Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Rado Gainn (Security Officer) in The Parthenon - Post Mission - All Welcome

Posted by Lieutenant Elaine Janvier (Chief Medical Officer) in The Parthenon - Post Mission - All Welcome

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Harrison Callahan (Chief Intelligence Officer) in The Parthenon - Post Mission - All Welcome
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The Parthenon was bustling. People meandered about. Drinks were served. And a table of unique snacks was situated for all to see to partake in. It was essentially a massive charcuterie board.

The platform was decorated for officer recognition. All gathered knew how these things went. Orvos set a small box on the table he sat at on his own. His feelings were mixed this evening.

He was here, as captain of the Athena. It was the one position he had fought to obtain, despite his clear experience in command giving him the edge to obtain it. He had been pushed to a point though. Janna had been that motivation to him. She had pushed, and he semi-reluctantly took it. And after some time in the center seat, he grew accustomed to it.

So many years on the Athena had gone by. He thought he would be used to it by now. Being El Aurian gave him an exceptionally longer lifespan than most present. He had spent centuries watching people enter and leave his life. He always held on to memories, to the stories. But these days were harder now. He had allowed Janna closer than any had ever been outside of his own deceased wife. He knew her reasons for having to take leave. She had insisted he stay, that the crew needed him. Maybe their paths would cross again, but this leave was going to be longer than most.

Others had left too. Stark Nightstalker. Laraan. Marishka. Just to name a few. The stories always stuck though. The memories would always be cherished whenever he decided to look at them again.

Right now, however, he had to pull himself together. Because the crew needed him. And they would need him in times to come. He toyed with his beverage for a moment, swirling it about as the time ticked closer to ceremony.

-Captain Orvos Legen, CO

James entered the Parthenon after finishing up his shift, the allure of food and drink never seemed to fail him. Looking around he noticed that it was filling up. He moved to the refreshment station and got himself a collection of the assorted goods before making his way to a table at one side of the room. He flagged down a server and ordered and Old Fashioned and simply took a moment to people watch.

Rowe

Stone stood facing the viewports, a glass of champagne or something resembling it perched but forgotten between her fingers. She’d been standing there fro who knew how long. It was good to be back at Starbase 157. Better to have cracked the ring responsible for the disappearance of so many. It was exactly the kind of thing that she’d joined up for. More than that, they’d rescued others in need.

It was completely hollow. Well, maybe not completely. But it was a struggle to maintain a silver lining.

They hadn’t lost anybody on this most recent operation. Miraculously. Though they’d come close. And this time it had been her. That wasn’t new. As a career security officer, it was her job to be the shield. To take the hit. But… she was XO of the Athena, lead ship of the third fleet. And this time, it had been the very skills an instincts she’d developed over a long career that had almost gotten her killed. Would have, were it not for the skills of the Athena’s medical team, and a floating tier one trauma center.

The aches were almost gone. Almost. And did nothing for the aches behind her eyes, across her soul.

And worse, the two anchors she ha aboard the Athena were gone. Janna, who’d been an lifesaver in stormy seas. An Faye, a friend and mentee. They, perhaps more than anyone else, helped her feel anchored to ship and crew. and helped her find a center. With their departure....

She drained the glass but barely tasted the amber liquid or felt the carbonation. Idly she sat the glass on a table nearby and tugged the sleeve of her white dress uniform into place. Time to put all that away for now.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders, drawing herself to attention. A physical trigger, a call t order, she carefully sat those matters aside. There were things to attend to. For now, relying on military bearing would have to suffice. Turning sharply, Serena scanned the room. Some where already here, some were slow to arrive.

Catching eyes with Orvos, she gave him a nod. Steady as she goes.

Lt. Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

Harrison stepped into the Parthenon after freshening up. He had spent most of the day settling into his quarters finally. He had arrived on the Athena during their last mission and had been thrown straight into the action. He had met a number of the crew during the mission , but others not yet. Probably the most important being the ship’s XO, Lt. Cmdr. Stone. She had been injured earlier on and out of commission.

