Debriefing (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 14 Jul 2013 @ 2:58pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Scarlet Blake & Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Ensign Natalie Chevalier & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas & Lieutenant JG Jacrux & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Lieutenant Dawn Meridian & Lieutenant JG Victoria Crawley & Verity Thorne & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alexion Wylde & Ensign Ariadne Fleming & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Vincent Kramer Ph.D.

3,184 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 6, Cargo Bay 2
Timeline: MD 12 - 1320 hrs

Previously, on Debriefing (Part 1)...

"Despite some...incidents at the beginning of your assignment, your service aboard ship has been excellent since our last meeting. Therefore I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade."

This time when Holliday reached down into the box, it was a hollow pin he produced, and quickly attached to the previously-Ensign's collar.

"Don't let me down....Lieutenant." He muttered with a smirk, and moved to shake the man's hand.

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

Jared thought it best to keep his rather not so innocent thoughts about the XO private, not wanting to lose his promotion. So he took the hand and shook it returning the Senior Officer's smile. "No sir, I won't disappoint. Thank you for your confidence."

There were two names remaining on his list, and without hestiation John called out the next name.

"Junior Lieutenant Delainey Carlisle."

"Sir," Delainey replied quietly as she stepped forward with what she hoped came across as a happy but not an altogether easy smile.

"For length of service aboard Galileo, and for your commitment to the wellbeing of this crew, I hereby promote you to the rank of full Lieutenant."

For the last time, John reached into the box and removed a solid pin to replace with a hollow one, the last of the Junior Lieutenant's he would be promoting today. As he finished affixing the pin, he stood back and reached out his hand in congratulations.

Delainey resisted the urge to make a cheesy joke as Holliday put her pip in place, suddenly aware of all eyes on her. When John stepped back and offered his hand, however, her eyes locked on his and she felt herself taking in the sense of accomplishment his words to her were meant to convey. She shook his hand firmly, placing her hand atop his in genuine gratitude. She was perfectly at home with one on one interactions, of course.

The last promotion of John's list was one that he had been looking forward to issuing for some time. One of his students who had finally come of age and joined her colleagues in the full ranks of Starfleet.

"Senior Cadet Im'er Mor'an. It is with great pleasure as your supervisor, and with the blessing of the Commandant of Starfleet Academy that I hereby confirm your graduation, and assignment of the rank of Ensign aboard the USS Galileo."

Moving towards the Cadet personally, John reached up to the collar of her uniform and with a sense of satisfaction, relieved her of the cadet pin she had worn ever since coming board ship, and quickly replaced it with a single solid gold pip.

Mor'an made direct eye contact with the commander as he stepped towards her and pinned the pip to her collar. He had asked her when she had first come on board if she was ready. She hoped this proved that she was, indeed, ready. Her eyes danced with the excitement that was trying to break through her sense of propriety.

"There will of course be a graduation ceremony when we return to Earth, but I figured there was no harm in awarding your pip early."

"Aye, sir," Mor'an said softly, in a voice laced with appreciation and excitement, "Thank you."

With one last smirk. John closed the box and returned to Lirha's side, opening his hand to allow her to take the item from him and continue on with the ceremony.

The captain gave a silent nod to her first officer and took the small wooden box from him, then walked down in front of the crew to where the senior officers were assembled at the heads of their respective departments.

Now standing in front of the three gold-collared departments, Lirha first approached Theron, the head of Galileo's security. "Lieutenant Rhodes."

Lt. Rhodes stepped forward. Standing at attention, straight and tall, he felt very proud and confident. Promotion was not a small thing in his home society. Rank and privialage went hand in hand. But then again, so did disgrace.

She looked up at the tall Tandaran then reached to his collar to remove his hollow pip, then promptly replaced it with a solid gold one. "Your service aboard our ship has been exemplary over the past several months. It is my pleasure to promote you to the rank of full lieutenant, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." she said, then extended her hand for him to shake and gave him a warm smile.

Theron had known this was coming. This handshake. He wanted to make sure there was no hesitation, so the whole time, since stepping forward, he kept repeating to himself; extend your hand, extend your hand. He clasped the Captain's hand firmly. Then releasing he replied, "Thank you Captain."

Lirha moved over to the next column where the engineering department was assembled and walked up to Lilou, the ship's short and quiet Trill chief engineer. "Ensign Peers."

"You have an uncanny ability to keep Galileo running smoothly and efficiently regardless of the circumstances. I have been impressed with you and your department's performance since you came aboard our ship, and it is my honor to promote you to the rank of lieutenant junior grade with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." she said, then reached down and pinned a hollow pip next to the single gold one on the woman's collar. "Congratulations." she added while offering her green hand.

Moving down the line, Lirha passed the operations department and arrived at the heart of the ship's crew, the massive science contingent which accounted for roughly 1/3 of all Galileo's personnel. The two department heads stood at the front, and Lirha first approached young Kiri. "Lieutenant Cho."

