Annyeonghaseyo Artemis

[Damien Coleman]

== Post-mission thread open for all crew to attend - hosted by Eun Ju Han in Officer's Lounge, Artemis ==

[Eun Ju Han]

It had only been a couple days since Han Eun Ju had come on board the Artemis. This was her new adventure, her new home, and so far she was loving it. Of course, it was nice to have Damian so close they were able to spend some time together when they were both off shift. She also was getting closer to Mara, who had become quite a friend, to the new Ensign assigned to the ship. Mara had helped Ju along with Damian to plan a little party to not only allow Ju to meet more of the Artemis crew but to have a little celebration on the ship.

With Ju being from Korea, she wanted to incorporate some of the things she loved about her home country while creating a party for everyone to enjoy. It would not be the same caliber as the Christmas party but there were some aspects that Mara had added which Ju allowed because, she enjoyed the creativity and well Mara flavor.

Mara, Ju, and Damian had spent the afternoon working in the Officer’s Lounge turning it into something special. A hologram view of the mountainside in Korea dominated the back wall. Overhead paper lanterns hung from the ceiling with ribbons offering mood lighting as well as some unique charm. A long table was set along one of the walls with all sorts of beautiful cakes, snacks, and deserts from Korea. The cakes were carefully decorated with fruit and offered low-sugar options. There were cupcakes, pastries, cheese cakes, and all manner of sweets. On the other main wall, there was a long ramen station where boiling water, noodles, flavoring, eggs, onions, bean sprouts, and other ramen additives were waiting for people to custom make their own ramen complete with bowls and utensils. To the left of the ramen station was another area sat up with fish cakes skewered on long wooden sticks, tteokbokki, as well as kimchi and roasted sweet potatoes. A collection of vintage Kpop songs were playing over head low enough to let casual conversation ensue but loud enough to be heard if you were listening; bands like BTS, ATEEZ, TXT, Seventeen, Super Junior, Itzy, Blackpink, and more played.

Next to the door, just as you entered was a table filled with soju and all the beer brands she could remember, freshly cold and replicated along with glasses for mixing. Koreans had a heavy drinking culture and soju was in the middle of nearly all of it. If things got crazy, and she kind of hoped they would, she also had a set up for karaoke which was also deeply rooted in her culture. She could have done more modern ideas too but she wanted to have some old school fun with her new shipmates and feel a little less homesick on the way.

Ju herself was wearing a pair of black jeans with slashes throughout the legs showing her skin. She wore a pair of high top tennis shoes which were white with powder blue lining and accents with some bedazzled gems on the rim of the sole. Up top she wore a simple power blue tshirt with the logo TXT emblazoned on the front and underneath it said ‘Tomorrow X Together’ in a different font. Like normal it was tucked into the front of her jeans but not in the back. Her hair was left to hang loosely around her and long ribbons hung from her earrings brushing the tops of her shoulders. She had also put small clear gems underneath her eye lashes on the lower lid to add some sparkle and a little lip gloss on her lips. She was living for this party thing and couldn’t wait for everyone to join up and have a great time. Ju hoped that it would be as lively as the Christmas party.

==Tag all Artemis==
==Mention of Damian and Mara per writer permission==

[Aeryn Miller]

Now that she was well and truly out of the funk that she had been in since returning from the curse ship, and settled into her new quarters, Aeryn was definitely up for some socialising with the rest of the crew. So when she received the invite to a party in the officer's lounge, the newly promoted redhead wasn't about to turn it down. Aeryn liked to enjoy herself, and if it was anything like the one Mara had organised at Christmas, they were guaranteed a good time.

Naturally, she had heard who was behind this particular shindig, and Aeryn had to admit that she was looking forward to meeting Damian's new girlfriend properly, rather than listening to scuttlebutt. It was good to see Damian happy, which is all she wanted for her friends, especially since she had been lucky to be with Beka. All that was left was for Aeryn to decide what to wear, and in the end, the Commander settled on a strapless patterned playsuit, a pair of comfy black sandals, with a couple of Celtic braids at either side of her long red hair, leaving the rest of it loose.

While looking and feeling good was important to Aeryn, comfort was key as she approached the Officer's Lounge. Allowing the doors to open to reveal the transformation inside, standing on the precipice as Aeryn took it all, knowing that Beka should be right behind her.

" Wow impressive. I've never seen the lounge looking this good".


== Tag Ju & Beka ==

[Robin Mayfair]

Robin hadn't originally intended to attend the party. The nurse wasn't feeling particularly social and had spent her off-time since returning to the Artemis self-confined to her quarters, catching up on reading and generally wasting time. She'd been learning to play the Vulcan game Kal-toh, and found it a genuinely enjoyable challenge, though she'd only played computer opponents so far. Her goal was to get good enough to challenge Dr. Sonaalk and at least make a decent game of it, but even with her enhanced mind that was a good long way away. The cardiologist was a master. The best Robin could hope for would be to not lose in too humiliating a manner.

But she had recognized her rotten mood and knew she had to force the issue, make herself get out. The Callisto mission was still hanging over her like a weight. Between that and whatever was happening with Benjamin Elias it was like she felt like another part of her soul had been left behind on the away mission. Sometimes the young medic wondered what would be left of her after a few more years. Would she end up as bitter and cynical as some of the other medics she'd met?

So she'd dressed in something other than a uniform or nightshirt and left her quarters for something other than her job. She was wearing her usual off-duty outfit, a conservative blue knee-length skirt with a white blouse. In a way she was trying to reconnect with the Robin who'd first come aboard the Artemis only a couple years before, the naive girl who'd been awed by everything and fumbling around in the dark.

I'm way too young to be having these thoughts. I'm starting to behave like a cynical veteran and I'm sick of it.

As Robin entered the Officers' Lounge her mood did brighten up a bit. There was food, and lots of it, something that always made the perpetually hungry Augment's day. The new engineering Ensign, Eun Ju Han, was here and Aeryn had evidently just arrived as well. The purple-haired nurse (with difficulty) refrained from heading towards the food table like a shark heads for a wounded seal. Instead she walked over to the party host.

Manners, Mayfair. You were raised better than that.

"Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself since I didn't get the chance to at the Christmas party," she said, her soft southern accent presenting itself.  "I'm Robin Mayfair, the CMO. Nice to meet you. Thanks for throwing this party. I really need it."

== Tag Eun Ju Han ==

[Damien Coleman]

There was nothing that Damian was looking more forward to than Ju’s party. After everything that had happened, which wasn’t just about the mission, he needed something that was bright, fun, and engaging. Ever since he’d learned that Ju was aboard, he’d spent a decent amount of time with her. What Damian realized quickly though was that no one else really knew her. Oh sure, they’d heard the scuttlebutt about the DS9 glitter incident, which many of the story versions got horribly and completely incorrect. Or the scuttlebutt about the Christmas Party. Instead of combating all that one person at a time, or even combating it at all, it was better to just change the narrative; a big party, hosted by Ju herself… with Mara and Damian’s help of course.

After helping out with the decorating, getting food, and arranging for the drinks, Damian had taken off back to his quarters to get ready. Now, he was strutting himself down to the Officer’s Lounge in style. Ju had picked out a pair of raw denim jeans that were an incredible dark blue, and he had decided to pair them with deep burgundy hi-shine oxfords. For his top, Ju had tried to sell him on wearing a k-pop branded t-shirt. Instead, Damian managed to sell her on something else. It was a black v-neck t-shirt that was FITted tight and slim, leaving little to the imagination. As an accessory, he wore a fashionable analog all-black stainless watch and a thick sterling silver cuban link chain necklace.

As he approached the venue, he saw that Aeryn and Beka were just entering the door. A devilish smirk broadened large across his face as his footsteps carried him closer. As soon as they were inside meeting Ju, and he was within range, he slid in behind Beka with enough noise to make his presence known. Then, he leaned down and spoke in a low voice,

“Hey, lemme know if you need something to wet your whistle,” he barely held onto his chuckle.

“Cause there’s plenty of drinks I think you’d like on that table over there…” he gestured toward the libation station.

It was the flimsiest of covers for his reference, and he knew by opening with that particular salvo he’d get a volley in return. Though over the years, he’d come to enjoy the verbal exchanges with Sydesh despite their rocky start. Plus she was a damn good medical officer. It wasn’t just her abilities as a surgeon either, but her work ethic too. Beka put in the hours, and made sure that whatever she was doing was done right the first time.

“...oh Aeryn good to see you! Love your style girl, you look amazing. So glad you both could make it,” Damian followed up quickly before Sydesh could reply, trying to change tact and perhaps dodge a spicy barb back from Beka.

Coleman could see Robin not far ahead, and while he planned to say hi to her too, he stopped where he was for the moment. The further he tried to get away from Beka, the louder she’d just shout her eventual reply to him. So, instead, he figured he’d hunker down for a moment with them instead.

== tag Beka especially, but also Aeryn. Ju and Robin too as they probably would overhear at least his conversation with Aeryn ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Eun Ju was concerned that no one would show up. Her culture was a lot for someone that didn’t know anything about it. But, also, she hoped that they weren’t going to pass it up just because she was a new Officer on the ship. She knew that the Artemis liked a good party which was why Damian and Mara had helped her put it together so she could meet more of the ship and get to know them. Eun Ju was a social person so she really hoped to make friends so that she had people she could count on and hang out with that weren’t all tall, dark, and commanding.

Nerves pitted in her stomach as she waited for people to arrive. I put the time right .. right? Mara had helped, Damian had helped too, word had surely spread over the ship allowing for people to know there was a little party for those who wanted to join. She had planned out the booze, the drinks, the food, and everything else. Eun Ju turned around to survey the scene that she had managed to put together which she felt was really good and cute and made her miss home even more.

One day I would like to take Damian home… to Korea with me.

A voice from behind her stating that they had never seen the lounge this good causing Ju to turn around with her hair flaring around her slightly. Someone came! Not just one person, two! Ju felt as though a lot of the pressure she had felt only moments ago had slipped away off her shoulders now that someone that wasn’t Damian or Mara. “Thank you!” Ju said with a bright smile. “I really wanted it to feel like a different world when you walked in here. Thank you so much for coming, I’m Eun Ju, the newest Engineer on the Artemis.” Ju held her hand out for the red headed woman with a bright smile on her face.

Then right behind her, was another woman with a pixie cut came in looking at the food before she focused on Ju. The other woman was the Chief Medical Officer for the ship her name was Robin. “Thank you for coming Ms. Mayfair, I really appreciate it. I’m Eun Ju, the newest Ensign for Engineering. I really appreciate you coming!”

Damian came back, her eyes shifted to him and was so glad she had convinced him on the tight shirt and jeans. The man just was fine, and she was so glad that he had come and helped her with the party. It was going to be great, now that people had showed up, Damian was here, everything was going to be great. The stress of holding a function was gone which meant she could just enjoy herself. Damian spoke to their guests and Ju smiled brightly.

“Yes! Yes, please make yourself at home. I have traditional Korean food and drink all over the place, there’s something for everyone. I really hope you’ll have fun, and I’d really like to get to know you both. They’ll be karaoke later, if you’re interested.” Ju said with a bright smile just excited that people had come!

