Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 22:57:03 -0600 In: alt.startrek.creative From: "PineTrees" Title: Ceremonial Duties - Hail and Farewell Author: PineTrees Contact: P1neTrees at Yahoo dot com Series: TOS Part: 1/1 Rating: PG Archive: ASC Summary: an ongoing series of vignettes and stories collectively called Many thanks to Jungle Kitty for the beta. Ceremonial Duties: Hail and Farewell ............... "Nervous?" Kyle asked his classmate and former shipmate with a smile. Janice Rand was indeed very nervous, but she smiled back. "Nah, I've been to these ceremonies before. Boring speeches and empty auditoriums. Nothing to be nervous about." After a grueling, year long course, she was about to graduate from the Officer Candidate School as an ensign. She was near the top of her class of 150, might even be first, but the competition was so tight the exact rankings would not be known until the ceremony. The last posted rankings had placed her third. If she had done well on her finals - and she thought she had - she had a good chance at second, and a possibility at first place. Janice smiled, and ran a hand through her now-short hair. Until a year ago, she had no idea she had such a competitive streak in her. Kyle gave her a strange look. "What do you mean, empty auditorium? Don't you know the Enterprise is in orbit?" She did know, of course, but she didn't think it would matter. "Kyle, it's been a year, and the Enterprise officers are almost all Academy grads. I don't think they'll exactly be yearning to attend a long, boring ceremony, especially for a bunch of mustangs." "Mustang" was the common term for OCS (that is, non-Academy) graduates who had worked their way up from the enlisted ranks. The term had used in military circles for centuries, long before there was a Starfleet Academy. As it implied, there tended to be a schism between Academy grads and OCS types. Starfleet was run by Academy grads, although the occasional mustang made it to flag rank. Even the building they were in reflected the gulf between the two. Admiralty Hall had been the site of Academy graduation ceremonies since the Academy had been founded. But it had only been open for OCS graduation ceremonies for a few years. Before that, OCS grads had received their send off in the Academy gymnasium complex. Kyle gave her a strange look. "Umm, we did come here from the same ship, right? You know, the Enterprise? And you really don't think anyone will show? Are you sure you didn't sneak in with those chaps from the Exeter?" "Well...maybe we'll get a couple. Speaking of which," she added "who's pinning you?" By tradition, at the conclusion of the ceremony, cadet rank was discarded, and the new Ensign pips were affixed to the uniform by an officer who had in some way mentored or encouraged the new graduate in their career. "Mr. Scott, of course," Kyle beamed. He loved the demanding, big-hearted engineer like his own father. "And you?" "Sulu. When he found out the captain put me in for OCS, he spent hours and hours helping me study for the math section of the boards. Did you know he was a physicist before he transferred to command? And he was the first friend I made on that ship. " "Uh huh. He's a good soul. But Sulu, not Captain Kirk?" Kyle asked with a grin. She shot him a sharp look in response. In truth, she had wanted to ask the captain, but had ultimately given in to cowardice. She was afraid he'd say no. And Sulu had always been very kind and encouraging to her. She should have known better. Why had she thought he'd say no? A shrill blast from a bosun's whistle pierced the air, startling Janice out of her reverie. It was the signal her class had been waiting for. They marched through the rear entrance of Admiralty Hall, and to her surprise, Rand saw there was at least a thousand people in the audience. At first, she thought they were mostly friends and family of the graduates, with a few old shipmates thrown in for good measure. People stood on chairs and craned their heads to get a look at the proud new officers. As they drew closer to seats reserved for them in the front, she began to make out something else through the crowd. There looked like a whole section of people standing at attention, their backs straight, eyes away from the incoming grads, locked towards the front of the room. Janice gave Kyle a sly smile, like she had caught him trying to pull something over on her. She had started to recognize some of them, even from behind. Kyle just looked back at her, with a definite "I told you so" air. There! They came around the bend to the front of the room and Janice got a clear look. As far as she could tell, a high percentage of the Enterprise officers and quite a few of the crew were in attendance. All in full dress uniform, at attention. The crew started to break their stance ever so slightly as Rand