Rituals of the Expanse

Whenever we encounter any new species or any new society in Star Trek there is almost always something novel about them: unusual clothing, an extravagant welcoming event, a seemingly bizarre dish of food or a vividly-coloured drink. So as we explore the new cultures and civilisations of the Shackleton Expanse, what unique and unusual rituals do you encounter?

In anthropology, a ritual is a set of formalised, symbolic actions performed in a prescribed order to communicate shared values, create meaning, and reinforce social bonds. As we explore these new species, do they have secular or religious rituals, rites of passage, festivals or celebrations?

This is a competition for your crew to document one such ritual in a story post on BFMS. What ritual do they experience, how do they describe it or make sense o fit? Do they participate? Do they make a mistake that angers or amuses their new friends (or enemies!)?

Criteria

• Stories must be submitted through the BFMS and your entry should link to that story. Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
• Stories will be graded using the Bravo Fleet Fiction Rubric, which marks on the following criteria: Language, Style, & Mechanics; Adherence to Canon; Perspective; Characterization; Originality; Use of the Prompt.
• Stories must be written during the competition period and should not be a reuse of an existing story. Stories written before or after the competition begins will be disqualified. The BFMS publication date will be used.
• The story must be a single author post in BFMS and not a joint post with another author.