The Highest Level

Posted on 23 Nov 2021 @ 3:49pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Marisa Wyatt & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Alexander & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kala Gorvel & Petty Officer 1st Class T'Lin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Raine Ni-ya

4,002 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Regula I - Level 16, Administration Module
Timeline: MD 01, 1758 hrs

[ON]

It was early in the evening aboard starbase Regula I, less than twelve hours following Galileo's arrival at the deep space station earlier in the day. Most of the ship's personnel had now departed the vessel for shore leave leaving only a small skeleton crew to maintain and monitor essential functions. The starbase was abuzz with new arrivals who occupied the promenade, arboretum and mess halls. Sounds of busy conversation echoed throughout Regula I's main corridors. The atmosphere was light and jovial at times, with the base's civilian scientists engaging with their Fleet counterparts. It was a nice change of pace for all involved and a much-needed period of downtime.

Captain Lirha Saalm had packed a small overnight bag and brought it to the station for the express purpose of getting away from Galileo for several days. As much as she loved the tiny starship, she would probably go crazy if she had to spend another week cramped inside her quarters staring at LCARS screens. The starbase offered a respite from her daily routine which she was not doing to pass up. There were, of course, still administrative matters to attend to. Earlier in the day she and Commander Blake had attended a lengthy debriefing with the station's commander. The admiralty back on Earth had been keen to hear first-hand accounts of the incident in the Latari System, which meant Galileo's top brass had been deposed for several hours to answer questions. She'd managed to grab a late lunch following the queries and now had one final personnel matter to attend to before she was officially free to begin her shore leave.

The temporary administration module Saalm had been assigned to was a slightly-larger version of her ready room back on Galileo. It was circular in shape with a ceiling only five meters high. It was roughly ten meters in diameter which allowed for large semi-circular main desk, replicator, sofa, and four additional chairs for visitors. The walls were all lined with windows, affording the occupants a spectacular view of the stars and the purple planet Remidia above which the station orbited. The captain was seated in front of her console with a half-eaten salad on the desk next to a disorganized stack of PADDs. She checked the chronometer which read 1758 and patiently waited for those she'd summoned to arrive.

Crewman Raine Ni-ya entered the room, glancing around before she looked at her Captain. She gave the woman a small nod of respect, her gloved fingers tugging at her own sleeves to pull them down. The view was beautiful, but she was tense despite of it. The size of the room made it feel oppressive, as if she had stepped into something that could be detached from the starbase itself. But except from her eyes going from place to place, taking it in, she remained standing still with no outward emotion showing.

T'Lin had gotten the orders to report to an administration area. She was puzzled slightly but as with all Vulcans just kept a cool calm presentation. A lot never took her as Vulcan with her light blond hair and fair complexion and bright green eyes. Of course, very few had ever met an albino Vulcan and she was mistaken for a Romulan since they tended to have more diverse characteristics.

Marisa wasn't sure what else Starfleet wanted. She'd filed a dozen reports so far, and needed to spend some time on her own projects just to keep from thinking too much about recent events. The past few months had not been good and she was looking forward to a break. She checked her PADD, and the map, and headed for the administration area.

Kala had decided to remain on the ship for shore leave, more so she could keep an eye on the starbase Engineers as they worked on the ship. She did find herself every other hour picking up a tool kit however and doing some adjustments whenever nobody was looking. Their orders were to relax but for the young Trill she found solace when covered in manifold grease, surrounded by wires and relays. None the less she’d cleaned up and had made her way to the administration module she’d been summoned to. Walking in she smiled a greeting at the others there.

Ryan checked his uniform for any erroneous wrinkles or creases as he entered the administration section. He chuckled to himself slightly as he thought of the duty day so far. He nodded to the small group before dipping his head respectfully to Lirha, and moving to stand with his hands behind his back.

Aria looked around as she came in and at the others who had come in. She frowned slightly, moving to take a spot, her hands going behind her back. Whatever this was...well, it certainly didn't apply to the entire ship, which was positive.

Seeing the others gathered added to Marisa's curiosity. She nodded a greeting to the Captain and those she knew.

The Orion captain observed the entrances and appearance of each Galileo crew member as they entered into her office. Some she knew better than others but all six were familiar faces aboard the Nova-class. They were still clad in their Starfleet duty uniforms and it seemed, just like herself, that they too hadn't fully had a chance to start their vacations. She was fortunate to have caught them all before the evening drinking began and didn't want to delay whatever plans they might have arranged. "Thank you all for coming," Saalm said to the assembled group from her seat. "I'll keep this brief because I want you to enjoy your evening.

