astraeus Wandering Whispers of Astraeus' Stars

[Serala]

Going to kick off the new quotes thread for the Astraeus with one from our Vulcan doctor, @Solok. I just love me some dry, Vulcan humor 😂

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Snow: You did a great job, Doctor Solok. At least now her body is starting to slowly accept the new piece of it. Though we’ll need to keep her on round the clock supervision. I'd say with a few more treatments of Cervaline that she will be okay to begin physical therapy next week. Fingers crossed things continue to improve.

The Vulcan glanced from the CMO’s face to her hands, but did not see anything unusual about the placement of her fingers.

 

 

[Elizabeth Snow]

Humor is always a great thing in a sim and @Serala definitely killed it with this one. 🤣 

 

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Kelv: I’m Tellarite, engineering is part of my culture, try and keep up. ::She wiggled her nose slightly:: People aren’t much different than starships. Doctors ::She gestured to Snow:: fix and patch up their components. The epidermis is just a person’s hull. Heart, lungs, brain. Warp core, environmental controls, and computer. ::She extended a finger each time and tapped it with her index finger of the opposite hand as she counted:: A person’s mental state is just their programming, their software. And if the hardware gets damaged enough, sooner or later you’re going to get some corrupted software. Let it go too long and that can cause problems with the hardware. That’s why I became a counselor. People need someone to keep them stable and running efficiently mentally, as much as they need a doctor to keep their body in top shape. 

Snow: I guess that’s a unique way of seeing a person. 

Isa: I should say so. Starships can be replaced. People can’t. But I get your point. :: smirking :: Just don’t ask me to lubricate your joints.

 

 

[Mei'konda]

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Solok: A masterful cut, Doctor. Although I am puzzled as to why you opted to make the incision by hand. Would not a computer-operated scalpel have been more reliably precise?

Elizabeth looked at Solok and smiled. Sure she could have used the computer to do it for her, but some things she just liked doing herself. 

Snow: Thanks. I could have, but I guess I’m a little old fashioned sometimes and prefer to do things myself once in a while. 

Solok nodded.

Solok: I understand. I am of a similar opinion, when I must treat my slug.

It showed just how Vulcan he really was, that he was the only one in the room – or in the tales that were told of this moment, later on – who did not understand why what he had said could be construed as unusual or humorous in any way.

Elizabeth smiled and heard a slight chuckle come from Stenner. She had to say she has never heard that one before. 

Snow: Slug?

They were interrupted – mercifully, perhaps – by Stenner.

 

More Vulcan humor, during a wonderful medical scene being written by @Solok and @Elizabeth Snow as they replace our chief Nurse's spine, during a post-mission surgery!

[Toryn Raga]

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Mei reached out to offer her one of his fuzzy hands. Lowering his voice, he continued.

 

Mei’konda: And you’ll coome through just fine. By the way. If you liike the false fur, the real thiing is much better.

@Mei'konda Do you want to be hugged by your Chief Nurse once she can walk again? Because this is how you get a hug from your Chief Nurse who's obsessed with plushies designed in your honor/image. 

[Serala]

I loved seeing 101 and 000 step up to defend this young local. Great stuff @Mason G! Also, the idea of a purple football was supposed to be a serious thought, but it still gave me a chuckle.
 

101 took a step forward, trying not to scowl, but 000 lacked the courage of their partner and remained a little further back— though still within reach.

101: Leave her alone. She’s just a little girl.

Levinson: Response

T'Prana: Response

McKnight / Kiax: Responses

The second guard squinted at 101, probably trying to decide if it was worth the trouble to punt them like a little purple football, but after a moment he let it go. His shoulders relaxed slightly with the decision, but his expression remained sour.

Guard 2: Perhaps not— after a while, they all look the same… but don’t think you can convince me that she can be trusted.

101 stood firm, unimpressed by the response. With a concerned expression, 000 leaned in to Jurong to speak to her.

000: ::softly, to Ka’ala:: Are you okay?

[Lael Rosek-Skyfire]

I just about died laughing reading this. XD

From Esa's sim "Standoffish":

Nodding, Esa turned back to the guards.

Kiax: So. We’re going in, with Ms Ka’ala here. And you’re going to let us.

Guard 1: And what makes you so sure of that, spotty?

Esa glared at the obviously racist man. Yes, she had spots. All Trill did; and you could be damn sure that all Trill were of better moral stock than him. Though Esa was certainly not above retaliating with the name calling.

