Lt. Jg Ryden Sylvax - Step by Step
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Ryden Kel
Mar 19, 2026, 3:59:49 PM (5 days ago) Mar 19
to sb11...@googlegroups.com
((Transport, descending toward Betazed))
The viewport filled Ryden’s vision as Betazed drew closer, a swirl of
blues and greens rotating beneath the transport. He could feel the
faint hum of the planet even from orbit—a pulse of life that was
somehow familiar and entirely foreign at the same time. He knew this
world. He had visited it several times as a child with his mother,
staying with grandparents whose warmth he remembered more than their
faces. Those trips had always felt like holidays, adventures away from
home rather than a place he could claim as his own.
He exhaled slowly, feeling the old, distant memory of those visits rise in him.
Sylvax: I’ve been here a few times. ::His voice was calm,
thoughtful.:: When I was younger. My mother used to bring me to visit
my grandparents. ::He folded his arms loosely, gaze fixed on the
planet below.:: I remember the trips. ::a small pause:: They just
never felt like they belonged to me. It always felt more like… a
destination. Somewhere we went for a while, and then left.
Voss: There’s only so much you can take in when it’s just periodic
visits, I’m sure.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: If this was your vacation destination, where was home?
Sylvax: Trill was home. This… ::he gestured slightly toward the
viewport:: …was where we visited.
He let his gaze linger on the planet, tracing continents and
coastlines, trying to catch some clue of what it might mean to feel
connected to it. He could sense Lyra’s unease beside him, her own mix
of excitement and restraint, and he understood it. There was a
strangeness in knowing a place is part of you, in a factual sense, yet
never feeling that deep, grounding sense of home.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: It sounds like you are reconsidering a bit.
Sylvax: I think I’d like to change that. Or at least understand why it
never felt like it was mine to begin with.
Voss: ::a slightly rueful smile on her face:: Well, we can certainly
help you to get to know it better. What you’ll want to do with it
after that, I can’t say.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: I find that as we progress through life we end up shedding
old identities so we can become stronger, better ones based on our
experience and lessons learned. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to
change your relationship with someone or something—even a planet.
Ryden let the words settle. Yes, that made sense. Distance had shaped
his perspective, as it had for so many others. The part of him that
had once treated Betazed as a vacation spot was ready for
reexamination.
Sylvax: Goodness, I think I knew I wanted to get off the homeworld as
early as my teenage years. I’m not saying my mother is overbearing…
though I will say that distance lends enchantment to our relationship.
McLaren: ?
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and light.
Taybrim: Goodness, I think I knew I wanted to get off the homeworld as
early as my teenage years. I’m not saying my mother is overbearing…
though I will say that distance lends enchantment to our relationship.
Voss: Betazoid mothers do have a particular reputation. And certainly
not unearned, in my experience.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: That depends, what’s the first thing you want to do after
arriving? Explore? Relax? Settle in?
Voss: How about we stop at the house and drop off our bags, and then
we can set out toward the bonfires? They won’t quite be lit yet, but
that’ll give us a chance to see some of the performers and vendors
that are around and setting up.
McLaren: ?
Ryden nodded. That sounded perfect... part structure, part discovery,
part stepping into something that had always felt out of reach. With
the plan set, they settled into quiet anticipation for the final
descent.
((Timeskip – Voss Manor, Bellonphain, Betazed))
Ryden followed the group off the transport, taking in the grounds of
Voss Manor. The house was immense, impressive even from a distance,
with sandstone columns and dome-topped towers that spoke to fourteen
generations of family presence. He kept his gaze steady, taking in the
details without letting himself be overwhelmed.
Voss: Well, uh, welcome! This is the house. Built in 2053 and… yeah.
Ryden caught the tension in her words and the faint unease of
introducing such a storied home.
Sylvax: It is certianly someting to behold.
McLaren/Taybrim: ?
Then a voice rang down from above.
Ardeena: Darling, that’s hardly a fitting introduction.
Ryden turned as Lyra moved forward to meet her grandmother descending
the staircase. Ryden observed quietly, noting her subtle mix of nerves
and pride, and the gentle warmth with which Ardeena kissed her on both
cheeks.
