Setting the Stage
Posted on Sun Apr 12th, 2026 @ 10:29pm by Lieutenant Quen Lyra
1,415 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission: The Starfall Carnival
// Starbase 369 :: Fleet Operations :: Administrative Office //
Starfall Carnival Coordination :: Outbound Transmission //
The office was quieter than the cargo bays.
Not silent.
It never truly was.
The low hum of station systems carried through the bulkheads, steady and constant. Displays remained active across the room, queued requests waiting with patient persistence. Lyra had left them there deliberately. Not ignored. Prioritized.
They would still be there when she returned.
For now—
This required attention.
Ensign Quen Lyra stood at the communications console rather than taking the chair behind it, PADD in hand as she reviewed the outgoing channel one final time. The USS Arawyn was still en route. Docking assignments had already been finalized. Repair schedules coordinated. Shore leave rotations… adaptable.
The Carnival complicated all of it.
Initial notifications had already been transmitted days ago, routed through standard fleet channels. Sufficient for most ships.
The Arawyn was not most ships.
Lyra adjusted the signal routing, refining the connection.
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Director.
Not a department Fleet Operations typically contacted directly.
Not unless there was reason.
Her thumb hovered over the control for only a moment.
The Prophets see the whole. I will do my part.
She initiated the call.
The display shifted, resolving into the Arawyn’s signal handshake before opening the channel.
“Director Ryn,” Lyra said as the connection stabilized, her tone composed and precise. “Ensign Quen Lyra, Fleet Operations, Starbase Three-Six-Nine.”
She did not rush.
Did not bury the purpose beneath protocol.
“I’m reaching out ahead of your arrival. The Starfall Carnival will be in full operation during your docking window.”
A slight shift in cadence. Not softer. More deliberate.
“There have been adjustments to station protocols since initial notifications were sent.”
That was one way to frame it.
Lyra shifted the PADD slightly, though her gaze remained on the screen.
“You’ll find increased civilian presence, expanded vendor operations, and multiple large-scale public installations already in place. Shore leave opportunities are extensive. Movement through certain sections of the station is currently restricted.”
Clear.
Direct.
Enough to inform without overwhelming.
“It may be of interest for your crew’s morale planning,” she continued. “The scale of the event is… considerable.”
Her fingers moved across the console.
“I’m transmitting the current Carnival brief to you now. Layouts, schedules, and active restrictions are included.”
The file transfer initiated, progress indicator sliding steadily forward.
Lyra allowed a fraction of a pause.
Not hesitation.
Space.
“For planning purposes, you may find it beneficial to prepare your crew in advance. The station will be operating outside standard parameters during your docking period.”
She held Ryn’s gaze through the screen.
Not imposing.
But steady.
Intentional.
Lyra inclined her head slightly.
“I wanted to ensure you had that awareness before arrival.”
// USS Arawyn :: Deck 9 :: MWR Office //
If Fleet Operations carried a kind of ordered quiet,
Alura Ryn’s space lived somewhere on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Color had claimed it.
Ribbons draped across the back of a chair that had long since stopped being used properly. A stack of half-finished morale kits sat open on her desk, each one at a different stage of “almost done.” A soft citrus scent lingered from a tea she had every intention of finishing and had not.
Alura herself was leaning over a console, one hand braced, the other coaxing a stubborn display into alignment.
“Come on, don’t be dramatic—”
She stopped herself with a small laugh, tapping the panel lightly.
The incoming signal chimed.
She brightened instantly.
“Oh. Timing.”
She slid into place, smoothing her hair back out of her face just as the channel opened.
And then she listened.
Really listened.
At first, her expression held stillness. Focus. Taking in the details as they came. The kind of attention she gave when she knew something mattered beyond surface excitement.
Then the file came through.
And everything shifted.
“Ohhhh wow…”
It slipped out before she could stop it.
Her eyes dropped to the display as the information populated. Her fingers moved quickly, expanding sections, scanning headings.
Then she stopped.