Kiax: Because, you feckless oaf – you’re going to come in with us.

[Toryn Raga]

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The Caitian nodded thoughtfully in return.

 

Mei’konda: Yes, the installation of additional structural integrity field and inertial dampener generators was a hiigh priority while I supervised the Astraeus refit when I was a Lieutenant Commander. Her spaceframe may be agiing, but the math added up in our simulations. She handles quantum slipstream well enough, so high conventional warp should be achievable. One little step at a time.

 

He paused for a moment, allowing a slight smile to cross his muzzle.

 

Mei’konda: And, perhaaps, I have a little extra motivation. The Constitution has a maximum speed of somewhere between warp fourteen and warp fifteen on our new warp scale. I thiink we can do a little better.

 

This made me crack up a little. As I also write on the Conny I couldn't help but smirk a little bit in pride and amusement. A tale of two Galaxy classes. :D Did you know we also have removeable Warp nacelles on the Conny to? Just ask @Jalana!

[Serala]

So, for context, the Astraeus is conducting warp tests to test out a new maximum emergency threshold and we're engaging in some risky behavior. This piece of @Mason G's latest sim in that arc just had me crackin' up, so I thought I would share it with everyone.

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Serala: I agree with Lansa, but this is only a test. We have the power available at the moment, and if it becomes necessary, we can always redistribute and drop our speed. But my recommendation is to push things and see just what we can manage under duress.

Mei’konda: A test liike this should take into account as many variables as possible. If all of you agree that this is viaable, then I agree. Any other concerns?

Raga: Another thing to consider is that our new emergency warp capability is also heavily reliant on both the Astraeus’ impressive sensor suite and the deflector. If either or both of those are not working at full capacity, or offline entirely would we even be able to use the higher warp speed without colliding into something that kills us?

While programming their update to the navigational systems, 101 had successfully kept their partner’s mind off of the whole “what if this fails and we crash into a space rock and explode across the cosmos like some kind of sad, messed-up space roadkill” possibility. Briefly and halfheartedly, they cursed Toryn for voicing the concept aloud where 000 could hear it.

Of course, the thought wormed its way into 000’s head and put them through about fifty different horrified facial expressions— likely one for each terrible death that they imagined could befall a crew zipping through space at the insane speed of warp thirteen point three.

101: There is a predictive feature to our navigational program,
000: u-um…
101: …which should buy us a few moments in the event of a sensor failure to slow down…

Mei inclined his head toward the two Bynars, probably just in time for him to see 000 with a look like they were sitting on a rollercoaster just before its big drop.

 

Now I'm hoping we don't turn into space roadkill. Thanks, @Mason G 😂

[Serala]

Okay, @Mason G's next one was equally as good, though not necessary for the comedy - though there is a bit here as well. Just very well written and great insight into the Bynar mind.

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The thought of moving straight up to 13.5 from 13.3 instead of first making a pit stop at 13.4 was harrowing, to say the least, especially if each increase was more and more difficult to make.

The Bynars listened closely to the other voices on the bridge, but were too focused on their station to feel particularly comfortable speaking. Like the Astraeus, every living being’s brain only had so many resources to go around— attention was finite, and it took more and more of their concentration to keep up with the navigation as the speed of the ship grew higher and higher.

The communication of paired Bynars’ brains was very much like a dance— a dance which 101 usually lead and 000 usually followed.

Through a complex web of interactions aided by their synaptic processors and memory buffers, they worked together to achieve something greater than the sum of their parts. They were a carefully balanced team that had worked and grown into each other for 26 years, knit so closely together that even their brains seemed to be two halves of one whole, but in truth, they were no longer a perfect match for each other. It was the result of the terrifying ordeal of being alive and gaining life experience that they processed in different ways, because no two things could ever be truly identical. As far as Bynars went, they were an oddball pair that hadn’t been truly in sync for the past eight years— not since 000 had become “damaged goods” and their dance was thrown terribly out of balance.

In every dance, there was the risk of stepping on each other’s toes. There was the risk of one partner going up for the leap and the spin in front of the audience, and the other partner failing to catch them in front of the horrified crowd.

All it took was one second of hesitation for the dance to fall out of sync. 000 heard the hull of the ship groan in response to the strain of the speed, and in a moment of involuntary panic, tripped through a calculation. Their brain missed the pass of a number to 101, and the entire chain of calculations fell apart.