and Kyle marched by. She could see slight nudges and smiles and hear little murmurs as they were recognized. Uhura, standing in front of her section, had tears in her eyes. Tina Lawton, towards the back, somehow managed to stay at attention while straining on her tiptoes for a view. But the huge grin on her face eclipsed whatever military bearing she retained. Kevin Riley didn't even try to stay formal, giving them a wave and a broad smile as she and Kyle marched by. Doctor McCoy, standing in the approximation of attention which was as close as he ever got to military formality, gave her an encouraging smile. Spock's normal posture was close enough to attention that he looked comfortingly familiar. Out in front of them all stood Captain Kirk, gallant and breathtakingly handsome in all his finery. He stayed at strict attention, not moving, smiling, or changing his expression one bit as she and Kyle passed by. Janice noticed he was wearing all of his medals, instead of the comparatively modest selection he usually wore when in dress uniform. Sulu and Scott were waiting at the front, along with the other mentors, and stepped into place next to their designated charges as the class reached their chairs. They were on an elevated platform, facing the audience. The class sat down in unison. Only then did the captain do a smart about-face, issue a soft command to release his crew from attention, and join the doctor and Mr. Spock to sit in the front row. Then he gave Rand and Kyle that warm half-smile of his, and a broad wink. Kyle actually laughed out loud, earning some looks from his classmates. Janice did not laugh. She had no family, and had not expected anyone to be here for her graduation. She sat at attention, concentrating on that, to avoid embarrassing herself by crying. She did not look at Captain Kirk again. She got herself under control, and then tried hard to pay attention to the speeches, but she was right about the ceremony being boring. She drifted off for a while, thinking about the future. When she was enlisted, she had not been overly impressed by the rank of ensign. It was the lowest of the commissioned officer ranks, held for the most part by brand new academy grads who were still trying to figure out which way was up. But she had always treated all officers with the respect that was their due. That wasn't always the case with many senior enlisted crew, and she knew she would most likely be in for some hazing on her new posting. She was more than a little envious of Kyle, since he was going back to the Enterprise. Nobody was harassed there, not even the newest crewman-third right out of training. The captain wouldn't think of it, and she could only imagine his reaction if he ever found it happening on his ship. She was bound for the Lexington. She had heard good things about Commodore Wesley, and Captain Kirk was said to think well of him. Maybe it would all work out. Even if it wasn't like the Enterprise, she was not a fresh academy grad. She could handle whatever smart-ass comments came her way from semi-witty senior crewmen. But some of her classmates had come to OCS from the Lex, and she didn't see Wesley here. They announced the honor graduates. Second. She had finished second in her class. She could not bring herself to be disappointed about not finishing first. She had finished second, out of 150. This, from a girl who had barely graduated high school. As she got up to collect her commission and honor commendation, the crew of the Enterprise was on their feet, stomping, hollering, whistling, and cheering. Captain Kirk was not cheering or hollering, of course, but he was standing and applauding in a dignified manner. He was still smiling, and she knew was not just imagining the pride and affection in his eyes. This time, the tears did come, but she managed to keep her back straight and her dignity intact. It was a big moment for her; the biggest of her life, so far. Sulu squeezed her hand when she returned, apparently mistaking the tears in her eyes for disappointment. "Don't worry, you're in good company," he whispered. "What are you talking about?" He looked at her. "About graduating second." "I'm not disappointed. I'm very proud." Sulu smiled. "As well you should be. And, by the way, Captain Kirk graduated second in his Academy class." "Really." She swung around and stared at the captain with an almost comical, doubtful expression. She couldn't imagine him finishing second at anything. Kirk apparently figured out what they were whispering about, and started laughing. "Really." Sulu straightened and smiled even more. "One of his officers did finish first in their class, but, unfortunately, modesty prevents me from naming names." "Why should you be modest about Spock?" Janice teased. "Spock didn't go to the Academy, young miss!" Sulu replied with mock severity. "At least not