John Kendrick

Congratulations to the both of you and welcome to the Fleet!

After a pretty intense adventure at the Spire our new Counsellor, Lieutenant JG Yael, finally has the opportunity to move into his new apartment at Denali Station. I really enjoyed reading this, great work @Yael! ((Denali Station - Soldotna Tower, Floor 40)) Having just finished up in the Medical Bay with his arm largely improved by Doctor Indobri, if it was still a bit off as it would need a little time to completely heal, Ashley made his way from Anchorage to Soldotna via the 8th floor walkway. He’d discovered via the registry that he’d been assigned quarters. As he’d requested, rather high up… the fortieth floor, the very top. He had lived all sorts of places but never at the very top of a skyscraper, so he’d asked for “up.” And it had been delivered. And he’d instantly cursed his initial request, as the not-a-turbolift took FOR-E-VER to climb that distance. But… maybe this was a good thing. A little separation, physically, could be a good thing. A few minutes transit to switch the mind from work, to personal, and back again. He would make this work. Stepping off the blasted snails-paced trudge-a-lift, he turned, stopped, questioned his direction, looked behind him, then realized he was going the right way down the corridor after all. He found the doorway to his new… apartment? It was an apartment when it was on a proper settlement, wasn’t it? Now he could toss down his satchel, strip off the uniform he’d been wearing for nearly two days, and *sleep.* The door opened… a little slower than a Fleet tech door might… and he stepped in. And he stopped to take in the entirely empty room with a bit of shock. The apartment itself seemed huge. An entry and living space, a full sized separate bedroom, and a relatively massive bathroom… with what looked to be… an H2O shower? It wasn’t a *sonic* shower, that he knew. And he did love the floor-to-ceiling window wall that showed the dimming light of the city outside from far above… the view was absolutely impressive. But he quickly realized he didn’t even have a replicator, and there wasn’t any sort of kitchenette either. Yeargh… what was this, the Stone Age? He’d always been a bit of a minimalist concerning space and furnishings, but this was a bit much. All this combined with the utter lack of furnishings left him wondering what he should do first, and his shoulders slumped slightly as he realized he had some work left to do before he could sleep. Producing his personal computer and taking a seat on the floor near the vast window wall, he interlinked with the local Fleet system and put in an order at one of the open replimats for some basic provisions. And he kept it *basic* in the hopes the order could be supplied more quickly. An appropriately sized single mattress, linens, pillow, a spare uniform for tomorrow, a large towel, and a set of simple sleepwear. What could he say. He was tired. Other things could wait. It wasn’t as if a couch or table were *vital.* He took the next few minutes to check his messages, then leaned back against the wall as the “sunset” rolled past and the city was encompassed in darkness. It all looked so real, he could forget he was on a Dyson Ring instead of a planet… save the few clues that broke the believability. Such as the artificial ceiling so very high above that replicated the day-night cycle. It was subtle, one had to be looking for it, but you could see it. He… wasn’t sure if he *liked* it here, yet. The Denobulan-Human hybrid was starting to doubt his transfer here and his eyes were threatening to slip shut when he heard the sound of a transport in progress. His goods were finally processed and delivered, smack dab in the middle of the living room. This was fine. He could work with this. Linens applied to mattress, he debated… sleep, or shower? … ……. Ugh. Shower. Stripping off his uniform and abandoning it on the restrooms floor, he began to mess with the odd shower and quickly found the temperature settings. He hadn’t had a water shower in quite some time, but the hot steaming water smashing down into his face and shoulders felt therapeutic. Especially as it beat onto his previously injured shoulder, which he let it do for longer than perhaps was necessary. Increasing the temperature bit by bit, he kept going until it stripped off the layer of grime clinging to him and his skin was searing red. Finally satisfied and with his skin steaming from the heat, he dried off without bothering to organize his scruffy lavender hair, pulled on the soft sleep pants… and collapsed into his bed right there in the middle of his living room. TAG ~*~ Lieutenant JG Ashley Yael Counselor Denali Station

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations everyone!!

Congratulations to everyone, and especially Fleet Captain @Oddas Aria for receiving The Sarek Star ❤️! Thanks everyone for all your hard work behind the scenes, in and out of character!

Can’t believe I’ve been part of this great community for over a year now 😄. Congratulations everyone 👍! I had the honor and pleasure to write with some of the Special Award winners when they served aboard the Juneau. @Arys @Vitor S. Silveira it’s great to see you both get an Award for all your hard work and fantastic stories. Also proud to see two of my fellow Denalizens, @Sera and @Jaelyne Isa (doc Indobri) up there too. Well deserved ❤️!

Congratulations everyone!

Lieutenant John Kendrick definitely isn’t used to all this attention. Well, hopefully at least one of them is able to take the perfect holo-scan of him in his new, custom-made suit.

