Gogigobo Fairhug

((OOC: Read Alastriona’s introduction to Starbase 118 here: https://bit.ly/2kiJa3y )) ((Starbase 118, Deck 808, Suite 0200, Alastriona’s Suite)) :: Rising from a bed where she dreamt of long rides past castles and burning embers, the dark starlight lay happily upon her lap. She had suffered and survived the night, bathed in dark water, like any blade of grass.:: ::Alastriona DeTroyes arose, steadily confronting the morning's silence. Her cats, Hansel and Gretel remained sleeping upon soft clouds, drifting through the night's starlight. She glanced at the Hypervision 3D holographic wall, where balloon-like multicolored Scylanthians drifted by in a simulation of the native species on her homeworld. It brought a smile to her face and she jumped out of bed, to the annoyance of her cats, who climbed back on and drifted away again. Alastriona ran a hand down Hansel’s back and the cat stirred, stretched and yawned.:: DeTroyes: Come on, sleepy! Time to get up. :: Her morning was like a dance in the sunshine. After feeding her cats and breakfasting on croissants and mint tea, she put on her Star Fleet uniform for the first time in quite a long time. A teal sweater underneath a tunic, a skirt, and a pair of black boots.:: oO Not as attractive as the old uniform back in my day. Oh well. Oo :: She touched the ensign insignia on her collar, wondering what her new assignment would bring. A smile touched her face.:: oO Probably a boring place. Its just a starbase spinning in the vacuum of space. Oo DeTroyes: I bet nothing ever happens here. No more running around shooting at aliens for me, no. ::Brushing her long blonde hair, she wondered if she should braid it or continue trying to brush it. Her hair always ended up in a wild entanglement, no matter how long she tried to tame it. With a sigh, she put her hair into a ponytail and departed her home.:: ((Starbase 515, Stellar Cartography)) ::Uniformed and refreshed, she entered Stellar Cartography. As soon as she stepped inside, a dome of stars appeared, slowly spinning overhead, like snowflakes drifting down on a quiet day. Alastriona went to stand under the dome, and stared up into the simulation of the Milky Way galaxy. Some distance away from Sol, a star flared bright and emitted a tiny bubble, which expanded into the cold.:: DeTroyes: I knew it. Data verification is such a pretty sight. ::Her assistant, Ensign Eileithyia Sophronia walked into the chamber.:: Sophronia: Alastriona, what are you -? ::Alastriona raised a hand, silencing her assistant.:: DeTroyes: Did you know? ::Eileithyia shook her head.:: DeTroyes: Supernova explosions can break through the galactic disk and inject hot gas into the galactic corona. These drive a series of galactic fountains, wherein the gas cools and condenses, and eventually recycles matter into the galactic disk. Sophronia: Why is it - ? ::Intent on her research, Alastriona wasn’t listening. She interrupted her assistant once again.:: DeTroyes: These hot gas clouds can suppress stellar winds so that interstellar gas and dust can enter star systems in quantities great enough to affect the star and life on any planets surrounding it. Sophronia: Should we tell someone? ::Alastriona giggled.:: DeTroyes: No, silly. These events take thousands of years to manifest. Sophronia. Oh. Alastriona tilted her head in curiosity. DeTroyes: Why have you come? Sophronia: I thought I’d remind you about your appointment. ::A lightning jolt went through her body. Alastriona turned the simulation off.:: DeTroyes: Thank you kindly, Eileithyia. I’d better get down to the Academy. ((Academy Campus Green – StarBase 118)) Stepping out of the turbolift, Alastriona walked over to the campus green where three figures stood. An attractive, tall man stood there, panting slightly, as if he was out of breath.:: oO He may be tall for earthlings, but most of them are short and fat by Scylanthian standards. Hmm, I wonder if he’s from a light gravity planet, like me? Oo :: He wore a beautiful tunic of purple, not what she’d