A Nyxmas Carol - Part Two
Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 8:43am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Ignatius
Edited on on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 1:51pm
Mission:
Into the Wild
Location: Deck Five - Recreation Area
A Mission Post by Captain Nycolas Temple & Ignatius
Mission: Into The Wild
Location: Deck Five - Recreation Area
Timeline:
Tue Dec 26th, 2017 @ 12:20pm
The Rec Deck was unusually quiet this evening; the crew and passengers preferring to spend the night in their quarters or - as was most likely - they were still at work. These were trying times for everyone onboard, and it meant a lot of double shifts and overtime for the crew. If they weren’t repairing from the action they had seen in previous days, they were preparing for the events yet to come. But that meant here, in the present, the Recreation deck was eerily quiet.
Feeling forlorn and solitary after his message from his mother, Nyx had decided to go for a stroll and potentially find a friendly face. However, what he found was empty corridors and those he did come across, seemed to keep their heads down and keep walking. Word had spread that the Captain was not in his typical cheery mood, and so avoided him obviously so. It made a blue Captain feel even more lonely this evening.
Even when he turned into The Flying Pants, to see his old friend Ignatius, he was denied a friendly greeting.
“No!” Ignatius gasped as Nyx entered the store, as he seemed to hurriedly bury something underneath his shirt.
“What?!” A befuddled Nyx cried, stopping his walk in surprise.
“I’m busy!” Ignatius continued as he walked around the corner holding his stomach like a pregnant woman.
Nyx looked around the completely empty store and leaned out to look at the empty corridor.
“No you’re not.” He stated plainly.
“Well... I’m working on a special order.” Ignatius responded with a stamp of his foot. “It’s private business.”
Nyx was curious for a moment, wondering what mysterious object the clothier would be working on, and who could have ordered it. But he was too tired and sulking to enquire.
“I could use a friend, Ignatius,” Nyx sighed heavily.
Ignatius looked frustrated and nodded, “Alright... well, turn around!”
Nyx did as instructed and turned on his heel to face the entrance once more. He could hear Ignatius rustling about hurriedly, him cursing in several languages, the opening and closing of cupboard doors, and then finally footsteps coming closer. Ignatius was right behind him now.
“Okay” Ignatius spoke, his tone far more relaxed now, “At your service, Captain.”
Nyx turned back nervously and raised an eyebrow, “Sure?”
The older man pulled his arms across his chest and sighed, “Briefly. Tell me what you need?”
“Fine,” Nyx responded as he found a chair to sit on and slumped into it dramatically. “It’s Christmas on Earth. Christmas Eve, to be precise. And I’ve just received a ridiculously stern message from my mother, lecturing me on making sure I carry on our traditions to my daughter. Obviously with everything that’s gone on, I simply haven’t had the time for any kind of social interactions or morale building, like celebrating the holidays. And now I feel not only am I letting her down, I’m letting down the whole crew. The mission has to come first, but at what cost?”
“I wanted to be so much better, as a father and a Captain.” Nyx continued, “I promised I would never let down my child, just as I vowed I would never turn into the distant, stern commanders that I knew. I started out well, made plenty of friends, ensured that this ship was a flying piece of home for everybody. But now I feel like it’s falling through my fingers, I’m losing them already. Family and crew. And It’s only our first tour.”
Ignatius listened for a moment, nodded several times, and he himself sat down in a chair. “So, not clothing advice then?”
“Unless you have a Julemanden costume on hand?” Nyx asked simply.
“Jule man?” Ignatius asked confused.
“Santa.” Nyx shrugged.
“Oh. No” Ignatius shook his head then shrugged, “Tell me, what is Katrine doing presently?”
“I think she’s on a field trip with Ems,” Nyx replied, “She sent a message saying they were going to visit the Science Labs. Katrine doesn’t even know it’s Christmas.”
“Yet.” Ignatius added knowingly, “She doesn’t know yet, but there is still time. You could still provide her with the wonderful Christmas spirit of your childhood.”
“Of my childhood?” The Captain scoffed. “Sometimes it was good. Only sometimes.”
