#My continuing mission to explore this strange new world

[the-patrex]

Omg I just saw your drawing about alien drugs and I’m so glad other people think this too because I don’t understand how no companion has ever mentioned wanting to get space wasted on extraterrestrial street drugs. That would be my number one goal. My continuing mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before, and to get zooted and hammered off alien substances wait wrong fandom

To be fair, I know in my heart that a good bunch of companions must have seek and done some alien Drugs. Jack Harkness has probably done most of them. We just don't see those moments for obvious reasons lol

[walkthevalley]

It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

This blog was started in the beginning of the absolute darkest season of my life. I thought it might act as a sort of sanity project. I figured if someone could get something good out of this God-forsaken time of my life, then at least it wouldn't be COMPLETELY pointless. Because I couldn't imagine that all this suffering, all this pain, all this aftermath of being robbed of what I held most prized and precious, could be for no purpose. It just COULDN'T be completely irrational, without reason, a random senseless act of spiritual and emotional violence with no rationale. I knew I'd always been unlucky despite being part Irish, but this was a new level of bad luck and I couldn't swallow the idea that it was a random targeted hit of abuse without some sort of purpose. Martyrdom seemed more tenable than whatever it was I was going through, because at least martyrs are considered special and noble and get posthumous honor for their sacrifice. So I decided to start this sanity project in case someone, somewhere out there in the great big wide world, needed something that I could provide in this damned season, which is the point of my life at which I knew I was damned to live without joy, without goodness, without fulfillment. I was responsible for picking up the pieces of all my broken dreams and putting them in the recycle bin in case someone else could use a piece to build their perfect life. Then my hollow and hopeless future may at least have a tiny dose of purpose...for someone else. Always for someone else. Never for me. I was a fool to think I could enjoy my life for me.

My first few posts on Walk the Valley were, admittedly, masks. I was pretending to be okay, or at least better than I actually was. I was pretending to be well forward on my journey of healing, putting out the image of a strong woman who don't need no man, who may get knocked down but gets right back up and spits on the ground he walks on. I was just pretending. I mean--don't take that the wrong way, what I said was absolutely honest, and I was actually trying to heal, and I don't think what I said before needs to be thrown out--but I was fooling myself. I was trying to put up the image that I was okay, when the truth was that every day I was faced with how dead I was inside and how merciless it was to force my body to carry on when my soul was gone. I was, not to put too fine a point on it, the walking dead. Twice in this season of my life, I flirted with the idea of allowing my body to match my soul. For more on that, read The Flames of Advent: Hope here on Walk the Valley. Probably should come with a trigger warning, as if what I've said so far hasn't needed one as well.

That post about the First Flame of Advent describes the pivotal time in this walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, this blog's namesake, at which my healing became real. Everything before that, well-meaning as it was, was nothing but a band-aid; the Hope candle was the beginning of my real journey of healing, beginning with the super-invasive surgery where they crack your ribs open and butterfly your chest so they can reach your heart, and you basically die for a minute while someone holds your heart in their hands. If you don't like graphic stuff, sorry, go find another blog because here I tell it like it is and imagery is my strong suit.

The heart is a fascinating organ and it can actually legitimately break with enough emotional trauma. This is a great video explaining the relevant heart anatomy and this is a quick detail of the bioscience of why this happens. Enjoy the bioscience behind that, and think before you break another heart.

I guarantee that had someone taken a chest x-ray of me last August, they would have seen tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, described in the video I linked. Had someone been able to look inside my left ventricular apex, they would have seen those tendons snapped in half. I know what the Hell I felt. My physical heart was broken just as much as my emotional heart was, and the beginning of that healing came the day before Thanksgiving (so, three months later), when I hit rock bottom.

Most people don't realize ... rock bottom is your friend. Be grateful for rock bottom. Rock bottom saves you from being incinerated in the core of the earth.

We call it rock bottom as if it's the worst place you could possibly be. "Nowhere to go but up," somebody remarks glibly, not knowing what else to say but not willing to actually do anything to help either.

But rock bottom has another name. Geologists call it bedrock.

Bedrock is actually the best, most solid, most stable ground you could ever want to build on. Unless you're building on or near a fault line, rock bottom is the absolute best place to start building. It's the most solid foundation you could ask for.

So the next time you're at rock bottom and someone says, "Nowhere to go but up," reply, "Nothing left to do but start building." My smart ass would add, "I don't suppose you'd offer your help?" but you do you, sweetheart. You don't have to be the snarky-shark I am.

So, here we are one year later.

A year of learning the true meaning of healing, of pain, of Hamlet's soliloquy, of rock bottom, of rebirth.

One year later, I now understand that someone did need something out of this blog. Someone did need what I had to say about all this. Someone did need to be understood, to see their own experiences written down to know they're not alone. Someone did need Walk the Valley.

That someone was me.

What say you all, another year?

I believe I have a couple more Flames of Advent to write about.

[misanthropologymajor]

to boldly go...

this is so based on my current tng watch and crippling addiction to cod fanfic of all things

Science Officer!f! Reader x Bridge Crew! 141

Star Trek: TNG AU (pt. 1?)

Human! Price- Captain of the Enterprise 

Human!Gaz- helmsman/operations officer (liutenant)

Klingon!Ghost- security-officer-turned-first-officer (lieutenant commander)

Betazoid!Soap- new security officer (lieutenant)

Half Vulcan!Reader- sciences officer (lieutenant junior-grade), [giving them various nicknames because (y/n) feels clunky]

wc: 4k

warnings: rearrangement of rank (Starfleet doesn't have enlisted officers & the equivalent ranks would not be bridge officers), reader is the youngest but the other ages aren't mentioned, abduction, Ghost was raised by humans in a Worf-analogue-situation, (Ghost's parents were killed in a Romulan attack), slowburn, no smut, written before i started playing mwii

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!

As the turbo-lift doors opened, the familiar sounds of the Bridge Crew's squabbles filled the ears of the newest Chief Science Officer.

"Cap', 're you sure that MacTavish can actually read the Ferengi from this distance? I wouldn't put it past 'im to just wanna stir sumthin' up."

"Ghost, ye know damn well I wouldn' lie abou' somethin' like that."

Quietly walking to her station behind the caption's chair, the half-Vulcan began scanning the readings of the Ferengi ship. The Ferengi ship was peculiarly small and old-fashioned- at least a century old.

"Gaz, can you take us closer? One third Impulse, please." At Gaz's affirmation, Captain Price stood from his chair and walked towards the monitor at the front of the bridge. "Junior-grade, how many life signs can you read."

She startled, looking up from the inlaid monitor. "Only two, sir. It's a small ship, though there should be room for around thirty crew." Her gaze followed Price's to the front monitor, where she saw the short loop of Ferengi video broadcast. Both Ferengi men's large ears and prominent brow ridges glistened with sweat.

Gaz looked up from his controls. "Captain, the broadcast isn't coming from this ship."

"The distress beacon is, though. And the ship is definitely Ferengi." Ghost looked over Soap's shoulder to the security console.

"Price, be careful. We're getting close to the neutral zone." Gaz indicated to his monitor.

Price returned to the captain's seat, centered in the bridge. "Soap, keep scanning for other vessels. Ghost, hail the Ferengi ship."

"Price, they aren't receiving our hailing frequencies."

"Is anyone else thinking of Earthen anglerfish right about now?" the half-Vulcan mumbled. Then, louder- "They're down to just one life sign, Captain Price."

"They don' have shields up, Cap'n," Soap called from the security station. "I don't feel anything from the ship, either."

“Ghost, prepare an away team and get some protective gear. We’ll keep track and be ready to beam you back, but we need to know what’s happenin’ with that ship.”

“Gaz an’ the kid with me. Go get a compact medikit in case there’re any survivors, an' Gaz can tell us why it may 'ave stopped.”

As Gaz stood from his chair, the science officer rushed towards the turbo-lift, heading briskly down to the medbay. Swiftly getting the required supplies, she headed towards the transporter room, meeting with Gaz and Ghost.

"Three to beam to the co-ords Soap sent down." Ghost led the trio to the transporter bay, phaser in hand.

As they faded into shimmering white light, all three prepared themselves for the unknown of a seemingly empty Ferengi shuttle on the border of the Neutral Zone.

Following the briefest moment, they came back into awareness. Ghost was the first to reach full cognizance, the other two shortly following. The most immediately apparent thing was that the ship had not been abandoned by normal means. The cockpit was in disarray, and a trail of a mixture of unknown substances ended abruptly in the doorway.

At Ghost's indication of safety, the Vulcan activated the scientific tricorder to scan the trail. As the analysis loaded, she noted from the corner of their eye that both Gaz and Ghost tensed. Ghost's mask made the sudden lack of motion vividly unsettling. The tricorder loaded with a small chirp, indicating the presence of Ferengi and Romulan DNA. Abruptly, the shuttle lit up.

The ship began moving closer to the Neutral Zone. Soap's voice echoed from their communicators, "Wha' the hell are ye doin'? The Neutral Zone is right fuckin' there!"

"We're not trying to, Soap. I'm looking at the controls now." Gaz rushed to the lit-up console.

"Ghost, there's evidence Romulans here. We should get out of here, sir."

As the First Officer acknowledged the Science Officer, more words echoed from their communicator badges.

"Transport to away team, we've lost your location. There's some sort of interference." Tensions became palpable as the situation quickly devolved. Gaz frantically tried to turn the ship back towards the Enterprise. Ghost and the scientist worked on figuring out what left a Ferengi shuttle lost at the edge of the Neutral Zone.

Price's voice echoed through the ship, "Hold on, Away Team, reeling you in with our tractor beam." The ship jolted with the connection of the tractor beam, easing back towards Federation Territory.

Gaz began hitting the console, clearly frustrated by the lack of response from the equipment. "Ghost an' Cap, this shuttle isn't bein' controlled by this panel. This has gotta be a trap."

