The party was in full swing on the ship. All six thousand of the crew were there just to celebrate not only their successful mission but happily giving a goodbye to a beloved janitor. So focused on him in fact, no one really acknowledged it was a celebration of the mission apart from Captain Olfang who wasn't allowed by her superiors to throw retirement parties for 'none certified members' of the crew.
By technicality there were six thousand crew but by Ravon's rules there was only four thousand crew and two thousand staff.
Captain Olfang was a stickler for this rule only on paper and in the minds of her superiors, but she knew she had six thousand crew.
"Captain! It's so good you came! Westa is having a ball as party center he's so excited for your speech!" Nena said, one of her marine life specialists.
Nena swooned slightly whenever she stood beside her Captain and this time was no different. This time she had a flush either from her buzz or possibly her vicinity to the Captain.
"Well I can't wait to give it. Westa deserves every last bit of this, after cleaning the engines so much this is the least he should recieve!" Olfang responded none the wiser to Nena's anxious look.
"You're so right Captain! Hahaha, yeah." Nena quickly turned embarrassed and silently scolded herself as she rushed away from Olfang's side back to her co-workers sides.
Olfang looked out into the ginormous cafeteria of her ship. Shaped like a hive but instead of hexagonal cones in the ridges there were circles. She leaned on the railing she stood in front of looking down at her many members on the bottom floor of the cafeteria. Westa sat in the middle in his aid chair laughing exuberantly with many of his fellow cleaning staff.
Olfang recalled the gift she had gotten him at the last station specifically for his retirement. It was a lovely attachment for his walking aid that allowed it to hang upside down. A very expensive product Westa often joked about buying whenever he cleaned the engines.
"You know, if the big nuts hear about this you could lose your ship." Iuta said, approaching Olfang with one of the glasses of fermented nectar. Something their species drank often during events.
"A celebratory event for a high class mission? I'm perfectly in budget." Olfang responded with a kiddy smirk as she took the glass. Making sure to let her fingers linger on Iuta's as she did.
"They're going to catch on." Iuta said leaning on the railing and sliding her way close to Olfang.
"About what? The parties or..." Olfang trailed off before playfully tapping her glass onto Iuta's.
She glanced back at her fellow crew mates chatting to each other before looking back to Olfang.
"Maybe both." Iuta said slyly brushing her fingers against Olfang's side.
"See me in my room tomorrow night." Iuta whispered before slipping away.
Olfang did her best not to appear lovestruck and pushed herself up straight on the railing while letting out a stressed sigh. Thinking about the pound of paperwork that awaited her in the morning.
A well known couple of her crew Delmar and Crana, walked pass behind her. She turned her head slightly to watch the two as they clung to one another taking a moment to share a piece of a treat before continuing their conversation.
Olfang, though she hid it well, was extremely jealous of those two. They were basically inseparable, they got to share quarters, they were able to hold hands whenever they liked, sit together on breaks and hold each other whilst gazing out the windows, send each other messages through the system. All sorts.