seen very often in uniforms aboard starships. Next to the attractive man was a Caitian woman with reddish brown fur. Alastriona smiled. She liked Caitians. The third was an Andorian, who stood calmly chatting. She noticed that he wore green.:: oO A marine. Joy, joy. What have I gotten myself into now? Oo Dal: Thank you both for joining me. Termine: My pleasure sir, it's nice to be back on duty - although I wish it was under better circumstances. Are there more details available? M’Wash: Hello, sir. Dal: ::looking up.:: Ah, perfect timing. Ensign Alastriona De Troyes? DeTroyes: Yes, sir. Bonjour. Dal: I am Commander Ishreth Dal, acting Commanding Officer while Fleet Captain Taybrim and Commander Fairhug are away. This is Lieutenant Termine and Ensign M’Wash. ::He introduced gently.:: :: Dante bowed at the hip.:: :: Alastriona smiled and nodded towards him while the Caitian greeted him.:: M’Wash: Hello. Dal: I’m tapping all three of you, as well as two more officers as a rescue squad for our support ship, the USS Narendra. Please, come with me and I’ll explain on the way. The information is sensitive, so we can get to know one another until we’re in a secure location. ::They went over to the main turbolift, which took them up and away from the academy. Alastriona hesitated getting into it. Stifling a grin, she shook her head a little and got into the turbolift. The commander told the lift to bring them to the shuttlebay.:: ::Alastriona bit her lip.:: oO I hope Eileithyia remembers to feed my cats. Oo :: The man interrupted her concerns.:: Termine: Do we have any intel about the occupying force of the state of the captives? DeTroyes: Is there any indication that they are even alive, sir? Termine: That's a very good point De Troyes, M'wash the Major said you've dealt with this cult before? Any general insights you can share with us? I'm just new to the sector myself and haven't yet had time to read the briefing material. M’Wash: Well, there was a chaos at this Starbase a few months ago. I am not sure, but the Cult might have been responsible for creating a chaos at this Starbase. Holodecks were reprogrammed at this Starbase. ::Alastrion leaned back in the turbolift until the back of her ponytail struck the wall. She closed her eyes.:: oO Klingons. Why did it have to be Klingons? Millions of light years into space and where do I end up? Next to those animals. Oo ::She whispered to herself,:: DeTroyes: And I was having such a wonderful day. Dal : ? Termine/M’Wash: ? ::Alastriona snapped her head forward and opened her eyes. The others were looking at her with mixed expressions.:: DeTroyes: Oh, nothing. I was just involved in some research this morning. I’ve made a discovery. Dal : ? Termine/M’Wash: ? ::Alastriona tried to make it simple for them.:: DeTroyes: I found that the clustering of extragalactic, extreme ultraviolet sources at high galactic latitudes is consistent with the hypothesis that the Local Bubble may actually be part of a cylindrical cavity that pierces the galactic disk. ::Alastriona made a face and shook her head.:: DeTroyes: Never mind. Dal : ? Termine/M’Wash: ? ((Starbase 118, Deck 44, Shuttlebay)) ::After an interminably long - at least as far as Alastriona was concerned - turbolift ride, the doors opened to a magnificent view. A dozen vessels were docked inside a vast chamber and a row of shuttles stood to one side. People were coming and going everywhere, but one of them motioned for them to approach one shuttle, whose doors were open and, presumably, inviting.:: Dal : ? Termine/M’Wash: ? ::Alastriona stepped inside first. A man with slightly curly dark hair looked up at her as she entered. There was an Andorian there too, and another marine. Wrinkling her nose at the marine, Alastriona sat down and nodded to them.:: DeTroyes: Bonjour. Hael: ? Foster: ? Marime: ? ::As the others entered and took seats, Alastriona muttered to herself,:: DeTroyes: No more running around shooting at aliens, no. Ensign Alastriona De Troyes Science Officer Starbase 118 Ops O239609AD0

