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DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 hrs.]

DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 hrs.]

Captain's Log, Stardate 57505.29. In the wake of the battle, repairs lasted long into the night, and the gamma shift continued where the rest of the crew had to cease for sake of rest and sleep. Now begins a time of mourning and rebuilding whatever morale the crew had left before the Calamity began its hunt, and the Harbinger fought by our side. Still, some crew are missing, spread across light-years of distance between here and the Class-9 nebula from whence we came, but we will be launching rescue operations by 1200 hrs.

In this aftermath, I realise that when loosing people, arguably the most difficult and yet most important task for an officer is to find their replacement. As disrespectful as it might seem to those we have lost, it is not only the ship that needs repairs, but also our chain-of-command. If we wouldn't, we would remain unprepared for whatever may happen next, when we set a new course.
                                                                                                                      
- Captain Ives, Commanding Officer of the USS Theurgy

[ Carrigan Trent | Bridge | Deck 01 ]  Attn: All

Morning had come entirely too quickly for Trent.  But on this morning, it was not because of excessive consumption the night before, it was because he hadn't had nearly enough time to sleep off the exhaustion of the previous day.  And not to mention just how sore he was still.  It had been a long time since he'd last driven himself this hard and it showed in the gingerly manner he rolled out of bed and proceeded for his second shower in less than eight hours. 

And following breakfast and the better part of a whole pot of coffee later, he found himself back on the Bridge at the Tactical station.  By the time he had crawled into bed the previous night, he was still without specific instructions as to what he ought to be doing with his time, and based on their situation and his own judgement, he thought it best to put his Intelligence functions on the back burner until such a time as there would be enough bridge-qualified tactical personnel to allow him to not have to man the console at least one watch per day, in addition to being the acting department head until he could find someone capable of running it.  And part of that work was to work with some of his more experienced personnel and assessing their aptitude to working the primary console instead of simply working at their more localized positions.  And that morning, he had a Petty Officer Arisaka with him and he was sincerely hoping the man would have what it took to move up from phaser control to the Bridge. 

As his trainee was going through the sequences of bringing the ship to red alert for the fourth time, Trent surveyed the rest of the personnel on the Bridge.  Given the intense workload, he would hardly have expected all the stations to be manned by heads of departments.  Especially Master Chief O'Connell, who would most likely far prefer being down in Engineering directing repairs directly instead of doing so via a panel.  Or Stark, who probably had her hands beyond full with managing the priorities of repairs and resource allocations.  And despite their current immobility, Chief S'ithi was at the helm and Lieutenant Tovarek was bent over his own console, probably reviewing the take from every passive sensor Theurgy was currently operating.  In the central chair was sitting Lieutenant Commander Wenn, a most logical choice to hold command as there yet might be pockets of mutineers concealed about the ship and of the Captain and the Executive Officer there were no traces.  Granted, Theurgy was not in movement and they had withdrawn away from the protostar's immediate vicinity to ease the strain on their shields and hull and they were trying quite hard to appear to be a hole in space while they were conducting repairs sufficient to become mission-capable once more, and getting those members of the crew who had been injured or brainwashed back on their feet.  And until both criteria would be met, they were most likely not going anywhere.

But when the door to Captain Ives' Ready Room hissed open to admit both the ship's commanding officer and her right hand, the low-level hum of the crew working at their stations and speaking amongst themselves in low tones remained undisturbed until the Bridge security crewman, a recent change based on the events of the previous day, snapped to attention and before he could speak, a red-garbed Thea looked away from the Support Systems panel and she engaged in a practice many a starship commander, including Trent when he had his own captaincy, made a point to put an end to by way of a standing order.  Indeed, the hologram spoke, barely above a normal conversational level. "Captain on the Bridge."

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #1 –
[ Captain Ives | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

As Captain Ives led the way out of her Ready Room that morning, she was pleased to see that Henshaw had managed to deliver her summons to the present bridge crew. She made a point not give them all more than a cursory glance before her steps led to the Tactical station. Unsmiling, her battle-hardened stare snapped towards the Petty Officer that Carrigan Trent had been instructing, and then she looked towards the Intelligence Officer.

"Your place is not here, is it, Mister Trent?" she said quietly, her voice emitting cutting crystal clear vowels. "I distinctly remember giving you access to the computer core and telling you to work from there - analysing the data you claimed from the Archeron. So why are you here now, the day after the mutiny, acting as if you were head of Tactical as well? Did I name you Chief Tactical Officer, and did I give you leave to instruct the crew in duties that does not concern you?"

"Captain, I didn't know, I mean, I was not aware tha-" began the Petty Officer, raising his hands and backing away from the station.

"Dismissed," said Jien, barely above a whisper, but no less a verbal lash in the face, even if her stare was still nailed to Mister Trent. The Petty Officer's pace was brisk as he vacated the bridge. Thea glanced in his direction when he had left, and vaguely, one could hear the A.I.s voice on the other side of the sliding doors - the hologram words muffled when speaking to the young man via the intercom.

Before Trent might defend himself, Jien continued. "This is the second time you get ahead of yourself, thinking you are entitled to more than you are. Yesterday, you thought to take command of the Bridge and enforcing your authority all over the ship, which may have been prudent, but today, it seems you simply forgot to leave. I need that data from the Archeron analysed and processed, for how else may we find an ideal depot to restock our quantum and photon torpedoes? I expect a full report on your findings within the hour, so what are you waiting for?"