==Tag all==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Parties were good. Socialising was tricky. Lucy was careful to stick to her limits when it came to drinking. Food could be a different matter. She smiled as she caught the scents from the Officer’s Lounge as the door opened. It was a lot to take in. Beautiful and a little overwhelming. She work black skate shoes, baggy denim cargo pants, an XL navy t-shirt and her brown leather jacket. Comfort clothing when faced with a social setting. She tried to breathe steadily as she took in the effort taken to redecorate the Lounge. She was familiar with K-Pop, though not enough to get a grasp for it as a whole.

Lucy had taken an interest in the history of Terran music, though she preferred the stuff that moved her. K-Pop. J-Pop. C-Pop? Some of her favorite anime had tunes that totally slapped. Her preference fell more towards Blackpink over BTS. Too damn pretty. Their songs weren’t terrible, but their musical style had those brick wall moments. Discovering Visual Kei had been a weird experience. Metal Classical stuff like Versailles was fun. The words could be strange.

Lucy did like to turn off her universal translator to vibe with the music. It was a curiosity to consider how music could be received when those listening didn’t understand the words.
It was a curious and welcome distraction from preceding events and it looked like the crew had received a new crew member. Eun was now part of the Artemis crew. She’d been an Engineer on the Philadelphia previously and there was the eventful drinking game on DS9.

A little more romance wasn’t a bad thing. Depended on how the Captain viewed things. The crew could be very cohesive. If you were in, you were in. Lucy didn’t understand her part in the crew. She wandered over to the ramen table and tried to figure out what she liked. Noodles, meat, and vegetables were all stuff she enjoyed. Getting the mix or balance right was different. She also wondered how Korean ramen compared to Japanese ramen.

[Beka Sydesh]

News of another party had been very gratefully received by Beka. Since the much-needed spinal surgery right at the start of leave, the redhead had a real spring in her step. She also felt like she had a lot to catch up with, and she was going to start right now.

The doctor actually knew some Korean and had been to Seoul a few times in her taekwon-do journey. She hadn’t had the chance to properly immerse herself in the culture, but she’d had a rummage through mythology for some inspiration. Beka still enjoyed manipulating replicator patterns to make her own clothing designs, and she’d wanted to make something for the occasion. She’d found what she was looking for when she came across the sinuous Korean dragons.

The black dress she was wearing was long-sleeved and modest by her standards, with a high neckline and the diagonal hem halfway down the shin of her right leg and rising diagonally to just above her left knee, with a split to the middle of her thigh and paired with some calf height boots with a slight heel.

But it was the bright and vivid image of a dragon that really caught the eye. She’d worked hard on the colours, choosing really vibrant shades of yellow and orange to really make it pop against the dark background of the dress. The dragon’s tail started level with her right knee and wound its body around her legs, hips and back, the creature having exactly 81 spines to tie in with the myth. The beast’s neck started from under her left arm and the stylised head went across her chest. Beka had tied her ginger hair into a carefully layered ponytail, and the end of the ponytail hung down on her right where the dragon would be breathing fire.

Typical that me and Aeryn got different memos Sydesh thought as she approached. The two entered at the same time and took a look around.

"Wow impressive. I've never seen the lounge looking this good,” said the new CSO.

“Yeah. Someone definitely put the effort in!” Beka replied. She went for the table of drinks, but the familiar face of the FO cut across her.

“Hey, lemme know if you need something to wet your whistle,” Damian said, barely holding onto his chuckle. “Cause there’s plenty of drinks I think you’d like on that table over there…”

He tried to quickly move onto Aeryn, hoping that flattering Beka’s girlfriend would somehow keep the fiery redhead from biting back. That was never going to happen - the wicked grin on the doctor’s lips said she was ready to spar.

“Oh yeah. I had my eye on a nice 15-year-old whiskey, but I think it might be a bit old for your tastes,” Beka replied. “Still. I won’t drink it myself. Me and alcohol isn’t the most obvious inappropriate relationship in the room, but it’s up there.”

She winked mischievously and reached out for a can of soda.

== Back atcha boss man.  ==

[Aeryn Miller]

" I agree that they have" Aeryn agreed when Beka echoed her sentiment regarding the transformed officer's lounge. Her girlfriend looked absolutely stunning in the dress that she had made, even if Aeryn felt a little underdressed in comparison, but it was nothing for her to stress about, as they were here to have fun.

" Well you've definitely succeeded with that, as it's breathtaking, and you wouldn't think we were on Artemis," Aeryn said warmly when Eun Ju responded to her positive comment and introduced herself. Aeryn knew who she was, thanks to being friends with Damian, but it was nice to finally meet her properly.

" Welcome aboard, it's good to finally meet you. I'm Aeryn".

It was then that Aeryn spotted Robin as the CMO made her introductions before Damian caught the new CSO's attention, particularly with how he interacted with Beka. Whatever was said, Aeryn knew it would be in jest knowing the FO as she did, as Damian then spoke to her directly.

" Thanks, you scrub up well too," she remarked with a grin, as Ju then told them more about the setup before Beka responded to Damian. This is going to be interesting Aeryn thought to herself as Lucy entered and made her way over to the ramen station. Seeing the science officer reminded Aeryn that she needed to check in with her at some point, since she was now her DH, but work talk could wait for the time being as Aeryn spoke to Ju.

" We do like having fun, and I'm sure we could be tempted by karaoke, can't we, Beka?".

With her girlfriend reaching for a can of soda, Aeryn decided to start with the same thing, thinking there would be plenty of time for something stronger.

== Tags ==

[Miles Grant]

Miles walked the corridors of the Artemis, thoughts of the last mission playing through his head. It was weird, in a way, for how his perception of it all played out. Breakneck speed from the briefing to entering the system (via cloak, another issue altogether) to dock with the Callisto. Then, an almost sluggish crawl as they made their way through the ship, engaging the Cardassians, coming up with a plan to retake it that became unnecessary as the Cardassians left the ship. And then the almost imperceptible escape that felt like such a blur that details just blended together for Miles. Almost out of body/not even there feeling.

He also thought of Lina. He missed her, having not yet had a chance to see her aside from some video calls. But those were still few and far between, and he hadn't, as of yet, been able to arrange for another one since the mission had ended. Conflict of schedules, different locations. Something they knew they would be dealing with, and they were making it. The messages helped, even if he couldn't be as open about them as he would have liked.

Which was another worry on what kind of backlash those involved would be facing. It was a waiting game to see, but it felt like a ticking time bomb. It was stressful. But, stress they could deal with. And apparently were at least trying to mitigate, if the invite to the Officer's Lounge for a post-mission "party" were any indication.

Miles didn't know much about the host, one Ensign Eun Ju Han, a recent addition to the crew since the mission. Regardless, he welcomed the camaraderie that events like this one offered. The thought was broken as he realized he had arrived at the destination.

As he stepped through, he took notice of those in attendance. It appeared most, if not all, had already migrated to their various groups. Eventually, Miles would seek someone or a group to speak with. For now, he was okay with getting a drink. If someone wanted to approach him, that would be fine, too.

==Tag anyone==

[Damien Coleman]

"Thanks, you scrub up well too," Aeryn had replied, and Damian was about to speak, when Beka couldn’t help but pipe up.

Easy bait, he chuckled to himself as she spoke, with Sydesh making a swing for some low hanging fruit. Which was exactly what Damian was hoping for. Boxing was one thing, but verbal sparring was another. The latter was something he hadn’t been practicing a lot of recently, especially since donning his third full pip. While a solid majority of the crew would give as good as they took, getting into a verbal dustup with Beka was akin to a bare knuckle boxing match. It was the best kind of practice.

“Whiskey is good,” Damian replied back instantly to Beka with an equally mischievous wink, “but lately I’ve been on a soju kick.”

There was only a cursory delay before he continued.

“But I guess that at least half of the scuttlebutt I’ve heard about you is true; your best and worst trait is ironically your mouth. Suppose Miller knows more about the former than I do.”

With that, Damian moved right on along toward the second subject of Beka’s jibe. It wasn’t any surprise that the rumor mill had spun up fast, and if the entire ship didn’t already know about Damian and Ju, then they would after the party was done. It wasn’t something that he planned on thinking about too much, as the gossip that might surround the pair of them would probably be harsh. Though, as Beka had already demonstrated, some of it would be directed very squarely toward him. If Coleman had any say, he’d prefer any such gossiping to be on his shoulders.

Having gone on a couple of dates in the short time since Ju had come aboard. They’d already been growing their previous friendship into something more. It wasn’t really any surprise to him. There was a solid foundation that they’d built up over time, an easy trust and a bond that was forged back when they first met on DS9. That was nurtured consistently even while they had been on separate ships, until the bottom fell out of the Perhelia debacle. Though they seemed to pick up right where they left off, and maybe made up for some lost time too. It had only been a couple of days, but those had been filled with shore leave sized moments for them both.

“Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmm,” Damian’s smile was wide and bright as he pulled alongside Ju.

“Girl, you are dazzling, as always.”

Damian’s flirtation was about Ju’s appearance as a whole, while also being specifically about the clear gems she was wearing, which sparkled in the mood lighting. Without any hesitation at all, Damian reached out to Ju, gently wrapping an arm around her as his palm reached her back. Then he pulled her in towards him, his other hand touching her chin and tilting it up towards him. Staring into Ju’s eyes for just a moment, Damian leaned down. As their faces neared, his hand cupped her face while his thumb softly brushed her cheek. Damian’s lips parted slightly as he placed a lingering kiss on hers, enjoying the sweet taste of the peach-flavored lip gloss. His lips then started pulling at hers, dragging along them in a slow, delicate motion. Breaking away, inches from her, Damian’s eyes reopened and took yet another moment to look into her eyes.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” his voice was low and rumbling.

“As you could probably already tell, I’m a little thirsty tonight.”

== tag Beka and Ju ==

[Eun Ju Han]

People were still incoming and it made Ju’s heart swell every time someone walked in. It had only been a couple days since reuniting with Damian and their relationship was already being whispered about. They spent a lot of time together since they had it because she knew come mission time they could be on different shifts, on different ships, who knew. It was best to make the most of their time together. She also wanted to put in the effort to solidify their relationship before things got hairy because in Starfleet that was always a concern. This party, would hopefully help her connect with other officers too so that they knew she wasn’t some kind of crazy Command Hunter but instead just a young officer that had fallen hard for the charm of a Commander.

Damian was trading banter with the woman in the dragon dress, the dress along was absolutely gorgeous and Ju wished she could have thought about something like that. But no, it wasn’t really her style, she was more of a comfort queen. Still, as proven by the Christmas party she could dress up if she needed and wanted to. Aeryn introduced herself and Ju returned her attention to the red headed officer. “Thank you so much! That’s very kind of you.”

“It’s really good to meet you too. I didn’t get a chance to get around the Christmas party as much as I liked. Mara and I hung out the most and I really wanted to meet some people here since I’m stationed on the Artemis now.” She knew that a lot of people would think she had chosen to come to the Artemis because of Damian. She would be lying to say that hadn’t been on the list of reasons but it was surprisingly not at the top. When she had made the decision to request transfer a lot of other things were happening at the time and she felt as though the environment here might work out for her. Captain Crawford knew that was the case and had accepted the transfer after talking to Eun Ju in depth.