Love Stefan’s flashbacks. Looking forward to the next one @Arcerion!

(( Mount Forbes, Alberta, SFMC Mountain Warfare Centre Range 7 )) :: Stefan dug his ice axe into a craggy crock and knelt over double. The weight of his rucksack felt bone breaking, and his cold feet, aching back, and sore knees made it feel like this was an eternity. They were only halfway into their hike, so eternity would have to last a little longer. He looked up ahead to the lead line, and saw three of his Marines led by Gunnery Sergeant Kang, the spry yet surly South Korean who was now in a similar position, one hand on his knee and the other holding a climber’s pole. Behind him, Stefan felt a tug, and saw Sgt Wilkinson waving. Stefan paused, and waved him up, his thick puffy glove seeming like it was slow motion in front of him. The frost on his goggles made it hard to focus on his peripheral vision, so he had to stay directly looking at John as he trudged upwards. :: Wilkinson: Hey! Keep an eye on Mwalke! That moron keeps tripping cause he ain’t paying attention! Germanovich: Okay! :: he flashed a thumbs up, and un-thethered himself for a brief moment, connecting to the free line that ran the length of their group :: :: Stefan trudged up the mountain to the young African, and soon found him squatting, nearly keeled over, sucking wind quickly in and out :: Germanovich: Hey dude, are you okay? Mwalke: :: gasping for air through an O2 tank :: Corporal I’m not feeling too great. Germanovich: We’re only three hundred metres until the next stop, then six after that to camp. Come on buddy, just push a little harder. Mwalke: :: nodding :: Okay, I’ll try. :: Stefan tapped his thickly padded shoulder with his free hand :: Germanovich: That’s the spirit! You drinking water? :: Mwalke flashed him a thumbs up, strangely misshapen due to the glove, and Stefan chuckled, shaking his head as he trudged back, feeling the rocks and ice scrape his boots. The wind howled mercilessly, and while there was no storm forecasted, the wind was significantly harsher than they had been briefed. Stefan arrived back at his axe, and slung it around his wrist momentarily, and once he had clipped it to his belt securely with a carabiner, extended a climbing pole and clipped back onto the team’s lead line. :: Wilkinson: No! No! Mwalke N-! :: Stefan turned, and felt the world slow down. Mwalke had stood up too fast, and with his altitude sickness now tripped sideways, the weight of his rucksack pulling him down as gravity fought against him. :: Germanovich: Damnit! :: he felt the tug of the rope as his waist was yanked forward and he cried out :: :: John ran forward and grabbed onto Stefan’s hood, awkwardly suspending him half on the cliff’s ridge and half off. In front, Gunny Kang looked around, and yelled out as some threw themselves to the ground for purchase, and others were pulled off the cliff face :: Germanovich: No! :: He watched Mwalke fall, his tether slamming him into the cliff face twenty metres below them :: First Lieutenant Stefan Germanovich Marine Officer SB-118 Ops D239208KV0 =/\= Navem in Litore =/\=

Welcome to Ops, @Vlokinth 🤣

Great line @Dante Termine!

