All Hands on Deck (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 26 Oct 2012 @ 6:01pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant Kiri Cho & Commander Andreus Kohl & Commander Scarlet Blake & Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cyrus Kiwosk & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Ensign Im'er Mor'an & Amril & Crewman Athlen & Ambassador Si'tar Del'an & Verity Thorne & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Arthur Willis
Edited on on 27 Oct 2012 @ 5:48am

3,783 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: USS Galileo - Cargo Bay #1
Timeline: MD 04 - 1015 hrs

Previously, on All Hands on Deck (Part 1)...

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.

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

The first recipient was the one who had taken their place on the Bridge at a time of great danger, who had lived up to the expectations of the XO and taken over the mantle, even temporarily, of a posting that Holliday himself had held before being transferred to the Galileo.

"Ensign Theron Rhodes...taking Tactical in a crisis is no simple task...for your dedication and devotion to the protection of this vessel, I hereby bestow on you the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, and all the rights and privileges associated with that rank."

Reaching into the box, the XO removed a hollow pip and quickly attached it to the officer's collar beside his existing gold one, before stepping back and moving on.

Theron had not been surprised by his name being called. He has served for quite some time as Ensign at this posting and one prior since completing the Academy. But after what the new Commander had said about him, as he pinned it to his collar, a lump formed in his throat. It was difficult, but he quickly swallowed so that he was able to reply, "Thank you, Sir."

Next came a member of his crew that had joined him on the rescue mission to the Bird of Prey, and who more importantly, had kept an eye on their Vorta crewmember from the moment he stepped aboard. Good security personnel were worth their weight in gold.

"Ensign Aria Rice...your assistance during this mission has been invaluable. For that commitment, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Congratulations."

Again, Holliday reached into the small box that he had just used moments before and removed a second hollow pin and attached it to the woman's collar, again smiling at her before stepping down the line one more time.

Aria let out a breath before swallowing, looking down with awe as she touched her new rank pins. She was...well, flattered. And she felt undeserving too.

Looking over towards their newly-established CoB before continuing, Holliday stepped in front of the perpetual pain in Quinn's butt, the ever-reliable Mr. Willis. The banter between the two seasoned engineers onboard never ceased to give John a laugh even if he had to wait until being off duty to enjoy it, but with the transfer of Quinn to the Command division, there was certainly room for a shuffle around in Engineering.

"Mr Willis... it seems that our Mr Quinn has something good to say about you... effective immediately I relieve you of the position of Chief Petty Officer and re-enlist you as Senior Chief Petty Officer. Congratulations."

With a slight change of procedure, Holliday instead first reached up and removed the CPO emblem from his collar before swapping it for the new insignia. Although the enlisted crewmembers might not have worn the pips of an officer, their commitment to Galileo was on par with any Captain anywhere in the fleet.

The box of pips now looked a little more depleted than they might have done at the start of proceedings, but nevertheless, there were still plenty remaining for those junior officers amongst them. As he passed by some of the medical staff that had held their crew together as well as their engineers had held the ship together, John came to a halt in front of the young nurse who had been given a true baptism of fire in the heat of battle.

"Andreus Kohl....whilst new to our vessel, you have been steadfast, loyal, and a great help to our Chief Medical Officer. For that devotion, and for bravery in the face of danger during our mission, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade effectively immediately."

With great finesse, the newly-promoted XO reached up and attached the hollow pip of Lt JG to the officer's collar, and moved on once more.

As the Executive Officer walked onwards to another officer, Kohl just stood there. He stood there silently, staring straight ahead and blinking dumbfoundedly. He had to reach up and touch the new pip on his neck. He couldn't-- he wouldn't believe it was real until he could feel the cool metal beneath his fingertips. After the mistakes he had made in his career-- well, not everyone became a Captain. Hell, not everyone became a senior officer. That was a reality of Starfleet. A starship needed more ensigns than lieutenant commanders, and Kohl had believed his career trajectory remained among those ensigns. But now... Still blinking, Kohl reached up and touched the rank pip again.

