Joint Duty Log - All Crew - "Part of a Success That Never Ends"

Posted on Mon Aug 11th, 2014 @ 3:19am by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Commander James Archer & Lieutenant Te'shara R'heil & Commander Amelia Waterhouse & Lieutenant JG Saia Roswell & 2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Garza

4,528 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: In the Dark

The holodeck had become a buzz with activity. People laughing, talking, schmoozing with one another -- each dressed to the nines as they stood strewn about the black marble dance floor. From where she stood beside Pond, Rochelle herself was a vision. Her hair was swept up in a twist, her tiny shapely frame clad in a black off the shoulder gown that brought out the blue of her eyes and the fire in her hair while leaving her skin it's perfect, lightly freckled, porcelain. She was elegant, refined, quiet as she rested there with her hands folded in front of her and not quite ready to mingle -- instead playing hostess atop the stage in wait for the festivities to begin.

From the corner of her eye, she spied her much taller counterpart. Equally as lovely Pond's attire matched her personality; loud, vivacious, vibrant. Anything less would have left Rochelle calling medical and counseling for a full run down of the woman's vitals and mental health. Navy, lime and lace -- Amelia never did simple or muted. It wasn't her style, not in the least. "You look lovely." The Commander offered, nodding to two passing officers that waved to her.

Amelia's dress was a strapless number that came down to her knees, navy blue with lime green pinstripe. The front looked like that of a double breasted suit jacket with the lapels pointing up just above the neckline of the dress, and lime green lace peeking out between. The skirt was narrow, more lace peeking out of the vent in the back. She paired this with a pair of green pinup style heels and back seamed nylons, and a navy choker around her neck held her combadge.

Her first impulse was to protest. Her dress was just a mash up of an outfit her mother had and the suit uncle Spiegel had worn to her Academy graduation. Instead she smiled. "Thank you. Not as much as you though... Is that the dress you'd been looking at when Dad ambushed you?"

Amelia looked around, trying to spot her parents. They hadn't actually said to her they were coming, but as her father climbed the ranks he'd been inclined to take advantage of certain liberties allowed to brass, and he'd crashed more than his share of events. Hopefully he'd at least warned Rochelle first.

"It is." Rochelle nodded, not playing into her friend's fishing for compliments. It was high time that the other woman accepted the fate that she was, in fact, a vision -- and not a Captain's job to constantly remind her. The thought, however, did bring a mischievous little smirk to the Commander's lips -- having a chime go off in Pond's quarters at some unseemly hour of the morning to remind her. A beep on the lime green PaDD hidden behind her back brought her back to reality — a somber reality. "It's time." She said, drawing a deep breath and looking to her friend for last minute support. Right on cue a waiter came past with a tray to hand her a silver spoon and a flute of champagne which she dutifully took, released the breath, and crossed to the center of the stage gently clanging the spoon against the glass knowing Pond would be following at her side.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please." She began, forcing herself to smile pleasantly as the chatter died to silence, "Thank you. Welcome to the USS Vindicator's Award Ceremony, our crew has earned this evening and all the luxuries that come with it. It's with great honor that we embark on this new chapter of history on this prestigious vessel, but that honor has come with a cost." easy, she reminded herself, tamping down the well of emotion and panic that began to bite at her belly. "I..." She faltered for a moment, glancing down to gather herself, "I have the unfortunate task of announcing officially that Captain Landon Neyes will no longer be in command of the Vindicator. Due to injuries sustained during a rescue mission on the planet Notura, he has been incapacitated and released to the Trill. Captain Neyes' bravery knows no bounds, it was his selflessness and dedication to the lives of his crew that should be remembered, embraced, and aspired to." Somehow she managed to breathe, somehow she managed to keep herself complete and remained the elegant, poised vision of grace that should embody a woman of her position.

"In that light we bestow upon him the Star Cross for Merit, the Bronze Star for Valor, a Citation of Gallantry, the Nova Cross for Merit, the Pallas Medal and a Purple Heart. He deserves so much more, but unfortunately we are bound by the limits of awards in existence." She paused.

Amelia watched the crowd quietly from behind Rochelle as the Commander spoke, taking in the reactions of the crew. Some of them had already heard rumors... some of the nurses in sickbay knew no bounds when it came to gossip. Others, this was the first they'd heard of the fate of their captain. Amelia looked to Rochelle. She knew this had to be hard on her friend, and she wanted to show her some sign of support but the commander had to do this alone. She was acting commanding officer of this large beast of a ship, and she had to show strength for her ship and crew.