He searched the lounge and his eyes finally landed on the XO’s red hair. Moving through the room, he slipped two champagne glasses from a waiters tray and continued until he stood next to her at the viewport.

“Lt. Cmdr. Stone? I don’t believe we’ve had a chance to meet yet.” He offered one of the glasses. “I’m Lt. Cmdr. Callahan, ship’s Chief Tactical—sorry, I WAS the ship’s Tactical Officer. I’ve just been transferred to the CIO position with Cmdr. Calloway’s exit. Pleasure to meet you.”

Lt. Cmdr. Harrison Callahan
CIO-USS Athena

As she turned her attention from Orvos, and toward the rest of the Parthenon and the growing gathering, she almost ran into Callahan and found herself looking slightly up at him. Not surprising, as she was slightly taller than most human women, and only maybe two centimeters shorter than the man. When he offered the glass, she took it. The name Calloway took a second to register. Most of the time last names were the norm, but the previous CIO had been Faye to her. Another squirt of lemon on the papercut.

Sizing him up, she tilted her head. “Big shoes to fill,” she said politely as she could, and sipped at her champagne to buy time. Name, rank, face match, she pulled up the mental file she had. “Linguistic and communications specialties, correct? Especially around the Dominion War?” Night. Explosions. Ships flashing overhead. Jem’hadar voices nearby. Huddling in a cave. The flash came and went so fast it barely registered as an eye flutter. Like her, he’d been only a child during the war, and had pursued a similar track. But he studied it from afar. She’d lived a front-row, boots-on-the-ground reality.

But there was also the Cairo. He’d lost innocence as a kid as well. The set line of her jaw softened and her shoulders dropped a couple notches.

Lt. Cmdr. Stone, Executive Officer

Harrison noticed a very slight reaction when he mentioned Faye’s name. He was aware that the two women had been very close friends.

“Definitely, big shoes to fill. Cmdr. Calloway is somewhat of a legend in intelligence circles. But, I do have significant training and experience in Intel, along with Tactical. I have done extensive study in linguistics and how linguistic miscommunication can play a role in conflict, but, my father was the specialist.”

He took a sip of his drink. “You appear to have healed well from your injuries. Have you noticed any lingering effects?”

Lt. Cmdr. Harrison Callahan
CIO-USS Athena

Talia entered the Parthenon with some curiosity. It would be nice to see most of the crew gathered to recognize the achievements of others. From what she’d heard, there had been a lot of changes in the command structure of the ship during the last mission. She expected to understand more about that once the ceremony was over. (OOC: is everyone in their dress whites?)

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

Khiryn wandered around the Parthenon, sipping from a mojito and making small talk. The mojito was similar to a drink from his homeworld and served as a stand in since he didn’t like the way replicators mangled Akaali mint.

Ensign Donivas saw James and was about to walk over… but then he saw Talia and held back. Lt Rowe had told him the intrusion the other night had been no big deal, but Khiryn still felt bad about it. He found himself walking over to her before he even realized he’d made the decision.

“Lt Ren…” his words were hesitant at first, but then his jaw set and his voice steadied. “I wanted to apologize in person for the other night. I was overly excited about a side project James and I have been working on… and I’m afraid I completely missed all the social cues that indicated you two were enjoying a private discussion in your off time.”

The scientist before had a mop of dark brown hair that almost hid the Akaali crests on either side of his forehead. He wore a pair of glasses on a prominent nose and had dark greenish blue eyes.

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Talia smiled at the Ensign and leaned in to squeeze his arm. “Don’t you worry about it. I wasn’t bothered at all. It’s actually really nice that you get so excited about your work. I know from hearing James talk that he is enjoying solving the mystery with you. I told him the three of us really do need to have dinner together. One can’t have too many friends when they live in space, right?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

Khiryn gave a lopsided smile. Much like James, Talia was being very gracious about his interruption the other night. Or maybe I’m just overly sensitive because I’m new and don’t want a lack of social intelligence to by my first impression. “Having more friends is rarely a bad thing in my experience.”

He glanced around the room and saw James was still at the table from earlier. “I can do dinner, as long as I don’t have to cook.” The Akalli chuckled. “Trust me… nobody wants to eat my cooking. I can mix a damn fine drink though. When you get down to it, mixology is little more than an easily imbibable application of chemistry.”

