Swearing-In Ceremony Banquet part 1

Posted on Thu Jan 24th, 2019 @ 10:50pm by Cadet Freshman Grade Phoebe Cavendish & Cadet Freshman Grade Jondar Sito & Cadet Freshman Grade Gwen Morgan & Cadet Freshman Grade Rachel Gallagher & Cadet Freshman Grade Damian Blake
Edited on on Thu Jan 24th, 2019 @ 11:20pm

Mission: The First Step...
Location: Magellan Campus Conference Center
Timeline: 2388/08/26 1903 (August 26 2388 7:03pm)

Based on what was previously described...

Within the conference center, there was a central banquet and function room decked out in what looked like wood paneling and carvings from the histories of many of the Federation planets. Like the spokes on a wheel, smaller banquet rooms that could also function as larger meeting rooms fanned out with retractable walls that allowed it to become one much larger room.

The main banquet and function room backed onto the auditorium with access through large now opened doorways on either side of the main table. Just down from this table and separating it from the others was a large dance floor with a band area partitioned off to the side with room for a piano with a seat, a singer and several other instrumental players.

Round tables dotted the center of the room while buffet tables ran along the outside of the room in such a way that all were able to access them easily and each contained a wide array of savory and sweet items. There was no concern of any one dish running out as they had been set up to automatically transport in a new portion of that dish when it reached the bottom.

The food for the banquet was arranged in tureens and warming plates around the rooms. Sweet and savoury were placed on separate tables along side each other with fountains of replicated chocolate, caramel, and other sweet sauces separating them.

The tables had been set up by planetary food type with the earth foods covering 3 tables in total between the sweet and savoury. There were cultural dishes from India, Africa, Italy, America, Arabia, and the Asian continents. The sweet tables had crepe stations, make your own sundaes, brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, sorbets, gelato's and every type of lolly you could imagine.

The savoury tables had stews, curries, tureens of vegetables roasted, steamed, boiled and grilled from all sorts of planets, meat and fish dishes that were recognisable as being multi-planetary as well. There was a table filled with the breads of multiple worlds both sweet and savoury.

Pride of place was a table that held dishes designed by Deveron Raziel himself based on the produce of Sapientia. A long bar ran along two sides of the room. No bar stools, they were only for serving drinks. One glass of beer or wine, plus one synthehol for cadets.

Braden had lost track of Gwen while leaving the auditorium. He decided not to try and find any of the people he had met so far, might as well meet some new ones? He went to the earth table and filled two plates before picking an empty table. He sat down to eat, deciding that was a more desirable then any other possible pursuit.

Leaving her new friends and roommate to continue talking, Kelly wandered around the banquet hall until her eyes lit on the brownies, sundaes and other chocolate goodies. Odds are that it was all replicated, which meant she could have all she wanted, but it just wasn't the same. Going over to the table, she wondered what she wanted; there was so much to choose from that she decided to get a small sampling of each. A piece of this, a bit of that and something she could't identify - she was Starfleet now and the search for new life, civilizations and food was on.

She hesitated before she caved in and took a brownie and added it to the side of her plate. Finally, Kelly headed over to an empty table and sat down. She briefly glanced around to see if her cousin was anywhere nearby, but she really didn't want to talk to her at that particular moment. Giving a tiny shrug, she began to quietly eat her food.

Rachel walked into the banquet room and was immediately met by all the wonderful smells of all the different foods, making a smile appear on her face. She looked around and so far the only people she recognized was Kelly whom she'd met on the base before they arrived here and Braden whom she met shortly after their arrival.

She walked to the table where Kelly was seated and smiled, "Is it okay if I be sittin here?" she asked.

"Sure," Kelly said, looking up at the other young cadet she vaguely recognized before her incident at Magellan Station. Offering a half smile, she turned back to her food.

"Thank ya." Rachel replied, sitting down and placing her plate on the table. The other cadet seemed a little quiet, but Rachel didn't want to ask what was up but instead, took a bite of some of the food on her plate.

Braden noticed Rachel from their morning run, by the time he swallowed the food in his mouth to say anything she had already sat at another table, joining another cadet. The dark haired cadet looked familiar? She was the one sitting with Gwen behind him during the ceremony. He shrugged, oh well, there is always the chance to meet someone new.

Damian walked into the banquet hall and moved over to the bar to grab a beer before he looked around to see who was around, and who had yet to make their way inside. He spotted Kelly and Rachel sitting together and decided to make his way over to, sitting directly across from Kelly with a grin. "Hiya, poppet."

Kelly looked up from her meal and raised an eyebrow as another cadet joined the table where she had been sitting. "What did you just call me?"

With that, the three cadets at the table began to talk quietly.


Miach had been thinking of the events of this evening, more exactly when the cadets had taken the officers oath. At every swearing in ceremony he had been part of he had repeated the words to himself. It had been a reaffirmation of the oath he had taken so long ago when he had become an officer. This time was different though he hadn't been able to say the words and feel the same draw as before. They were hollow and turned to ash in his mouth. He sighed as he likely knew why and the familiar voice of Morrigan crept into his head.

~Strrrong the pull of your wife is, this night. Burrrden does it make of your duty, Prrriest.~

~Oh Manann?n mac Lir take you Morrigan you've been watching old holovids again havent you?~

Miach sighed and nodded to himself then was rocked by a new wave of anger, anger he had been feeling since he and Brighid had entered for the ceremony.

Miach leaned into his daughter and whispered a question. "Chuisle, are you angry?" He raised an eyebrow when she looked at him and shook her head. "No Da', why in blazes would I be angry?" this elicited a confused brow furrow then a slight quirk of his mouth.

