Backpost: Cassian and Gwyn - A long overdue catchup

Posted on Mon Oct 6th, 2025 @ 9:52pm by Lieutenant Cassian Maritz

Mission: Port of Call
Location: Marwols Quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 2000

:: ON ::

Cassian tapped his commbadge to open a link, "Lieutenants Maritz to Marwol. Are you free right now, or for the next couple of hours?" He had an idea and needed Gwen's help with it, if he was free and up for it, of course.

The Welshmen was lounging in his quarters on his bed lounging on his self-knitted blue with pink striped blanket with his legs dangling over the side of the bed, headphones in his portable media player, Rocstar by Dafydd Hedd blasting in his ears, a song about a young rockstar maturing and becoming angry when injustice kills his dreams. Something Gwenwyn related to on the daily. He heard the related common chime, thankfully his music wasn't that loud, with a quick swipe the earbuds fell out and he replaced the music with the comm channel.

Taping at the button on the control panel that also linked the door. There had been some nights when he accidentally opened a comm channel instead of shutting the door. "Hi Cass," He said with a smile, how he thanked god for posting a friend aboard Sojo. "Yeah, I'm free" he'd gone to work that very morning, and chaired a departmental meeting just to find out there was no one in charge of the night shift, so guess who was working the ER at night now? Gwenwyn Marwol. "What's up? My quarters are free, if you want to come over?" Then he recited his cabin number to Cassian.

"Great! Give me five minutes and I'll be there," Cassian replied with a wide smile. The Cosmos was the first place he'd felt at home for the first time in a long time and it was due partly to Gwenwyn being one of his best friends there. Aside for Blue, of course, but people might think him crazy if he only spoke to her and no one else.

He'd made sure there was nothing that needed to be done before he'd finished shift, including any reports he'd been putting off submitting, an armory check, and the training schedules he'd started to organise for the rest of his team. He'd be evaluating their proficiencies in weapons handling and seeing what needed to be worked on to get everyone up to the same level, himself included.

Grabbing one of his off-duty jackets and a couple of other things, he gave Blue a scratch on the head before he headed out of the shared quarters. Within a couple of minutes, he was standing outside Gwen's quarters, waiting for him to answer, the chime having been pressed.

Gwenwyn looked forward to hanging with Cass, they hadn't hanged since Cosmos was docked at Starbase Icarus, maybe later? He was wearing a white tank top he used as an undershirt with the standard uniform trousers, he stood in front of the open wardrobe trying to find some civilian clothes but ended up admitting he needed new clothes, he just threw on a knitted baby blue jumper that he used to sleep and lounge around in that was extremely worn, you could easily see his chest, thankfully the tank top covered that.

He leaped like an excited kid to the front door, he opened it and smiled brightly. "Hi," he said, welcoming Cass in, he pointed towards the seating at the bottom with the glass coffee table. "Can I offer you anything? Before you tell me what bank heist you've got planned" he quipped.

Cassian simply laughed as he walked in and took a seat, "I promise there's no bank heist, not tonight anyway. If you're keen though for something like that, I'm sure there's a holoprogram that'll accomodate how to successfully pull one off?" He grinned as he watched his friend and relaxed a bit. They'd attempted a heist on a holodeck back on the Cosmos and it didn't work out the way they'd wanted it to. All in the name of fun, of course, nothing serious.

"You got two glasses?" Cassian asked as he pulled out a bottle of Supa Prime brandy and put it on the coffee table. He'd managed to score the bottle from a shoreleave he'd been on a while back and had resisted the urge to drink it on numerous occasions, hoping to save it for a special occasion.

With a click of his fingers, Gwenwyn rushed into his bedroom, the door was still open so anyone could peer in but he pulled out a Starfleet bag from under his bed and withdrew 2 clay cups, both self-made. Badly. Walking back into the common area, "That f***ing mixer," He remarked "2393, your cadet cruise. The mixer where cadets got to meet the Cosmos crew... Whose idea was it to have a pottery class in the middle of the room in the name of 'bonding' I'll never know," He placed the cups down on the glass table.

Laughing out loud Cassian picked up one of the cups and examined it, remembering the scene perfectly, "Ha, I remember that! I'm pretty sure there was more clay on the ground and everyone than there was on the sculptures, right?" He hadn't participated in it because he was not artistic in any way, shape or form, and didn't want clay on his clothes. Pouring the brandy into the cups, he offered one to Gwen and raised his own in salute, "Supa Prime brandy, just like we used to."

