[Backsim/Ribbons] Lt. Cmdr Rebecca Iko -- It's gonna be a little different around here (part 1)
Ani
((Lighthouse Restaurant, Amity Outpost))
((OOC: Again, cut the section with Rivi and Keehani. Chucking some tags for other people at the start here instead. Also, I haven't finished the rest of this sim yet, don't wait for part 2 to come out before you sim in this scene.))
Frankly, Bec didn’t like the dress uniform. And she doubted she ever really would. It felt formal. Too formal. And too bright. If Bec had to wear a dress uniform, she wanted there to be a good reason. Awards and Rivi's insistence was about the only thing that'd actually convince her to put the ugly whites on.
So, while sitting there in the stuffy jacket and pants, Bec had been happily chatting with Kaito while they’d waited for Rivi to announce… whatever it was that Rivi wanted to announce.
Iko: Yeah, Hawthorn’s still off. They should be back in a couple of days though.
Moore: Response
Iko: Do you and Torvi wanna take some nights next week? Just in the centre?
Moore: Response
Bec nodded.
Iko: That’d be…
She trailed off as the other numerous conversations in the room came to a close, and turned to face where the Ambassador was standing.
Vataix: Good evening, everyone. First, I must say you all look handsome tonight.
Bec smiled.
But she’d still have rather been in the standard uniform.
Vataix: As you might have heard through the rumor replimat, Amity Outpost is experiencing its first command change. Today is my last day as the chief of mission and commanding officer for Amity Outpost. I am proud of what we have done out here since Amity launched in 2398.
So what the crewmen were gossiping about was right? Bec hadn’t wanted to believe it. It didn’t seem right. It didn’t really seem like Rivi, she cared about the station too much to just leave it.
Vataix: That year, it seems so long ago, doesn't it? After what happened on Frontier Day... and even with all that we have accomplished here on Amity, the new civilizations we've met and the familiar ones we've reintroduced ourselves to.
Even the ones who didn’t like them.
Okay, in all honesty, that was probably most of the “friends” they’d made.
Vataix: That year, even before I first stepped onto this magnificent station, I talked in my ancestral home about how the Federation isn't a location. It isn't Earth. It isn't Vulcan, Andoria, or Tellar Prime. And it isn't Betazed either. It's not even a people or a civilization or a collective of civilizations.
Bec crossed her arms as she continued to listen.
Vataix: The Federation is a dream made real. Four years ago, I said it was defined by a set of principles, and it still is. But that would be an incomplete definition. As would simply calling it a dream or idea or even a philosophy of life. Because dreams can fade, ideas can be forgotten, and philosophies left to be debated and dissected in the classroom. But a "dream made real" means a *commitment.*
That got a slight eye-roll from Bec, and a slight smile. she’d heard that one in the classroom too many times—often in response to poor behaviour.
Vataix: I remember when I first heard the word "utopia." It is not a concept native to Betazed, this idea of a "perfect place." On the Motherworld, we know all too well the inner thoughts of our neighbors to ever dream of such a possibility.
Keehani: ::Quietly, but enough to be heard:: Utopia *is* a commitment.
Vataix: My point is, I believe the human tendency to describe the Federation as a utopia is understandable but misguided. And what happened on Frontier Day certainly showed that we are far from perfect. But that does not mean we are unworthy of the dream and the values that we say we hold. Because if the Federation is a model of utopia or the closest thing to one in this galaxy, then it is a model that shows that utopia is not achieved but cultivated.
Vataix: The garden is a metaphor we are deeply familiar with on Betazed. A family, a noble house, an institution. Betazed itself. All are gardens of people and personalities. Ideas and interests. Not all will bloom together or throughout the year. The changing seasons bring forth new flowers, new people, new ideas. And the ever attentive gardener must ensure the weeds and pests that can destroy her garden are dealt with swiftly, lest they suffocate her flowers.
Bec’s thoughts went back to the real reason behind this big spiel. Rivi was leaving. She was really leaving. And that… that was sad.
That was the thing about an outpost. That was the difference between an outpost and a starship. A starship visits people, and moves from place to place, never staying very long. An outpost stays where it is, it is the individuals who travel, and saying goodbye to a few people you know well is much harder than a couple you met for just one shoreleave.
Vataix: Officers and staff of Amity... my crew... my friends. Today is a changing of the seasons. And today, a new gardener steps forward. It is my last day as your commanding officer but the first day of your next one: Commander Wil Ukinix.
Ukinix: ::Slight smirk:: I am no Dezi Zeth, though.