When Aeryn mentioned they would be up for karaoke Ju’s smile brightened. “Great! So many people, I find, are too shy to belt it out. I’ll definitely join you both!” Ju had grown up in a culture where karaoke was something you did on weekends, when drinking, with friends, when ever. Sometimes just as a stress relief so she was excited to find others brave enough to play with her.

A strong arm came around her waist and pulled at her. Ju looked up to find Damian had moved from talking to Beka and now stood in front of her. His hand came up to tilt her chin she could see his dark eyes shifting over her face. Ju’s cheeks dusted slightly pink at the visual inspection of her face. Damian told her that she was dazzling like always causing a soft smile to cross her face. “I definitely agree, the shirt choice is perfect,” before she could say anything else he leaned down and kissed her thumb brushing across her cheek. As always her stomach clenched and her body tensed. Not because she didn’t like it but because it was a very public display and she was not used to such things. She was going to have to be dating Damian, their entire relationship would likely be on display until people got tired of it.

Ju’s head spun and her heart was clocking about three times it’s normal speed. Good thing a doctor is here… she thought as the kiss ended and her brain was still flatlining as he looked down at her.

Damian asked if he could get her anything to drink. She just stared at him, her brain in reboot mode at the moment. He mentioned something about being very thirsty tonight causing her face to turn bright red. In public, they were discussing such things, Ju was going to have to get used to being so open with things like this.

“I – I – actually- I was.. I was going to make some somaek for everyone.” Ju said now that her brain was functional again she wanted to make a very normal night out Korean drink that combined soju and beer together. It was commonly drank with friends and it wasn’t just the drinking it was watching someone make it. Kissing his cheek with a quick peck she escaped his arms pulling at the collar of her shirt a few times to cool off from that whole.. display.

Ju headed for the bar where she got glasses out, she tried to get one out for everyone. Then she poured the beer from cans into the glasses until they were three quarters full. Afterwards she balanced shot glasses on top of the beer glasses and filled each one with two shots of bitter soju. “This is a traditional Korean party drink, it’s a bit bitter but it’s fun!” she said to the room as she knocked the first shot glass into the bottom of the glass of beer which caused a chain reaction dropping a shot glass into each glass to mix the two liquors. One glass, the first, didn’t get a shot glass so she dropped it in herself and handed one to Damian.

“Since you’re thirsty,” she said with a playful grin giving him a wink. “Please try some everyone!” she called out to all the attendees.

Tonight was going to be fun! Maybe she would actually get a little drunk. It depended on how many people drank with her, she supposed.

==Tag all==

[Omdor Jaein]

>>Engineering>>
 
Jaein stepped into the officer’s lounge and immediately felt out of place. Some kind of music was playing on the overhead, while a beautiful mountainside dominated one wall, though he couldn’t place it. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and two walls had different buffets set up – one of sweets, the other of some kind of noodle dish he didn’t know. A few people mingled around the room, all in off-duty attire and very friendly with one another – in fact, one couple seemed to be trying their best to stand in the same spot, they were so close.
 
And just inside the door was a table full of various types of alcoholic beverages. He pulled on his uniform jacket’s hem uncomfortably. Yep, definitely out of place today. He had to be the oldest person in the room, too, and by a longshot. His salt-and-pepper-but-mostly-salt hair contrasted with the gold and silver of his Bajoran earring, and though he couldn’t see it the lanterns were reflecting from it, as well. The engineering gold of his uniform tunic also felt just a little warmer in the lantern-light, though that wasn’t something he’d notice either.
 
But there was nothing for it. If he was going to figure out what happened, he had to be here. So he took a few steps in, slowly, and looked down at his padd again. On the way up, he’d pulled up the personnel files to find out what Commander Coleman looked like, but the turbolift had stopped before he could actually look. He took a peek now, and—
 
No. It couldn’t be.
 
He looked again. It was.
 
He couldn’t hear what he and the young woman he was talking to were saying, but he did see the way that she turned a red so bright he could’ve used her as a warning indicator. She turned and headed towards the bar, and Jaein stepped closer to the sweets table to get out of the way for a moment while he regained his composure. He took a cupcake to help that along.
 
She started pouring drinks, each with some beer and then some shots of a liquor he didn’t recognize. “This is a traditional Korean party drink, it’s a bit bitter but it’s fun!” she said to the room, which filled him in a bit on the rest of the décor and other foods, though he still knew nothing about it. Then she tapped a glass, and the shots fell into the beers with a splash and a clink.
 
“Since you’re thirsty,” the woman told Coleman playfully. “Please try some everyone!” she called out to everyone, making her the likely host.
 
Well, he thought, there’s probably no better time to interrupt. Especially if everyone’s going to get plastered soon. He stepped up to the little group at the bar table and caught Coleman’s eye.
 
“Commander?” he said, trying mostly to keep a certain dignity. “I’m Commander Omdor Jaein; you have a second to talk about your chief engineer?”

==Tags!==

[Cera Morgan]

If the truth be told, Cera didn't actually believe there was anything worth celebrating at the moment, unless someone had an affinity for dumpster fires. Yes, the Artemis' team had made it back physically unscathed with one noted exception but the fallout seemed to be reaching nuclear levels.

Her own personal life was now entirely in shambles, though she supposed that might have been the case whether Ben was locked up in the brig or not. He still hadn't given her an answer for his decision to run away over her choice of dinner companions and with him now facing legal issues courtesy of his own stupid honesty -- the irony was strong when he couldn't be honest with her --, her feelings and desire for closure were very much on the backburner. She was currently considering reverting to the written form to gain her closure but she wasn't sure it was worth the effort.

Fortunately, the rest of the mess had kept her busy enough that Ben only lurked on the edge of her thoughts during the day. While there was little she could truthfully do for Ben or Tyra or Coleman, she'd made it her mission to be as useful as possible, whether that meant dropping off food or coffee or merely listening for helpful tidbits of information that floated through DS9 from time to time.

She'd even tried to convince Tyra that attending the party might be a welcomed distraction for the captain but she'd been waved off with a sad smile that was tinged with more guilt that Cera liked to see. With no luck there, in a surge of pettiness that would make her mother proud, Cera had forwarded an invite to the party to the alleged cause of her issues with Ben. After all, if he was going to accuse her of something…

However, if she was entirely honest, it was the competing interests of curiosity and nosiness that had her attending the party. She'd been present for the Quark's debacle that had introduced Coleman to his much younger friend and she'd been present for the Christmas party. She was also well aware of both Eun's and Coleman's meetings with Tyra, as well as all of the very scandalous gossip that had accompanied news of her transfer. Cera had even gone as far as to try to mute the salaciousness of some of the rumors but she'd be honest, she didn't buy the whole "getting to know each other" story. If it was true, it wouldn't be true for long, not with what she knew of Coleman's track record. He had never made her job difficult when it came to finding out details of his love life….

And it seemed he wasn't going to start now as Cera had no sooner entered the room before her eyes were drawn to a showing of PDA that would no doubt hit the grapevine faster than Coleman could cram his tongue down his "friend's" throat. The half-Betazoid immediately regretted checking the mood of the room on entry, pulling her senses back as quickly as she could before she learned more than she wanted to. Fortunately, the second half of the newest members of the Love Boat seemed significantly more embarrassed about the display, though she supposed she'd get over it soon enough. Coleman was easy on the eyes and Cera had certainly never heard any complaints from his previous "friends".

I can't decide which is worse: one's hiding and one is putting on a show…

Her dark eyes flicked over the party as she pushed forward. It seemed she had some competition on the party planning front from Eun and Calleja, which was very surprising coming from the muscular security officer. Cera supposed she had a soft side just like all of the other muscle heads, though she would have guessed it was a softness for puppies not K-Pop inspired parties. At least, it seemed that Cera had guessed correctly in dressing more casually with black jeans and an off the shoulder gray sweater.

She carefully steered clear of the main group, not necessarily feeling that being in the middle of the Love Boat was in her best interest at the moment. At least not until she had a drink or two in her and that probably wasn't a good idea until she had something in her stomach.

The desserts and snacks had immediately caught her eye but it was the ramen bar that drew her in, the scent catching her attention as it pulled her back to a very enjoyable trip to Little Seoul on Luna. She smiled at Lucy as she approached, nodding her head slightly.

"If you like your ramen spicy, those dried red peppers and that oil next to the soy sauce will give it an amazing zing. Or some good ol' fashioned gochujang," Cera offered warmly as she dumped a significant amount of fresh veggies into her bowl before carefully selecting a few pieces of thinly sliced beef for her bowl and then, placing a few of the dried peppers in the bowl as well. She

"If you don't like spice but you still want flavor, doenjang is a good addition," she motioned towards a container of brown paste. Then, she smiled a little apologetically, though it was still her megawatt smile. "Not that you need my help, mind you."

With her toppings and meat selected, she fetched some noodles and then, carefully ladled the liquid into her bowl. She heard the call for drinks as she finished but decided it was in her best interest to take a few bites first. After all, she looked put together and well but it was an uphill battle altogether.

== Tag Lucy! ==

[Beka Sydesh]

“Whiskey is good,” Damian replied back instantly to Beka with an equally mischievous wink, “but lately I’ve been on a soju kick.”

There was only a cursory delay before he continued.

“But I guess that at least half of the scuttlebutt I’ve heard about you is true; your best and worst trait is ironically your mouth. Suppose Miller knows more about the former than I do.”

Beka smirked.

“A lady doesn’t tell. Well. I’m no lady, but Aeryn knows more about that too,” she said with a grin as Damian went to sweep his beau off her feet.

I love his enthusiasm, if nothing else! Eun must feel like the centre of the universe around him.

It was Aeryn that brought Beka into a conversation that ended pretty much the same second that the doctor turned around.

"We do like having fun, and I'm sure we could be tempted by karaoke, can't we, Beka?"

“We certainly did at the Christmas party,” Beka replied, a smile on her lips as she watched the host and the FO. “But you know who I want up on that stage? However much she’ll never go? Calleja.”

The redhead nodded to where the Amazonian officer was setting up some equipment.

“I get a bit of vocal coaching from Ensign Halee every now and then. And she cannot stop talking about her star pupil. Never misses a session. Practices daily. Never named her, but she did let slip that it’s someone senior in Security who talks like a docker. That leaves one very big suspect…”

Sydesh was quiet as Eun explained the tradition of somaek and gave a little demonstration. The doctor didn’t touch alcohol so she wouldn’t be able to partake, but she did appreciate the theatre that went into it.

“If you want some, go,” she said, gently nudging Aeryn. “I’ll stick to the soda but you don’t have to.”

== Tags! ==

[Mara Calleja]

It had been a bit of a surprise to Mara to get the call to help with another party, and definitely had been another surprise when she saw who had called her. But the newly-minted Chief of Security had something of a soft spot for anyone who treated people as well as Ju seemed to, and it was definitely good news that the young engineer was joining the crew, so she’d agreed to help and pitched in.

Mara had put her list of contacts at Ju’s disposal and called in a couple of favours to get Support on board. She’d also leaned on a few of the opinion shapers in Security to make sure there was a solid turnout, although like most Security personnel the prospect of free drinks had been plenty to get them here. There had been a constant stream of off-duty gold tunics through the door of the lounge.