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Loved this line from Fleet Captain @Oddas Aria 😄:

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations to you both, and welcome to the Fleet!

As you probably know, our crew is currently in the process of transferring to Denali Station. This sim from Fleet Captain @Oddas Aria manages to give a great description of the city as well provide insight into the Captain’s thoughts and feelings. Loved it! ((CO's Quarters, Anchorage, Denali Station)) It had turned out that an entire section of wall in her new quarters simply slid out of the way, changing what she had thought was a small balcony into a large open space including what would undoubtedly become her main seating area. Stelek had made the discovery and, naturally, pulled the large wall effortlessly to the side - folding it into near nothingness in the corner of the room. The wide-open area of the space was breathtaking in every definition of the room. The opening of the space gave the impression of being outside, with the sound of air currents and - she thought - the sound of some sort of avian species speeding by. The steelglass had provided a level of tinting, which was now gone - filling the space with the bright yellow-white light of the midday sun. Aria squinted, even as Stelek casually stepped onto the balcony, her color washing out in the bright sun. Aria's eyes struggled to adjust. Stelek: Aria, I think you would appreciate the view! Almost absentmindedly, the Vulcan had extended her hand behind her and leaned on the short rail made of some sort of metal and glass. At that moment Aria realized she had not moved more past her spot several meters inside where the wall had been deployed from. It was irrational, but she did feel, well, less than comfortable, moving outside - the safety of the building made her feel like she was in the ship, as if she had more control. oO This is ridiculous. Oo She pushed her feet forward, focused on the woman and balcony in front of her. This was an irritation, nothing more. Aria counted her steps, it wasn't too bad, and by the time she got to thirteen she was outside - holding the warm hand of Stelek, who squeezed and glanced at her before looking back towards the horizon. The touch, electric as it was, had a calming effect and she looked to where Stelek was looking. The Administrative district was not in the center of the city. The exact center of Denali was halfway situated between a large mountain range and an ocean coastline, with the Administrative district between the center and the ocean coastline. This mean that from the Anchorage windows and balconies, if you squinted and looked past several of the taller buildings, and were strategic with your view, you could make out the ocean. Of course, the view between Anchorage and the ocean was amazing in and of itself - a collection of buildings of every-size and shape in a dizzying array of colors. Corridors of metal, stone and other materials she couldn't identify, and for functions she could not begin to imagine. From her vantage she could look down at miniature artifacts in the park, and in the distance she could swear she saw a large statue of some sort - several stories tall in the distance looking down at something. Something was wrong - her chest was tight, and her breath was hard to push in and out. Her heart - sharp pain, she clutched it and her knees buckled. Stelek: .... are ..... need .... She couldn't see - everything was black, except for bright flashes of yellow, and fell toward the ground, instinctively she reached for something to break her fall, but only found fabric and something soft. Her shoulder hit the floor, but her head didn't. Aria began to breathe even more heavily, more panicked, even as she registered she was being dragged toward the shade - her skin cooling. Stelek: =/\= Stelek to Medical ... =/\= Oddas: No! Wait! Aria forced herself begin breathing in and out - assess her body, her eyes were squeezed shut and her body was folding in on itself. Her heart was acting fatigued - it had happened once before since her procedure, but not from simple, stupid, thoughts, and thoughts of ... what? panic at being outside. The Captain was still chiding herself when she managed to open her eyes and saw the Vulcan looking down at her, worried, pretense gone. They were back in her quarters, Stelek curled on the floor arms around the Bajoran - Aria's head on her lap, instinctively rubbing her chest and trying to take deep breaths. The Vulcan's worry was quickly turning to skepticism. Oddas: I'll be ok, it's just my heart, the transplant scar, it will just be a second. Stelek: ::raising an eyebrow:: I can have Doctor Indobri here in moments, there is no reason .... Oddas: I was told this could happen, there is no reason to bother them. oO Breath in, and out. Oo Aria concentrated on her breathing, and in turn the pain in her chest began to lessen. She bit her lip and tried to forget about the embarrassment she was feeling creep in. In..... Out..... In..... Out..... Stelek: I doubt the doctor will see it that way. The Bajoran smiled and buried herself in the other woman's arms, who reciprocated by squeezing and pulling her close. Oddas: Thank you, very much. They sat there together on the floor, huddled together until her breathing had calmed down, and her chest had stopped feeling like it was being stabbed. Still, she stayed clutching Stelek for some time afterward. TBC