Voss: ::turning back to the group with a stiff smile:: Allow me to
introduce my grandmother, Ardeena Voss, Matriarch of the Sixteenth
House, bearer of the Revalan Diadem and keeper of the Orb of Stars.
Govanna, these are my friends and colleagues, Lt. Ryden Sylvax, Lt.
Commander Solaris McLaren, and Commodore Sal Taybrim.
Ardeena greeted them individually with warmth that filled the space
far beyond her small stature.
Ardeena: How lovely to meet you all! We’re thrilled to welcome you
into our home for Vestus. I hope you had a pleasant trip?
Ryden inclined his head politely, studying her expression and posture,
noting the way presence and authority could coexist with genuine
warmth. He kept an easy smile, aware of the slightly awkward energy
from Lyra beside him.
Sylvax: Thank you. It was a pleasant trip.
McLaren/Taybrim: ?
Lyra crossed her arms, half in habit, half in exasperation, and Ryden
thought he understood that feeling... the tension of heritage,
expectation, and the hope that the day ahead would reveal something
more than just obligation.
Ardeena: ?
Ryden shifted slightly, a faint tension passing over him. He was used
to people noticing things he didn’t always broadcast... the
half-Betazoid side that had never been fully acknowledged or explored.
He gave a polite, neutral smile.
Sylvax: My family? My father is Trill, and my mother is… well, Betazoid.
Ardeena: ?
Ryden tried... but he was definitely rusty.
Sylvax: ~That's right... half-Betazoid.~
Ryden allowed himself a quiet exhale, the first real sense of openness
he’d had since stepping off the transport. Maybe, just maybe, this
trip could teach him more about himself than he had expected.
Voss/McLaren/Taybrim/Ardeena: ?
Sylvax: Sylvax: I think… we should get settled first. Drop our bags,
see the house, and then head out. The bonfires aren’t lit yet, but
there’s still plenty to see and feel. ::a small pause, glancing toward
Lyra:: That way we can take it in properly, step by step, rather than
rush.
Voss/McLaren/Taybrim/Ardeena: ?
-----
Lieutenant JG Ryden Sylvax
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240109RK1
The viewport filled Ryden’s vision as Betazed drew closer, a swirl of
blues and greens rotating beneath the transport. He could feel the
faint hum of the planet even from orbit—a pulse of life that was
somehow familiar and entirely foreign at the same time. He knew this
world. He had visited it several times as a child with his mother,
staying with grandparents whose warmth he remembered more than their
faces. Those trips had always felt like holidays, adventures away from
home rather than a place he could claim as his own.
He exhaled slowly, feeling the old, distant memory of those visits rise in him.
Sylvax: I’ve been here a few times. ::His voice was calm,
thoughtful.:: When I was younger. My mother used to bring me to visit
my grandparents. ::He folded his arms loosely, gaze fixed on the
planet below.:: I remember the trips. ::a small pause:: They just
never felt like they belonged to me. It always felt more like… a
destination. Somewhere we went for a while, and then left.
Voss: There’s only so much you can take in when it’s just periodic
visits, I’m sure.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: If this was your vacation destination, where was home?
Sylvax: Trill was home. This… ::he gestured slightly toward the
viewport:: …was where we visited.
He let his gaze linger on the planet, tracing continents and
coastlines, trying to catch some clue of what it might mean to feel
connected to it. He could sense Lyra’s unease beside him, her own mix
of excitement and restraint, and he understood it. There was a
strangeness in knowing a place is part of you, in a factual sense, yet
never feeling that deep, grounding sense of home.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: It sounds like you are reconsidering a bit.
Sylvax: I think I’d like to change that. Or at least understand why it
never felt like it was mine to begin with.
Voss: ::a slightly rueful smile on her face:: Well, we can certainly
help you to get to know it better. What you’ll want to do with it
after that, I can’t say.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: I find that as we progress through life we end up shedding
old identities so we can become stronger, better ones based on our
experience and lessons learned. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to
change your relationship with someone or something—even a planet.
Ryden let the words settle. Yes, that made sense. Distance had shaped
his perspective, as it had for so many others. The part of him that
had once treated Betazed as a vacation spot was ready for
reexamination.