Gwenwyn clinked his mug with Cass and threw the brandy straight back, friends with Security Chief could have its benefits. Gwenwyn wouldn't dare abuse their friendship though, to him it felt like a friendship for life. Oh, how he missed the company he used to keep. "A reunion is very overdue Cass." He said, sitting down on the elongated sofa, and placing the empty cup on the glass table in front of him.

Cass raised an eyebrow at how fast Gwen had finished the drink in front of him, "Damn right it is." Folding one leg under him he added with a grin, "If I'm remembering correctly, you were pretty much the lightweight of the group, right? Or have you finally built up that tolerance?" It was always Sarah, Ellie, Gwenwyn and him. They may have all been different departments on the Cosmos but they all shared the same love of brandy and it was Cass that ended up taking them all back to their quarters.

"Honestly, I don't remember." Gwenwyn plainly said, pouring himself another cup full, forgetting he was working the night shift last minute. "But what I know is, I was the last to leave Cosmos. Any clue where everyone ended up?" He always wondered, always planned to check in but hospitalization and recovery had taken over large parts of his life. "I know Ellie left the service and works in the private sector. Got a picture of her and her son... Ugly baby."

"It's gotta be the father's fault, right?" Cass laughed and finished off his own cup, the brandy going down just as smoothly as he remembered. "Because Ellie was always looking good, right? Long blonde hair, looked amazing both in and out of uniform? Or am I thinking of someone else?" As hard as he tried, he wasn't able to completely picture what she looked like in his mind, only that she was always there. He'd crushed on Sarah more during their time serving together but Tia ultimately won his heart and affection. "From what you mentioned when we first caught up, you said that Sarah was a test pilot in the Engineering Corps? I wonder how she managed to swing that one her way...?" He poured himself another drink and realised it was going to probably turn into a drinking contest with Gwen sooner or later like it always did.

Gwenwyn's brow frowned. How much had he drunk? "I thought I said Ellie was the test pilot?" He asked rhetorically "Sounds like you're much out of date as I am," He chuckled. Oh, the Cosmos 4, how he missed coming off a morning shift, hanging out with the 4 all day, and showing up for work with 0 sleep but great memories. "Swear on 100 lives Delilah'," Delilah was a senior Security Officer who often got into fights and trouble but always survived a court marshal time and time, hence the nickname '100 lives Delilah' "T'Madh, you know, the Vulcan Captain of Cosmos anyways. Rotoran," A Bajorn enlistee working as a junior ops officer on Cosmos, known as a frequent liar, "Said she left Starfleet and founded a cult!"

"Founded a cult?! Really?" Cass said incredulously, not quite believing she would do something like that. Then again, he hadn't kept up with anyone since leaving because he was more focused on Tia and trying to keep her happy. "Yeah, I don't believe anything Rotoran says. Never have, never will. Not after he got me into trouble with the Security Chief by throwing me under the bus for something I had no part of." He thought back to one of the times they'd clashed and Cassian had come off worse for it, "But you're right, you did say it was Ellie who was the test pilot, not Sarah."

He took a small drink, "I remember 100 Lives Delilah though. She was always slightly bitchy because she had the experience, but I looked up to and learned a few things from her that have come in handy over the years, thankfully." Reclining back again into the sofa, he put one arm on the back of it and looked at Gwen, "So what's going on with you? Managed to find yourself anyone yet?"

Gwenwyn shook his head, "After 6 years on Cosmos, getting called for a surgical consult on everyone's eczema rash, I finally had enough and got asked for re-assignment." He lifted up his injured hand, showing the scar. "Got reassigned, so injured I was taken to Starfleet Medical now I am a surgical infection risk..." He was waffling, he knew that "No time for love, I tried with Ellie after I got released but she moved on. You?"

"You're a surgical infection risk now?" Cass raised an eyebrow as he looked at Gwens hand and the scar on it. "I'm sorry, man. I know I'm probably going to sound like a broken record when I say this, but you do realise you could have called me via subspace comms and I would've been there for you through everything, right? You're not alone in it at all."

Making a split moment decision, he got up from the lounge and walked over to the replicator. A couple of minutes later, he came back with a variety of foods that included crisp sandwiches (he'd remembered it was Gwens favourite), sweets, some pepperoni pizza, and a couple of bottles of water and put them all out on the coffee table. "There's nothing worse than drinking on an empty stomach, we should both know that one." He laughed at the few times he'd shown up to shift dusty from the night before.

"There's no love for me either, just poorly timed hook ups." He admitted as he sat back down and grabbed a slice of the pizza, "And yet Tia is already engaged to someone else." There was a slight tone of resentment but overall, Cassian was happy for her.

