Carve Away the Stone

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 3:50am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Cailus Griffin
Edited on on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 7:01am

Mission: New Moon Rising
Location: Security Division - Deck 17

It was a quietly regimented afternoon in the Security precinct of the Pandora as Commander Temple exited the turbolift and strolled towards the training room. There was a very small silver box in his hand containing a significant reward for Cailus and Nyx wanted to ensure the department was there witness to the event.

Nyx appeared in the doorway and smiled broadly.

"Mr Griffin, may I interrupt?" He asked.

Cailus and three other officers were standing with their backs to the door next a wall-mounted display, with a young Vulcan ensign in the middie of giving the briefing, when the captain entered. The twenty or so personnel present, some at their desks and some simply conversing with others, looked back at the CO with obvious confusion, Cailus among them. Seeing the captain of a starship here was akin to a king deigning to toil in the mines with his subjects.

"Captain on deck!" came the automatic, barking call from a burly chief petty officer, and everyone immediately snapped to attention, Cailus among them. Everyone noted the small box and swiftly realised what was happening.

"What can we do for you, sir?" Cailus said with professional detachment, standing at attention like everyone else. Privately he ran through the Security and Tactical detachment in his head, considered the ones due for a promotion or commendation, and reassured himself that all four of them were present.

Temple gave a respectful but still smiling nod to the gathered crew. He considered letting them stand at ease but he also knew from his own experience that some officers - namely those in security and marines - actually like standing at attention. There was a quiet pride in showing respect to others.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your briefing, Ensign Griffin," Nyx began, "But there is an important announcement to make. If I may?"

"Of course sir," Cailus replied simply. An undercurrent of excitement rolled around the room, but everyone stayed firmly still.

Temple nodded again in reply and turned a little to speak to the whole room while still addressing the Chief. There was a little smirk in his smile now, as he decided to test the Ensign's self-assessment, "Mr. Griffin, how do you feel the Security Department has performed so far?"

Permitting himself a pointed look around the room, Cailus' eyes narrowed threateningly. "I would say that everyone hit the ground running, sir." A few officers showed signs of surprise at the compliment, but Cailus noted with a minuscule nod that most of them were unreadable. "I am satisfied with our progress thus far, but we all have a lot of work ahead before we achieve the standard of excellence that people expect from the Pandora."

"Very good, team. The defence of a starship is no easy feat," Nyx replied, "Twenty decks, hundreds of personnel, a lot of responsibility rests on your shoulders. It is a good thing you have such a capable and experienced officer leading you." He smiled, "By which I mean Ensign Griffin, of course."

The compliment, well meant, only made Cailus' frown deepen. This time, several of the officers standing around the room couldn't resist their own tiny ways of disagreeing with the captain's words that they hoped he wouldn't notice.

"But alas," Nyx tried hard to look serious, though probably failed, "We have a problem, Ensign. A problem that has been overlooked and is certainly overdue to be rectified."

"Of course, sir," Cailus said in all seriousness. He could see the captain restraining a grin, and stuck to his discipline to stay properly somber rather than show any disgruntlement. "Whatever the problem is, I assure you that we will work to remedy the issue with all due haste."

"We can do that right now, actually," Nyx replied casually. "Mr Griffin, you returned to Starfleet after your stasis at a demoted rank in order to effectively learn modern day practices and procedures. Since then, you have successfully completed a tour of duty on the USS Tornado, training with Starfleet Intel, and now head the Security and Tactical departments of the Pandora."

"Now, I believe no officer's training is ever complete." He continued, "From Commander to Fleet Admiral, a life of service is a life of constant lessons and self improvement. However, it is important to recognise when one's skills and leadership have surpassed the rank they currently hold."

He opened up the silver box and handed it to Griffin, "In recognition of your service to the Tornado, completion of the adequate training courses, in conjunction with your advancement to Chief of Security; and with the recommendation of the USS Tornado, Starfleet Intelligence, and both the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of the Pandora; it is therefore my honor to promote you, Cailus Griffin, to the junior grade rank of Lieutenant."

Holding the box as Nyx went through the usual rigmarole, Cailus considered the object with some confusion. It was somewhat obvious, in retrospect, but it still came as a mild surprise. More surprising, however, was that Cailus found himself profoundly indifferent to the advancement in rank. It was a stark contrast to when he'd been promoted ninety five years previously, glowing with pride as Commander Pie'sor had said the words very similar to Temple's.

