The One and Only: Party Time (Part 2)
Posted on 12/16/2020 @ 5:45pm by Lieutenant Oskar Ruseka MD & Captain Cian D'Anvers & Lieutenant Hael Edevane & Lieutenant JG Solpec & Renee Rooke & Jeysa Zeror
Edited on on 12/19/2020 @ 2:40pm
Mission:
S3E1: Time of Change
Location: Starlight Ballroom, San Franciso Bay Area, Earth
Timeline: Day 94 at 2040
Continued
Kia nodded, took a deep breath, and walked inside. “I’m holding you to that promise of dancing you know” she smiled as she held onto Solpec’s arm as the door closed behind them.
"I would have it no other way." He kissed her, then gently maneuvered the two of them towards a group of people. "Shall we talk to some interesting people, my dear?"
Kiara nodded. “Let’s indeed”
Men's fashion hadn't changed that much over the centuries, it just depended on cuts and such. After looking it up, Kiernan had decided on a simple black tuxedo to wear to the party. Oskar had dressed slightly differently, the jacket he wore was of a cream color that looked good on the older man. Kiernan took Oskar's hand into his as the two entered the Starlight Lounge. His eyes widened at how nice it looked, how classy and opulent. He always tried to participate in things like this, but he wasn't always successful. He was glad he had Oskar with him, and it was hope that the two would have a nice weekend together.
"This looks like it will be fun," Kiernan whispered just loud enough for Oskar to hear.
Oskar opted for the elder gentleman's look with the cream-colored jacket which he felt emphasized his eyes. The two walked into the Starlight Ballroom and Oskar immediately felt as though he had walked into a different world altogether. The decor and the ambiance were much different than a starship. His partner had point. This did look like it would be a quite bit of fun. "You just be careful with your fun," he said teasingly. "I suspect this is one of those occasions they pop the cork on the bubbly and it isn't synthetic only."
If there was anything an As'ean appreciated, it was the night and in that, Hael was no exception. He could leave the lenses which shielded his sensitive eyes from the harsh light of day in his quarters for one and enjoy, at least while he was outside, the return to his normal range of vision. This was part of life among those who preferred daylight which meant pretty much every Federation world. Not as pleasant in his opinion though it did seem necessary. The sun gave them more ability to see than would be afforded them at night. In that, they were his opposites.
The invitation to the party had been his new Captain's idea. As Acting Chief of Security, at least until an actual Chief reported aboard, his duty would involve their protection and while he doubted they would need much protection at a party, it would give him a chance to get to know them a bit, when they were more likely to be themselves. Informative and Hael Edevane was someone who liked being informed. So, he entered the ballroom and found himself a place at the bar; he ordered plain soda since he neither drank alcohol nor enjoyed things that were sweet.
At that moment, an announcer, dressed in flawless 40s tuxedo, his hair slicked back, walked up on the stage and stood behind the microphone. "Good evening everyone and welcome to the Starlight Ballroom," he said. He gestured to the ring of intimate tables clustered around the dance floor as he continued. "If everyone will find a seat, we can begin the festivities." The tables were round with enough seating at some for six and at others for four; each table had a pristine white tablecloth, a lit candle within a crystal globe at the center, and place settings with fan-folded white cloth napkins. In the serving area, the waiters were lining up to begin bringing appetizers out and take drink orders.
Cian excused himself from the group he was standing in and headed toward the stage, looking around to see where J.J. was since the plan had been for the two of them to present the promotions together.
Jodon was near the stage fussing around with the buttons on his shirt, nervously thinking about the whole function. He was not exactly the party person that he used to be. Prior to his joining with the Joral symbiont, Jodon was very much a center stage spotlight seeker who entertained others. Joral, however, mellowed that out, and the awkwardness of recent social gatherings weighed heavily on his shoulders now. Though seeing Cian boosted his mood a bit. "Cian," he said when the other man approached the stage. "I was just trying to blend in with the scenery."
Cian smiled warmly at his first officer even as he was shaking his head. "Not easy to do in our position," he said, "though I'll disappear after dinner. Parties go better when the Captain isn't watching over everyone."