"I asked you here so I can express my gratitude to each of you for completing difficult tasks in the Latari System. What we encountered in that star system was far beyond the scope of any distress call I've ever responded to. I assume the same for all of you," Saalm gestured with an open emerald hand. "Difficult choices had to be made under extreme pressure. Whether they were the right ones will eventually be determined in the coming years, but I don't want any of you think our efforts went in vain. Despite the loss of life, we rescued thousands of colonists who would have certainly perished. We established a dialogue with the Tholians for the first time in centuries, and contained the spread of a dangerous silicon-based lifeform.

"All this wouldn't have been possible without your commitment to your duty. Each one of you played a crucial role in our operations and we would have failed if not for your diligence and valor." The captain paused after speaking to stand from her chair then walked around in front of the desk. "So, I am promoting each of you for your actions during the Latari rescue."

Aria's eyes widened for a moment with surprise before she stilled her features. Well, wasn't she just sliding up and down that promotional ladder like...something that slid up and down ladders. Full Lieutenant again. It had been awhile.

Raine's lips parted and she frowned, watching the Orion, opening her mouth to speak and then shutting it with an audible click as her teeth met. She had been about to say that she didn't do anything that wasn't expected of her, but she also released...perhaps it was one of those times where silence was the best action.

T'Lin just observed quietly. To her, it did not seem logical to tell some that they did what she considered to a required duty and thus a rank , compared to many others that did as much and were not being recognized. It seem a failing to her of emotional species.

One simple whisper left Kala's lips, "Shit" Seemed to be the first verbal response from any of the newly promoted crew of the Galileo, it was quiet and Kala hoped nobody heard her or the fact her heart was thumping in her head. She'd done no more or no less than any other engineer so why her? Was she even ready? Not that it mattered because new officers, actual officers would come in and take up those roles as department heads and she could go back to doing what she did best, fixing things. Though she had been studying for the Academy between whatever downtime they had, Kala never figured she'd get round to sitting any exams, she liked her job. Without moving her eyes slid left and right as far as her sockets allowed them to see how everyone else was reacting. So far nobody else had sworn out loud, great.

Sandoval blinked. That was not what she'd expected. Although the others definitely deserved it. They'd gone above and beyond during this mission. That thought made her smile.

Ryan stood at a modified parade rest, a lump forming in his own throat. For a brief instant his mind was elsewhere, as he thought back on all that had happened between the two of them since he had been on board the Galileo. He could only nid once, the faintest hint of smile crossing his face, in response to Lirha. "Thank you, Ma'am." Ryan said simply.

"It is well-deserved," Lirha replied to her operations manager. "Now, present yourselves," she ordered to the group before looking back at her cluttered desk to find the box of rank pips she'd prepared earlier in the day.

Aria went into parade rest, knowing the drill well enough. It was more fun getting a promotion than a demotion and she had enjoyed both on several occasions.

Beside her, Crewman Ni-ya did the same thing, her face still expressionless.

T'lin took a deep breath and followed along with the others.

The initial wave of surprise leaving her body Kala couldn't help but smile, she knew she'd up for promotion soon but with everything going on she'd just forgotten about it. Still the smile just showed how she was feeling having initially succumbed to surprise, that feeling was pride. She followed everyone else's lead tucking in her arms and standing at parade rest.

Marisa stood with the others, her hands clasped behind her back, her feet a shoulder-width apart. She appreciated the Captain's faith in her.

The captain walked to the right side of the line - rank pip box in hand - and stood in front of the distinctively bald and pale-skinned scientist's mate, Raine. "Crewman Ni-ya," she started, hoping she pronounced the woman's foreign name correctly. "For your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed at the highest level, I hereby promote you to the rank of petty officer third class with all the rights and privileges therein." Saalm reached up to the Cereijan's uniform collar with her green fingers and removed the existing rank pip, then replaced it with a new one containing a single sideways chevron. "Along with your advancement in rank, you are also promoted to the position of science officer." She held out her hand for her to shake. "Congratulations, Petty Officer Third Class Ni-ya."

Raine took the hand, holding her eyes for a long moment. "Thank you, ma'am," she said, her voice quiet. Reflective, if anything, of the changes in her life now. A science officer. It meant she would need to do a specialism. She thought about what Blake had told her, awhile ago, about what Raine wanted to do with her career. She would re-examine that now, with the added responsibility.

