Ceremonial Duties: Hail and Farewell
Summary: An answer to Rob Morris's
Admiralty Hall challenge.
Ceremonial Duties: Hail and Farewell
"Nervous?" Kyle asked his classmate and former shipmate with a smile.
Janice Rand was indeed very nervous, but she smiled back. "Nah, I've been
to these ceremonies before. Boring speeches and empty auditoriums. Nothing
to be nervous about."
After a grueling, year long course, she was about to graduate from the
Officer Candidate School as an ensign. She was near the top of her class of
150, might even be first, but the competition was so tight the exact
rankings would not be known until the ceremony. The last posted rankings
had placed her third. If she had done well on her finals - and she thought
she had - she had a good chance at second, and a possibility at first place.
Janice smiled, and ran a hand through her now-short hair. Until a year
ago, she had no idea she had such a competitive streak in her.
Kyle gave her a strange look. "What do you mean, empty auditorium? Don't
you know the Enterprise is in orbit?"
She did know, of course, but she didn't think it would matter. "Kyle, it's
been a year, and the Enterprise officers are almost all Academy grads. I
don't think they'll exactly be yearning to attend a long, boring ceremony,
especially for a bunch of mustangs."
"Mustang" was the common term for OCS (that is, non-Academy) graduates who
had worked their way up from the enlisted ranks. The term had used in
military circles for centuries, long before there was a Starfleet Academy.
As it implied, there tended to be a schism between Academy grads and OCS
types. Starfleet was run by Academy grads, although the occasional mustang
made it to flag rank.
Even the building they were in reflected the gulf between the two.
Admiralty Hall had been the site of Academy graduation ceremonies since the
Academy had been founded. But it had only been open for OCS graduation
ceremonies for a few years. Before that, OCS grads had received their send
off in the Academy gymnasium complex.
Kyle gave her a strange look. "Umm, we did come here from the same ship,
right? You know, the Enterprise? And you really don't think anyone will
show? Are you sure you didn't sneak in with those chaps from the Exeter?"
"Well...maybe we'll get a couple. Speaking of which," she added "who's
pinning you?" By tradition, at the conclusion of the ceremony, cadet rank
was discarded, and the new Ensign pips were affixed to the uniform by an
officer who had in some way mentored or encouraged the new graduate in their
career.
"Mr. Scott, of course," Kyle beamed. He loved the demanding, big-hearted
engineer like his own father. "And you?"
"Sulu. When he found out the captain put me in for OCS, he spent hours and
hours helping me study for the math section of the boards. Did you know he
was a physicist before he transferred to command? And he was the first
friend I made on that ship. "
"Uh huh. He's a good soul. But Sulu, not Captain Kirk?" Kyle asked with a
grin. She shot him a sharp look in response.
In truth, she had wanted to ask the captain, but had ultimately given in to
cowardice. She was afraid he'd say no. And Sulu had always been very kind
and encouraging to her.
She should have known better. Why had she thought he'd say no?
A shrill blast from a bosun's whistle pierced the air, startling Janice out
of her reverie. It was the signal her class had been waiting for. They
marched through the rear entrance of Admiralty Hall, and to her surprise,
Rand saw there was at least a thousand people in the audience. At first,
she thought they were mostly friends and family of the graduates, with a few
old shipmates thrown in for good measure. People stood on chairs and craned
their heads to get a look at the proud new officers.
As they drew closer to seats reserved for them in the front, she began to
make out something else through the crowd. There looked like a whole
section of people standing at attention, their backs straight, eyes away
from the incoming grads, locked towards the front of the room.
Janice gave Kyle a sly smile, like she had caught him trying to pull
something over on her. She had started to recognize some of them, even from
behind. Kyle just looked back at her, with a definite "I told you so" air.
There! They came around the bend to the front of the room and Janice got a
clear look. As far as she could tell, a high percentage of the Enterprise
officers and quite a few of the crew were in attendance. All in full dress
uniform, at attention.
The crew started to break their stance ever so slightly as Rand and Kyle
marched by. She could see slight nudges and smiles and hear little murmurs
as they were recognized. Uhura, standing in front of her section, had tears
in her eyes. Tina Lawton, towards the back, somehow managed to stay at
attention while straining on her tiptoes for a view. But the huge grin on
her face eclipsed whatever military bearing she retained.