Never raising her voice or blinking, Jien just stood there before the man with the bionic limbs - as unmoving as a statue while she waited for him to leave. Only when he did, Jien spoke again.

"Wait! Just one moment. Stand at attention, Lieutenant Commander," she said, and moved to follow Trent. Once by his side, she reached for the human's collar and rank insignia with her calloused fingers, removing one of the pips. "You have no use of this any more as far as I am concerned. Isn't that so, Dr. Nicander?"

At some point, the view screen had lit up with a split-screen comm-link with Sickbay and the Fighter Assault Bay. On one side, the Chief Medical Officer was standing next to Hayden Quinn O'Connor, and on the other sat Lieutenant Commander Renard - the Squadron Commander. [Please, Captain,] said the doctor with the tattooed hands on the screen. [Let the man know which way the wind truly blows.] As soon as those words were said, the charade was dropped collectively, and the smiles - however faint - returned to the bridge crew all around Mister Trent.

It was at this point that Jien produced the box with the golden pip, handing it over to Trent - her act coming to an end.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #2 –
[ William Robert "Billy Bob" O'Connell | USS Theurgy | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] 

Master Chief Petty Officer William Robert "Billy Bob" O'Connell had served in Starfleet for twenty years and had at one time done almost everything in the engineering department one could think of.  Experience on the bridge, however, was not something he had a lot of practice in.  Indeed, the last time he had served on the bridge of a starship was five years ago during the Dominion War when the USS Resolve, a brand spankin' new Luna class explorer, had lost every senior officer aboard with the sole exception of the chief medical officer.  Not that Chief Petty Officer O'Connell hadn't acquitted himself during his stint of the bridge.  The chief medical officer, a young thirty year old green behind the balls commander by the name of Tristan Kendrick had led the Resolve onto victory earning himself a captaincy and joining the ranks of talented young officers who made four pips early that had names like Kirk, Garth, and Rixx. 

Chief Petty Officer William O'Connell was rewarded by becoming Senior Chief Petty Officer O'Connell and recommended for a commendation, one of the high points of his career.  

That didn't mean that Billy was comfortable on the bridge, the heart of officer territory, where the language was so clean that a holonovel about bridge officers would be family friendly.  He was more comfortable actually doing the work of getting the ship back together, but there was no getting out of it.  Training was part of serving in Starfleet for decades, one had to keep his skills up to date or learn new skills to meet the fleet's new needs.  As his old drill instructor, the venerable and respected Chief Petty Officer Roland Lee House used to say, you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

"Captain on the Bridge." Thea announced. 

Billy stood up from his seat at the engineering substation console he had been manning and turned to face the room. 

Captain Ives walked in in her female form, and after surveying the bridge for a moment, walked over to tactical and proceeded to ream Carrigan Trent a new one.  But something was wrong.  It wasn't Jien Ives' style to belittle an officer on the bridge.  Reprimands were usually given in the ready room, away from prying eyes and wagging tongues.  After the mutiny that hit the ship and all the other times that the officers and crew had been subjected to emotion or mind control, for the skipper to be acting out of character raised the hair on the back of Billy's neck.

Then Ives removed the rank insignia from Trent's neck and the stars vanished from the forward viewscreen to reveal a split screen image sickbay and the flight deck.  Doctor Nicander, Counselor O'Connor and Commander Renard appeared on the screen.  Added to the department heads currently on the bridge, that made all of the senior officers present, and they were trying to keep a straight face. 

Only then did the burly engineer understand.  Ives was punishing Trent all right, punishing him with the worse fate he could bestow on him: a promotion of some kind.  Trent was getting a permanent position on this ship, and may God have mercy on his soul.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. Cmdr.  Natalie Stark | USS Theurgy | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ]

There were about a million and one other things that Natalie Stark could be doing just then. Certainly anything that would take her mind off what she'd seen last night, down in the ships lounge, would be preferred. Seeing Rory die - no, don't think about that - she sternly told herself, ignoring the clenching sensation in her chest, the way her stomach seemed to bottom out while something squeezed her heart. That wasn't the point. There truly was so much to do.

She could, of course, be down on the flight deck once more, losing herself in the grueling repairs there. Or in any conduit on the ship that still needed patching - lord knows there were plenty of those. Even simply the privacy of her office, coordinating repair efforts would be much easier there, than here on the bridge. Given that the ship wasn't really going anywhere just yet, the Ops Station could be handled by any of her junior officers. Many of which, frankly, could use the break.

But orders were orders and Captain Ives orders - delivered in person by her Yeoman, calling on Natalie the night prior to inform her that her presence was very much required on the bridge. And given all that had happened, well, it was certainly a worthwhile endeavor. The brunette had put up a token argument to Henshaw before acquiescing to her CO's wishes. The C-Ops certainly wasn't going to shoot the messenger, after all.

So she'd done her best to get a good night sleep - alone, but exhaustion helped with that - and made sure to pull out a cleaned uniform for her duty shift, instead of going with a jump suit more commonly found on enlisted personnel, or those doing a damn lot of hands on dirty work as she'd originally planned. She'd taken an honest to god real shower, no quick sonic's, and allowed her hair to dry before pulling it back into a precision grade, regulation tail. She'd even consumed more than her fair share of coffee to make sure she was awake and attentive - though she'd likely have done that regardless.