Thank you Ace for creating such a fantastic character. It's a joy to read about @Dekas adventures and at the same learn so much more about Aurelian culture. ((Dekas’ Quarters, Floor 35, Anchorage)) ((Definitely middle of the night on Denali, but an early afternoon on Aurelia)) ((Interplanetary Timezones, am I right? Euf.)) Dekas paced his new quarters as he had some nights before this. This time, however, he had a reason to stay in the quarters. He occasionally glanced at his bed where there sat a PADD. He was starting to wish he’d told his family to initiate the communication instead of the other way around. After he’d flown, he excitedly calculated the time differences from the station to home, and finally messaged his parents about saying hello more often, as he regretted the sudden silence he’d left them in the past few months. And they had, of course, been delighted just to hear from him, and easily took to planning a time with him to talk over more than just messages. The excitement in the moment didn’t account for the nerves he felt after the fact. He knew they understood his distance, but hadn’t reached out since he’d gone back to the Juneau. Not even after the assimilation. He should have called them after that, but he hadn’t, he couldn’t. They didn’t know how close they’d come to losing him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted them to know. But they would recognize that something had changed. It wouldn’t matter if he was the happiest he could be, or if the tone he used was his most upbeat. They would see something. If he was unlucky enough, they wouldn’t realize it was an upsetting change, and they would say something or ask about it somehow. He didn’t know what he’d say if they asked. For a moment he froze up and his pacing stilled at the thought. Immediately thinking up every excuse he could to get out of this. He could tell them that he’d fallen asleep, it’d been a long day. That some minor emergency came up that required his presence. That he’d eaten something and got food poisoning somehow; he was certainly nauseous enough to feel like it’d be convincing in person. (Unfortunately, this wasn’t in person. They’d know he was lying, and they’d be far too understanding about it.) It would also be an obvious tell, and they’d ask about it unquestionably when they finally actually talked. That meant he couldn’t avoid this. If he was lucky, they’d see it as a good change and he could easily stick to less awful thoughts. He wasn’t feeling very lucky. He was more than frustrated with the fact that he’d half-triggered himself already, and the fact that it was extremely likely he’d end up in a terrible state of mind if someone pushed just the wrong button. He didn’t want to deal with a full trigger. Not with them. Or anyone, preferably. He’d been given a ribbon for recovering a few ceremonies back, after all. He was supposed to be Recovered™. It wouldn’t do to seem like he hadn’t, or like this was still affecting him at all. It felt like it shouldn’t still be affecting him. He’d talked to a counselor about it. He’d said all he needed to say, right? He shouldn’t need to say more. Why would he need to say more? (Maybe he needed to message the Station’s new counselor about this more than he liked to admit. Lilly, with two L’s. Technically 3-L’s. But you couldn’t say that because then people would start spelling it Lillly, Thorne.) oO Stop stalling, Dekas. You can message Lillly later. Oo He stepped toward his bed to sit cross-legged on it, took a deep breath in, and touched the screen to make the communication on the exhale. In the seconds it took for it to properly connect he had to force his thoughts away from the nearly paralyzing anxiety and think about what he could actually tell them. The good things. There were many of those. Of course, for all of his overthinking, he hadn’t considered his emotions about just seeing the visual of another Aurelian, especially his mother. The second he did he had to force himself not to tear up purely because he missed her. Dekas: An shav’ii. (Aurelian for: “hello mom.”) Zuka: ::with a gentle fondness:: An asche zjabi. (Aurelian for: “hello, heart-song.”) The little petname wrecked him. Instant tears in his eyes. Dekas: ::voice cracking:: How are you? Zuka: I’m wonderful. My spirit is restored knowing you are safe. More importantly, how are you? Dekas: ::emotional laughter:: Failing to be calm about any of this. Zuka: Emotions are not indicative of failure. I missed you, too. I miss you still. My heart breaks that I can’t comfort you right now, but it is nice to see you. He had to wipe his eyes and take a few deep breaths to try and calm down. He was trying to talk to his family, not end up a wreck before he could say anything. Dekas: Ignoring the fact I’m in tears, you have no idea how comforting it is just to hear you say so. Zuka: I understood tears were a possibility. You’ve always had such a tender soul. It’s why it’s only me right now. I thought it easier if you started with just one of us. Let you have a few minutes to feel it without feeling too overwhelmed. I’ll bring the rest in as soon as you give the word. Dekas: Am I really that predictable? Zuka: ::head tilt:: You’ve cried over a flower before. Dekas: It was just so beautiful! Zuka: ::soft chuckling:: I know. I remember. Deep purple hibiscus type, with a shimmer that looked like stardust in sunlight and had dew sliding off it just such a way. To some, it would just have been a flower. Maybe even to me. Mm, if only people could just once see through your eyes and appreciate the beauty in small details down to the dewdrop the way you can. I miss having you here for such reasons among many