SIM:Avandar Promotion Ceremony 238903.30

((USS Avandar, Main Mess Hall))

:: With her back to the room, Della watched the stars as they streaked past. Behind her, as many of the crew who weren't busy on vital tasks were filing in as per her order, filling the room almost to capacity.::

:: And for the ones that couldn't fit, there were the holodecks, where her presence was going to be reproduced. There was no way she was going to let anyone get away with not hearing what she had to say.::

:: Finally, she turned around, facing everyone gathered before her, made her way through the crowd. reaching the bar, she hopped herself up to sit on it, giving everyone a good view of her and making sure they were all going to hear.::

Vetri: Well, yesterday was certainly different, wasn't it? Certainly the longest day *I've* ever put in. And it was anything but easy for us all.

:: Looking around, she made a point of catching the eye of everyone that she knew had been involve in the hardest parts.::

Vetri: But we've got a handle on what happened. Not a full picture yet, but enough of one to be going with right now. And the most important part of all of it is this: What happened wasn't us. ::pause:: I know it certainly felt like it, but *think* about it. There were too many things wrong with the picture. Some subtle, some not, but they were there. And we lost sight of that - just like we were meant to.

I know some of you don't like what you saw your crewmates doing. Some of you don't like what *you* did. That's good. Some of what happened goes totally against everything we've been trained to do and you should take it as a lesson as to how wrong things can go.

But you will *not* let it fester. Some of you decided that maybe a little payback for wrongs done was a good idea. What happened in the lounge yesterday, and other little incidents here and there, I will forget and forgive. Once. *Nothing* anyone did during that ten years was by their choice, people. We were playing a role scripted for us by people long dead.

*They* made the mistakes. *They* frakked each other over. *We* did not. What we experienced was crafted well, and did it's job superbly in making us believe in it, but nobody on this crew is responsible for what happened during it - and if anyone wishes to disagree, be they on this ship or safe and snug in an office in San Francisco, they can damned well go through me first.

:: Once again, she let her gaze roam the room. She'd gotten to he end of the first part of what she wanted to say, and now it was time for the rest - something that hopefully would let her people gel together once more and put the events of someone else's past behind them.::

Vetri: Speech over. Now for the rest. I had some messages waiting for me when I woke up, and some of them were a distinct pleasure to read. What they contained was, of course, subject to my final approval, but I saw no reason at all to ignore it.

:: Turning a little, she reached down behind the bar for the box she'd stashed there when she'd arrived. Setting it on the counter top beside her, she flipped it open to reveal the neatly arranged little containers inside.::

Vetri: Ensigns Mancuso, tr'Khellian and S'Acul.:: Catching their eyes, she beckoned the trio over. As they approached, she lifted three of little boxes from inside the bigger one, setting them down beside her as she watched them come to a halt. With a faint smile, she flipped the lids open to reveal the pips resting on the lining inside, then offered them up for the recipients to claim.::

Vetri: Ensigns no more, boys. Congratulations.

tr'Khellian/Mancuso/S'Acul: ?

Vetri: You earned them.

:: She had no doubt at all that what everyone had experienced was colouring their opinion of what had just happened - and it was going to happen again in a moment, likely with greater intensity. It had to be done, though, and Della hoped that it would act as a catalyst for everyone to, quite simply, get over it.::

Vetri: Evanna.

:: The decision to call Blackwood over that way was a deliberate one, just like the fact that Della handed held out another of the little boxes to her, making sure *everyone* knew what was happening was the Captain's decision.::

Vetri: ::smiling softly:: Take it. *You* earned it.

:: She emphasised the word, trying to reinforce the idea that whatever they *thought* had happened, the woman in front of her deserved what she was receiving.::

Blackwood: Are you serious?

Vetri: Congratulations, Lieutenant.

Blackwood: Thank you Captain!

:: Glancing over at the large box, Della noted the little stash of what was left inside and couldn't help a rueful little smile at the sight.::

Vetri: Okay, one more. Lt. Tan. I have a few things here that belong to you.

:: Slipping down off of the bar, she lifted the box and held it in both hands as he approached.::

Vetri: Seems these have been chasing you for a while, Alleran. Your dress whites are going to be a little more colourful from now on.

:: Tan gave a lopsided smile, moving his cane into his other hand. ::

Tan: Well, here I was thinking the Independence had forgotten about me.

Vetri: Hmm, let me see... ::shifting the box to one hand and pulling out the littler ones one at a time and handing them over.:: Hobus Heroism ribbon, Peacekeeper Service ribbon, Ithassa Region ribbon, Lifesaving ribbon, Prisoner of War ribbon...

:: Making a show of checking for more, Della finally dumped the box back on the bar and smiled at the Trill who was trying to balance the stack of what she'd handed over.::

Vetri: I'm honestly sorry it took so long, Lt. You've earned them, though.

Tan: Thank you, Captain. I appreciate it.

Vetri: ::expression sobering a bit:: Congratulations.

:: This time, when she surveyed the crowd in front of her, she did so with a playful kind of look on her face.::

Vetri: You're a great crew, people, and it's both a privilege to know you and an honour to be your Captain. And you'd better believe that once I manage to talk some sense into the drones back at HQ, a fair few more of those ::nodding to what she'd handed to Tan:: will be making their way out into this crowd.

For now, though, we have new orders from said drones. The Avandar is to proceed with all dispatch to Starbase 23 for a new assignment.

:: She paused for a moment to see what everyone's reaction was going to be, then carried on, her little smile still in place.::

Vetri: And once they actually tell me what it's going to be, I'll let you know. Until then, we're going to make the most of the downtime.

:: The smile faded away for a moment as she looked at them all, then came back - if, perhaps, a little fainter than before.::

Vetri: The heavens know we've earned it. Dismissed.