Saalm moved to the next crew member in line who also happened to be a similar blue-collared science officer. However, this one was a taller blonde-haired Vulcan who the captain knew rather well from her long service aboard the Galileo. She looked up into her green eyes. "Petty Officer T'Lin. For your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed at the highest level, I hereby promote you to the rank of petty officer first class with all the rights and privileges therein." Like she had done with Raine, the captain removed the woman's existing rank pip and replaced it with a new one containing triple silver chevrons. She extended a green hand. "Congratulations, Petty Officer First Class T'Lin."

T'Lin made a little nod of the head. Though she could not quite fathom the logic of it all, she managed to say, "Thank you captain."

Standing next to the Vulcan science officer was Chief Petty Officer Kala Gorvel. She was a traditionally-spotted unjoined Trill with unique dark blue and green highlights in her brown hair, making her hard to miss. Lirha recognized her more prominently as Galileo's senior-most engineer and a very valuable asset to the ship. "Chief Petty Officer Gorvel," she spoke, now moving to stand in front of her. "I managed to secure a warrant officer billet from Starfleet Command... So, for your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed at the highest level - as well as your technical expertise - I hereby promote you to the rank of chief warrant officer two with all the rights and privileges therein." Saalm paused briefly to look the Trill in her eyes, searching for any sign she might be making a mistake with her next decision. She found none. "And I'm also promoting you to chief engineer aboard my ship." The captain reached up to Gorvel's yellow collar, removed the chief petty officer insignia, then replaced it with a hollow pip surrounded by two gold chevrons. When she was done she offered her hand. "Congratulations. The department is yours."

Everything that Kala said and did next was on mere instinct alone because the words ’Warrant Officer and Chief Engineer’ were bouncing around her hair. She reached out and took the green hand of her Captain shaking it firmly, “Thankyou Ma’am” She added not missing a beat a grin formed on her lips as the flutters in her stomach increased. Being promoted was enough to make anyone happy but also being given her first real command was something she felt was still years away leaving her ecstatic. It was about that same time she’d realised that she would be a Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of a whole department and her head swam with anxiety. “I won’t let you down.” She added again her voice in a bit of a different tone than usual.

Galileo's Orion captain continued her walk down the line and now approached Ensign Alexander, the ship's operations manager. "Ryan," she said in a familiar and soft tone. Out of all the officers she'd served with in Starfleet, none could match the loyalty he'd displayed to her. Both personal and as the ship's captain. If being stuck on Kreanus in isolation for a year hadn't been enough, he'd been the only one to volunteer to come with her to the Tholian ship where the two of them endured a mutual life-altering experience. She was now happy to see him healthy and standing tall, and was honored to present him with his newest career advancement. "Ensign Alexander, for your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed above and beyond the call of duty, I hereby promote you to the rank of lieutenant junior grade with all the rights and privileges therein." She smiled. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Junior Grade Alexander."

Ryan snapped to attention as Lirha moved infront of him. A small smile crossed his face as she moved to pin the pip on his collar. "Thank you ma'am, I won't let you down. I will always have your back." He said quietly as she leaned in to finish pinning him.

The captain finished adding a new hollow rank pip next to Alexander's existing solid one then stepped back and shook his hand. There were only two crew members left now. Lirha paced over in front of Aria Rice then stopped to regard her. The short and slender security officer had served on board Galileo on and off since its commissioning almost four years ago. She'd proven herself several times over to be reliable and capable despite her smaller stature. "Lieutenant JG Rice," spoke Saalm. "For your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed at the highest level, I hereby promote you to the rank of lieutenant with all the rights and privileges therein." Saalm pulled a hollow rank pip from the woman's yellow collar and replaced it with a new solid one. "I also need a new chief of security and can't think of anyone better qualified," she added. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Rice." She extended her hand. "The department is in your hands."

The cursed chair is mine... The thought entered Aria's head the second Lirha said it. She stood for a brief moment before she let out a breath and took the hand. She had been in the seat before, but only as Acting Chief. This was her as a real Chief. In the seat that she felt had some sort of spooky vibe with what happened to Chief of Security on the Gally. Oddly though, she found herself smiling. Maybe it was Lirha's words, the pride she felt at them...the rank coming back (and how quickly was she going to slide down that board again like an unlucky player in snakes and ladders?) and now her behind going to sit in that chair. "Thank you, ma'am," she said softly. It wasn't just a thank you for that though. It was for everything, from the moment she had first met Lirha...feeling nervous, sitting in front of her, having been transferred off the Nova for being too unprofessional...the ups and downs, to returning here again for this adventure. For Saalm to always accept her back.