As two Humans, a Betazoid, a Klingon, and a half-Vulcan attempted to return the away team to the Enterprise, they were faced with a Romulan Warbird removing its cloaking device directly next to the Ferengi shuttle.

The Ferengi Shuttle was swiftly drawn in by the Warbird's tractor beam, half the distance from and twice the size of the Enterprise.

The science officer tapped the communicator on: "Sirs, this is not standard Romulan battle practices. Deception, yes, but blatant disregard for the Algeron Treaty? In just about two hundred years of conflict, they've never done anything like this."

"When did you become an expert on Romulan politics, Junior-grade?"

"Not the time, Garrick," Ghost aimed his phaser at the door between the away team and the interior of the Romulan ship. The other two quickly followed suit.

As the interior of the Ferengi ship dimmed, the shuttle bay door of the Romulan Warbird opened up. The ship slowed into the bay, and the environmental system hissed. Gaz was the first to feel it, and Ghost was the last.

As Ghost fought to keep his eyes open, he heard the half-Vulcan mutter about "anesthizine."

Gaz woke in a cell, his phaser and communicator on the manned desk beyond the forcefields. A few cells across the circular brig, he could see the Ferengi from the broadcast in a shared cell, and to their right was Ghost. "Ghost, can you hear me? Are you able to see any way out?"

"Damn Romulans cuffed me an' took my fuckin' mask. The door out of the cells is to your left, the kid's to your right."

"I can hear you, Ghost," she frowned. "They have our comms and phasers, and there's no way they've kept us in Federation Territory. Cap's gonna need to get approval from Admiral Laswell to follow us."

"Soap won't like that," Gaz said, standing from the cot to get a better view of the space. "Junior-grade, you said this wasn't normal for Romulans. Do you think we're working with an extremist group?"

"Definitely. I was awake when they were cuffing Ghost. They weren't in standard issue Romulan Star Empire Uniforms, and there's some wacky mods to this Warbird."

Ghost cut in, "At least they wan' us alive. We'd be long gone if they didn't think we could do sumthin' for 'em."

"'Specially with their views on Klingons and Vulcans. Nasty blokes."

"Thanks for reminding us, Gaz." She pressed her hand to the force field, searching for the weak point she knew wasn't there. As they searched, the brig doors opened with a hiss.

Three Romulans walked in, bearing phaser rifles. The centered one spoke: "I had hoped the Federation would be stupid enough to send a ship into our territory. Imagine my delight when that little ship sends me some a Klivan, a Hevam, and a Yyiyao wrapped in a nice little bow." (Romulan derogatory terms for Klingon, Human, Vulcan)

"Oh, what a shock: the Rihansu is racist. Where the hell are we?" (Vulcan [and Romulan] for Romulan)

"Hold your tongue, Yyiyao. I haven't killed you yet, but my mercy has limits. You don't even know why you're here yet!"

"Who the hell are you?" Ghost stood up abruptly, startling the non-speaking Romulans.

"Now, the Klivan is asking the right question! Who am I? And why would I capture two Feh'rengsu, a Kilvan, a Hevam, and a Yyiyao?

They call me Commander Makarov, and I will free my people from the barriers of the Neutral Zone and the Federation altogether."

"And you think that will happen by kidnapping a First Officer, Flight Control Officer, and a Science Officer?" Gaz sat on the cot in the corner.

"I'm not that foolish. You're nothing more than bait, tempting your precious Federation into breaking its own rules."

"You can't seriously think our Captain is stupid enough to follow us withou' givin' proper notice?" Ghost questioned.

"Oh, Klivan. He's already following us," Makarov grinned.

"I still don't get why you're tellin' us this." Gaz laid further into the cot.

"Either he's gloating or he's trying to get something out of us, be that intel or our charming personalities." The half-Vulcan wrung her hands, silently pleading for the Enterprise to be careful and give the correct notice.

The Ferengi began tittering with each other, briefly pulling the attention from the Starfleet officers.

"You three were victims of circumstance. But these two-" Makarov sneered. "These two will not try to swindle the sword of the Romulan Empire again."

Makarov's men turned off the barrier to the Ferengi cell. Each grabbed one Ferengi man and dragged them out of the brig. Makarov left the brig, questions hanging in the air.

"What a total dick."

"Thought you were supposed to be too logical for needless profanity."

"My Vulcan father lost the debate that determined what planet I was raised on. Before the Acadamy, I went to an Earthen public school, Gaz."

"Fuckin' hell you two, not the time," Ghost chastised. "Gotta work out what that bastard wants from us."

"Could be they want to kickstart a war against the Federation, relations have been easing in the past few-" Gaz cut himself off as the doors opened.

Makarov stepped through into the brig. "How lucky was I to have Captain Jonathan Price's crew, led by the Ghost, stumble on the ship I hadn't gotten around to destroying yet."

"What've the Captain or I got to do with you?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember us, Klivan! Not after our grand impact on your childhood."

Ghost closed his eyes and took a deep breath, setting his jaw.

"Now you remember me. I'll fill your underlings in. I was just an Uhlan, aboard the Perseus. A Klingon traitor sent us the codes to Khitomer's security system. Your Ghost was the only survivor."

Ghost's history was not frequently discussed on the ship, but his presence as a Klingon in Starfleet command made it clear that his life was full of unusual circumstances.

"And on top of that, your Captain is the one who convinced my previous Commander, that ryakna, to abandon the honor of our great Empire."

"The Cap's peace negotiations under Laswell? Not letting another Federation ship blow you all up for your secret base in the Neutral Zone? That's what this is about?" Gaz looked incredulous.

"He should have defended the great Romulan Empire! Why should we listen to rules set by your Federation." Makarov sneered. "The might of our great fleet could have destroyed all the Federation sent after us."

As Makarov continued on about the power of the Romulan Empire, the science officer tuned out. She focused instead on attempting to work out a method for contacting Captain Price from what was likely at least an astronomical unit away. She'd already ruled out the possibility of accessing their communicator unit, cobbling a communicator out of their tricorder, and breaching access on the communicator of the Warbird.

"But what sweet revenge, taking the sole Klivan survivor and two other crew from that peacenik, your Captain Price. How poetic that you will start the empirical expansion my people have been deprived of. I will return for you when your Federation breaks their own rules."

As Makarov left the brig, a quiet tension fell over the officers.

Gaz was the first to break the silence. "Do you think the Cap would be mad enough to follow after without getting Laswell up to speed?"

"Will the Romulan contacts deem this an acceptable reaction from Price in the case that he is this mad?" They buried their face in their hands.

"It doesn't matter what Price does, so long as we get the fuck off this damn ship."

"Ghost, what he said about your parents-"

"Doesn't matter."

"I know it doesn't, but I just want you to know you're allowed to be angry about this even if you don't remember it."

"Interesting take, coming from the Vulcan," Gaz interrupted.

"Half Vulcan. Born and raised on Earth."

"Neither of you are helpin'. Migh' as well just wait for Price 'f you're gonna keep gettin' distracted." Ghost pressed his hands against the force field of his cell. As each officer sought out their cells' unlikely flaws, they listened for any sounds around them.

After what could have been anywhere between ten minutes and an hour of searching, a set of footsteps approached them.

"Your Captain has demanded proof of life from us. Your scientist is coming with me." A Romulan with a jagged scar running down his face entered the brig. He approached the center cell and bound their hands, escorting them out of the brig.

The half-Vulcan yanked her arm from the Romulan's hold. "I can walk myself." She then ignored Gaz's protests, hoping that they were unnecessary.

Following a long walk, she was escorted onto a dark bridge. The Enterprise Bridge was displayed on the large monitor in front of the room. Price was in his Captain's chair, Soap above and behind him at the security panel. Both sets of eyes gently lightened at their Junior-grade, visibly unharmed and still slightly fighting their escort.

"See, Captain, unharmed. The other two are in the same condition, but I couldn't just release all of them, you see." Makarov brushed his hand across her face, earning three sets of glares.

"Lieutenant, are you, Gaz, and Ghost okay?" Price ignored Makarov's assurance.

Before she could begin her sentence, Makarov grasped her by her chin. As she wrenched herself from his hands, he spoke. "You've seen she's alive. My patience wears thin."

Even with the distance, she could see Soap's knuckles grip his console. "We're not followin' ye into the fuckin' Neutral Zone without word from her. S'bad enough ye didn' let our First Officer up."

"When I got grabbed to come up, Gaz and Ghost were okay. I wouldn't trust-" Makarov's hand clamped over her mouth, cutting her off. She had to fight the urge to bite the bastard.

"I didn't bring her up here to give away all of my surprises. Return her to the brig." Makarov looked over his shoulder to the scarred Romulan, who had brought her up.

She fought damn near the entire way back down, leading to another Romulan joining her escort. While she knew it would be fruitless, doing nothing felt more wrong. She felt like she'd wasted any opportunity to formulate a plan with the Captain, and hadn't fought against their captor enough to be respectable. Would Soap judge her, or, worse, would Price?

She shook the thought from her mind just as she returned to the brig. They moved her to the cell previously occupied by the Ferengi, where she was now unable to see Ghost and considerably farther from Gaz. They left her hands bound, and one sat at the guard station.

Unwilling to risk giving intel to the guard, all three sat in relative silence once she confirmed that Price had been in contact.

Gaz was humming an old Earthen song she couldn't quite place. Every so often, she would sigh dramatically. Ghost was the only one to remain entirely silent.

After about an hour, the guard received three trays at the door and delivered one to each occupied cell. Each tray contained an unappetizing green biscuit and a small cup of a grey drink. She and Gaz each took a half-hearted bite; Ghost refused to even look at the tray.

The half-Vulcan stood from the tray without taking a second bite. Instead, she chose to lay in the cot and nap—what was the worst that could happen?