As she finished setting up the equipment, the Bandaran turned to look around. Calleja was dressed in her usual heavy black pants and boots, the left side of her head shaved and her hair braided and brushed over her right shoulder. Her olive green sleeveless top showed off her incredibly hard-earned muscular arms and wide shoulders, but it also bore a huge crest with a stylised unicorn standing up and holding a chainsaw at the end of each arm. It was an in-joke with the Captain but the Security chief had been unable to resist, even if very few others were going to understand the relevance.

With her work done, Mara decided it was time to eat and headed to the ramen station. Korean culture wasn’t her strong suit but she had been around when the bar was set up and the instructions given, so she knew what was what. Picking up the biggest bowl she could find, she ladled out a generous portion of noodles and dressed the bowl with pretty much everything on offer - meat, eggs, vegetables, the works. She loved her food spicy so she’d gone in on the peppers and gochujang too.

Mara turned around, letting the conversations wash over her as she worked her chopsticks like a pro. Damian and Ju were putting on quite the show and that made her grin. But her head tilted as she heard her name, and she listened as it turned out it was Sydesh who had said it.

Not this again. I swear, I should have left that little bitch on that station…

“I get a bit of vocal coaching from Ensign Halee every now and then. And she cannot stop talking about her star pupil. Never misses a session. Practices daily. Never named her, but she did let slip that it’s someone senior in Security who talks like a docker. That leaves one very big suspect…” Beka’s voice trailed off.

Oh hell no. And I am so given’ Halee shit for that.

The doctor was in the process of giving away one of Mara’s bigger secrets - hidden away under the muscles and the accent was a singing voice every bit as well-trained and powerful as the rest of her. Music was a refuge for the Bandaran. It helped her decompress and escape into another world. But there was absolutely no part of her that was remotely ready for performing publicly.

Calleja was still wolfing down noodles as she discretely moved through the party-goers, happy to use Ju’s somaek demo as cover until she was stood behind Miller and Sydesh. She leant forward, her voice soft.

“You out me, I will take great pleasure in makin’ your life on board this ship a very special kinda hell that only Security can do,” Mara said to Beka, loud enough only for the two redheads to hear. “You might be datin’ one of my friends but I will still fuck you up if you keep comin’ after me. You don’t wanna be friends, fine. Message received. Now here’s one from me. Back off.”

== More tags! ==

[Aeryn Miller]

The playful verbal sparring match between Damian and Beka wasn't quite over, with the FO giving as good back, thanks to his not-so-subtle references to Ju and Aeryn. Particularly Aeryn's knowledge of Beka's mouth, which Beka only encouraged, and since Aeryn had nothing to hide, she chose to answer with a grin. It also didn't stop the redhead from continuing her conversation with Ju.

" That's understandable, and now that you're here it'll make things a lot easier for you to get to know everyone".

Ju also seemed keen to join Aeryn and Beka in performing karaoke, before Damian moved to his paramour's side and silenced her with some PDA. Such actions would surprise anyone, but thankfully Ju quickly recovered, leaving Aeryn potential ammunition to tease her friend later. While Ju decided to prepare drinks for everyone and showed off her knowledge regarding her culture, Beka agreed to the idea of karaoke, going so far as to share who she would like to see perform.

It was then that other people started to arrive, and one man in particular caught Damian's attention, while Aeryn processed the information that Beka had shared about Ensign Halee's star pupil. Aeryn didn't think it was a coincidence as Ju finished her demonstration and Beka encouraged her to try some. Normally Aeryn would be okay to just stick to sodas, but before she got some Somaek to try, Mara had come up behind the couple and made her feelings known about the subject.

" Okay you two, let's call a ceasefire on this," Aeryn said quietly, aware of the situation between her friend and girlfriend. She hoped that in time the pair could be at least civil to one another, but they were here to enjoy themselves. " Beka won't out you, and tonight is all about us having some fun".

Whether her attempt to calm the situation before it escalated worked or not, she didn't know as she grabbed a Somaek and took a generous sip.

== Tags ==

[Beka Sydesh]

Beka felt rather than saw someone come up behind her, and she’d half-turned when a familiar voice with a thick accent spoke to her and Aeryn.

“You out me, I will take great pleasure in makin’ your life on board this ship a very special kinda hell that only Security can do,” Mara said. “You might be datin’ one of my friends but I will still f**k you up if you keep comin’ after me. You don’t wanna be friends, fine. Message received. Now here’s one from me. Back off.”

The redheaded doctor spun round and looked up, emerald green eyes meeting the towering Security officer’s dark glare.

"Okay you two, let's call a ceasefire on this," Aeryn said quietly, showing some of her natural authority. "Beka won't out you, and tonight is all about us having some fun."

Sydesh held her hand up in a gesture of apology.

“Sorry, I think you’ve got me wrong on this one,” she said softly, backing down almost immediately in the face of Mara’s hostility. “I didn’t mean it like I was going to twist your arm and force you. I mean, even when I was healthy, I couldn’t force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.” Beka tried a disarming smile. Very few people on Artemis had actually seen Mara fight, but the taekwon-do black belt was one of them.

And I do not need someone that scary actually thinking I’m trying to pick a fight with her! She’d tear me apart.

“I just meant that you’ve got a talent, and I’d love to hear it,” Beka added. “Halee is such a good coach so if she’s singing your praises, literally in her case, I just want to hear it as well. But you and I do need to talk, take some time to clear the air. I was such a cow to you and I need to make it right.”

Defusing a situation was reasonably new ground for the doctor but she was hopeful it would work with the looming figure of Calleja. Sydesh had a natural gift for making things worse and digging holes for herself, and she found herself looking to Aeryn for some support in the hope of pacifying the Security Chief before things got any worse.

[Aeryn Miller]

Beka quickly offered an apology, which Aeryn hoped would be well received by Mara, as her girlfriend spoke softly and in the redhead's opinion, genuinely about not forcing Mara into anything she didn't want to do. So far so good Aeryn thought to herself, proud at how Beka was handling all of this before the Doctor went on to mention how she would love to hear the Bandaran's talent, and how the pair of them needed to clear the air.

That was something Aeryn was aware of, having had a similar conversation with Beka on the holodeck during their picnic date, and the CSO had even offered to broker a truce between the two women, and maybe now was a good time to suggest a fresh start, thanks to recent changes including Beka having undergone spinal surgery. It was also important to Aeryn for this to happen, especially following the events of the last mission and everything that had happened as a result of it.

" Beka's right Mara, the two of you do need to clear the air, and if you need me to help with that, then I will, because I think now is the right time for a fresh start, especially after everything we've been through, and I know it might not be easy, but I'm willing to ensure that the two of you can at least, be civil and for there not to be any awkwardness whenever you see each other".

Aeryn paused for a moment as she looked between her friend and girlfriend, taking another small sip of her drink before continuing.

" You're two of the people that I care the most about, and I'd love for you both to get on and be comfortable around one another".

It was now in Mara's court, so to speak, and Aeryn remained confident that the new COS would at least entertain the idea of making up with Beka.

== Tag Ladies ==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara’s face was a mask but inside she was more than a little surprised. She had never expected Sydesh to back down. No part of what she’d heard about the firebrand doctor included making the sensible decision to step back when she was wrong, but she had.

Is this a stunt? ‘Cause if it is…

The Bandaran’s threatening aura was compromised by the fact that she was still eating as Beka spoke and then Aeryn interjected on her girlfriend’s behalf.

"You're two of the people that I care the most about, and I'd love for you both to get on and be comfortable around one another,” the Artemis’ newest scientist finished.

With the bowl now empty, the Security chief sighed and lowered it to her waist. Dark eyes pinned Sydesh to the spot.

“You can’t blame me for thinkin’ the worst,” Calleja said, her voice still low. “I saved your damn life. Yours and your family. And what did I get for it? Nothin’ but shit. I know you got hurt, but we both know why that was. All you had to do was what you were told, and even with all our lives at stake, you couldn’t even do that. Everyone tells me how good a doctor you are and how much you care. You better be an absolute machine with that scalpel, ‘cause from everythin’ else I see you’re a fuckin’ liability.”

Mara sighed again, her wide shoulders rising and falling.

“I didn’t mean to get personal,” she said. “It’s just been a really sore point for a while. Just a thank you would have done it. But hey, whatever. Aeryn’s vouchin’ for you, so if you really are sorry, then I’ll draw the line, call the truce and we can start again.”

The glare softened as she waited to see if the olive branch would be accepted.

== LtJG Beka Sydesh ==

Beka reached out to squeeze Aeryn’s hand as the CSO came to her defence. When Mara’s glare hit, the redhead flinched, and she looked away as the Security chief tore into her.

I wish I had a defence. I don’t.

Her stinging rebuke delivered, Calleja seemed to ease off.

“I didn’t mean to get personal,” the towering figure said. “It’s just been a really sore point for a while. Just a thank you would have done it. But hey, whatever. Aeryn’s vouchin’ for you, so if you really are sorry, then I’ll draw the line, call the truce and we can start again.”

The doctor looked back and managed to meet Mara’s gaze.

“I am sorry,” she said. “What you did for me, Daan, Ravenna and little Beka… I still haven’t quite come to terms with that yet.” Raw emotions were hanging from Sydesh’s voice. “I thought I was done for. I really did. I couldn’t see a way out. And you came barrelling into the middle of it and brought the cavalry. Thanks to you I have a family again and a life to enjoy with them. I just… Yeah. That a stranger would do that for me, it’s hard to get my head around. But I’ll try. And I’ll start with the thank you I should have given you months ago.”

Beka’s hand slipped from Aeryn’s, and she reached out towards Mara in an attempted embrace, hoping like anything that the Security officer would take it the right way.

== Lt Mara Calleja ==

As Beka spoke, Mara found herself believing every word the redhead said.

If she’s tryin’ to play me then she’s a way better actor than I gave her credit for. But I don’t think she is. This feels pretty genuine.

For a moment Calleja considered batting away the hug but she surprised herself and let it happen. It was awkward as she was still holding a noodle bowl in one hand, but as Sydesh wrapped her arms around the Bandaran, the COS curled her free arm around the smaller woman.

“You’re forgiven,” Mara said, squeezing gently before letting go and taking a half step back to subtly break it off. “But we ain’t strangers. You’re on my crew. That gets you my protection. Just don’t abuse it, OK?”

The doctor murmured something that sounded affirmative, but Mara couldn’t make it out.

“Then it’s done. We start again,” Calleja said. She looked over to Aeryn. “How’s that?” she asked with a wry smile. “Comfortable might take a little longer but it’s a start.”

== Back to you! ==

[Damien Coleman]

Seeing Ju completely melt from his kiss was endearing, but then seeing her turn red from his thirsty comment had him chuckling quietly to himself. Damian hadn’t really intended on embarrassing her, but it did amuse him. It was especially funny since Ju had been the initiator of their first kiss they’d shared. It had surprised Coleman so much at the time that he recalled being a little stunned, for more often than not, it was Damian making moves. Being able to reverse it for their first very public display of affection made him grin like a big idiot.