The last officer standing in line also happened to be the senior-most crew member in the room aside from Lirha. Standing at parade rest in her blue Starfleet uniform, Lieutenant Marisa Sandoval was the half-Vulcan/half-Human science chief who had managed to obtain and secure the critical proto-Tholian samples against all odds. To say the captain was impressed with her recent performance was an gross understatement. "Lieutenant Sandoval," Saalm began. "For your continued contributions to our vessel and duties performed at the highest level under duress, I hereby promote you to the rank of lieutenant commander with all the rights and privileges therein." She reached to her collar and attached a hollow rank pip alongside the two existing solid ones. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Sandoval." Saalm offered her green hand. "Well done."

Marisa smiled as she shook the Captain's hand. "thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your confidence in me." She had a great deal of respect for the Orion and what she accomplished with the other captains and was proud to serve under her.

The latest round of promotions for Galileo's crew were now complete. Lirha could start to relax for the night and hopefully celebrate with her crew. "At ease," she ordered to those still standing at parade rest. "I hope this is a good start to your shore leaves. Each of you has earned this. And in addition to your new ranks and positions, I have something else for you..." The captain walked back behind her desk and bent over to search for something, disappearing for a few long moments before standing back up with an exotic clear bottle containing a light blue liquid. "Romulan Ale," she revealed. "I've been saving this since we left Earth last year."

Lirha moved to the nearby replicator and materialized seven small rocks glasses which she carried back to her desk. There, she poured large shots of the strong spirit into each, then handed one to everyone present. She raised her glass to begin the toast. "To Galileo. And those we left behind at Latari."

Marisa took a glass and raised it. "To Galileo, and those we left behind." She couldn't help thinking of the Starfleet personnel lost as well as the colonists.

Kala raised her glass and repeated the words, "To the Galileo and those we left behind." But she only had half the contents, waiting a split second to allow the mebt to sink in she added, "And to the friends we've made and the ones we'll make along the way." She wanted to add a positive impact to the drink, Kala understood the moment but she always believed in looking forward to the future, besides any reason to drink the remainder of her Ale was good enough for her as she finished the last of her drink. It was certainly a good way to start the evening activities.

T'Lin instead got tea. Vulcans seldom imbibed alcohol. She waited and followed along with the toast raising her cup. It seemed more emotionally inclined species tended to need these kind of ceremonies.

Ryan reached for a glass and stared at its contents for a brief moment as he contemplated the words of his captain and reflected on the purpose of honorific, such weight is applied to such a simple gesture. He raised his glass, dipping his head in agreement with the words that had been expressed.. "To Galileo, and those we left behind." He said echoing Marissa.

Raine took her glass and smelled it before she raised the glass. "To Galileo, and those we left behind," she said as well, more because she wasn't sure what else to say. The words of her people would be too cold. You couldn't exactly say 'for those who died so we could live', because it made it sound like they had a choice.

Aria took her drink and let out a breath, raising it. "To Galileo, and those we left behind...we will remember them," she said, her voice firm in that promise. "And honour them."

Galileo's captain took a proud look at all of her newly-promoted officers then lifted her glass to her lips. The potent, distinctive smell of Romulan ale permeated her nostrils. She tilted her head back and let the warm blue spirit slide into the back of her throat then down her esophagus. Lirha swallowed and privately suppressed her gag instinct. "It has been my pleasure. You are all dismissed," she then said. "Enjoy the rest of your evenings."

Aria knocked her drink back and then did a full body shiver, poking her tongue out. "Ooh...okay, next time...tequila..." she said before she placed the drink down. She winked to Lirha and started walking...she was going to head back to the ship, to her new office and...oh, she needed to talk to Stark. There was talking to do!

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." Ryan tossed back the ale, letting the shiver run down his back, fighting the urge to let is show to the rest of the assembled. "Congratulations, everyone."

Raine gave a small nod, looking over the Captain. "Thank you," she said, her voice quiet before she put her glass down. She had sipped it but not finished it. She liked to try things but wasn't sure she would be standing after finishing it. She left quietly, head slightly down.

Knowing what Kala had planned and now off from the buzz of being promoted (and maybe the ale), the young Trill smiled "Yes Ma'am. And you too." It was sometimes easy to forget the people at the top needed time to relax and unwind too.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lt. Aria Rice
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Commander Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

Lt. JG Ryan Alexander
Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

PO1 T'Lin
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

PO3 Raine Ni-ya
Scientist
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

CWO2 Kala Gorvel
Chief Engineer
USS Galileo-A

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