000: Wait— wait!
101: We’ve lost it,
000: stop!

Mei'konda: Response

Serala / Cheveyo-Arma / Peters / Raga: Responses

The ship fell out of the accelerated warp and back down to a speed that was easier to manage. The Bynars weren’t sure if they’d managed to hit warp 13.5 or not, but they’d been asked to say something as soon as they became uncertain of their ability to calculate geographic changes fast enough for the ship’s speed… and so they had.

000 pressed their face into their hands, thoroughly embarrassed.

101: ::quietly:: We were doing great, what happened?
000: I’m so sorry, Captain, that was… that was my fault. I couldn’t keep up.
101: Zero…
000: It was. I’m sorry, I— I was really scared. I flubbed some numbers.

101 seemed unsure of what to say, but didn’t look away from their partner.

 

 

[Mei'konda]

Good ol' @Valin Dermont. Not just humorous, as he almost always is, but this time, he shares a wonderful anecdote with @Noa T'Nessa Levinson about why his beloved coffee is so, well. Beloved.

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Levinson: Perhaps I should clarify myself, though. Chocolate is intoxicating to Vulcans, but my hybrid biochemistry makes me practically immune to it. ::Shrugging:: As I said, I like the taste. ::Beat:: Why do you like coffee, if you do not mind me asking? And how do you drink it?

He cocked an eyebrow. Why did he like coffee? Of all the things he had been planning for today, this conversation had not been part of it. And how does one describe something so much more than "liking" something.

Dermont: Couple o' sugars, shot o' tobasco. Err...alright...um. Imagine if ya would, a group o' soldiers. Ya know, ancient Earth soldiers. Swords and the like. And they are bein' attacked by an endless onslaught o' enemies. They are being pushed back step by step ta the edge of a cliff. And one by one they fall over the side, but they keep fightin'. Then...just as they were almost all gone, they received reinforcements. A calvary line pushes through and joins 'em on the cliffside! Hurrah! ::Dermont waggles his fingers, doing "jazz hands":: It reinspires the soldiers and everyone fights harder! Fer a bit. But they all know unless another cavalry charge comes again soon, that they're all goin' over the cliff.

He signs a bit and looks at his thermos.

Dermont: Well, every mornin' I wake up, my soldiers are already on the edge o' that cliff. They need those reinforcements as soon as they can. And then fresh troops every couple o' hours. If not, ::snaps a finger and then waves the hand as if into the wind.:: over the cliff. That...and I really, really like the taste.

Levinson: That's fair. I don't judge.

 

[Mason G]

@Valin Dermont sent out this really emotionally vulnerable sim that for some reason caught me off guard (in a good way). It was a nice reflective moment and a good change of pace in the middle of a tense mission. The bit about him comparing the crew to his children really squeezed my heart…

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His head leaned heavily against the back of the chair and he let out a sigh.  It had been a rather long day.  All crew that had been aboard the Aldrin, regardless of their lifesigns, were now aboard the Astraeus.  Of course, there were even more crewmen out there, stranded on a Chon station.  As usual, Dermont was having a hard time aligning the death and danger with his curiosity.  Seven dead.  So far.  At least when they were attacked in the middle of a relief mission, they were trying to accomplish a good deed.  But now...why were they in the Cloud?  What was the point?

oO We're a curious bunch... Oo

And if Dermont was honest with himself, that really was enough.  He had no illusions that one day he'd go on an away mission, poke something he shouldn't poke, and likely end up murdered in some terribly inconvenient manner.  He had accepted that a while back.  He was okay with a death out here doing what he wanted to be doing.

oO That's not the rub though, is it? Oo

What if it was Toryn?  Ral?  Today they hadn't even seen a foe, but the two people he was currently closest to on the ship had phasers out, prepared to shoot each other.  Of course it had all been due to a foreign substance.  But that honestly happened far more often than you'd think it would.  Really...how many mind altering substances/beings were there in this corner of the galaxy?  He pushed the stray thought away.  While he was comfortable with his own death, he hated to even consider the idea of it happening to someone else on the crew. 

He glanced on the far wall, next to the entrance of his quarters.  There was a large photo, nearly a meter long.  His family and the crew of his old freighter, the BSC Endurance.  He used to walk into his quarters every evening and recite the names of those he had lost.  With the exception of himself and his family, every person in the photo was gone.  Norman, Chesh, Preena, Prium, Gloria, Chel-var, Meudar, Dolmak, Ciat, Gard, and Mazius.  Space had taken his first real crew.

