09-23-2010, 10:34 PM
JP between Ethan Trane and Donald McGriff
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USS BRAVEHART, docked with STARBASE THRINACIA, Merenion Nebulae Cluster
CO's Ready Room
0815 hours
"Computer, upon said command, update the roster and files as necessary." Donald called out, looking over his shoulder for a moment as he heard his doorchime sound. He paused, turning to look back out of the porthole at the other docked ships nearby. "Come." He said calmly, sighing somewhat as he turned to face Ethan walking in, waiting for his door to slide closed with small hiss. "Have a seat, Commander." He offered a vacant chair with a gesture of his hand as he took up his own seat, feeling his buttocks meet the familiar moulding in the cushion. I must have put on weight. He mused to himself.
Ethan heard the Captain call for his entry. Though it was usually never a good thing to be called to the Captain's ready room, he knew he hadnât done anything warranting discipline. As the doors parted revealing the interior of the room, Ethanâs mind was still busy at work throwing around ideas as to why he had been called here. Stepping over the threshold, Ethan looked around momentarily finally spotting the Captain at his desk. Walking up, Ethan stood at attention and reported in.
âCaptain, Commander Ethan Trane reporting as ordered, sir!â
Always better to be too formal than too casual. he thought as he waited for a response.
"Ethan, relax." Donald grinned, waving his hand delicately to one of the chairs. "Sit, sit. I take it you're wondering why I called so early?" He mused, leaning back in his own seat and clasping his hands in his lap, looking directly at Ethan.
Ethan relaxed a bit; though he wasnât sure his face hid the wonderment that filled his mind. Looking at the chair, Ethan moved towards it and sat placing his elbows on the arms and his hands on clasped together in front of him.
âI must admit, sir, that you caught me a bit off guard. I wasnât expecting to be called here until the briefing that the repairs were finished.â
Though a thousand thoughts flew through his mind at warp nine, Ethan pushed them aside and focused on what was to come.
"Well, you know how smoothly these Starbase Engineers make repairs go... We could be here a while." Don mused, mentally picturing himself beating the crap out of the Starbase CEO for not meeting any deadlines.
He looked over at Ethan for a moment, considering the Commander sat on the other side of his desk as he leant forward onto the surface and clasped his hands together. "Ethan." He stopped, breathing once through his nose a little before continuing. "You're-" He stopped again, rethinking his strategy. "Have you ever considered a Command position before?"
Ethan thought nothing of the question. It wasn't the first time he'd had this question posed. "Well, sir," Ethan began, "I haven't thought about that in a very long time. I haven't needed to. The last few ships I've been assigned to had very capable Captains, present ship included."
Ethan relaxed a bit more, it seemed it was going to be the normal discussion perhaps with the offer to send him on the command track and an assignment as XO somewhere. He hoped this assignment would have lasted longer than this.
"I do suppose I would consider it more than I have in the past now that I am farther in my career, if you would call that an answer." Ethan smiled and let the Captain continue.
Donald nodded as he grinned, unclasping his hands and patting the desk once. "Good, I'm glad." He stood, walking round the corner to look out of the porthole as he continued. "The Braveheart is a very special ship to me, Ethan." He ran his hand slowly down the edge of the bulkhead around the window as he thought back over the 8 years he'd been onboard as her Commander, before turning around. "She and I have been through a lot, y'know, and I wouldnt leave her without knowing she would looked after in the way she deserves." He stopped, looking at Ethan, realising he sounded like someone talking about a pet, or family member. But, thats what the Braveheart was to him; family.
Ethan sat listening to the Captain. "Yes, sir, she is a good ship and does deserve to be treated well." Ethan's train of thought lead him to believe that the Captain was going to offer the position of second officer, seeing as that was the general progression. At best he might be considering the Executive Officer spot, but that was highly unlikely.
"Sir, if I may, why are you talking about the ship like this?" Ethan despised sugar coating, saying things up front and to the point. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not so well.
Donald laughed once, almost a heavy breathe as he moved across from the window to lean on the edge of his desk and fold his arms. "I'm stepping down from Command, Ethan. After what happened with Nella and Kitty, I... I think it's best. I need to know that the one person I'd like to see command the ship knows that she's not just a ship, but something so much more..." He paused, looking from his hands to Ethan. "Commander Trane, if you would consider it, I have asked Admiral Malloway's consent to transfer the Braveheart to you."
Ethan's faced flushed red. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. His mind had heard what was said, though it was having trouble making sense of it.
"Sir, are you sure that this is what you want?" Ethan asked.
Not waiting for the reply, the questions he had began to flow out uncontrollably.
"What about the rest of the crew, the XO, the second officer? Why me?"
Stopping himself before anymore questions could surface, Ethan lowered his head,
his hands rubbing his temples. "To be honest, I would have been happy with being made XO, this is certainly a huge step." Pondering the offer in front of him, Ethan replied with what was his first real answer to the question.
"If I could be so bold to make a counter-request, sir. I will be more than happy to take the reins and I will take the best care of her that I know how, if you will agree to be a sort of sounding board for me. I know I have an XO and second officer, but you've had control of this ship for a much longer time, knowing her ins and outs, and that just cannot be replaced. "
Ethan finally let the breath in his lungs out completely, and inhaled a deep breath refilling his lungs.
Was it what he wanted? A good question, yes. Don paused for a moment, looking at Ethan questioningly, pondering everything, before standing up properly. "Firstly, your XO and Second Officer will remain the same. The crew will too." He stopped for a moment, knowing full-well what Ethan had originally meant. He moved from where he stood, back round to sit in the familar seat now behind the desk, his eyes having remained on Ethan. "Jemma's a good XO, yes. Right now thats unfortunately all I can see in her. She has the Command expertise, but lacks another quality when it comes to the Braveheart. You, on the other hand... feel her. You pilot her, make sure she's ready for anything. I feel you'll continue that quality into being her Commanding Officer." He stopped again, picking up a PADD and handing it over to Ethan; the invite to the briefing- the ceremony he would already know about. "I know as much as you do beyond that. I've cleared it with the Admiral already that I'll still attend."
"As for staying aboard..." He stood again. For some reason the chair felt uncomfortable now. Maybe it was the thought it wasnt actually his own anymore, felt like stepping on someone else's toes, so to speak. "I have a home, back on Earth, a family back there too... thats not a no to your request though, dont get me wrong..." Don paused, moving over to the fishtank and reaching for the food on the lower shelf. "The Braveheart has been my home for almost 9 years," he pinched the food and sprinkled some into the tank, turning to Ethan as he popped the lid back on, "I may just disappear every now and then for short spells, holidays so to speak." He chuckled, moving back to his desk as he allowed Ethan to speak again.
"Fair enough, sir," Ethan replied, "what I was looking for was not to pressure you into staying aboard, rather, to let me use use via subspace should when the situation warrants."
Ethan knew the Captain's predicament, very few officers ever stayed aboard their ship after a change of command. There was a feeling of being in the way, that the new Co wouldn't have complete control. More importantly, that the crew would not accept the new CO over the previous one.
"When exactly would the transfer take effect, and do you have any information on what our next mission would be?" Ethan tried to ask questions that would give him the most information for what he was about to get involved in. To him, taking over the ship was a move filled with pride. Glancing around the ready room, for he first time he saw it with different eyes, CO's eyes.
"Ah, I see." Don sat, rather uncomfortably again. "I may ask to be stationed on Thrinacia then, dont wanna overstep too much, and your welcome to my advice or anything you need, whenever you need it." It would feel different being away from the Braveheart, but any officer needed to get used to it. A good different. He hoped. No, he knew.
"Nothing's come through yet on your next assignment." He made sure to use the word 'your' - afterall, it would be Ethan taking the reigns from here on out, and down to him to alone. "I assume," He began, picking up a copy of the same PADD he had handed Ethan, perusing it, "this little briefing here will shed some light." He tapped the back of his fingers across the side of the small PADD. "It's not often you get all Commanders of a single Fleet together in one de-brief." He looked over at Ethan, watching him look around the Ready Room. "Taking in your new abode? The fish are a permanent feature unfortunately, so you'll have to take over care of them." He chuckled.
Ethan scanned over the PADD with the message for the debrief on it. Great, not even official yet and already have a formal debrief. Ethan smiled despite the orders on the PADD, it would be nice to see that side of how things worked.
Ethan felt the blood rush to his face, taking his skin color three shades of red. "I guess I was sir, though nothing is official yet. I was just wondering what will happen here in the coming months or years. I'm sure the walls could tell great stories if they could talk. "
"As for the fish, I'll do what I can with them, and hopefully they'll be alive when you come back aboard for a visit." Ethan chuckled at the thought of the fish floating upside down for months.
"Ohhh, many many stories." Don laughed, relaxing back into his chair, resting his hands on his stomache, somewhat in a similar style as a Santa Claus would. He removed his hands, making a mental note to visit the gym more often. "Dont worry, I'll leave the fish food behind so there's no excuse." He winked, standing up as he reached between some PADDs to pull out a small box and moved around to stand by Ethan's chair. "Commander, if you would stand."
Ethan chuckled and shook his head at the Captain's quip. Watching him grab something from his desk, and move around the desk, Ethan inhaled deeply, knowing that the moment had arrived. A moment he hadn't been anticipating, but found himself looking forward to it in the short duration of time that he had known about it.
Standing at the Captain's request, Ethan tugged at his tunic, more a nervous reaction than anything, and stood at the position of attention. So, the time has arrived, Ethan, he told himself, what will you make of this situation?
Donald allowed a small smile, the familiar tug-of-the-tunic that many staff permitted themselves before a promotion never grew old. He himself did on numerous... no, all occassions he'd gotten the extra pips. So small in size they were, yet with weight in the millions of responsibility.
He cleared his throat somewhat, unclipping the small box to reveal a solid golden pip and pulled it out, reaching up as he spoke to attach it perfectly alongside the other 3 already in place on Ethan's collar. "Commander Ethan Trane, as your superior officer I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain, with all the rights and priveledges of such rank, may the wind be at your back and god speed." He grinned, stepping back to look upon the newly appointed Captain.
"Computer, transfer command functions of the USS Braveheart NCC-95624 Sovereign Class over to Captain Ethan Trane and update all data as necessary. Authorisation; McGriff-3-5-7-Gamma-9." He paused, listening as the subtle chirping of the computer acknowledged and began to process.
*Command authorisation verified. Awaiting final Command Codes for completion of transfer.*
Donald looked to Ethan. "Your turn, Captain." He grinned, emphasising Ethan's new rank, being sure to be the first to allow the indulgence.
Ethan felt the pip being pinned to his collar. For the first time, he felt what being a Captain meant. For the first time, he felt what responsibility was. He hoped he could live up the expectations that went along with that fourth pip.
As his turn came for the command authorization, he spoke his code.
"Authorization: Trane two, four, seven, delta, six."
*Transfer completed.* The computer responded.
Sticking his hand out, Ethan offered it to his former Captain. "I relieve you, sir." Ethan said flatly.
Perhaps he would have felt better knowing that he had gained a ship from someone other than the man before him. His friend. His mentor.
Donald smiled, looking at the offered hand before taking it in his own. "I stand relieved." He shook once, firmly as a sign he knew Ethan would do well, and released the hold. "You'll make a fine Commanding Officer, Ethan, I have no doubt about that." He added, nodding once before moving a step to the side, one arm gesturing for Ethan to sit in the one chair that Donald himself had always aspired to take seat; the CO's Ready Room chair. A chair away from the hustle and bustle of the bridge, yet the place a CO felt more responsibility than any other, aside the centre chair on the bridge.
Ethan felt his eyes bulge as he looked from the chair the to Donald back to the chair. Along with the bulging of his eyes, he felt a smile begin to play across his face. Both uncontrollable to him, he let them come to full effect and made his way to the chair.
Stopping at the back of the chair, Ethan ran his hand along the top of the back, feeling the smooth leather that was now his second set of quarters. Feeling the softness of the chair, Ethan smiled and looked at Donald, "So this is what you've been holding out on us about."
By the way the leather felt, he knew it would feel even softer and more comfortable than anything he'd ever sat in. Turning the chair slightly, Ethan lowered himself in to it, and returned it to face the desk and the doorway. "This is nice." Ethan said, the smile still hanging on his face.
"Engineering did offer to 'spruce' it up a little, but I declined." Donald laughed, standing loosely on the opposite side of the desk, folding his arms as he surveyed the new Commanding Officer of his old ship. "Somehow that one felt right as it was... but, feel free to get it looked into if you fancy a change." He grinned, lowering his arms to his sides. "Just dont get too comfortable in that one... remember, you have an even bigger seat to fill up." Gesturing with his head behind him to the door to the bridge; behind which awaited the Commander's Centre Chair.
