Graduation Dinner
Posted on Thu Feb 11th, 2010 @ 10:21am by
1,784 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
FORGING AHEAD
Location: Starbase Typhon: Deck 59 / Conference Room A
Faron was not precisely sure why he was officiating this event. It's not like it was his job, or even his class.
He took a deep breath, and stepped out onto what was construed as the podium of the Conference Room.
The Cadets, all in their' fancy yellow dress uniforms stood at once. The tables hadn't been served yet.
In the back of the room, the kitchen was loud. Perhaps choosing the Tea Room lady, and "Crabby Bob" as the caterers was a poor choice on his part...
...like Amalia told him it would be.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to your last evening as a Starfleet Cadet." Faron said, as he stood at the podium.
This caused the perfectly restrained cadet crew, save the two vulcans, Ensign T'vanna, and Lieutenant Chaplin to break out into a raucous of loud cheering, hollering, and hooting.
"Dinner will be served..." Faron started to say.
"No! YOU NO DEEP FRY SUGAR COOKIE!" A loud yell came from the kitchen.
"LISTEN HERE, SCHMUCK, I DEEP FRY EVERYTHING THAT LEAVES MY KITCHEN!" Came the overly loud reply.
Amalia immediately went in, and started sorting out whatever the issue was, but not before shooting an I told you so look at Faron.
"...when our caterers stop trying to deep fry each other." Faron finished.
This was met with a good round of laughter.
"So we had originally planned to have dinner first, and then do the awards ceremony, but I think that while my wife works her magic in the kitchen, it would probably be best if we were to kick off the ceremony now." Faron concluded.
Joey nodded. "Before we begin, I'd just like to say thanks to all of you who put up with my temper. The Alabama won't be the same without 70 teenagers jacked up on caffeine in the engine room. To those of you who are staying, if you thought class was over, a friend of mine once told me you never stop learning. And to the one enlisted officer, who is spending her last night as a Starfleet Engineer, I say good luck, Ensign."
The cadets hushed, as they stared at the abrasive Vulcan woman who a few had begun to tolerate enough to make jokes out of. The two Vulcans bowed their' heads slightly.
"Shut up Lieutenant. This is the kids' night." was Therese's sole reply.
Joey laughed. "So now, I know exactly what you all are thinking. If the acting assistant Chief Engineer is leaving... who is taking her place."
Several of the more competitive cadets, who were borderline incompetent, but thought they had an actual shot at this position glanced from one to the other.
"I'll answer that after the official promotions ceremony." Joey said, causing an annoyed sigh to circulate the chamber.
Faron laughed. He pressed the comm on the podium to get in touch with the kitchen.
"I don't care if you don't let anything in YOUR Kitchen leave without deep frying it, Mr. Rubin, but in MY Kitchen, on Embassy grounds, you will serve your dishes, and Ms. Dew will serve hers, without you giving her 'helpful pointers'. And if you ever want to cater to a diplomatic function again, I suggest you shut the-" Amalia's voice came as a soft tirade through the podium's audio system. He flipped the switch off, just in time to miss, knowing his wife, a particularly vile string of insults, cursive words, and derogatory phrases, and was suddenly glad he had not had the sound up any higher than his own personal volume level.
He nodded at Joey.
"Would the following people please stand on the raised platform." Joey said. "Cadet Melissa Bella, Cadet Inzu Jan..." The list listed off some 65 names in total.
"Congratulations ladies and gentlemen, you have passed into active commission as Ensign. Thank you, and have a seat."
The few 'alpha male' cadets who had been gunning for the ACEO position, or so they thought looked actively distressed by their' Ensign pip, and reassignment orders that were handed to them by Ensign T'vanna.
"Cadet Redding Murphy, Cadet James Friesen, Cadet Laura Van den Brink, Cadet Jane Acai, and Cadet Wilson Wilson, please step forward." Joey said, picking the last 5 names off the list.
Murphy looked at his classmates, somewhat shocked. He hadn't expected to pass in the top 14 percent of his class.
"Someone bring Williams up there." Joey said.
Murphy took the daisy, and set it next to him.
"The Six of you were among the hardest working cadets in this class. Most of you didn't care about making friends, or socializing. You just pulled off your duties, often with little to no unintelligent questions." Joey summarized.
He paused briefly, as Ambassador Faron queued the main doors to open. A slight, Klingon woman stepped through the door.
Murphy took a double take, but refrained from commenting.
"To the Daisy, we leave no official award, as Starfleet didn't authorize one." Joey said. He put a small plastic banana peel in it's roots. "So we're giving you a Deck Klutz award."
This brought around a few rounds of laughter, which helped level the mood the daisy had first brought to the room.
"Cadet Melissa Bella, congratulations. You have been promoted to Full Lieutenant, and are shipping off to a Starbase a bit closer to home. Going to miss that amazing coder kid of yours." Joey said.
Cadet Bella laughed. "Does that mean I outrank you now, Chief?"
Joey nodded. "Have fun, wherever it is life takes you. Just don't forget the kids who got you through this."
Bella laughed. "You're still just a kid yourself, Chief."
Joey shrugged.
Faron laughed. "Aren't we all?"
This brought a round of laughter from most of the room, except the Kitchen.
A loud yell consisting of "WATCH WHERE YOU THROW THINGS, SCHMUCK", and a wok came from the kitchen. The Wok impaled itself neatly on a poor helpless picture in the corner of the room.
Ambassador's notes. Do not have Crabby Bob cater diplomatic functions again. He wrote on the memo pad on the podium.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Amalia yelled from the kitchen, and both Aeshia Dew, and Crabby Bob ran from the conference room's kitchen, glaring, and muttering at each other.
"We're having replicated food. Anyone want to argue this?" Amalia asked.
The dead silence, and somewhat scared looks of various cadets gave her her response.
"Great. I'll start serving in 10 minutes. Sorry those two almost ruined your night."
Joey cleared his throat.
"Cadet Friesen, you've been requisitioned by Starbase Pinnacle's Security Innovations program, due to your affinity for weaponry, and forcefields. The transport leaves in an hour after the ceremony, so I hope you are packed." Joey noted.
Friesen nodded. "Aye sir."
"Cadet Jane Acai." He said, following his carefully planned list. "I would like to thank you for your creative code re-writing skills, which brought the Asgard's sensors up to somewhere close to Lieutenant Nunez's standards. You'll be staying aboard the Alabama, as Chief Sensor Array specialist, as Ensign."
The woman nodded.
Without waiting for anything to intervene, Joey continued.
"Cadet Laura Van den Brink." Joey added. "Were it not for a minor infraction of Starfleet policy about purchasing extra-legal weaponry, you would be promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and be standing as my Assistant Chief Engineering Officer. As it stands, I'm keeping you aboard, and the incident is not to be spoken of again, Ensign, but do not make a habit of such things."
Cadet Van den Brink's face turned slightly pink, but she simply nodded.
"Wilson... where's Wilson..." Joey asked.
"Sorry sir," The British man said, as he came out of the kitchen. He had a pitcher of water. "Williams is thirsty."
Joey laughed a little. "Your excessive care with the plants in the Asgard's arboretum has earned you the right to be an Engineer on a colony who is starting up in the Alpha quadrant. They are hunting down engineers with a green thumb, to help them get their' plants growing properly, and they have had problems with people harming the plants."
Wilson nodded. "Shame to leave the ship, sir."
"We're all leaving, Mr. Wilson. Some of us are going to a new ship, others to a colony, others to a completely new line of work." Joey said, looking briefly at Ensign T'vanna. "But we won't be serving on the Asgard again, anytime soon."
Cadet Murphy stood at the end of the list. He looked slightly pale.
"Are you alright, Redding?" Ambassador Faron asked, when, at last, every pair of eyes in the room turned to the man.
"I'm a little worried about precisely what the Chief has in mind. My father once told me to always watch out for the surprises left for the last person on the list." Murphy replied.
Joey laughed. "Well, Ensign, you'll be on the Alabama, with 17 of your classmates, and myself, of course. The difference is, mind you, that you'll be acting as temporary Assistant Chief Engineering Officer, until I either decide your conduct is satisfactory, or replace you with a better candidate."
Murphy nearly passed out. When Katel, the Klingon woman quickly rushed in, and hugged him, he did pass out.
"Amalia, you may want to cancel Cadet Murphy's meal." Faron said into the comm panel.
Amalia laughed, as she brought the last of the trays out of the kitchen, which she had been ever so ninja-like placing on the table behind where all the attention had been.
"Now everyone shut up and eat." Amalia said with a smile, then added. "I've got two catering companies who I paid to do this thing, and I'm going to be needing a refund."
Faron laughed. "May whatever deity they believe in protect their' souls." He said, as Amalia left.
This brought out another ring of laughter from the room.
======================================
USS Alabama NPCs ((That are remaining aboard))
Ensigns Redding Murphy, Laura Van den Brink, Jane Acai, Raymond, and 13 as yet, un-named Engineering officers
Engineering Department,
USS Alabama
Williams
Decorative Plant,
USS Alabama
USS Alabama NPCs((That are not remaining aboard))
Lieutenant Melissa Bella,
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
Starbase 84
Starbase Pinnacle NPC
Ensign James Friesen,
Security Innovations, Tactical Officer,
USB Pinnacle
Starbase Typhon NPCs
Ensign Therese T'vanna,
Charg'e de'Affairs
USB Typhon
Amalia Lenar
Charg'e de'Affairs
USB Typhon
Crabby Bob
Deep Fryer-happy nutjob
Crabby Bob's Crab Shack - USB Typhon
Aeshia Dew
Tea Nazi
Oriental Tea Room - USB Typhon
Katel, daughter of Krall((Unlisted NPC))
Klingon Civilian, Temporary Resident
USB Typhon
and various others Played By, and With:
Lieutenant Junior Grade Joey Chaplin,
Chief Engineering Officer,
USS Alabama
AND
Doctor Faron Lenar,
UFP Ambassador,
USB Typhon
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