Kevin Riley didn't even try to stay formal, giving them a wave and a broad
smile as she and Kyle marched by. Doctor McCoy, standing in the
approximation of attention which was as close as he ever got to military
formality, gave her an encouraging smile. Spock's normal posture was close
enough to attention that he looked comfortingly familiar.
Out in front of them all stood Captain Kirk, gallant and breathtakingly
handsome in all his finery.
He stayed at strict attention, not moving, smiling, or changing his
expression one bit as she and Kyle passed by. Janice noticed he was wearing
all of his medals, instead of the comparatively modest selection he usually
wore when in dress uniform.
Sulu and Scott were waiting at the front, along with the other mentors, and
stepped into place next to their designated charges as the class reached
their chairs. They were on an elevated platform, facing the audience. The
class sat down in unison.
Only then did the captain do a smart about-face, issue a soft command to
release his crew from attention, and join the doctor and Mr. Spock to sit in
the front row. Then he gave Rand and Kyle that warm half-smile of his, and
a broad wink. Kyle actually laughed out loud, earning some looks from his
classmates.
Janice did not laugh. She had no family, and had not expected anyone to be
here for her graduation. She sat at attention, concentrating on that, to
avoid embarrassing herself by crying. She did not look at Captain Kirk
again.
She got herself under control, and then tried hard to pay attention to the
speeches, but she was right about the ceremony being boring. She drifted
off for a while, thinking about the future.
When she was enlisted, she had not been overly impressed by the rank of
ensign. It was the lowest of the commissioned officer ranks, held for the
most part by brand new academy grads who were still trying to figure out
which way was up.
But she had always treated all officers with the respect that was their due.
That wasn't always the case with many senior enlisted crew, and she knew she
would most likely be in for some hazing on her new posting.
She was more than a little envious of Kyle, since he was going back to the
Enterprise. Nobody was harassed there, not even the newest crewman-third
right out of training. The captain wouldn't think of it, and she could only
imagine his reaction if he ever found it happening on his ship.
She was bound for the Lexington. She had heard good things about Commodore
Wesley, and Captain Kirk was said to think well of him. Maybe it would all
work out. Even if it wasn't like the Enterprise, she was not a fresh
academy grad. She could handle whatever smart-ass comments came her way
from semi-witty senior crewmen.
But some of her classmates had come to OCS from the Lex, and she didn't see
Wesley here.
They announced the honor graduates. Second. She had finished second in her
class.
She could not bring herself to be disappointed about not finishing first.
She had finished second, out of 150. This, from a girl who had barely
graduated high school.
As she got up to collect her commission and honor commendation, the crew of
the Enterprise was on their feet, stomping, hollering, whistling, and
cheering. Captain Kirk was not cheering or hollering, of course, but he was
standing and applauding in a dignified manner. He was still smiling, and
she knew was not just imagining the pride and affection in his eyes.
This time, the tears did come, but she managed to keep her back straight and
her dignity intact. It was a big moment for her; the biggest of her life,
so far.
Sulu squeezed her hand when she returned, apparently mistaking the tears in
her eyes for disappointment. "Don't worry, you're in good company," he
whispered.
"What are you talking about?"
He looked at her. "About graduating second."
"I'm not disappointed. I'm very proud."
Sulu smiled. "As well you should be. And, by the way, Captain Kirk
graduated second in his Academy class."
"Really." She swung around and stared at the captain with an almost
comical, doubtful expression. She couldn't imagine him finishing second at
anything. Kirk apparently figured out what they were whispering about, and
started laughing.
"Really." Sulu straightened and smiled even more. "One of his officers did
finish first in their class, but, unfortunately, modesty prevents me from
naming names..."
"Why should you be modest about Spock?" Janice teased.
"Spock didn't go to the Academy, young miss!" Sulu replied with mock
severity. "At least not our Academy. He's a Vulcan Science Academy grad,
direct commission."
They had finished announcing the honor grads. Everyone had their commission
now; they were all officers, except for one thing remaining. As a group,
the class rose with their mentors, who prepared to pin their new rank on
them.