Ethan kept his smile from fading despite the fact that he had just realized the pressure now on his shoulders that went along with taking this chair. Though it was nice to have a personal office, the promotion was far from simply an office. He also had an entire ship and more importantly, his crew to worry about now. A small chill ran down his spine raising the hairs on the back of his neck.
"This will do just fine...for now." Ethan said, trying his best to hide the struggle between his excitement and fear.
"For now?" Donald laughed lightly, reaching down to pick up a small pack from next to the desk and sling it over his shoulder; the contents being what would have once lined the walls of his old Ready Room, sat on the desk, or even took up the cupboard in the small washroom off to the right.
He extended his hand over the desk to Ethan. "Captain, it was an honour serving with you."
Ethan stood accepting the handshake. He felt mixed emotions swell through him.
Pride...This was his ship now.
Sadness...His Captain was leaving, a man who had become his mentor, his friend.
Honor...he was taking over the best ship of the fleet...Standards not only set high, but kept high.
The list was too long for even him to process.
"No sir," Ethan replied, "the honor has always been mine. You accepted me from the day I came aboard, and that never faltered. For that, I thank you."
"For this," Ethan began, sweeping his free hand to indicate the ship, "I thank you even more. I'll try not to scratch the paint, and you are always welcome here."
The old CO smiled, nodding once. "Bloody-well better be." He mused, shifting the pack on his shoulder some more as he gripped the strap with his other hand, taking in one last look at the Ready Room. It was already beginning to feel and look different than he was used to, and he smiled somewhat at the thought before looking back at Ethan.
"With your permission, Sir, I will take my leave of the ship. I believe there is a transport waiting on me to depart for Earth."
"Calm seas and fair sailing, Captain." Ethan replied.
Standing from the chair behind his desk, he snapped his arm to a smart salute and smiled.
As the man had done before him, Donald followed suit; he straightened his posture and saluted in return. "Take care of her, Ethan." He smiled, nodding once as a sign to the new CO he knew he'd do well. With that, he turned his back to his old Ready Room and walked to the door, exiting as the doors slide open to leave Ethan to bond with his new appointment.
TAG: ALL Braveheart Crew, and others
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USS BRAVEHART, docked with STARBASE THRINACIA, Merenion Nebulae Cluster
CO's Ready Room
0815 hours
"Computer, upon said command, update the roster and files as necessary." Donald called out, looking over his shoulder for a moment as he heard his doorchime sound. He paused, turning to look back out of the porthole at the other docked ships nearby. "Come." He said calmly, sighing somewhat as he turned to face Ethan walking in, waiting for his door to slide closed with small hiss. "Have a seat, Commander." He offered a vacant chair with a gesture of his hand as he took up his own seat, feeling his buttocks meet the familiar moulding in the cushion. I must have put on weight. He mused to himself.
Ethan heard the Captain call for his entry. Though it was usually never a good thing to be called to the Captain's ready room, he knew he hadnât done anything warranting discipline. As the doors parted revealing the interior of the room, Ethanâs mind was still busy at work throwing around ideas as to why he had been called here. Stepping over the threshold, Ethan looked around momentarily finally spotting the Captain at his desk. Walking up, Ethan stood at attention and reported in.
âCaptain, Commander Ethan Trane reporting as ordered, sir!â
Always better to be too formal than too casual. he thought as he waited for a response.
"Ethan, relax." Donald grinned, waving his hand delicately to one of the chairs. "Sit, sit. I take it you're wondering why I called so early?" He mused, leaning back in his own seat and clasping his hands in his lap, looking directly at Ethan.
Ethan relaxed a bit; though he wasnât sure his face hid the wonderment that filled his mind. Looking at the chair, Ethan moved towards it and sat placing his elbows on the arms and his hands on clasped together in front of him.
âI must admit, sir, that you caught me a bit off guard. I wasnât expecting to be called here until the briefing that the repairs were finished.â
Though a thousand thoughts flew through his mind at warp nine, Ethan pushed them aside and focused on what was to come.
"Well, you know how smoothly these Starbase Engineers make repairs go... We could be here a while." Don mused, mentally picturing himself beating the crap out of the Starbase CEO for not meeting any deadlines.
He looked over at Ethan for a moment, considering the Commander sat on the other side of his desk as he leant forward onto the surface and clasped his hands together. "Ethan." He stopped, breathing once through his nose a little before continuing. "You're-" He stopped again, rethinking his strategy. "Have you ever considered a Command position before?"
