Fleet Captain Diego Herrera, "That's A Wrap" (FAO: All)

[Diego Herrera]

((USS Vigilant-A, Deck 1: Observation Lounge))

::This was going to be a little more difficult than Diego had thought.::

::He'd been on the comm with Starfleet Command from almost the moment that he'd entered his ready room to the moment he had headed for the briefing room. He'd paused for only long enough to read Dueld taJoot's jaw dropping report about what the Romulans were really developing on their research station and to dig up a report that had been forwarded to him by Captain Christian Hallam aboard Deep Space 6. The crew of the Darwin had discovered Tellarite involvement in a mission to detain weapons smugglers.::

::Vulcans using Suliban to upset the balance of power on the Zakdorn homeworld. Tellarites backing smuggler operations. Andorians attempting to secure cloaking technology. It painted a very grim picture, and it was one that put Bokzadema Bokzadeshti firmly in the right, in political standpoint if not in methodology. There was one thing that bothered Diego above all others, though...::

::If Vulcan, Andorian and Tellarite splinter factions were pulling these kinds of strings, just what were the humans doing?::

::It had been after the first full Admiral had vented his spleen about the fact two Andorian cruisers and the Romulan research station had been destroyed and part way into speaking to the second that Diego had received the news. He was being reassigned. And if he was being reassigned, that most likely had other ramifications for his crew. Questions about their future, his future and the Vigilant's future had followed. He'd registered the fact that he wasn't particularly happy with the idea of change and a long discussion had followed. It was pointed out that the station would be the best place for him to be; he had the full picture of all of the pieces of the puzzle that they were trying to solve, so rather than playing a game of Chinese Whispers, it made sense for him to be in a position to co-ordinate things a little better. The Vigilant wasn't leaving Zeta Gelis. Sure, there was going to be a little restructuring and reshuffling, but there wasn't a lot could be done about that. It seemed that quite a number of the crew needed leave for personal reasons anyway; deMarc, taJoot, Zinna and Valaine to name just a few. The rest were looking at some great opportunities to climb the career ladder and Diego absolutely could not deny that things were looking set to play out the best for everyone in the long run, as much as he'd been enjoying sitting in the centre chair of his own ship over the last year.::

::And so, rosewood box in hand, he entered the observation lounge to find those of his crew who could attend the briefing assembled around the conference table. This would be their last promotion ceremony together and he intended for it to be positive.::

Herrera: Thanks for being prompt, Ladies and Gents. It's been a tough mission so I initially figured that we could do this now so that you'd have more time to get your feet up over the next few days. As usual, things played out a little differently than I expected, but change has been the key word on the Vigilant for the last few months now.

::He looked over at Udas, who was still nattering away in Ensign Avery's ear, and cleared his throat.::

Udas: Response

Herrera: Just figured you wouldn't want to miss this, Lieutenant. 

Udas: Response

::Diego smiled at Udas and shook his head. He was going to miss working with the crazy Andorian S.O.B.. He was going to miss all of the crew, in all honesty; they were certainly a unique bunch of characters with strong personalities.::

Herrera: Well, by now, most of you know the drill. ::He lifted up the rosewood box.:: This time, though, this is actually for someone who hasn't been to one of these before. Ensign Avery, come join me at the top of the table.

Avery: Response

::Diego waited until the engineer had taken the 'walk of fame' to the head of the table before opening the box, which contained a single black pip. Removing it from the box, he pinned it to her collar.::

Herrera; Ensign Avery, for your excellence in handling a complicated technical situation and serving the Vigilant and the Federation in our recent battle, I'm promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant junior grade, with all of the privileges and responsibilities associated with it. Congratulations, Lieutenant!

Avery: Response

::He joined in with the crew's applause, which lasted until the engineer had returned to her seat. He'd transported the other awards in a slightly less highbrow manner, and he slipped his hand into his pocket to retrieve them.::

Herrera: I'm also pleased to announce that the Joint Meritorious Unit Ribbon is awarded to Lieutenant Commanders Tagren and Pavlova, Lieutenants Udas and Avery, and Dr. Adair-Walker. The Peacekeeper ribbon is awarded to all of us for our work in trying to keep things from flaring up with the Romulans. Thank you all for everything you did.

Anyone: Response(s)

Herrera: Ari, if you could give me a hand...

Tagren: Response

::He split the ribbons into two piles. There was a pause for just long enough for them to be given out before Diego spoke again.::

Herrera: This part of the briefing will be a little harder to announce. I've had a long talk with Starfleet Command. They're convinced that things are changing and I think they're right. I've always been proud to serve with you as a crew, but there have been some reassignments and this will be our last meeting all together as members of the USS Vigilant.

::It was going to be difficult for some of them to swallow, Diego was aware of that, so he pushed on before anyone could protest. These weren't decisions that could be changed, after all.::

Herrera: There's going to be a personnel shuffle, and I will be taking command of Deep Space 6. As things stand, Captain Hallam, the CO of the station, will be transferring here. Most of you will be headed out of the Zeta Gelis region, but almost all of you will be stepping into roles that are a step forward on the career ladder. :: He smiled.:: I don't know about you, but I know that things like this happen in Starfleet and I don't want to have anything other than positive memories about this ship and the people I've worked with aboard it. I hope to hear from all of you in the future with updates on how you're getting on, how things are progressing, for you personally as well as in your professional lives. And I hope you'll all be just as proud as I am that we had this chance to serve together on the Vigilant.

::He looked down at his peacekeeper ribbon and his smile widened. For some of the officers at the table, this would be the first ribbon they received. For all of the officers at the table, this would not be their last.::

Herrera: I'm not a huge fan of goodbyes, and I doubt we'll have much chance to hang around once we get back to the station, but it seems like a pattern for people to say something philosophical at times like these. Our ship's motto is "The candle of liberty has always been kept lit by a vigilant few." Well, you guys are the Vigilant few. Anyone who served on this ship fits that bill. I am counting on you to keep that candle lit. And you know what? I can't think of a group of officers who are more suited to that job.

::With that, the briefing was done. He had never been one for standing on ceremony, so once he was done speaking, he sat down. He was pleased with how the crew had performed over the course of the last mission... over the course of all of the missions over the last year. He had made some good friends and some good allies, and something told him that he would be hearing a few of their names again, maybe at the helms of their own ships.::

TAG/TBC

Fleet Captain Diego Herrera

Commanding Officer

USS Vigilant

NCC-75515-A

Deputy Commandant: UFOP: SB118 Academy

UFOP: Executive Council

"Codeine... Bourbon"