'Twas the Nebula Before Christmas

Posted on Sun Jan 2nd, 2022 @ 7:08am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Emilie Temple & Mauricio Arnaldo & Raven Mattel & Ignatius & Commander Mindo & Lieutenant Farizah Alani & Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Lieutenant Commander James Smith & Lieutenant Krysia Kaleri-Smith & Ensign Breena Powell & Ensign Aenardha Sh'vastarth & Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Deck 5 - Eclipse Bar
Timeline: Late Afternoon

ON:

The Pandora had been sailing through the Rentara Nebula, slowly but purposefully on their way back home to Earth for the past few days. There had been an initial unsettled awe from the crew due to the flames lashing the Pandora's hull, and the constant cold atmosphere required to keep the ship from over-heating. But Starfleet Officers knew how to respond to stressful situations and changing requirements of their duties. By the third day, they had gotten used to the conditions. The crew had adapted. A sense of purpose came over them as they knew they were getting closer and closer to home. It was all worth it.

It was also on this third day that Nycolas had noticed the calendar. On Earth, it was approaching Christmas once more. This would be the second Christmas that the Pandora had experienced while serving in the Inconnu Expanse. He was warmed by the memory of the ship's first holiday, where some of the senior crew had organised a surprise party on Deck Five. It was just one of those moments where the crew had truly become a family. So, despite the situation the Pandora now found themselves in, Nyx decided that it was his turn to hold a party for the crew.

== Deck 5 - Eclipse Bar ==

The Eclipse had been decorated with a traditional style, with white candles and green pine garlands adorning the tables and across the bar. Hanging on the walls were bunting made from brown, white, and red paper cut into various shapes; all the classic holiday symbols from across the Quadrant, with the crew supplying their own hand-made contributions. With resources tight and energy strictly controlled, the decorating team had opted for a simple and traditional look instead. The main attraction after all was the lounge's large bay windows, which was showing the dazzling flames displayed by the Pandora's journey through the nebula. It was like sitting in front of a giant, two-storey fireplace.

An invitation had gone out to all of the crew to the party, encouraging everyone to modify their winter uniforms or costumes into whatever holiday attire they wished. Nyx had asked them to come dressed in a way that represented their culture, their families, or themselves. The holiday was the excuse for the party - but they were there to celebrate the Pandora itself.

Now it was time for the festivities to begin. Nyx was in the Eclipse lighting the last remaining candles as he waited for the crew to arrive. He was wearing a white shirt with a red double-breasted vest, and black pants, a nod to his Danish heritage. He was very excited to see how everyone else dressed for the occasion.

Krysia and James were next to arrive, she was wearing an off the shoulder, long red dress with white trim and a snowflake design along the bottom of the dress. It wasn’t something she’d wear on her home-world, the Drax were more conservative, but on the ship she let herself enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. The twins were dressed in little Christmas outfits and James was looking handsome too.

James smiled as he surveyed the room. He was dressed in a light weight suit. He smiled as he held on to his family. It felt good to have this chance to relax for a change. James looked around as he noticed Nyx approaching.

Nyx approached the couple with a proud smile, "Evening Lieutenants. Thank you for coming."

“Good evening Sir” Krysia smiled warmly. “I’m looking forward to a fun evening.”

“Good Evening, Captain.” Janes replied as he shook he old friends hand. This place looks amazing. Can’t wait to taste some of the food.”

"I'm glad to hear it." Nyx replied, "Please, grab yourselves a cocktail and a snack. We've got a little show coming up soon, you don't want to miss it."

“Thank you Sir” Krysia smiled warmly.

As the crew shuffled in, Chief Zo and the rest of Warp Nine (with an added horn section) played various holiday themed songs. Currently, Zo sat at a piano and the band played a jazzy rendition of "Sleigh Ride." The whole band had been decked out in flashy green and red outfits that could only have come from Ignatius' shop, "The Flying Pants."

Lieutenant-Commander Mindo walked in arm-in-arm with Terrekal. It had been a while since the two had done anything together, so they decided to make a date of the occasion. Neither wore the usual festive colors, but Mindo did have his shining gold suit Ignatius had prepared for their previous excursion in Paradise's casino.

"Lots of green and red," Terrekal remarked. "I feel like I should've worn at least one of those colors. Then again, I don't really know what this Christmas thing is anyway."

