"Soft Light, Strong Foundations"
Posted on 06 Aug 2025 @ 1:52am by Lieutenant JG Halux-denari-vettaliin & Captain Sabrina Corbin
Edited on on 06 Aug 2025 @ 1:52am
1,741 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Assignment: Arawyn
Location: Counseling Department, USS Arawyn
=/\= Head Counselor's Office =/\=
The smell of freshly unpacked storage crates still lingered in the air, mingling faintly with the calming scent of chamomile that Halux had programmed into the environmental controls. The Denobulan counselor moved with deliberate care, arranging a set of polished wooden figurines along the edge of a low shelf. Each piece represented a story from his home province—a quiet reminder of the lives he’d left behind and the ones he now served. Also scattered among the trio of shelves were a number of paper-bound books of ancient folklore from half a dozen different worlds, and research volumes written in another dozen languages. Alongside the books rested a Vulcan serenity stone and a Bajoran prayer wheel. Beside them, a Klingon kot'baval token given to him by a former patient.
The room was still finding itself. A meditation lamp flickered softly on the side table. A small sofa for seating had been arranged against the wall underneath the shelf, the chairs in front of his desk just a touch out of alignment—as though unsure of how close they ought to be to one another. Much like Halux himself.
He straightened up, cocked his head, and took a breath. The ship’s systems hummed gently beneath the deck, a sound he was already learning to attune to. There was comfort in that rhythm.
And then—footsteps. Steady, purposeful. The kind of tread that didn’t wonder whether it belonged in a room.
Halux turned toward the door just as the chime rang.
“Enter,” he called, smoothing his tunic with a practiced hand and setting his expression somewhere between professional and curious.
Sabrina entered, but as she did, her purposeful stride slowed, coming to a gradual halt near the center of the office.
The light was the first thing that struck her, soft, filtered, almost natural. Unlike the harsh overheads that flooded the corridors of the Arawyn, this room offered something gentler. Her gaze lifted, catching the canopy of trees painted or projected across the ceiling. She smiled, caught off guard by it.
There was a scent too, subtle, but distinctly not the sterile newness the rest of the ship exuded. It was clean, yes, but tinged with something else: a crisp fruit note, a thread of honeyed sweetness, and beneath that, something grassy, dry.
Not grass. Hay.
Her nose twitched, her brain making the connection a beat before she spoke it aloud.
“Chamomile.”
For a moment, Captain Corbin forgot entirely why she had come. Her bearing drifted, untethered, as her senses pulled her inward. But the lapse passed quickly, and she righted herself with a soft smile, turning her attention to the tall Denobulan standing nearby.
He looked young, warm, and bright, easily close to a foot taller than she was, though perhaps just shy of it. Sabrina was used to that. She wasn’t so short that people remarked on it, but no one would ever accuse her of being tall. Quite average, really, like most things about her.
“Lieutenant Halux,” she greeted with a smile. “I quite forgot myself walking in. Captain Corbin, it's lovely to meet you.”
The Denobulan had stood upon seeing the Captain enter and dipped his head in greeting, his own smile widening just slightly. Her momentary lapse of awareness brought a small spark of joy, a quiet affirmation that the space was already doing what it was meant to—inviting presence, not performance. “The pleasure is mine, Captain. Welcome to my small sanctuary. Please, make yourself comfortable—though it seems the room already got a head start on that for me.”
He motioned toward the seating area, one brow raised. “May I offer you a seat?"
“Thank you.” She smiled at his phrasing. Sanctuar, he’d called it. Fitting.
She had walked through the area briefly upon arrival, but it was already changed, transformed from what she'd remembered into something distinctly his. Corbin sat, settling easily into the space, and explained, “I’m mostly just touring today. I know we have an official meeting scheduled for later this afternoon, but I really wanted to meet everyone I could in a more relaxed atmosphere.”
She paused, glancing around once more. It wasn’t just the ambience that put her at ease; it was the presence of the counselor himself. Warm, measured, quietly assured. Though there were times she found it difficult to talk things through, Sabrina had long since learned what a relief and a resource a good counselor could be.
“I hope not to be a stranger here,” she added, her tone open, candid. “I know there’s a stereotype about captains avoiding these offices… but I’m not one of them.”