It seemed that the worst that could happen was the ship going into a red alert, their guard leaving them trapped as he went to a battle station. The emergency lights flashed, and she could understand almost every other word of a Romulan emergency alert.

The alert seemed to indicate that they were under attack not by the Federation but by another Romulan vessel. She rubbed her bleary eyes and stood up.

"Just our luck— someone's attacking, and it's not Price." She smacked at the force field holding her in the cell. She could hear Ghost attacking his barrier as well and could see Gaz beginning to do the same.

"How do you know it's not Cap?" Gaz paused his attack.

"The emergency alert specified something about a T'liss, a bird-of-prey. They'd have said ih'calear if they'd translated the Enterprise's class."

"Since when do you know Romulan?" Ghost's voice echoed from the cell to her right.

"It's really not too far of a leap from Vuhlkansu, Commander. I took a couple classes in it at the Academy."

The alarm continued to go off, and the half-Vulcan did her best not to fret. From the size difference alone, a bird-of-prey against a warbird shouldn't have even been a blip in the radar. She strained to hear about a d'deridex, another warbird, but the alert kept repeating that the combat was against a T'liss class vessel.

What would a separate Romulan general do if one found them in this brig? Would they seek to continue the relative peace with the Federation by releasing them back to the Enterprise, or would they decide that the three weren't worth their lives and kill them, or worse, send them to a Romulan prison?

"Junior-grade, I can feel you worrying through the damn wall. Price or Laswell'll come, stop your fuckin' panickin'." She snapped out of her anxious spiral, mumbling a bit of gratitude to her commanding officer.

It took nearly an hour before the alert stopped its loop. It took a further forty minutes for anyone to check the brig. None of them expected the familiar Romulan to be the one to walk through the door, followed by their previous guard.

"Nikolai, you were the bird-of-prey?" Gaz beamed. The negotiations between Nikolai, Price, and Laswell predated the half-Vulcan's time as a bridge officer, but she had seen him on the screen, briefly, as she'd taken some data from the bridge.

"Best ship I could get with little notice from Laswell. Heard my old sublieutenant was causing issues."

"Thought you'd finally gotten out of military work, Nik. How'd you get even a lil' thing like that?"

"I have friends everywhere, Ghost."

The scarred guard reluctantly opened each cell door and unbound the wrists of the Klingon and the half-Vulcan. Ghost didn't respond, but she rubbed her wrists before introducing herself to Nikolai. Ghost grabbed all of the confiscated equipment, taking it for his crew.

"Good to meet you. Let's get you all back to the Enterprise, where you belong." He escorted the trio to the vehicle bay, where a bird-of-prey waited. Nikolai took control of the ship and navigated it towards the Federation edge of the Neutral Zone.

"Why would Makarov release us to you?" The half-Vulcan couldn't keep from questioning.

"The daeus would never have approved of Makarov's methods. The only way his plan worked was if it flew under the radar that he had blatantly disregarded the treaty in a way that was so obvious to the Federation." Ghost cut in for Nikolai.

"Basically. Definitely helped that after I retired from military, I started working for a Senator who wants peace with your Federation."

The return to the border of the Neutral Zone felt much shorter despite taking nearly twice the time. They flew with easy conversations with Nikolai, who admonished any crew who even thought about engaging in distasteful behavior towards their guests.

As they neared the Enterprise, Gaz couldn't convince Nikolai to come aboard and visit with Price. While Ghost stayed out of the enticement, the science officer leaned on and encouraged Gaz.

"We've done enough stretching of Algeron Treaty. Your Enterprise nearly got a light-year in to the Neutral Zone before getting the sense to contact me."

The trio gave Nikolai their fond farewells, and Soap came over their communicators to organize their transport onto the Enterprise. After they shimmered onto the transporter pad, Soap and Price ushered all three to the medical bay.

After being medically cleared and cleaning up, the bridge crew sat down for dinner in the Captain's quarters. Price had yet to emerge with his contribution to the otherwise replicated meal.

"How did you know to get Nikolai involved?" Gaz sat across from Soap.

"Mate, d'you ken that Vulcans are telepathically inclined? Our scientist thought so loudly abou' Makarov's plan that I could hear it from the Enterprise. Turned our ass around and Laswell got in contact with Nik." Soap leaned to his left and ruffled her hair.

Pointed ears warming, she pushed Soap's hand away. "MacTavish, maybe you've just got massive range on your crazy Betazoid telepathy."

Soap persisted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Hen, I'd have heard the Lt. or Gaz if it was just that. You were loud an' clear from a light year away."

Price's door opened to the Captain, holding three bottles of wine. "I thought we all deserved somethin' a little stronger than synthehol after the shit we dealt with."

Ghost nodded from his position across from the half-Vulcan as Price took his seat between them at the head of the table. Price opened the wines, handing them out to each officer to fill their cup with their selected beverage.

The bridge crew ate with light chatter, deliberately avoiding the topic of the overly-Empirical Commander. There would be plenty of time to discuss the ambitious Romulan in the coming days.

The half-Vulcan struggled to ignore the touchy nature of the Betazoid to her left and the Captain's comforting touches on her hand. She focused on her meal and the First Officer across from her, not wanting the Betazoid to sense her flushed discomfort.

Ghost had never fully removed his mask in front of her before. She tried not to think about how ruggedly attractive he was, letting loose with his friends and her. Was she a friend now? Her line of thinking left her confused and slightly flustered, though she hoped it indicated that he at least thought of her as a friend. "Junior-grade, you've picked your drink up and sat it back down without taking a sip three times now. You can relax, luvvie."

Never in a million years would she have anticipated the First Officer using a pet name for her. She could have sworn her pointed ears were so warm that they were steaming, a flush spreading across her entire head. She choked on the sip she took to hide her embarrassment.

Soap patted her back to help her cough as Gaz gently admonished Ghost. "Our girl doesn't need that shit from you, Ghost." Ghost just laughed, seemingly in on the joke.

A stern "Boys!" from Price seemed to end the joke that the half-Vulcan was trapped outside of. The other three sat up straighter for the briefest of moments, playing into a joke.

After a more collective evening of conversation, the bridge crew each returned to their quarters. The half-Vulcan donned her sleep clothes and lay in bed, questioning the day's events. Her thoughts drifted between her Romulan abduction, the unaccounted-for Ferengi, and the dinner—what had Price meant when he called her "their girl?"

As the day drifted out, she imagined what strange new worlds they may encounter the next day.

Star Trek Guide (probably a little inaccurate, there's so much star trek in the world):

Klingons: humanoid warrior species with pronounced forehead ridges that go to about the coronal suture of the human skull. they often have long dark hair and distinctive facial hair- in essentially perpetual conflict with Romulans for the majority of the 23rd and 24th centuries

Betazoids: humanoid species with no physical differences from humans except for pure black irises. they have telepathy in both concrete thoughts and emotions

Vulcans: humanoid species that pride themselves on logic above all else. Many are capable of a form of telepathy known as a mind meld, which is part of the intimate life of Vulcans. They are closely related to Romulans. Both Vulcans and Romulans have upturned eyebrows and pointed ears. prior to 370 AD, Vulcans were very warlike. A philosopher at the time led the transformation of society from violence to logic (Spock is a notable half-human-half-Vulcan)

Romulans: humanoid species that prioritizes conquest, in conflict with the Federation and Klingons. as Vulcan evolved from violence to peace, some dissented and left the planet to settle on the other two planets in that star system. Romulans were born from the dissenting Vulcans and indigenous populations of the settled planets. Some Romulans also have brow ridges in a "V" on their foreheads, although others are indistinguishable from Vulcans.

Ferengi: humanoid species that prioritizes profit above all else, and are notorious for their misogyny.. typically hairless, with large skulls, disproportionately large ears and brow ridges, orange skin, blue fingernails, and sharp teeth. (yk what no matter how accurately you describe the Ferengi, it's difficult to picture them without a picture)

[lets-try-some-writing]

Hello! May we hear/read more about Revelator, please? 👀

You wish to know about my original work??? Chatter mode has been unlocked with this query.

Revelator is my attempt to make my workaholic brain shut up. I struggle to continue finding purpose in writing fics when I can't capitalize on it. So I decided it would be a good idea to take the basic premise of one of my fics and apply it to my own original work to inspire me to work on something productive and maintain my hobby. That said, Revelator follows the general premise of my most popular fic, The Many Lives of Optimus Prime.

Rant incoming.

In a universe where humanity has fled to the stars after their empire was shattered by an unknowable entity, twenty sentient robotic units are created by a relic that humanity does not understand but still houses. Due to a series of misfortunes on the world they tried to terraform, the last remnants of humanity are wiped out, leaving the entire world to the Twenty and the relic that made them.

The main character of this tale is the only one out of the Twenty who foresaw the coming deaths of their human masters and was promptly ignored. After humanity fell, he tried to guide the rest of the Twenty into creating a civilization in light of more of their kind being forged by the relic. His vocal nature led to his destruction at the hands of one of his fellows. However, against the odds, he found himself returned to full functionality in a new frame and with newfound purpose.

The relic that made him and the rest is more than it seems. It has sensed the threat that doomed humanity and it has no interest in watching its creations fall as well. And so it has chosen a champion, one whose sole mission is to endure the test of time, learn, grow, and ultimately gain enough power to shape this fledgling race so that they might stand a chance against the doom that is coming.

My original work follows my main character throughout his various lives and throughout the various eras of his world. He will watch, he will learn, and when he has lived long enough to have gained wisdom, everything will come together with him taking power. In many regards, his tale will mirror my fic. However, I am taking care to create an original world with a unique race to inhabit it. I hope to make each life its own story so that there is always something new to see and explore. In a way, its my worldbuilding project. I also want every excuse to not write humans. I need to keep to my niche or I will lose interest immediately. Thanks TF.

