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Posted on 28 Apr 2026 @ 6:54am by Lieutenant Nicholas Miller & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Edited on on 28 Apr 2026 @ 10:47pm

1,153 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Starfall Carnival
Location: Onservation Lounge, USS Arawyn

=*= USS Arawyn =*=

Miller smiled to himself, leaning forward in his seat near the fantastic view. The most striking part to him personally was that there was nothing around him other than the yo-yo he was fiddling with. No notes, no research of any kind and not even a drop of coffee. If 'getting out of the comfort zone' had ever been reality for Nicholas tonight was it. He hadn't messed with a yo-yo since life on the Medusa. While he was as comfortable as any officer now he'd been just as unhappy as a child and on a particularly special night his mother had revealed to him what had seemed magic at the time; yo-yo tricks.

While he was always happy to stay busy, both learning and practicing his particular brand of medicine there would always be a need for the physician to heal as well. The mantle of Counselor carried with it an oft-unrecognized consequence, a career spent dueling with despair and anger the most regularly encountered opponents. Even the stoutest of mental stability would eventually show fatigue without careful diligence to address it. Much the same could be said for his sleep routine but that was a fight for another day. For now, Lieutenant Nicholas Miller was consumed with walking the dog.

"oh.... OH!" he exclaimed thinking he almost had it. But the sound of the lounge's doors opening caused him go glance up. "Oh, hello Ryan..... son of a bitch!" The string became tangled in his momentary distraction and everything went to chaos. "Oh... oh not you...... agggh." Miller fumbled with the string attempting to untangle it, shaking his head a bit at how even with a yo-yo things could be in 'control' for just the briefest of moments. "Something my Mom taught me..... only she was good at it." he said with a smirk and disappointed shake of his head.

"Can't sleep either?" he asked.

"No. Just enjoying the last few hours of shore leave, I guess, before I have to go back to work tomorrow. I've been sleeping better overall, though," he said, joining him in the next seat.

He raised his eyebrow at the yo-yo. It was rare to see one nowadays, but not unheard of. "So why can't you sleep?" he asked.

"Oh..... I almost never do." Nick admitted as he picked at the string untangling it. "Between Zetari and the Medusa there was always something going on. Dad was Security so I kind of grew up in chaos." He began winding the string back around, making sure not to twist it. "I can't imagine what you and the other officers in Engineering have to deal with, specially lately....."

Repairs had been ongoing for some time and Miller was sure Ryan wasn't he only one in his department feeling burnt out. Arwayn was still a young ship but had already cut her teeth in more than one way. The same applied to the crew itself, trust and faith were still evolving between everyone. The phrase 'baptism by fire' came to mind only in this case it had almost been strategic in its progression. Each department of the ship's roster had faced a difficult recent history and even the strongest shoulders could only bear weight so long.

Miller flicked his wrist, working on a gravity pull to set up other tricks. "I actually caught a lot of ridicule in the Academy for this...." he said with a nod to the yo-yo. Ryan hadn't even commented and that surprised him. "Mom always loved these cause it's the simplest of activities on the surface until you try it."

Ryan hesitated slightly at what to say next. Talking about what was happening in engineering was dipping slightly into counsellor/patient territory, and he wanted to avoid that. But he considered Nick a friend, and could give him an overall answer. "The first thing Starbase 369 did was to make sure the engineering staff was put on shore leave. Most of the repairs have been handled by them ever since we got here. It's given a lot of time for us to breathe. So, I'd say quite a few of us are doing better then a few days ago. Maybe not a hundred percent. But, getting there."

The young engineer watched him try another trick. "I had more tutors than parents when I was young. Spent a lot of time off-planet...doing...well, learning the family business. Yo-yos weren't really in the curriculum," he added jokingly. "Didn't really see much in the academy either. Sorry you caught the ridicule, though."

"Oh, that was part of it. Mom was an out-side the box thinker. If you can deal with outside stress over something silly it helps prepare you for when it matters." With a flick of the wrist the yo-yo whipped back into his palm, wound up and ready. He looked back up to Ryan and nodded. "Plus if the most humiliating thing I ever do is this...." he trailed off with a nod to the yo-yo, "then I've had a very fortunate life."

Ryan said nothing for a moment. "Here, pass it over," he said.

Nick did so. Ryan gave it a try, but given that he had zero experience with the toy, he only managed one or two bounces. "Any particular tricks with this?" he asked.

"Here...... when it gets about halfway down pinch the string and spin it around in a circle." Miller made the motions slowly so the other officer could follow. "As it's coming around flick your wrist and it should come back. It's called a pinwheel." The first attempt was understandably a bit awkward but better than many first tries he'd seen. "Dang.... you were close. Keep at it." Miller sat back and was quiet for a few moments, occasionally making a gesture with his hand demonstrating the wrist motions needed. "I'm sure you've been asked a thousand times, but has there been any estimations when she'll be all patched up?" he asked after a bit, inclining his head towards the wall to indicate the Arawyn.

"Pretty soon, I think," Ryan said. "The Starbase crew has so far been extremely efficient at the repair work. I'll have a better idea when I get back on shift tomorrow." He finished the sentence with a trick which was half-decent. "I can see why this is habit-forming," he added.

"it's the most random things that take the burden off the mind." Nick responded. As he stood he nodded towards the yo-yo in Ryan's hands. "Go ahead and keep that one. I have dozens." True to nature Miller wandered of, his thoughts already on a dozen other topics but he had enough civility to pause for a moment and give Collingway a brief nod and wave. With any luck Ryan would benefit from a random distraction.

=/\= End Log =/\=

Lt Nicholas Miller
Cns
USS Arawyn

&

LtJG Ryan Collingway
Eng
USS Arawyn

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