All Hands on Deck (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 26 Oct 2012 @ 6:00pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Commander Andreus Kohl & Commander Scarlet Blake & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Amril & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Arthur Willis & Verity Thorne & Ambassador Si'tar Del'an & Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cyrus Kiwosk & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Crewman Athlen
Edited on on 27 Oct 2012 @ 5:48am

4,424 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo - Cargo Bay #1
Timeline: MD 04 - 0950 hrs

[ON]

Clad in her white dress uniform and sporting a new solid pip on her collar, Lirha paced back and forth across the far end of the cargo bay as she waited for the rest of her crew to arrive for the promotion ceremony. In her hand was a large box which contained various sets of new ranks, and she felt a mixed twinge of excitement and sadness at being able to award her crew their first round of advancements. In truth, they had all been through so much over the past two weeks that it seemed almost trivial to simply put a new piece of metal on their collars, especially considering those valiant crew members who had given their lives in the service of Starfleet. The thought of Commander Remington in particular brought a wave of regret to her, but for now, those new pips and insignias were the best that Lirha could offer them.

If she had ever actually tried to herd cats, Kiri was pretty sure it would be easier than scientists. Most were not all that interested in the pomp and ceremony, or being in dress uniforms somehow she had managed it though. Inspection lines, twenty one personnel not counting herself, the biggest of the departments. Six rows four lines deep, a speckled mass of blue and white mixed in with suits of various colours, after checking they were all in place she silently turned, standing at the left edge. Next to the Operations personnel, Medical on the far right. Standing erect, ridged and her breath sucked in slightly she waited, remembering the last time she did one of these, she wasn't standing at the front that time, this was scarier.

Entering cargo bay 1, Mor'an felt a rush of pride as she saw the mass of crew members dressed in full uniform. These were her crew mates and she as proud to stand among their ranks. She straightened her uniform and silently blended into the ranks of operations crew members.

Quinn entered Cargo Bay-1 in his, what he referred to as his duck-suit. Markum kept tugging on his collar with a finger while walking to stand in his proper position in line. He gave a smile and wink to Peers as he stopped and stood next to her. "You clean up nice, kid. You ready for this?"

After a long look in the mirror Dea left her quarters. She was lost in thought during her walk to Galileo's cargo bay. Pomp and circumstance went along with being a Starfleet Officer. It didn't mean she found her dress uniform comfortable, in fact it was just the opposite. Filing into line at the head of her department Lieutenant JG Mialin stood at ease with her hands behind her back. Given their recent mission Dea allowed her thoughts to drift to the crew members they'd lost.

Ensign Rhodes entered cargo bay 1 quietly. He always felt good in his dress uniform. In someways it reminded him of the Jusitices and legal authorities on Tandar Prime. Legal affairs were always a event where appearance was important, sometimes more than substance. Yet, he felt that the idea of receiving advancements should be a private affair. This limited the posibility of looking or acting arrogant. He had seen that too many times on Tandar Prime. He looked about the group, but did not see Aria or their new Chief of Security. He was sure that she would show up soon enough.

Holliday hated being late to anything that might have been regarded as a formal affair aboard Galileo, and as such had almost ran the last hundred or so metres from the turbolift to the Cargo Bay, checking over his dress uniform for any unspotted creases or marks before heading up to the front of the room to join Commander Saalm. Or at least, that's what he had thought.

As he approached his CO, the unmistakeable glint of a fourth golden pip caught his eye, and he realised that Lirha must have had some sort of impact with the admiralty if they had chosen to give her that hallowed rank.

"So... Captain Saalm is it now ma'am? About time too."

Lirha smiled as she looked up at her dark-haired XO. "Thank you, commander. Apparently Starfleet has seen fit to promote me for the 'valiant actions of our ship'." she explained, citing the exact phrase which was stated to her by one of the flag staff. "But I think we both know that I alone cannot take credit for our previous mission's success...our crew deserves the recognition, not me." she added in a quiet voice as she tugged on his arm to indicate for him to stand with her in front of the assembled personnel.