Thus far I have twenty three pages written, nine chapters fully planned, and the second arc mostly conceptualized. Here is a snippet from chapter one.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━

“You were not made to serve us, child of the Mind. Your creator made you for a reason that far exceeds anything myself or the commanders of this vessel could ever envision.” There was something sad in the priest’s tone as the lift came to a stop. Nineteen found himself conflicted as he watched his master step forward and onto the platform that ran around the exterior of the Great Mind.

“That conclusion has no logical basis.” He managed to murmur as he followed the priest. There was always something strange about being so close to the thing that made him. The thrum of its crimson core always had Nineteen’s personal fusion core pulsing in sync with the greater machine. 

“Child of the Mind, you have so little faith. Look upon yourself and your siblings, then see the rest of those made by the Mind. You are unique, each and every one of you.” The priest paused and gestured to Nineteen, prompting him to stop in his tracks. The surface of the Great Mind shifted in time with the priest’s words. Nineteen would almost claim it to be in response to his master’s commentary if he were a believer in any capacity. 

“We have purpose, and we shall serve.” Nineteen stated simply. There was little thought in his response. Whatever the priest was getting at was beyond his design. He and the twenty were made to serve. That was all. The loyalty coding, their sentience, and all the rest meant very little in the grand scheme of things. Nineteen would still be disposed of if he proved a burden, regardless of the potential mysticism around him and his kin. 

“You shall serve. But it shall not be those of flesh that you give your loyalty to.” The priest smiled, and it was only then that Nineteen noted the cables running from underneath his master’s robe. They were part of the augments priests of the mechanicus received, and at some point during their short walk, those cables had connected to the Great Mind.

There was no railing separating them from the relic, and as such, there was nothing to theoretically stop the priest from connecting to the Great Mind. Even still, Nineteen found himself unsettled. When had the connection occurred? Why did his master’s eyes hold a strange gleam to them?

“I do not understand.” He stood stiffly, his gaze flicking between the relic and his master. The thoughts of machines did not often translate cleanly for organics. Perhaps the priest was confused and interpreting the logical processing of the relic incorrectly. The twenty were made for the express reason of serving those aboard the Eden. They had been told as such from the moment of their forging and it had thus far proven true. There was no reason to believe the murmured prophecy of the elderly human before him.

Despite that, there was a degree of unease that wormed its way into his mind as he watched the priest grin in an almost understanding way. 

“You don’t need to. I have a feeling it will make more sense to you as you age.” A red glow entered the priest’s eyes. It was hardly present, but to Nineteen who possessed far superior vision than any unaugmented human, it was almost impossible to ignore.

“Come here and pass me that cloth if you would be so kind.” Then, just like that, the moment ended and the priest disconnected from the relic. His cables slipped back beneath his robes into whatever holster they originated from and he approached the only work table on the platform. Nineteen quickly reset his optics and filed away the data for later review. It wasn’t important right now. 

[lokidokieokie]

Forever; Endlessly

Summary: You met Stephen one day after your shift at the hospital. Friendship eventually turned into romance, and fast forward a couple of years and here you are. But not everything is as glamorous as it seems.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Doctor!Reader

Warning(s): heavy angst, no happy endings

As a talented and ambitious young doctor, you were used to being in control of the situation and solving your problems. But when you met Stephen Strange, the mysterious and extremely powerful Sorcerer Supreme, your world was turned completely upside-down. 

At first, you were swept up in the excitement and romance of being with Stephen; you loved exploring the multiverse with him and learning about magic by his side. But as time continued to go on, you started to realise that dating the Sorcerer Supreme was not as glamorous as it seemed. 

Stephen was constantly called away on missions to defend the Earth from otherworldly threats, and you found yourself feeling more and more isolated and alone. You missed him when he was gone, and when he was home, it was like he was never even there. He was always preoccupied with his duties as the Sorcerer Supreme. 

As the months eventually turned into years, you started to feel like you were losing your Stephen. The Stephen that would come home and greet you with a sweet kiss; the Stephen that would snuggle up to you at night. You loved him with your entire being, but you now knew that you couldn’t compete with the demands of the multiverse. 

One day, you finally gathered the courage to confront him about your feelings. Standing at his office door, you took a deep breath. Opening the door, you saw him sitting at his desk, with his head nestled in a book. 

“Stephen...”

He hummed. He didn’t even look up to acknowledge you. 

“Stephen, I love you, but I can’t keep living like this...”

That seemed to catch his attention, as his head snapped up. 

“What do you mean?”

Your eyes began to fill with tears, “I could never ask you to make a decision between me and being the Sorcerer Supreme, so I’ve made it for you.”

His lips parted; a look of disbelief on his face. 

“I- I don’t understand.”

A tear streaked down your face, “You’re just never here anymore! The universe is always in peril, and I’m not going to even get started on the multiversal threats. And I’m not the type of woman to ask you to give up something you love doing...”

You took a deep breath trying to conceal the sobs that wished to slip through your lips, “So I’m removing myself from the equation.”

Stephen looked at eyes, his eyes filled with pain. “I wish I could give you what you needed; but as the Sorcerer Supreme, my duties to protecting the world come first. I love you, and I’m truly sorry I couldn’t give you what you deserved.”

With a heavy heart, you went back upstairs to pack your things. Your relationship with the enchanting Doctor Strange had come to an end. You said your goodbyes, your heart breaking with every step you took towards the door. 

Leaving the Sanctum, you couldn’t help but look back on your relationship with Stephen and were immediately greeted with the feelings of regret and loss. But you knew that you had to let him go, even if it meant giving up on your dreams of being with the man you loved. 

Because he would always be the man you loved forever; endlessly. 

I thought I’d try something new. I’ve never written angsty stuff before. 

Please let me know what you think :)

[saberamane]

So I just finished the main story of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and here are my thoughts for those who care:

Overall the game was good, the story was impactful and there were a lot of things I loved about it.

First of all, ALL the Isu area's were amazing in their own ways. They were all varying degrees of cool or unsettling, and gave off the vaguely 'alien' feel I always thought the Isu things gave off.

The forge area where you upgrade the spear was both familiar and new, and the orange color the lights took on was unique.

The temple for Medusa was eerie, all the stone people outside, the petrified trees, the strange almost 'slowed-time' effect in the area, the fact your horse and eagle refused to enter the area...all very good touches. I suppose the only thing I was disappointed with in this side activity was the fact Medusa had legs and wasn't a Naga. I mean, she teleported anyway, why couldn't she have had a snake half?

Likewise, the Minotaur was really cool and the maze was awesome, how everything was falling apart, the deadends and various bones and corpses, the fact that the rope you're supposed to follow is broken or missing in area's, it was all really tense with the sounds of the minotaur echoing around you. And the dilapidated palace or whatever that was built over top was a good touch.

The Cyclops and Sphinx, however, were kind of a disappointment. The Sphinx didn't have her own 'arena' or temple, even if she didn't attack you. The fact that the area was outside and open to the world (and there was literally a camp with people in it 20 feet away) was a bit 'out of character' in my opinion. Yeah you had to answer the Sphinx's riddles to get the crest or whatever, but were the Isu so sure no one would answer them correctly to leave it to chance? At the very least they could have given the Sphinx an underground temple with trials to pass before even getting to her.

And the Cyclops on the forgotten isle was also kind of...blah. By the time I could get into the area, I'd already tried to enter multiple times through my exploration. And already had fought two other Cyclops who were way cooler. If anything, all three Cyclops should have had a fragment of the crest you needed, so that you'd have to fight all three. What even was the point of the other ones?

The legendary beasts were cool and fun to fight, I only wish you didn't have to kill or be banished by Daphnae at the end of it. Why could she have run away with me?

All the various tombs/temples/sunken area's/forts and just the general world you could explore were very cool.

Now for the things I didn't care for...

The world was WAY TOO FUCKING BIG. Seriously, the main story and exploring the world has me over 147 hours, and only about 3 of those hours was me doing the mainline story missions. So...why would it take me 144 hours? That would mean it took me 48 times the amount of time it took me to finish the story than it did to explore the world... That is too much. And most of the world isn't even used in the main story line either, so there's really no excuse to have such a massive map. You actually travel very little for the main story, maybe a bit more for all the cultists, but even then some cultists were very close to each other anyway, Ubisoft didn't even spread them out despite all the space.

For really a vast majority of the places you have to go out of your way to even see them. If you're just following the main questline, there are area's you will never even go to. In my opinion, the map could have been cut in half, at least, and still be a good game with a large area to explore.

And to tie in with the large map, they made the character levels go up to 99? Why? What was the need? So that you had to continue to go around to forts and such to kill large amounts of enemies to level up so the Mercenaries can't be 30+ levels higher than you? At 147+ hours, I'm only level 79, so another 20 levels to be maxed out, with the exp cap getting larger with each one...how long am I supposed to spend on this one game?

And now another big thing people have heard me talk about before. Why the two different character options, with only 1 set story? As in the character you choose to play as is always a mercenary whose sibling is presumed dead but is actually brainwashed by a cult. This would be fine if Odyssey was a self-contained game, but you have Alexios on the cover of the game, but Kassandra in the majority of promotional stuff, and the 'canon' protagonist who appears in another game!

Basically, Ubisoft made Kassandra too important to the AC universe as a whole to really allow for Alexios to have any space for himself. I mean, Kassandra not only interacts with Eivor at some point, but also lives to the modern times to give the staff of Hermes to Layla. And while I'm sure those parts would show Alexios if you played as him, the point still stands that it's Kassandra who appears in Valhalla.

So in my opinion, it should have been a similar scenario as with Eivor where the name is the same, just the gender is different, or it's a set storyline: You play as Kassandra, a mercenary who travels to find her family and save her brother from a cult.

