'Cosmic Balance vs Bad Intentions'

Posted on 29 Sep 2025 @ 9:11pm by Ensign Ryan Collingway

569 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Fractured Accord
Location: USS Arawyn
Timeline: Night

----USS Arawyn----

"Get some rest, Ensign, excellent work back on the Newton. You have earned the rest."

After going through isolation (again) Ryan was now off-duty.Given that his first shift had certainly been longer than expected, he was free for the rest of the night and took some dinner in the mess hall. He looked at his tray of food, not terribly hungry.

“Hi. Good work over there on Newton,” said the voice behind him. When he turned to look, Riah Amberlyn smiled, holding her own tray.

"Thank you," Ryan said neutrally. There was no point in asking how she knew about his performance-they had a staff meeting, and the lower decks were gossiping about the outcome of said meeting. "I'm just sorry it wasted so much time.”

“Savings lives is not wasted time, Mr Collingway,” she replied. Walking into the dining room, she continued speaking, “I think all things happen for a reason, even though it may not seem so or may even seem to benefit the wrong cause. But there was a purpose in what happened. But then I think the universe is always moving toward balance, not always good, not always bad. So who knows why that happened, or the ripples of effect it’s had upon our whole mission. Might have saved us from some other worse catastrophe.”

Ryan watched as she sat down. "From what the engineers are gabbing about, it was a false signal that led us here. It was malicious, perhaps a joke. Who knows? Someone deliberately led us astray. All of that potential risk of life, over someone's idea of fun. Doesn't sound much like an act of cosmic balance to me. More like someone is trying to control what we are doing." His tone was angry, but also in carefully measured amounts.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Collingway,” she replied, not oblivious of his piqued attitude, but nonetheless ignoring it. “There is no argument that nefarious forces were out to cause us trouble, big ass trouble for us. I’m thinking about the state of the Universe, capital U universe, the bigger picture than our little corner of action here in this sector of space. It’s moving toward balance. Spinning galaxies, sunflowers, bumblebees, the birth and death of suns, the cosmic response to the Big Bang theory, under debate for centuries,” she replied with a genial smile.

Ryan shrugged, having no particular desire to continue the argument. "Maybe." He went back to eating, ignoring the doctor and hopefully giving the subtle signs that he wanted to be alone.

“Ryan, are you always so magnanimous and easy to approach?” asked Riah. She waited to catch his eye, shrugged in returned with a wink, a sly smile and walked away to her favorite table.

Ryan watched her leave, and with a small sigh finished what little he had left of his meal before tossing it. He then went to his quarters. Being an Ensign, he usually had bunkmates who would constantly talk and laugh with each other. But since his shift on the Newton took extra long, he had it all to himself. "Lights," he said.

He tried to sleep. But try as he might, all he could hear was the screaming of his fellow engineer on the Newton as he was infected by nanobots.

~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Arawyn

&

Ensign Ryan Collingway
Ensigneering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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