Rochelle nodded at the applause, finding a small sad smile gracing her refined facial features. She missed him, but like a warrior she would honor him with the future that Vindicator held. It wasn't an easy feat, going on without the Captain she'd come to love both as a professional and as a man -- but she would, she'd endure.

"Next on my list is another officer who risked life and limb to rescue our crew. Lieutenant Commander Almar Dahe'el, please step forward." She called, scanning the crowd for the Cardassian's face.

Stepping forward slowly, the Cardassian made his way through the crowd, one which split as he approached, there were hushed whispers which played on the edge of his hearing, he came to a halt before Ivanova and gave her a slight nod.

"Lieutenant Commander... You destroyed this ship's thrusters and caused some poor crewman to have to go on a space walk with an ice scraper all because of your wild ideas." She put sternly, having to stare up at him due to their height difference, nearly standing on tip toe as she began to remove the pips from his collar, "For that inexcusable offense I am left with no choice but to promote you to the rank of Commander with all power and privileges entitled." She continued, replacing them with the shine of a new rank. "Furthermore, I am awarding you with the Citation of Gallantry, the Bronze Star for Valor, a Fleet Commendation, the Pallas Medal, the Kelly Award Technical Merit, a Technical Excellence Award, the Cochrane Award..." She paused and set back on her heels, "Oh yes... And the Nova Cross for Merit. I hope I make myself quite clear how tolerated your actions are."

"Thank you," Almar replied with a bow of his head as he accepted the collection of medals and caught the glint of the new pip out of the corner of his eye, "I live to serve." he added quietly, for her ears only.

Amelia smiled softly, watching her friend and the Engineer interact. She nodded slightly at him when he turned to leave. "Congratulations, sir," she said, her smile widening at him.

"Congratulations, Commander." The shorter of the redheads smiled as he left the stage, once again putting the limelight back on her and the hardware she was handing out. "Our next contestant is a strange one who, I'm certain, has been a source of constant gossip. Commander James Archer, front and center."

James makes his way to the stage, turns to face the crowd, and stands at attention.

"For your actions against a Federation ship attack, I hereby award you the Fujisaki Award and for your style I'm pleased as punch to give you the DeForest Kelley Humor Award and Crew Appreciation Award. Wear them in good health, Commander." Rochelle chuckled, offering him the oak boxes.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Congratulations." She nodded to the Intel officer, waiting for him to depart before she gathered another set of boxes from the waiting Amelia, "Lieutenant Zola, front and center." She called, watching the crowd part for the eccentric little Ferengi. "You too were involved in the near destruction of the Vindicator."

Zola looked up with surprise when she heard her name, and skittered forward with a softly scratching clack of heels on the floor. Her long white lace sleeves fluttered behind her as she mounted the stage, a soft clink from the chains that draped around her ears and neck. As she strode forward, all could see that the tiny Ferengi was perched on a pair of white pumps with chicken legs for heels.

"No harm came to the ship that couldn't be fixed, ma'am," Zola insisted, coming to attention with a grin that showed off her sharp little teeth. "It was for the greater good," she added, as if repeating something she had heard before.

"Enough excuses. You're new, and as such you should be honored to receive the Kelly Award Technical Merit, the Technical Excellence Award, the Cochrane Award, the Nova Cross for Merit and because those chicken heels are just so outrageous... The DeForest Kelley Humor Award." Rochelle's stern demeanor threatened to crack at the sight of the fabled heels, but still she remained the picture of effortless grace as she offered the tiny woman her bounty.

"Thank you, ma'am," Zola said softly, flushing just a little. One foot twitched, and the heel scratched at the floor a little, but Zola stopped its movement quickly when she noticed. She cupped her hands at her chin and dipped into a cross between a bow and a curtsy before accepting the awards from Ivanova. Behind them, Amelia bit her lip to keep from giggling at the strange little engineer. It was clear that the reports about her were going to amuse.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant. And now? Lieutenant Te'shara R'heil... Step forward." Rochelle ordered and took yet another box from Amelia.

Te'shara steps forward, and in attention form."yes Ma'am? im here" she said wondering whats going on.

"I hereby award you the Kragite Order of Heroism. Congratulations." The Commander nodded, handing her the box with a grin.

Te'shara smiled, her caitian grin."thank you ma'am, I'll continue to serve you Ma'am."she said standing at attn.

Amelia smiled at Lieutenant R'heil, and saluted as Rochelle did. With that, the Caitian was dismissed and returned to the crowd.

Drawing another breath she took hold of another box, "Lieutenant Junior Grade Saia Roswell..." Rochelle motioned for the woman to come forward and stood tall and proud, "for your actions I hereby give you the Manheim award. Wear it proudly and in good heath, Lieutenant." She applauded lightly and turned to breathe and select another handful of boxes.

Saia bit her lip, an old habit returning, and looked to Nara, Kevin, and Saul as if to ask if she HAD to go in front of all those people. With their part amusement at her pain and part encouragement, she took a deep breath and resisted the urge to shrink and slump and rather stood tall like the officer she was, giving a polite smile not bothering to hide the fear in her eyes of falling flat on her face to or from the award.

Amelia noticed how nervous the scientist was when she reached the stage for her award, and she smiled encouraging her at her. "Congratulations, Lieutenant," she said softly when Saia turned to leave the stage again.

"Second Lieutenant Jasmine Garza, on the double." The tiny redhead ordered the Marine up with a smile, "For your bravery and merit as a Marine, I bestow upon you the Semper Fidelis award. I also give you a Crew Appreciation Award and," She paused, opening another box, "the Vindicator Award. awarded to a member of the crew, past or present, who went above and beyond to embody the true spirit of the Vindicator. That person is you."

Jasmine had to be a bit selective when it came to her gown, as it was a military ball she needed to cover her tattoos. So she went with a simple burgundy ribbon embroidery strapless gown and a matching short jacket.

Hearing her name, Jasmine had set down her flute of champagne, feeling her cheeks getting a bit warm. Jasmine didn't do well with receiving awards, especially in a large event like this. But luckily she was able to put on her stoic expression and head up to where the redhead captain was. Not exactly double time seeing as it was tough to do so in heels and floor length gown.

Gulping Jasmine took the three boxes and looked at each award and back up to the Ivanova. Her cheeks were most likely almost the color of her gown. "Thank you ma'am." Jasmine said snapping to attention and giving Ivanova and Waterhouse a crisp salute.

Amelia returned the Marine's crisp salute with a smile. "Congratulations," she said simply.

“What am I forgetting…” Rochelle drummed her fingers along her chin, her brow furrowed in concentration before she lit up like the fourth of July. She pivoted sharply on one of her heels, coming to face Amelia with Hell blazing in her eyes – a complete polar shift from the gentleness, admiration, and appreciation that had shone through just seconds before. “You.” She growled, stepping forward and grabbing the floating PaDD. A few keys later and the window behind them opened revealing a plank and allowing in the noise of the busy street and storm below.

“Ever since you came aboard this ship everything has gone completely pear-shaped.” She hissed, casting the PaDD away and advancing forward with her finger outstretched, “The Vindicator? Trashed and covered in ice. We barely limped into port, had to be tugged in to be exact.” The hellion continued, purposely going toe to toe with the much taller woman, driving her towards the open window. “And you’re Intel. Who knows who you really answer to.”

Amelia actually started when Rochelle turned on her. She prided herself on usually being aware of her surroundings enough that even when something caught her flat footed, she usually wasn't startled by it. She actually half stumbled in her high heels as the petite commander advanced on her, a look of utter confusion on her face. She felt the temperature drop as Rochelle triggered the opening of the window with the PADD, but Amelia's attention was zeroed in on her friend, she didn't even bother to look behind her.

"Coincidence, not causation," Amelia finally returned, her brain kicking in. Somewhere deep in her stomach she wanted to believe this was just a show, but Rochelle had really turned it up to eleven. She met Rochelle's fiery gaze, narrowing her own eyes at the woman as she felt the slight moisture of the storm outside blowing in on the stage.

"I'll have you know, no one has ever questioned my loyalties before," she growled at the smaller woman. "I was raised in the arms of this fleet, I learned to crawl and walk in the artificial gravity of a starship. My father is a rear admiral, and my mother-"

“Enough! You want to prove your loyalties?” Rochelle barked the question as the drizzle blew in against them, mere inches from the plank, “Give me your pips and walk the plank.”

At the demand for her pips, Amelia broke out in laughter... a mad, my sanity is cracking, cackle, not unlike what one would associate with a certain green skinned witch in a children's book. Rochelle had gotten so into this, she had forgotten that they were at a black tie event, and neither of them were in uniform.

"I'd love to, ma'am, but a certain chief intelligence officer on this boat demanded I start dressing like the spook I am, which means the pips and uniform are collecting dust in my quarters," she returned, a smirk painted across her face. A quick glance behind her to make sure she was stepping onto the plank, and Amelia backed out into the rain above the city street. The wind pulled at the curls of her hair that hung down her back, whipping a couple of tendrils into her face.

"Shut your mouth and jump." Rochelle hissed and reached behind her, finding a satchel and opening the black velvet to reveal its contents, pouring them into her hand. “Oh and Amelia?” She said, sickly sweet, “I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander with all power and privileges as such a rank entitles.” She breathed, showing the new shining rank pips in the palm of her little hand before tossing them over the edge, “I also bestow upon you the Fleet Commendation for going above and beyond the call of duty, the Bronze Star for Valor, the Pallas Medal, Newcomer of the Month and… the Community Builder Award.” Each little box was handed to her by a yeoman, Cecil duPont if she remembered his name correctly, and he stammered as each one flew to find the pips she’d tossed. With the last one airborne, Rochelle waved at her friend, “Enjoy your trip, Commander.”

It was all Amelia could do not to smirk when Rochelle ordered her to jump, so she hopped once to get the plank to bend a little, and then hopped again to do a back flip towards the street below. "Cowabunga!" she cried as she made effort to pull herself into a dive for the street below.

The program froze Amelia in place, mid-dive as Rochelle expected, holding the other woman in stasis high above the hustle and the bustle of New York City life going on below. Stepping out on the plank, she could feel it creak beneath her heels, the wind whipping at her face, hot and sultry. For a moment she was back on Notura, blinking back away from the biting cold and the screaming snows — but she blinked, casting the memory away. It wouldn't win. Not here. "You're having too much fun with this, Commander." She said, folding her hands in front of her, using them to stabilize her billowing gown. "Payback is a dog, isn't it?" She asked, canting her head to one side as the shiny pips and the exotic hardware hung in stasis just within the other woman's reach. "You're lucky I like your dress too much to see it ruined."

Amelia made a face when she suddenly stopped her graceful swan dive... well, maybe not graceful, she admitted to herself, she hadn't had a chance to practice anyways. "I don't know why you think I'm enjoying this," Amelia insisted, grinning. Finding she could still move her arms, she reached out to collect the pips and other shiny prizes. "Mother may I come back to solid ground? I'll behave," she asked, trying to sound sweet.

Standing there on the plank, doing her best not to let the wind blow her off her perch, Rochelle blinked slowly and canted her head to one side as if deep in thought. "I don't know, I kind of like you better this way." she shrugged, waiting for the rest of the awards to be safely collected. "But... If you insist." the woman pivoted on the wet wooden plank and carefully navigated back inside, calling the floating PaDD to her as if by magic. Her fingers worked quickly, moving Pond back over the stage "Right yourself. You wouldn't want to land face first on the stage."

Into a slim pocket on the front hip of her dress, Amelia's fingers slipped. Out came a cylindrical device with a green bit on the end; perhaps a little too big for the pocket but probably only those on stage with her could notice. She aimed it at the wall behind her and pressed a button, the device whined to life, the green bit lighting up, and Amelia set herself to spinning slowly as if in zero gravity.

"Time it right when to drop me, and this will be crackin'," she whispered to Rochelle.

"Now." The petite woman warned, and executed the command to drop her friend from the stasis hold.

As Amelia dropped, she landed almost perfectly. Almost. It wasn't clear if she'd just been spinning a little faster that she thought, or if the maneuver was just too advanced for the heels she was wearing, but she didn't stick the landing. She went face first toward the floor, dropping her sonic screwdriver so she could brace her landing and not need a visit to sickbay for her nose. It went rolling across the stage and stopped by bumping the well polished toe of yeoman duPont's boot.

As if she had planned it that way, she rolled into her back, one knee bent to place her foot on the floor, the other leg crossed over at the knee, her foot bouncing. She laid her hands behind her head and winked up at Rochelle.

"Now, I think you've forgot about the one person that was at the focal point of all this chaos," the willowy woman insisting as she looked to see if the Cardassian was in place. "Commander Dahe'el, if you could give me a hand." Amelia slid her fingers into the slim pocket again, digging for something.