She knew this was coming but Kiri still didn't feel ready. Her feet felt like lead and it was hard to step forwards. Everything seemed to slow down and warm blood started to rush through her. Feathered Velociraptors were doing barrel rolls in her stomach. Why did good things make her feel under threat?

"You and your team have done an impeccable job during our system survey and I could not be more proud of your work. Thanks to you and Lieutenant Pendleton, we have made several incredible discoveries which have our scientists and astrobiologists anxious to visit the system themselves for further study and alalysis. With the transfer of Lieutenant Panne back to Earth, it is my pleasure to promote you to the rank of full lieutenant and chief science officer, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." the captain said with a smile, then removed Kiri's hollow pip and replaced it with a solid gold one. As with the other senior officers, she extended her hand in a congratulatory manner for Kiri to shake.

"Thank you sir," Kiri was caught between pride and a quaking respect for the captain. Clumsily she took her hand with cold fingers, "I will do my best." What else could she say, should she had even said that? Kiri didn't have any thing by way of good experiences with the captain, she was still loyal as a young officer should be.

Standing near Kiri was Jacob, the massively huge chief research officer who could easily have had a career in Starfleet Security. "Lieutenant Pendleton." Lirha formally said as she stepped in front of him and craned her head back to look up at him.

"Your work with the science department has been outstanding since you arrived, and your efforts on the Rojarian moon to discover an ancient civilization were most impressive. Your scientific method of investigation is excellent, and it is my pleasure to promote you to the rank of full lieutenant with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." Lirha said, waiting for the very tall man to bend down after which she - like Kiri and the other junior grade lieutenants - removed his hollow pip and replaced it with a solid one. "Congratulations." she added with a small smile as she held out her hand for him to shake.

Jacob bend down for her and received the promotion. He took her pretty hand and shook it gently and replied in a low, nervous voice, "Thank.. thank you Captain.. you.. you honor me greatly... thank you again..." He slightly blushed from both the recognition and for the fact that he got a moment to look into the beautiful eyes of his gorgeous Captain.

With only two more senior officers remaining in the formation, Lirha moved down to the small medical department which only contained eight personnel. She stopped in front of Andreus, the chief medical officer, and offered the Argelian a nod of approval. "Lieutenant Kohl."

Although the Captain was standing there before him, Kohl's first reaction was to look over at Scarlet expectantly. When Scarlet didn't step forward, he just stared at her, and he re-played Lirha's words in his head. Only once he consciously registered that she had said 'Kohl', did Kohl nod at her and step forward.

"Exploration is not without its dangers, many of which are unseen and unknown until it is too late. We sadly lost several fine members of our crew this mission, but we saved many more thanks to you and your department's vigilance and medical expertise. Your performance has been excellent, and it is my honor to promote you to the rank of full lieutenant, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." Lirha said, then reached to the man's blue collar where she removed the hollow pip and replaced it with a solid version. "Congratulations." she continued, offering her hand out to him.

"Well, uh," Kohl stammered, and he grasped Lirha's hand between both of his own. He gave her hand a shake, and then he reached up to touch the pips on his neck. The texture of two solid cylinders felt different. He nodded again. "Thank you, Captain."

Delainey's pleasure at seeing her friend promoted was tempered by some surprise that Scarlet hadn't been acknowledged with a promotion. Surely the brass wouldn't deny her that after Carlisle and Dawn were recognized? Perhaps the promotions were being given out of order?

Lirha moved down to the next and last senior officer assembled, Scarlet. She had not seen much of the former Marine recently, but that was usually a good sign and indication that she was keeping busy while tending to the crew's mental health. "Lieutenant Blake."

Scarlet stepped forward, puzzled, although her features remained calm and cool. When the counsellors in her department had been called forward to be promoted, and so made higher in rank than her own, and she hadn't, her mind had been moving quickly over what it could mean. She couldn't run a department at a lower ran than the others in it. Was she being moved?

Delainey smiled. She knew Scarlet wouldn't be forgotten.

"Life as a Starfleet counselor is often a thankless job at times, but your long hours of work have been invaluable. A healthy mind and body are essential to our performance as a team, and without you and your department's efforts, we would not be a space-worthy crew. I have also been impressed with your leadership skills, and it is my pleasure to promote you to the rank of lieutenant commander and second officer, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto." the Orion captain said with a smile. She reached up and pinned an additional gold pip on the brown-haired woman's collar, then customarily extended her hand for Scarlet to shake. "Congratulations."

Scarlet was stunned for a moment, and it took a second to realise she was just staring at the Captain, her breath held in her chest. Her heart raced with it. Lieutenant Commander. And Second Officer. She'd missed her position and rank from the marines, more than she'd admitted. She'd worked hard since restarting in the normal fleet, but she hadn't seen this coming at all. Remembering herself, Scarlet quickly reached out to grip the hand, her eyes shining and unable to hold her smile back. "Thank you, Captain."