Or...you know...not have Kassandra travel to other games...

In short, they've made Kassandra so important that Alexios is often an afterthought, and that's sad.

And kind of tying in with that last point, I thought it was really fucking stupid to show Kassandra getting the staff of Hermes, and seeing what happens when someone holds it too long, and then IMMEDIATELY having Kassandra appear in front of Layla to hand the staff over and die. Like, that was so sudden it really didn't have an impact on me? If you had to pull the player out of the animus and have Kassandra show up with the staff right there, why not let Kassandra work with the modern Assassin's for a bit, maybe have a big showdown with Abstergo where Kassandra helps them fight, AND THEN Kassandra gives Layla the staff and dies?

Just one after the other like that was unimpactful in my opinion. Or like...don't show us what happened when Kassandra's dad gave her the staff, fade to black with some ominous words like 'Kassandra, there's something you must know...' and then you think Kassandra's dad gave her the staff and left, so when Kassandra dies when she gives Layla the staff you're completely caught off guard with it because you didn't know for certain what would happen?

It was too rushed. Just saying.

A smaller issue I had...why were most of the romanceable npc's woman? Ubisoft gave a lot of instances where Kassandra could be a lesbian, but playing as Alexios you'd have very little men options... So either lesbians are ok, and gay men aren't, or if everyone was to play strictly 'straight' then playing as Kassandra could be seen as her being a better, more focused mercenary as she wasn't falling into bed with every man she saw, and Alexios would be a womanizer. Who knows, just a strange thing I noticed. I think I got the option with only three or four men to romance them, but like... every woman was dtf Kassandra...

Ok, now just some super small complaints:

-why could lynx's take me off my horse? they're pretty small.

-why were npc mercenaries's tamed animals so much better than mine?

-why could I not hunt whales? they're right there, I can kill sharks.

-why can't I get resources from birds? don't I need feathers for crafting arrows?

-why so many fucking ainigmata ostraka? why so many engravings? I haven't even used any of them...

-what's the point of that forge guy in Hephaistos's Workshop? He never did anything for me, so I stopped going.

-lead cultist was so predictable.

-stop pulling me out of the Animus when things are getting good!

-ugh...why should I care about Layla? I really don't... (bring back Desmond!!<3)

-also just...I find Layla annoying?? I just...can't stand her...Literally don't know why, just never liked her. (my first ever AC was origin's, didn't like her from the start so it's not 'you just don't like her cause Desmond' because...I literally knew her before Desmond...)

-Alexios forgave in ch9 far too quickly. the spear should have showed him what happened that night. simply taking Kassandra and Myrinne's word for what happened is stupid, he's been lied to by a cult his entire life...

-I got the 'best' ending with Nikolaos and stentor at dinner with Kassandra, alexios and myrinne. why is myrinne ok with nikolaos being there? he made up with Kassandra, to myrinne he's still the man that allowed the cult to nearly kill both her children. and stentor is a grown ass man adopted by her shitty husband. whi tried to kill Kassandra. just saying, best ending should not have nikolaos and stentor as part of the 'happy' family.

[starlitaritican]

(Order from right to left: Catalyst, Edmund, Warden Edmund)

WSDFGHFDGB have the dumb main characters of the enderman story I’ve been working on for the past two years with my own personal ideas of random minecraft lore in my world

still thinkin about how to properly word the story’s introduction since I struggle with putting thoughts into words but sfdggdf rough thing I have atm

“The Endrelite is a Minecraft themed story following two endermen, Catalyst and Edmund, travelling through the overworld together after a catastrophic event destroyed their home almost a hundred years ago. While they struggle to adapt to this strange new world, explore all its wonders, and even fall in love, they’ve been working hard to figure out how to get back home and restore it back to its former flourishing state. However, over time Catalyst begins to become too comfortable living in the overworld, seemingly forgetting about their mission by continuing to push things back in favor for his new mundane village life.

Edmund, tired of wasting time, begins to distance himself. Through various intensive research over the years, he’s discovered a method to create a portal of his own and ready to take matters into his own hands. Catalyst knows Edmund was never too keen on interacting with the villages more than he needed to, so he never really paid much mind when he began showing up less and less. It wouldn’t be until months had passed with no contact would he begin to worry. Something had gone wrong. Very wrong

Rumors of an unusual specimen spreading through the caves has begun circling through the villages“

essentially Edmund fucked around and found out, accidentally opening a portal to the wrong dimension and unleashing the sculk upon the overworld. initially he didn't think it was anything urgent so he left it be to study, but before long it began attaching to him like a parasite, eventually reaching access to his pearl. Having been messing with things for too long, he slowly started to become a mindless horrific blend between a warden and an enderman

god I wanna talk abt them more so much but i have so much i need to work on >:0 I got a bunch of notes about how enderman are in my world grr bark bark 

[joannaofarkham]

So, I was looking at my very old and unfinished wips and found this little gem. This is the very first idea I had for an aot x star trek au, and it's much lighter than the one posted in AO3.

Now I'm thinking if I should complete this as a stand alone and a completely other aot x star trek au 🤔

800 hrs., 6 Hours Before Graduation

"Cadet Ackerman, you may start."

The raven-haired cadet nods cooly at the panel of officers in front of her. She glances at the lieutenant, a Betazoid, just like her, who has placed a recorder and a lie detector on top of the table, but the young cadet knows that the lieutenant won't need the latter. 

As a Betazoid, and a full-blooded one, they have telepathic abilities. They can tell right away if a person is lying, not just by their thoughts, but also by their emotional state.  Cadet Mikasa Ackerman has almost the same abilities, being a part Betazoid. While she can't exactly read someone's mind, she can determine how someone is emotionally, including if they are guilty or not. 

So, there's no point in lying in front of a Betazoid, much more in front of a Starfleet officer who's monitoring her statement on the incident that happened last night. Mikasa just hopes that by telling the truth, she won't jeopardize their graduation.

And they said this isn't a court-martial but it sure feels like one. 

Mikasa inhales, then exhales to relax her nerves. Then she starts giving her statement about the brawl among the upperclassmen cadets which include her, her friends, and a shuttlecraft used in one of their classes that was almost torn to pieces, starting from the very beginning.

2000 hrs., 18 Hours Before Graduation

The chattering of young upperclassmen cadets fills the halls of the academy's grand mess hall. The excitement from these cadets is intoxicating, talks of what's next evident in each group huddling together at their own tables as they share their last meal as outgoing cadets of Starfleet Academy. Finally free from exams and projects, the cadets are making more memories as they can for one more night, for tomorrow their goodbyes and see-yous will be the ones reverberating in the academy halls. 

Tomorrow, they will be standing before their loved ones, the Federation, and the rest of the Starfleet officers, ready to explore strange new worlds, ready to seek out new civilizations. 

Ready to boldly go like the officers before them. 

Tomorrow, Starfleet Academy Class of 2377  finally graduates and joins the continuing mission of Starfleet as fully-fledged ensigns of their first starship. 

Mikasa and her friends aren't any different from these hopeful graduates who are excited to go to their first missions, may it be within the Alpha Quadrant or beyond the deeper space.

Still in their uniform, Mikasa and Sasha queue up in one of the replicators. Their friends have already secured a table for them, waiting until everyone got their dinner. 

"Do you think any of us will be assigned to Captain Smith's ship?" Sasha asks Mikasa as they move closer to the replicator.

 Mikasa just shrugs and said, "I'm not sure. When I got a transmission from Levi earlier, he said his shore leave to attend our graduation just only got approved after finishing one of their first contact missions, and that he was on his way to the nearest Starbase to get an en route here. The transmission was recorded, I guess two, three days ago. Seems like their ship is too far to get back in time for the roster."

"That's too bad. I always wanted to serve under Captain Smith. They always get the best missions." Sasha sighs softly. Once they reach the rows of replicators, she recites the dinner she wants and the machine obliged.  A tray with a plate of steak, mashed potatoes, greens, and a glass of synthehol appears on the replicator's receiving tray. The academy has lifted the synthehol ban for tonight for the upperclassmen, so everyone is getting rounds of it, even if they know they won't really get the buzz like the real ones give. 

It's Mikasa's turn to get her dinner from the replicator. Like Sasha, she recites the dinner she wants, just a bowl of donburi and soup, plus a glass of synthehol then gets her tray once it appears. Mikasa then responds to Sasha. 

"Honestly, I wouldn't want to be assigned to that ship on my first assignment. They always get the dangerous missions."

"You don't want to be in dangerous missions?" Sasha gawks at Mikasa. "You? Honey, you aced every hand-to-hand and phaser combat class we have. You're the fastest to dismantle and assemble a phaser rifle, I think dangerous missions should be scared of you."

"Just because I can do those stuff better and quicker doesn't mean I want to be part of those dangerous missions. I don't want to die yet, Sasha."

They reach the table where their friends are sitting. Almost everyone is there already and busy with either their food, discussion of plans they have for tonight, or sending in some last-minute projects to make up with their grades. 

On the left side of the long table,  at the very far side, is Armin Arlert, who is still checking his PADD as if he hasn't sent in all his extra projects, not that he needs the extra grades. He is already top of their class, and will definitely get a high appreciation award tomorrow with his understanding of Engineering and Advanced Warp Core Theory but he's too humble and shy to admit his brilliance and too nervous to fail a single coursework hence, he would grab the other extra projects thrown to them.

Beside Armin,  a tiny blonde Bajoran woman who's busy with her own PADD and then nudges him, as if he has sent her something offensive, is Annie Leonhart.  Though one of the shortest in their class, her hand-to-hand and close-range combat skills are as impeccable as Mikasa. She is probably the next best cadet in those classes since she and Mikasa would always and unintentionally compete for the top spot. But they have mutual respect for each other for being good fighters and for being what Armin considered the important people in his life.