((Type-11 Shuttle. En-route to the USS Narendra.)) Lieutenant-Commander Edward Villiers was forty-one years old and a man of average career prospects. He was balding early, and had a slightly hunched walk from an accident aboard ship some fifteen years previously. He dropped his shuttlecraft out of warp and began his approach to the USS Narendra. His co-pilot was a scarred Marine Sergeant and there were a half-dozen other personnel in the back along with several crates of delicate parts needed for ships repairs. The parts in question were both too small and too delicate for replication, and the repair crews had already used up the Narendra's supply of them. So here he was, flying an engineering rescue mission to the ship so that repairs could be completed. He was sweating. But then who could blame him? Despite his engineering background and steady hands, he wasn't here entirely by choice. The personnel he was carrying had been waiting for him at launch from Starbase 118, and there were no pleasantries to be found. But he'd been expecting them after the previous few days and their events. He'd gotten home from his shift in the early hours, finding his apartment lights all on. Not strange in itself except that his wife and daughter should have been fast asleep at that time. He'd walked in, wondering what was going on, and had been greeted by the man sat beside him now. Villiers had called for Shuna – his Bajoran wife – and then for his daughter, Aelizabeth. The man had just smiled at him, and it was a smile like that of a shark bearing down upon its next meal. He'd made for the door, but instead found himself on the ground and winded as a second man stepped into the apartment. They wanted transport to the USS Narendra. And they knew that he was taking a shuttle there in a couple of days. They knew, because they had made sure it was him flying. The people in the back were heavily-armed and made him nervous. They weren't part of any resupply mission, he knew that now. Something terrible was underway, and he was a part of it. He didn't want to be. But they had his family! What could he do except obey? As they cruised passed the Narendra, Villiers fancied that he could see two people sat in a lounge area. He stared at them as they sailed by, willing the people to notice the shuttle. To somehow know that something wasn't right. Instead, they were cleared to land and Villiers put the shuttle down in the area ordered. Directly opposite was an Arrow-class runabout bearing the name Vondris. He powered down his own craft and sat silently as ordered. The Sergeant motioned to his team and a pair of them made for the Vondris. One of the others from the back approached when beckoned. He wore a science Lieutenants uniform, but clearly wasn't in charge. Sgt: As soon as the work is completed, we'll move on to stage two. Lt: Aye, sir. What is the plan for stage two? Sgt: We believe there are nearly forty of our brothers and sisters imprisoned here. They shall be prisoners no longer. Villiers tried to remain motionless. Prisoners? What where they on about? He didn't know, and right now he didn't care. He just wanted to go home and- He let out a gasp as the blade slid into his flesh. The pain was indescribable, and yet he couldn't cry out. There was a second – and a third – feeling of the blade, and he suddenly felt like the seat couldn't support him anymore. He gagged, spitting blood all over the console before pitching forwards. He cracked his cheek off the console as he went down onto the floor in a heap. Edward Villiers never felt the broken nose that resulted from hitting the floor. He never heard the voice that whispered in his ear. He also had no idea that his family had already suffered the same fate as himself. Sgt: For Molor..... ~tbc~ ~*~ Cult Sabotage Team. Scribbled by; Lt-Commander Arturo Maxwell. Chief Tactical Officer. Starbase 118 Operations. O239311AM0.

(( St. Elias Mountain Range, SFMC Mountain Warfare Centre, British Columbia )) :: Stefan shivered, and pulled his jacket tighter, muttering curse words as he fumbled through his rucksack, trying to find a new battery for the radio. His large overmitts hung from strings, much like how one would tie a toddler’s mitts to them, as his fleece trigger mitts helped keep his hands somewhat covered. With temperatures down near minus 30, he was cold. Not brutally cold, but enough to make him miserable. He found the radio battery, a small white box that fit in his hand, and passed it off to Sgt. Wilkinson, who was helping one of the students with the frozen UHF radio. :: Germanovich: Hey, Johnny. I’m gonna go check on the students down below still coming up. :: Wilkinson just grunted in the cold, biting night wind and flashed a clumsy thumbs-up through his mitt :: Germanovich: :: muttering :: I could have any job in the world.. but NO. Just had to be a Marine. God, I am dumb. :: Stefan reached down, and clipped himself onto the rope that was tacked into the mountainside, quickly replacing his overmitts, immediately feeling their insulation serve as a buff against the harsh winds this high up from the lush green and white valley far below, where they had started their week. He slung his phaser rifle, and after several failed attempts to use his comms badge to raise anyone lower on the slope, simply muttered more curse words, chuckled to himself at the misery the students on the basic mountain course must be suffering, and shimmied his way down the mountainside. His crampons, tied over his winter hiking boots made cutting and scraping noises as they struggled for purchase, but aided by the guide rope that the leading section had laid, he soon found a cluster of students huddled in a small circle. A small mountain pot stove was burning, and exposed hands and faces were visible in the heat. Stefan felt his blood boil, and he slid down, entering the circle quietly :: Student: Alright, we’ll wait ten more minutes then keep going. I don’t think the Gunny knows that we’re lagging behind. Germanovich: I sure as hell do. :: The laughs that had started from the student’s quip immediately ceased, and horror appeared on some of the student’s faces. :: Germanovich: Not only is your fire showing the OPFOR exactly where you morons are hiding, but you just let your body, which has laboured to acclimatize up here, a false sense of warmth. Now get your gear back on, and start up the mountain or so help me God :: he emphasized the Lord’s name :: I will kick one of you off this rock for my personal enjoyment. :: The students sheepishly took down the stove, the flame going out and darkness settling back into the snow squall. They took their time, but after some ‘verbal encouragement’ from their instructor, they were slowly meandering back up the hill, tugging on the rope. Stefan followed them up, eventually reuniting with Wilkinson. :: Sgt Wilkinson: What happened down there? Germanovich: Just weakness. Caught them lagging behind with an open stove. Sgt Wilkinson: :: shaking his head :: Man, kids these days. You going to tell the Gunny? :: Stefan shook his head and chuckled :: Germanovich: Nah, one of them will go down soon as a cold casualty cause of it. He can explain himself then. :: Stefan winked, icy eyelashes trying to cling together as he reopened his eye :: Besides, it’s more fun that way. :: Wilkinson laughed, slapping Stefan on the back as the pair shifted their rucksacks and began up the mountain after their students, the last man slowly spooling up the rope and anchors as they went :: First Lieutenant Stefan Germanovich Marine Officer SB-118 Ops D239208KV0 =/\= Navem in Litore =/\=

