Promotions

[Morad Ameen]

=

[Amila Ra'an]

== Two Days Before Zephyr Received the alert that Starbase 214 was being blocked by a Cardassian Fleet ==

Midshipman Cortez, Midshipman A'kilees, and Lieutenant O'Fee would all find similar messages waiting for them in the morning before they reported to their duty shift.

[You are directed to report to the Briefing Room at 1430 Hours today.]

Both A'kilees and Cortez had additional confirmation that their Department Heads had already arranged for their duties to be otherwise covered at that time as necessary.

==Tag to A'kilees, Cortez, O'Fee==

[Gath]

Gath and Ens Raven Singer were both in attendance. Gath believed in encouraging strong leadership qualities and wanted to show support at all promotion ceremonies. It was common to have fairly regular Commander's Call events for the presentation of various awards, ranks and medals, but in between such events, promotions themselves were celebrated events within all ranks. It didn't hurt that Gath was also forming a close friendship with one of those being promoted.

Ens Signer had been acting as the head Engineering Assistant and often filled in for the CEO. It was more often that the Engineers saw her face than any other in their department. SHe was uncharacteristically in a very sharp looking uniform, for a change, in honor of the occasion.

== OOC: In large units, it is common for about once every few months, a Commander's Call would be held to update troops on the unit and announce policies, but one highlight was always handing out various medals, awards and promotions. Promotions also came out every month and were sometimes more private affairs, but when possible, family members were allowed to attend. My son pinned on my stripes when I was promoted, on one instance. He was about 9 years old at the time. I'm glad to see we now have a thread for this sort of thing. ==

[Evie O’Fee]

Evie walked in with her uniform on and lab coat over it, her rank on her right with the medical caduceus on the right. She always wanted to present herself more as a Doctor that is also an Officer, to her it was just one of those things. When Evie seen Gath there with a friend, it gave her some level of relief. Soon Ava was right behind her in a Science Uniform, the rank on her collar was Lieutenant Commander. Both Evie and Ava joined Gath, Evie was clearly a little nervous.

Promotions were a good thing, now with this Rank she would be closer to Command. She was up for the responsibility, she just had to keep up the good work. "Exciting day isn't it?" She asked Gath. Even being happy that she was going to be promoted, Evie was happier for others getting their new rank.

==Tag==

[A’kilees]

[You are directed to report to the Briefing Room at 1430]

That’s all what the message had said that A’kilees had received early that day. He had been speculating throughout that morning on what this could be about but hadn’t arrived at a reason for this sudden meeting. He had received permission to leave a bit earlier from his shift to return to his quarters, put on a new uniform and soon was making his way up to Deck One.

Upon entering the briefing room he was met by a number of familiar faces. Lieutenant Gath and Doctor O’Fee were together chatting and many other members of the bridge crew were in attendance. Even Raven was also among those present in the room. A’kilees nearly didn’t recognize her at first due to her wearing an actual professional uniform rather than her usual engineering attire that she was famously known for.

“Raven, you’re looking very smart today in uniform.” said A’kilees, complimenting her. He took a moment to glance at her completely. She was indeed dressed up for this occasion and the saurian was taking a mental photograph of the moment as he thought it would be a while before witnessing such a rarity.

“This must be quite the meeting if you’re dressed up.” A’kilees said then he leaned in closer to whisper, “And if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is going on here?”

==Tags==

[Sebastian Cortez]

[You are directed to report to the Briefing Room at 1430.]

Sebastian stared at the message for several seconds.

That was... unexpected.

The message was brief. No explanation. No mention of bringing his current assignment, no instructions to prepare a report, nothing that gave him even the slightest indication of why he was being summoned.

His first thought was that it had something to do with the previous mission.

It must be about my performance.

Sebastian frowned.

I did the best I could.

That didn't necessarily mean his best had been good enough.

Maybe he'd be reprimanded. Worse, maybe it would go into his service record.

His mind immediately began going through everything that had happened during the mission. The Musical Translation Matrix he'd developed with A'kilees had failed to perform as expected. That alone could have warranted a conversation.

Maybe someone got hurt because the translation failed.

He winced at the thought.

Perhaps he'd been too Terran-centric in his assumptions. He had designed the system around the Federation Standard alphabet, never fully considering that an alien civilization might organize its language around something completely different.

What if they thought we'd insulted them?

Sebastian sighed.

There was no point speculating. If he was going to be formally reprimanded, the least he could do was show up prepared and professional.

He made certain his uniform was clean and properly arranged before gathering his notes from the mission along with his PADD. He reviewed the material one last time, making sure he could explain his decisions if questioned.

Once satisfied that he was as prepared as he could be, Sebastian headed for Deck One.

The trip didn't take long.

When he reached the Briefing Room, he stopped outside the door and gave himself one final inspection.

Uniform straight, Boots clean, PADD in hand,   Nothing sloppy.