As Scotty and Sulu pinned ensign pips on the two new officers, Captain Kirk
quietly called his crew to attention. He kept them that way until the
ceremony came to a close, and the class was dismissed for the last time.
Scotty bear hugged Kyle, and gave Janice a big kiss smack on the lips. Sulu
burst out laughing, and hugged both new officers. Many in the crowd broke
towards the front of the auditorium, and the grads soon had strangers and
friends milling among them.
Janice had just asked Kyle "How did you know?" when Uhura reached them and
grabbed Kyle with an exuberant hug before he could respond. When he could
breathe again, he said, "You've never been to one of these before with an
Enterprise crewman in the class, huh?" Uhura knew what they were talking
about and jumped right in. "That's right, you weren't expecting us, were
you? It must have been a wonderful surprise."
"To say the least! I knew Sulu would make it here somehow, but that was
it!"
Kyle continued. "The captain does this every time we have someone graduate
from OCS. At least, every time orders permit - which of course is not
always the case. The last time was Mr. Leslie - before your time, wasn't
it...?" Rand nodded confirmation. Leslie was a lieutenant now, had just
been promoted from ensign when she came aboard.
"He also talks to the officers first, separately. I've always wanted know
what he says and next time I'll find out in person!" Kyle beamed again.
"Well, I can tell you if you'd like to know," Uhura said. At Kyle's nod she
continued. "He's very animated, you know how he gets when he's on a rant
about something?" Everyone laughed and nodded. "Anyway, he says the reason
he makes everyone attend these long ceremonies is twofold: first and
foremost, as we all know, to honor a crewmate who has accomplished something
really extraordinary. And second, to show that on his ship, there is no
distinction made between Academy and OCS grads. He says we are all in the
same service, and all out here for the same reason. He usually ends up with
something along the lines of, one day many of you will find yourselves in
positions of great responsibility within Starfleet..." at this point Scott
and Sulu joined in and they all finished together, all gesturing
expansively, Kirk-like, with their hands "...and if I ever hear any of you
are playing games with OCS grads, I'm gonna come after you and kick your
ass!" Everyone broke up laughing.
"Well, Jim, they sure have you pegged!" they heard McCoy say as he walked
up with the captain and first officer. Everyone straightened just a little,
but the smiles and relaxed atmosphere remained. Kirk had a knowing grin on
his face. "Yes, it certainly warms my heart to know that my little pep
talks sink in."
"Captain, you have repeated the same speech almost verbatim four times, so
it is logical to expect that by now - " Spock stopped short as McCoy poked
him in the ribs.
"Well, Mr. Spock, if it's worth saying, it's worth repeating," Kirk replied.
Then he turned to Kyle, took his hand, and held it in both of his own for a
second. "I'm very glad you'll be coming back on the Enterprise. You've
been sorely missed." Kyle looked fit to burst, and stammered out his thanks
as he and Kirk shook hands.
The captain turned to Rand next. "I am very, very proud of you," he said,
"and I have every confidence you'll make a fine officer." Rand couldn't help
but grin at him. She was proud, too. Kirk grinned back as he shook her
hand. "Congratulations, Ensign."
"By the way, Commodore Wesley asked me to convey his regrets to you, and he
apologizes for not being here. The Lex picked up a distress call and is en
route to investigate."
All of a sudden Rand felt much better about the future. "I understand
completely, Captain, and thanks for letting me know."
"Can either of you point out Ensigns Tulotta and Chang for me?" Those were
classmates who came to OCS from the Lexington. One of them, Chang, would be
going to the Enterprise with Kyle, while Tulotta was going back to the Lex,
with Rand.
"Sure, Captain, they're both over there, by the podium," Kyle said, pointing
the way.
"Thanks. If you'll excuse me, ladies, gentlemen..." With a nod and a smile,
he walked off, accompanied, as usual, by Mr. Spock.
Dr. McCoy opted to stay with Rand and the group. "So, Janice, it looks like
you'll be stranded here on Earth for a while. Poor you." He grinned.
"It seems so. And the Enterprise?"
Uhura burst in. "We are here for the next three weeks! Re-supply, major
repairs of some systems, minor refit of some others. As of the end of your
graduation ceremony, most of the crew is on leave for the duration." Then
she frowned. "Unfortunately, there is one less joyful ceremonial duty
coming up as well."