Mindo grinned. "From what I know, it started as a religious holiday on Earth. I think it had something to do with the birth of a famous religious figure named Santa Claus. Since then it's become a celebration of family and fellowship, though there are still humans who observe the religious traditions. I don't really understand it myself, but it's a great excuse for a good time."

Terrekal affectionately squeezed Mindo's arm. "I'm all about the good times!"

Raven and Ignatius swanned in next. Raven had dug deep into her trunks of costumes and found a green faux fur coat. She added baubles and trim as decorations, then wore a gold glittery star on a head band, becoming a living Christmas tree. Ignatius was wearing a red, green, and gold tartan full suit, with green suede shoes to match. He pretended he had this in his closet already but in truth, he had spent all night making it for the occassion. The friends walked arm in arm together, both already carrying an eggnog martini from their pre-party drinks.

They came up to Mindo and Terrekal and did the obligatory fawning over the overfits.

"Gorgeous!" Raven declared at them as a group, obviously including herself in that description.

"Have we ever been anything but?" Terrekal remarked.

"Not since birth." Ignatius replied coolly, with a small smile. "Darlings, let us be the first to grace the dance floor. Mr. Zo and his band are playing my favourite."

Raven held out her arm, "Sounds like a wonderful idea."

Across the room, Nyx was busy greeting crew and guests when he heard a loud "DADDY!" come from within the crowd. Nyx looked over and saw Emilie entering Luna Eclipse with Katrine and William in tow. Emilie was dressed in a badly-fitting Elsa costume, and Katrine was re-using her Olaf suit from last year. William had a pair of soft felt Reindeer antlers on his beanie.

Nyx tried to stifle a laugh as he saw Emilie's Elsa, raising his eyebrows in mirth as he approached.

"Not a word." Emilie said with a warning tone. "I'm still trying to make up for Katrine's experience in the battle and the nebula, so I'm going through with whatever suggestions she has to make her happy. Including this."

Nyx gave a solemn nod, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I get it, you're a very giving mother. I just wish she would..." He sighed, pausing for effect. "Let it go."

Katrine's eyes widened with amused rage, and if she had a free hand it most certainly would have been used to smack her husband. Knowing he wasn't being supporting, Nyx moved to take hold of William instead.

"There's my little Sven!" Nyx said joyfully as he picked up his son and bounced the boy a few times, William giving a few giggles of delight. He turned back to Emilie, "How about you find a seat? I can take the kids for a while."

Emilie nodded, "So you should. I'll get us a cold drink?"

Nyx frowned, "Cold? Don't you mean a warm one? We have egg nog and hot toddies. We're trying to warm up here."

Emilie shrugged, giving a smile, "The cold never bothered me anyway."

"Oh gees." Nyx laughed loudly.

Just then, the song ended and there was a light applause. Zo stood from the piano and walked over toward the center microphone, where he was handed a red translucent electric guitar decked out with green strings.

"Our next song is called 'Let It Snow,'" Zo said. "And we have a little surprise for everyone... Crewman Greep, you can raise the windows now."

The window covers came up and the crew was hit with a bright light as the flames engulfing the Pandora took on a bright white hue.

Zo grinned as the crowd cheered the snowy sight. "It's all perfectly safe," Zo said reassuringly. "All we had to do was reverse the ship's polarity to North!"

The room erupted in applause at the display, Nyx standing back by the bar as he watched the joy on everyone's faces.

"Well done Chief Zo!" He called out from the back of the room. "Bravo!"

Zo smiled and waved as he stood from the piano, taking the glittering red electric guitar from the stage hand. "Our next song features our very skilled drummer, Lieutenant Stuart Tyler, and is our take on the classic 'Little Drummer Boy.'"

"Spectacular!" Raven cried out as she clapped joyfully. Ignatius gave his friend a tight squeeze as they watched the display.

Aenardha could already sense a communal ‘good time’ being had as she approached the entrance to the Eclipse. She did not have to use proximity awareness of anyone during her trek from her quarters as she was making her way along with a small group heading in the same direction. Though someone tried to show her in as the doors slid open invitingly, she waved them off and stood outside a moment longer.

Regular passers-by in the corridor gave her ample public vision to see with. She was adorned with a solid black dress with a top loose-fitting, showing much of her shoulders and long sleeves covering her arms and ending in black lace cuffs over her wrists.

