Special Debriefing

Posted on Fri Jul 31st, 2026 @ 10:22am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Lieutenant Commander Imik S'Niohun & Lieutenant Kate Kono & Lieutenant James Phoenix

2,345 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Sins of the Empire
Location: USS Washington

Deanna entered the Intel Office and saw Kate with the others. She walked in, looming large amongst the junior officers. "Kate, the captain asked me to get you. He'd like to speak with you.

Kate slid under the busted door and straightened up to face Deanna. The office around her was a spectacular ruin; every surface either cracked, scorched, or listing at a wrong angle … except for the armament box, which sat in the middle of it all looking almost smug in its perfect condition. She had just nestled the phaser rifle back inside it. She pulled out her tablet and took a picture of the box to send to Hathaway. He would appreciate that. Then she ducked back under the door and fell into step beside Deanna.

Shran waited with Jon in the conference room. It had been a long several days dealing with the Klingons and Romulans, and this was going to be a welcome change of pace.

"Well, I hope the Klingons appreciate all we did for them in stopping another civil war." Jon commented as he and Shran waited for Kate to arrive.

"Martok appreciated it, as did Ba'el. But they are still Klingons. Expressing gratitude is not something they do. We'll just have to enjoy the celebration later. Hope you enjoy bloodwine. We are going to drink copious amounts."

Jon nodded at the captain's comment. "True enough sir . I guess sending us copious amounts of bloodwine counts as expressing gratitude."

"There will be a gathering on Qo'noS in the future, once things calm down diplomatically. Martok has dispatched Worf back to the Federation to speak with the Federation Council and StarFleet Command on our behalf. Not that it has kept the brass off subspace with me for the last 72 hours. On the bright side, Toral will never be a problem again and the Tal Shiar powerbase is deeply fractured" Shran replied.

Kate walked in with Deanna to find Jon and Shran huddled together in conversation.

"This reminds me of that scene in Goodfellas where the guy walks in thinking he's about to get made." Kate glanced over at Deanna to confirm she wasn't holding a .38 Snubnose, then gave her a wink.

"Have a seat Deanna, Kate, and we can get started." Jon said evenly.

Kate settled back into the chair she had occupied before the mission launched. She found herself crossing her fingers for her Commanding Officers, who she imagined were spending a significant amount of time on subspace doing a great deal of uncomfortable explaining. She could only hope that whoever was doing the listening would eventually come around to seeing that Shran and Jon's calls had saved the Alpha Quadrant's skin.

Her mind was off to the races again, the same as last time she had been called in. She wished that a summons to the captain's room came with some kind of advance notice and a published itinerary. If only so she would know whether to pack a bag for the brig or leave a little space on her shelf for a medal. The outcome was anyone’s guess; especially hers.

Jon looked to Shran and then Deanna before finally settling on Kate. "Might as well get started sir. We can't put this off any longer." His tone and face not betraying anything.

The door opened and Imik and Phoenix entered, both looking confused as to why they had been summoned. Shran looked to Jon and nodded. "You are right." Imik, Phoenix, glad you could join us. Both of you come this way. Kate, you as well. I need to take a closer look at something" the Andorian said, his voice annoyingly flat, giving away nothing.

Imik bowed as she normally did, "Blessings on your house and vessel sinkahue, and blessings on all who gather here." She made her way to a seat and sat waiting to find out just what Shran and Jon appeared to have in store.

Phoenix gave his usual professional nod. "Sirs," he greeted before taking a seat next to Imik. Although he was confused, the recent away mission was his best guess as to why he was summoned. He was used to debriefs, but never this formal, especially when it came to away missions.

Shran looked at them. "I have spoken with Cmdr Grayson. I understand that recent events placed everyone in positions that they might not have been comfortable with, but you all showed yourselves more than capable. Jon had very favorable things to say about the away teams work, and Deanna equally spoke well of the work done by those on the ship when we battled the Tal Shiar."

Kate stood in front of Shran and did a quick sweep of the room for any of his medical staff lurking in the corners with a hypospray. None. Good. She counted the witnesses. Four. Also good. Her thumb found the webbing between her index finger on its own, working small circles into the skin the way it always did when her brain decided to start generating worst-case scenarios at warp nine. She had already seen Ben since she got onboard. And Kodie. Everyone was accounted for. Everything was fine. She told herself this several times, the way you repeat a word until it stops meaning anything.

The warp core thought arrived next: complimenting them first, then firing them. It was exactly the kind of thing that happened. She could picture the paperwork already.

Then the other thought arrived and she let it settle. So what if they took her commission? She had a boyfriend. She had a dog. She had been part of the crew that kept the Alpha Quadrant from turning into the Hormuz Strait of the Neutral Zone. They had done it together and they would face whatever came next the same way. The thought sat in her chest like something warm and she found herself smiling up at Shran before remembering that Deanna was in the room and could probably read the whole ridiculous transcript of everything that had just happened in her head.

Jon kept his expression carefully guarded other than to say "Sit down Kate. We're not asking for volunteers."

James was also concerned about blowback regarding the mission. After all, command wouldn't be happy about one of their ships skipping around that line you don't cross. Perhaps this was them finding out they were getting shipped off to a Federation Penal Colony? No. He refused to think like that. Realistically it was more than likely a debriefing. This mission would have some sort of effect on the geopolitical nature of the region, let alone between the Klingon's, Romulans, and the Federation. The same thing did happen to the Enterprise.

Shran stood up. "The three of you are out of uniform I believe. Stand up please. Jon, take a closer look."