That was a great line, if I do say so myself. Thanks, Doc! (And Sal, of course )

😂

Really excited for this. Hope it lives up to expectations.

((Ishnag Recreational facility, Ankshari Woods)) Gau was already planetside, after asking permission from the local ranger authority, she was enjoying the fresh air and was out on a real hunt for once. She had ditched her special made uniform for her sash with her commbadge and Nurse collar, a uniform would get in the way. For a Pahkwa, a hunt was almost a religion as much as it is an instinct, by Pakwha law, hunting a sentient intelligent being, like a Human, without its permission was a taboo,Gau knew of no Pahkwa who did, and Gau would not even hunt a Sentient intelligent being even if her life depended on it. Now, she was on the trail of a creature, its sent was very prominent, Gau was unsure if it was a deer kind of creature or a boar. It had been on Duronis that she last hunted… It felt good to hunt somewhere real, rather than a holodeck… A twig snapped! Gau her eyes focussed on the sound, her neck almost turning a 120 degrees a soft animalistic growl and a clicking sound emitting from her nostrils and throat, until she remembered she was alone, and become deadly quiet, She was a apex predator. No matter the planet… She started to make her way towards the sound slowly, occasionally, she checked the ground as to not snap a twig herself, she entered the undershrub hardly moving a leaf…. Her physical body was impressive, being over 2 meters tall and long, and atleast half that wide, she was still impressed with her stalking, she was one of the best in her Clutch. She emerged near the edge of an open plain, luck was by her side, the flowers on the shrub were a light blue, just like her. on the middle of the field, there was a group of four-legged creatures, Gau breathed slowly, as she inspected her targets. They resembled a mix of a deer and a boar, much like her powerfull nose told her. The creature had antlers like a deer, a powerfull muscled build, like a boar, they were hairy, up to the neck, from where up it was more a scaled skin. By how they were looking around, she determined they were squeamish, and would probably not pose to much of a threat for a single Pakhwa… Gau grinned, the hunt was on. finding the prey was the easy part, the small herd of creatures was on high alert, but they had not yet seen nor smelled her. Gau retreated back into the shrub. Several minutes passed as Gau was slowly making her way around the field, keeping an eye on the herd.whom was now casually grazing, al except for one. the creature was more grey, clearly older. More experienced, yes weaker... probably. Gau was focussed, she had found her target, sadly, this target was the one paying attention. Her intelligence was on her side, as well as her age, and the fact that she was sure this would be the animals first encounter with a Pakhwa... Gau had closed the distance to a sprint. She felt her muscles tense up, she was relaxed…. but she felt the adrenaline flowing… She took another step… This time, with purpose she increases her speed. she broke cover, in a matter of second she reached her top speed, the creatures reacted after they looked up, an alarm call, it only fueled her movements, her target, who sounded the alert, was slower then she expected. Gau changed her speed from her sprint to an endurance run, She was still gaining on them as she lowered her posture, Gau: oO Just a little more! Oo Gau was reaching jumping distance…… She took the jump with a shriek! And hit the ground full force. the creature had changed heading, Gau was rolling on the ground, as she got back up, she growled, and began running. The Game was on! TBC Ensign Gau Dana Ki Pahkwa-thanh (https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Pahkwa-thanh) , Nurse Starbase 118 medical Division https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Gau_dana_Ki simmed by Lieutenant Junior Grade Wallace Williams Tactical Officer Starbase 118, Ops, Operation Division ID: E239504WW0