Ethan thought nothing of the question. It wasn't the first time he'd had this question posed. "Well, sir," Ethan began, "I haven't thought about that in a very long time. I haven't needed to. The last few ships I've been assigned to had very capable Captains, present ship included."
Ethan relaxed a bit more, it seemed it was going to be the normal discussion perhaps with the offer to send him on the command track and an assignment as XO somewhere. He hoped this assignment would have lasted longer than this.
"I do suppose I would consider it more than I have in the past now that I am farther in my career, if you would call that an answer." Ethan smiled and let the Captain continue.
Donald nodded as he grinned, unclasping his hands and patting the desk once. "Good, I'm glad." He stood, walking round the corner to look out of the porthole as he continued. "The Braveheart is a very special ship to me, Ethan." He ran his hand slowly down the edge of the bulkhead around the window as he thought back over the 8 years he'd been onboard as her Commander, before turning around. "She and I have been through a lot, y'know, and I wouldnt leave her without knowing she would looked after in the way she deserves." He stopped, looking at Ethan, realising he sounded like someone talking about a pet, or family member. But, thats what the Braveheart was to him; family.
Ethan sat listening to the Captain. "Yes, sir, she is a good ship and does deserve to be treated well." Ethan's train of thought lead him to believe that the Captain was going to offer the position of second officer, seeing as that was the general progression. At best he might be considering the Executive Officer spot, but that was highly unlikely.
"Sir, if I may, why are you talking about the ship like this?" Ethan despised sugar coating, saying things up front and to the point. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not so well.
Donald laughed once, almost a heavy breathe as he moved across from the window to lean on the edge of his desk and fold his arms. "I'm stepping down from Command, Ethan. After what happened with Nella and Kitty, I... I think it's best. I need to know that the one person I'd like to see command the ship knows that she's not just a ship, but something so much more..." He paused, looking from his hands to Ethan. "Commander Trane, if you would consider it, I have asked Admiral Malloway's consent to transfer the Braveheart to you."
Ethan's faced flushed red. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. His mind had heard what was said, though it was having trouble making sense of it.
"Sir, are you sure that this is what you want?" Ethan asked.
Not waiting for the reply, the questions he had began to flow out uncontrollably.
"What about the rest of the crew, the XO, the second officer? Why me?"
Stopping himself before anymore questions could surface, Ethan lowered his head,
his hands rubbing his temples. "To be honest, I would have been happy with being made XO, this is certainly a huge step." Pondering the offer in front of him, Ethan replied with what was his first real answer to the question.
"If I could be so bold to make a counter-request, sir. I will be more than happy to take the reins and I will take the best care of her that I know how, if you will agree to be a sort of sounding board for me. I know I have an XO and second officer, but you've had control of this ship for a much longer time, knowing her ins and outs, and that just cannot be replaced. "
Ethan finally let the breath in his lungs out completely, and inhaled a deep breath refilling his lungs.
Was it what he wanted? A good question, yes. Don paused for a moment, looking at Ethan questioningly, pondering everything, before standing up properly. "Firstly, your XO and Second Officer will remain the same. The crew will too." He stopped for a moment, knowing full-well what Ethan had originally meant. He moved from where he stood, back round to sit in the familar seat now behind the desk, his eyes having remained on Ethan. "Jemma's a good XO, yes. Right now thats unfortunately all I can see in her. She has the Command expertise, but lacks another quality when it comes to the Braveheart. You, on the other hand... feel her. You pilot her, make sure she's ready for anything. I feel you'll continue that quality into being her Commanding Officer." He stopped again, picking up a PADD and handing it over to Ethan; the invite to the briefing- the ceremony he would already know about. "I know as much as you do beyond that. I've cleared it with the Admiral already that I'll still attend."
"As for staying aboard..." He stood again. For some reason the chair felt uncomfortable now. Maybe it was the thought it wasnt actually his own anymore, felt like stepping on someone else's toes, so to speak. "I have a home, back on Earth, a family back there too... thats not a no to your request though, dont get me wrong..." Don paused, moving over to the fishtank and reaching for the food on the lower shelf. "The Braveheart has been my home for almost 9 years," he pinched the food and sprinkled some into the tank, turning to Ethan as he popped the lid back on, "I may just disappear every now and then for short spells, holidays so to speak." He chuckled, moving back to his desk as he allowed Ethan to speak again.
