up the cup of tea from the table and took a sip. It was real tea, burning his tongue a little. He looked around the room, seeing some of his favourite childhood toys around him. His teddy bear was still leaning onto the potted plant, where he would always put it when he went to school so it could enjoy the view while he was gone. The painting he’d made in first grade was still hanging on the wall, even though it was excruciatingly hard to look at. It was supposed to represent his family, but they were nothing more than stick figures. He’d always wondered why they’d kept it up there. He looked back to his mother, looking deeply into her eyes, his own eyes tearing up. “Wha-, why, how-”, he tried to speak. “Oh, my darling, you’re a scientist! You must know you’re dreaming, right?”, asked his mother in a worried tone. He did not. Even though he’d been processing their loss for over a year, he’d never actually dreamt of them- except when he’d gone into hibernation in the middle of a mission, when he had experienced the accident on the submarine himself. He hadn’t ever spoken to his mother in a dream. “So, you’re actually… dead?”, he said now having no control anymore over the tears flowing out of his eyes. She nodded, with an understanding face, before getting up to comfort her son. She sat down on the sofa next to him and put her arm around him. Pholin felt like a child once more, crying in his mother’s arms. He let it all out. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, mum. I should’ve been there!”, he said with a raised tone. “Don’t you dare speak like that, Pholin!”, she looked into his eyes. “It’s not your fault. There was nothing you could’ve done, Pholin.” Of course, she was right, rationally. Even if Pholin had stayed to work on Denobula, he would’ve never set foot on that submarine. He’d always been afraid of the ocean, he never even dared swimming in it, let alone study the bottom of the sea in it. He could’ve never stopped the accident from happening. But his cries were not rational. “But… I abandoned you!” cried the Denobulan turned baby. His mother sighed, “Darling, you only did what your father and I never dared to do. You chased your dreams!”. She chuckled. “Do you really think I liked exploring the exact same chuck of sea for years on end?” “Why’d you do it then? You must’ve spent decades down there!”, Pholin said. “Because I never wanted things to change. I never dared to dream. Son, the step you took to enrol in Starfleet took courage, courage I never had. You should be proud of that.” Even though he knew his mother was nothing more than the figment of his imagination, it felt like a massive relief to hear her say that. He had experienced guilt like never before, and there she was, saying it was alright. “But-”, he managed to get out before being interrupted. “I wasn’t done yet, sweetie.”, she eyed him. “What you’re doing right now, isn’t helping you at all. You shouldn’t be doing this to yourself anymore.” He rubbed his nose, sniffling. Pholin didn’t agree with her – himself? – at all. He had gone home to relax, to take some time off while dealing with his loss. He wanted peace and quiet. His job was inside his comfort zone, something he knew how to deal with on a daily basis. The base’s commander wouldn’t suddenly be kidnapped, and they wouldn’t be led into some trap by space kittens. There were no mysteries, only endless tranquility. He was just filing regular reports about geological findings other people were doing for him, with two feet on his desk in his office while doing it. “Your job is exactly the same as before you left! The one you fled from! The only thing that’s changed is your uniform while doing it.”, his mum continued. “But I was stressed out, mum! I literally passed out in the middle of a mission because I couldn’t sleep at night!”, he responded. “Now don’t get me wrong, darling, you definitely needed some time off. But it’s been seven months…” Pholin hadn’t realised it had been that long… He’d been posted to the Research Centre for a third of his total time in Starfleet, yet it felt like nothing interesting had happened at all. The only exciting thing that had happened was his husband’s promotion, to Petty Officer First Grade, on his birthday. In just one year, he had climbed his way up to be the First Officer of his maiden ship, and in six months, all he had done was sit behind his desk all day. Maybe, just maybe, she was right. “Tell me, Pholin. What did you like more? Being promoted to Executive Officer on the Columbia, thousands of light-years away from Federation space? Or literally watching paint dry on your office walls?”, she asked rhetorically, trying to soothe him with a smile on her face. Pholin chuckled and wiped his tears away. He couldn’t believe he was just having an argument with himself – and was losing it too. “A part of dealing with loss, Pho, is moving on. I think it’s time for you to move on.”

"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." -- Forrest Gump 🍫

Columbia's theme this year is... Throwback Trick Or Treat! This Halloween, we're dressing up in over the top seventies, eighties and nineties clothing!

Phlox - all day every day. 😄