Welcome back, @Solaris. See you on the base!

Classic Cain. 😂

This was a toss up between Archer and Kirk, for me. In the end I went with Kirk because I think Archer's situation as a pioneer sometimes left him on shaky ground where he had few alternatives and was often just winging it.

Love this! 😆

Wow, truly unexpected. Thank you so much to those who considered me worthy enough of the award and congratulations once again to all the award winners of 2019! @Sal Taybrim thank you for your kind words and thank you for convincing me to take on the Marine role. I literally could not have gotten this award without your input. I too look forward to an exciting future working together on Ops.

Congratulations to some of the hardest working members of the fleet! The work you all do behind, as well as in front of, the scenes is almost unfathomable! Thank you all!

Congratulations again to the worthy winners of the above awards! @Sal Taybrim never has an award been more appropriate. I'm so happy to be working with and learning from you on Ops and I'm glad to see your hard work and dedication get the recognition it deserves. The fact that there are so many winners here that I am yet to sim with shows the strength of this community, I can only hope I get the chance to write with you all in the future.

Congratulations one and all! Such a wonderful group of people who are all playing their part in making this community such a great and special place to be. Well done on all your hard work over the last year or however long you've been with us.

Gogi is not a fan of Klingons and he'd most likely drive the Vulcans nuts! XD I think he'd like to experience Bolian culture as it's pretty similar in its values to that of his native Bardeez. He's also known to be willing to try anything at least once, so he'd love to give proper Bolian cuisine a try!

Just a great piece of writing. Bravo, Counsellor.

There are so many things about Discovery that niggle me, that I wish they had just chosen a different time period, in all honesty. I prefer the stand-alone episode style for a start, which, if my memory serves, Discovery didn't have at all in either season. I hated the fact that they messed with Spock's history by giving him a "sister" who they then conveniently wiped from the history books in what has got to be one of the biggest cop-outs in television history - I mean, seriously, it was almost Bobby Ewing in Dallas stuff. Some of the characters grated on me and others, who I hoped they would explore more, didn't get the screen time they deserved. Honestly, I could go on with plenty more stuff that I didn't like about it, but, that being said, there were things I did like, too. I liked Saru as a character and I thought the twist with the Ba'ul was very clever. I loved Captain Pike and getting to see Number One and I would love to see them in a spin-off. I also liked the way they elaborated on Pike's future and I enjoyed the inclusion of Vina and the Talosians. Season Two was definitely a better effort, in my opinion. All-in-all, I tried to just enjoy Discovery for what it was, but I think it was just such a strange time period to choose and they took too many risks, many of which did not pay off. There were so many other things they could have done, I really don't know why they went with this. Also, what on Earth are they going to do next season? So strange. I don't hate it, but it's by far and away my least favourite Trek series.