"Someone must of royally pissed off your mother then, Brighid. By the deeps, for her to be so angry it gets to me here in the Delta quadrant..." he let out a low whistle.


Gwen parted from Jondar and Phoebe after he made jokes that he "was wasting away to nothing and needed food...". Instead of joining the others immediately she went outside for the peace she needed to process what happened.

Jondar immediately went the food but got a plate for Phoebe with a questioning look that asked did she want it or want him to hold it.

Phoebe nodded and held out her hand as she approached him, thinking that it was kind of nice that he was being all manly and collecting food for her. "Thanks." she grinned at him before inspecting the food that he'd selected for her. Considering he hadn't known her for long, he'd done a good job of picking out foods that she knew she liked and it left her impressed. "I think I might keep you around." she joked as she bit into a mini quiche lorraine.

Jondar grinned and kissed her briefly before a professor could stop them. Situational awareness not just for combat situations. He was actually highly alert to his surroundings at all times, even if he wasn't looking like he was. And he paid a lot of attention to Phoebe and so was able to gleam clues. He leaned down and whispered, "Ah food, the second favorite thing do to with ones mouth..." Then kissed her on the cheek with a cheeky grin of his own before gesturing to table with some cadets they knew.

"You're terrible...one of these days we'll get caught you know." Phoebe giggled as they made their way to their table.


Brighid grazed absentmindedly as she took from the offered fruits. She was sure she would enjoy some cake. She thought to herself and headed to the part of the table where the deserts were located. A bare arm reached out to take a slice of cake and place it on a waiting plate.

"Excuse me" Tarik said as he felt someone's bare skin brushing up against his hand as he reached for the cake for his sister. He was browsing the sweet table while she filled a plate with savory things for him ~Which type do you want sis, Cinnamon or Pumpkin spice?~

"I would prefer the spice cake but its a little impromptu to call me sis." Brighid said softly as she pulled away and looked at the handsome young man.

His cheeks turned a darker hint of green and he spoke aloud, "I was speaking to my sister. She is the young Vulcan hybrid." He pointed over his shoulder. A girl in the same cadet grey raised her hand to wave, sensing their attention on her.

Brighid smirked and nodded, "I see, sorry. A side effect of my less than traditional upbringing. My mind reaches out when I touch someone and I can sense their thoughts, more than just there emotions." She dipped her head, "I'm Brighid."

Tarik smiled at the girl, who he gauged to be almost of age and then offered her his hands palms up, in an ancient supplication. "I am Tarik"

She laughed then a mask fell over her face. Her father had taught her this as he had not neglected her education in interacting with Vulcans. She returned the gesture. "Well met Tarik." Would he know who Miach was, the outcast priest of Tinsha?

Tarik's mouth quirked upwards in a singularly crooked smile at the expression of discomfort on her face. His fingertips brushed hers and a surge of warm amusement washed over her.

She dipped her head and blinked at the contact. "Issues with shielding your thoughts much?" She asked feeling the subtle vulnerability under the amusement. Then she blushed at the forwardness of the question.

"Aye." His cheeks flushed an even deeper green. "My sister and I are woefully inept at it. Our mother would be appalled of course at my lack of control." His voice was matter of fact but there was some uncertainty in his gaze.

Brighid smiled brightly. "Didn't finish your secondary education on Vulcan did you?" She continued, "Neither did I but I can shield well enough. So there is hope for you." She eyed him in his uniform and smirked. "Not that you'll have time, if this is anything like San Fran..." She put her lips together and blew. "Your gonna be too tired to sleep."

"Nope on Betazed, where everyone is much to polite to intrude and no one notices the children and their lack." His embarrassment continued in the back of his mind.
Talia's chagrin was there too ~We're going to have to make time for it brother. We might even have to call mother and ask her the technique.~

The link was there and Brighid blinked rapidly. "There are those who could teach you here..." She paused thinking of the shame she had felt after her father had saved her and the words he had spoken to her after. She took a breath and pushed on. "If you are willing to learn from an outcast." She waited for the reaction that always happened. The tightening of the face, a slight nod and the soft muttered apology before the departing. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched if he too would turn his back on her.

The twins both had the precise same reaction at those words, their amber eyes widened and searched for each other. The laughter that burst from them both was heartfelt and it was only after a few moments that Tarik was able to gasp out, "That is...too perfect...for words."

Brighid raised an eyebrow at their reaction and the Irish accent she fought to hide took hold. "And just what will ye be laughing at so boldly now?" thinking that they were laughing at her somehow.

"Its perfect. To be taught by a vre'kasht. I think its a brilliant suggestion, after all who would know better about controlling emotions in a way that works without shutting them down?"

That stopped her and she tilted her head. "You are a strange Vulcan." The words were no more out of her mouth than she saw the irony of them. This caused her to laugh and the tension in her shoulders to melt away. "I will speak to my father about it if you like." She grinned at Tarik.

"Half Vulcan," he answered with a twinkle in his eye "Let's not give your father the idea he'll be dealing with a Vulcan with normal prejudices."

She nodded, "That will be more than agreeable I think." She sighed happy to know at least one Vulcan who wouldn't shun her. No matter how much father said she shouldn't let it bother her it did.

"I can only hope so, I could really use the training." Tarik offered her a smile as he turned to place a plate into the outstretched hands of his sister. Talia in turn placed a plate of savory dishes into his hand and then with a swish of her scarlet dipped ebony hair she disappeared into the crowd once more.

Miach watched his daughter interacting with the Vulcan cadets. He smiled and nodded, "It is good." he said to himself. Good that she was getting interaction with other Vulcans other than himself. He turned and moved towards the outlying gardens.


To Be Continued...