[Copenhagen, Earth, 2362]
Young Nycolas had ran out into the winter streets, snow contuing to fall around him. The many townhouses around the canal were like lanterns in the darkness; festive lights in a rainbow of colours hanging in their window sills and off their awnings. Even the sailboats lining the canal had colourful illuminations around theirs masts and cabins. Nyx used to love looking at them this time of year, but tonight they seemed to be mocking him as he ran past - eyes full of tears and frustration.
From behind, Nyxolas’ parents were trying to follow the young boy as he ran, calling out his name into the night air. Nyx wasn’t listening; he knew exactly where he was heading and he knew he didn’t want to be at home. With them.
“Nycolas!” Came his mother.
“Nyx!” Called his father.
After running for some time, he had found his way to a crowd of people and got lost in the masses. He had reached the nearby park, which was still buzzing with activity as people celebrated the holiday. In Denmark, Christmas was not all about one day. In fact, the prior twenty four days were like a prolonged celebration - with advent calendars providing daily toys for the children, several festive days marking traditions like Saint Lucy’s day, the local broadcast networks running dedicated programs all month, special candles counting down the season, and culminating in the lighting of the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.
In the Temple’s neighbourhood of Sydhavn, the local tree was always lit in the reserve just to the south of the residences. A pine tree was specially cultivated by city planners to make it exceptionally tall and luscious, modern technology employed to ensure it was bigger and fuller than the one in Town Hall. The Sydhavn’s were always proud of their tree. And it attracted a large crowd of people in the open field on Christmas Eve, thousands of people pouring in from all over the city to see the tree’s decorations and lighting ceremony.
This meant Nyx was quickly lost in the crowds, and he swerved his way around all the people to make his way to the front. Finally he was able to get close enough to the barrier surrounding the tree and could poke his head through to see it in front him. Time may have altered the young boy’s perception of this night, but he would swear for years to come that the tree was at least fifty feet tall. It was so big he couldn’t even see the star on top. Whether that was true or not, Young Nycolas at least felt comfort for a moment.
“Nycolas!” Came his mother.
“Nyx!” Called his father.
Young Nycolas blocked his ears and ducked down low, hoping not to be seen between all the people. Around him, the crowd started counting down, the ceremony about to begin. Young and old, families and friends, everyone was gathered in excitement for the big moment.
“...Ti! ...Ni! ...Otte! ...Syv! ...Seks!” called the people excitedly.
“Nyx!” His father’s voice was much closer now.
“...Fem! ..Fire! ...Tre! ...To!” the crowd yelled.
“Nyx?” His father spoke urgently, as he reached out his hand and with a desperate pull on the boy’s shoulder, turned Nycolas around to face him.
“EN!” Came the final shout, followed by a loud cheer from the crowd.
From behind, the tree suddenly beamed to life with thousands of lights, all making the sparkling image of the Danish flag. The people cheered even louder when they saw the display of national pride. After a few moments the lights began alternating between red and white, glistening across the night sky. Soon, they all turned red and messages of peace, hope, and togetherness scrolled around the tree in white letters.
Nycolas meanwhile was being tightly held by his father, panic subsided after finally finding his son. Neither of them could see the display occurring...
[USS Pandora, Present Day]
Nyx blinked again as he leaned back in his chair. Ignatius had replicated them both a drink and placed the glass in Nyx’s hand. The Captain took a thankful sip before giving a smile to his friend.
“If you were your parents, what would you do?” Ignatius asked as he rested against the counter.
“Be involved in my kid’s life.” Nyx replied immediately. “The ghosts of their poor parenting still haunt me today, and I vowed that I would never do that to my kids. It’s why I petitioned so hard to have Katrine and Emily come to the Pandora, and for this ship to have all the comforts of home.”
Ignatius smiled, “Then don’t let that become the ghost of your present. It would take some work, maybe some help, but it’s still possible to give Katrine the Christmas you didn’t have.”
Nyx’s shoulders fell, “I can’t ask for help, everyone is so busy working on their duties. Because of me. Because of our circumstances. No one is going to experience an Earth-like Christmas this year, there’s simply no time for it.”
“You’d be surprised.” Ignatius replied with a knowing glint in his eyes as he stood. “Don’t waste any more time being glum, my friend. Go out there and do what needs to be done!”
Nyx gave a nod and finished his drink as he stood, “Thank you, my friend.”
[To be continued]