She did not understand the celebration going on inside but could sense a common communal thought of everyone who looked upon her; that she was not really dressed for the occasion. One of the captain’s options was to come dressed in a way that represented her and looking as though she stepped right out of a black and white holonovel represented her nicely.

Without any further adieu, Aenardha stepped inside. She quickly sensed the multitudes of mental patterns of everyone present. There came a set of wondering eyes, staring intently at her. That staring was followed up with a series of confused thoughts; no wondering or fear or acceptance or desire, just confusion without any real quest to understand. Seeking additional mental markers, Aenardha then understood those staring eyes and the confused thought patterns belonged to a very young and very new humanoid child. The infant then looked away at another newcomer and Aenardha continued her way inside.

Telepathic vision gave her glimpses of the flames outside flashing white and she saws that the Eclipse was decorated in red and green, something this holiday in particular was associated with.

Once she had acquired her beverage of choice; Andorian Arctic Brine fortified with a trace of liquid oxygen, Aenardha made her way to a table to sit. She was near one of the open viewports; a black and white silhouette of an Aenar drinking a bluish beverage surrounded by red and green flames.

"Ensign," Nyx approached her with a smile, the kids now in the care of Auntie Raven and Uncle Ignatius, "So glad you could make it."

Aenardha was not sure if she should stand for him. With this being an informal gathering, a celebratory party no less, she felt that level of formality was not necessary. And, though she generally steered away from such social gatherings, not being very sociable herself, “I would not dream of missing this, sir.” She had seen a few of these ‘Christmas’ parties whilst attending the Academy but, “I am not certain of the occasion or the significance of these colors, but I am sure they are meaningful.” Aenardha felt a bit embarrassed admitting to not be certain of the occasion, with her being an Intelligence officer and all.

"A Captain's prerogative to bring a little of my home town to the ship." Nyx explained, looking around the room. "I do love Christmas, though, there's always something a little more special about it. But in truth, it's just an excuse to come together and celebrate. We could have really chosen any holiday in Quadrant. Do you have many celebrations in your culture?"

“Yes, captain.” Aenardha stood. Unable to tap into his telepathic vision, on top of being fearful of trying to read his thoughts again, she simply used the public vision and awareness of everyone else spread about the area to know that she stood beside the captain and both were looking out at the colorful flames waving over the hull of the Pandora.

“These colors we see… these hues match that of the Aurorae Australis that light up the sky during the week-long Summer of Darkness. You know that Andoria orbits Andor which orbits our sun. Every couple of years, as this is not a yearly celebration, when those of us in the southern polar regions are celebrating summer, the only time we have constant sunlight, Andoria will enter into Andor’s shadow. And for that week, during our summer, there is no sun. Radiation emanating from the tumultuous atmosphere of Andor reacts with the cooling upper atmosphere of Andoria and creates these Aurorae Australis displaying colors not dissimilar than what we see here. Our legends tell of a man named Targaryen, known as the Aenar Targaryen, who rebelled against the ruling class. The ruling class has always remained unnamed but there is no hiding that we mean the Andorian population. He broke with the Aenar practice of pacifism and used his telepathic abilities to act out against the ruling masters. Our legend is that he did this long ago and during the week-long Summer of Darkness. In the end, he stood alone as no other Aenar seemed brave enough to side with him. He was executed for his rebellion but word of his deeds got out among the Andorian population and there came a growing voice of freedom for the Aenar even among the Andorians. Though the Andorians labeled him as the first Aenardh…” she stopped, midsyllable, and bit her lip, “…the first Aenar exile, the Aenar view him as a revolutionary and we remember him whenever we have our Summer of Darkness. There is no clear indication on when Targaryen rebelled and the Andorians have no record of the event at all. It could all very well be just a legend, but…” she stopped and pondered her own situation for a brief second, “it is a good story to tell and to keep alive in our thoughts.”

"A heroic story." Nyx agreed, "Whether it is true or not, I hope it gives hope and strength to your people. May it see many modern-day rebels." He smiled at her, knowingly, "Who buck tradition and do what others think they cannot."

Aenardha smiled at him and then looked away. It did not always bode well for those who rebel against tradition, as in the case of Targaryen. Aenardha though, had found a place she felt she could eventually call home, if they were to allow her to stay that is. Though the Pandora was a bit hot for her tastes, the atmosphere was better.