“A meteor shower light show every evening in the promenade?” she breathed, half to herself, a hand lifting as if she could hold onto the idea. “That’s… oh that’s going to be beautiful.”
Scroll.
“Oh wait. No, hold on.”
Her expression lit fully now.
“You have Lissea’s Spiral Skewers set up on the lower ring?” She glanced up toward the screen for a second, like she needed confirmation. “They only leave Risa for major festivals. I haven’t seen them since…”
Another scroll.
“No way.”
A soft laugh, bright and completely uncontained.
“Thalren Sweet Ice is here too? The layered citrus one? The one that changes flavor as it melts? That is… okay, that alone is going to fix at least three bad weeks on my ship.”
She kept reading, but slower now. Not skimming anymore.
Taking it in.
“Live performance tiers. Rotating cultural showcases…” A small, impressed shake of her head. “This is a whole environment.”
Her gaze lifted again, meeting Lyra through the screen.
There was still excitement there.
But something else had settled underneath it.
Recognition.
“This is exactly what they’re going to need,” she said, softer now, more grounded. “They don’t know it yet, but they are.”
A breath.
Then the brightness returned, not as overwhelming as before, but just as genuine.
“Okay. I’m definitely doing a pre-arrival build-up. Something visual. Something fun. Give them a sense of it before we dock so they don’t just walk into all of this completely unprepared.”
A quick tilt of her head, already thinking.
“Maybe themed rotations by department… oh. No, wait. I can tie the meteor show into a countdown…”
She stopped herself, just barely, with a small, self-aware smile.
“Sorry. I’m already ten steps ahead.”
Then, warmly.
“I’m really glad you reached out.”
And just a flicker of playful honesty slipped back in at the end.
“Also, fair warning… I am absolutely going to overhype this.”
// Starbase 369 :: Fleet Operations :: Administrative Office //
Lyra did not interrupt.
She let the energy run its course.
Not indulgently.
Not impatiently.
Deliberately.
Her expression remained composed, though there was the slightest shift in her focus as Alura spoke. Not quite sharing the excitement, but recognizing its function.
Morale.
A different kind of necessity.
“Understood,” Lyra said when Alura finished, her tone steady.
“If anyone can make effective use of it, I expect it would be your department.”
A brief pause, her attention shifting to the data still active on her console.
“The station is currently operating under temporary access restrictions while final preparations are completed. Several sections will remain limited until the event opens.”
She lifted her gaze back to the screen.
“Those boundaries are included in the brief. They are subject to change as clearances are finalized.”
Clear.
Practical.
No apology for it.
“Once the Carnival is fully operational, access will expand.”
A slight incline of her head, more acknowledgment than reassurance.
“Advance awareness should allow your crew to make better use of the available time.”
Lyra held her gaze on Alura for a moment longer.
Assessing.
Then, just a fraction softer. Not enough to shift her tone, but enough to register.
“Your approach seems… appropriate.”
High praise, given sparingly.
And then, with the faintest trace of dry awareness beneath the professionalism:
“I will account for the overhype.”
// USS Arawyn :: Deck 9 :: MWR Office //
Alura caught the acknowledgment for what it was.
Her smile softened, just a fraction.
“Appropriate?” she echoed lightly, amused. “I’ll take it.”
Her attention dipped back to the display, already moving through the details with quick, practiced focus.
“Okay, this is perfect. I’ve got enough here to build something really fun before we even dock.”
A small nod to herself as she skimmed one last section.
“Food, performances, the evening show… oh this is going to come together nicely.”
She looked back up, meeting Lyra’s steady gaze.
“Thanks for making sure I had this early. Seriously.”
A beat.
Then her expression warmed, easy and genuine.
“I’ll take it from here.”
A small lift of her hand in an almost casual farewell.
“See you when we dock.”
And with that, she reached to close the channel, already turning back to her console before the connection fully dropped, energy shifting immediately into motion.
Ensign Quen Lyra
Yeoman to VAdm Sidra MacLaren
Fleet Operations
Alura Ryn
MWR Director
USS Arawyn
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