"Er....yes ma'am. Of course, captain." He replied with a slight look of confusion. Obviously the newly promoted officer wanted to flex her muscles a little more than usual, and as a loyal XO, it was not John's place to question her. With a decisive nod, John turned on his heels and fell into line almost shoulder to shoulder with his newly promoted captain, looking out at the masses assembled before them, before looking over towards his captain and smirking back at her as he caught a glimpse of that new pip shining on her collar.

Evelyn entered the Cargo Bay, tugging on her dress uniform shirt and adjusted her collar. I hate this damn uniform. Evelyn thought to herself, trying to keep her frustrations to herself, keeping her face with a neutral expression.

An interesting sight appeared at the door of the cargo bay next. The doors opened and Amril walked in with Del'an by his side. The two seemed to be in the middle of a deep conversation, the vorta speaking emphatically and the Tarkannan replying in calm, collected tones. Amril wore the same formal attire he had the previous day, an outfit of grey, black, and deep purple cloths. Del'an seemed bright by comparison, her flaming red robes burning like fire itself, twisting like flames with her elegant movements. Gold and red stones adorned her pale skin and her ceremonial dagger hung from a chain on her side. Their conversation quieted as they entered together and moved apart to find places in the growing crowd.

Trailing the pair, by several paces, was Ensign Andreus Kohl. Something about the dress uniform made the fair-haired Areglian walk differently. Maybe it was the fear of tarnishing the white jacket or the gold trimmings that stiffened his posture, or maybe it was the remembrance of old times in the dress whites. In either case, it gave his usually languid profile a military presence. Kohl diverted from the pair ahead of him, and marched over to the far right of the inspection lines. He shuffled in among the medical officers and his thoughts turned to those medical officers who had been lost along the way. He bowed his head for them.

Aria nervously stepped in, her hair up, the makeup far less noticable. She glanced around and took a nervous breath, moving to the line for Security. All she could think about was her father in his dress uniform...the way he would carry himself. She closed her eyes tightly at the memory. Everyone here had lost something, someone. Some more recently than others.

Ens. Rhodes noticed that Ens. Rice had come into the cargo bay and was standing at the other end of the line of security personnel. She looked fantastic in her dress whites, but she appeared to be just a touch uncomfortable. Theron stepped back and walked down the line and stood on the other side of her. He made no notice of her initially.

Aria let out a breath as she shifted, feeling him close to him. She stayed still, doing her best to relax.

Theron glanced over at Aria then looked forward, and with a soft voice said, "Are you all right? You look a parsec away."

"These...official things just...make it real, you know," Aria whispered as she glanced back at him. "Drives home what has happened."

Theron remained quiet for a moment, thinking solemnly about those hurt and those lost. He picture of Lt. Orexil laying in the statis pod came to mind and thought, 'There are still hope for others.'

Clad in his formal dress Cyrus noticed seeing both Ensigns: Rice and Rhodes, who were talking. "Well, hope I'm not late for the party." He grinned. "Am I the only one that hates dressing up?"

Rhodes glanced at the Chief and then to the other side, behind them, and then back to the Chief, with a grin he said. "I think it is safe to say, that you are not alone in that regard."

The burly sec officer heaved a sigh. "Thank jeez. Here I was trying to think of a witty ' Oh no, I was just kidding about that.' remark." Cyrus chuckled. "So who do you think are the lucky blokes?"

The security officer glanced around again at those gathered. "I am not sure. There have been several officer here for a time as well as those that recently went above and beyond their duty in the recent mission."

"A lot of people deserve it," Aria said quietly before looking down. "I don't care either way, just want to get down to the drinking."

Theron bumped her with his elbow, then gave a wink and a nod.

Cyrus nodded. "My brother was going to have a ceremony like this, he was going to be a Warrant." He took a deep breathe. "It's going to be nice to see people get their do." He a lower breathe he looked at the other two. "It's so weird to not be in marine dress, I didn't even know the difference in the bloody collar. How do you guys deal with the collar?" He fidgeted with his collar, as it scratched his neck.