“I – I – actually-”

There was a moment where he considered kissing her again while her brain was recovering, but he thought better of it, especially as she had duties when it came to hosting. Something that Ju was keenly aware of when she finished her sentence. The quick peck she gave him didn’t help his cheesy smirk either. In the end, Damian followed her to where she was handing out drinks.

Damian enjoyed listening and watching Ju’s display with the somaek. Despite her sometimes off, sometimes on again shyness, she seemed to be handling things well. It was enough for him to know that he didn’t need to hover, though he’d already seen her make easy friends at the Christmas party; an example where duty had called him away. Damian hoped that wouldn’t happen too often once they launched for their next mission. Being FO had perks, but with those came a heavy set of responsibilities that didn’t wait or know boundaries.

“Since you’re thirsty…” Ju had said specifically to him with a wink which definitely caused him to laugh aloud.

Once everyone who was going to be having drinks held one of the glasses in their hands, Damian raised his glass up to those gathered near to them.

“Geonbae!” he said loudly, before taking a sip.

Just as his glass came down, he caught sight of a Bajoran engineer. The former was obvious, as was the latter due to the fact that the man was still in uniform. There was a raised right brow that shot up on Damian’s face, unable to recognize who the person was, or even determine why he was at the party.

“Commander?”

The officer's tone brought a twinkle of mischief into Coleman’s eyes, the concern dissolving from his face for a few moments, replaced instead with mirth. Damian could only assume the other Commander had walked in during his display with Ju. If so, it only served the man right for interrupting him with what he assumed might be official business, while Damian was trying to get his party on.

I’m surprised he didn’t search out Tyra… he thought to himself as Jaein introduced himself, and the nature of his intrusion.

The mirth that had just arrived on the scene was immediately carried away on a stretcher, with Damian’s posture changing, and for a split second his eyes squinted while his brows both lowered. Thankfully, Coleman noticed the change and switched back to a faked joviality, interested to know why Omdor was asking after Chief Elias.

“My man, I’ve got a few moments that I can spare you I think.”

Another example of duty knowing no boundaries and calling me away from Ju.

Coleman gestured toward a quieter part of the room, where no one else was standing, and started walking to the location. Speaking of Benjamin Elias in any capacity immediately made Damian suspicious of Omdor, though that was tempered by the fact Jaein was an engineer. There could have been a perfectly good reason why he was asking after Elias. Maybe something to do with the slipstream? Or maybe the work crews on DS9 somehow hadn’t heard about the ill luck and deep shit Chief Elias had found himself in. Or, maybe he had. Were vultures circling already?

Arriving at the quiet corner of the party, Coleman took a relatively good swig for the somaek before turning to face Omdor. While there wasn’t any hostility in his posture, or his voice, Damian’s previous frivolity had all but disappeared. If there was a look that communicated that what they were discussing was business, that is what Jaein would surely see in Coleman’s expression.

“Most people who crash parties usually have a few drinks before disturbing the revelers,” while the words may have had a joking quality, his voice was anything but.

“What can I answer for you about Benjamin?” purposefully using the Chief’s first name, Damian studied Jaein’s demeanor, and listened intently for word choice, as well as tone of voice. That would determine just how much the three pip stranger would get of warmth and useful information from Coleman.

== tag drinkers around Ju, and then tag to you Omdor ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Jaein couldn’t help but watch as the commander’s demeanor changed drastically within the space of just a single sentence. First to amusement at his appearance, then to a darker mien at the mention of Elias, before finally settling in at a conviviality that was just enough off to be recognizably forced and artificial. However, he wasn’t immediately dismissed, instead with Coleman directing them off to the side.
 
This was perfectly fine with Jaein, who hated to interrupt the party. He knew they were few and far enough between for a crew like this that parties were necessary, and work should’ve been forbidden at them. And yet here he was.
 
“Most people who crash parties usually have a few drinks before disturbing the revelers,” Coleman said once they were alone, and he dropped all pretense of amusement. This was business, and it was serious.
 
What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Ben? Jaein asked himself as Coleman got down to business.
 
This left Jaein with two choices. He could continue with the tone that was set, the utterly serious business mood. But seeing as Jaein had no idea what the Prophets had set in motion here, and that he didn’t know Coleman at all, he didn’t feel like this was a good idea. It would be extremely easy to overcompensate, and then it was just an old-fashioned pissing match between the two of them. With their equal ranks, they could use that to defuse the situation, and he was on Coleman’s home turf. No, that was going to be a bad call.
 
So instead he went with option two. He spread his hands in acquiescence, put on a middling smile – this was still serious, after all, but he wanted it known he wasn’t an adversary here – and spoke softly. “I apologize, Commander,” he started. “My name is Omdor Jaein, I’m from the 40 Eridani A shipyards. I spoke with Ben a week ago and he offered to show me around the Artemis once you got into dock. My team works on constructing Vestas, and since I was on Bajor visiting family it seemed like a good chance to talk with one the chief of one of our longest-serving vessels, see what we can incorporate into new builds and the like.
 
“He’d told me to come today, but when I arrived his office was in complete disarray and hadn’t been touched in days, either, and then no one would tell me what was going on,” he continued, letting the worry he felt touch his voice. He wasn’t particularly close to Ben – they had met at a couple of engineering conferences, though they had corresponded regularly – but something was deeply wrong. If the quick stop in engineering hadn’t told him so, Coleman’s manner definitely had. “Is he okay? What’s happened?”
 
==Tag Coleman==

[Aeryn Miller]

A brief silence seemed to hang in the air after Aeryn had finished speaking, before Mara sighed and lowered her now empty ramen bowl and locked her gaze onto Beka. When the Bandaran spoke, it was quiet but still got what she wanted to say across, and Aeryn realised that both women had needed to get this off their conscience for a long time.

However, again it seemed positive as Beka sighed again, and offered the proverbial olive branch to her girlfriend, seeing how the COS' gaze softened as she finished speaking, willing to start again as Aeryn had suggested. Now it was up to Beka, and Aeryn had felt the gentle squeeze of the Doctor's hand in hers, while she listened to what Mara had to say. Coming to her defence had been easy to do, and Aeryn would have done the same for her former security colleague.

Aeryn then smiled as Beka also apologised, finally getting to say the thank you, that hadn't been said before. Her girlfriend even went so far as letting go of Aeryn's hand in an attempt to hug Mara, and Aeryn's breath seemed to pause as they collectively awaited Mara's reaction to the physical contact. The Commander had never known or seen Mara hug anyone during their time on and off duty, so she was pleasantly surprised when she accepted the hug, if a little awkwardly.

Mara then brought closure to the past, resulting in Beka mumbling something before Mara turned her attention to her former boss.

" It's perfect and agreed it is a start".

== Tag Ladies ==

[Robin Mayfair]

“Thank you for coming Ms. Mayfair, I really appreciate it. I’m Eun Ju, the newest Ensign for Engineering. I really appreciate you coming!”

Robin smiled. "Of course. And call me Robin. I appreciate the amount of effort you've put into this party." The nurse couldn't help but notice the look the Ensign gave Coleman.

So are they a thing? I'm really out of touch.

Pleasantries out of the way, Robin excused herself and headed towards the food as Ju and Coleman began talking. It was better to remain clear of the crew's social lives, as far as she was concerned... but there was a mood in the room that it didn't take a telepath to sense. An edge. And case in point was the interaction between the little knot of Beka, Aeryn, and Mara. The Augment couldn't help but overhear quite a bit of it, as much as she didn't want to. To say the interaction between Mara and Beka had been tense was an understatement, but Robin had only ever seen them together when Mara was in sickbay and Beka was treating her, and Beka had been professional. This was off-duty.

I swear this ship is nothing but a flying high school.

They seemed to be working it out, so the nurse let it be. There was no way she was jumping into that. Part of her felt like she needed to finally flat-out ask her best friend what had happened in the time she'd been away. Not the injuries, but the actual events. Beka hadn't told her and Robin didn't pry. Whatever it was it had wounded Beka more than physically.

Cera and Lucy were at the food table, and Robin smiled as she approached. She never really got the chance to talk to either very much, and that was something that needed to change. Cera in particular seemed to be an island of stability on the ship and the young nurse felt like she needed a bit of that.

"Cera! Lucy Sorry to interrupt, but I was headed over to devour half the food on the table and thought I'd say hi."

== Tags Lucy and Cera ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Everyone was getting settled in. She left the drinks on the bar incase anyone who hadn’t taken one wanted one, and took her own. It was nice to have the tastes of home when she could. It reminded her of all the good times growing up. She had talked a lot with Damian and told him a great deal about her upbringing through not all of it would make sense to him just yet. She had mentioned that her Halmoni had raised her and her brothers but never really mentioned her parents. Though, partly that was because they weren’t her parents in any way except for biologically. Unfortunately, they had decided on their careers over family and so Halmoni had raised her grandchildren even when she should have been resting and enjoying her life. Never once had she made the children feel like a burden and Halmoni would forever be the parent Ju recognized.

Damian had walked off with someone Ju didn’t know and hadn’t met, she hoped it was a friend but judging by the way Damian’s face changed during that moment she doubted that was the case. Her eyes followed the pair for a moment, glass half way to her mouth as if frozen in time. It wasn’t her place to be so worried but it was just her way to be concerned over someone she cared about. If it was important she assumed he would let her know later. There was no use in staring so she turned to the party and smiled.

Everyone seemed to have found their people, groups had broken off, food was being eaten, drinks being had, and conversation was flowing. Which was wonderful, but she wanted to make sure people got out of their comfort zones too. Ju finished the last of her drink, the bitter tang of the soju and beer mixture. Putting her glass on the bar where she got it from she crossed over to the large screen which was showing off the beauty of the Korean mountainside peacefully. She picked up the remote and began to thumb through some of the menus to get to the karaoke menu because they needed to get this party started. A little liquid courage mixed with some great music was going to make a great time here. Ju was not a very shy person, though she could be, depending on the circumstances. She was more than willing to get them started and singing in front of people was something she had done with friends for a long time back home.

“Okay everyone! It’s time for even better fun! I’m going to get us started with Karaoke!! Lets crank it up!” Ju said loudly so most everyone could hear. There were several who had remarked they would do karaoke with her so she was glad she wouldn’t be the only one up here singing in Korean but she would be the one who likely did it the best. Still, it was going to be fun to do this together and there were enough Kpop songs with a decent amount of English and common in them that if you were good at picking you would have no problems at least being moderately successful. She knew which song she wanted to start with, she had been a little torn at first but she also decided it was best to go hard for the first song so that people would see her making an absolute fool of herself and not feel bad for joining in once her song was done.

So she started off with an oldie but goodie; Work by ATEEZ. The song was more rap like but it had some singing areas and it was just a fun carefree song. As she stood up on the platform in front of the video that now played behind her you could see that Ju was having a great time. Dancing to the music as best as she could, though she was not trained as an idol, she had some moves. Her hair bounced around her a smile on her face and her face showed her confidence as she had fun being the first up on the stage.

==Song link from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGnOpZhsPk4==

[Damien Coleman]

Noticing first Jaein’s body movements, Coleman’s chin lifted a bit as his head tilted, brows still furrowed slightly. Anyone could put on a show of being conciliatory, but whether they meant it, or whether they were doing it in order to further their agenda, was another thing. Damian hated having to worry about things that seemed conspiratorial. Ever since the mission, it had been nothing but looking over one's shoulder. Coleman could only wonder if this Omdor meant what he was saying, or if he was trying to pump the First Officer for more information.