Jon nodded and moved fluidly to stand in front of the three officers where he walked slowly in front of them, his eyes studying every detail of their uniforms. His inspection seemed to last an eternity before he stopped and turned to Shran. "No doubt about it sir. All three of them are out of uniform."

Phoenix stood at a crisp attention. His uniform was fresh and his attention to detail was supposed to be on point. He had changed after the away mission and had triple checked that everything was squared away. So what was out of regulation?

"They couldn't possibly know I'm not wearing panties, could they?" Kate whispered the words out the side of her mouth with a worried expression.

James remained stone faced. The comment was hilarious, but he couldn't risk a reprimand now. He remained quiet.

Jon walked back to stand in front of Kate. His expression unreadable. Finally, after several seconds of silence, he brought his finger up in front of his mouth. "Ssssshh. No talking." He said firmly.

Deanna walked over to the formation and stood behind Kate as Jon chastised her. She leaned in, "I know everything." Her voice was ominous.

Shran stood and made his way over. He walked slowly in front of each of them, his eyes running up and down each of them. He then made his way behind each of them before standing before them again, a stern look on his face. "Yes Commander, I believe you are correct. Definitely out of uniform."

"I think it is our responsibility to correct this issue" Shran continued. He walked over to Imik, "Lieutenant, as of this day, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander with all of the privileges and responsibilities that appertain to it. Congratulations" and placed a new pip on her uniform. He then moved to Phoenix and stared at him for a long moment.

Jon allowed a grin to appear on his face as Deanna spoke cryptically to Kate before he moved to stand in front of Imik. "Congratulation Commander S'Niohun on your promotion. I wish Sachzny was here to see it. She would be as proud as I am right now."

Imik's face said it all, from confusion to surprise. Being Ojnas she was meticulous about her uniform, so to be accused of being incorrectly dressed upset her greatly. Once Shran had said what he said, she realized what was wrong but was confused as to why she warranted such an award. Jon's words brought her back to reality, "Your pride is gratefully received, but as to why I have been granted this is lost on me."

Shran spoke in his serious voice, "Mr. Phoenix, I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant with all of the privileges and responsibilities that appertain to it. Congratulations" and placed a new pip on his uniform. I also wish to inform you that you will be moving into a new role as Imik's second. It is a lot of responsibility, but I trust that you are prepared for it."

Jon moved next Phoenix. "Congratulations James on your promotion, it is richly deserved. Also, congratulations on becoming assistant chief."

James could hardly process this. It felt like it hadn't been that long since his promotion to Lieutenant JG, and now he was promoted in rank and position. Not that he ever undermined his own ability to do his job, but he certainly didn't think he'd get promoted again for a while. He was not complaining.

He turned his gaze to both Jon and Shran. "Thank you sirs. I will not let you down. He then turned to Imik. "Congratulations ma'am. I will not let you down either" James said as he settled back into a parade rest. He did wonder what was going to happen with Ayana. After all, he was taking her position. His expression was more puzzled than he realized, but he also knew there would be a better time to inquire.

Finally, he moved to Kate. "While it is against my better judgement" he began with a slight grin, "Kate, I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant with all of the privileges and responsibilities that appertain to it. Congratulations." He replaced her pip with the new one and then stepped aside to allow Jon a chance to with her as well.

Jon came to a stop in front of Kate. He didn't say anything for a moment just smiled and then spoke. "Congratulations Kate on your promotion. Keep up the outstanding work."

He took a step back to address the three newly promoted officers. "Congratulations again to each of you. You earned these promotions, never doubt that and you have the confidence of senior staff and crew to prove it."

Phoenix gave a professional smile. "Thank you again sirs."

Shran offered a bit more, "You all have performed above and beyond. I wish to inform you that we have a celebration in the officer's mess, including several barrels of bloodwine compliments of Chancellor Martok. Congrats all of you."

"I thank you Shinkahue, I will endeavor to reward your confidence in me." Imik turned to James, "Congratulations to you Lieutenant, may our time together be fruitful." But what of Ayana? Imik had nothing from or about her, perhaps Shran would inform them later.

Kate stared at the unfamiliar pips on her collar, her fingers brushing against the cool metal. A grin spread across her face as she met Jon’s proud smirk and Shran’s approving nod, but it faltered when her eyes flickered toward Deanna. The Betazoid's serene smile suggested she was privy to far more than just the promotion ceremony. Did she know, for instance, about Kate’s particularly vivid fantasy involving Ben, a malfunctioning gravity plate, and a tube of command-grade lubricant? Or the precise series of synthesized squirrel chirps they’d used to condition Kodie not to shred the sofa during… private briefings? And what if she knew about… no. Absolutely not. Think about plasma conduits. Airflow regulation in Jefferies tubes. The surprisingly contentious history of the Swingline stapler. The tragic and ongoing decline of tactile feedback in 23rd-century elevator buttons…

Kate drew a sharp breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded with all the professionalism she could muster.

“Thank you, Captain. Thank you, Commander.”

Pride swelled in her chest, a perfect counterweight to the sheer, soul-crushing mortification of serving with someone who likely knew her replication pattern of underwear.

Deanna walked over to Kate and whispered once more in her ear, "Yes, I know about all of that too. Quite a fantasy life. The stapler seems to be problematic though, lieutenant" she said as she offered a wry grin.

Shran looked to Imik and Phoenix, "I understand the promotions were a surprise, as is the news regarding Ayana. She is taking a leave of absence. She hasn't been the same since we dealt with the Mirror Universe incursions and she lost her cousin. I think she may recover and return, but this leave is the best option for her according to Counselor Mooi. You will both handle this change with your standard professionalism; I have no doubt. Now, let's get to the celebration."

 

RSS Feed