I was absolutely in love with T'Pol when Enterprise was on...I think in many ways, I still am...so anyway, easy choice for me. 😅 Putting infatuation aside, next in line would be Spock, then Riker, closely followed by Saru.

Gogi will be in traditional Bardeezan garb. Just imagine his hair and beard are red/ginger. 🤣

What can I say about this JP? Except... D'awww. (( Awards Ceremony )) :: The crowd was getting thick, and with no other problems at hand, Aria's mind was free to obsess and worry about nothing about that crowd. She grimaced and took a sip of her drink. :: Turner: :: walking up, teasing her a little about her shyness:: Bracing yourself for giving out promotions? Oddas: To be honest, Toni, sometimes it's still a little ... foreign. I'm a little surprised this what I do. :: Aria shrugged and looked back out on the crowd. :: Turner: :: facing the crowd with her:: I've always looked at it as one of the CO's more pleasant missions. Oddas: Well, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I actually admit I like it quite a bit. :: Aria gave Toni a humorous smile, then changed to something more genuine, she knew she owed a lot to the other woman: not everyone would look at a shy Engineer and say 'there's Command potential'. :: Turner: I never asked you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself. Well, except the things I didn't know how to do, but you did. :: Toni had the monthly report forms in mind, not to mention engineering duties.:: The secret is to project your voice to the back of the assembly, and never let them see you sweat. :: Turning to glimpse the podium, she asked.:: Turner: Is the comm on the podium working? :: Aria looked at the podium toward the back of the room, as it was mostly holographic she had to assume it was working - otherwise, it would be a fairly bad trick and more realism than she cared to experience. :: Oddas: I would imagine so. Turner: Mind if I check it for you? Technical difficulties will only make you more nervous. :: Aria gestured toward the podium with her free hand and Toni took the podium smiling about what she was about to do. Projecting her soft voice with the aid of the comm, she called for attention.:: Turner: Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please. :: It took a few moments for the crowd to settle down to quiet whispers and the music to stop playing in the background, but when it did, she began.:: Turner: Tonight we have gathered here on the USS Eagle for the promotions of some of the brightest, most competent officers in the fleet. Officers who work within the crew seeing to the safety of their crewmates and making decisions for the betterment of the ship and Starfleet as a whole. Some will be from different species and different planets, but they all bring unique experiences from living life, and sharing them in a cooperative effort to bring peace and tranquility to the Galaxy. A few years ago, one such officer came to the Embassy on Duronis II. She was an unassuming, shy person, who sought no public attention or acclaim, but within her glowed a spark of potential that made her stand out from the rest. :: turning to Aria, smiling:: Yes, I'm talking about you. :: Aria fought back some embarrassment, forcing herself to remain standing still and not fidget, despite being the center of too much attention in the room. She let the Admiral continue. :: Turner: Everything you did to better the crew and the Embassy allowed you to hit every mark for promotion. And this time you have hit the final mark that makes your days as a Commander come to an end. :: taking a small silver box from her pocket and removing a lone pip.:: I am pleased and proud to be the one to promote you to Captain. :: Pinning the fourth pip on Aria's collar, and hugging her congratulations, Toni turned back to the crowd, beginning the applause. Aria let herself smile and holding back her own emotions. :: Turner: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Captain Aria Oddas! :: Stepping back and continuing her applaud with the others, tears of happiness began to well in Toni's eyes. Aria had met the potential and the next step up awaited her. Aria looked around the room, friends, crew, family, applauding for her, and she was touched. :: Oddas: Toni, everyone, thank you very much. I will spare you my normal long speech and just say, Thank You, I'm honored, and I will continue to strive to make you, and everyone proud of me. TBC Captain Oddas Aria Commanding Officer USS Eagle, NCC-74659 ASDB Co-Facilitator / Training Team / Captains Council E239305OA0 and Rear Admiral Toni Turner Commanding Officer Embassy Duronis II - USS Thor NCC-82607 Author ID number: E238209TT0