Throughout Omdor’s rather lengthy explanation for his presence, Coleman weighed in his mind whether it was the truth that was coming out, or not. If it was all a lie it was convincing. Little details spread throughout, along with changes in tone, made him seem earnest. If Jaein was from the shipyards, it would make sense why he’d want to visit the Artemis. Though Damian couldn’t ever recall Ben speaking about a Bajoran wrench wrangler named Omdor or Jaien. Still, he didn’t hold that against the man, as not everyone spoke of every acquaintance or friend they ever had or still maintained.

“He’d told me to come today, but when I arrived his office was in complete disarray and hadn’t been touched in days…”

I wonder if I should ask Cera… no, someone else from Support to maybe tidy his office up. Make it looked lived in until we get word of what exactly is gonna happen with him…

“Is he okay? What’s happened?”

The pair of questions drove Damian to his drink, which he took a significant swill from before even thinking of how he should answer. Coleman’s features softened some, as his hand came up and rubbed one of his eyebrows. Meanwhile, his eyes took a tour of the room, wondering how many even knew what was happening with Elias. Tyra and Damian had remained incredibly tight lipped. And anyone who knew anything about what was happening didn’t have to be told to keep their mouth shut either. Coleman couldn’t even recall what they’d told Elias’ team, except to not answer questions from anyone. Not that they needed to be reminded; their loyalty to Ben was certain.

Letting out a sigh, Damian caught himself and stopped touching his face, taking yet another sip of his drink.

“There were some…”

How the hell am I gonna I say this?

“...complications at the end of our last mission. Not everything went as we’d imagined they would.”

Coleman knew he was being incredibly vague, and Omdor didn’t seem a stupid man; he changed tack quickly enough when he saw Damian’s altered demeanor. He was sure that kind of explanation wouldn’t be enough for Jaein. Though how he handled it would give Damian more insight into the validity of his reasons for asking after Ben.

“Unfortunately, those are details that I cannot divulge or discuss at this time.”

It sounded like the kind of standard answer that Fleet Command might give. It rankled Coleman that he had to do it, but there was little other choice. Until Ben’s name was cleared, or otherwise, talking about what had happened just wasn’t in the cards. He did feel bad for Omdor, and Damian’s face showed it. Visiting from Bajor, heard the Artemis was in-sector, and decided to see an engineering chum. Only to get stonewalled by a First Officer who just finished a dash of some PDA. If it was Coleman, he’d be frustrated.

“What I can say is that Ben is uninjured, in case that is a worry that crops up in your mind.”

At least physically uninjured…

“In the meantime, can I offer for someone else to give you a tour until Chief Elias returns? There’s more than a few people on this ship who would love to talk your ear off about the Artemis, and show you her right down to her rivets.”

It was the best olive branch that Damian could think of. It didn’t answer Omdor’s questions, but it also wasn’t a demand for him to just up and leave either.

“Okay everyone! It’s time for even better fun! I’m going to get us started with Karaoke!! Lets crank it up!”

Even though Jaein and Damian had moved away from the main event, Coleman couldn’t help but smile when he was able to clearly hear Ju shouting. Damian’s trunk rotated to look over his shoulder at what was happening, and wasn’t at all surprised to see Ju leading the charge. Another little chuckle bubbled out of the first officer before he turned back to Omdor with a more welcoming expression.

“Feel free to stay and party with us if you’d like, as long as you aren’t actually on duty,” Damian was reminded that Jaein might be on the clock as he saw his uniform again.

“There’s some strong beverages being served tonight.”

On cue, Coleman took another swig from his own drink.

== tag Omdor ==

[Nathan Ramius]

== NRC -  Lt (JG) Tarek Jonnson - Science ==

Lieutenant Junior Grade Tarek Jonnson took a deep breath before stepping into the Officer’s Lounge, the familiar hum of the Artemis’s systems fading into the background as the festive atmosphere enveloped him. The transformation was stunning; paper lanterns casting a warm glow, the hologram of the Korean mountainside creating an immersive backdrop. The tantalizing aroma of Korean delicacies filled the air, and Tarek felt a relaxed yet lively energy to the party, especially with someone rap-singing a Kpop song.

Scanning the room, he took in all the little details, and also noticed a couple of familiar faces amongst the crowd too. When he saw what everyone else was wearing, Tarek was glad that he had dressed right for the event. He wore a blue graphic tee that said in white lettering “All the best science jokes” and then had the symbol for the 18th element on the periodic table below the words. To not be too casual, he wore a black blazer too, the sleeves rolled up showing the silvery detail of the fabric from inside the blazer, and a pair of dark grey trousers. On his feet was his signature style, what he always tried to wear whenever he could get away with it, a pair of sneakers. The pair he wore for the night were one of his favorites, blue-silver chucks.

Eventually his gaze settled on a trio who seemed to be talking animatedly amongst each other. Mara Calleja was with Beka Sydesh and his new boss, Aeryn Miller. Tarek no longer had mixed feelings about Aeryn. The ex-security chief had seemed like an odd choice to take charge of the science department. He remembered asking what kind of science she was interested in doing, and Aeryn had launched into a stunning amount of detail about botany! Then he supposed she wasn’t all that odd after all. Especially as he wasn’t one to judge as he loved astrophysics and xenobiology; two subjects that had very little in common with one another.

Tarek made his way to the drink table, pouring himself a glass of soju. He took a sip, savoring the unfamiliar but pleasant taste, before taking another sip to reinforce the flavor. Turning back toward the trio, his eyes fell on Mara. Heavy black pants, boots, and a sleeveless olive green top that showed off her impressive physique, Tarek wondered how she managed to look so effortlessly cool. The crest on her top, a stylized unicorn wielding chainsaws, brought a subtle grin to his face. Tarek had no clue what the t-shirt meant, if it meant anything at all other than being humorous, but he loved it all the same.

He assumed the person singing the energetic song was Eun Ju Han, as that was the name he heard associated with the party. Most of the rumor mill had been focused on her and Coleman as an item, but Tarek put little stock in rumors. Not that they weren’t right, but they were also sometimes wrong beyond five sigma, which was just bad science. As her voice rang out, he smiled at her enthusiasm and wondered about the confidence it must have taken to sing like that in front of everyone.

Glancing back at Mara, who was now embracing Sydesh, Tarek noted a noodle bowl was still in her hand making the whole thing look awkward. That elicited a chuckle from him. Moving from the drinks table, he made his way over to the small group of officers near the ramen station. Whatever confrontation had happened seemed to be dissipating with every step he took, which was good news for him.

“Hi Lieutenant Commander Miller?” he approached the trio, brushing away some of his messy, sandy-blonde hair that always seemed perpetually windswept. 

“Tarek Jonnson. We met briefly the other day in the Science Complex. I heard there was a party and didn’t want to miss out. But don’t worry, I’m not here to pull one of my pranks.”

If there was one thing Jonnson was known for, it was for some of his legendary pranks. Whether or not they were actually legendary was something up for speculation, but he felt they deserved the title. One of his favorites had been when he modified the mess hall’s gravity plating, causing the meals, and people, to start floating. Because he had set the plates to different timers, some changed polarity, while others didn’t. Which meant plenty of laughing by those watching others floating, before they themselves got caught up in it. It had all caused quite the scene, a fair bit of chaos, and definitely a mess. Of course he restored the gravity quickly, and helped clean up the mess, ensuring no real harm was done.

“Doctor Sydesh. Chief Calleja. Nice to meet you,” Tarek extended his hand out, his bright green eyes sparkling with excitement and repressed mischief. Despite his usual disposition, he felt just a little nervous under the surface, especially meeting some of the heavy hitters on the Artemis.

“You know, a few weeks ago I did a study on how drunk people returned to their quarters at night. The results were staggering!”

== tag Aeryn and Beka/Mara ==

[Emily Star]

Emily was more than just late—she was terribly late. Once again, she'd spent too long worrying about her wardrobe. A crafted mini-mountain of clothes that resulted in a simple purple blouse and pleated knee-length black skirt. An outfit that had been one of the first she'd thought of and yet ignored before cycling back to it. 

After lingering outside the doors for far too long, she finally mustered the courage to step inside, though the urge to flee still lingered. Social gatherings were her Achilles' heel, which showed as she instinctively gravitated towards a corner at the Christmas party. Gradually, her anxiety began to fade, replaced by a growing curiosity about the fantastic decor and food options. 

Bobbing to the music and briefly noting the crewmember singing, her feet found their way to the dessert table. She picked up a few items, including a delicious cheesecake that excited her to eat. If she wandered over for a drink, she could probably find a corner to observe quietly.  Hopefully.

==Tag anyone who wants to harass an awkward Doctor==

[Carol Harriman]

In typical fashion, Carol arrived at the party late. She wore a pair of white jeans cropped at the ankle, a black t-shirt with her black leather jacket and white tennis shoes. As she arrived, she let her eyes roam the room, taking in the décor, the food and drinks, and the people in attendance.

No captain?  

The karaoke had started, with a younger woman not fearful of the actions performed on stage could have. In Carol’s younger days, she was more than happy to grab a drink…to grab several drinks…to grab all the drinks and partake in whatever activities were happening. It was different now.

Getting older sucks.

She smiled at the woman’s courage to participate, though stayed far away. She also made her way to a glass… a glass of water.

Boring…

Her eyes noticed there were soda options, which would help. If she didn’t drink alcohol, she could at least enjoy caffeinated beverages with sugar.  For now, she’d sip her water though. She didn’t wish to discuss her choice of beverages though, so she talked to a barkeeper, changing the look of her drink with ice and garnishing. Happy with her water on the rocks, she walked around the room, continuing to note who was in the room and found a place she could relax at a table near the music. Parties with food, drink, and music put her in the mood to dance, but she’d wait for that, there was time for shenanigans.

[Omdor Jaein]

The entire time he was talking, he watched the young commander, and could tell that he wasn't buying the comraderie routine. Jaein didn't get the feeling that he felt that hew as being lied to, per se, but just that there was so much involved here that he couldn't afford to let anything - or anyone - get past him. Whether it was because he was trying to protect someone, or trying to protect himself, he wasn't sure.

What the hell happened out there? he thought to himself.

Coleman sighed, lowered his hand from his face, and spoke.  “There were some… complications at the end of our last mission. Not everything went as we’d imagined they would.” Jaein would have laughed at the broad and fairly obvious statement, and even felt the edge of his mouth quirk up, but he stopped it before it got further than that. "Unfortunately, those are details that I cannot divulge or discuss at this time."

It was the kind of answer he would've gotten from a lawyer or detective, making Jaein suspect that the first officer had a security background.  “What I can say is that Ben is uninjured, in case that is a worry that crops up in your mind.” Which, to be fair, was a relief - they hadn't known each other well, but he still was glad that Elias was at least healthy. Of course, if the situation was serious enough, who knew how long that would last. He did offer to have someone else show him around, or to stay and join the party, as befit a gracious host.