“I’m very glad to hear that,” he said, his tone as even as it was genuine. His posture was relaxed, but attentive, the faint trace of a smile still lingering at the edges of his expression. He clasped is hands loosely in front of his body. “There’s nothing more isolating than leadership without space to exhale. Far too many captains forget they’re not exempt from needing it. Besides, the stereotype only survives when we let it. I’d far prefer to offer a place where rank is left at the door—if only for a little while.”
It was isolating. She could already feel it, even now, especially now, with the quiet necessity of keeping Alex at a professional arm’s length. She wasn’t entirely at ease yet in this space or conversation, not on first meeting, but there was a glimmer of possibility. A thread of trust, thin and new, but present.
His head tilted slightly, studying her not with scrutiny, but interest. “You mentioned touring—how’s the ship treating you so far? First impressions matter, after all.”
Corbin mirrored his tilt, her brow lifting faintly as she considered. There were a dozen ways she could answer, all valid in their own way. But she wasn’t searching for the right answer; only the one that best expressed the feeling behind it.
She let out a slow breath, eyes drifting toward the room’s subtle lighting as she gathered her thoughts.
“She’s beautiful,” Sabrina said at last, her voice softer. “Graceful lines, state-of-the-art systems, all the promise in the world. I felt a bit like I’d stepped into a legacy I haven’t quite earned yet.”
A pause. She wasn’t looking for reassurance; just being honest.
“But I also felt… ready. Or, at least, as ready as anyone ever is. There’s a quiet pressure to a new command. Everything is still shiny. Untested. Including me.”
She gave a half-smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I stood on the bridge, and it struck me how many expectations are baked into every bulkhead; mine, the crew’s, the Fleet’s. You carry all of that the moment you step into that chair. It’s… a lot.”
Her expression softened, humour flickering there now. “That said, the replicator in my quarters works perfectly, I have acquired a kitten who hasn't destroyed anything vital, yet, and I haven’t fallen down a Jeffries tube. So, all in all, a strong start.”
Halux listened without interruption, his expression open, thoughtful. When she paused, he let the silence linger for a beat, not to make it awkward, but to allow her words to settle. To be heard.
“That sounds like an honest start,” he said finally, his voice quiet but clear. “Which is usually the strongest kind. Shiny things dull eventually—systems glitch, expectations shift. But honesty, especially with oneself, tends to hold.”
He smiled with a warmth that reached his eyes. “And as for legacy...I suspect many legacies are often inherited by people who haven’t earned them. The difference is, some choose to grow into the weight of them. Give it time, Captain. Give yourself that chance to grow.”
There was a pause as he considered her last words, then added, “A functioning replicator, a diplomatic kitten, and zero Jeffries tube incidents? That’s practically textbook for a command launch.”
"How about you? How are you settling in?" She asked, genuinely curious.
Halux’s brow lifted slightly, as if the question had caught him just a little off guard—not unpleasantly, but as if he wasn’t quite used to being the one asked. He let out a soft breath, more amused than weary.
“It's going...well. I’ve found that spaces take on personality quickly—sometimes in ways we don’t expect. This one’s been quite welcoming.” He glanced around his still-settling office, the soft light casting gentle shadows across the walls. With a hand he motioned up to the forest canopy above them, blowing in an absent breeze. “I'll admit I'm rather excited to utilize the new therapeutic holo-environ system. I feel like a...dal’ken nor v’sharab. A child in a shop of sweets?"
Corbin smiled at that description, glancing back up at the trees. "I wish my quarters had this, but then I'd never leave."
His gaze returned to her, more focused now. “There’s a kind of energy here I haven’t felt in some time. Potential, yes, but also purpose. It makes me want to settle in, rather than just acclimate.”
Then, a quiet smile: “Besides, the replicator here also works, and so far, I haven’t fallen asleep at my desk. So I’m counting that as a personal victory.”
Sabrina chuckled, "I'm glad the Arawyn is having that effect on you. I can't wait until we can all start to gel together and put this girl into the stars." A thought made her smirk, And get away from Fleet Command. Corbin sighed. This had been very relaxing already. She smoothed the front of her tunic as she stood up, almost regretfully. "A pleasure to start to get to know you."
Halux rose with her, smooth and unhurried, his fingtertips resting softly on the surface of the desk between them. “The pleasure was mine, Captain. Thank you for letting this be more than just a checkmark on a tour. I’ll be looking forward to our next conversation."
A warm smile followed, soft and sincere as he bid the Captain farewell, “Safe travels back into the chaos.”
Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
USS Arawyn
Lieutenant (JG) Halux
Head Counselor
USS Arawyn
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