"Why do you say that?"
McCoy answered. "We've just returned from a planet in the Gamma Trianguli
system. The mission was successful, but we lost four crewmen."
Rand and Kyle were both horrified. "Who?" Kyle asked.
"Mallory, Hendorff, Marple, and Kaplan."
"Oh, no," Janice said softly. She had known Kaplan, Hendorff, and Mallory.
Marple had transferred aboard after she left for OCS.
She had known Mallory the best. He had always been very kind to her, and he
had a gentle, almost scholarly air about him. Rand had wondered why he
volunteered for Security.
It was a sobering moment for her and Kyle. They both knew starship duty was
hazardous, and death was part of the business, but it was a little
unsettling to hear about the deaths of several friends and comrades just
before they went off to their first posting as officers.
"When are their services?" Kyle asked.
"Mallory's is tomorrow night, at twenty-hundred, in the Academy chapel,"
McCoy answered. "Kaplan is being shipped to his parents on Markus IV. And
we had services for Hendorff and Marple on the Enterprise, per their last
wishes."
Meaning the captain had presided over a memorial service, then had their
bodies shot into space.
.......................
The following evening, Rand accompanied Uhura to Mallory's funeral service
in the Academy chapel. Captain Kirk was there, again in full dress uniform,
along with an honor guard from the Enterprise's Security section. Many of
Mallory's friends from the Enterprise, although now officially on leave,
were there as well.
The rest of the sizable crowd was Mallory's family and their friends. His
father was a fleet admiral, and there was more braid in that room than
Janice had ever seen in one place before. She and Uhura sat together in one
of the pews in the middle of the chapel.
Rand didn't know Mallory's father was in Starfleet until Uhura told her.
Mallory had never given any indication that he had powerful relatives.
She noticed that Admiral Mallory did not speak to or even look at Captain
Kirk once during the funeral.
Things came to a head soon after the ceremony. Rand waited with Uhura for
the crowd at the receiving line in the back of the chapel to die down before
they left. They remained in their pew, gossiping softly about various
senior officers, and so were in perfect position to witness everything that
happened afterwards.
Admiral Mallory did not take his place in the receiving line but instead
stayed near his son's casket at the front. He knelt down beside it, bowed
his head, and then got up after several minutes.
Kirk approached the Admiral and spoke quietly to him. Rand and Uhura could
not hear what he was saying, but presumably he was offering his condolences.
Mallory replied, equally quietly, his hands balled into fists at his side.
The first indication that anything was wrong came when Captain Kirk suddenly
paled and tensed, as if steeling himself to endure a painful blow. Rand
looked at Uhura, who, perhaps because she had a bit more experience at
funerals, seemed to know what was going on. She had out her communicator
and was quietly but furiously trying to raise Dr. McCoy or Mr. Spock.
Mallory's voice rose, becoming loud enough for Rand to pick up.
"I sincerely regret ever recommending you for the Academy, Captain." Mallory
spat the last word out like it was a curse. He stepped in close to Kirk,
getting right in his face. He was a good half-foot taller than the captain
and seemed to tower over him.
Kirk stood his ground, but did not respond or meet Mallory's eye. His face
was blank, his fists clenched white at his side.
Rand saw Lieutenant Josephs, head of the security honor guard, come to alert
as he sensed a threat to his captain. Josephs started to move towards the
two men.
"You, Captain, are not fit to command."
This was much louder. A hush fell over the chapel, as the mourners realized
something was happening up front.
The admiral's voice rose further still. "You, Captain, have no business
being on the Enterprise as a crewman-third, much less her commanding
officer," he yelled.
Rand knew Mallory had just lost a child, but she was still wanted to get up
and shake him. Who the hell did he think he was talking to?
Mallory lost all semblance of control and started screaming. Spittle flew
from his lips and hit Kirk in the face.
"You, Captain, were not worthy to give my son orders, and certainly not
worthy to throw his life away!"
The crowd in the chapel just watched, entranced by the spectacle unfolding
before them. Kirk still did not respond, still would not meet Mallory's
eye.
Mallory drew back and punched Kirk, putting his whole body into the swing.