Sylvax: Goodness, I think I knew I wanted to get off the homeworld as
early as my teenage years. I’m not saying my mother is overbearing…
though I will say that distance lends enchantment to our relationship.
McLaren: ?
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and light.
Taybrim: Goodness, I think I knew I wanted to get off the homeworld as
early as my teenage years. I’m not saying my mother is overbearing…
though I will say that distance lends enchantment to our relationship.
Voss: Betazoid mothers do have a particular reputation. And certainly
not unearned, in my experience.
McLaren: ?
Taybrim: That depends, what’s the first thing you want to do after
arriving? Explore? Relax? Settle in?
Voss: How about we stop at the house and drop off our bags, and then
we can set out toward the bonfires? They won’t quite be lit yet, but
that’ll give us a chance to see some of the performers and vendors
that are around and setting up.
McLaren: ?
Ryden nodded. That sounded perfect... part structure, part discovery,
part stepping into something that had always felt out of reach. With
the plan set, they settled into quiet anticipation for the final
descent.
((Timeskip – Voss Manor, Bellonphain, Betazed))
Ryden followed the group off the transport, taking in the grounds of
Voss Manor. The house was immense, impressive even from a distance,
with sandstone columns and dome-topped towers that spoke to fourteen
generations of family presence. He kept his gaze steady, taking in the
details without letting himself be overwhelmed.
Voss: Well, uh, welcome! This is the house. Built in 2053 and… yeah.
Ryden caught the tension in her words and the faint unease of
introducing such a storied home.
Sylvax: It is certianly someting to behold.
McLaren/Taybrim: ?
Then a voice rang down from above.
Ardeena: Darling, that’s hardly a fitting introduction.
Ryden turned as Lyra moved forward to meet her grandmother descending
the staircase. Ryden observed quietly, noting her subtle mix of nerves
and pride, and the gentle warmth with which Ardeena kissed her on both
cheeks.
Voss: ::turning back to the group with a stiff smile:: Allow me to
introduce my grandmother, Ardeena Voss, Matriarch of the Sixteenth
House, bearer of the Revalan Diadem and keeper of the Orb of Stars.
Govanna, these are my friends and colleagues, Lt. Ryden Sylvax, Lt.
Commander Solaris McLaren, and Commodore Sal Taybrim.
Ardeena greeted them individually with warmth that filled the space
far beyond her small stature.
Ardeena: How lovely to meet you all! We’re thrilled to welcome you
into our home for Vestus. I hope you had a pleasant trip?
Ryden inclined his head politely, studying her expression and posture,
noting the way presence and authority could coexist with genuine
warmth. He kept an easy smile, aware of the slightly awkward energy
from Lyra beside him.
Sylvax: Thank you. It was a pleasant trip.
McLaren/Taybrim: ?
Lyra crossed her arms, half in habit, half in exasperation, and Ryden
thought he understood that feeling... the tension of heritage,
expectation, and the hope that the day ahead would reveal something
more than just obligation.
Ardeena: ?
Ryden shifted slightly, a faint tension passing over him. He was used
to people noticing things he didn’t always broadcast... the
half-Betazoid side that had never been fully acknowledged or explored.
He gave a polite, neutral smile.
Sylvax: My family? My father is Trill, and my mother is… well, Betazoid.
Ardeena: ?
Ryden tried... but he was definitely rusty.
Sylvax: ~That's right... half-Betazoid.~
Ryden allowed himself a quiet exhale, the first real sense of openness
he’d had since stepping off the transport. Maybe, just maybe, this
trip could teach him more about himself than he had expected.
Voss/McLaren/Taybrim/Ardeena: ?
Sylvax: Sylvax: I think… we should get settled first. Drop our bags,
see the house, and then head out. The bonfires aren’t lit yet, but
there’s still plenty to see and feel. ::a small pause, glancing toward
Lyra:: That way we can take it in properly, step by step, rather than
rush.
Voss/McLaren/Taybrim/Ardeena: ?
-----
Lieutenant JG Ryden Sylvax
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
O240109RK1
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