Leaving the medic in peace, Holliday found himself moving further into the lineup, this time searching out one member of their crew who had at times been a pain in his butt, who had raised suspicions amongst the senior crew, and at times had acted in ways that were more than enough for Holliday to consider official proceedings, but indeed, without their input, John knew that the Galileo would be floating debris by now.

"Ensign Cho."

Holliday began, taking a moment to look down at the box of pips, running his finger over a couple of the small markings before continuing.

"You have my thanks for your work to get Sienna installed...and for this I award to you the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade...congratulations."

Again, like he had done twice before today, the XO reached into the box and removed a hollow pin, attaching it delicately to the blue uniform of the officer in front of him, before stepping back and again moving on.

Kiri was extremely happy for Kohl getting his promotion after a long time at ensign, she smiled but this completely disappeared when her name was called. She stopped breathing, had she done enough, was she worthy of such a thing? The new Commander's words cut though her thoughts, leaving nothing. Still holding her breath, she remained stock still as he came closer, she could smell him. Only as he moved back did she take a small gasp, "Thanks you sir," Barely a whisper.

A little further down the line stood the final recipient of the new officer ranks that the XO would be issuing during this ceremony. A young officer who had come aboard only a short while ago, but had made a large impact with the crew across all departments of the ship. Reaching out with one final hollow pip, John's hands moved back to his sides once he had finished his ceremonial duties.

"Miss Blake...it is my honour to extend to you the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade alongside your crewmates here today. Your conduct and efforts during our Sienna mission have been noted by the senior staff onboard, and your promotion is thoroughly deserved."

There was only one further promotion on his list, one given to an person who although was low down in the pecking order of those aboard the Galileo, was no less deserving.

"Crewman Thorne....your actions as our Chaplain have been greatly appreciated, with several members of the crew reporting that your input and presence has helped bring a sense of calm during a time of panic. For your devotion to the wellbeing of this crew, I award you the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. "

Once the final exchange of emblems had been completed, Holliday closed the lid of the box, before heading back along the row of crewmembers in front of him, and passing the box back to Saalm.

"Thank you, Commander." she said as she took the box and stepped forward. With the junior officers taken care of, she could focus on the few remaining senior officers who she personally wanted to recognize, specifically four of her surviving department heads.

Lirha walked down the line of crew members, starting with the Medical department. She stopped in front of Pola and surveyed the personnel around her then picked out a solid rank. "Since I wouldn't be alive to give this to you if it wasn't for your help, I suppose the least I can do is promote you. And I think I can speak for us all when I say that you've quite literally kept us all in one piece during our mission." she said then smiled a bit and replaced the old hollow pip with a new solid one. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Ni Dhuinn, at your request you are relieved of your duties as second officer. In addition, you are promoted to the rank of full lieutenant effective immediately by order of Starfleet Command." she said, then offered her hand.

Pola had stood to attention as the Captain came to stop in front of her. Looking into the woman's eyes as she felt the pip on her collar being replaced, the Doctor felt overwhelmed with emotion. She knew that the CMO she was she built on the back of the team who she had, each and every person. Kohl, Varek, Eda, Brayden, even the EMH. The people who had died in the course of their duty serving under her, Lin and Izred....all of these people and more made her who she was. It filled her with pride to accept the promotion alongside her new ACMO. The news that she was no longer second officer brought a smile to her face. She knew that she wasn't ready, she'd now had the experience but it had taught her that she had so much more to learn. She couldn't divide her time between being a Doctor and being a second officer. She needed to be there as a support to her team and there to help with her patients. At this point in her life, it was that which mattered the most.

Taking the Captain's hand in a firm grip, for the first time in days the Doctor felt a spark of energy as she shook the hand before falling back into an easy stance.

Lirha continued down the line and stopped at the depleted engineering department. They had once had as many as ten personnel, but many of them were killed in battle including Petty Officer Troxx who had been executed right in front of her. With Quinn's recent move to chief of the boat, Lilou was the only remaining senior warrant officer in the department. And yet, she had proved herself with great ingenuity and precision time and time again. The Orion captain stepped in front of her and looked down at the shorter woman.