For just this once, it was nice to be in on the surprise.

Keeping a straight face was difficult, but then, she could stare at her console and not look back over her shoulder. So what if a small, slight smile curved on her lips when she heard Ives calling out Carrigan Trent in a tone as stiff and oaken as the shifter's eyes. It wasn't as if the Intel officer could see her expression. Though, Dr. Nicander might have been able to when the view-screen switched from a shot of the proto-star expanse surrounding the vessel to a split view the interior of the medical bay, and the fighter deck. She doubted he'd mind though, as it was clear to her the CMO was having a hard time keeping his mirth in check.

The charade fell apart as the third gold pip appeared. No one was pretending not to watch now, as they turned in their chairs, both Natalie and the Cardassian at her side. She had to fight the urge to clap, waiting until her captain spoke again.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #4 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All


Cinn sat at the Captain's chair and looked over the information that he had gathered so far and he reviewed what he could as he held command until Ives returned to the bridge. He as not sure that his current position was going to be the best choice, with the reactions he had seen during the mutiny he knew that he was still being questioned by the crew and people were wondering what he was really here about, and how he had com back. It was just so hard to explain and he had no idea how he was going to work out all the trust issues with the crew, but it did present what he needed to do now, he needed to work on his public image n get back trust, otherwise he might be seen as the next Declan Vasser, coming out of nowhere gaining a ton of power and doing a lot of things on the Theurgy. He needed to make sure that h did not become a public enemy.

As the Captain return to the bridge he felt some relief wash over him as he stood up ad saluted Captain Ives. As things unfold with Trent receiving a promotion he felt a mix of pride and worry for the man, Trent was going to make a decent officer and might show a lot of promise in time, but at the same time the pressure that he was being put under, had to just hope that the crew would be able to handle some more stress as time progressed. But such concerns were unfounded for now, he had more important things to do right now and he needed to talk with the Captain.

Cinn waited for the actions between Trent and Captain Ives to conclude before he spoke. "Captain, the bridge is yours. I would also like to share some time with you in private, there are some things that have come to my attention that I feel you and I should discuss before things move to far along. It is nothing ship related, but more a matter with myself that I think needs to be addressed sooner rather than later." Cinn hopped that Captain Ives would understand that this was an important matter and would make the time at some point, if not he was going to be on his own to working on his public relation and image, he had a sinking feeling that those in his distraction team were not all that fond of him, specially with how he had gone from rescuing the Captain to killing Vasser while suffering no real harm. It look kind of suspicious he had to admit.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #5 –
[ Carrigan Trent | Bridge | Deck 01 ]  Attn: All

When Captain Ives entered the Bridge, one thing Trent had not expected was how she would immediately cross the entire width of the space to come straight to where he was trying to assess Petty Officer Arisaka's aptitude for the Bridge position. Something he had expected even less was how she started to dress him down right there in full view of a fully manned Bridge.  And despite her quiet tone, he felt as though he'd been physically slapped.  One thing part of his mind saw for certain was that this woman knew how to use her voice for maximum effect at least as well as he did.  Granted, he was naturally quiet but he had spent a long time cultivating the way he spoke to command effectively and inspire the desired response from others. 

His place was not on the Bridge?  That by itself was rather surprising.  He could clearly recall that he had been instructed to perform at least part of his duties on Deck 01 instead of just hiding in the Computer Core.  And he could clearly recall the message from Henshaw that he was expected to pull Bridge duty that morning as well.  As for what he was doing at Tactical, he was a senior officer and he was expected to show at least a modicum of judgement and initiative as to how he would fulfill his duties.  And given that there was a dearth of personnel qualified to man the stations in any of Theurgy's command facilities, he had taken it upon himself to remedy this problem.  This was a ship deeply involved in tactical operations and first and foremost she needed to be combat-capable. And if there was no one to man the primary controls of her shields and weapon systems, she might as well be a grossly over-engineered and overpriced tramp freighter. 

However, he remained silent as he was being berated, his face impassive and his mouth set in a thin, hard line.  As Arisaka departed, he was struggling not to ball his fists.  For this sort of thing was typically conducted in private and not in full sight of a number of officers.  Praise was given publicly, reprimands behind closed doors unless the offence was so egregious that it needed straightening right then and there.  But a senior officer?  There were few better ways to destroy one's self-confidence and the confidence needed by others than to do such a thing.  Ives ought to know better!  Hell, based on the conversation they had in the Ready Room a mere two days past - which almost felt like a lifetime ago - he knew she knew better!  She had struck him as a strong leader who knew what to do, and such a blunder was totally against what he had come to learn from her. 

And the Lieutenant Commander was not even granted the courtesy to explain his actions when he was being accused of being lax in his duties in Intelligence; the information about supply depots had already been looked at and he already had a list put together and forwarded to the Captain for review the day before, shortly after the staff meeting and before the mutiny.  However, he was not about to stand there much longer, to be berated and further undermined much longer.  And when he was told to supply that report, he let out a curt "Aye, Captain" and made for the turbolift, only to be halted dead in his tracks.

Not only halted, but put to attention like some thick-skulled Cadet and a hand came to his collar.  A hand that ripped the third pip from his uniform with the claim he no longer needed it.  Being demoted right there on the Bridge was unheard of from any officer worth half his salt.  And now, the Chief Medical Officer was being involved?  This situation was getting worse and worse every second and it was taking the Intelligence Officer all of his self-discipline not to simply storm out.  However, there was something in his voice, something... humourous. 