Theron glanced over at the CWO and spoke softly, "It is all a matter of focus."

"You say that..." Aria said softly before taking a breath. "I am used to wearing tight things around my neck."

Cyrus guffawed and forced himself to not to rip the collar off and throw it on the ground. "Well, the next time I need choke collar advice, I'll come ask you two." He grumbled.

Scarlet glanced around as she moved through to the others, taking a slight breath. The dress uniform felt strange on her. It wasn't often she ever had to wear it. It was doubly strange as it wasn't her old Marine dress uniform. She'd had far more occasion to wear that one than this one. She caught Kohl's gaze, smiling gently as she nodded to him, knowing she owed him a lot right about now. She caught sight of Aria, lifting her hand a little in greeting, giving a small smile as she took her place.

Knowing she was late, Pola felt absolutely exhausted. It had been a long number of days and even thought the workload had lessened, she couldn't shake this tired feeling. Fiddling with the pips in her collar, she'd ended up just leaving her hair down, she found she'd hadnt had the energy to attempt anything more. Falling into line, she forced her body to stand, all the while thinking that all she wanted right now was her bed.

Gabriel Stark moved in, his eyes full of energy as he looked around. When he caught sight of Aria, he gave a wide grin, slipping to his own place with the enlisted, but winking to her all the same.

Verity Thorne was close behind him and even touched his back with a nod as he made his way with him, heading in the same direction. He cleared his throat, glancing down at himself. The uniform felt foreign on him, but then he felt like that about the uniform full stop most of the time. He tugged the jacket gently into place, conscious of matching up to the smartness of the others around him.

Maenad was a few minutes later than she had wanted to be; she had spent too much time in her quarters trying to get her dress uniform to fit properly, at least that's what she told herself. The award ceremony would would be a major first impression for her; she hadn't yet been introduced to most of the crew, much less the senior staff. She had the largest department on board and people would be wondering who she was, what she was about. Normally, she forewent prettying herself but today she did not. She whitened her face with a subtle foundation, blushed her cheeks, lined her eyes, and reddened her lips. She did it all in a way that complimented her features rather than exaggerated them, using the bare minimum to achieved what she wanted.

When she stepped into the cargo bay, Maenad tried not to draw attention to herself. She immediately spotted her department and Ensign Cho on the far side of the room and walked purposefully toward them. It wasn't hard to spot them, either; the science department was by far the largest on board. Maenad offered her staff a polite smile, with whom she had already begun a respectful relationship. "Miss Cho," Maenad greeted hushedly. "How are you this morning?"

Not expecting there to be any talking Kiri had to relax slightly, allowing more air into her lungs. Remaining as still as possible she whispered, "Good sir." Her morning her been difficult so far, not having much sleep, having sat with the counsellor and given the task for organising social events.

"Good," Maenad whispered. She then moved into line beside Kiri, holding her hands behind her back.

Collected and extravagant as ever, Liyar swept through the sliding double doors of the modified cargo bay, full native robes giving him a far more imposing stature than usual. At his side, a shorter, thinner science officer was babbling away obliviously. He pointed at the sentence he was outlining. "All of it is..." he trailed off as his superior plucked the PADD out of his hands.

Liyar blinked slowly, and promptly shut his hyperactive assistant down to respectful silence. "That will be all, Crewman." Athlen heeded the unspoken warning and pulled at the sleeves of his dress blues, far too fidgety and bouncy to ever be considered a true Vulcan, only the clasp of his traditional earring gave him away as Rigelian.

Liyar bowed his head to the captain and clasped his hands behind him, taking the traditional at attention stance of the V'Shar. While normally he wore the Starfleet rank pips, he now bore the fosh-lan and dutarik insignia as well. "Captain Saalm," he greeted her quietly as he came to a stop near the rest of the group.

Willis rushed through the turbolift, adjusting his collar. He Noticed the group of engineers and a man in red, standing next to Peers. As he approached he knew exactly who it was. "You old salty dog you. I could hardly stand you as the Chief Engineer, now I still have to report to you as the damn CoB." The two long time friends gave a quick embrace and shared a laugh. Quinn replied. "Shut up and stand at attention...or I'll tell your wife you've been drinking."