"I can't think of anyone who I'd rather have to replace Mister Quinn as chief engineer. Master Warrant Officer Peers, effective immediately you are reassigned as Chief Engineering Officer with a field commission to the rank of Ensign." she said, then retrieved one single solid pip from the box and swapped it out for the old insignia. She offered her hand in congratulations.

After Lilou shook her hand, the captain continued down the line and finally arrived at the Operations department. It was a conflicting moment for Lirha as she wished she could have her old department head back. It had been a hard loss for many people, but her especially. Yet strangely, the discovered Vorta named Amril had done a good job of filling the void. His species' engineered strengths were logistics and systems management, and at his own request he had been debriefed by Starfleet Intelligence here on Galileo. Ultimately, Lirha knew he wanted to stay aboard the ship and join the crew. His motivation seemed to be somewhat similar to Starfleet's mission of exploration and discovery, and for his actions of helping to activate Sienna and save the crew, she and John were willing to give him that opportunity.

"Mister Amril, thank you for your service. You were an invaluable help with the experiment and I am increasingly impressed with your effectiveness and desire to grow. At your request, I hereby assign you to USS Galileo as an active crew member. While I cannot assign you a commissioned rank due to your lack of Starfleet training, I can give you a provisional one." she said, then reached in the box and picked out a narrow gold emblem which displayed two solid diagonal slashes. "Effective immediately, you are promoted to the provisional rank of full lieutenant by order of Starfleet Command." she said, then reached up and pinned it on his strange clothes' collar. Like the other senior officers, she offered her hand to shake.

It was hard to tell how Amril really felt. He was beaming, but perhaps that was just because everyone else was. Though if anyone asked him, he would assure them he was delighted in his own right, and maybe he was. He took the captain's hand and shook it heartily. "I am honored by your trust, captain," he assured her, then in a less serious tone, "Do I get to wear one of those sporting uniforms now?"

"Absolutely." she answered with a small smile. "In fact, I think you'll look good in a gold uniform...I can't wait to see it." she added with a wink, then continued on with the ceremony.

There was only one rank insignia left in the box and Lirha knew exactly who it belonged to. Walking down towards the end of the line, the captain stopped in front of the Support department. Standing tall with blond hair, Evelyn wasn't hard to pick out from the crowd, and Lirha stepped up towards her as she took out the final pip.

"Miss Coleman, you've been through a lot this last week." the captain began, hinting at her abduction, "But through it all you've proved to be a loyal, capable officer, one who I've grown to admire in our short time together. Lieutenant Junior Grade Coleman, you are promoted to the rank of full lieutenant, effective immediately by order of Starfleet Command. In addition, you are hereby reassigned to the position of second officer, and I relieve you of your duties as mission adviser." she said proudly, then offered her green hand.

Evelyn took her hand, shaking it. "Thank you Captain. I confess, of all the promotion ceremonies I've been a part of, I think this one I appreciate the most." She smirked.

With all of the promotions appropriately distributed, the captain returned to the front of the assembly and stood next to her XO. "Congratulations to all of you. Whether or not you have received a new rank, I'm very humbled to be serving with such a competent crew, and I look forward to the months ahead. For now, Galileo will remain on the surface until repairs have been completed. With shore leave beginning tomorrow, I encourage everyone to get some R and R for the rest of the day today, and then enjoy yourselves during the short time we will have to ourselves." she said, then turned to John to let his dismiss the crew. "Commander, anything you would like to add?" she asked, offering him the chance to mention anything she had forgotten.

"Yes ma'am" Holliday nodded as he made his way to the front of the assembled team, taking over from the Captain. It was still sinking in that when she had called his rank, she was using his entire rank, not simply the usual courtesy abbreviation awarded to a Lieutenant Commander, and he had to fight back a smirk.