And then, he knew what this was about.  A jewelry box was presented to him, and within in a single gold pip.  For a moment, he simply looked at what he was being presented, sitting in the palm of his synthetic hand.  And then a slow smile spread across his lips.  "You know, Captain, I'm fairly certain subordinates have punched out their superiors for less."  His tone was speaking of relief, and while part of him was not exactly pleased at having been led on a greater part appreciated the joke, if only because of the stress they'd been under lately. 

Then he remembered what she'd said just the previous day when he returned command of Theurgy to her rightful commanding officer, that she knew he still had it in him.  Truth be told, at the time he had been a hair away from answering that it made one of them.  But now that he'd had a chance to think about the day's events and to review his decisions and actions, Carrigan Trent realized that he hadn't lost his nerve or his confidence or his abilities.  At first he had rationalized his choice to make the run for it and then to openly stand against Vasser as a matter of if not him, then who would do so.  But This chance to gain some hindsight made him realize something: he had never lost his skills, or his confidence or his nerve.  He had just forgotten he had them in the wake of the destruction of the Harrier.  The self-doubt he felt regardless of the board of inquiry that cleared him had made him relinquish his rank and now, it was bestowed back upon him.  With his flesh and blood hand, he carefully took the rank insignia from the box and affixed it to his collar, replacing the black circle that had just been taken from him and somehow, the added rank felt most natural.

And only then did he look around, catching the expressions of his fellow officers.  And he had to ask the most obvious question, something that might be considered quite unfitting of an experience analyst within Starfleet Intelligence.  "Were you all in on this?"

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. Simon Tovarek | USS Theurgy | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ]

Tovarek couldn't really remember when he went to sleep or if he actually slept at all. The aftermath after the Calamity battle had been a haze and most of it was pretty much on auto pilot as only some key moments stood out in his memory. He had remembered finishing up his processes and tasks before he left the bridge and the next thing he knew he was down in Sickbay for a check up and to check in on Marlowe. He didn't know how long he had stayed there with her. Yet it was enough to say that the next thing he knew was waking up in his quarters and after a fast sonic shower he had returned to the bridge as Henshaw had requested.

While the mood on the bridge was calm and everyone was busy with their routines, Simon was indeed checking out the sensor readouts as he was looking for any anomalies or inconsistencies. He looked up from his console as he heard Thea announce the arrival of Captain Ives and his eyes followed the poor petty officer that got dismissed. His eyes now turned to Trent and Simon fought the urge to lean against his console as he tried to stand up as neutral as he could. He noticed the view screen flicking up as Sickbay and Fighter Assault bay came into view and he couldn't help but suppress a grin on his lips.

So the time came for Trent to receive his promotion. Simon wondered what else they were in for as they were called to all attend the bridge, yet he let the idea fare as the pips were given to Trent. It had been a pretty good joke on him to imply that he would become the new commander. Simon didn't clap or cheer as the others hadn't done so either. The reply from Trent was priceless and Simon chuckled Trent with his brand new pips. He was happy for the officer as he had deserved them. Trent's obvious question to rather or not they were all in on it only made it more amusing yet Simon returned to look at his console for a second and waited for Ives to take the word again.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #7 –
[Doctor Hayden O'Connor | Main Bridge | USS Theurgy]

Hayden sat silently beside Dr. Nicander as they set their eyes on the bridge via the monitor in Hayden's office. Truth be told, it was hard for the counselor to muster up any feelings for the present events as her mind and body still felt like they were catching up from the events from the night before. She managed to get a couple hours of sleep, which wasn't nearly enough, but under the circumstances, she hadn't been given much choice. Jien Ives had apparently wanted them all to be present for what was to come. Though she was exhausted, she had to admit, she was grateful for the break. Even though she and Nicander were merely "dialing in" for the occasion, it was nice to be able to reflect upon something that had nothing to do with trauma, depression, and psychological resilience.

When the truth was revealed, Hayden suddenly felt silly and guilty for going into the morning with anything but a focused mind and an open heart. This was a time for all of them to celebrate, especially Carrigan Trent, and despite not wanting to embarrass herself in front of others, she felt tears prick behind her eyes in a combination of shame, relief, and delayed grief. She didn't know exactly when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, Hayden had stopped expecting good things, particularly good surprises.

It felt like it had been an eternity since anything good had happened, after all.

Through her tears, she found herself chuckling as Trent looked to all of them, genuinely surprised and nearly speechless.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #8 –
[Miles Renard | Viewscreen on Main Bridge |  Broadcasting from SCO-Office: Hangar Bay: Deck 15 | USS Theurgy]

"All I knew was the Captain wanted me on a conference call.  If I had known what was planned I would have made sure Papa Bear had been given a seat to watch too."  he said with a grin before saluting.  He then winced as a loud screech of metal was barely dulled by the conference hail.  "Sorry about that, one of the bigger Reaver chunks must have fell off a hover cart."  Another screech was heard along with a loud clanging that sounded like metal tools hitting the floor. "I think I'm needed back on the job.  If you need me for anything I'll be working in the bay untill 1700hrs,"  he said before shutting down the broadcast on his side to get back to work.

(((OOC: Sorry if the post was a little short not really sure what i can say or do here other than this.  Besides given everything going on in the fighter bay today its kind of a wonder Miles even had the time to spare to be on conference for this much.)))

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #9 –
[ Captain Ives | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All (Triage, primarily)

The faint smile that had come to Jien's face lingered while the Senior Staff around her revealed their foreknowledge about that was going on. Just outside, Thea was explaining over the intercom to Petty Officer Arisaka that he happened to get in the cross-hairs of the prank. By then, Jien believed that Thea had relayed her blessing to the young man to get a cup of coffee and return in a bit. Trent, on his part, was taking the joke on him as intended, which was a relief, and he merely ended up asking the others present if they knew about it.

Lieutenant Commander Renard replied on the screen, but no more had he said his congratulations before some kind of incident in the hangar pulled him away. Jien tried to raise her voice to stop the Vulpinian, but he had already terminated the link, so she ended up clearing her throat. Nicander and O'Connor now filled the whole viewscreen. "I suppose I will have to go down there personally before the end of the day and tell him the rest," she said with a quiet chuckle, and then, Wenn Cinn proffered the chair to her and made his personal request.

"I see. We will speak as soon as we're done here," she said, smile gone as she nodded, briefly thinking about what it was that her old comrade had noticed and wished to discuss. First, however, there was the present matter to attend to. She did not take her seat in the chair, instead addressing all those present on the bridge while still on her feet.

"As you may notice, Commander Rez is not wearing her uniform today," she said, turning her head towards the Trill that she had arrived with on the bridge. Instead of the Starfleet uniform, she was wearing well-fitting civilian clothes. While odd given the time of the day, they did not look odd on her. "Some of you, most of you, are aware of Edena Rez' faulty joining and the presence of her symbiont's former hosts. They exist through her and within her, very much alive, but privy to her awareness alone unless they assume control of her body. At first, it would have seemed we gained the collective experience and wisdom of several remarkable individuals in their own rights, yet over the past month, it has become more and more evident that this may not have been as beneficial and harmless as it first seemed."

Jien paused before continuing. She had wiped any lingering smile from her countenance. "Lieutenant Commander Jona Rez- one of the former hosts - has repeatedly shown us that he is not trustworthy, and yesterday, he openly betrayed us and the mission, meaning to overtake Edena Rez's body and join Vasser. He was stopped, but his actions were the catalyst to a decision that has been a long time coming. A decision that I have to support, despite many regrets."

Turning to look at Rez, Jien put her hands on her hips and fell silent. They had agreed that Edena would tell them all in her own words. If nothing else, just to prove to them that Jien had not made any demands towards the end they had reached.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #10 –
[ Edena Rez | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]

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Edena cleared her throat, her eyes not looking up anywhere other than at her left sleeve of her civvies, which she was fussing with while Ives spoke up about a few things that brought the young Trill woman into the spotlight, and she felt her cheeks burning a little. It wasn't like she wasn't here before, sitting in the command chair itself, issuing orders. Then again, those were tense moments, and people were busy looking at everything else except her. But now, she could feel eyes on her.

When she had left the Ready Room after her official verbal resignation, Edena had metaphorically burnt her uniforms, and happily unpacked some things to wear. Since she was coming to the bridge, she had ignored the recently returned Illya's suggestion to wear a particularly risque outfit. She remembered blushing furiously at the notion, which only made Illya laugh out loud. Instead, she chose to wear a bright green blouse with loose long trousers and dark shoes. While casual, it was semi-formal in its appearance, and sort of fitting to what she was coming to do on the bridge, most likely her final visit here. The next time anyone would be seeing her would be in Below Decks, off-duty, such as it may be while they were on the run.

When Ives stopped speaking, the young woman could no longer avoid looking at anyone, so she settled for looking at Wenn for a moment, sort of drawing strength from the Bajoran. She cleared her throat, smiled at Commander Trent, and then looked at the gathered people. "Hello everyone." She clasped her hands behind her back, and stood at a casual parade rest, "Just for the record, Kiya, Illya and Jona are all present, and they can see and hear everything. Jona's over there, glaring."

She nodded her head towards where the ghost of the SI officer was standing near Ives, arms folded and glowering knives, daggers, phasers and disruptors at Edena and the Chameloid, but she simply smiled evenly at him. "As Captain Ives said, Jona has been growing increasingly more untrustworthy as our time here progressed, and nearly had me, quite against my will, joining forces with Vasser. Fortunately, that moron was just as distrusting of Jona."

She closed her eyes and smiled at that thought, when she reopened them, Illya was leaning against Edena on one side, arms crossed and grinning about. The Trill couldn't feel the ghost's weight at all, but she could somehow feel her presence being closer, and Edena suddenly realized why she was talking rather cheekily.

Illya, knock it off! I'm trying to be serious here! Edena mentally, but slightly playfully chided the ghost, who just chuckled internally and took her "weight" off the woman, and she walked past the angry Jona, and stuck her tongue out at him.

Clearing her throat again, Edena continued, "Well, while it's been only a relatively short time that I got to spend with all of you, it's been...an honour, and privilege to have gotten to know each and every one of you. To work with..." her eyes shot to Jona, who had suddenly moved from where he was standing, but he was just shifting his position to go and glare at Ives from another angle. A little bit more and Edena had the feeling Jona might actually be able to make Ives feel his presence. Sighing, she brought a small fist to her lips, and looked at everyone, "I'm horrible at this, and honestly, it's not like I'm saying goodbye. Long story short, for the safety and security of the Theurgy and its crew, I'm resigning my commission with Starfleet. The decision is mine, and I think it's the best course of action, given the circumstances."

She smiled wanly, "Commander Trent, congratulations, you deserve this post. And to the rest of you," she turned to look at everyone, including Ives, "well, as I said, not goodbye, I'll probably be in Below Decks. Do stop by from time to time. Thank you, for giving me the chance to experience working with you."

Snapping to attention, one last time, even if it was even more formal than necessary, Edena clicked her heels together with practised ease, and saluted Jien Ives and the bridge crew. Her lips were tightly pursed together.


[ Cameron "Cam" Elizabeth Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]

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Henshaw followed in after Ives, and had watched the entire proceedings in complete silence. There was no need for her to speak, but she took detailed mental note of everything that happened. She of course knew about the promotion for Trent, and Edena's resignation, and was obviously in on the joke. Her eyes twinkled playfully at Trent when she saw his face. It was a good "joke", to say the least, so she approved of it. But as she saw with the noise from behind Miles Renard, the ship was in need of a great deal of repairs and attention. She briefly considered seeking out Thea to speak with the AI and find out just how bad a shape she was in.

But for now, her place was with her captain, to attend to his needs and his orders. PADD at the ready. Listening to the now-civilian Edena's speech, she smiled at the woman. It wasn't easy living with the burden she bore. Carrying one malignant ghost like an unpredictable parasite, it was as bad as having a brain aneurysm. So when the woman snapped to attention and saluted the bridge crew. She lowered her PADD and stood ready to match the gesture with everyone else.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #11 –
[ Captain Ives | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

While Jien never felt the hair on the back of her neck rise when the spectre of Jona moved around in the room, it was the first time she had been told by Edena how he was manifest in the reality around them all. During the Ishtar Incident, Jien had met Joan in person and learned who he really was - a face of old in Starfleet Intelligence that had gone by a different name at the time - but since then, she had been blissfully ignorant just how very much real the former hosts of the Rez symbiont were to Edena. Her file may have suggested it, but to hear her and see her outwardly react to their actions around them, that was something rare to behold.

Edena gave her speech, and in the end, she saluted them all, so it was Jien who would stand on ceremony. With a quiet smile lingering on her face, she changed... into his male form. Taller and more square of shoulder, he drew himself up in a formal salute - his movements measured and precise. Many of the old naval traditions had been watered out over the centuries that had gone buy, and they might not have had the luxury of a more fitting ceremony, but given Thea's state and their need to prepare for the mission to come, it would have to suffice. It was at least something of note that almost all of them were gathered on the bridge to bear witness to Edena Rez' resignation and Carrigan Trent's promotion.

"I hereby accept your resignation, Commander Edena Rez," he said quietly when everyone had come to mimic them, even including the CMO on the view screen. "You have served Starfleet admirably, and this entire crew owes you their lives because of what you did at the end of the Niga Incident. You may leave us, and we will all know the loss, yet while you are unable to serve our mission directly, we will rest assured that you are still with us, and will do what you can. Most importantly, your resignation is a sacrifice to preserve the integrity of our cause, and for that, you should leave us with your head held high, knowing that we will not forget you, but that we commend you for what you have done today."

Pausing for a couple of seconds, Jien soon ended his salute. "At ease," he said to everyone present, and to Edena, he gave her a small smile. "The Quartermaster will aide you in moving your personal belongings to the VIP Quarters. Dismissed, civilian. "

Having said this, Jien then turned to look at Carrigan Trent, and while he might have guessed what was at hand - from Edena's words or the development on the bridge - the obvious question had to be asked. In fact, Jien was not entirely sure what answer he would get, but a lot had happened since that first conversation of theirs in his quarters.

"Commander Trent. Will you serve this crew as my second-in-command? Will you be their Executive Officer throughout the hardships to come, and pledge your duty towards the end of bringing them all home, finding redemption for them, and retribution for our enemies?"

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #12 –
[ Carrigan Trent | Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

The responding smirks, not to mention the comment from the commander of Theurgy's fighter complement, were plenty to answer Carrigan's question.  Granted, the Vulpinian might not have been in on the joke but everyone else certainly was.  Once upon a time, he would have been opposed to that short of thing but given the circumstances, he acknowledged the crew's need for some sort of levity.  Particularly the senior staff, whom he was given to understand had been most deeply involved in the actions surrounding the mutiny. 

But what came next, he had no idea.  At first, he hadn't even thought as to why Commander Rez was out of uniform.  If anything, he thought she might have been off-duty for they day regardless of the amount of work that needed doing; stress could do strange things to people, including Starfleet command-rank officers and he had assumed she had been ordered by Doctor Nicander to take it easy regardless of how badly a First Officer was needed at the time.

The early information, Trent knew from the dossier he had on the Starfleet Intelligence asset that had been attached to Theurgy and how her emergency joining to the Rez symbiont had been less than ideal.  However, how badly she was affected by its imperfection.  And her public resignation came in like a ton of bricks.  And that definitely explained the exact 'why' of his promotion.  There was no other reason to promote him to full Commander unless there was a need to fill a hole in the chain of command.  Just promoting him to guarantee his authority and appointing him as second officer would not have been enough and would run the risk of introducing a certain instability and uncertainty to the order of things.  And what confirmed that latest theory was that offer, and the rather ominous sounding conditions of the job.  To which, there was only one answer he could give.