Jaein raised a hand and demurred. "That's okay for now," he said. "I may reach out and arrange something for another day, but I don't think I'd get much out of it today. It's a... yeah, I think I'm done." He reached out and clapped Coleman on the shoulder once, briefly, and nodded. "I'll stop at the shrine and say a prayer for him, and for all of you. I'm sure having the Prophets' help wouldn't hurt. But I think it's time to get home to my wife." He smiled and turned, walking back towards the door.

==ETL here, moving back to DS9==

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy tried not to feel totally intimidated. Standing beside her was Cera…? Morgan. Captain Crawford’s closest and longest friend. Also Benjamin Elias’…? Scuttlebutt was that it was ex. For some people it could be a revolving door if communication was re-established. Though extensive negotiations were probably required for this pair. Anyone who had the Captain’s whole confidence was a force to be given due consideration.

She was grateful for the advice. She had a passing understating of Japanese ramen, but Korean ramen had its small differences. Kimchi soaked in chilli had a flavor kick which was pretty potent. Lucy was more in the mood for subtle, at the moment. A good chicken broth, add noodles, then bonito flakes, nori, chopped spring onions, sliced bamboo shoots, and some of the doenjang.

“Thank you for the advice. One planet and so many cultural differences. Looking back at Terran history amazes me we got out among the stars. It’s also tricky balancing the appetite of a gourmand and not falling into gluttony. Vive la différence.”

Lucy hoped she wasn’t rambling too much. Cera was a striking lady. It’d be nice to start making some friends and not just acquaintances. Before the conversation became awkward Robin arrived at the ramen table with a comment about eating half the food. College and the Academy had given Lucy a grounding in people with crazy metabolisms and she had a feeling that young Miss Mayfair was only slightly joking.

“Long as it’s only half. This looks like really good ramen, and it’d be a shame for the others to miss out. Glad of the company.” said Lucy with a smile.

Lucy pondered the soju, but decided she’d stick to a can of beer before going for something more potent. It looked like Eun had got the karaoke started. Lucy’s song options were limited and getting the flow of the words right was a chance for embarrassment, but it’d be good to let her guard down for a bit.

“Water chestnuts! Knew I’d forgotten something.”

Lucy scooped up a few and added them to her ramen along with half a chicken egg. She wondered if having an egg with chicken ramen was wrong on some level. She managed to notice that Emily had found a corner out of the way.

Never did get a yes or no on that kiss.

== tags ==

[Miles Grant]

It appeared most everyone was content to stay within their groups and had yet branched off. Which, for the moment, left Miles alone as he nursed his drink. That was fine. The crew was here to have fun. The last thing Miles wanted to do was intrude on those already having a good time.

More crew did arrive in due course, and Miles had been able to speak to a few from Security that he had served with on his rotations working double duty before his promotion. The conversation was brief overall, but was still good in nature. Eventually, he found himself alone once again. He looked over the bar and noted two new arrivals, relatively close to one another, but they had not seemed to be engaged in conversation.

Figuring it was good to catch up with one of his own, as well as get to know newer crew that he didn't usually speak to, Miles moved over where he placed himself to speak to both of the them.

"Lieutenant Harriman. Doctor Star." He addressed them. "How are you enjoying yourselves?"

==Tag Harriman and Star==

[Aeryn Miller]

The truce that had been called between Beka and Mara was the proverbial icing on the cake for Aeryn, as the redhead took a sip of her drink, knowing that the rest of the evening could only get better. While the drink was new to her, the CSO didn't dislike it as Ju decided to kick off the karaoke. Aeryn admired the newbie's enthusiasm and, while she was nowhere near as comfortable as she had been at Christmas when it came to singing, decided that maybe she could get up there after all, without as much liquid courage.

Only time would tell whether she would sing straight after Ju or not, as she gave the Engineer her attention, enjoying the beat of the song she had chosen, despite not being familiar with it. That was the important part for Aeryn, as the trio of women was approached by one of Aeryn's scientists. There was a moment where Aeryn realised how that sounded and covered the residual smirk with a well-timed sip of her drink, before answering Tarek.

" Ah yes, it's good to see you again Tarek, you heard correctly and yes, that's probably for the best," she said with a slight playfulness to her tone. Of course, Aeryn had heard about Tarek's escapades, and while she was a fan of pranks at the appropriate time, Ju's party probably wasn't the best location for one to happen, especially with the number of senior officers present.

Tarek then moved on to greeting Beka and Mara, before coming up with the kind of pun that either caused you to laugh or groan, depending on your inclination. Aeryn chose to laugh because she was wired that way, before noticing Carol's arrival and Damian's conversation coming to an end.

" Will you be singing some Karaoke, Tarek?".

== Tags ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Some people were watching her sing and dance. It was exhilarating to be up there enjoying herself. Singing in her native tongue came easily enough to her and even though most of the people here had no idea what she was saying for the most part they were enjoying the music. That was the beauty of K-pop. It wasn’t about the words as much as the melody and the purpose behind the music. Most of the time the bands had great messages within their music too or it told a story about themselves or a hard time in life. There was growth in the songs if you listened, and it was what had started her listening to the pop instead of other things she could have gotten her hands on.

She hadn’t seen Damian much since she started the song, last time her eyes had glanced his way he was still talking to the guy in the Engineering uniform. For now though, she finished up her song with a bright smile on her face and a glistening in her eyes. While Ju was not shy it still took quite a bit of confidence to get up there and do what she had done. Especially, to be the first. But, since it was her party, and she also wanted to make sure she broke the ice and proved that she was willing to do the activities herself so maybe others would feel embolden to do the same.

“All right everyone, I broke in the mic, who’s next?” Ju smiled at everyone, and put the mic down, she hopped off the little podium that had been erected for the fun of karaoke and headed back into the crowd for the drink table. Grabbing a cold bottle of water she twisted off the cap tossing it on the table as she drank a good third of the bottle before coming up for air. She really hoped that the activities would take off. She loved the hum of conversation that was going on as groups had broken off and begun to form with familiar people. Ju hoped to meet some new people herself. She didn’t want to only hang out with Mara and Damian, she wanted to hang expand her friendships beyond the two.

Ju saw a male and two females off to the side, one of the women had dark hair, pale skin, a purple blouse, and a pleated skirt. A male was talking to her having just headed over. They both looked as though they were not entirely sure they wanted to be here or maybe social settings weren’t really their thing. Time to meet newbies! Ju thought to herself as she took her bottle of water with her and crossed the lounge to the group of them.

“Hey guys!” she smiled at them brightly. “I hope you’re having a great time! I’m Ensign Han, My name is actually Eun Ju but I go by Ju for the most part.” She smiled brightly at the three of them. “Thank you for coming, honestly, I wasn’t sure that many people would come but I’m impressed with the turn out.”

==Tag Harriman, Miles, Star==

[Miles Grant]

Shortly after Miles had addressed Harriman and Star, another individual had approached. As she introduced herself as Ensign Han, Miles realized this was their host, and the Artemis's recently added Engineer. He listened as she thanked everyone for coming and being impressed by the turnout.

"A pleasure, Ju," Miles responded, smiling. "Lieutenant Jay-Gee Miles Grant. Feel free to call me Miles when we're not on shift." He paused to allow the others to introduce themselves, taking another cursory glance around the room before returning to the three women in front of him.

"Thank you for preparing and hosting this get together," he stated. "I enjoy these events. Really brings the crew together."

==Tags==

[Mara Calleja]

== Apologies for the silence. Reality bites sometimes! ==

"It's perfect and agreed it is a start," Aeryn replied.

Mara nodded.

“We’ll get there,” she said coolly.

The Bandaran was already regretting going in so hard on the doctor. Since her promotion had been confirmed, she had been trying to dispel any rumours about a culture of ‘ruling by fear’. She didn’t blame anyone for being nervous about that. The new COS was known more for killing Cardassians than the warm and bubbly presence that her predecessor had brought to the role, and the fact that Aeryn was still on the crew only served to make the difference between the two women even starker.

Lot of work still to do there she thought to herself. I have to put my own stamp on things. I can’t be Aeryn. But I can win people over. I just have to get out of my own way.

“Okay everyone! It’s time for even better fun! I’m going to get us started with Karaoke!! Lets crank it up!”

The voice was Ju’s as the hostess took to the stage. Calleja smiled as she watched the exuberant performance, the young Korean woman clearly having an absolute ball up there.

I am so jealous…

As Mara turned away from the stage, she saw that the group had been joined by a man who was clearly trying very hard to be stylish. The Bandaran definitely wasn’t an expert on such things - she would have deferred to Beka there - but she felt he was trying that little bit too hard. She was quiet as he introduced himself - the name didn’t mean much to her, but the only science officer she knew hadn’t been a scientist until last week - and listened as he bantered with Aeryn.

“Doctor Sydesh. Chief Calleja. Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand. Mara shook, taking great pains to resist the urge to give him a bonecrusher of a greeting. “You know, a few weeks ago I did a study on how drunk people returned to their quarters at night. The results were staggering!”

The Bandaran groaned and shook her head with a chuckle.

“That was terrible,” she replied, silently regretting the decision not to splinter every metacarpal in his hand.

"Will you be singing some Karaoke, Tarek?" Aeryn asked.

“If I may? I have someone in mind for next!” The speaker was another new arrival to the group, a very short Bolian woman in a purple dress. Mara and Beka immediately recognised Ensign Halee, the ship’s unofficial music teacher.

“Hey Halee. Good to see you,” Mara said guardedly. The Bandaran had been getting vocal coaching from Halee for the last 9 months or so, and the Bolian was one of the few people who knew Calleja well. The garrulous Support officer and taciturn Chief of Security weren’t an obvious mix but they got on surprisingly well with music as a common interest.

“Hello Mara dearie,” Halee said with a beaming smile, drawing a wince from Calleja. “And Beka too,” she continued. “Doctor, you should come and see me more! You were doing so well. Although now I get to meet Commander Miller, I understand why your priorities might not be singing,” the Bolian teased with a curtsey to the Chief Science Officer. “But you can make it up to me. I’m here for a reason…”

Halee looked pointedly at the stage, and then at Mara.

“Remember how I told you that my next goal was to get you to perform in public?” Halee said. “And, well, here we are!”

“Oh no, I am not getting involved in this again!” Beka said sharply, putting herself on the other side of Aeryn from the glowering Mara. “I made that suggestion and she would have broken my legs if Aeryn wasn’t here. But for what it’s worth, I agree. I would love to hear this secret voice.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Calleja said to Sydesh, but there was no venom in it and the faintest hint of a smile started to form on her lips. “If you don’t mind, me and Halee need to have a little chat.”

She wrapped an arm around the Bolian’s shoulders and politely but firmly steered Halee a few feet away.

“OK, what are you doin’?” Mara asked. “I am in no way ready to stand up in front of my friends and shipmates and start beltin’ out numbers! We’ve had this conversation.”

“You said you’d be willing to think about it,” Halee replied. “Well? Now’s perfect! You can follow Ju, who was really good.”

“Yeah, I said I’d think about performin’ in front of a few strangers. This most definitely ain’t a few strangers! Most of my few friends and a good chunk of the department I’m now head of, are all in here.” Mara was trying to dig her heels in, but Halee was still beaming at her.