Admiral Francis smiled as he approached Captain Temple, champagne glass in hand, wearing a red and green turtleneck and a white wool cap. "This is a lively shindig, Nyx," he said. He nodded to Aenardha. "Ms. Sh'vastarth, always a pleasure."

"Welcome, Admiral," Temple replied courteously but shortly. He wasn't about to get into any heavy discussions at this party, but Nyx knew the Admiral had been to visit Thac in the Brig. That would have to be a topic for another day. "I'm glad you can be here to enjoy it." He added.

“Admiral,” Aenardha regarded the man, after the captain had of course.

Crewman Greep couldn't do much with Christmas colors as his blue fur and yellow beak clashed with red and green. Nonetheless, he wore the stupid red conical "Santa" cap that Zo said would be "all the rage." Greep was fine with it, though. He always had trouble fitting in, so if wearing a silly red hat helped him fit it, he may as well try it.

Greep was lucky enough to find Aeryn in the crowd. He tapped her shoulder and hoped he wouldn't startle her when she turned around. "Lieutenant Jameson," he squawked, addressing her formally in an informal gathering, "You are dressed nice. I believe the Chief would use the word 'punching,' or maybe the word is 'hitting?'"

Aeryn smiled warmly as she looked towards Greep. “I have no idea what he’d say Greep, but thank you for the compliment. Please call me Aeryn, there’s no need to stand on ceremony in an informal gathering.”

Just then, Mindo turned around to see the two of them conversing. "Greetings, Greep. Looking festive I see. Aeryn, you look striking in that dress!"

Aeryn smiled warmly. “Thank you Mindo, it’s just a shame I don’t have anyone to look striking for! Especially at a gathering like this.” She couldn’t help but wish John was still aboard, She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess the upside is I don’t have to restrict myself to one person.”

"You'd do wonderfully on Bolarus or Denobula, dear," commented the blue skinned wonder herself, Lieutenant Farizah Alani swaying her way through The Eclipse and inserting herself in mid conversation. "Pardon me," she added to excuse her potential rudeness.

She flashed a charming smile at Aeryn. "I was actually looking for Lieutenant Mindo," explained Farizah. "I suspected that I would find him over here next to someone so...attractive."

Aeryn blushed “Thank you, you’re very kind.” She smiled warmly, “I’m Aeryn Jameson, Assistant Chief Medical Officer.”

Mindo shot Terrekal a look and Terrekal wrapped his arm around Mindo's. "Sorry ladies. Mindo's with me tonight." He extended a hand to Alani. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Terrekal, your friendly neighborhood bartender at Mindo's 'barcade.'"

The night continued with music, games, and the mandatory speech(es) from the Captain. He was overwhelmed with joy at the turn-out for the event, which grew so much that it began to spill out into the corridor of the Recreation Deck and an additional party was formed in the Pandora's Box restaurant as well. Crew came and went, always replaced by those coming off duty and joining the festivities as they could. Nyx had stopped counting, but he felt like the entire Pandora had come past as some point in the evening.

Eventually, tired feet and bodies saw the attendance start to wind down and the party became a quieter, evening night-cap. In the later hours, there was just a core few sitting around a single large table, chatting and laughing, the final embers of a once bright fire.

Raven was slinked into her chair, reclining in repose as she stared at the ceiling peacefully, enjoying listening and not talking. Her heels were slung casually over her chair, long since removed after hours of dancing. Ignatius was in deep, hushed conversation with Mauricio, telling him all about the clothing line inspired by his Sonic Harmoniser dream. The Captain nursed a hot toddy in his hands as he listened between conversations around him.

Aenardha was nursing, again, at a glass of arctic brine. Though the festivities were winding down and people were making their respective exits at infrequent intervals, it was usually in pairs or in groups. Aenardha did not wish to be the one to leave alone though returning to her quarters and getting to bed was her objective. Surprisingly, however, she was not that tired. Being not of the type to interject herself into the company of others already having a good time, she sat alone with her thoughts, using public vision and awareness to continue taking in the varied colors just outside the viewport.

"When Pandora's box was opened." Nyx suddenly declared, hushing everyone else into suddenly silence. "And all the evils within were let out..." He raised his glass. "The only thing left was hope." He drank it down heartily. "You people. This crew. You are the hope... My hope... The Expanse's hope... The Resistance's hope... Frell! You are STARFLEET's hope!" He toasted and drank down again.

"To hope!" The others agreed, making a solemn toast in return.

OFF