others. ::pause:: But the universe you explore deserves you, and is better for your presence within it. You are meant to shine wherever you are. Because you are you, and you are marvelous, as you so enjoy saying. How deeply he’d missed the Aurelian tendency to speak love like poetry. It felt like being wrapped in a hug. He laughed quietly and wiped a few more tears from his face, but found himself much more at ease. Dekas: I love you. He hadn’t said it out loud to anyone in too long and it felt freeing to finally say it again. Zuka: I love you, too, Dekas. More than words can say. Dekas: You can tell whoever is around that I’m okay to talk now. Zuka gave a two-tone whistle over her shoulder, and in came his dad, four of his sisters, one of his brothers, and one of his sibling’s kids who happened to be visiting with excellent timing. Somewhere deep down he’d hoped to see Koori, but he found himself unsurprised that she wasn’t there this time. Perhaps next time. There was a wave of emotion seeing those who were there and the very casual affection between everyone. Things like that made him feel something between loneliness that he didn’t have it currently and happiness that he would always have it if he went back. But he managed to steel himself enough to tell them about many of the things he’d experienced since he’d been gone. About the friends he’d made, Sera, Kettick, Tomas, Han, others… even the Captain whether or not she knew he held her in his mind as both an inspiring leader and a friend as such. He mentioned the things he’d accomplished without realizing he would. Promotions, job changes, location changes. He told them about some of the fact that he could fly places now, which was not something he’d been able to do much with before. In return, his family told him they were proud of him and filled him in on things he’d missed on the Homefront. At least one more niece or nephew hatched. He’d started losing count of how many of those he had now. And they told him about their days. Their ups, and their downs. He didn’t avoid the talk of stress when it came back to his turn. The pirates, the shaking ships. The confidence, followed by the occasional moments of insecurity about changes in role, how competent he really was, or how people saw him. A little about the disconnect within himself. He pointedly tried his best to skirt around the part where he’d nearly died a few months back. But somewhere in the process, he’d begun to stammer as his hand went to the side of his neck while he looked for words he could say instead. After an hour it ended back with only himself and his mother. Just before he could almost reluctantly utter his goodbyes she mirrored the neck touch while looking right at him. And he wasn’t sure whether or not he hated the fact that she recognized it as an anxious tick, and that it was more than anxiety about reaching out. Zuka: How are you, really? Stupidly, his hand went right to his neck again. Dekas: I… I am not ready to talk about it. It hurts so much sometimes I can hardly stand it. She tilted her head, thinking, then looked sad for him. And he had to fight his guilt about that sadness. Zuka: You took on lightning*. I don’t know in what way, and I respect that you need time. But I am sorry all the same that it was an aspect you had to take upon yourself. Dekas: It’s okay. Or it’s not. But I am safe. Zuka: Know that I am always here when you are ready, and I am here even if you never feel ready. I will listen either way. Dekas: Thank you. His mom nodded. Zuka: Mm, I can tell you are tired. So I believe it is time I let you go to bed. When you wake up, remember that the steps you take might be painful, and the thunder that follows you might seem deafening at times. But the thunder is just a sound behind you, and you are the powerful source ahead of it. So strike the ground and blaze the forward path.** Dekas: I’ll do my best. Zuka: That is all I can ask for. Rest well, Dekas. I love you. Dekas: Love you. If you see her… tell Koori I said hello. And have a good rest of your day. The communication ended, and he wished it didn’t hurt for it to end. But he also felt a weight off his shoulders knowing that the initial conversation was handled, and next time would be better. [End / NT. Some Dekas & Bird Mom for y’all. Because Bird Mom is the ultimate motivational speaker, and hype woman.] — * “To take on lightning” Aurelian idiom that means to go through something and come into a new aspect of self in the aftermath. Usually through something painful. Relates to one of their more popular Phoenix mythos stories in which the Phoenix reforms for the first time and takes on/becomes the aspect of lightning in a very dramatic fashion. ** “Strike the ground and blaze the forward path.” Also related to the lightning myth. It means something like, “Kick its ass, you’ve got this.” The Aurelians live for such phrases and colorful metaphors, and I clearly have too much free time if I’m coming up with mythos to create these weird, but strangely coherent, idioms with. Lieutenant Dekas Head of Infrastructure Development Denali Station J239802D12

Doctor Indobri's mother is absolutely right!!

Congratulations ans welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Congratulations and welcome to the Fleet!

Absolutely loved this sim. It was both sad and very funny at the same time 😁. Great work @Arys!

Congratulations and welcome (back) to the Fleet!

Do Gorn accept IOU’s? I don’t think so. But then again, stranger things have happened in the Aavaro Wilds 😁. I really enjoyed this exchange between Lieutenant @Tomas Falt and Lieutenant JG @Dekas this week.

Interesting observation from our Engineer, Ensign @Kettick: