Field Promotions

Posted on Thu Jan 30th, 2025 @ 7:25am by Captain Patricia Cooke

650 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: I-402

When Patricia returned to the Missouri, she returned to her ready room, expecting to handle all the personnel transfers that came with being docked at a Starbase. Lieutenants Ezazzan and Kerr were both being reassigned, adding their names to a long list of officers who had only served the Missouri for a short time. So those were two big ticket items in the crew transfers.

However, when Patricia arrived back to her ready room, there was something present on her desk that hadn't been there when she left: A small wooden box placed right in the middle of her work area, and as she rounded the desk, there was a Federation blue envelope with Admiral Soryuu's seal on it in front of the box.

Sitting down in her chair, Patricia picked up the envelope and popped the seal, the front of the envelope unfolded to reveal a note from Admiral Soryuu's office:

Congratulations, Captain:

Your perseverance has paid off: Starfleet now officially recognizes the threat that I-400 poses to the Federation, and Starfleet Command has allocated a special task force to travel to Planetoid Lazzaro and deal with the I-400 threat on its own soil. The ships of this task force are en route to Starbase 72 as you are reading this letter.

As the Missouri is the most familiar with how I-400 operates, Starfleet has decided that it shall be the lead ship of this operation. I successfully pleaded my case that the overall commander of this task force should abide by Starfleet's established rank structure, and be of equal rank to the multiple Captains who will be joining you. As such, Starfleet is willing to grant you a field promotion to the rank of Captain. Enclosed in the box is your captain's pip.

It is regretful that I could not be there to deliver this news in person, but these are desperate times. Good luck, and Godspeed, Missouri!

Sincerely,
Vice Admiral Asuka Langley Soryuu.

Setting aside the letter after checking the back side of the envelope to see the Federation emblem, Patricia then took and moved the box closer, opening the lid to find (true to the Admiral's word) a lone, full rank pip.

She had done it...

Captain: The one rank in Starfleet that was a full pip increase. There wasn't any half-pip rank between Commander and Captain. This was the point where officers made the big time. Short of becoming flag officers, but Patricia figured she was still a long way away from that.

Taking the pip out of the box, Patricia carefully clipped it onto her uniform beside the other three. As she did so, she wondered what Kagami might have felt as she clipped on her Captain's pip for the first time.

Opening one of the drawers in the desk, Patricia grabbed her makeup mirror, holding it out in front of her, making sure to get all four of her rank pips in the reflection.

"Captain Patricia Cooke of the Starship Missouri." Patricia said, saluting her reflection. "Reporting for duty."

Putting the mirror away, Patricia's mind went from her hero to her grandmother. Francine had only ever made the rank of Major- of which the equivalent Starfleet rank was Lieutenant Commander. The equivalent Marine rank of Captain would be a full Colonel. It had been eight years since Francine had passed away, but Patricia knew that wherever she was, Francine was smiling at what her granddaughter had managed to accomplish.

"The war is over. We can go home..." Francine's words echoed in Patricia's mind. Perhaps a small aftershock from the mind control.

After allowing herself a minute to be mushy, Patricia picked up the letter once again and gave it another once over to make sure it was genuine. Upon this second reading, she noticed a rather peculiar post script...

Posting by

Captain Patricia Cooke
Commanding Officer

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