The time was now 1000 on the dot and Lirha nodded with approval as she stood with her XO and looked out over the cargo bay. Her entire crew had assembled professionally and promptly, and she felt a twinge of pride at having such a well-organized and disciplined crew. That was ultimately the goal of every commanding officer, and she had somehow managed to achieve that in a rather short period of time. As everyone stood at attention while facing her, she cleared her throat and pushed her hair back behind her ears as she began to speak and start the ceremony. She wasn't one for giving speeches, but she knew she had to suck it up and push forward.

"Good morning." she began as she addressed the entire crew. "The last two weeks have no doubt been a stressful and tumultuous time for many of us. When I took command of Galileo back in San Francisco, I would have never imagined that we would face the type of adversity which has presented itself in recent days. A Nova Class starship is a planetary surveyor and although we have have other mission roles, we are not a combat vessel and certainly not a battlecruiser. Our mission is scientific exploration but sadly, we were thrust into a situation outside of our capacity. Yet despite all odds in the face of destruction, all of you as a crew showed resourcefulness and commitment to each other. When I was taken prisoner you did not falter, and despite the improbable odds, were able to fend off ships which outgunned us by a significant margin, and bring myself and Lieutenant Coleman safely back to Galileo. When we were presented with a new technology with unknown variables and instabilities, you were able to put your fears aside and, with technical precision, make history as the first starship crew to successfully test the Sienna device. And now, after enduring a rough landing, you still stand in uniform and represent the Federation and our ideals. For that, I have no words to express my gratitude or your resolve. We lost many fellow crew several days ago and their sacrifices should never be forgotten. Without them, we would not be together right now in our cargo bay, celebrating the completion of a successful first mission. They should never and will not be forgotten." She finished, then paused for a long moment to collect herself as memories of her fallen crew flooded through her mind.

Holliday could not help but beam at the assembled crew in front of him, however out of character that might have seemed for the usually authoritative and domineering XO. It was true that the Galileo had gone far beyond anything that might have been expected of her, with a mostly green crew and an untested ship, they have maintained the best traditions of Starfleet and the Federation as a whole. Giving a moment for the captain to steady herself, John quickly realised her state of mind, and stepped forward to give her a moment to herself.

"Captain Saalm has already expressed her feelings, and mine can do no more but echo that sentiment. When I came aboard this vessel, I saw nothing but a collection of bulkheads and conduits crewed by a group of new recruits, scientists and bookworms, not the soldiers and fighters that I had been used to working with. But during my brief time in that centre chair....I saw each and every one of you perform like seasoned professionals....Galileo has made me prouder than any battleship...than any Sovereign or Galaxy or Defiant class ever could."

Kiri hadn't given that much thought to what they already had done, too focused on the now and the next step. Looking back just how crazy and extreme the last week had been started to settle in. Most personnel would never have an experience like that, most people had coped well. Her chest swelled a little, she was proud, of the crew, her department and really herself. Two weeks ago she would never had thought she would be able to deal with a situation like this let alone make it to the other side.

Pola was paying attention to the word's of her CO and XO, her hands clasped behind her back as she stood in a casual stance, surrounded by the few medical crew which the ship had. These were her people, they'd lost one but everyone had come together to work through the loss and do their jobs. She couldn't be any prouder of each and every person. Cyrus had caught her eye, but she refused to look as right now her focus had to be on the here and now. With the headache she had, she found it hard enough to concentrate on that alone.

Cyrus was almost positive he had seen Pola somewhere amongst the crowd, but remained steadfast in his ease. His hands clasped behind his back and his feet shoulder width apart. His eyes focused on the Commander. man, it sounds like they had quite the undertaking. What the hell did they go through? he thought as his mind raced through all the possible ideas.

