Safe Haven

Posted on 16 Apr 2026 @ 9:41am by Lieutenant Nicholas Miller

722 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: The Starfall Carnival
Location: Corridor, USS Arawyn

=*= USS Arawyn =*=

Now that the ship had docked some form of order had begun to settle. Each Department was busy with their own priorities as damage to ship and crew were both being carefully analyzed and addressed. Nate paused his walk to take a sip of his espresso, he'd spent most of the early morning exploring the ship with an unexpected lull in scheduled appointments. Understandably holodeck time had become tightly contested, something he'd been keeping an eye on as it was often the preferred method of decompression. One could dictate the entire situation and environment, moving through the process in their own way.

Miller had put in as much time as he could on the way to the Starbase but for a moment he felt able to relax. He'd grown up on Zetari and it would always have a special place in his heart. There had been so many fantastic influences and experiences which had both shaped him into the officer he was now. There had also been plenty of tough and ugly times, where nothing made sense and just when all seemed lost only more strife came. Arawyn had been through a lot but years of life within Starfleet left him calloused to the reality that the next disaster was only a matter of when and not if. Making peace with that had been critical to survival in his younger years.

Nick was still finding his way around the ship, keeping himself busy to avoid sleep had denied him the chance to really explore the Arawyn herself. While on the surface he seemed to be aimlessly wandering each turn and archway was being carefully noted, a practice his father had always drilled home. "Situational awareness" Miller smirked a bit even saying it aloud in the empty corridor.

There was a fine balance to his dad's tactics, being oblivious to things around one's self was dangerous to be sure. But being too strongly influence and controlled by things outside one's realm of control was equally dangerous. Many of the Arawyn's crew were facing that same conflict and there was simply no right answer on the best method to progress.

For now there was time for a large exhale. A respite if however brief it would end up being. Time enough for a stroll and coffee strong enough to melt the warp core. There were a few new friend that Nick intended to catch up with but he'd decided to wait, lest he come across as an over-eager Counselor and not just another officer going through the same situation. There would always be time in his day to be a Counselor and even more ways to be a better officer. To be good at giving advice and criticism of any sort to any other being Nick felt it important to be honest with himself first and foremost.

Turning left down the corridor for no reason at all he spotted a familiar face. "Ensign Scott..... You're up early. Finally rotated off the late shifts?" he asked, raising his mug in a sort of salute.

The exhausted looking officer gave a short nod of acknowledgement but kept trudging, having the air of someone who just hadn't slept well and wasn't in the mood for much of anything. Nick snickered a bit, not out of amusement at the Security officer's exhaustion but moreso appreciation for what it felt like. Every officer in Fleet had been through one of those days, it was terrible and the only way to escape it was to endure. Now as not the time to ask the young Ensign any more questions, the answers had been clear from ten feet away.

It was getting close to time for lunch but Nick still felt like meandering around the Arawyn. He still had plenty of coffee until a pit stop would be needed and by that time lunch would be close enough to warrant waiting. For now it felt productive enough to just stretch his legs and have a look around. If the rest of the duty day was quiet there were a few things he wanted to read up on but there was the slightest chance he'd have a shot at some holodeck time. That itself was worth keeping an eye on.

--- End Log ---

Lt Nicholas Miller
ACns
USS Arawyn

 

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