"Aye-aye, Captain."  Two aye's, the ancient prerogative of a ship's commander from a subordinate, whereas everyone else in any position of authority was entitled to but one. 

And with that said, he turned his head to look at the woman whose position was now his.  "Miss Rez, Edena, you're leaving one impressive pair of boots to fill and while I can't replace you I'll do my best to prove a worthy successor.  That being said, I certainly hope you won't mind if I come and pick your brains once in a while?  With your consent and the Captain's permission, I'd like to keep your security clearance active on a as-needed basis, just in case we need your help with something."

Then, he turned to address the ship's senior staff.  "Ladies and gentlemen, if what I saw since I came aboard is any indication it'll be an honour and a privilege to step up to the XO position and I will do everything I can to be worthy of your confidence and the Captain's.  I understand I won't be doing things the same way as Commander Rez did and there might be some growing pains along the way but I have absolutely no doubt we'll get ourselves sorted out in no time flat.  In the meantime, unless the Captain plans to address the crew, please let your departments know of the change of circumstances. Therefore, this is my first standing directive: the only stupid question is the one you don't ask, and the only stupid idea is the one you don't voice; and by that same token, regardless of the time of day or night, my door is always open.  If there is anything you want to discuss for any reason I'll make time for you."

Then, he stepped towards the Mission Ops station, resting his hand upon the chair back and a brief grin flashed to his lips.  "In the meantime, I suppose I ought to read more than the summary of this morning's departmental reports and get caught up on things."  

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 Hrs]

Reply #13 –
[ Captain Ives | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

Chuckling at Trent's last comment where he stood by Mission Ops, Jien spoke up in the wake of it. "I reckon you might, and I will make the announcement. Given how you handled the battle with the Calamity, however, I think you are standing by the wrong seat."

Then he turned towards the Tactical station and laid his calloused hand on top of the smooth touch panel. "Given your talents and experience, and how you proved yourself still capable of swatting torpedoes like flies in the midst of battle, perhaps it is only right that you serve this ship where you can make the most difference. Since we lack a Chief Tactical Officer, you will instead be here while I am in command on this bridge. It might be a temporary solution until Petty Officer Arisaka or Ensign Catalina Donovra are fully able to take your place."

Stepping away from Tactical, Jien continued to explain the set-up he had decided for Trent's initial time as the Theurgy's XO. "In regard to your old position and your work in Intelligence, we have an addition to our crew that will be able to pick up where you left and - under your supervision - assist in all further analysis and now that your responsibilities have shifted. Chief Selena Ravenholm will be your Encryption Specialist as soon as she leaves Sickbay, and I have arranged for a meeting between the three of us today. So, with the assistance you will get, I am confident that you will not only serve as our First Officer by manning the Tactical Station, you will be working together with others to make sure that the data you retrieved from the Archeron and Starfleet's databases do not go to waste."

Gesturing towards the Mission Ops console, Jien revealed his intentions in regard to the station that the First Officer usually held on a Theurgy-class starship. "You all might think me mad to imply this station to be unmanned, yet I have been perusing the recordings of the battle that I missed in my pursuit of Declan Vasser, and it would seem that we already have someone with great talent for handling information and instructions, to coordinate and deploy orders when bidden, and while the terminology might be different, it is the alacrity and clarity of the missives sent out that are important when the Lone Wolves have launched or we have an away-team sent out."

Jien turned towards Cameron Henshaw where she stood towards the back of the Bridge. "Whether a message is sent from a PADD or a Mission Ops station, the principle is the same, and while not common that a Yeoman would hold a station on the Bridge, nor is it common that an Ensign would hold the Yeoman position. The tasks at hand are virtually the same, only applied towards aerospace battle instead of relaying my orders throughout the ship. Therefore, I hope that you will at least consider this solution, or I will be forced to find someone else. So what say you, Ensign Henshaw? Are you willing to consider this station your own when so required?"

Mission Ops was a vacant station when there was no need for directing fighters, which had been the very reason a First Officer's place had been there on the Theurgy's bridge. Like the XO, the Yeoman otherwise had duties elsewhere. Jien could but hope Cameron had decided, since he had never received a definitive answer when he presented the idea to her the day before.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 hrs.]

Reply #14 –
[ Edena Rez | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

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Edena's pursed lips curved up into an appreciative smile when Captain Ives transformed into his male form, and she suddenly felt Kiya's presence drawing closer to her. From the corner of her eye, she could see that the ghost of the physician was practically by her side, and smiling. When he returned the salute, along with the rest of the crew, the Trill felt a twinge of regret, that she would no longer be serving alongside directly with them any longer, but as a civilian. Nonetheless, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and she would find her own niche elsewhere.

She blushed a little at Ives' words, feeling a little embarrassed with such high praise that she wasn't sure she had earned yet, but at the same time feeling a swell of pride within her, that she did inspire such words and notions. It was more than she could have hoped for, truly. She arched her eyebrows. VIP Quarters! Illya was turning her nose up at that.

It had better have all the facilities I was getting used to, said Illya, You just had to go and give up the Commander's Quarters!

Oh shush. VIP Quarters! Edena cheered internally again.

She stood by to listen to Ives briefly when he addressed Commander Trent, and when the latter spoke to her, she grinned. While she didn't wish to portray false humility or mar all the praise that had just been heaped on her, she did say, "You've more than proven yourself capable, Commander Trent. So I have no doubt you're most worthy. And yes, you can always come and pick our brains." She glanced subtly at Kiya and Illya, while Jona was just ignoring her outright, now.