our Academy. He's a Vulcan Science Academy grad, direct commission." They had finished announcing the honor grads. Everyone had their commission now; they were all officers, except for one thing remaining. As a group, the class rose with their mentors, who prepared to pin their new rank on them. Captain Kirk quietly called his crew to attention again. As Scotty and Sulu pinned the new rank on, Captain Kirk quietly called his crew to attention. He kept them that way until the ceremony came to a close, and the class was dismissed for the last time. Scotty bear hugged Kyle, and gave Janice a big kiss smack on the lips. Sulu burst out laughing, and hugged both new officers. Many in the crowd broke towards the front of the auditorium, and the grads soon had strangers and friends milling among them. Janice had just asked Kyle "How did you know?" when Uhura reached them and grabbed Kyle with an exuberant hug before he could respond. When he could breathe again, he said, "You've never been to one of these before with an Enterprise crewman in the class, huh?" Uhura knew what they were talking about and jumped right in. "That's right, you weren't expecting us, were you? It must have been a wonderful surprise." "To say the least! I knew Sulu would make it here somehow, but that was it!" Kyle continued. "The captain does this every time we have someone graduate from OCS. At least, every time orders permit - which of course is not always the case. The last time was Mr. Leslie - before your time, wasn't it...?" Rand nodded confirmation. Leslie was a lieutenant now, had just been promoted from ensign when she came aboard. "He also talks to the officers first, separately. I've always wanted know what he says and next time I'll find out in person!" Kyle beamed again. "Well, I can tell you if you'd like to know," Uhura said. At Kyle's nod she continued. "He's very animated, you know how he gets when he's on a rant about something?" Everyone laughed and nodded. "Anyway, he says the reason he makes everyone attend these long ceremonies is twofold: first and foremost, as we all know, to honor a crewmate who has accomplished something really extraordinary. And second, to show that on his ship, there is no distinction made between Academy and OCS grads. He says we are all in the same service, and all out here for the same reason. He usually ends up with something along the lines of, one day many of you will find yourselves in positions of great responsibility within Starfleet..." at this point Scott and Sulu joined in and they all finished together, all gesturing expansively, Kirk-like, with their hands "...and if I ever hear any of you are playing games with OCS grads, I'm gonna come after you and kick your ass!" Everyone broke up laughing. "Well, Jim, they sure have you pegged!" they heard McCoy say as he walked up with the captain and first officer. Everyone straightened just a little, but the smiles and relaxed atmosphere remained. Kirk had a knowing grin on his face. "Yes, it certainly warms my heart to know that my little pep talks sink in." "Captain, you have repeated the same speech almost verbatim four times, so it is logical to expect that by now." Spock stopped short as McCoy poked him in the ribs. "Well, Mr. Spock, if it's worth saying, it's worth repeating" Kirk replied. Then he turned to Kyle, took his hand, and held it in both of his own for a second. "I'm very glad you'll be coming back on the Enterprise. You've been sorely missed." Kyle looked fit to burst, and stammered out his thanks as he and Kirk shook hands. The captain turned to Rand next. "I am very, very proud of you," he said, "and I have every confidence you'll make a fine officer." Rand couldn't help but grin at him. She was proud, too. Kirk grinned back as he shook her hand. "Congratulations, Ensign." "By the way, Commodore Wesley asked me to convey his regrets to you, and he apologizes for not being here. The Lex picked up a distress call and is en route to investigate." All of a sudden Rand felt much better about the future. "I understand completely, Captain, and thanks for letting me know." "Can either of you point out Ensigns Tulotta and Chang for me?" Those were classmates who came to OCS from the Lexington. One of them, Chang, would be going to the Enterprise with Kyle, while Tulotta was going back to the Lex, with Rand. "Sure, Captain, they're both over there, by the podium," Kyle said, pointing the way. "Thanks. If you'll excuse me, ladies, gentlemen." with a nod and a smile, he walked off, accompanied, as usual, by Mr. Spock. Dr. McCoy opted to stay with Rand and the group. "So, Janice, it looks like you'll be stranded here on Earth for a while. Poor you." He grinned. "It seems so. And the Enterprise?" Uhura burst in. "We are here for the next three weeks! Re-supply, major repairs of some systems, minor refit of some others. As