Don't look a gift pip in the ... buttonhole

Posted on Mon Mar 6th, 2023 @ 4:46am by Lieutenant Yivrin Pexil & Captain Eirlys Irelle

2,312 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Genesis
Location: Ready Room | USS Vindicator

=/.= “Yiv Pex’s Personal Log, stardate 242302.xx…

“I honestly believe that ‘Holonovel Tuesday’ was one of the best ideas—if not command decisions—that Funkytown ever came up with; if the summons I’m answering goes the way I’m expecting that tradition will continue throughout my tenure as his successor.

“The Lieutenant is moving up, creating a vacancy that I’ve been dreaming of since my first day aboard the Vindi, and he made it very clear that I would be doing myself a disservice by not applying for the open spot. I haven’t seen or heard a whisper of any strong competition here aboard the Vindi, and it seems like everyone I encounter not only knows that I’m being considered for the promotion—they support the idea.

“The Commander’s call couldn’t have come at a better time—after our Super Sentai workout session I’m feeling pumped! Not only can I take on any challenge that comes my way, the best squadron in the fleet has my back as well.”


=/.= Cooridoors, en route to Flight Ops
=/.= USS Vindicator

Most of the time Lieutenant JG Yivrin ‘Last Dance’ Pexil carried himself with a certain air of professionalism. His career was his primary focus in life because he remembered what life had been like before it. Admittance to Starfleet Academy had seemed like a pipe dream years ago, and meeting the bare minimums to pass in certain fields of study were laughable notions at best. While flight school hadn’t necessarily been easy, that journey helped him realize talents he never knew he had.

At this very moment that very same lieutenant was pantomiming ancient human martial arts as he headed toward the turbolift that would eventually take him to his CO’s CO—Wing Commander Cray. Though the reason for the summons hadn’t been expressly stated Pexil’s gut insisted that it couldn’t be about anything other than his application for promotion to Squadron CO.

“Hiya!” he exclaimed jovially as he struck a poor excuse for a fighting stance. A couple of people chuckled, further boosting his confidence and elevating his mood. He turned to give a wave as he began laughing himself—but when he saw who was standing directly outside of the turbolift he’d been heading toward every muscle in his body tensed, and any hint of playfulness or joviality dissipated.

While the Vindicator’s Chief Flight Control Officer was well aware of his reputation for being a meticulous tyrant when it came to rank, regulations, and protocol it was difficult to get over the look on his junior officer’s faces when they weren’t expecting to see him. Difficult only because of the perverse joy he took in surprising the aforementioned junior officers.
Cray was not disappointed as he got to witness the moment that Lt Pexil saw him standing there—the Cardassian froze in place, mid-step. One foot literally hung in the air for a second or three, just long enough to make any attempt to rationalize that deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face an exercise in futility.

“Co—commander!” said the Cardassian.

“Lieutenant,” the stoic Andorian replied. “Please come with me.” The turbolift doors just as Cray turned his back to Pexil—the kid was practically radiating panicked anxiety as the two of them entered the lift, and the sheer lack of words exchanged between the two of them on their brief ride to the Bridge was made it seem like they were heading toward Yivrin’s execution.

“I was just on my way to come see you, sir,” Pexil mentioned at one point.

“And in that time the setting of our meeting has changed; the Captain prefers to handle this sort of thing in her Ready Room.”

While the possibility of the ship’s Captain wanting to sign off on the promotion he’d applied for had been a remote possibility in the back of his mind, having that theory confirmed moments before meeting her made the situation seem so much more real.

Yiv could feel individual beads of nervous sweat running down his cranial ridges, and all of a sudden he couldn’t remember a damn thing that he’d planning to say—he’d been test-interviewing in the holodeck for days now with facsimiles of every individual, department, or internal organization that may request one.


---

Winter on Earth had always been among he finest of memories. It wasn't that she appreciated the slush or how hard travel could be due to inclement frozen precipitation or that she particularly liked the cold - it was that she loved the scents and flavors of the world. In her past, the universe has often times rather bleak and devoid of warmth, but winter held so much of it even in the cruelest cold spells. The sweet bite of mint, the savory heat of hot chocolate, the spicy punch of pumpkin pie... Eirlys could have smiled right then and there at the memories spun up as the after taste of her latest sip of cocoa began to dissipate from her tongue. She was just about to chase those thoughts again, rekindle them, with another sip when her ready room door chime chirped in recognition that someone was waiting for her attention.

She couldn't be daydreaming about winter while conducting business... Or could she? She cast a sidelong glance at her mug of chocolate temptation as she sat up and folded her hands across her desk. "Come!"

Never one to waste anyone’s time, Cray entered the tatstefully-decorated office and nodded briefly before turning to introduce his companion. “Captain,” he began, gesturing toward the anxious Cardassian beside him, “as requested: Lieutenant JG Yivrin Pexil,”

“Captain,” Yiv repated, nodding with deference in a fashion similar to that of his predecessor.

"Commander, Lieutenant," Eirlys nodded a greeting to both as she gestured towards the chairs in front of her desk, "Please, take a seat. It would seem we have a bit of ground to cover this morning." They were words that could easily have come across as daunting, maybe even terrifying, depending on the context and the way the speaker's voice influxed certain syllables and letters. No such rancor existed on her part, at least not for now. The Cardassian had hardly given her a reason to present him with any degree of distrust or distaste. Instead, she even offered the pair a small, friendly smile as she waited for them to take their seats.

"Now... I believe that are two matters that need to be settled here today, if I'm not mistaken?" The PADD on her desk lit up with the lightest touch of her palm, but instead of waiting for the device to completely load its data up for her perusal, the Captain looked to Cray for a quick affirmation and did her best not to place any additional pressure on Pexil who seemed to be positively buzzing with nervous energy.

"That's correct, Captain," the Andorian Commander confirmed as he withdrew a PADD of his own.

Pexil took the seat he'd been offered silently, glancing between his superior officers as they spoke in turn. "As you you know: the Lieutenant has submitted his name for to be considered a promotion within the Fighter Wing, however, based on the results of his most recent evaluations I believe that at this time his strengths would prove more useful to the ship at large in a different role."

Though he knew that his future aboard the Vindicator was to be discussed in this meeting, the initial shock of hearing that Cray wasn't supporting the promotion to applied for flashed across his face for only the briefest of moments. What other 'role' could the the Andorian be referring to?

"Ah, yes...." The Captain nodded, returning her attention to the PADD on her desk, "I believe you did send in Lieutenant Pexil's credentials in a bid to fill the role of Chief Tactical Officer; something about him truly excelling as a tactician and proving himself to be an invaluable asset in coordinating with Security" Eirlys' voice drifted off, a single hand rolled on its wrist as if to finish the sentence as the other scrolled through the report at hand until she'd refreshed her memory enough to reawaken whatever opinion it was that she had formed.

From there, her icy eyes lifted from the screen and settled on the fathomless darkness of Pexil's, "I'm inclined to agree with your assessment, Commander Cray," she began, "However, I cannot place a Junior Grade up in that seat." There was silence for a second as a brief look passed between the young Skipper and the older Andorian Commander, leaving Pexil firmly on the hot seat until Eirlys opened and reached into one of her desk drawers, retrieving a fine oak box.

"At attention, Lieutenant Pexil, if you would." She ordered gently, finding her own feet and coming around the desk with the box in hand.

For a few moments now Yivrin hadn’t said anything because he wasn’t certain where their conversation was heading and feared that offering his input may make them reconsider whatever decision they’d clearly already made, but relief, followed by a different kind of apprehension didn’t prevent him from doing as he’d been asked as he came to his feet and assumed the requested position. Truth be told he was grateful that standing at attention kept one’s hands resolutely at one’s side and their mouth shut—the potential for embarrassing one’s self in front of their CO was significantly diminished under such restrictions.

Having never actually taken a seat Cray remained standing, silently studying the young Lieutenant’s face—over the years he’d observed that though usually very quick to recover, if one watched closely enough they could practically read everything the was thinking by keeping a close eye on his facial expressions. Up to this point he’d been almost amazed at the man’s show of control.

"Seeing as how it would be an insult to the esteemed members of my senior officers to place a Junior Grade within their ranks, and how the Vindicator is indeed in need of a talented Tactical Officer before we head off into the black, I'm hereby promoting you to the rank of a Lieutenant with all due ranks and privileges." It was a stretch for Eirlys to reach the rank on the Cardassian's collar, but she somehow managed to accomplish the feat, and replace it, with some semblance of grace still intact, "Furthermore," the young redhead continued, "I should like to be the first to congratulate you on your new position. Chief Tactical Officer." The smile she offered him as she took a step back, excusing herself from his personal bubble, was genuine - but underneath she had to bite her tongue to keep from making a joke about not getting them all killed. Good natured, of course, but the anxious energy radiating off the Lieutenant kept her on the straight and narrow. Adding fuel to that fire wouldn't have gone well.

The tension that had been building within him since encountering Commander Cray en route to the turbolift seemed to evapoate almost instantly, as Yivrin let out a breath he hadn’t consciously realized he’d been holding, or for how long. As his posture relaxed it felt like he’d been clenching every muscle in his body and let them all go at once. Though in the back of his mind he knew that it was a breach of protocol to break attention without permission, the threat-response part of his mind had just turned itself off, and Yivrin tended to be a bit less formal when there was no perceptible presence of danger.

A genuine grin spread across his reptilian features as he extended a hand to the Captain. “Thank you, Captain,” he said, “and you as well, Commander,” shaking the Andorian’s hand in turn. “I honestly have no idea what to say, other than how honored and humbled I am to be given this opportunity. This is a big step up from the promotion I applied for, and I promise I will do everything in my power to prove you made the right decision.”

“Well I should certainly hope so,” Cray deadpanned.

Pexil wagged a good natured finger at the stoic Andorian before turning his attention to the Captain once again. “Ma’am, I know that your starship is a little bigger than my fighter, but I promise you that I will dedicate myself to learning and doing everything it takes to support, protect, and defend it and everyone aboard.” It took conscious effort to omit the word ‘fly’ from that list, as he realized that piloting opportunities may start becoming scarce in his new role.

In turn the Captain offered a smile and nodded, "Of that I have no doubt. I wouldn't have agreed to this if I thought you'd be anything less than perfect in the role." Big words, a lot of meeting... So many emotions bubbled through the atmosphere of the ready room, thick enough to be cut with a knife. The Cardassian wasn't the only one positively radiating with that brand of energy, "Vindicator has a lot of history... A legacy. She means a lot to so many people and you're now a rather intrinsic part of that legacy. You'll do well."

"We have a lot to get done if you plan to be ready to report for duty tomorrow morning, Lieutenant," Cray interjected, handing Pexil a PADD. "With your permission, Capitan?" he asked.

"Oh... Of course." The young Captain nodded empathically and gestured towards the door, "By all means. Enjoy the rest of your evenings."

---

Captain Eirlys A. Irelle
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NX-78213-F

 

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