With her box of pips now empty, Lirha returned back to her XO's side and glanced over the entire crew once more before sending them on their way. "Congratulations to all of you for a job well done." she reiterated. "Galileo will remain in the Rojar system for an additional day until USS Venture's stardrive returns from charting the nearby Setisar Nebula, after which we will return to Starbase 185 to resupply and receive new orders. In the meantime, you are all granted twenty-four hours of R&R while we await their arrival. Dismissed." she finished.

Nat felt a little lost. All these people were being promoted for work she hadn't been a part of: the crew ceremony had served to make her feel more alienated, rather than more included. It wasn't a feeling she relished, and dusting off her hands, she decided to slip out quietly, avoiding the commemorations, congratulatons and commiserations of which she knew so little.

Since they were all here Kiri felt that she should say something at least, "Um," Loud wasn't something she normally considered let alone used, "There will be a Science department meeting at seventeen hundred hours. I hope you will all be able to attend." Looking around she wasn't really sure what else to do. Should she say something else, would anyone have anything to say to her? Should she say something to Kohl?

Jacob walked up to Kiri, gave her a big smile and said, "Major congratulations.. or wait.. would that be Lieutenant congratulations?" He chuckled a moment, "Well we made it huh? You're in the lead now Kiri and I am so proud of you. It will be good to have a department meeting later, as there are so many new folks as well as new beginnings we need to start." His smiled lingered and he gently patted her on the shoulder.

Scarlet remained stood where she was, stunned for a long moment. She finally turned to look at the others who were still there, just looking around at the familiar faces with a smile.

Carlisle was almost as surprised as Scarlet upon hearing of Blake's triple accomplishment. Not only had she climbed up two rungs in rank in one swoop, but she'd snagged a prestigious command slot as well. She was proud of Scarlet and on a personal level, she was pleased to work with a command staff who appreciated and rewarded counselors for their contributions. If Scarlet had gotten this far aboard Galileo, there was hope for more counselors to break the glass ceiling of command more often.

Of course, Blake's promotion meant more work for Scarlet and likely more responsibility for Carlisle. In the coming days, she would make sure Scarlet knew Delainey had her back as she adjusted to her new responsibilities. For now, however, it was time to celebrate.

Delainey approached Blake and placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, a wide smile on her face. Scarlet's reaction would have been comical to her if she weren't so busy empathizing with her. "Congratulations, 'commander." With a mischevious smile, Carlisle pretended to whisper, "Now that you're in super senior management, there's a list of demands I'd like to discuss with you."

Scarlet laughed at that, unable to help herself as she shook her head, her fingertips almost feeling tingly with the shock of it. "You better be able to pay for them," she teased back, but with a smile, shaking her head. "Thanks, Delainey."

When the ceremony concluded, Lt. Rhodes did an about face and looked at Aria, "Congratulations Lieutenant Rice." giving her an uncontrollable smile.

"And you too!" Aria smiled and hit his arm quickly. "Go team Security, huh?"

Victoria eyed her newly promoted crew members. She wasn't well acquainted with most of them, but she couldn't help feeling just the tiniest bit proud of them. Noticing that the crowd was quickly clearing and people were getting back to work, Victoria turned and headed back to the labs.

As people started to flow from the cargo bay, Mor'an stood for a moment, feet apart, hands behind her back and head down, thinking. She was no longer a cadet; she was a full-fledged member of Starfleet. This moment should be one of joyous celebration, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was letting her people down. I should be home, she thought, I should be home, taking on a youngling of my own to train. I should be passing on the traditions. After a moment she lifted her head with a slight shake. No. I am meant to be here. I am supposed to be here. Squaring her shoulders, Mor'an turned on her heel and followed her crew mates from the cargo bay.

Aria grinned as she looked around, taking in the people. She looked over at Scarlet and waved, eagerly, before heading out. She was a full Lieutenant. She. That one. Aria Rice. She had made it one step up the ladder. Shame it would be a long way to fall down, but if she was lucky the fall would happen in zero g and she'd be able to bounce off a bulkhead or something.

Dea was pleased to see that many of her fellow crewmates has been promoted.
After dismissing her department there was one more task on her list. Before leaving the cargo bay she passed by several wishing them congratulations.

Throughout the ceremony, Jac silently made note of every department receiving a new head or assistant. The new dynamics in the command structure would be most interesting to observe (and meddle with, but that went unsaid) over the coming weeks. He turned and departed from the bay. Unlike so many of the others, the Ensign didn't have anything to celebrate, so it was back to work for him.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Victoria Crawley
Psychologist
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Aria Rice
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Theron Rhodes
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Dea Mialin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Cmdr. Scarlet Blake
Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Delainey Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Chief Counselor/Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Andreus Kohl
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lt.(jg) Jared Nicholas
Language Specialist
USS Galileo

Ensign Natalie Chevalier
Ecologist
Planetary Sciences Division
USS Galileo

Ensign Im'er Mor'an
Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Amynta Markos
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Lt.(jg) Jared Nicholas
Linquist
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Dawn Meridian
Counsellor
USS Galileo

Ensign Jacrux
Anthropologist
USS Galileo

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