Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds - A Festival of Stars

[Quinn Reynolds]

((Cyrithra Forest, Tyrellia))

::Through the heavy green canopy of the towering, thick trees, Quinn could see nothing but stars. Out here, away from the cities and the inevitable light pollution that came with them, it was like looking up at a suspension of diamonds -- only much more beautiful. Each one of those sparkling stones had a story to be discovered, a truth to be revealed. 

::And it smelt glorious. An earthen, fresh scent that reminded her of the life that surrounded her. It was one of the curious contradictions of Quinn Reynolds -- that someone who loved nature so much spent her life working in entirely artificial surroundings. For years she had compensated for that with a vast collection of plants and flowers that filled her quarters, but one mission aboard the Garuda had seen all of them lost. It was only then that she realised how much her plants had anchored her, with so many associated with specific moments of her life. 

::The bougainvillea bonsai she had picked up on Earth to celebrate her graduation from the Academy.

::The peace lily from Asterospolis, acquired shortly after her promotion to Chief Engineer aboard the Triumphant. 

::The Martian rose that David had given her at the beginning of their doomed romance on the Independence. 

::The fern from Romulus -- priceless, now that the planet was destroyed -- that she had convinced a botanical importer on Starbase 118 to bring in for her. 

::The moonflower that Walter had awkwardly presented her with, after the Eagle had visited Risa in time for the festival of Lohlunat.

::The rare desert orchid she had come by on Vulcan, after her first mission in command of the Drake.

::There had been more. And they were all them, gone.

::She hadn't the heart to start rebuilding that collection, and perhaps it was a good thing. They would only have been lost, all over again, when the Gorkon fell into that foreign universe. Instead, Quinn had contented herself with taking shore leave on planet whenever she could, drinking in whatever the nature of that world had to offer.

::It had been with some delight that she had discovered that their shore leave was neatly timed with a popular Tyrellian celebration -- the Festival of Stars. Once a deeply ingrained part of an ancient religion, it had long since evolved into a secular celebration of thanks and appreciation, where Tyrellians gave gifts to those they loved, made donations to charitable causes, and lit lamps to figuratively walk among the stars that had held their second home.

::A good time to present awards to the crew, and thank them for the service they had offered -- not just to Starfleet, but to one another. 

::She turned, and began to wander back to the clearing her crew would be gathering in. Her footsteps were almost silent against the soft path underfoot, a winding trail of wood chips that clearly marked the route. As she grew closer, the dark forest began to brighten; tiny lamps hung from the branches of the trees, and more lined the paths that led to her destination. In the clearing itself, they were arranged in curving, elegant patterns that invited the eye to follow, and against the dark ground they really did look as though the stars had been plucked from the sky and scattered across the land.

::Quinn wasn't the only one there. Two metres-plus of hulking Gorn was in the clearing, his fearsome appearance softened only a little by the gentle, flickering light of the flameless lamps. Picking her way through the fallen stars, she approached him, taking care to avoid the blind spot the eyepatch created in his vision.::

Reynolds: Captain Nugra. You're early. ::She smiled, just a little.:: Why am I not surprised.

Nugra: response

Reynolds: Settling in alright?

::She knew that some of the crew had been delighted to see him again, and she hoped that he felt welcomed aboard the ship. Quinn herself was glad to have him, and the reports from the last mission had immediately confirmed his skills as an officer.::

Nugra: response

Reynolds: I'm looking forward to tonight. Apparently the Tyrellian embassy is organising some traditional music, dance and food for us.

::It was going to be a good evening. She could feel it in her bones.::

Nugra: response

--
Rear Admiral Quinn Reynolds
Commanding Officer

USS Gorkon

T238401QR0