of the end of your graduation ceremony, most of the crew is on leave for the duration." Then she frowned. "Unfortunately, there is one less joyful ceremonial duty coming up as well." "Why do you say that?" McCoy answered. "We're just returning from a planet in the Gamma Trianguli system. The mission was successful, but we lost four crewmen." Rand and Kyle were both horrified. "Who?" Kyle asked. "Mallory, Hendorff, Marple, and Kaplan." "Oh, no," Janice said softly. She had known Kaplan, Hendorff, and Mallory. Marple had transferred aboard after she left for OCS. She had known Mallory the best. He had always been very kind to her, and he had a gentle, almost scholarly air about him. Rand had wondered why he volunteered for Security. It was a sobering moment for her and Kyle. They both knew starship duty was hazardous, and death was part of the business, but it was a little unsettling to hear about the deaths of several friends and comrades just before they went off to their first posting as officers. "When are their services?" Kyle asked. "Mallory's is tomorrow night, at twenty-hundred, in the Academy chapel," McCoy answered. "Kaplan is being shipped to his parents on Markus IV. And we had services for Hendorff and Marple on the Enterprise, per their last wishes." Meaning the captain had presided over a memorial service, then had their bodies shot into space. ....................... The following evening, Rand accompanied Uhura to Mallory's funeral service in the Academy chapel. Captain Kirk was there, again in full dress uniform, along with an honor guard from the Enterprise's Security section. Many of Mallory's friends from the Enterprise, although now officially on leave, were there as well. The rest of the sizable crowd was Mallory's family and their friends. His father was a fleet admiral, and there was more braid in that room than Janice had ever seen in one place before. She and Uhura sat together in one of the pews in the middle of the chapel. Rand didn't know Mallory's father was in Starfleet until Uhura told her. Mallory had never given any indication that he had powerful relatives. She noticed that Admiral Mallory did not speak to or even look at Captain Kirk once during the funeral. Things came to a head soon after the ceremony. Rand waited with Uhura for the crowd at the receiving line in the back of the chapel to die down before they left. They remained in their pew, gossiping softly about various senior officers, and so were in perfect position to witness everything that happened afterwards. Admiral Mallory did not take his place in the receiving line but instead stayed near his son's casket at the front. He knelt down beside it, bowed his head, and then got up after several minutes. Kirk approached the Admiral and spoke quietly to him. Rand and Uhura could not hear what he was saying, but presumably he was offering his condolences. Mallory replied, equally quietly, his hands balled into fists at his side. The first indication that anything was wrong came when Captain Kirk suddenly paled and tensed, as if steeling himself to endure a painful blow. Rand looked at Uhura, who, perhaps because she had a bit more experience at funerals, seemed to know what was going on. She had out her communicator and was quietly but furiously trying to raise Dr. McCoy or Mr. Spock. Mallory's voice rose, becoming loud enough for Rand to pick up. "I sincerely regret ever recommending you for the Academy, Captain." Mallory spat the last word out like it was a curse. He stepped in close to Kirk, getting right in his face. He was a good half-foot taller than the captain and seemed to tower over him. Kirk stood his ground, but did not respond or meet Mallory's eye. His face was blank, his fists clenched white at his side. Rand saw Lieutenant Josephs, head of the security honor guard, come to alert as he sensed a threat to his captain. Josephs started to move towards the two men. "You, Captain, are not fit to command." This was much louder. A hush fell over the chapel, as the mourners realized something was happening up front. The admiral's voice rose further still. "You, Captain, have no business being on the Enterprise as a crewman-third, much less her commanding officer," he yelled. Rand knew Mallory had just lost a child, but she was still wanted to get up and shake him. Who the hell did he think he was talking to? Mallory lost all semblance of control and started screaming. Spittle flew from his lips and hit Kirk in the face. "You, Captain, were not worthy to give my son orders, and certainly not worthy to throw his life away!" The crowd in the chapel just watched, entranced by the spectacle unfolding before them. Kirk still did not respond, still would not meet Mallory's eye. Mallory drew back and punched Kirk, putting his whole body into the swing. He was a large, solid man, but Kirk was at least 