Tahlin pointed to a table. "Lets snag a seat--look, there's some people. Mimi, you want to join us?"
"Sure." Mimi fell in behind Tahlin and K'Taal as they threaded their way through the throng of crew towards a table.
Kiara noticed spaces at a nearby table. Motioning towards it she steered Solpec that way so they could get seated. Arriving at the table Kiara smiled as more people arrived at the same table. “Do you mind if we join you?”
"Of course not..." Tahlin noted the couple. "You're a... Betazoid... And a Vulcan? Interesting romance there. Lieutenant Lae'Or, Security... You are?"
During this, K'Taal had risen like a huge, silent shadow, pulling out two chairs for the pair of them.
Kiara nodded politely to K’Taal, “Thank you” She looked back at Tahlin as she took her seat. “I’m Kiara Rahl, I was previously assigned as Chief Diplomatic Officer of the Crazy Horse, now I’m Chief Counsellor of the Sitting Bull.” She grinned. “I’m half Betazoid, and as you can see from the spots, half Trill.” She looked to Solpec waiting for him to introduce himself.
Mimi listened as Kiara and Solpec introduced themselves "A Betazoid Trill is a rather unusual.... combination." She remarked.
Kiara nodded. “I’m one of very few Trill hybrids. It makes me something of curiosity back on Trill.”
After people watching for several moments, Chet had been ready to start socializing, but now it was time to sit down. "Festivities!" he exclaimed to himself. "I love festivities. Especially if they involve food." And he took a seat at a nearby table, nodding to the others already seated.
Odessa Walking Bear had no idea of what she was supposed to be doing at this nineteen forties themed party, as she sipped from a glass of water. Other then the people clustered around her. She was bored out of her mind. 'Was this what I sunk all that work into?' she thought to herself. In truth, she was sorely considering going home and changing out of this dress. Then go down to the lounge and have a real meal. Anything but sitting around, waiting to be noticed.
"Good evening Chet." Jeysa said as she approached from behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up at the speaker, Chet's face broke into a grin. "If it isn't the lovely bartender who never did tell me her name, which drove me absolutely batty later on and forced me to look it up in the personnel files," he said in one breath. "Hello, Jeysa. See? I can be resourceful."
Jeysa laughed and put a glass down in front of Chet. "The boss approved real alcohol for this little get together, so. One very generous measure of real rum."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Chet, genuinely surprised. He sipped the liquid. "Mmmm... That's what I'm talking about," he muttered.
Hael walked up to the Sitting Bull's Chief Engineer though he didn't know that as he approached. What he saw was someone as bored as he was and so, because fearlessness was part of the job description for a security officer, he approached and smiled politely. "Hi," he said. "I'm Hael Edevane. Not that that will mean much since I've only just arrived and I don't know a soul here. But there you have it. Hael Edevane. Security."
Walking Bear regarded him in silence. She indicated the chair across from her. "I'm Odessa Walking Bear... and we'll be getting to know these fine souls together." as she smiled. "I assume that we'll be the FNG's together then.?"
Hael thought about it because the language wasn't native to him and acronyms sometimes seemed like a language in itself and nodded, grinning as the definition came to him. "I'm thinking that's about right," he said. Out of habit, his gaze quartered the room, looking at the assembly more in terms of threat assessment than anything else. He took in the ones that stood off to themselves, the waiters moving about the room, and especially the one wearing the non-regulation shoes. Details clung to him, stood out sometimes. "Did you report aboard yet?" He paused took a sip of his plain soda before amending the statement. "Really, I guess, I'm asking if you'd have a chance to see the ship yet?"
Walking Bear shook her head. "Other than the specs... No, this will be my first time seeing the..." she paused as she had forgotten the name of the class. "USS Sitting Bull with my own eyes..." Walking Bear did, however, recall the name of the ship she was being assigned to. "I am told that she is quite a sight to behold..."
"Haven't seen much myself other than, you know, the Ready Room when I reported in," Hael said. "Though I'll know every deck before long as will every member of my department." He offered up a mischievous grin. "I make it worth their while or ... probably more accurate to say, I make it worth their while not to fail."
Walking Bear nodded. "I like being on a first-name basis with every person in my department. That was easy enough on the Orcim and the Sceltor. Both were Akiras-class ships of the line." she smiled. "Now being on a first name basis will be a lot harder," she explained.
"What department are you in," Hael asked. "Cause in Security, we get a lot of folks where you have to perform surgery to get the stick out of their ... well, you get the idea, I"m sure."
"Chief Engineer... I am in charge of all the Engineers... If it's hardware that's broke. You call me. If it's software then you see the lovely folks in ops." Walking Bear answered with a rather wide grin on her lips.
Hael grinned in return, a natural response to her own, and nodded. "I'm familiar and of course, you'll be seeing my security teams whenever there's a problem or visitors on board. Course, they're all trained to hold spanners and the like while looking menacing so not a total waste of space."
Walking Bear laughed at this comment as she winced at the same time. "Ohh, that's a horrible thing to say to me," she responded. "I like my engineers to be somewhat competent and trained for what they are doing... Simply holding a wrench is helpful but can they actually fix things?"
Hael chuckled as he lifted his glass. "Well, if you want to take the chance on my security teams helping with your repairs, I'm sure they'll be happy to lend a hand." He shuddered dramatically. "Just, you know, don't let them near the warp core, alright?"
Walking Bear regarded him. "Or any number of other critical systems... But if you want to try some cross-department training then that's fine with me." the young woman answered. "I will never turn down free aid."
"And would that," Hael said as his hand swept back and forth between the two of them, "include your guys doing some security training? I could work on their hand to hand and phaser skills a bit?"
Walking Bear found the idea agreeable. "Many of the engineers, especially the enlisted and warrants wouldn't have gone to the academy." she commented. "I will need to keep that in mind when I train your guys."
Cian walked up onto the stage and took his place behind a stand microphone that looked as though it ought to be in a museum. "Good evening," he said and waited for a beat for the crowd to settle down. "Dinner will be served shortly and after that, its open bar and a night of dancing and socializing. No red alerts, I promise. But before we get to that, I have some announcements to make. Lieutenant Chester O'Hamlin, if you could come up here, please?"
Mildly surprised, Chet rose and walked briskly to the front and positioned himself to the right and slightly behind the Captain. He then waited, slightly curious, to find out what this was about.
Cian picked up a small box and turned so that he stood, face to face with the doctor. "When I accepted the captaincy, I also accepted responsibility for the ship and for the crew. In part, I share that responsibility with you as their physician. Your service hasn't gone unnoticed, Doctor, and it's my privilege to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant with all the rights and obligations attendant upon that position." He handed over the small box and smiled warmly. "Congratulations on a job well done."
Of course, Chet had never been concerned with Rank; it didn't matter except when he had to sit on the bridge during the night shift or something. But, he realized that it meant something to enough people that it was certainly an honor. And so, he accepted the box with a "thank you, sir."
"You earned it," Cian said. "Enjoy the party." He waited until the doctor had left the stage before announcing the next promotion. "And now, if Lieutenant Lae'Or would join me?"
Tahlin jumped in surprise. "Get your cute butt up there," hissed K'Taal in Klingon, then kissed her cheek. Blushing, the Bajoran stood, made her way to the stage, and faced Cian. Nervously, she smoothed a wrinkle out of her dress. Is he promoting all of us? she wondered.
Lieutenant Lae'Or," Cian said as he picked up a second box and offered it to her. "It is my privilege to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant with all of the rights and obligations of that position. Congratulations."
To Be Continued
A Post by:
Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant Jodon Joral
Executive Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant Lae'Or Tahlin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant Chester O'Hamlin, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant JG Kiara Rahl
Chief Counselor
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant Kiernan Gallagher VII, Ph.D.
Chief Science Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant Odessa Walking Bear
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Sitting Bull
Lieutenant JG Mimi
Chief of Operations
USS Sitting Bull
