Attention to Orders

Posted on Sat Jul 25th, 2026 @ 10:41am by Captain Daegan Baas & Lieutenant M'Tala "Hobbes" Clan Hrasi & Petty Officer 2nd Class Sizia Sh'velihr [Baas] & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Commander Magdalena Doyl & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant Edruj Daughter of Thrawn & Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Lieutenant JG Jason Mallory & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Talon Yamaguchi-Hunt

2,258 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Monsters are real
Location: Valhalla Lounge
Timeline: MD 3 (prior to Pulse of a Captain)

[Captain's Quarters]

The lounge had been reserved, senior staff and award recipients summoned. Daegan leaned over the table, putting the final touches on his dress jacket. Once completed, he stepped back into the bathroom to make sure his hair was pulled back and tied properly. Satisfied, he headed towards the door.

[Deck 3]

Sizia had just dropped off all the awards in the lounge and was on her way to let the Captain know everything was ready. Stepping off the lift, she began the short walk down the corridor, but as she neared her destination, she saw the counselor coming the other way. "Afternoon, Lieutenant. Coming to see the Captain before all this kicks off?"

Yes, I am, good to see you, Sizia." Things had been just a little bit off-kilter ever since the Valkyrie had been taken over. She was worried about Baas.

The door opened as if Baas had been anticipating her arrival, stepping inside, Niami let the door slide closed behind her, before speaking. Just observing him.

Still standing at the door he turned following her as she entered. "Come on in."

Niami stood there for a moment or two looking around his quarters. Then her mind caught up, realizing that Baas was just stepping out of his quarters.

Her face turned a dark pink.

"Oh my, I'm sorry" Niami giving a bit of an embarrassed laugh. "I've had a bit on my mind."

Baas grinned, "No harm done. Is there something you needed? It's almost time for the awards ceremony."

"Nothing that can't wait until later." Niami giving a warm smile. "Lets get to the awards ceremony." turning to walk with Baas to it. Her cheeks cooled down and she was working to feel serene once more.


[Valhalla Lounge]

It was half an hour before the award ceremony was scheduled to start, and Darius's pain had all but vanished. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he turned to fully look at the Chief Intelligence Officer standing three feet to his right. "Can you help me with this collar?" he asked.

Ryan Kellerman was a dashing figure in his dress uniform. His broad shoulders and six-feet-plus in height filled out every square inch of the fabric. He rolled his eyes--almost theatrically--at Darius before moving in front of the Orion hybrid and taking hold of his collar.

"Did you put on weight or something?" he teased, though in his typical Ryan manner, he neither smiled nor winked.

Darius slowly shook his head, a smirk playing at his lips. A smart-ass remark was forming in his mind, and he almost said. it. Instead, he put a hand on Ryan's that was adjusting his collar, and pulled his face closer to his estranged mate.

Ryan felt warmth at Darius' touch. He closed his eyes a moment and remembered what they had built together--from the first day they met in a desert during Hell Week at the Academy, to their first date a few weeks later... all the way to a Risian marriage proposal and living together on their first assignment.

Then he remembered what shattered them. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes, gently nudging Darius' hand away. Returning his focus to the collar, he realized what the problem was and stuck two fingers between the fabric and Darius' throat.

"Your collar is half-flipped backwards, Ari. Let me get it out."

Darius sighed softly. He couldn't read minds, but he could read body language, especially the body language of the man who was still so close to him. "Thanks, Ry. I mean it."

"Think nothing of it," Ryan said, gently flattening the collar with the tips of his fingers. He finished by running the palms of his hands along Darius' shoulders to smooth out any remaining creases.

"There," he said, inclining his head. "Perfect as a peach."

"We should talk after the celebration. Really talk. If that is okay."

Ryan's expression clouded, and he assumed his typical thousand-yard stare straight ahead.

"It's okay. It just... makes me nervous."

"That makes two of us. But what happened down there gave me... a fresh perspective. Which is why we need to do this."

Ryan shook off the storm cloud around him. He then smirked and threw a playful look in Darius' direction.

"So... you were rolling around on the floor with a young Romulan, and gained a new perspective on our relationship?"

"You're an incorrigible bastard, you know that, right?"

"What I was trying to say, before you so rudely mocked me, was that I realized I could have died if that young Romulan had been a little faster or stronger. That's what made me think about us. That I didn't want to die without making things right between us."

The lounge around them was starting to fill. Other officers in similar immaculate dress uniforms were drifting through the doors in twos and threes, their conversations hushed.

Ryan looked at Darius as if they were standing all alone. He believed him. Believed his words. That was the inconvenient part. The mission had left its mark on everyone--not just those who were taken hostage on the planet. Eleven crewmembers were injured. Two were dead.

"I know," Ryan said softly, almost inaudibly. "The truth is, Ari, there's never a guarantee of tomorrow. I've been starting to think about what I would leave behind if I..." He let the thought go unfinished.

"We aren't wet behind the ears-Ensigns with no clue about what's going on in the Universe but thinking we've got our shit together," Darius said softly. "But that conversation is for another day. Let's just focus on this get-together for now."

Ryan nodded, his eyes hitting the floor. This wasn't the place for such a morbid discussion.

Edruj stepped into the lounge in her full dress uniform. Her metallic sash sat prominently on her shoulder. Her long hair hung to her shoulders in true Klingon fashion. Most people disliked events such as this; however, Klingons were not most people. Edruj rather liked the pomp and circumstance of it all.