Across the two blondes are Ymir Freckles and Historia Reiss, who are busy feeding each other the food they have got from the replicator– a variety of desserts ranging from cakes to chocolate candy bars. The tall brunette who did have freckles on her face had been dating the other tiny blonde woman beside her way before their Starfleet Academy days. 

Their story was they hopped on a ship going to Earth from their homeworld, which is one of the Federation's colony planets near the Cardassia-Bajor border to elope, and never turned back with what they left. Who would've thought that in this day and age, some families would still prohibit a budding romance just because they were of different status? Their friends were shocked when they told this story to them during their first year in the academy but they never missed showering these women with adoration and love. They'd hoped for them not to get separated after getting their ship assignment tomorrow after graduation but that would be a futile wish.

Looming over his tray of protein beside Historia is Reiner Braun. A beast when playing Parisses Square, a sporting event that could potentially injure players critically when played without abiding by the rules, but his friends will say he is the most sincere person in their circle.

Lost his parents at a young age during the last stretch of the Cardassian occupation in Bajor, Reiner lived with his remaining relatives who were freedom fighters at that time. The danger in his life wasn't done yet even if the war with their oppressors was over. There was unrest among the Bajorans since the planet was left without a leader. Civil wars were inevitable then, and Reiner was tasked to take the young ones to safety. 

Together with Annie and Bertholt Hoover, who is sitting across from him, they evacuated Bajor with the other kids, for good. Starfleet officers who were assigned for a diplomatic mission discovered their freighter floating dangerously near the Cardassian border but they were successfully rescued. The captain of the starship Reiner boarded saw the three's dedication and potential, so they were recommended by the captain for Starfleet Academy admissions. It was an opportunity he could never miss, especially because he knew that being a Starfleet officer could give him the chance to support the younger Bajoran orphans like him to live a better life. And, maybe, to go back to Bajor and help rebuild their nation.

Beside Reiner, the fair-haired young man who was smiling and beckoning Sasha to sit beside him, is Connie Springer. He is not the brightest of the cadets, he almost failed some tests during his early years in the academy and had to stay behind after classes for extra work, but his determination has pushed him to do better bit by bit.

But when it comes to having fun, Connie is definitely the man for it, along with Sasha. They are like PB & J these two, one would mistake them for dating but really, they stuck as buddies throughout their academy days for the only cadets who repeated Exochemistry in their class batch. And the guy has a delectable food palate, always knowing which dish goes well with what drink. If he weren't able to pass the academy, he would have pursued a profession related to food. 

Connie is also very good with programming holodeck stories, something his friends really like about him. The best holodeck simulation he did is based on an ancient Japanese graphic novel, a manga as they would call it, about giant people called Titans that attacked a lone island and ate its occupants. It’s a fun holodeck simulation where he and his friends play roles but it will take a while for them to finish it with the upcoming graduation. 

Sasha beams back at Connie and sits beside him, while Mikasa sits next to Sasha. She then circles back to their topic. 

"I'm just saying, Mika. Regardless of how sensitive the mission is, with your skills, I think you'll do well with Captain Smith's missions."

Mikasa scrunches her nose and sips from her cup of synthehol. "Eh, they're still dangerous, and besides, it would be weird for Levi and me to be on one ship."

Connie is now the one to speak up. "Why would it be weird? Wouldn't it be easier since he's your cousin? Oh, and also, won't their ship be on the roster?"

Everyone at the table stops whatever they have been doing to listen to Mikasa. Like Sasha, they are also looking forward to being commissioned to USS Sina. Mikasa looks at everyone at the table and shrugs nonchalantly, just like before in the replicator queue. "Levi will come here aboard another starship. No luck, guys."

And just like Sasha, the young cadets at the table state their desire to have their first assignment in Sina, their excitement and eagerness bubbling.

A small smile creeps on Mikasa's lips. She will definitely miss this bunch. Sure, there will be a chance for some of them to get assigned on the same ship as her, but a career in Starfleet means years before meeting your friends again. It won’t be surprising if some of them get promoted to lieutenant junior grade or even a higher rank the next time they see each other. 

Her eyes scan the faces on the table, realizing that they aren’t complete yet. Three people are  still missing from their circle so she asks, "Hey, has anyone heard from Eren, Jean, and Marco?"

It’s Armin who answers her, closing his PADD and putting it aside. "Oh, Eren said they’ll be coming late. They're still doing some last-minute routine checks on the trainer crafts they're using for tomorrow's exhibition." 

Mikasa nods then sighs softly. She loves all her friends, really, but she can’t help feeling incomplete whenever Eren was away.

[crownleys]

Have you noticed any trends/patterns in what makes you 'fannish' about something? (Particular mediums, character dynamics, aesthetics etc.) Also, is there anything you love but don't feel the impulse to engage in fandom with?

This was a really interesting question, and I had to sit and think about it for a while before feeling like I had some good conclusions to share with you, Anon! I think in general there's three things that have to be in the mix that get me feeling 'fannish'/involved in the fandom for something: 1) Regularly engaging with the source material 2) A good community 3) Space to play

I'll put the rest under a cut because I'm sure I'm about to ramble for a while

So, with regards to point one, it feels relevant to mention that I don't particular feel like I've been a member of too many fandoms. I'd say two, exactly -- Zombies, Run! and The Wayhaven Chronicles. I've dabbled with things like The Locked Tomb Series and Dragon Age of course, but I never necessarily felt like part of the fandom, just because it was so large and multifacted, and I only briefly engaged with it as someone who contributed to those respective fandoms. But with ZR and TWC, they're both things that have stuck around longer, mostly because I've continued to play them for a very long time. I got started with ZR about 10 years ago. When I was my most active with it was when I was going out literally every day and listening to missions, which helped keep the story and characters really fresh in my mind. It also helped me constantly think up new themes and ideas I really wanted to explore within the setting and with the characters. Similar with Wayhaven -- I played through all the books when Book 3 came out in April and I've more or less had a play-through going since then. My actual play-throughs have fallen a little on the wayside just because of life things but I'm still thinking about it & engaging with the source material a lot. So I guess my point is, to truly feel 'fannish' about something I need to be a little bit obsessed, lol!

As for my second point, I've truly felt my most 'fannish'/part of the fandom when I find a good community to interact with. One of my favorite parts of being a fan is actually getting to talk about the material in question -- play with it, theorize, etc. The Zombies, Run! Fandom when I joined was amazing for that, and there continued being a really good group constantly discussing meta on their Rofflenet website the entire time I was a player. There was even a weekly zoom book club to discuss the current releasing missions! It was awesome! And with Wayhaven I feel like I've found a really nice circle of mutuals to sit and talk about the books with (and also obviously, my dearest Delucadarling, who I constantly talk about it with). Which brings me to my last point, is I really like having a lot of space to 'play' and feel fannish. With ZR, it has a huge sprawling universe of a zombie apocalypse, and only a very small portion is shown to the players via the audio. It leaves a lot of room to imagine what happens around the missions. And with Wayhaven, since only a portion of the story is out, it leaves a lot of room to imagine with happens next to all the characters. That is the sort of thing I really find motivating! And there's for sure plenty of things I love that I don't really engage with the fandom for, or engage pretty lightly. For example, I've really been loving Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, but I haven't really done more than chat with a few friends about it. Similarly for a lot of the books I read -- I'll talk about them with a friend or two but not really seek out a lot of online content for them. I also watch a lot of cooking competitions, lol, so that's different for me to. If you've stuck with me for this long thank you! I really appreciated the question and I hope you have a great day <3

[helena-and-helena-meta]

New light

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I decided to write a little story on Ironwood being resurrected by a Ghost from Destiny 2, featuring my hunter and their ghost, Boiled and Brine. Also, does anyone else hc that Ironwood's neurotransmitter also holds some of his memories like I do? What kind of Guardian would James be btw? I didn't know what to make him so I left it up to interpretation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t common for ghosts that hadn’t found their guardians to tag along with guardians on a mission, but something about this one gave a ghost, Vanta, a strange feeling like he had to go. The planet the guardian was flying to had been recently discovered in the solar system. It somehow went untouched by the Witness when it took so many planets away from humanity and their allies. This planet was called “Remnant” by its original inhabitants, but now it was plagued by strange creatures attracted to negative emotions.

The creatures weren’t very dangerous compared to what the guardians had faced, energy weapons and heavy weapons easily cut through the large creatures, and super-charges decimated them with ease as they did most of the guardian’s enemies. The claws of the hostile creatures, identified as Grimm by old records, barely scratched armor worn by guardians but could slice through civilians. The Grimm that possessed flight or could release dangerous blasts of energy posed a threat to guardians. Vanta believed the Grimm had caused the death of Remnant’s original inhabitants.

The ruins left behind on the world were strangely comprised of large towers that almost touched the sky, entire cities built into mountain walls, and a city submerged underneath the ocean. That city, or what was above the surface, that city was what the guardian, their ghost, and Vanta were exploring. The way the top part of the large city was dug into the lower city hinted at something almost impossible; that the city once was floating high in the air.

Vanta wondered what the large floating city looked like in its prime. He wondered what it would be like to always wake up in a place so close to the sky. As Vanta and the guardian explored, a nagging feeling kept eating away at him. His shell spun as he tried to brush off the feeling.

“Vanta, is there something wrong?” Brine, the guardian’s ghost, asked him. “No, just an odd feeling,” Vanta answered, though Brine and his guardian, Boiled, still seemed worried about him.

Vanta wondered what it would be like for him and his future guardian. Would they be close and come up with silly names for each other like Brine and Boiled? Or would they be distant like others? The possibilities constantly ate away at the lone ghost’s mind.