Another nod confirmed that the Cardassian was ready and he stepped forward with a slight smile on his face, his movements hid the fact that he had a bulge in the upper jacket pocket of his dress uniform, "Of course, Commander."

Amelia slid a pair of matte blue handcuffs out of the pocket and tossed then to Rochelle. She was depending on them reminding her of her promotion to Commander in the Griffin. Keep her grounded while Amelia and Almar teased her.

"Your favorite color, yeah?"

Rochelle had started to rush forward to help her friend, quickly hitting the brakes when she realized it was a ploy. She blinked, tilting her head as Amelia started to talk, a small tinge of panic starting to well in the pit of her belly as she realized she was trapped between two people, one who may want retribution. It was a pointless concern, but her frayed nerves didn't allow her to discern between necessary and unnecessary worries. She looked over her shoulder at Almar then back as the flash of blue caught her eye and she quickly reached out to catch cuffs. "Yes." She replied, holding them, studying them. Flashes of memories from when Andrea promoted her to Commander began to cut through the fog.

"Then you won't mind wearing them down to the brig, for the damage done to this ship in your name," Amelia insisted springing to her feet, this time sticking the landing as if she was part cat. She directed a wink at Almar. "But first, I believe the commander has something for you."

"Captain Rochelle Ivanova, I have been directed by Starfleet Command to bring you to heel and present you with some charges," the Cardassian begun as he stepped forward and pulled a couple of boxes from his dress uniform, "They have instructed me to award you the Starfleet Prisoner of War award for your actions, despite being captured, you attempted escape and refused to leave a man behind."

"They have also instructed me to award you the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in the line of duty," Almar continued before handing the pair of smaller boxes to the redhead and bowing his head slightly.

Rochelle stiffened slightly, her eyes closing as she stood up to her full height -- however unimpressive it may have been -- and set her jaw. Where in the past she'd likely have found amusement in their charades, when spun back on her she felt nothing more than regret for the state of the ship and wouldn't have doubted that Malone would have set them to this as a show of strength. She re-opened them at the mention of the masculine commander, and turned to face him squarely. Her fingers played across the blue metal of the cuffs as the cold crystal of her eyes studied the Cardassian man in earnest - her chin tipped imperceptibly skywards as she watched him fish through his dress uniform and then back as she watched the oak boxes appear.

Devils. Both of them, she thought as she allowed herself to breathe as he spoke and gingerly accepted the boxes from his hands.

"In light of your determination to lead this ship, even when it might suit you better to rest up after your ordeal, they have also ordered me to present you with the Obsidian Citation, given on behalf of the crew who feel you are an outstanding officer and a shining example to us all." the Cardassian finished, allowing himself a second or two, "Congratulations Commander."

A small smile flirted across her lips as she nodded and allowed the words to soak into her mind. "Thank you, Commander." She offered, "And thank you to the crew of the Vindicator." The redhead nodded in kind -- in her heart of hearts she firmly believed she didn't deserve a single award. Nothing she had done had been anything a person in her position shouldn't have. It didn't leave her feeling exemplary, it left her feeling as if she were a failure for having been in such a position in the first place. The ability to shut one's mouth, smile and nod had been trained into her by Commodore Levine during their days on the Griffin and, as such, she fell back into that safe routine. It touched her, however, that they'd gone out on a limb to present her with anything at all -- their love soothed the woman's ragged nerves, to know she had their trust and their admiration meant more than any metal that could have been presented to her that night or any other.

Amelia moved close to the petite commander, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Promise me you'll get me back for this," Amelia insisted in a whisper, "Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say."

Rochelle looked up and sideways to catch the face of the taller redhead, a single sanguine brow lifting and arching high, "Or scalding hot." She replied, nodding to the woman.

=/\= END LOG? =/\=

Commander Rochelle Ivanova
acting Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR

Commander James Archer
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS VINDICATOR

Lieutenant Commander Almar Dahe'el
Chief Engineering Officer
USS VINDICATOR

Lt Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Infiltration Specialist
USS Vindicator

Lieutenant Te'Sahra R'heil
Security Officer
USS Vindicator

Lieutenant Saia Roswell
Security Officer
USS Vindicator

Lieutenant Zola
Engineering Officer
USS Vindicator

2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Garza
51st Marine Recon Unit Commander
USS Vindicator

 

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