He turned just a bit so he could see the table to his right.  Three more photos sat there.  He smiled every time he saw the first one.  

oO Toryn so proud (smug) o' the climb and Serala tryin' her best ta pretend it wasn't cold... Oo

The three of them and Lieutenant Lambert...another loss.  Without reason or explanation, just another office missing in action during a dangerous mission.  Despite that loss, it was his first real time connecting with anyone in Starfleet.  There was Captain Brell, of course, but he'd never managed a photo with the man.  He touched the edge of the frame and then picked up the second one.

oO Who'da thunk I'd nab me a professor? Oo

The photo was of Dermont standing next to a lovely woman with auburn hair interlaced with just a few strands of silver.  Her amber eyes sparkled and there were heavy laugh lines around her eyes.  Their arms were linked and they posed happily in front of a Bajoran lightship.  He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory.  They had flown the thing from Bajor to Deep Space Nine and back again.  Neither had any clue what they were doing and the ship barely had much in the way of landing gear.  The journey had been memorable, but the landing (read crash) had been hilarious.  Their ship had dangled from that tree for three hours and neither of them were confident enough to risk the climb.  Of course, they found things to occupy their time until a rescue had arrived...

The last photo was the most recent.  Dermont with Ral, Peters, Tarva, and Talibrek hiding in the background.  The Warp 13 test.  This memory was still fresh, so it hadn't had the time to gather the nostalgia, but he cherished it nonetheless.  Ral...Wyatt, really, was a couple of years younger than Dermont's own son, Kurdan.  Who also happened to be half-Betazoid.  And who also happened to have that same skilled power of observation.  Of course, the similarities really did end there.  Wyatt seemed to have infinite patience for Dermont's antics, while Kurdan...not so much.

oO Comparin' the crew ta yer children again, eh? Oo

He snorted at his own thoughts. He'd done it with most of the younger ones.  It wasn't on purpose.  They were just so young.  And while this job had a habit of making you grow up fast, he knew for many of them Starfleet was their first real time away from their homes.  And some fatherly instinct buried way down deep wanted to protect them from the heartache this life would offer them.  He thought of Kiax for a moment.  The young woman had been such a bundle of sunshine and innocent energy when she first arrived, but this life...well, there was still the energy.  But the innocence?  And how much of that was due to the joining and how much due to what Starfleet officers simply have to endure out here among the stars?  And she was but one example.  Tarva had nearly died.  Poor Donaldson had.  Along with too many others to count.

He blinked his eyes a few times, feeling the moisture beginning to form there.  Dermont growled to himself, set the photo back down and leaned forward.  He tried to make some excuse about exposure to the V-22.  And while that was true and he had apparently picked it up from Wyatt, it never had a chance to take hold of him.  Wyatt's telepathy had made him more susceptible to its influence.  They had caught the infection inside Dermont when he returned from the Aldrin and were able to purge it before feeling any of the effects.

oO Oh no, Valin.  All these feels are all yer own. Oo

Dermont rubbed his hands together and then clapped them together loudly a few times.  He knew he was spiraling inside his own head again.  Shrink would probably say he was missing his family and projecting that emotion onto the crew.  Or perhaps he was using this crew as a surrogate crew for the one he lost all those years ago.  Counselors were ridiculous.  He just wanted to make sure nobody else died.  Ever.

That brought out a laugh and another snort.

oO Oh, sure, just end death, eh?  Ye've got a mighty pair, don't ya, Valin? Oo

oO Ah shaddup. Oo

He stood suddenly.  He wasn't due in Engineering for another four hours, but he couldn't sleep and certainly couldn't just sit here.  Dermont snatched his thermos off the table and headed for the door.  He needed to get away from himself for a bit and there was work to be done.  

 

[Serala]

Been a while since anyone has posted here, but I came across this one-liner from our Ensign @Charles Matthews that had me rollin' and thought I would share. For reference, for those who may not know, our CO is a Caitian.
 

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Mei’konda: Now, Ensign Matthews, fire! 

Matthews: ::pushing buttons:: Firing, sir! 