If his superiors were going to lecture him, he certainly wasn't going to give them another reason to add something to his service record.

Sebastian took a breath and entered.

He immediately recognized several of the people already inside.

Lieutenant Gath. Doctor O'Fee. Ensign Singer. And, thankfully, A'kilees.

Sebastian blinked.

Well... that can't be good.

He quietly made the sign of the cross.

Ay, por la Santísima Madre María, a todos nos están reprendiendo; todos trabajamos en la matriz de traducción. (Oh, by the Blessed Mother Mary, we are all getting reprimanded; we all worked on the translation matrix.)

Sebastian glanced around the room, trying to determine what everyone else knew that he apparently didn't.

Nobody looked particularly terrified.

That worried him even more.

He walked over to A'kilees and leaned slightly closer, keeping his voice low.

“How much trouble are we in?”



== Tag all.==

[Amila Ra'an]

Amila remembered when she was promoted from Midshipman to Ensign. It didn't feel so much like a promotion, but more like a graduation. A relief, like she was finally off of probation. Even though Captain Fields and the senior officers at the time - especially her department head and Morad had never given her a reason to feel like she wasn't a full member of the crew, something about the rank and being so fresh out of the Academy felt so tenuous to her - like she needed to prove something.

She was happy for the younger the officers. They were an enthusiastic bunch, and the Zephyr was lucky to have them on their crew. Though, unless Morad had heard something in the last twenty-four hours or so, they were still waiting hear if his CO position here was permanent, and if Captain Vakir would let them continue working together. Let her continue working under Morad's command. There hadn't been any clear indication that she wouldn't, but Amila knew that Keir had hir concerns. It would follow that others might too, including the Fleet Commander. Either way, Sebastian Cortez had been under her watch for at least two missions now, though the first one was cut short. She felt invested in him up until this point, and knew it was important that she be there for his promotion, though a quick ceremony while they were in the field.

Out of habit she smoothed the hair around her face with a quick tuck behind her ear as she drew closer to the briefing room doors, not stopping to pause as the doors opened automatically. She walked in to see a bigger crowd than she'd expected - Evie's sister and the sharp Ensign from Engineering. Amila hadn't looked at the promotion list that closely, she wouldn't be surprised if Raven had been on the list though.

She smiled warmly around the room. "Hey, everyone. I guess I didn't get the memo we were starting early."

== Tag any==

[Gath]

Gath was a little more relaxed than his typical self, but you had to know him to see it in his behavior. As Evie and her sister approached, a grin appeared on his face and a twinkle in his eye, "Looking good, ladies."

She asked, "Exciting day isn't it?"

Gath replied, "Well, it is now." He quickly added, "I enjoy attending such moments, especially in the company of those I respect. It is important to involve peers in such moments and this as a valuable part of our community we have developed here. Fortunately, this version doesn't involve pain sticks."


== NRC Ens Raven Singer ==

When A'kilees took notice of her uniform, she grinned and nodded, "Yes, it is a rare moment that I observe certain formalities, but I've actually been a Lieutenant before...twice in fact, so I can follow such traditions when I want to. It is amazing how much trouble you can get into if you strike a superior officer, even if they started it."

He then asked her what was going on and she smiled and began to kid with him, "Well, there are many traditions we still hang onto. Some are harder in space though. It isn't as easy to keel-haul a person, for example and there's no real purpose to walking a plank, since you simply float away from it as soon as the airlock opens, which really makes it hard to then be eaten by sharks, unless you fall to the surface of a planet first, in which case...well, you get the idea." She shrugged, "However, some traditions are still around, and this happens to be one of them."

Knowing that she had only managed to confuse A'kilees even more, she gave a chuckle and gave him a playful punch in the arm, "You're a good troop and I'm glad you're on the team."

[A’kilees]

Raven hadn’t answered his question at all and landed a playful yet hardy punch on his arm. The saurian rubbed the pain away as he tried to make any sense of what she had just told him. Something about sharks and walking the plank? Some strange human customs that he was definitely missing context for. A’kilees was then distracted however by the arrival of Sebastian. He watched as his fellow midshipman made the sign of the cross and made his way directly over to him, looking quite nervous.

“How much trouble are we in?” Sebastian asked quietly leaning in towards the saurian. A’kilees shook his head.

“I actually don’t think we’re in trouble of any sort actually” the saurian replied. “Everything seems so formal and public. If we were in any trouble this would have been a more private affair with the Commander and the First officer.” and A’kilees placed a clawed hand on Sebastian's back. “Relax Cortez, I’m sure that everything will be explained soon.

==Tag Sebastian Cortez et al.==

[Sebastian Cortez]

Sebastian looked at A’kilees, then glanced around the room again. The Saurian had a point. This didn't look much like a disciplinary hearing. There were too many people, and everything seemed far too formal.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Sebastian admitted, letting out a small breath.