“Well, you are wearing a tank top with a chainsaw unicorn on it, so if you were going to ‘rule by fear’ it might be a little late,” Halee replied. “If you want I can go and get a few more of your friends to twist your arm? You’re so ready for this! We even worked on some of the songs you could do.”

There was a moment’s pause, and then Calleja glared hard at the Bolian.

“You set me up!” she said accusingly. “That stupid Korean song you had me learn the other day. You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“Yes. You told me,” Halee replied innocently, with the air of a poker player laying out a winning hand. “I think you set yourself up, and you did it very well!”

Mara looked at Halee, and then up at the stage which was suddenly looming large in her future.

Well, I did say I was jealous of Ju. And it would certainly help burst that whole ‘big scary monster’ bubble. But if I get it wrong and make an arse of myself up there, never mind anyone else, I’ll never let me forget it.

She looked back at Halee. For the first time in a long time, Calleja seemed almost vulnerable.

“You’re sure I can do this?” she asked.

“Yes! Absolutely!” The Bolian gently took the noodle bowl out of Mara’s unresisting hands. “I know you can. I’m not just saying that to fluff you. Go. In your own words…” The singing tutor suddenly did a very very good impression of Mara’s accent. “Fuckin’ knock ‘em dead!”

That sealed it. The COS laughed, shook her head and then made her move. She stepped easily up onto the stage, made a few tweaks to the karaoke machine and then adjusted the stand to bring the mic up to her height. Looking out over the gathering, and some of the confused and quizzical expressions that had greeted the Amazonian woman’s decision, she nearly bottled it. It took a real effort of will to bury the self doubt deep down.

“So I’m pretty sure you weren’t expectin’ to see me up here,” Mara said into the mic. “And as of about ten minutes ago, neither was I. But hey. Let’s do this shall we?”

The music started up, a slow and deliberate guitar riff. It definitely wasn’t Korean, but anyone into their classic Earth rock would have immediately recognised Aerosmith’s Dream On.

“Every time that I look in the mirror,
All these lines on my face gettin’ clearer.
The past is gone…
It went by like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way?
Everybody's got the dues in life to pay, yeah…”

It was an uncertain opening. Mara was a little shaky as her self-doubt got the better of her, missing notes she could have hit in her sleep. Her frustration was clear in her expression but she kept going, even if the next couple of verses were much the same.

Oh fuck this. I’ve got to go for it. No more holdin’ back.

She closed her eyes and launched into the chorus. If the performance so far had been weak, what followed was anything but. Unleashed, Calleja’s voice was strong, clear and powerful. There was natural talent in abundance but it was harnessed by years of coaching. The Security Chief’s secret was out - she was an incredible singer.

“Sing with me, sing for the year,
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tear.
Sing with me, if it's just for today,
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away…”

As her confidence built, somehow she found another gear as she opened her eyes and faced people with a renewed determination.

“Sing with me, sing for the year,
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear.
Sing with me, if it's just for today,
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away!”

The smile on Mara’s face rang out in her voice as she held the note. This was suddenly going way better than she’d ever dreamed it could, and stood right at the front Halee was beaming like a proud mother.

“Dream on, dream on, dream on,
Dream until the dream come true!
Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until the dream come true…”

Effortlessly she moved up several octaves, hitting a pitch-perfect falsetto.

“Dream on, dream on, dream on
Dream until the dream come true!”

She landed the final chorus, grinning to herself as the instruments faded away in the background.

“Thanks for bearin’ with me,” Mara said. “I got there in the end! I’ve been hidin’ that I could do that for so long, and stood here now, I really don’t why I was so hung up on it.” She laughed softly. “Anyway. I sang that song so that I could sing this one. Ju, I’m sorry, my pronunciation is gonna suck, but I’m gonna give it a good go.”

The electronic keyboard started up on the backing track and it was the original K-pop song. Calleja grinned before giving the party Gangnam Style.

Her Korean was actually reasonable, although that was mostly due to an anglicised version of the lyrics scrolling across a discrete autocue. The Security Chief had the flow of the song down, even if it was a far cry from the rap battles she’d been in and around as a teenager.

She built up to the chorus with a deadpan expression.

“Areumdawo, sarangseureowo!
Geurae neo, hey!
Geurae, baro neo, hey!
Jigeumbuteo gal dekkaji ga bolkka…”

Mara grinned.

“Oppan Gangnam style!”

Without missing a beat she hit the dance moves, delivering the chorus with the full invisible horse routine from the viral video, complete with lasso.

“Gangnam style!
Op, op, op, op, oppan Gangnam style.
Hey, sexy baby…
Op, op, op, op, oppan Gangnam style!”

Calleja dropped out of character for a moment.

“Come on, get up here if you know the moves!” she called. “And if you don’t, what the hell, try it anyway. Beka? You owe me! Bring Aeryn! Ju? You gotta know how this goes…”

She picked the song back up as people started to move…

[Beka Sydesh]

Beka wasn’t really sure how to describe what she was feeling. The redhead in the dragon dress definitely couldn’t fade into the background but she had felt like she wanted to. Things with Mara had gone from zero to 100 and then back to zero again so fast the doctor’s head was still spinning. But most importantly, they’d patched things up.

That’s big. I don’t have to spend the next however many months looking over my shoulder. Really did not want to have to deal with another Chief of Security who couldn’t stand the sight of me. Been there before. That sucked…

“Okay everyone! It’s time for even better fun! I’m going to get us started with Karaoke!! Lets crank it up!”

Ju’s timing was impeccable, and she took the stage with a joyful rendition of a song Beka was sure she’d heard before but couldn’t place. All the same, it was tough not to be impressed with just how contagious the young Engineer’s enthusiasm was.

Sydesh looked over as the group was joined by another. Silently she judged his style choices - sneakers and a blazer was a combination that hadn’t worked in the 21st century, and it didn’t work any better now - but he seemed pleasant enough as he made his introductions. Right up until…

“You know, a few weeks ago I did a study on how drunk people returned to their quarters at night. The results were staggering!”

Mara groaned audibly.

“That was terrible,” the Bandaran said.

“Yeah, it was. You should definitely take a hike.” Beka joined in with a waspish grin. “I’d hate for you to ramble on. But that pun was the right moment to walk off.” There wasn’t a pun war anywhere that the redhead would back down from.

"Will you be singing some Karaoke, Tarek?" Aeryn asked.

“If I may? I have someone in mind for next!”

Beka was genuinely surprised to see Ensign Halee, the tiny Bolian woman having picked out a shimmering purple dress for the occasion. The doctor had had a few singing lessons with Halee and felt like she’d made some progress, but that had dropped off since her injury and she hadn’t picked it back up yet.

“Hey Halee. Good to see you.” Calleja was watchful, apparently suspecting some kind of trap.

“Hello Mara dearie,” Halee said with a beaming smile, drawing a wince from Calleja. “And Beka too,” she continued. “Doctor, you should come and see me more! You were doing so well. Although now I get to meet Commander Miller, I understand why your priorities might not be singing,” the Bolian teased with a curtsey to the Chief Science Officer. “But you can make it up to me. I’m here for a reason…”

Beka was laughing by this point and missed the pointed gesture between Halee and Mara.

“Remember how I told you that my next goal was to get you to perform in public?” Halee said. “And, well, here we are!”

“Oh no, I am not getting involved in this again!” Beka said sharply, putting herself on the other side of Aeryn from the glowering Mara. “I made that suggestion and she would have broken my legs if Aeryn wasn’t here. But for what it’s worth, I agree. I would love to hear this secret voice.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Calleja threw back, but there was no menace in it. “If you don’t mind, me and Halee need to have a little chat.”

The Bolian was forcibly steered away by the Security Chief, and Beka turned back to Aeryn and Tarek.

“OK, that was unexpected!” she said. “Mara dearie? I’m saving that one for when she’s got a mouthful of drink! Although I’m probably best off making sure I’ve got a good head start and a clear exit route,” the redhead joked.

There was a heated exchange between Calleja and Halee, and then Sydesh was gobsmacked to see the Amazonian Security Chief actually head for the stage.

“Speaking of unexpected…” Beka said.

After all the build-up, Mara’s opening was actually difficult to listen to. The lack of confidence really showed, and Beka saw the all-too-familiar signs of self-doubt and frustration starting to build on the woman’s face.

I feel for her. All that, and she’s flaming out.

But then Mara closed her eyes and hit the chorus, and Beka felt a gentle ‘wow…’ escape her lips. The rest of the performance was every bit as good as Halee had told her it would be, and the redhead was shaking her head in amazement as the song wound down.

“Where the hell has she been hiding that?” Beka asked Aeryn. “Like, sheesh! If I could sing like that you’d never get me off the mic.”

Up on the stage, Calleja moved onto a second song with a brief introduction. When she started rapping in Korean, that was enough of a departure, but then when she broke out the dance moves, Sydesh burst out laughing and applauded loudly.

“Come on, get up here if you know the moves!” Mara called. “And if you don’t, what the hell, try it anyway. Beka? You owe me! Bring Aeryn! Ju? You gotta know how this goes…”

“Oh, it’s on!” Beka said. “Come on, let’s go! We can do this,” she said, gently nudging Aeryn.

As Mara worked her way through the next verse, Beka led the way to the stage, hoping that others would follow her lead. The doctor had confidence to burn lately and she took up a position behind the singing Security officer, ready for the chorus.

I think I remember how this goes…

== Anyone else want to join the Artemis dance line?  ==

[Aeryn Miller]

While Aeryn had enjoyed Tarek's pun, Mara and Beka reacted a little differently to her fellow science officer before the small group was joined by a Bolian woman wearing a dress in a lovely shade of purple. The CSO hadn't met Ensign Halee personally until this moment, but she'd heard a lot about her from Beka, smiling as the other woman teased her girlfriend. " It's nice to finally meet you Halee" Aeryn offered warmly, as the ship's unofficial singing teacher encouraged Mara to follow Ju and sing on the karaoke.

Having just dealt with Beka trying to do the same thing, there was some trepidation about whether Halee would succeed. However, she didn't blame Beka for her reaction as the Doctor moved to the other side of her. Despite the warning from Mara, Beka agreed with Halee, and Aeryn had to admit that she too would like to hear Mara sing. It became a waiting game as Mara steered Halee away for a private conversation that couldn't be ignored.

" Yeah that's probably wise" Aeryn teased when Beka made a joke before Halee succeeded in getting Mara to perform. Aeryn then watched with interest, recognising the song that her friend had chosen and agreeing with Beka about how unexpected it had been. " She's really good, and don't sell yourself short Babe, as you've got a great voice too".

Aeryn was no popstar, but she could hold a tune and always enjoyed it whenever Beka sang, as Mara brought the first song to a close, clapping as she would do for anyone. The second song came as a surprise to Aeryn, but it also made sense considering the theme of the evening, there was more to it as Mara attempted to get her, Beka, and Ju to join her. Thinking she should have had another beer, Aeryn held back for just a moment until deciding that she might as well have a go.

" What the hell, count me in," she said, discarding her glass as she followed Beka to the stage. " C'mon Tarek" she added, hoping to rope him in.

This was either going to go down well or horribly as she threw caution to the wind and tried to follow along with the dance moves and lyrics.

== Tags ==