"In lieu of recent events, and to celebrate the achievements of this crew there is a reception in the mess hall open to anyone who wants to be there...dismissed."

Pola realised that the last thing she needed right now was the reception but she needed to at least show her face. She was proud of her fellow crew mates but she couldn't have been any more prouder of Kohl in particular. ACMO and Lieutenant JG to top it off...she knew he deserved every bit of the recognition he was now receiving. Spotting Cyrus, Pola quietly slipped out of the room before he tried to come over. She was still trying to find the confidence to follow him up on the offer of drinks but right now, she still wasn't there.

Cyrus was a mix of rage and happiness. He was happy to see his comrades get the recognition they deserved, but why would a Vorta, be given anything? Why should they? They were all Dominion scum, and he would die before accepting that purple skinned killer into anything.

He waited for his fellow security members clapping as he spotted them.
"Congratulations to both of you! " He grinned. "I do believe that drinking is now in order! sirs."

Rhodes glanced at his timepiece and replied, "I am not sure if drinking at this hour is the most appropriate." he looked about to those faces in his department, "But . . one would not hurt."

Aria looked at him before smiling warmly. "One? I am having a lot more than one..." she said and winked to Rhodes. "Come on."

Cyrus coughed loudly, about to say something sarcastic, but he knew the look on Aria's face, he had felt it before, many many times. He knew the stress that etched across Theron's face. Loss was never easy, never acceptable. He held his tongue.

He didn't hold it against any of them, he was the new guy. They had gone through enough, he didn't need to make it any harder.

Liyar made a move to head out, but a gentle hand on his forearm stopped him. He arched an eyebrow at his assistant, who dropped the hand like he'd been burned and smiled. "Always forget," he murmured with a shrug. "Reception - let's go. Important. Diplomaticy stuff," he said in conspiratorial tones.

"Diplomaticy is not a word," Liyar told him sternly.

Athlen just threw his head back and laughed, guiding Liyar to the archway leading into the reception hall.

Kiri tried to get her breath back, she felt numb, this was scary. No way was she allowed to make any mistakes at all, ever again. She wasn't an Ensign any more, not that she had been very long. Everyone would be looking up to her even more, she had to be the best example. So her first act was to turn to Lieutenant Panne, "Is there anything you need sir?"

Maenad was proud of her people, even though she had only known them for a few days. She came out of intensive staring at the wall across from her. She was feeling distracted, withdrawn and a little confused - she had been deep in thought. Not wanting to keep her assistant waiting for what should have been a simple question, she turned to face her. "No, that should be all for now. I think your friends would love to see your new pips," she paused to let a smile spread across her face, "Congratulations, lieutenant."

Kiri wasn't quite sure about that, she didn't want to detract from Kohl's achievement, he had been waiting for it longer. Still, she wanted to congratulate him, plus socialising, she should work towards that, "Thank you sir." Giving a small smile back, this was also going to be scary.

At the moment celebrating was not foremost on Dea's mind. She'd attended the promotion ceremony and put in an appearance because that was part of her duties. Solitude is what Mialin really wanted at the moment. In time that would fade. She'd deal with her emotions privately then get herself back together enough to be able to be someone her officers could talk to. That wasn't something taught at the Academy but it happened to be a very important part of her job as Chief Flight Control Officer.

Quinn and Willis looked at one another with an almost childish grin. Then Quinn punched Willis in the arm. "Congrats kid. Now buy this old fart a drink dammit." the two left for the turbolift laughing and telling dirty jokes.

As everyone moved away, Kohl broke out of his reverie to take notice of his surroundings for the first time in some time. Looking around, he saw his friends in Security gathering up and he couldn't see Pola anywhere. When he couldn't seem to make eye contact with Kiri, with all of the other moving bodies between them, Kohl made his way towards the exit.

Evelyn watched as the Cargo Bay began to empty. She tugged on her collar, disliking how tight the tunics are in these uniforms. She followed the others out of the bay. It has been a long few days and she wasn't sure she was in a mood for a lot of people.

[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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