He was a large, solid man, but Kirk was at least 30 years younger. It didn't
matter, because he didn't make any attempt to defend himself. Mallory's
fist landed squarely on Kirk's face. The captain fell backwards, off the
raised dais where he had approached Mallory, onto the floor.
Rand heard the familiar whine of a transporter beam behind her, but didn't
look to see who arrived. She knew it was Spock or McCoy or, more likely,
both of them.
"Didn't it occur to you to signal ahead and warn my son that the goddamn
rocks were explosive?" Mallory screamed. "What the hell were you thinking?"
He pounced on top of Kirk. "My son lies in that coffin, in fifty different
pieces," he sobbed, "because of you!" Mallory started punctuating each word
with a blow. "...you stupid - incompetent - useless - son of a bitch!"
There were about thirty Enterprise crewmembers, Lt. Mallory's friends,
grouped in one corner of the chapel. They watched in stunned silence,
unable to move. Janice knew exactly how they felt. She had never seen
anyone beat up the captain, either.
But Lieutenant Josephs covered the remaining distance between himself and
the two men with a sprint, grabbed the Admiral, pulled him off of Kirk, and
threw him to the ground a few feet away. "Stand DOWN, Sir!" he growled, a
distinct lack of respect for the Admiral's rank evident in his voice.
Two of the guards in his honor detail raced behind him and formed a
protective wall in front of the captain, their expressions dark and furious.
Janice pitied anyone who tried to get between them and their charge.
From behind her, she heard a woman sobbing. The Admiral's wife, she
assumed.
Mallory got to his feet and started to charge again. Josephs moved to
intercept but it was not necessary. Spock stepped in front of the Admiral
and stopped him with a strong hand on his forearm. "Sir. Please desist."
"Get out of my way, Vulcan."
"Sir, I am placing you under arrest for striking a fellow officer."
Good for you, Spock, Rand thought.
"Let him go, Mr. Spock." Kirk sounded infinitely tired. He was sitting up,
staring at some indeterminate point in the distance while McCoy ran his
tricorder over him.
Spock hesitated for a moment, glanced back at Kirk, then unhanded the
Admiral. Mallory seemed spent and did not try to charge again.
Kirk touched McCoy's arm gently, to make him turn off the tricorder. He
stood up, took a deep breath, and straightened his uniform. His face was a
bloody mess, but he seemed to take no notice of his injuries. When he had
made him self as presentable as possible, he patted one of his guards on the
shoulder, and they both made way for him. He walked over to Mallory and,
for the first time since the incident began, looked him in the eye. Rand
thought he might dress him down.
Kirk surprised her. He stood straight, his face full of sorrow and
compassion, and said, "Sir...I am so very, very sorry for the death of your
son." Then he turned away and walked out the side door of the chapel, alone.
Mallory was utterly devastated. He sank to the floor, tears streaming down
his face.
From behind her, Rand heard a man call out. "Patrick." She turned. It was
the Commanding Admiral - Starfleet himself, Heihachiro Nogura. He was a
slight man, sparse and lean, who radiated quiet authority. He had one arm
around Mallory's wife, who was sobbing against him.
It occurred to Rand that Nogura, out of everyone in the chapel, could have
stopped the situation early on with a single word. She wondered why he hadn't, and
then surprised herself by thinking about it from her newly-learned officer's
perspective.
She didn't like the answer she came up with. Could it be that Nogura wanted
to see how Kirk would handle the situation? That he would let Kirk,
Mallory's wife, and even Mallory go through that whole horrible scene, just to gauge Kirk's
response?
The man has a hundred medals. At what point do you stop testing him? When
do you say, Enough - he'll do?
If that's what it meant to be an officer, she wished someone had told her
before OCS.
"Patrick," Nogura called out again. He gently transferred Mrs. Mallory to
his own wife. Walking up to Mallory, he put an arm around his shoulder.
"Come on, Pat, let's go home." He guided him towards the back of the
chapel, where another senior officer took over and escorted Admiral Mallory
and his wife outside.
Nogura started to follow, but then stopped at the rear of the chapel and
approached someone in the crowd there. To Rand's surprise, it was Sulu. He
had not been with the group of Enterprise crew, and must have slipped in the
back of the chapel alone.
