Pip Pip Hooray!
Posted on 03 Aug 2026 @ 1:35pm by Lieutenant Commander Aev Flammia & Captain Sabrina Corbin & Commander Suzanna Batenburg
1,446 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
The Doldrums
Location: Ready Room
[ USS Arawyn ]
Aev stepped into the turbolift and adjusted the cuff of his uniform. “Bridge.” The summons from the Captain had been brief and without explanation, leaving him to quietly wonder what she needed. Did she want to review his actions on the planet with Aster?
A warm flicker passed over the ring on his hand as Ignis appeared beside him. “You have the expression of a man attempting to remember whether he accidentally started a war.”
“I am considering why the Captain wants to see me,” Aev said with a slight sigh, contemplating turning off the device as he flicked the ring with one finger.
“Ah,” Ignis replied, folding his hands behind his back. “Then I shall prepare equally for commendation, reprimand, or mysterious reassignment.” Aev gave Ignis a warning glare as the lift chimed and he stepped onto the bridge. He briefly acknowledged the officers on duty before crossing toward the Captain’s ready room. Stopping outside the doors, he pressed the chime.
The chime sounded through the ready room.
Sabrina glanced briefly toward Commander Batenburg before setting her teacup onto its saucer. The meeting had been arranged with enough care that she suspected Flammia had spent at least part of the walk up wondering what, precisely, he had done.
She saw no reason to relieve him of that uncertainty just yet.
“Come,” Corbin called.
The doors parted, admitting Aev into the room. Sabrina rose from behind her desk, offering him a small, perfectly neutral smile.
“Lieutenant Flammia. Thank you for coming.” She gestured toward the chair opposite her, then briefly toward Batenburg. “Commander Batenburg is joining us as well. Please, have a seat.”
“Lieutenant,” Suzanna said with a nod of greeting. She had recognised the Captain's intention almost immediately. A small measure of uncertainty before revealing the purpose of the meeting was, she supposed, a very Human way of handling such occasions. Remaining impassive, she took a measured sip of her tea and set the cup back onto its saucer, waiting for Corbin to speak.
Aev twisted the ring on his finger. Ignis, who had been standing beside him in the doorway, opened his mouth to protest before abruptly fizzling out of existence. Aev knew he would hear about that later; the ring pulsed an angry red for several seconds before settling into a subdued orange glow.
He stepped into the ready room and nodded first to Corbin, then to Batenburg, as he took his seat. “Captain. Commander,” he greeted coolly, maintaining his composure despite wondering what the meeting was about.
Sabrina’s eyes briefly followed the fading glow of the ring. She had found Ignis fascinating from the beginning, but there were still places where she preferred conversations to remain between the people physically present. The ready room was one of them.
“Thank you,” she said simply, leaving it ambiguous whether she meant for his prompt arrival or the disappearance of his holographic companion.
Corbin settled back into her chair and folded her hands loosely on the desk. Her expression remained measured, giving away very little.
“You’ve been aboard the Arawyn for nearly a year now, Lieutenant. Before we discuss anything else, I’d like to hear your assessment of that time.”
She tilted her head slightly, studying him.
“Your department, your own performance, the decisions you’ve made when things became considerably less straightforward than any of us might have preferred.” A faint hint of warmth touched her expression. “Consider it a self-evaluation. What do you think you’ve done well, and where do you think you still have room to improve?”
A performance evaluation? Aev maintained his neutral expression, resisting the urge to frown. He felt somewhat unprepared, but kept himself composed as he considered the question. He could feel their eyes upon him, the curiosity and quiet interest with which they watched him.
“The Arawyn has been my first assignment as a chief security officer,” he began. “It has not been without its challenges. Learning each officer’s strengths and limitations—and understanding how to weave their individual personalities and abilities into effective teams...has been an ongoing process. If I am being honest, I believe my own skills as a leader are only now beginning to find their footing after a year.” He paused briefly. “While working with my subordinates to ensure no one is left behind in our training and preparations, I have also discovered that I sometimes bring an...unrefined intensity to my work. It is something I have been trying to soften.”
“The security department is young, Captain, myself included. It has taken a great deal of trial and error to reach our current position. We are not yet operating at the level of efficiency I would prefer, but I believe we are moving in the right direction.” Aev noticed the yellow light flaring across the ring on his finger and wondered what Ignis would have to say later. “My personal challenges notwithstanding.”
Suzanna listened carefully as Flammia gave his candid assessment of both himself and the Security department. She had worked with him long enough to compare his observations against her own. Although he had joined the Arawyn before she had, his extended leave of absence had interrupted that progress. Even so, the department had continued to mature under his leadership.
She inclined her head before turning to Corbin. "I believe Lieutenant Flammia's assessment is accurate, Captain." She looked briefly toward Aev. "His evaluation demonstrates an important quality in a department head. He has a realistic understanding of both his own development and that of his department. Neither is being overstated or understated."
Sabrina remained quiet for several seconds after Batenburg finished, her gaze shifting between the two officers as she considered what had been said.
There was very little in either assessment with which she disagreed.
Flammia had not arrived aboard the Arawyn as a finished department head. None of them had arrived as finished versions of themselves. His first year had included mistakes, uncertainty, difficult decisions, and circumstances none of them could reasonably have anticipated. What mattered to Corbin was what he had done with those experiences.
He had learned from them.
Her expression softened slightly.
“I agree with both of you,” Sabrina said. “There is still growth ahead of you, Lieutenant. I would be rather concerned if, after one year in your first department head position, you believed otherwise.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“But I have also watched you grow into this role. You have taken responsibility for your people, adapted when circumstances demanded it, and continued to examine your own decisions rather than simply defending them. That matters to me.”
Corbin rose from her chair.
“Lieutenant Flammia, attention.”
She waited until he came to his feet before stepping around the desk. From beside her teacup, Sabrina picked up the small item she had deliberately kept turned face down throughout the meeting.
“I do not often have the privilege of doing this,” she said, the formality in her voice now tempered by unmistakable warmth. “And I am particularly pleased that your first year as a senior officer has given me reason to.”
She turned the pip between her fingers, revealing the black centre.
“You came aboard this ship as one of the youngest members of my senior staff, and I have watched you grow into the responsibility that came with that seat.” Her smile warmed just slightly. “I am very proud of the officer you have become, Lieutenant, and I look forward to seeing where you take that growth next.”
Sabrina reached up and carefully fixed the new insignia beside the others on his collar.
“Effective immediately, you are promoted to Lieutenant Commander, with all the rights and responsibilities of that rank.”
She adjusted the pip once, ensuring it sat properly, then stepped back.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Flammia.”
Aev’s surprise was genuine as the Captain fastened the new pip to his collar. The ring on his finger flickered green while he absorbed the significance of the moment. “Captain…” He paused briefly, collecting himself. “I admit, I am surprised. Thank you.”
Sabrina’s smile softened at the surprise in his voice.
“You’ve earned it, Commander,” she said simply. “Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Learn from what does not work, trust your people, and keep growing into the responsibility.”
Her gaze flicked briefly toward Batenburg before returning to Flammia.
“I have every confidence you will.”
Suzanna nodded in concurrence with Corbin's words and simply stated, "you earned it, Commander, Congratulations!"
[ End ]
Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
Cmdr Suzanna Batenburg
XO USS Arawyn
Everything fits, otherwise we'll make it fit!
Lieutenant Commander Aev Flammia
Chief of Security
RSS Feed