Welcome Ceremony

Posted on Sun Sep 20th, 2020 @ 8:34pm by Captain Mystery Ellis
Edited on on Sun Sep 20th, 2020 @ 8:37pm

Mission: By Odin!
Location: USS Independence
Timeline: Current

At precisely 1500 hours, Ambassador Edward Baer appeared in at the deck 12 port aft entry portal, accompanied by Rear Admiral Villashahraja, Gav Delai and another being dressed in civilian attire. The ambassador was of middling height and was starting to show the slow weight gain of late middle age. His hair was jet black and he possessed startling blue eyes. The Admiral would have found him very attractive if it hadn’t been for other factors.

The sideboys snapped to attention and rendered hand salutes as the Ambassador and Admiral came aboard the Independence to the sound of the bosun pipes played by Petty Officer sh'Rosa. The Ambassador walked aboard without acknowledging, leaving the Admiral to return the salutes.

As the trill of the bosun pipes died, the Marine Sergeant at the head of the Honor Guard ordered “Present! ARMS!” As one, the Marine phaser rifles snapped from port arms to present arms as the rest of the ship’s company rendered hand salutes. The Ambassador came to a stop at the prearranged location and the band launched into Ruffles and Flourishes, followed immediately by the Federation Anthem. The Ambassador raised his hand to his heart as the first notes of the anthem played.

What a dog and pony show, Kevin thought as the band played transitioned to the Betazed Anthem. He could see from the expression of the Admiral that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. After the end of the second anthem, the Marine in charge of the four-man firing squad order “Ready! Take Aim! FIRE!” and the four Marine riflemen fired their ceremonial weapons. The order and action was repeated twice more, although only three riflemen fired in response to the third order. Finally, the Marine Sergeant at the head of the Honor Guard called, “Order! ARMS!” The ship’s company dropped their salutes as the Honor Guard returned their weapons to port arms.

“Captain Ellis,” Admiral Villashahraja announced formally, “I hand over to your charge the exalted presence of the Representative of the Federation President.”

"Thank you admiral," Mystery said turning to the representative "Sir welcome aboard the Independence. You honor us with your presence."

Her duty complete, Admiral Villashahraja, did an about face and marched out through the entry portal, returning the salute of the sideboys as she departed.

After thanking the Captain for inviting him aboard, the Ambassador launched into a lengthy speech about the importance of the diplomatic mission in securing the safety of the Federation and free beings everywhere, with an aside about the Federation tradition of civilian control of the military. Kevin ignored most of the speech as he tried to shift his weight from one foot to the other without being obvious about it.

Mercifully, the speech came to an end before anyone fainted. Captain Ellis was about to ask the Ambassador to inspect the Honor Guard when he said, “I think that we can dispense with the inspection, Captain.” Kevin thought that he saw the Marine Sergeant’s eyes widen and his nostrils flare but the expression was gone so quickly Kevin wasn’t certain his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.

The band struck up To The Fleet, Starfleet’s anthem. As the music ended, Ambassador Baer said to Captain Ellis, “If you would have someone show me to my quarters, I would like to rest before your reception.”

 

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