30 years younger. It didn' t matter, because he didn't make any attempt to defend himself. Mallory's fist landed squarely on Kirk's face. The captain fell backwards, off the raised dais where he had approached Mallory, onto the floor. Rand heard the familiar whine of a transporter beam behind her, but didn't look to see who arrived. She knew it was Spock or McCoy or, more likely, both of them. "Didn't it occur to you to signal ahead and warn my son that the goddamn rocks were explosive?" Mallory screamed. "What the hell were you thinking?" He pounced on top of Kirk. "My son lies in that coffin, in fifty different pieces," he sobbed, "because of you!" Mallory started punctuating each word with a blow. "...you stupid - incompetent - useless - son of a bitch!" There were about thirty Enterprise crewmembers, Lt. Mallory's friends, grouped in one corner of the chapel. They watched in stunned silence, unable to move. Janice knew exactly how they felt. She had never seen anyone beat up the captain, either. But Lieutenant Josephs covered the remaining distance between himself and the two men with a sprint, grabbed the Admiral, pulled him off of Kirk, and threw him to the ground a few feet away. "Stand DOWN, Sir!" he growled, a distinct lack of respect for the Admiral's rank evident in his voice. Two of the guards in his honor detail raced behind him and formed a protective wall in front of the captain, their expressions dark and furious. Janice pitied anyone who tried to get between them and their charge. From behind her, she heard a woman sobbing. The Admiral's wife, she assumed. Mallory got to his feet and started to charge again. Josephs moved to intercept but it was not necessary. Spock stepped in front of the Admiral and stopped him with a strong hand on his forearm. "Sir. Please desist." "Get out of my way, Vulcan." "Sir, I am placing you under arrest for striking a fellow officer." Good for you, Spock, Rand thought. "Let him go, Mr. Spock." Kirk sounded infinitely tired. He was sitting up, staring at some indeterminate point in the distance while McCoy ran his tricorder over him. Spock hesitated for a moment, glanced back at Kirk, then unhanded the Admiral. Mallory seemed spent and did not try to charge again. Kirk touched McCoy's arm gently, to make him turn off the tricorder. He stood up, took a deep breath, and straightened his uniform. His face was a bloody mess, but he seemed to take no notice of his injuries. When he had made him self as presentable as possible, he patted one of his guards on the shoulder, and they both made way for him. He walked over to Mallory and, for the first time since the incident began, looked him in the eye. Rand thought he might dress him down. Kirk surprised her. He stood straight, his face full of sorrow and compassion, and said, "Sir...I am so very, very sorry for the death of your son." Then he turned away and walked out the side door of the chapel, alone. Mallory was utterly devastated. He sank to the floor, tears streaming down his face. From behind her, Rand heard a man call out. "Patrick." She turned. It was the Commanding Admiral - Starfleet himself, Heihachiro Nogura. He was a slight man, sparse and lean, who radiated quiet authority. He had one arm around Mallory's wife, who was sobbing against him. It occurred to Rand that Nogura, out of everyone in the chapel, could have stopped the situation early on with a single word. She wondered why he hadn 't, and then surprised herself by thinking about it from her newly-learned officer's perspective. She didn't like the answer she came up with. Could it be that Nogura wanted to see how Kirk would handle the situation? That he would let Kirk, Mallory 's wife, and even Mallory go through that whole horrible scene, just to gauge Kirk's response? The man has a hundred medals. At what point do you stop testing him? When do you say, Enough - he'll do? If that's what it meant to be an officer, she wished someone had told her before OCS. "Patrick," Nogura called out again. He gently transferred Mrs. Mallory to his own wife. Walking up to Mallory, he put an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Pat, let's go home." He guided him towards the back of the chapel, where another senior officer took over and escorted Admiral Mallory and his wife outside. Nogura started to follow, but then stopped at the rear of the chapel and approached someone in the crowd there. To her surprise, it was Sulu. He had not been with the group of Enterprise crew, and must have slipped in the back of the chapel alone. Nogura gestured to the exit Kirk had left through. "That man," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "is a class act. You have a wonderful opportunity, Lieutenant." "I'm aware of that, Sir." Sulu replied calmly, like he chatted with the Commanding Admiral every day. ....................... She saw the