< i>It's been a while since I've been in just a normal officer's dress uniform and not a Captain's one' Urushi thought to herself as she entered the lounge in her dress uniform. She was actually glad that those thoughts were internal and not external; after all, her symbiot's previous host had been a Starfleet Captain before Urushi had received him. She also referred to her symbiot as male, instead of genderless, mainly due to how it seemed to lean to more toward male traits, but that's a story for another day. Plus, she had discovered that Humans and other species had often found the Trill joining process either unsettling or fascinating, with neither being fully able to understand.

Commander Hunt entered the room, watching as the crowd gathered. With the recent tragedy, this ceremony was a good change of pace.

This was the first time Maggie was going to see most of the senior staff, and she wanted to make a good impression. So, she took extra care to make sure her dress uniform was clean and pressed, her hair pulled back into a neat bun. As she walked into the lounge, she took a quick, assessing look around before standing near the back.

Jason arrived just before things were due to start and couldn't help but pull at the collar of his dress uniform. "Why are these things always trying to choke us to death." Came out in a mutter as he looked around, observing but slightly detached from the others. An Attempt was made to be social with the other Operations crew and officers, as well as some of the Engineering staff he had worked with.


Now that everyone had arrived, Baas nodded to Jerome.

"Attention to orders," the first officer called out. The room automatically went into the position of attention.

Ryan Kellerman turned immediately to face forward, his posture crisp and his expression neutral.

Magdalena stood straighter, her hands dropping to her side, her eyes still focused forward.

Darius was a bit slower to turn; while mostly fully recovered from his injuries, he was still a little sore. He too came to attention, waiting for the Captain to speak.

With everyone's attention focused on him, Baas smiled to those assembled. "One of the highlights of being a Captain is the honoring of those under my command. There is no greater pride for me than to award those for an outstanding performance or for someone who goes above and beyond. In this case, we have several recipients."

Lifting the padd he read the citation. "For actions taken and bravery shown while held hostage on the planet Kril'Es, you are hereby awarded the Cross of Valor. During the crisis, you actively undermined your adversary's position both verbally and, when the opportunity presented itself, physically. Your actions kept the hostage takers off guard long enough for both the members of the settlement to rise against them and for an away team to be deployed.

"Your actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of Starfleet,...” adding to himself, ~proving to those Romulans again that we aren't as weak as they thought~, “... and reflect great credit upon yourselves, the USS Valkyrie, and the United Federation of Planets.”

Turning to Sizia, she handed him the first award, “Commander Jerome Hunt.”

A bit surprised, Jerome stepped forward. Holding the position attention, he carefully listened as other names began to get called on.

Handing his XO the commendation, Baas said, "Well done, Jerome." Stepping back, he glances to Jerome's wife with a smile and a nod.

Talon returned the smile to the Captain. Turning her attention back to her husband, she winked and smiled.

Taking the second award, “Lieutenant Darius Korveth.”

Dairius' left brow rose. He'd been half expecting a reprimand after his discussion with Ryan. But he quickly recovered and stepped forward, trying not to let the surprise show on his face.

After pinning on the medal, he shook his hand, "Excellent job."

The Half-Orion gave his commanding officer a brief nod. "Thank you, sir," he said.

Ryan watched his ex-mate with a mixture of pride and genuine appreciation. He clapped lightly while his thoughts returned to that fateful day on the planet's surface when he saw Darius being patched up by the nurse.

After being handed the next, “Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka.”

After pinning on the medal, he shook his hand, "Well done, Doctor."

Baas took a breath for the final set. “Accepting Posthumously for Lieutenants Liam O'Riley and Stevie Thomas, Lieutenant Edruj, Daughter of Thrawn.”

Edruj approached the podium and took the awards. She displayed them to everyone present and looked at the crowd stoically. "The Lieutenants have died in glory and with honor. Their place is surely secured in Stovokor. We will honor their memory with tales of their deeds. These warriors have died as they lived with honor for their houses and their people."

Baas acknowledged her statement, "They will certainly be remembered with honor."

Ryan lowered his head only a few degrees. As he stared down at the deck, he took a moment to think about the officers they had lost.

He had never known Liam O'Riley. He had never met Stevie Thomas. They were engineers, and Ryan had rarely found himself anywhere near Engineering since coming aboard Valkyrie. But they were Starfleet officers just like him. They had families and friends. They had careers. All of it had come to crashing halt by that megalomaniac Romulan on Kril'es. And for what? They had been senseless deaths--that is what made Ryan angry and sad.

There was an overwhelming guilt that passed over Jerome. Down on the surface, he was helpless and unable to prevent what took place. But since he arrived on the Valkyrie, he spent time from one task to another. Never getting a chance of getting to know the crew. Taking a mental note, he would change that immediately.

Baas looked out over both the award recipients and the other members of the crew that were in attendance. "That concludes our ceremony. Please be sure to congratulate our recipients."

Hobbes had only just spoke with Liam the other day and now he was gone. But he set those feelings aside and made his way to the front to congratulate everyone before grabbing a bit from the buffet table.

Niami was registering the emotions of those there. Such a mixture, sadness, there indeed was sadness. Wistfulness regret. She was hoping that they will be able to come to some sort of healing. Though something like this, at times, it was a long road.

Magdalena was respectfully quiet. She didn't know many people on the ship yet, and she felt a little detached. At the same time, she had a profound respect for the men and women who'd lost their lives. She would also keep an eye on those in her department to make sure they were doing okay. Not all trauma manifests itself immediately.

Mentally, Jason offered up a remembrance for their fallen crewmembers, but wholly joined in congratulating the awardees. Ceremonies like this were never his bread and butter; a more personal, relaxed setting with some food, drink, and yelling did better.

Later in the evening Baas watched as the crowd began to thin. He finished his drink, setting the glass on a tray to be picked up later by the lounge staff. After saying his farewells he headed out, not to his quarters but for a walk.

 

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