He looked back at his friend.

"I just don't like being summoned somewhere without being told why. My mind immediately starts going through every stupid thing I might have done."

Sebastian gave A’kilees a sideways look.

"And before you say it, yes, I realize that's probably a very long list."

He couldn't help but smile.

A’kilees's confidence was reassuring, even if Sebastian wasn't quite ready to share it.

"All right, I'll trust you."

Sebastian straightened his uniform and took another breath.

"But if this turns out to be some kind of disciplinary hearing, I'm going to remind you that **you** were the one who told me not to worry."

He gave his friend a grin.

"And I expect you to defend me." Teased Sebastian.



== Tag A’kilees, Tag All. ==

[A’kilees]

“Oh I have no plans to defend you Sebastian.” A’kilees stated in a serious but obviously sarcastic tone looking away from his fellow midshipman. “It’s a court martial for you and shipped off to the nearest Federation prison colony *gurk* faster than you can say ‘isolinear processing chip’ that’s for certain.” This was followed by a brief moment of silence before A’kilees gave the human a slow glance down with his dark black emerald eyes. The saurian snorted, snickered and turned into a hearty jovial laugh which could only be described by non saurians as a loud raspy set of hissings.

Regardless of whatever was happening that afternoon, it just felt good to have a laugh. They had experienced moments of stress and anxieties and it was nice to just share a moment to unwind and enjoy everyone's company as they were hurtling through space towards their next rendezvous.

== Tag Sebastian Cortez et al. ==

[Sebastian Cortez]

Sebastian stared at A’kilees for several seconds, his expression becoming increasingly serious as the Saurian delivered his completely fabricated legal assessment.

“Really?”

He slowly nodded.

“I see how it is. All this time I thought we were friends.”

Sebastian placed a hand against his chest, feigning offense.

“And now, when my career is clearly hanging by a thread, you abandon me to the Federation prison system.”

He paused.

“Cold, A’kilees. Very cold.”

The Saurian's laughter only seemed to encourage him.

Sebastian shook his head, fighting back a grin.

“Fine. But when the security officers come to arrest me, I'm telling them you were the one who suggested the crime.”

He pointed at A’kilees.

“And when they ask what crime you committed, I'll tell them you committed it against the English language every time you say ‘isolinear processing chip.’”

Sebastian finally broke into laughter himself.

“Actually, that's probably worse than anything I could have done.”

He gave his friend a light bump with his shoulder.

“Besides, I know you wouldn't really let them take me.”

Sebastian glanced at him.

“You'd at least follow the prison transport long enough to make sure they didn't send me somewhere with terrible food.”

He paused thoughtfully.

“That's what friends are for.”

The grin returned.

“Although I'm beginning to think you're mostly keeping me around because I'm entertaining.”



== Tag A’kilees .==

[Evie O’Fee]

Gath replied, "Well, it is now." He quickly added, "I enjoy attending such moments, especially in the company of those I respect. It is important to involve peers in such moments and this as a valuable part of our community we have developed here. Fortunately, this version doesn't involve pain sticks."

Evie was on one side of Gath with Ava on the other, Evie knew the direction he was going. "It just goes to show the Federation is no fun, they don't do the Rite of Ascension no matter how much you ask." It would be surprising how many people would go through it if asked, it would also provide a good show for the troops as well. Amila gave a brief speech about being early.

"Imagine as Captain they would have to go through two sets of pain sticks, just like our ranks basically go up by half." She would have to go through five sets of pain sticks, it would be a challenge but worth it. "Are you looking forward to yours?" Evie had an evil grin. "Zero two dash five five six." All these years they still kept the original name for it.

==Tag==

[Gath]

Standing with the two sisters, one on each side of him, Gath's pulse had picked up a little. He hid it well, but Evie noticed it at his neck. She also picked up a tiny change in his breathing, but he was controlling it enough that it would go without notice to the untrained eye.

When Evie joked back with him about the pain sticked, he chuckled, "That would be interesting to see. I've gone through it myself. My family is not quite as enthusiastic about such rituals, but we at least participate where it is most influential." He nodded, "It certainly tests one's endurance. Pain itself can be mitigated to a degree, but the effects it has on the body are hard to deny. Brute strength gets you through the first few, but then it is having the stamina to endure and continue until the end. It is not for the weak of heart. Given your idea, there would very rarely be a Klingon Admiral."

Witnessing the banter between A'kilees and Cortez, Gath smiled. It was good to see such things. It wasn't all about battles and skill, it was often more about the relationships you formed along the way. A true warrior knew that it was relationships that gave you a reason to fight when others would give up. Things like hope, love and friendship were not weaknesses, they were what gave a person deep motivations and inner strength that was hard to come by in any other way.

With those thoughts running through his mind, he looked down for a moment to take stock of his own friendships and relationships that he held closely. He had lost many, but he was forming others that were showing great promise.