"Captain." Edena nodded, addressing Ives' title as a goodbye. The crew would be returning to their duties now. With so much to do, the Trill felt that pang of regret again, that she was leaving them in a lurch, so to speak. But as Ives and she herself acknowledged, they couldn't afford the risk of allowing Jona access to anything with the rank of Commander, and First Officer. It was practically the keys to the ship, and in the hands of a man like him, no one on board the Theurgy would be safe. It would be like facing a multitude of enemies outside and within. So as she entered the turbolift, exiting the bridge for what she believed would be the last time for her, she looked toward her new life with head held high, and a heart full of hope...and a whole buncha ghosts along for the ride.

Fun.


[ Cameron "Cam" Elizabeth Henshaw | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All

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Henshaw saluted Edena Rez with respect, though she still cursed silently at the woman's sense of timing. Then again, with her resigning, she wasn't likely to jump in at inopportune moments, right? Well, not likely, not in this ship, with a crew full of people on their own, with no one to turn to but each other. As business returned to normal following the fanfare of Trent's promotion and Edena's resignation, the Yeoman began to work on her PADD, whilst keeping her ear out for Trent and Ives. Multitasking, so to speak.

So that's what initially caught her attention, though she didn't look up when she heard Ives mention something about being mad to leave a station unmanned. Then she heard details that started becoming familiar in a real hurry to her. While Ives had been out pursuing Vasser, who but Henshaw had been manning a certain station that she certainly wasn't normally accustomed to. So when Ives turned to look at her, Henshaw coincidentally raised her head up at the same time and met his eyes.

Wha...?

CLACK!

Her PADD dropped to the floor, just narrowly missing her feet. "Uh..wh...I mean..." She knew they had sort of discussed it before, but Henshaw was a little hopeful someone better would be found.

Apparently, there wasn't. And the way Ives said that, that he'd be forced to find someone else, it made her feel like she'd be a complete idiot if she declined, and a disappointment. That was the one thing she never wanted to be, to anyone. A disappointment.

"Of course I accept, captain." Henshaw beamed politely, then bent to retrieve her PADD, "I apologize for my reaction. Lost my grip for a moment."

Fortunately, she would only need to be there when there were shuttles or fighters out in some activity, mission or battle, so it wasn't like a permanent added responsibility. The young woman smiled sweetly at the commander and the captain, and adjusted herself to stand at attention now. No need to drop the PADD again if another surprise came her way.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 hrs.]

Reply #15 –
[ Carrigan Trent | Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

Somehow, Trent was not surprised when he was told he would be more use at Tactical.  After all, that was what he had first been trained for when he joined Starfleet and, as the Captain just said, he had just set up a point-defence system on the fly, while under fire, and under his direction Calamity's torpedoes had been practically useless as he made ruthless use of Theurgy's tactical computing power to refine his own firing solutions.  However, what he would not admit at this time, not when surrounded by people who might still doubt him, was that he had improvised.  He could not have known if Theurgy had a point-defence firing protocol in place and he could not have known how much of her phaser capability would have been hijacked for that purpose or how it would adjust power levels or rates of fire and as such he did it manually, on a hunch and his understanding of Theurgy's phaser strips.  And he knew it could have just as easily backfired on him but at the time, there was no time to dither or debate, let alone search the computer banks. 

But the confidence from the Captain and Commander - Miss - Rez had been overwhelming.  He was a new addition on board and he was implicitly trusted to be the ship's XO.  And that buoyed his rediscovered confidence even more than his successes against that starship from the future.

But when the Yeoman was offered to take over at Mission Ops and dropped her PADD, Trent smiled as she stammered her acceptance.  "Relax, Ensign," started he.  "Honestly, when I put you on Mission Ops yesterday was because I needed to lift some of the burden from Lieutenant Commander Stark at the time and I needed someone who could talk to the fighters while I focused on fighting Calamity.  Like the Captain, said,  you performed there admirably and I have every confidence you will do just fine in that position.  Now, I expect you will find the time to study up on shipboard fighter control protocols and I want you to link up with Mister Renard and I want you to run some drills with him and his pilots so you can be brought up to speed."

Training issues, generally, were also the XO's purview and considering that the Yeoman was hardly trained for Mission Ops, she still needed time to learn the job in spite of her natural abilities.

Re: DAY 01: Rejuvenation [0900 hrs.]

Reply #16 –
[ Captain Ives | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

Since the matters at hand were dealt with, and the ship had urgent need for attention, Captain Ives ended the gathering of the Senior Staff.

"Duties await for all departments, and we have a crew that depend on us. As you were, and thank you for your time. Commander Trent, you have the command, and you can ask Petty Officer Arisaka to return now. Thea has informed him about the little prank of ours, so give him my kindest regards. Ensign Henshaw, you heard your First Officer. Speak with the SCO at your earliest convenience. Lieutenant Commander Wenn, you wished to speak with me..."

Leading the way to his office, with his large Bajoran comrade following in his wake, Jien was gratified to find a golden nugget of something positive in the wake of all the strife and animosity they had been through.

- FIN

OOC: If anyone feels compelled to write reactionary post to the ending of this thread, feel free, but Ives is preoccupied in the following thread named "The Path Ahead".
 
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