As Vanta continued to follow Boiled and Brine, they entered a part of the wreckage of the upper city. Despite most of it being flooded, this part wasn’t, but it was still absolutely ruined, crushed by the fall. Vanta stopped as a feeling washed over him, a feeling many ghosts felt when they found their guardians. “Vanta?” Boiled called his name. They didn’t know why the ghost had stopped, but Brine communicated something to them, causing Boiled to back up and give Vanta space. Vanta’s onyx shell twisted, spun, and glowed as he resurrected his guardian.

Boiled’s long lilac cloak billowed behind them as Vanta’s guardian was resurrected. They blocked the bright light from their eyes. The guardian lowers their arm as the bright light fades, leaving them face to face with Vanta’s newly resurrected guardian. Boiled’s heterochromatic eyes met the new guardian’s deep blue ones. They reminded Brine of what Boiled’s eyes originally looked like before they used the darkness.

Vanta’s guardian was male. He looked older. His hair was semi-short and swept to one side with small grey streaks. He also had what seemed to be a fluffy beard that made Boiled hold back a chuckle.

“Eyes up, guardian,” Vanta spoke as he caught his guardian’s attention. “You’ve been dead for a very long time, I think.” As Vanta began wondering how long his guardian was dead, the New Light spoke, “I… I was dead?” He asked, holding one side of his head as that metal strip, identified as a neurotransmitter by Brine’s scans, activated, causing things to flood into the New Light’s memories. Boiled gently tapped the guardian’s shoulder, catching his attention.

“We should get you to the tower,” Boiled spoke, keeping their voice soft to not stress out the New Light too much, “This place isn’t exactly the safest place to be.” They looked at Vanta. “Vanta, contact the tower and tell them you found your guardian.”

Boiled began walking towards the exit but stopped when they didn’t hear the New Light following them. “What’s wrong?” They asked, turning to face him, “Who… Who are you?”

Brine spoke before their guardian, “Their name is Boiled a Hunter, and most importantly, a guardian like you.” The New Light only looked to them in complete confusion. “We’ll explain as we go.” Boiled spoke, only causing further confusion for the new guardian.

[wilsons-journey]

With SOTO out, I startet to think about my OCs. They currently still in the events of fighting Kralkatorik - well, before the real fight. I have them on hold there initial because of Wilson's Story. Now because of Valefors and Kyings Story, too.

Still I want to write down what happens to them from now - till the Events right before SOTO starts.

This is more a mental note for me and might get a little change in the future, but that could happen: (Behold of lore drop and possibile spoiler of my OCs, but I think it's fine cuz I'm never able to tell it all.)

Wilson: Not a lot will happen. She will help raising the Skyscales in the Events around fighting Kralkatorik. But she won't participate in the fight itself. During this she will also take care of the wounded, with the help of Fuma.

In the Events around the Civil War she will finally meet her real Father. But it's during the events of Jorgmas and Primodus influence on Tyria (Dragon Response Mission) she gets a little closer to him. He will help her control her magic. Together with Fuma and him, they will help in Tyria, where help is needed.

After Jormag and Primodus is defeated, she will travel the world together with Fuma.

In the Events around Cantha she will travel to Cantha and stay there until the fight in the jade sea occurs. Like before, she will mainly take care of the wounded and keep out most of the fight. But during the brief moment, when the void is about to take over everything, she will rescue a huge bunch of their companions with her magic. After that she is left without magic. She can’t even cast a single flame. Maybe this changes with the start of SOTO. Until then she will continue explore Tyria with Fuma at her side.

Fuma: She will be at Wilsons side and share most of the events like her. The only main thing that happens to her - she will go the path as Druid. Developing her healing magic to help the people around her.

Baal: As a former Flame Legion Member and after killing many of them, he will join Efram efforts to rebuild the Legion.

But first he will help his half-brother Deus in the fight against Kralkatorik. There he catches a first glimpse at his long, lost daughter. But it will be until the invitation to Grothmar-Valley, when he seeks direct contact with her. He will train her and tries to form a connection. Due to his cold demeanor it’s not easy at first, but with the help of Wilson’s bright nature they slowly connect. He will also accompany Wilson and Fuma during some of the Dragon Response Mission.

And Baal will always be at Deus side to fight the danger, that lay before them.

After the Events in Cantha he will return to Eframs side and help him with the new path of the Flame Legion.

Vale and Deus: They follow the Story as it is in the Game. But it’s only Vale, who will later end in Skywatch Archipelago. Only because she is the best in infiltrating the camp and get the information about the strange visitors. Deus could only watch as his wife went lost in the portal. He will of course try to join her.

Desmond: Sometimes he's at this place, sometimes he's at that place,... his main task is to take care of Orez during all the events. But it’s not easy with this ball of energy constantly disappearing into the mists…

He is basically just there and keeps an eye on Orez.

Orez: In the Events of Kralkatorik he is only 6 - so his main task is to make Desmonds natural hair color of white, even more whiter. He might get a glimpse of the Astral Ward, way before the Events of SOTO starts. He will meet a traveler in the Mist that belongs to the Ward. But due to his young age he won’t remember much and mainly stay at Desmond side. Even with the age of 10, when the Events around SOTO start, he will keep out of these things.

--- Now we get into the mild to heavy spoiler territory, but I'm not sure if I'm able to tell it all.

Phrike: He will play a huge role during the civil war. Additional to Bangar and the Elder Dragons, he will be another hug problem to take care of. A very nasty problem that last till the defeat of the elder dragons. He will nearly kill Deus and Vale. Also some of the other like Fuma, Wilson and Baal will have a close call. But in the end he will nearly kill himself in the attempt to blow up the whole black citadel,... In his mind: If he can’t have it - no one should. But he is not able to carry this bomb to the citadel, so he detonates the bomb in his hideout. Killing most of his own allies,... and nearly himself, too. He would have survived somehow - but his mind suddenly clear for the first time in years, he decides the world would be better without him. He wouldn't stop. He can’t stop. So he ask his closest friend to end his life. With one last gift in hand.

Bahalt: She will be at Phrikes side until his death. She will be the one, to grant Phrike his last wish in killing him. After that she will search for the thing Phrike has promised her - the gift. And what could it be? His son. She should take care of his son. Phrike always knew she wanted to be a mother, but was never not able to bear children on her own.

She will take care of this young boy. Sometimes call Phrike out of the mist to share these moments. She will later join Vale and Deus in their efforts to protect Tyria.

Valefor / Kying / Israfil: He will serve Israfil till the start of events of Cantha. It will be a balancing act between his new life with Kying and the old shadows that won’t leave him. The grip of Israfil will tighten over the years. Nearly tearing Valefors new found love apart. At the same time Valefor will find new allies - new people to trust, who later play a huge role in finally freeing him from Israfils grasps.

And Kying will be the one, striking Israfil down. At least he will disappear - unknown if Israfil is really dead or not. At least Valefor is finally free, he can feel it,... but I have the feeling it’s not the last time we hear from this fucker. Let’s see what SOTO has in store.

With Israfil gone, Valefor and Kying will join Deus and Vale, helping them protecting Tyria in the last fight against the Void. After that he stays a valuable asset to the Dragon Watch, but only if he is called. He will go back to old roots and travel Tyria together with Kying. Until he finds a nice place to live and settle in. There he will marry his emotional Idiot, who tamed him back to his softer side. At least around his friends. With stranger he still act like he will tear them apart - just for fun. And I think he will join Vale in the Events SOTO. I have the feeling he would enjoy punching some demons.

---

And with the fancy new communicatory they all stay in contact. Vale, Deus, Fuma, Wilson, Desmond, Orez, Bahalt, Valefor and Kying will form a huge weird family. And I'm here for it. Maybe I give them a Warband name and each of them their fitting Warband title.

Even Baal is part of it, but he will stay more of a rare sight.

And guess what? Valefor would have the most fun with the communicatory. I'd love to imagine them having a huge group chat. Wilson and Valefor would be the most active there. Wilson sharing nice moments and Valefor bullying the whole group. Well it's his way of showing affection. But aside from all the bullying, he would be always there for a good advice or a helping hand.

[veryparynormal]

Guys. I'm gonna try and shortcut my way into SPACE wish me luck

space....... the final frontier........ these are the voyages of the starship enterprise...... its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds..... to seek out new life and new civilizations....... to boldly go where no one has gone before.........

[danco110]

“Space! Er, sorry. Jace! It’s almost showtime!”

“Don’t come in! I’m…indecent.”

The vampiric park employee bit back a laugh. “What, having troubles with your illusion magic? Again?”

“…Of a sort.”

“Do I need to get another shapeshifter to cover for you?”

“…No.”

The door creaked open, and the employee stepped inside. As soon as she crossed the threshold, however, she was immediately confronted by several glowing orbs, remarkably similar to eyes. These were connected to chrome wires that all trailed into the corner of the trailer, disappearing into the robes of the man seated there.

“Jace…?”

“Now you see,” sighed the compleated telepath. “I can’t go on looking like this.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine! Now c’mon! The show’s about to start!”

“Wait! Don’t touch-”

Jace barely had time to rip a glove from a spacesuit costume hanging on the wall nearby and pull it over his oily metallic hand, before the employee pulled him from the trailer with her supernatural strength and speed. Soon the two were huddled against a thick red curtain, with the sound of excited fairgoers filtering through the fabric.

“Knock em dead!”

Jace motioned for the employee to stop, only for her to dash offstage and pull a rope to raise the curtain. The crowd gasped as they glimpsed the Phyrexian, spotlights focusing directly on him.

“Er…”

Jace glared backstage at the vampire, who was giving him a thumbs-up. He turned to face the audience, and cleared his throat.

“Uh…In my latest mission…to the dangerous world of New Phyrexia…I was attacked by the dreaded…Elesh Norn! I escaped, but her strange magicks changed me. My mission is still to explore the stars, but now it seems I’ll have to do it looking like…THIS!”

