The Jester Brings a Kitten

Posted on 08 Aug 2025 @ 12:37am by Lieutenant Aev Flammia & Captain Sabrina Corbin

2,378 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Assignment: Arawyn
Location: USS Arawyn

= USS Arawyn =

Aev arrived at the docking port and paused, taken aback by the sight beyond the station’s wide observation window. Arawyn’s gleaming hull stretched into view, a Sovereign-class starship in all her elegance and power. Her metallic frame caught the light just right, casting a faint reflection against the transparent aluminum. He had to stop for a moment to admire her. As much as he loved the gracefulness of the Luna-class USS Charon, there was something almost legendary about serving aboard a Sovereign-class vessel.

Once he stepped aboard, he made the immediate decision to find the Captain and report in, there was no sense in delaying the inevitable. From the duffel slung over his shoulder, he could hear the soft, insistent mews of the kitten nestled inside. He winced slightly. Hopefully, the Captain would be understanding about this… unusual situation. And, of course, in his ear, he could hear Ignis sulking about being stuck in audio-only mode.

“This is a travesty,” Ignis grumbled in Aev’s ear, his voice dripped with wounded pride. “I’m smuggling a kitten across a Sovereign-class threshold in silence, Spark. Silence. Do you realize the historical injustice?” Another tiny mew echoed from the duffel. “And now she’s upstaging me. I hope you’re happy.”

With a quiet sigh, Aev chose to ignore Ignis and made his way down the corridor toward the turbolift. According to what he’d seen on the console, the Captain was currently in her ready room. “Bridge,” he instructed as the lift doors closed behind him.

When the lift finally stopped, he stepped onto the bridge and paused briefly to take it in. The command center of the Arawyn was polished and well-organized, and the faint smell of newness permeated the room. Through the main viewscreen, he could see the interior of the station: docking pylons, blinking beacons, and distant shuttles drifting by. A few technicians were stationed at various consoles, absorbed in their work. None paid him any attention as he crossed the deck.

Moving in front of the ready room doors, Aev drew a steady breath, then pressed the chime.

Sabrina had just gotten back to her ready room a short time ago. She had thoroughly enjoyed having some one-on-one time with her senior officers. Getting to know them outside of a formal setting was a treat, and she got to see how things were progressing in their progress.

Her office door chimed as she was reading through recent reports, and she looked up and blacked out her screen. "Come." She said, looking up at the door, watching to see who stepped in. "Lieutenant," She guessed this was her security chief, coming in hot from the dock with a bag on his shoulder. Eager she thought.

"I'm glad you made it today. We're going to have our first senior staff briefing soon." Her hand indicated a chair in front of her desk. "Please put your bag down and have a seat. I hope your travel was pleasant."

“It was interesting,” he replied with a faint smile. He set the duffel down and eased into the chair across from the Captain. “There is one thing I should probably mention,” he added, just as a soft mew escaped from the slightly unzipped bag at his feet. He reached inside and gently pulled out a small orange tabby kitten, which squirmed in his hands with sleepy protest. “I may have found this little guy-” he tilted his head, studying the fluffball, “or girl, I guess, while I was making my way over from the station.”

"Ohhh, you too..." Sabrina tried to recall how many the Yeoman had said there were left they were trying to catch. "You might have the last one. "Chances are it's a boy just because mathematically most orange cats are boys, also, since I know it has a possible littermate that is black and white, it indicates that both parents were not orange, which is also necessary for an orange girl." Sabrina realized what a cat nerd she sounded like in the moment, but explained. "I, too, acquired a station kitten, as did our Chief Engineer."

“A feline expert, I see,” Aev said, a faint chuckle escaping before he caught himself and settled back into a more composed posture. This was his first meeting with the Captain, and though she struck him as relaxed, he wasn’t about to take that for granted.

“This… wasn’t exactly in the mission brief,” he admitted, glancing down at the kitten in his lap. “I’m still undecided on the whole pet situation.” He hesitated, then continued, sensing a chance to learn more about her. “That said, I’d like to make sure he’s settled in properly for now. If you have any recommendations, I’d appreciate them, sir.”

"If you have never had a cat before, it can be an adventure. I will send over some information to get you started. If you do decide not to keep him." She glanced at the sleeping orange tabby and smirked, almost kicking herself for what she was about to say. "It's better for kittens to have another present. I would take him."

He gently lowered the kitten into his lap. It gave a few determined kneads into the fabric of his uniform, turned a tight circle, then curled up contentedly. “There’s also one more thing I need to disclose,” Aev said, his tone shifting into something more formal. “Captain, I’ve been assigned as the active field officer for a joint Starfleet prototype. It’s an adaptive holographic assistant named Ignis. He’s deployed through a Lumeon Holoband.” He raised his hand, showing the sleek onyx ring faintly pulsing with blue light. “He falls under the Joint Systems Evaluation Directive, part of Project LUMEON: Phase I Field Trials. I’ve included the relevant files and specifications in my personnel transfer file, but I wanted you to hear it directly from me.”

Corbin had read over the project goals and notes, and she did find herself with more questions than answers. "I have some concerns, Lieutenant." Sabrina folded her hands together, placing them on the desk, feeling her spine straighten just a touch as she considered where to start for just a pause. "Is this device listening and recording our conversation right now?"

“That’s a fair question, Captain. The short answer is yes,” Aev said. “When he’s active, he’s aware of his surroundings, specifically, the stimuli I react to.” He twitched slightly as Ignis whispered something into his ear, but kept his expression neutral, eyes steady on the Captain. “Of course, his program selectively filters what it retains. To comply with Starfleet security protocols, he doesn’t have active access to ship systems and is never worn or brought into areas that could compromise security, mission integrity, or classified information.”

He didn’t mention the irony that Ignis himself was technically classified Starfleet technology. Certain aspects of the holoband’s architecture were still restricted, even to him. There were locked protocols buried deep in the system that he couldn’t access. He started to realize he was placing a great deal of trust in Dave Ronaldson, his father’s old friend, and the engineer who had built Ignis.

Corbin smirked very slightly at that, her eyes glancing around the ready room. "Or the Captain's ready room?" She was more curious about what areas the Lieutenant thought the device should be carried, explaining further, "I'm mostly curious about it, but also have some natural apprehension."

Aev felt a sudden jolt of apprehension at her words. “Of course, Captain,” he said quickly. “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t bring him to a meeting like this.” He glanced down at the pulsing device on his hand. “Your concern is completely understandable, and I’ll be very mindful of his use going forward.”

His head tilted slightly as Ignis whispered something in his ear. “Unfortunately, he’s not without his own opinions on… well, just about everything,” Aev added with an uneasy chuckle, only half joking.

Sabrina nodded as she observed Aev's behavior, seeming to react to it. He wasn't comfortable. How much was that attributed to just being here in her office, meeting his Captain for the first time, she wasn't sure. "I did read up on what limited information was available. I wouldn't mind meeting this AI right now, if you'd like to bring him out."

Aev nodded slowly. “Certainly, Captain.” He raised his hand slightly, eyeing the ring as its soft blue light began to shift to a faint golden hue. “You can switch to visual mode, Ignis,” he said dryly. “Just… try not to embarrass me in front of the Captain.”

Golden light flared from the ring, arcing outward in swirling threads that coalesced mid-room. With theatrical precision, Ignis emerged in full humanoid form: tall, lean, and unmistakably striking. Tousled, windswept hair caught the ambient light with reddish undertones, and molten-gold eyes gleamed with amusement. The flame-shaped tattoos across his cheekbones pulsed faintly as his mouth curved into a fox-like smirk.

He wore a sleek black tunic edged with subtle copper threading, Starfleet-adjacent, though far too flamboyant to be regulation. Ignis gave an elegant bow, low and exaggerated, with one hand swept dramatically to the side. “Captain Corbin,” he said smoothly, his voice a warm blend of charm and mischief. “An honor I was so nearly denied. But rest assured…” He straightened, that signature grin sharpening just a touch. “I only eavesdrop politely.” He cast a sidelong glance at Aev, tattoos flickering brighter. “And for the record, Spark, I wouldn’t dream of embarrassing you. Not on purpose.”

Sabrina looked over the form. He was an interesting-looking humanoid. The shifting light of the flames on his cheeks caught her attention the most. "Ignis huh." She mainly ignored the being and his address, still not very comfortable with it, though it seemed like it could be an interesting tool. Corbin turned her attention back to Flammia and cocked her head a little. "And Spark?"

The Captain shook her head, "Well, I'm glad you have introduced us to this. I'm not one to stop progress, it's just new to me." Her eyes shifted back to Ignis, "You're new. I'm curious, actually, Ignis, in what you think your value is here to my Lieutenant and my crew?"

At her question, his eyes slid toward Aev with a knowing glint. “‘Spark’ is a term of endearment,” he said smoothly with just a hint of amusement. “Private shorthand, if you will. Though I assure you, it’s earned.” He let the moment settle before returning his focus to Corbin, his posture straightening ever so slightly. “As for my value…” Ignis’s tone shifted, still warm and confident, but touched with something a bit more serious “I’m adaptive. I analyze Lieutenant Flammia’s sensory and emotional feedback in real time. I process mission data, environmental threats, crew behavior, and even unconscious stress responses.”

A brief pause. His golden gaze met hers “I am his second set of eyes when he forgets to look. His better instincts when he doubts his own. And occasionally, when the situation calls for it, his distraction, or his grounding force.

He smiled again, softer, more thoughtful. “Your crew will see me as a tool. I won’t argue that. But for him, I’m also something Starfleet doesn’t issue.” A small tilt of his head. “I’m a friend. Constant. Intentional. And absolutely inconvenient.”

Corbin nodded slowly, taking in that information, trying to hide her smirk at his last statement. She looked between the two, almost confused at how well Ignus was holding a conversation. "Lieutenant, has Ignis been an inconvenient friend?" There weren't questions she had about the technology so much as how this would interface with the crew and either help or harm. It was a new territory for her, but she was willing to see what benefit it could provide.

“I’ll admit, the personality can be a bit much at times,” he said, shooting a glare at the hologram. “But that’s mostly my doing. When he was first programmed, I signed off on modeling his personality after a character from a holonovel I used to spend way too much time in as a kid.” He gave a wry smile. “Turns out, my memory was a lot fonder than the reality.” Aev glanced at Ignis and added, “Still, he’s been incredibly helpful. Just with the occasional dose of chaos thrown in for flavor.”

Ignis placed a hand over his chest with mock sincerity, his flame tattoos pulsing just a little brighter. “I prefer the term personality-forward.” He turned to Corbin with a small, practiced bow, the ever-present glint of mischief in his eyes. “And for the record, Captain, I consider myself delightfully inconvenient, never unintentionally so.”

Sabrina did chuckle at the description of modeling him after a childhood hero, smirking as he bowed. The personality seemed to make more sense. "Well, as long as we are clear where Ignis can be and can't be, I welcome you to the ship. I hope you like cats Ignis."

Ignis straightened from his bow with a pleased flick of his eyebrows, golden eyes glinting. “Captain, I once carried a kitten through a Jefferies tube in my mouth like a proper mother cat.” He gave a sly smile, flame tattoos glowing just a bit warmer. “I believe that qualifies me as emotionally invested.”

“Yes, yes. Ignis, return to audio-only mode,” Aev said with a sigh, just as the hologram shot him a brief look of indignation before bursting into a flare of glittering light and vanishing. “Always one for dramatics,” he muttered, frowning slightly. He turned back to the Captain. “With your permission, I’d like to get settled into my quarters and then check in at my office.”

Captain Corbin gave a small nod, which Aev took as dismissal. Rising to his feet, kitten still in hand, he gently coaxed the drowsy creature back into the duffel before making his way out of the ready room and toward his quarters.

Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
USS Arawyn

Lieutenant Aev Flammia
Chief Security Officer
USS Arawyn

 

RSS Feed