captain as she walked across the park toward her hotel. It was dark, and she almost missed him altogether. He was sitting on the ground, against a tree, resting his head on his fists. His eyes were closed. "You know Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are looking for you, Sir," she said quietly. "Yes, I know, Yeo - - Ensign." He didn't make any effort to move. She sat down beside him. He didn't say anything, but didn't tell her to go away, either. After a minute, she asked, "Sir, are you okay?" "I'm fine," he replied. Rand didn't want to call her former CO a liar, so she said nothing. After an awkward silence, Kirk spoke again. "This happens quite a bit, you know. It's normal for families to be devastated, and take it out on the most logical target." Rand protested. "Sir, what he did in there was not right." "Rand, it happens all the time. To me, to Bob Wesley, all of us. Some day, it will happen to you. I just wasn't expecting it from Admiral Mallory, is all." His voice was filled with a sorrow that belied the casual acceptance in his words. "Why not?" "He's been in our shoes. He knows what it's like out there. And he was a good friend of my father." Kirk paused. "But he's right, you know." Rand didn't like where this was heading. "Sir..." she said in a low tone. "If my son died the way his did, you can be sure I would have a chat with his commanding officer." Rand was sure she had mis-heard. "I'm sorry, Sir. Your son?" "If I had a son." Kirk quickly clarified. He continued speaking, as if eager to change the subject. "You're an officer now, Rand. It's appropriate, necessary even, to review your actions and figure out what you could have done better." His voice was flat and unemotional. "I let myself dwell on what happened to Hendorff and Kaplan so much that I wasn't thinking straight. Why didn't I signal ahead?" Rand bit. "Okay, why didn't you?" "Because I was being a self-indulgent idiot, Ensign." He gave her a sad smile, made all the more poignant coming from his battered face. "Just like now." With that, he pushed himself off the ground, stood straight, and offered a hand to her. She grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet. "Are you on your way back to OCS quarters?" "No, I'm staying at the Pan Pacific." "I see they're paying ensigns better than they used to." He smiled at her, and with a gesture in the direction of the hotel, offered to walk her there. "Ny--Lt. Uhura and I are sharing a double while the Enterprise is here." Kirk let out a soft "hmph." "She's smart. Getting away from the ship while she can." "And you?" "Probably the same." "Probably?" "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, Rand. If I go back to the ship, McCoy will be hovering all over me..." "Yes, Sir, and you do bear that sort of thing so well." Kirk winced. "He's just trying to do his job, you know," she said, with more feeling than she intended. "And you're not the easiest person in the galaxy to take care of." Kirk raised his hands in surrender. "I know I can be difficult." "Can be?" Rand pressed. A little warning voice went off in her head. Going a bit over the line here, aren't we? Kirk debated for a minute, and then, with a shrug, surrendered gracefully. "Can be, sometimes," he said with a smile. "On very rare occasions. Almost never happens." He put his hands on her shoulders. "And I know McCoy isn't 'just doing his job,' just like I know you weren't just doing yours." She broke eye contact first. He let her go and they continued their walk towards the hotel. They didn't speak again until they arrived in front of the foyer of the hotel. Unusual for the grand hotel, it was quiet, with no people hustling to check in or out. "You need to see the doctor, Sir. You're bleeding." Kirk smiled at her again, still a bit sad, it seemed. "Good night, Ensign, and good luck to you on the Lexington." She gathered her courage, stepped close to him, and gently kissed his bruised lips. Then, before she could further embarrass herself, she turned away and walked into the hotel. When she reached the elevator, she pushed the call button and, feeling self-conscious, glanced over her shoulder to where she had left the captain. He was still there, watching her, a strange, lonely expression on his face. She quickly looked away. When the elevator arrived, she stepped in and turned around. As the doors closed, she saw that the foyer and the street beyond were empty. FINIS -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Wed Mar 03 21:45:49 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n28.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.84]) by robin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aYINF1pS3NZFjX1 for ; Wed, 3 Mar 2004 18:41:27 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13267-1078368086-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah