Santa and Krampus

Posted on Sat Jan 16th, 2021 @ 1:24pm by Ensign Elegy Nascimento & Captain Bethsabée Leroux

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck C - Rec Room
Timeline: Day 151 Year 0 Time 20:35
1233 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

PREVIOUSLY ON “CHRISTMAS OFFICERS PARTY"...

Beth looked around the mess and smiled at everyone that was there. It was meant to be an officer’s party but as of yet, not everyone has arrived. It was not traditional at all to hold something like this on Christmas Eve but she wanted the Crew party to be on actual Christmas day and boost the bigger group of people onboard morale. It had been decided by all the senior officers without a moment doubt when they worked out Christmas was so close. There were homemade decorations and Engineering had made random things out of decorations from scraps. It was so abstract it was perfect.

Elegy Nascimento was wearing an oversized flight suit, stuffed with clothes to thicken his stature. The flight suit had been dyed fire-engine red and someone's fur coat had been sacrificed to sew white trimmings into his costume from top to bottom. Elegy had also repurposed the white fur to make himself a fake flowing beard to cover his darker facial hair, and finished it off with a lining on the red toque he wore atop his head.

Cocking his head to the side, Elegy Nascimento said, "Christmas may... look and... feel different this year." --He had started the sentence with an intention to spread good cheer, but he hesitated whenever he felt a lump in his throat quite acutely-- "But that only give us the opportunity to make new traditions."

Beth loved the idea of new traditions being created for there community. It would help the bonding and release some tension. "I like new opportunities." Beth mused.

AND NOW THE CONTINUATION...


"After the month we've had, liking 'new opportunities' is something of an understatement, Captain," said Elegy Nascimento. He made eye-contact with Beth Leroux and the intensity behind his sapphire eyes seemed to say: 'you must believe me'. Rubbing the padded stomach of his Santa costume, Elegy explained his affirmation by saying, "This is truly the First Noel for Clan Ud and you are their Santa Claus. Giving away one of our protein resequencers was terribly generous, given our predicament. I can only hope they'll give our super-efficient algae program a chance."

Beth had thought to leave the party now that she had shown her face and been present for some of it to allow everyone to have more fun without the thought of the most senior officer there, but it seemed that someone was not willing to let her go. Beth did not see herself like that but it was nice that the crew potentially viewed her as merciful and generous and not how she viewed herself sometimes as the angel of death and a destroyer. “I do not believe I have been called that before Ensign.” She mused softly taking a sip of the mulled wine.

Effusively, Elegy replied, "The recognition is well-deserved. It's worth noting. If the Vrav are open to taking your gift to heart, we've given them new hope." --He took a sip from his own mulled wine, but that hardly slowed down his excitement-- "They were so enraged by the loss of their algae; so impassioned about their living situations... Captain Leroux and the protein re-sequenecer could be the birth of a whole new mythology for them."

Beth was sure she had never seen the man so animated before or maybe it was because she had never seen him before shift only after when he was tired from the night. “Perhaps but I am sure I will be still known as the destroyer in that new mythology but I appreciate you trying to cheer me up ensign with your unique spin on things.” Beth really did appreciate it but the guilt over the what if would haunt her for a long time to come, she was sure of that. It was not something that Earth Starfleet prepared you for.

Beth referring to herself as the destroyer struck an anxious chord in the pit of Elegy's stomach. It brought to mind the debate he'd had with Darru about how great a chance the Vrav had for survival, in the long run. Elegy's posture deflated and the deflector shield of his happy-holiday grin came down. "If you believe that, if you really believe that... why did you give the Vrav a protein resequencer, Captain?" Elegy asked, speaking more quietly than he had been before. "Our resources are so limited for the length of our journey... Do you have faith the Vrav will make use of the resequencer? Do you believe they'll even try the algae program we designed for them?"

“You misunderstand me, ensign. There always has to be some type of villain in any type of story from mythology to a fairy tale we tell children to soothe them. Every story has to have a bad guy. I believe they will use it.” Beth was sure they would have hooked it up and used to protein resequencer. She might seem like the destroyer to the Vrav and become a legend to them with that view but in the eyes of her crew, the people she led she was so much more. It was the stable of her leadership in getting these people home.

"It's maddening to think... we keep on moving on," Elegy said, pushing a hand out to represent the constant motion of Atlantis. "They won't be on the other side of an ocean, like the old ECON. We'll be on the other side of the quadrant by the time the Vrav have settled, and their oral history has turned you into a Santa or Krampus figure. We'll never know."

"But our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren might," Beth said watching his hand move in constant motion. "It is their opinion I care about but like you said I will never know despite how maddening to me it might be." It would haunt and bother for a long time but Beth would not reveal how deep it went to Elegy. She shook herself and looked up at him. "How are you doing Ensign?" She asked turning it onto him.

"There's a moment..." Elegy said, his eyes glazing over. Usually his eyes were like lightning, but in this moment, they took on a faraway look instead. Working hard to control the wavering in his voice, Elegy explained, "Before I wake up, there's a moment where I think I'm still in my own bed. I forget-- I forget I'm out here, so far from home, from my family." --He pursed his lips and shook his head quickly-- "This week especially, that's my favourite moment of the whole day." --He took a breath-- "But maybe this party will compete with that moment."

Beth smiled sadly. She had those moments and those moments were perfect but too far and few between with no sleep. It was hard to reach that stage when sleep barely happened. “Those moments sound perfect. I hope it does for you, Ensign.” Beth said patting his shoulder. “Enjoy the evening and those moments.”

"Thank you, Captain," Elegy said. He nodded at her words and he rubbed at his costume beard with a thumb and forefinger. As she started to walk away, sharing her presence with more of the crew, Elegy said to her, "And a Merry Christmas to us all."