Jace willed several eyestalks to jolt toward the crowd, earning a round of surprised cries and applause. Though he was still irritated at the employee - whom he could see through one of the extra eyes - he swallowed his pride and continued to speak, a small smile slowly forming on his face.

[There was no Invasion of Bablovia card in MOM, so I assume there were no Phyrexian incursions there!]

[hobbit-in-kuroshitsuji]

Kuroshitcember 2022 Prompt Nr. 4

Prompt: Pick a male character and dress them up in drag! Ciel doesn’t count. Why are they in drag? Do they like it? How do people react? Is this a regular occurrence? What happens next?

You can find all prompts here!

All of these will be uploaded/archived to this blog's Ao3 eventually

Summary: William walks in on Ronald and Grelle dressing up in dresses, but doesn't make them change back into approved uniforms when he realises this subconsciously means a lot to Ronald. CW: Slight angst, implied deaths and suicide, but fluff in supportive shinigami family :3

(This prompt let me go wild with a new HC I have about Ronald’s past and sexual orientation…)

“What… is going on here?” William had paused in the doorway so abruptly that it had almost looked as though he’d walked straight into a glass door.

But he hadn’t.  

He had just walked in on Grelle and Ronald… dressed up in pretty dresses.

Ronald grinned widely, lips painted red to offer a strangely sultry smile – it suited him. Normally, if William caught Ronald doing something other than his work, the young man would be a little flustered and try to explain. This time, though, Ronald seemed to be in his element.

Confident.

Comfortable.

“We have to go undercover,” Grelle explained, pulling a pose to show off her hips to William which the reaper promptly ignored.

“You don’t have to do anything,” William said with a scoff. “You are grim reapers. You can be invisible to mortals.”

“But this is more fun! We finally get to make use of my beautiful ballgowns!” Grelle continued to blabber on about her dresses, disappearing into her own world where, apparently, Ronald and William were keenly listening to her go on and on about the dresses she had made (instead of working, Will dryly noted). They were rather eloquent and beautiful, matching the red colour of her hair and flaunting the curves she held which even William could see would drive other women into jealousy.

“Ah, don’t look so sour, sir,” Ronald offered with what had to be a light-hearted bump of the elbow against William’s side – but William only glared at the touch. “It made Sutcliff happy, and besides, it’s not my first time in a dress.”

Quirking a curious eyebrow, William watched as Ronald’s green eyes twinkled with light not present in the room, a clear sign the reaper was digging into memories meant to be suppressed – memories of his past.

Tensing, William remained quietly listening in respect, worry gnawing at his heart despite his stone cold face showing otherwise.

“Whenever home got particularly shitty, me and the lads would stay out long past any pub’s closing hours. I found myself some nice friends who knew where the nightlife continued, if you catch my drift, sir. Down in basements of what society thought to be the most heteronormative of nobles; aristocrats during the day, and their true selves during the night. There was not a single man down there shying away from who they were. No lads… Just friends exploring.”

“And you joined them?” William asked despite himself. He knew urging Ronald to dig further into these memories might only bring emotional hurt to the reaper… but, this was new to William.

“During the evenings I could enjoy the company of a woman, and during the late nights I could enjoy the company of men. The best of both worlds, like I liked it.” Then his eyes flashed green again, any expression disappearing from his face for a second or two, his entire being pausing for two seconds as if he was… dead again. As if his use of past tense had suddenly driven him straight into realising his own fate… knocking him back to the dreadful reality of immortality.

Then he suddenly continued, brain rebooted, memories supressed. “Sorry ‘bout that, what was I talking about? Oh, right, the mission.”

William took a deep breath, watching with sympathy gnawing at the bottom of his stomach as Ronald repeated the Shinigami mission given to him and Grelle, as though he had not just revealed to William his bisexuality and admiration for undercover societies of non-hetero people.

“Of course,” William said with a nod of his head, playing along as Ronald’s mind shielded itself from harsh realities. “Good luck out there.”

William turned and left, quicker than he would have liked.

It was never nice to be reminded of their mortality and what awful things might have happened to his fellow reapers. He cared not for what might have happened to him. He cared for them –

But he would never admit that. They were meant to work, and he would ensure they kept working hard.

Though… from time to time, William could allow a little bit of fun…

Especially if he could mask it as essential to a mission.

__ taglist: @eemoo1o-animoo

[connoissuer-of-fine-vines]

N7 Month: Day 1- Space

Just a little short story featuring my Ryder twins, Ava and Gavin, when they were kids.

“Avaaaaa, hurry up! It’s ooonnnn!!!” Gavin shouted to his sister as the TV came to life. A grainy image illuminated the screen, appearing as though the viewer was traveling through a poor facsimile of space.

“Pause it! I’m coming!” Ava shouted back from the kitchen. Strings sounded from the speakers as a lone horn rose in a mellow fanfare.

“Space, the final frontier.” Gavin recited along with the show, ignoring Ava’s continued shouts to pause it.

He didn’t know why, but there was just something about the opening to Star Trek that was electrifying. It filled him with excitement. He couldn’t wait to see what new wonder each new episode would bring. To see what humanity of yesterday thought the future of tomorrow would bring.

Suddenly the TV paused, yet no one had touched the remote. Gavin reached for it but stopped midway as Ava stormed into the room with a bowl of piping hot popcorn.

“You better not touch that until I’m settled.” she threatened. They were both nine years old, but Ava was already a spitting image of mom, right down to her frown and glare.

“How did you pause it in the first place? The remote wasn’t anywhere near you.”

“I have my ways.” Ava said primly. “And no, I’m not telling you.” Ava settled onto the couch and placed the bowl of popcorn between them and made a big show of grabbing the remote to press play. Gavin glared at her.

But Ava was a tech whiz, taking apart mom’s omnitool at seven to see how it worked. So it didn’t surprise him she found a way to control the TV from another room. She’s the one who managed to get them access to the original Star Trek in the first place.

 Whatever it involved lead to mom and dad being both very proud and very upset with her. Ava had purposely made sure Gavin didn’t know any of the details so he wouldn’t get in trouble too. She took her duty as the older sibling seriously and always tried to shield him. She had been grounded for two weeks but they also had her enrolled in a special program with C-Sec for kids gifted with technology. To keep her out of trouble, their parents said.

“These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.” came from the TV and suddenly their animosity evaporated. Gavin and Ava both leaned forward as the dated CGI and practical effects of the opening continued.

“It’s five year mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations.” they recited together as they dreamed of new alien species and secrets of ancient civilizations.

“To boldly go where no man has gone before!”

[awkwardpariah]

In 2063 humanity prepared to set off on the greatest mission of exploration ever attempted. IV-101 Enterprise would be the first crewed spacecraft fitted with a White-Alcubierre Drive, and would execute a 3 flights to 3 nearby star systems with Earthlike planets identified in the preceding decades. The first would be to Alpha Centaur Bb in 2063, the second mission to Tau Ceti f, a third was planned for Epislon Eridani b. This final mission would ultimately fall to another Interstellar Vehicle, when the crew of the Enterprise made first contact with the first intelligent civilization beyond the Sol System. On November 31, 2064, IV-101 Enterprise dropped out of warp near the edge of the Tau Ceti system. To those on Le'ma, this would have appeared as a brief flash of light from a distant, previously unseen star. That flash was the release of energy stored by the "Bubble Trap" phenomena during warp travel. The Enterprise would then unfold its subluminal propulsion truss, massive radiators, and habitation ring and release surveyor probes. After a week confirming that Tau Ceti f was indeed the prime candidate for life NASA believed it to be, the Enterprise initiated its burn toward the planet. Once again, a strange star would appear in the night sky over Le'ma as the alien spacecraft's antimatter drive created a brilliant plum of light and radiation. The light would grow brighter and brighter and then dim as the Enterprise approached and reduced its propulsion during a gravity assisted deceleration via one of Le'ma's moons. This was not necessary to enter orbit around Le'ma, rather it was a policy chosen by NASA well before the first mission, to avoid bathing alien worlds in too much radiation or causing them to suspect the bright star in their sky was anything more than a peculiar celestial event. On January 3, 2065 the Enterprise entered into high orbit around Le'ma and began its survey of this new world. Unlike Alpha Centauri Bb, this planet had a breathable atmosphere of Nitrogen and Oxygen, and a highly diversified biosphere of terrestrial flora and fauna. This news was already something that excited NASA and the public alike back on Earth, especially after the comparative disappointment of the Alpha Centauri mission. After 3 weeks in orbit, the crew of the Enterprise observed strange stone structures in a warm spot in the planet's far north. Further investigation confirmed that one species in particular seemed to inhabit the site, and it didn't take long for humans to confirm that these were not just animals exploiting a natural anomaly, but intelligent life with all the hallmarks of early civilization. The images from orbit set off a firestorm at NASA and across the solar system. People everywhere express a profound feeling of almost companionship with these beings, and a discourse immediately begins over whether or not we should make contact. The overwhelming majority of humans are in favor, while the minority argues that to interfere in the development of this society is immoral. NASA instructs the Enterprise to continue their investigation from orbit, and to send some of their less conspicuous probes to the surface for further study. On February 20, 2065, a small drone the size of a beetle flies through the alien settlement confirming beyond any doubt that this is a thriving society, and by all accounts in their early bronze age. NASA is inundated with calls to make contact as calls to stay their hand are drowned out by the enthusiasm of the public. Politicians, religious leaders, students and affiliated researchers all demand the agency make contact, that humanity reach out and let our new interstellar neighbors know they are not alone. NASA gives the order on April 5, 2065 with surging optimism for a future that sees humanity and its new friends in the stars put aside the petty squabbles of their respective worlds and come together in united galaxy... sadly, that has not yet come to pass. Special thanks to my patrons and rajavlitra who was commissioned to draw the K'lerin for this map. Extended Lore: https://second-renaissance.fandom.com/wiki/Le%27ma