The first few phaser blasts zoomed towards the station and missed. Matthews shook his head, adjusted the targeting sensors, and shot again. They flew closer to the station but missed a second time. He felt like the Captain would be having kittens. He focused up and made a slight adjustment, then fired for a third time. This time, the dull green of the shields flashed as the phasers struck the station. He then started calibrating the automatic targeting scanners and shot with full available power. 

 

mew, mew instead of pew, pew!!!

Edited January 18, 2024 by Serala

[+ Christopher Caldwell]

So far I've genuinely enjoyed the writing of everyone on the Astaeus but I do feel the need to specifically call out @Serala who genuinely made me laugh in two recent simms, both involving T,Saara (AKA Bean),  Serala's young daughter. 

1) 'Party on the Beach' 
T'Saara presenting her cat Maykomba to our Caitian Captain @Mei'konda and commenting how alike they look. 

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T’Saara: Hewwo, Captain. I brought Maykomba to see you. He looks just like you.

2) 'Fower' 
T'Saara calling the Captain the same name as her cat and then estimating her mother's age. 

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T’Saara: I am fower years old.

Serala smiled as the Captain playfully tousled her hair. Bean seemed to like it, though she quickly straightened her hair when he was done.

Mei’konda: Taller all the tiime, little one. If you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to take caare of.

T’Saara: Bye, Captain Maykomba.

Caldwell: Fower? ::He said in mock surprise then slowly started trying to count it on his fingers, pretending to be struggling, his struggles getting greater with each finger:: Hmmmm, are you sure? If you're fower ::making sure to get the pronunciation just right:: then how old is mummy?

T’Saara: :: giggling :: She way old. Like a hudwed million yeas old.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2024 by Christopher Caldwell

[+ Christopher Caldwell]

Just a quick shout out for @Mason G from their sim Scavenger hunt: Seeking the bridge, an extract of which is included below.

The Bynars aren't seen very often in Star Trek. In the few appearances they do make, there is little detailed information given about them. I therefore really enjoyed how @Mason G explained some of this in a way that really balanced giving a bit more insight whilst still maintaining the 'alienness' of the species. In addition I liked how the writing made clear distinction between the personalities for the two, I absolutely loved the reassuring little hand squeeze, so sweet!

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101 and 000 were familiar with the expression of uncertainty on Christopher’s face when he looked at them. Perhaps because Bynaus was not a member of the Federation and Bynars were therefore an uncommon sight within Starfleet, their fellow officers often didn’t know what to make of them.

Humans especially tended to think of Bynars as somewhat contradictory or paradoxical— a species based in numerical binary, but which existed in the very non-binary gray areas of gender, sexuality, and relationships. They were “both and neither” in mary areas, embodying what humans thought of as some third option that was incompatible with the definition of “binary.”

101 and 000 were man and woman and neither all at once. They couldn’t accurately be described as lovers or siblings or friends or— maybe just soulmates. Their relationship wasn’t romantic or sexual, but it wasn’t exactly platonic either. They weren’t one person, but they weren’t two separate beings. They were organic and machine. Bynars were the one and the zero, always— but 101 and 000 were an unusually unbalanced and uncoordinated pair. Most Bynars behaved similarly enough to their partner that non-Bynars mixed them up, but nobody ever confused 101 or 000 for the other.

101 enjoyed being different and answering curious questions. 000 was embarrassed to stick out and be misunderstood.

101 met Christopher’s uncertain gaze with a confident smile and pulled their partner forward to stand right at their side.

101: We’re almost done,
000: with our scavenger hunt, we think.
101: This was our next stop.

Caldwell: Ah, well I was told to expect a VIP visit. Birthdays are very important, which makes you ::he spread his arms to ensure the gesture encompassed 101 and 000:: very important, very special. I hope it's been an enjoyable experience thus far.

That earned a delighted giggle from 101, who seemed to be genuinely engaged by the theatrics. 000 simply nodded in response, silently affirming his hope— extroverts were usually nice enough people, but the big energy made them a little nervous.

101: Yes, very special indeed,
000: we’re having a good time.

He paused and thought for a second, seeming a little distracted as his facial expression shifted in subtle ways that they couldn’t crack the meaning of. 101 waited patiently, choosing to take him at face value and avoid overthinking anything, but 000’s nerves got the better of them— they figured that he was probably a little weirded out by the pair and unsure of how to act. 101 sensed the discomfort and squeezed their hand, which helped a bit.