"Fair enough, sir," Ethan replied, "what I was looking for was not to pressure you into staying aboard, rather, to let me use use via subspace should when the situation warrants."
Ethan knew the Captain's predicament, very few officers ever stayed aboard their ship after a change of command. There was a feeling of being in the way, that the new Co wouldn't have complete control. More importantly, that the crew would not accept the new CO over the previous one.
"When exactly would the transfer take effect, and do you have any information on what our next mission would be?" Ethan tried to ask questions that would give him the most information for what he was about to get involved in. To him, taking over the ship was a move filled with pride. Glancing around the ready room, for he first time he saw it with different eyes, CO's eyes.
"Ah, I see." Don sat, rather uncomfortably again. "I may ask to be stationed on Thrinacia then, dont wanna overstep too much, and your welcome to my advice or anything you need, whenever you need it." It would feel different being away from the Braveheart, but any officer needed to get used to it. A good different. He hoped. No, he knew.
"Nothing's come through yet on your next assignment." He made sure to use the word 'your' - afterall, it would be Ethan taking the reigns from here on out, and down to him to alone. "I assume," He began, picking up a copy of the same PADD he had handed Ethan, perusing it, "this little briefing here will shed some light." He tapped the back of his fingers across the side of the small PADD. "It's not often you get all Commanders of a single Fleet together in one de-brief." He looked over at Ethan, watching him look around the Ready Room. "Taking in your new abode? The fish are a permanent feature unfortunately, so you'll have to take over care of them." He chuckled.
Ethan scanned over the PADD with the message for the debrief on it. Great, not even official yet and already have a formal debrief. Ethan smiled despite the orders on the PADD, it would be nice to see that side of how things worked.
Ethan felt the blood rush to his face, taking his skin color three shades of red. "I guess I was sir, though nothing is official yet. I was just wondering what will happen here in the coming months or years. I'm sure the walls could tell great stories if they could talk. "
"As for the fish, I'll do what I can with them, and hopefully they'll be alive when you come back aboard for a visit." Ethan chuckled at the thought of the fish floating upside down for months.
"Ohhh, many many stories." Don laughed, relaxing back into his chair, resting his hands on his stomache, somewhat in a similar style as a Santa Claus would. He removed his hands, making a mental note to visit the gym more often. "Dont worry, I'll leave the fish food behind so there's no excuse." He winked, standing up as he reached between some PADDs to pull out a small box and moved around to stand by Ethan's chair. "Commander, if you would stand."
Ethan chuckled and shook his head at the Captain's quip. Watching him grab something from his desk, and move around the desk, Ethan inhaled deeply, knowing that the moment had arrived. A moment he hadn't been anticipating, but found himself looking forward to it in the short duration of time that he had known about it.
Standing at the Captain's request, Ethan tugged at his tunic, more a nervous reaction than anything, and stood at the position of attention. So, the time has arrived, Ethan, he told himself, what will you make of this situation?
Donald allowed a small smile, the familiar tug-of-the-tunic that many staff permitted themselves before a promotion never grew old. He himself did on numerous... no, all occassions he'd gotten the extra pips. So small in size they were, yet with weight in the millions of responsibility.
He cleared his throat somewhat, unclipping the small box to reveal a solid golden pip and pulled it out, reaching up as he spoke to attach it perfectly alongside the other 3 already in place on Ethan's collar. "Commander Ethan Trane, as your superior officer I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain, with all the rights and priveledges of such rank, may the wind be at your back and god speed." He grinned, stepping back to look upon the newly appointed Captain.
"Computer, transfer command functions of the USS Braveheart NCC-95624 Sovereign Class over to Captain Ethan Trane and update all data as necessary. Authorisation; McGriff-3-5-7-Gamma-9." He paused, listening as the subtle chirping of the computer acknowledged and began to process.
*Command authorisation verified. Awaiting final Command Codes for completion of transfer.*
Donald looked to Ethan. "Your turn, Captain." He grinned, emphasising Ethan's new rank, being sure to be the first to allow the indulgence.
Ethan felt the pip being pinned to his collar. For the first time, he felt what being a Captain meant. For the first time, he felt what responsibility was. He hoped he could live up the expectations that went along with that fourth pip.
As his turn came for the command authorization, he spoke his code.
"Authorization: Trane two, four, seven, delta, six."
*Transfer completed.* The computer responded.
Sticking his hand out, Ethan offered it to his former Captain. "I relieve you, sir." Ethan said flatly.
