Unexpected Promotions

Posted on 18 Apr 2013 @ 12:19pm by Lieutenant Aria Rice & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes
Edited on on 22 Apr 2013 @ 8:52am

1,331 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Captain's Office
Timeline: MD06 - 0800 hrs

ON:

Lt. jg Aria Rice hadn't exactly expected to be called to the Captain's office. It had been a rough ride so far, with Stone's unexpected demise and finding herself suddenly in charge of the safety of the away team she had been on. Fun. Very fun. She bit her lip as she walked, her hands working behind her head to braid her hair...it needed a wash, but she hadn't really had the time with everything going on. She'd get to it sometime today. Her talk with Scarlet had helped her set things straight in her head, with her reaction down planet. Made her feel more like herself.

She stopped outside the office and rang the chime, waiting patiently...hoping this was going to be a casual chat, despite the message giving her the impression that Lirha had her CO hat on today.

"Enter." came Lirha's muffled voice from the back corner the ready room. She was currently at the replicator procuring herself a snack, and had her mouth full with a large bite of her fresh salad.

Aria smiled gently as she walked in, looking at Lirha for a moment, just taking her in. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Rice reporting..." she said, but with an almost playful glint. She knew when to separate Lirha from Captain Saalm, but it was difficult at times.

Lirha took sight of Aria and grinned at the petite security officer. "Hello, lieutenant." she replied, then walked back to her desk with her small salad bowl and napkin in her hand. "Please have a seat. Lieutenant Rhodes should be here any second and in light of Lieutenant Stone's unfortunate death, I want to discuss future plans for your department with both of you."

It never fails when there is something important that he needed to be at the turbolift door would not open when desired. Theron thought, I could have probably climbed through the Jefferies tubes faster.

Upon entering the bridge, Lt. Rhodes made his way quickly to the Captain's Readyroom and pressed the chime.

"Enter." Lirha once again called out as she settled into the chair behind her desk."

Stepping through the door quickly, Rhodes first saw the Captain and Lt. Rice already sitting. He cringed slightly realizing he was late. He came to attention before the Captain, "Lt. Rhodes reporting as ordered."

Lirha smiled up at the young Tandaran who had arrived promptly enough considering the unannounced nature of her call. "At ease, lieutenant. Please have a seat." she said, her eyes flickering towards the chair next to Aria. "As I was telling Lieutenant Rice, I want to take a few moments to discuss my plans for your department with both of you, in lieu of Stone's passing."

Aria glanced at Lirha, but kept silent...waiting, anxiously, for what would happen.

Rhodes glanced down at Rice then back to the Captain as he sat. His area between his eyebrows furrowed. Something else was going on between them and he was not quite sure what it was. He then relaxed, waiting for the Captain.

"As you both probably know by now, Lieutenant Stone and Sidious were killed in action yesterday during an away mission on the R01 moon." the captain began with a surprising amount of professionalism in her voice. "I have informed Starfleet Command and his family, and they both wish to convey their condolences to his friends and colleagues aboard Galileo. Serving in Starfleet has always been a dangerous operation, and even more so for members of the Security department. Such tragedies occur from time to time but we must move forward and not let it deter us from our goals." she explained, then shifted in her seat and continued.

"With our Security department now missing its most senior member, I am promoting you to the position of department head." Lirha said to Rhodes, then turned to Rice. "And you are being promoted to assistant department head."

Rhodes nodded understanding of the situation. He had held this position before, but only on a temporary bases. He looked to Rice, but she did not look happy at all.

Aria stared at her for a moment before taking a breath. "I...I can't..." she said, shaking her head. "I'm not qualified. I'm not a good leader, I'm not even respected as a Security officer..." she said, before laughing with disbelief. "Did I bang my head down there?"

"Yes, you are qualified." Lirha answered in a firm tone to remind Aria that she was on duty and to not let her personal feelings for the woman get in the way of her decision. Rhodes had seemed to take the news well, but his counterpart... "And you are respected, and you perform your duties very well. Trust me, I would not have considered you for the position if I did not feel that you were capable of such a task."

Aria watched her, the fear clear in her eyes at the prospect. "Yes, Captain..." she said quietly, swallowing. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"You are welcome." Lirha politely replied. "I expect you to assist Lieutenant Rhodes in order to optimize your department and get the most out of each and very one of your personnel." she added. "You have a small department which is in charge of the entire crew's security, therefore I expect you to put each of your personnel to good use. I do not need to remind you that we are a science vessel, and as the great Terran general Sun Tzu once said, 'The art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'." she said with a wink to both of them.

Theron grimaced slightly. He had heard of this book several times; some good, some bad. But now, his Captain was quoting it to him. I guess it is time I read this book.

Aria nodded gently, watching her for a long moment. "Yes, Captain," she said and looked at Rhodes, more curious with how calm he was. But then again, he had run the department before. This was Aria's first time being more than just the girl in the back.

Rhodes glanced at Aria with her response and looked back to the Captain, "Yes, Ma'am."

Lirha waited a long moment in silence as she searched each of their faces to assure herself that she had made the right decision. She didn't often second-guess herself, but she was making an important decision which would affect the future of her starship. "Very well then." she finally said. "Do either of you have any questions?" she asked, affording them both the opportunity to inquire about their new assignments.

Theron looked to Rice sitting in the chair to his side. He had no questions, but was just a touch concerned still for Aria. If she had an issue, this was the time to bring it up. He looked at her intently and gave her a slight nod of reassurance.

Aria let out a breath, watching Lirha. There were questions, but not the ones that had anything to do with her duty. "No, Captain," she said softly.

"Excellent." the Lirha said, then gave them both a curt nod. "Congratulations on your promotions, although I wish it was under better circumstances. If there is nothing else, you are both dismissed." she added, then quickly paused as she remembered something she wanted to mention. "Oh...and no more twelve-hour shifts. I need you all to be sharp and well-rested, not run into the ground with exhaustion every day."

With those words, Theron took in a deep breath and let it out easy, "That we can do, Sir."

[OFF] (hey i'm going to hold onto this post until i figure out a time for it on MD 6. -Jay)

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. jg Aria Rice
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Theron Rhodes
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

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