Gwenwyn was having a had time remembering who Tia was, but he was grateful for the Walkers Worcester Sauce cripis in between 2 slices of bread, though he wasn't thankful for the water. "I know you would've been there but medicine has been in my family since Plague Doctors were common, and besides, my family descended like I was a dying and after my inheritance." He quiped, taking a bite of his favourite sandwich, catching the escaping crips from in between the bread. "Hows your time after Cosmos been?"

Even though it was replicated and nowhere near as good as the real thing, Cass enjoyed his slice of good old pepperoni pizza and munched through a bite of it before commenting, "Well, I was on the Halberd in the Alpha Quadrant for a couple of years before this and there's nothing exciting to report about it, if I'm being honest." He took up his drink again and finished it off as he started to feel the warmth flow through from its effects. "There were a couple of times where I almost got caught out with one Science officer in particular, but that's all." He shrugged.

Gwenwyn would have preferred somewhere in the Alpha Quadrant, on boring patrol missions or anti-piracy taskforce, heck even a desk job would have been better. Just knowing he was in the delta quadrant right now gave him night terrors. But he trusted Cass more than Bracco or any ship's consul. "...If you could pick anywhere in the galaxy," He said, leaning into the sofa, head tilted upwards, facing the ceiling. "Where would your heaven be?"

"If it's not back home, it would be Betazed," Cass knew it was a basic answer, but it was a place he liked, "I've always enjoyed going there, even if it's only for a couple of days at a time, but I think it's one of the most gorgeous places I've been, so yeah, Betazed. What about you?"

"My bed," He let out a dry laugh. "My Uncle's circus. Just... When I was waiting back on my (Starfleet) application status, I liked hanging out with the galactic travelers who joined us for cash or a rest... I remember," He stopped staring at the ceiling, sat up like a gentleman while looking at Cass, kindhearted Cass. "Pink grass, we sat around a fire burning, the grass smelt of vanilla and this Haliian called Usiel told us a folk story from his homeworld where a Prince rode a Nine-Foot horse to save his best friend."

Cass laughed. "Of course you'd say your bed first." Slounching down into the seat and continuing to munch on his latest piece of pizza, he looked at Gwyn who was watching him and raised a brow. He loved Gwyn just as much as his own brother, Jason. "But no, that all sounds pretty magical, not gonna lie there. I can just imagine running my hands through the grass to smell the vanilla from it and the fire too. I miss going camping and sitting under the stars of a night."

Gwenwyn liked that idea, it'd been too long since he did anything out of uniform and with a friend. "Me too, though I wouldn't be able to sleep from excitement! I love exploring woodlands or flat plains." He thought for a moment whether he should float the idea of them going camping. Did they go camping? He criticised himself in his head for getting forgetful in his older years.

"Is this your way of saying you wanna go camping, Gwyn?" Cassian laughed. "Because I'm definitely not opposed to it, you know. I think the last time I went camping was when I was like sixteen with my brother, Jason?" He realised just how long ago that was and sat up, the weight of it being half a lifetime ago coming with him and puffed his cheeks out as he blew a breath out before looking at Gwyn, "Man, that was half a lifetime ago. Good lord. Sixteen years, wow." It was only a fraction of time compared to how long they were able to live for now but still, he didn't like it. He hiccupped.

The thought of them camping brought a smile to him, maybe Cass too. "I'd like that too." He said, trying to remember if he knew where his stuff was. "It's been too much for me to remember how long it's been for me. Do you remember where you guys went?" He asked, maybe they could go together, see what has changed over the years.

Slumping back onto the couch, Cassian thought about it for a moment, "I think it was like Vermont or Montana, I honestly don't remember. Pretty sure it was Montana, but next time I chat with him I'll ask. How about you bring the drinks and the food and I'll bring the rest?"

"Sounds like a plan," Gwyn admitted sleepily through a yawn. The brandy had had the right effect in slowly getting him drunk and he knew it was only a matter of time before he passed out. "I'm gonna close my eyes for a bit..." He knew the hangover was just around the corner.

Cassian looked at Gwyn and laughed, "Go for it." As he watched his friend slowly pass out, just like old times, he looked up to the cieling and wondered what life had in store for them both. Would they both end up getting what they wanted, or would it end up with them both burning out? He sighed, still thinking about Montana and going back there before grabbing his glass, looking at it and finishing off the liquid in it.


OFF

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Lieutenant Cassian Maritz
Chief Security Officer
USS Sojourner

Lieutenant Gwenwyn Marwol
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Sojourner