Nogura gestured to the exit Kirk had left through. "That man," he said,
loud enough for everyone to hear, "is a class act. You have a wonderful
opportunity, Lieutenant."
"I'm aware of that, Sir." Sulu replied calmly, like he chatted with the
Commanding Admiral every day.
.......................
She saw the captain as she walked across the park toward her hotel. It was
dark, and she almost missed him altogether. He was sitting on the ground,
against a tree, resting his head on his fists. His eyes were closed.
"You know Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are looking for you, Sir," she said
quietly.
"Yes, I know, Yeo - - Ensign." He didn't make any effort to move.
She sat down beside him. He didn't say anything, but didn't tell her to go away, either.
After a minute, she asked, "Sir, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he replied.
Rand didn't want to call her former CO a liar, so she said nothing. After
an awkward silence, Kirk spoke again. "This happens quite a bit, you know.
It's normal for families to be devastated, and take it out on the most
logical target."
Rand protested. "Sir, what he did in there was not right."
"Rand, it happens all the time. To me, to Bob Wesley, all of us. Some day,
it will happen to you. I just wasn't expecting it from Admiral Mallory, is
all." His voice was filled with a sorrow that belied the casual acceptance
in his words.
"Why not?"
"He's been in our shoes. He knows what it's like out there. And he was a
good friend of my father." Kirk paused. "But he's right, you know."
Rand didn't like where this was heading. "Sir..." she said in a low tone.
"If my son died the way his did, you can be sure I would have a chat with
his commanding officer."
Rand was sure she had mis-heard. "I'm sorry, Sir. Your son?"
"If I had a son." Kirk quickly clarified. He continued speaking, as if
eager to change the subject. "You're an officer now, Rand. It's
appropriate, necessary even, to review your actions and figure out what you
could have done better." His voice was flat and unemotional. "I let myself
dwell on what happened to Hendorff and Kaplan so much that I wasn't thinking
straight. Why didn't I signal ahead?"
Rand bit. "Okay, why didn't you?"
"Because I was being a self-indulgent idiot, Ensign." He gave her a sad
smile, made all the more poignant coming from his battered face. "Just like
now." With that, he pushed himself off the ground, stood straight, and
offered a hand to her. She grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet.
"Are you on your way back to OCS quarters?"
"No, I'm staying at the Pan Pacific."
"I see they're paying ensigns better than they used to." He smiled at her,
and with a gesture in the direction of the hotel, offered to walk her there.
"Ny--Lt. Uhura and I are sharing a double while the Enterprise is here."
Kirk let out a soft "hmph." "She's smart. Getting away from the ship while
she can."
"And you?"
"Probably the same."
"Probably?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, Rand. If I go back to the ship,
McCoy will be hovering all over me..."
"Yes, Sir, and you do bear that sort of thing so well."
Kirk winced.
"He's just trying to do his job, you know," she said, with more feeling than
she intended. "And you're not the easiest person in the galaxy to take care
of."
Kirk raised his hands in surrender. "I know I can be difficult."
"Can be?" Rand pressed. A little warning voice went off in her head.
Going a bit over the line here, aren't we?
Kirk debated for a minute, and then, with a shrug, surrendered gracefully.
"Can be, sometimes," he said with a smile. "On very rare occasions. Almost
never happens." He put his hands on her shoulders. "And I know McCoy isn't
'just doing his job,' just like I know you weren't just doing yours."
She broke eye contact first. He let her go and they continued their walk
towards the hotel. They didn't speak again until they arrived in front of
the foyer of the hotel. Unusual for the grand hotel, it was quiet, with no
people hustling to check in or out.
"You need to see the doctor, Sir. You're bleeding."
Kirk smiled at her again, still a bit sad, it seemed. "Good night, Ensign,
and good luck to you on the Lexington."
She gathered her courage, stepped close to him, and gently kissed his
bruised lips. Then, before she could further embarrass herself, she turned
away and walked into the hotel. When she reached the elevator, she pushed
the call button and, feeling self-conscious, glanced over her shoulder to
where she had left the captain. He was still there, watching her, a
strange, lonely expression on his face. She quickly looked away.
When the elevator arrived, she stepped in and turned around. As the doors
closed, she saw that the foyer and the street beyond were empty.
FINIS