Bec had an inward chuckle at that. He was right, he wasn’t. He didn’t steal from plants in peace park.
Vataix: Wil, please come up here.
Ukinix: ::Standing up:: Aye ma’am.
Vataix: "From: President Anton Chekov, Paris, Earth. To: Ambassador Niarivi Vataix, Amity Outpost, stardate 240205.23. Per your resignation as chief of mission for Amity Outpost, you are hereby requested and required to relinquish command of your installation to Commander Wil Ukinix as of this date." Computer, transfer all command codes to Commander Wil Ukinix, authorization Vataix-saphhire-sonata-sauté.
And. That was it.
Computer: Transfer complete. Amity Outpost now under the command of Commander Wil Ukinix.
That was it. She was really, really leaving.
Ukinix: Thank you, Ambassador. ::placing another hand on hers:: And on behalf of the crew, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for the leadership, the sensibilities, and the bright ray of daily sunshine you have brought to Amity. It will be very sad when you leave, but we’d like this to be a moment of celebration of your lengthy achievements. ::Gesturing to waiter:: Sorry mate, could we get a few glasses of bubbles up here?
Bec chuckled. Of course the first order Wil would make as the commanding officer was to get out something like champagne—a drink that, arguably, Bec would not miss if it disappeared or something.
Commanding officer… It was bad enough how many extra seconds it was taking for Bec to recognise Robin as she waltzed around the outpost in red. Having to realise that her mate was now the head honcho… that was gonna take some getting used to.
The room all raised their glasses for a toast.
Ukinix: ::Turning to Rivi:: To Ambassador Rivi Vataix, may your future be as bright as you are.
oO Indeed. Oo
Vataix: Now, Commander... if you would allow, I would like to hand out some final recognition and well-earned promotions. And perhaps you can assist me?
Ukinix: Response
Vataix: And to be clear, I signed the PADDwork, so please consider these my final actions and remarks as your CO.
Bec smiled and rolled her eyes. Rivi just wanted to celebrate, as usual, and this was as good an excuse as any.
Vataix: Ensign Niev Galanis, please join us up here.
Galanis: Response
((OOC: The following tags are only heard by Kaito and Torvi, and not one of the other groups or the stage))
Bec leaned in and whispered to her two henchmen
Iko: ::to Kaitoi:: What do you think they’re getting?
Moore: Response?
Bec nodded, liking the sound of those suggestions.
Vataix: Ensign, since you arrived on Amity Outpost, and even before it, you have been tasked with daunting and unprecedented challenges that many in Starfleet don't face until years into their careers. And since then, you have performed your duties with excellence and in the best traditions of Starfleet. As such, my final act for you as your commanding officer is to bestow upon you the rank of lieutenant junior grade, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof. Congratulations, Lieutenant!
Bec's eyes went wide, and she smiled, starting off a round of applause.
Galanis: Response
Keehani was the one that brought forward the box. It seemed she was going to be handing to Rivi, but…
Vataix: Commander, would you like to do the honors?
Ukinix: Response
Galanis: Response
Vataix: Congratulations again, Niev.
If the sound in the room from everyone was loud enough to warrant going sbove and beyond, Niev might have gotten a celebratory wolf-whistle from Bec as well.
Galanis: Response
Vataix: All right, next I would like to recognize several individuals on our most recent mission. Now, as you no doubt realized with the appearance of our guest Commander Alexis Hopper…
Bec's eyes snapped over to the commander who not-really-anymore-that-much-but-definitely-had stuck out like a sore thumb, and she was sure she wasn't the only one.
Vataix: ...there was more to what happened then just defending against the rogue Hirogen Alpha Ravarj's attack. And, thanks to Commander Hopper's testimony to the DTI, and Ikaia's surveillance and report of Wil to the agents, we were able to clear Wil's name, which allowed him to be able to take on his new post.
Wait, Ikaia?
Wong?
Out of all the people on the station, all the crewmen in security, the Ambassador had picked Wong to keep an eye on Wil?
Ukinix: Response?
Bec gave Kaito a look as if to say “did you know about this?”
Wong: Response?
Vataix: So in addition to actions that occurred here on Amity Outpost, I will also be recognizing the actions of your future selves in honor of their sacrifices. I know it may seem strange for you to receive something you haven't done yet, but perhaps you can take these ribbons as a commitment to become the future you who answered the call of the Federation and perhaps more importantly, of each other when needed.
Rivi really didn't know what the Temporal Prime Directive meant, did she?
Tag/TBC (in part 2)