Still, the captain was clearly enjoying the moment; oddly enough, a few of the surrounding officers were as well. Stiffening even more at attention, Cailus nodded firmly. "Thank you very much, Captain. I pledge to serve you, the Pandora and the Federation to the best of my ability in accordance with my new rank and responsibilities."

Temple laughed as he gingerly picked up the shiny black pip from its case and placed it on the Lieutenant's collar.

He quietly joked to the man, "Oh you better, mate. These little buggers come off just as easily as they go on."

He smiled as he stood back, then reached out his hand to shake with Griffin's. "Congratulations Lieutenant."

Faintly, as the two men shook hands, the surrounding officers broke into a polite but subdued applause that ended almost as soon as it started. "Thank you, sir," Cailus said with more genuine sincerely as they released each other's hands. Temple was an extremely odd captain, and his joking, easy manner contrasted quite spectacularly with the stern Pie'sor's Vulcan sensibilities, but the man nevertheless carried that aura that all starship captains seemed to possess by birthright. The promotion was perfunctionary and mostly irrelevant to Cailus' regular duties, but as the seconds passed, he realised that Temple somehow made him want to measure up, to make the rank matter.

How the heck did he do it?

Shaking the question off, Cailus put his hands behind his back. "Is there anything else we can do for you, sir? There's a running discussion on your wrestling skills that a certain pair of unnamed officers thought went unheard, if you're interested. You're always welcome to join us for CQB training, if only for relaxation."

Nyx cast a curious eye over the group of officers, trying to determine who questioned his abilities. He took in a deep breath and puffed his chest some. "That a fact? I've only been in the big chair five minutes, don't think my butt has gotten soft yet. I have some time, I'd be happy to prove it."

Glancing around the room, Cailus considered for a moment before settling on a tall Andorian ensign sitting at a desk. She'd been more disciplined than most during the captain's visit, and she'd impressed him during drills. "Paha," he called out, "assemble your team in the Drill Room. Stow the forensics gear and lay out the mats for CQB."

Catching the hopeful looks of the other officers in the room, he glanced at the captain as Paha and three other officers hurried through one of the doors that surrounded the main room. "Do you mind a few spectators, sir?" he asked Nyx quietly. "It'll play hell for discipline, but I'll bet everyone could learn a thing or two from seeing you in action, so to speak."

Nyx arrogantly cracked his knuckles, but there was a cheery smile on his face still. "Oh I'll be handing out some lessons, don't you folks worry."

The captain's merry look, and the less-than-merry gleam in his eyes, drew a few grins from the other officers as they made their way to the Drill Room, chatting discreetly but animatedly, not waiting for permission from either Temple or Griffin. It wasn't every day you got to see the captain spar, after all.

The captain waited while the room of officers busied themselves with getting ready for the training, and he took this moment to pull Lieutenant Griffin aside, speaking to him in a hushed tone.

"I saw you were on Bridge watch this afternoon and evening," Nyx began, "If you'd like, I could take that shift for you, so you could celebrate the promotion with a certain Science Chief." He gave his best say-no-more, say-no-more wink, "And to be honest I'd like to spend time performing regular officer tasks as well. Sitting behind a desk doesn't suit me, I want to pull the same weight as everyone else."

"Ah...very good, sir," Cailus replied automatically, his brow unconsciously furrowed at the mental image of the captain working a console for a shift. It seemed wrong, somehow, out of place, but he was hardly going to complain. Nor, he thought wryly, was Shae. With Shae's workload likely to double or even triple upon reaching the Inconnu Corridor as they charted new space, they'd been stealing every spare moment together that they could get. "It's highly unusual, but that is your prerogative. It does set a beneficial example to everyone that you're willing to work hard beyond your ordinary duties." Pausing, he added "If you'll permit my bluntness, Captain, I've never met a CO quite like you."

Nyx frowned for a moment but then burst into a smile, "I'm going to assume you mean that as a compliment, and I'm only going to take it as one, so thank you, Lieutenant. I hope to continue to perplex and annoy you with my insistent friendship throughout this journey." He gave Griffin a firm slap on the shoulder, "And it's too late to jump ship now."

Temple let out a booming laugh as he followed the others towards the Drill Room, stretching his arms and neck as he walked.

"Aye aye, sir." Still nonplussed, Cailus shook his head ruefully and followed along. With Temple leading them, the Pandora's mission to the Inconnu Expanse was likely to be one to remember. Regardless, as they entered the Drill Room and Temple began warming up next to the mat, Cailus realised that where Temple led, he would follow. The man had secured his loyalty.

It was a grudging and somewhat infuriating loyalty, but it was loyalty nevertheless.