Perhaps he would have felt better knowing that he had gained a ship from someone other than the man before him. His friend. His mentor.
Donald smiled, looking at the offered hand before taking it in his own. "I stand relieved." He shook once, firmly as a sign he knew Ethan would do well, and released the hold. "You'll make a fine Commanding Officer, Ethan, I have no doubt about that." He added, nodding once before moving a step to the side, one arm gesturing for Ethan to sit in the one chair that Donald himself had always aspired to take seat; the CO's Ready Room chair. A chair away from the hustle and bustle of the bridge, yet the place a CO felt more responsibility than any other, aside the centre chair on the bridge.
Ethan felt his eyes bulge as he looked from the chair the to Donald back to the chair. Along with the bulging of his eyes, he felt a smile begin to play across his face. Both uncontrollable to him, he let them come to full effect and made his way to the chair.
Stopping at the back of the chair, Ethan ran his hand along the top of the back, feeling the smooth leather that was now his second set of quarters. Feeling the softness of the chair, Ethan smiled and looked at Donald, "So this is what you've been holding out on us about."
By the way the leather felt, he knew it would feel even softer and more comfortable than anything he'd ever sat in. Turning the chair slightly, Ethan lowered himself in to it, and returned it to face the desk and the doorway. "This is nice." Ethan said, the smile still hanging on his face.
"Engineering did offer to 'spruce' it up a little, but I declined." Donald laughed, standing loosely on the opposite side of the desk, folding his arms as he surveyed the new Commanding Officer of his old ship. "Somehow that one felt right as it was... but, feel free to get it looked into if you fancy a change." He grinned, lowering his arms to his sides. "Just dont get too comfortable in that one... remember, you have an even bigger seat to fill up." Gesturing with his head behind him to the door to the bridge; behind which awaited the Commander's Centre Chair.
Ethan kept his smile from fading despite the fact that he had just realized the pressure now on his shoulders that went along with taking this chair. Though it was nice to have a personal office, the promotion was far from simply an office. He also had an entire ship and more importantly, his crew to worry about now. A small chill ran down his spine raising the hairs on the back of his neck.
"This will do just fine...for now." Ethan said, trying his best to hide the struggle between his excitement and fear.
"For now?" Donald laughed lightly, reaching down to pick up a small pack from next to the desk and sling it over his shoulder; the contents being what would have once lined the walls of his old Ready Room, sat on the desk, or even took up the cupboard in the small washroom off to the right.
He extended his hand over the desk to Ethan. "Captain, it was an honour serving with you."
Ethan stood accepting the handshake. He felt mixed emotions swell through him.
Pride...This was his ship now.
Sadness...His Captain was leaving, a man who had become his mentor, his friend.
Honor...he was taking over the best ship of the fleet...Standards not only set high, but kept high.
The list was too long for even him to process.
"No sir," Ethan replied, "the honor has always been mine. You accepted me from the day I came aboard, and that never faltered. For that, I thank you."
"For this," Ethan began, sweeping his free hand to indicate the ship, "I thank you even more. I'll try not to scratch the paint, and you are always welcome here."
The old CO smiled, nodding once. "Bloody-well better be." He mused, shifting the pack on his shoulder some more as he gripped the strap with his other hand, taking in one last look at the Ready Room. It was already beginning to feel and look different than he was used to, and he smiled somewhat at the thought before looking back at Ethan.
"With your permission, Sir, I will take my leave of the ship. I believe there is a transport waiting on me to depart for Earth."
"Calm seas and fair sailing, Captain." Ethan replied.
Standing from the chair behind his desk, he snapped his arm to a smart salute and smiled.
As the man had done before him, Donald followed suit; he straightened his posture and saluted in return. "Take care of her, Ethan." He smiled, nodding once as a sign to the new CO he knew he'd do well. With that, he turned his back to his old Ready Room and walked to the door, exiting as the doors slide open to leave Ethan to bond with his new appointment.
TAG: ALL Braveheart Crew, and others
Admiral Steve Malloway
Commanding Officer, USS Eagle
Joint Fleet Commanding Officer, Starfleet Strategic Response Fleet
Training and Personnel Developments Director, and Internal Verifier
Commanding Officer, USS Eagle
Joint Fleet Commanding Officer, Starfleet Strategic Response Fleet
Training and Personnel Developments Director, and Internal Verifier