It was then that he glanced over to see a purple skinned alien that he knew all to well. Cyrus could barely control himself. He wanted to spit. He should be in a prison what was a disgusting Vorta doing on a Federation planet? His hands curled up into fists behind him, and his lips pressed thin against each other.

Liyar remained stoic, insouciant to the proceedings around him. He did, perhaps as a gesture of concession, meet the captain's eyes as she gazed across the room, and nod in acknowledgment. After she swept by, Liyar found his eyes drawn directly to the security officer, Kiwosk. He could feel the thin undercurrent of the man's rage flare up, distracting him momentarily from the briefing. Athlen beside him openly smiled. "Congratulations, Captain," the Rigelian said sincerely, pulling Liyar back to his station and he looked forward once more.

Quinn looked proudly upon the delicate looking Orion, and her First Officer. Quinn had immediately formed a fast friendship with both of them. He felt a real sense of ownership for the Galileo, as he was one of the very first to transfer over while the girl was still in drydock. He could remember how frustrated and unsure Holliday was with his placement. He was a cocky young gun, ready to prove his worth. Now, he was a patient and humbled man, and Quinn was proud of him. Lirha held a special place in his heart. She was so innocent looking and excited to take command of a ship that would explore the galaxy. The only exploring they had done so far, besides from the Sienna Device, was an exploration of the crews character, and integrity. Lirha deserved that forth pip. She was the consummate Captain, and he would gladly follow these two officers anywhere. They had already been to hell and back..what more was there?

Turning towards and looking up at John, Lirha smiled slightly at his affections for their ship. She definitely agreed with him, and it was comforting to see that he had finally settled in on his new posting. The captain remembered their first meeting back at Starfleet HQ in San Francisco; specifically, his initial reservations about being assigned to a science ship. Though he had done a good job of disciplining himself and hiding his true feelings, her intuitions had always told her that he would have preferred a more combat-oriented vessel to serve on. And now, less than two weeks after Galileo's commissioning, he was standing next to her applauding a new crew and ship that he now called home.

With nothing further to add, Lirha commenced the promotion ceremony. Pressing a button against the side of the small box, the top unlocked with a click and she removed the cover. Her hand retrieved a solid pip and she placed the container down, then stepped close to John. Reaching up to his collar, she delicately unclipped his hollow lieutenant command pip and put it in her pocket, then reached back up and placed a new, solid one on his collar. She stepped back to inspect her work and smiled proudly as she promoted her XO to full commander. "You have been more than a first officer to me since we met. And you have impressed me at every turn...congratulations, Commander Holliday." she said as she offered her small green hand for him to formally shake.

For a moment, Holliday said nothing, in fact for once, there was nothing he could say. There was simply no words that could express his pride at reaching the next step in his career. Looking down, John clasped his captain's hand warmly and shook it, beaming back at her with joy as he got used to his new title.

"Ma'am....thank...thank you ma'am. I'll...try to live up to your expectations."

Lirha handed the box of pips to John. "The junior officers, yes?" she requested, giving him the opportunity to do the honors of promoting Galileo's junior staff.

"Of course captain." John nodded, glad to be able to reassure himself by settling back into something he knew a little more about. This was the first time that he would have the honour of promoting those that he served with to new heights, and he knew that each of those officers chosen to be honoured in this way.

Clearing his throat, the XO made his way to the front of his assembled crew, before opening the pip box and holding it in one of his hands as he moved towards the start of a long list of names.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, SDD/VDF
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Theron Rhodes
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Pola Ni Dhuinn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Andreus Kohl
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Dea Mialin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

Chief Warrant Officer Cyrus Kiwosk
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

Crewman Athlen
Sociologist, SCC
USS Galileo

Master Chief Petty Officer Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

Senior Chief Petty Officer Arthur Willis
Engineering Computer Systems Specialist
USS Galileo

Lt. JG Aria Rice
Security Officer
USS Galileo

Cadet Senior Grade Im'er Mor'an
Red Squad Intern
USS Galileo

LTJG Scarlet Blake
Counselor
USS Galileo

PO2 Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo
NPC'd by Scarlet Blake

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