 

[Charles Matthews]

I wanted to mention @Sylvie Doucet and the various bird-based puns in their last two posted sims. For context where it is needed, the Tinalli are a flightless avian species. It all made me chuckle, and the reference to the Caitian Captain being a "big cat" too  Put me in mind of Sylvester and Tweety Pie!

Taken from the sim 'Stabilized For Now'

Doucet: Hmm. We’d need to be careful, especially since we essentially just politely turned down their own help in rescuing one of our officers. We took a lot of control over the situation away from them, so we should probably start with offering our help in a way that allows them to take the lead. This is their home, after all. No sense in ruffling any feathers if we don’t need to.

It took a moment before Sylvie realized the inadvertent pun she made and she had to carefully conceal her sudden amusement.

oO This is probably not the time for making stupid avian puns. This is no time to fowl it up. Oo

Taken from the sim 'A Nest of Uncertainty'

(( Conference Room, Tinalli Orbital Spacedock ))

Once everyone was in the conference room a few minutes later, Sylvie cleared their throat and motioned towards Dor’ar’ny’sa. They were going to be winging it a bit here but it was worth it to get things going. The Tinalli did seem a bit nervous about the Captain being a big cat, but not in a way that made Sylvie feel like his presence was a major risk. That much was good, at least.

[Mei'konda]

Very proud of our little Bynar crew members! Recently promoted to full Lieutenant, the joined pair showed their rank when attempting to reign in one of our Security officers. And good work from you too, Matthews.

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Matthews: I think you’re involved in whatever is going on here. A suspicion is one thing, but you’ve been defiant. Antagonising. Pushing and countering everything since you got here. Your answers: in conflict with each previous one. There’s not an ounce of consistency. We try to reassure you, you ignore it. We try to help, you ignore that too.

The Tinalli took a step back.

Kas’va’no’da: Yo-oouu ha-aa-ve no pro-oof. Baa-aasseless accusssssatiiioooons. Sta-aaaarfleet cluuuu--- cluuuuutchiing at straaaws.

Matthews: Then why do you look so nervous, Administrator?

Kas’va’no’da: I--- ::stuttering:: I aaam not nerv---

Matthews: Tell us. Tell us now!

101: Lieutenant Matthews! Please come speak with me for a moment.

The words poured out of 101 all at once in a flood. Face flushing purple with frustration and embarrassment, the tiny officer stepped forward and took Matthews’ arm in their little hand, pulling him as firmly as they could manage to the side.

000 stood, stunned, beside Caldwell as their partner walked away. Their instinct was to follow, of course, and they took a step in 101’s direction, but the tension and volume of the confrontation had quickly overwhelmed them. They looked away from Kas’va’no’da’s bewildered, angry expression and braced for him to start yelling or snapping, and took a shaky breath.

Without thinking about it, 000 shrunk down into Caldwell’s side, trying to disappear behind him in a moment of what they shamefully told themself had to be cowardice. In the moment, they just wished that they could crawl in a hole and hide somewhere until all this confrontation was over.

Caldwell: Response

000 jumped and let go of his arm— they hadn’t realized that they’d grabbed on to him.

000: ::whispering:: I’m sorry.

Serala / Caldwell / Peters / Shewytch / Kas’va’no’da: Responses

101 was… upset. They did their very best to pull Matthews a couple of meters aside, trying to give Serala and the others room to handle damage control with their seriously offended Tinalli acquaintance. Speaking in a somewhat hushed voice, they stared up at Matthews’ face and started,

101: Are you trying to destroy the already fragile diplomatic relationship we have with these people? Did you flunk out of diplomacy 101?

Matthews: Response

101: ::trying to be quiet:: Yes! I understand that! But a big part of Administrator Kas’va’no’da’s job is security. You’re a security officer— you know that it is his job to be skeptical of everybody, including us. This is not a Federation species and we have to earn their trust.

Matthews: Response

101: Can we trust you not to start a fistfight in a room with a bomb risk?

Matthews: Response

For a moment, 101 eyed him skeptically. They had never done this before, and it was disorienting to have broken away from 000… but this was important.

101: …Okay. Fine. But I really, really hope you didn’t just blow this for anyone.

Matthews: Response

 

—————————

 

Lieutenants One Zero One (101) and Zero Zero Zero (000)
HCO Officers
USS Astraeus NCC-70652

C239907OZ1

 

[Serala]

An already tense situation turned even worse when the baddies finally made an appearance. And in the midst of all this, some really great one-liners from Ens. @Christopher Caldwell. The comedic timing is just perfect.

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Caldwell: If anyone is interested none of this is helping my headache in the slightest.

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Christopher used the distraction to tackle the nearest enemy, launching himself at his opponent and driving him to the deck, shoving his left forearm into his throat as he balled his right hand into a fist and started throwing punches, his fist stinging as it broke bone, pummeling the alien's face until he no longer felt any kind of resistance, before retrieving the phaser and combadge he had surrendered earlier. 

Caldwell: My phaser.

 

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He rolled over, using the unconscious body as a shield from behind which he could take some cover and fire out from behind. Assuming the Valcarian forces didn't kill their own man whilst trying to kill him, he was now pretty confident that someone in the room now had a worse headache than he did. 

 

Edited May 7, 2024 by Serala

[+ Gila Sadar]

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Mei’konda: Yes, there is one other set of unusual detaails. The Titan left spacedock carrying two paassengers of note. Retiired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, and Captain William Riker. Questiions?

 

For the second time in as many hours, Serala was too stunned to speak.

 

oO What the actual imirrhlhhse? Oo

Yes, @Serala, I could not agree more 😅

[Serala]

You know, it's always great to see a bit of humor amidst a crisis. So, this little internal snark from @Christopher Caldwell really gave me a chuckle.

 

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Serala: There has been an explosion in the Operations Center, Captain. I am reading high amounts of theta radiation and gasses, along with the usual damage caused by a massive explosion.

Whilst he appreciated the Commander's matter of fact reporting, a testament to her experience, the reference to usual damage sounded almost comical to him.

oO Just the usual massive explosion, no need to worry. Oo

He understood the point the Commander was making and the fact that she was ordering information in a specific manner in order for clarity, still, sometimes he just liked to be facetious for this own amusement.

 

Me too, Chris. Me too.🤣

Edited June 13, 2024 by Serala

[Charles Matthews]

CONTENT WARNING. Some of these sims highlight graphic injuries and may be disturbing to read.

Just wanted to give some shout outs to those caught in a recent explosion at the Ops Centre on the Astraeus. The tension, detail and emotion added into these sims is so good. Especially the emotional punch from the last one; from the point of view of Esa Kiax jumping through points in her life with different hosts. Awesome work from all the writers of these sims and I just felt they deserved the praise!

StarBase 118 PBEM RPG Sim Archive

StarBase 118 PBEM RPG Sim Archive

StarBase 118 PBEM RPG Sim Archive

StarBase 118 PBEM RPG Sim Archive

StarBase 118 PBEM RPG Sim Archive

 

[Serala]

Okay, I personally love snark in sims, and this one by @Charles Matthews really had me rolling.

 

Quote

Computer: Lieutenant Ral, Lieutenant MacNemar has attempted to access main engineering. I have dispatched security to intercept.
 
oO You’ve dispatched Security---? Oo
 
Upon hearing the recent update from the Computer, Charlie felt surges of confusion and frustration ripple through him, adding to the conflicting emotions that he was already feeling. He was positive that his face was now conveying the feelings that he was currently experiencing.
 
Matthews: Thanks, Computer(!) Why don’t we just get you some pips and you can sort this all out for us?!

 

[Kris Fianna]

I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the thought that went into this particular sim from Ensign Tasen. While it's not anything extraordinary from Tasen, she has proven time and again to have a firm connection with her character - showing us how she thinks and why she acts the way she does. In this sim, we really get to see just how scared Gwen is, and why she is able to push through!

Thank you for your amazing writing, and I look forward to more from you!

"Ensign Gwen'ora Tasen - Back to the Fray"

[Sylvie Doucet]

From Chris Caldwell's sim in the Astraeus's awards ceremony:

Quote

Christopher never understood the logic of the Purple Heart. "Congratulations you got shot or had a console explode in your face or something!" It just didn't seem like an achievement, surely the achievement would be managing to avoid such things.

Truer words never, er, thought!

[+ Sevantha]

@Alix Harford making everyone on the ship cackle with this blunt detail in very serious SIM dealing with her fear of space. 

Thank you @Esa_Darkkdust for the dark view snippet. 

[+ Christopher Caldwell]

Big shout out to @Alix Harford for 'The Juneau' 

Really great to learn more about the character's backstory and who doesn't love a bit of trauma drama?