Ensign Donivas gestured toward James’ table with his drink. “Our good friend Rowe is over there looking lonely… or perhaps he simply planned ahead and secured a good table before the crowd arrived. Shall we join him?”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

“Sounds like a great idea, but first I want a drink and something to nosh on. I missed lunch today.” She gave Donivas another smile as she headed for the buffet. To a small plate she added bite sized meat sticks covered in a sweet sauce, and some chunks of fruit. After gathering up a napkin and a 3 inch skewer, Talia grabbed an iced tea and turned to see if Khiryn was right behind her.

Together they made their way over to where James was sitting. “Hello there, do you mind if we join you?”

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

The crowd continued to grow as everyone entered the room looking to partake or simply to catch their breath from what had sounded like a tense deployment. James noticed Talia enter the room. Only a moment later Khiryn followed. He watched with mild curiosity as the younger scientist approached the doctor, but had no intention of eavesdropping. Returning his attention to the Old Fashioned, James let the conversation remain their own. Rowe looked up as the two approached and a broad smile crossed his face. “I suppose I can accommodate my two favorite people. He said indicating the open seats.”

Glancing at Talia’s plate he said, “That looks pretty good, I must have missed that station. Might have to check it out after I finish this round.”

Khiryn chuckled. “I’m a little peckish myself… that does look good.” The stood from the table. “I need a refill anyway… I’ll grab enough food for communal snacking. Any requests?”

• Rowe

Elaine stepped into the Parthenon, hoping that she wasn’t too late. Despite setting herself an alarm reminder she had decided that she could finish the report she’d only just pulled out and still make it to the event. She’d gotten it done in the end but had had to rush to get herself dressed properly and walk very quickly to the Parthenon. The evidence of which could be seen in the flush on her face and the slightly askew pin in her hair. A soft green that brought out the flecks of green in her otherwise grey eyes.

She breathed deeply and let out a soft sigh. It seemed presentation and speeches hadn’t begun yet. She wasn’t late like she though. Perhaps she had had enough time to get an early start on her staff reports. She probably didn’t have enough time to go back and try now. The Counselor was right it is probably good for me to take a break she thought to herself. Ever since she had come aboard the Athena, she’d spent most of her time either in Sickbay or her Office, treating patients, writing reports, reading reports before going back to her quarters, curling up on the couch with a coffee in hand and reading through each officer’s medical records. It hadn’t left her much time for socialising and the only people she really knew were from Sickbay.

Feeling a little uncomfortable and more awkward by the minute. She was acutely aware that she didn’t really know anyone and not bold enough to interrupt any conversations of the few staff she did know. Sickbay she always felt at ease but in a social situation, with so many people she didn’t know around it was like being a fish out of water. Put your big girl pants and chin up as her grandmother used to say. She smiled softly, wondering how her grandmother was doing and reminding herself she should check in with May.

First, she had this to get through.

Trying to look like as natural as she could, she followed an officer to grab herself a champagne and then over to the buffet table to see what she could find there.

Lieutenant Elaine Janvier, CMO

The Akaali scientist approached the buffet line and saw Elaine head that way after grabbing a glass of champagne. He adjusted course slightly to angle in her direction. She was one of the few people he’d met so far, but his circle was growing slowly but surely. And that’s without even trying. Imagine how many people I’d meet if I didn’t spend all my time working.

“So, is this what they mean by, what was the term? ‘Ah… fashionably late.’” Khiryn smiled as he drew close. “Or perhaps you’re still working on those ‘millions’ of things the new Chief Medical officer has to deal with.” He fell into the buffet line behind her, picking up a plate and looking for some choice morsels to share with the table.”

IC: Rado wasn’t feeling so good. The news that his wife T’Han was expecting made him feel physically unwell. As such, the second he entered the Parthenon, he made a beeline for the waste disposal and vomited heavily into it.

At least, he thought it was the waste disposal.

OOC: Sorry if this was too gross.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Rado Gainn
Security Lieutenant

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena