Moving Up, and Moving On
Posted on Wed Mar 6th, 2019 @ 3:30pm by
Edited on on Thu Mar 7th, 2019 @ 4:02am
1,814 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Personnel Assignment Command Headquarters, Cardassia Prime
Timeline: MD002 1900 Hrs
Ever since the turning over of his command, Brecat had been assigned to administrative duties. While he didn't necessarily mind the day to day monotony it didn't take long to begin wearing on him. Surely they could find a new posting for him considering he'd now held three separate posts in his career as well as a command, albeit small. He'd proven capable after all.
As he sat there in his dress uniform Brecat knew in the back of his mind that it meant he'd soon have another posting but the only question was where? Having placed himself on the list for general reassignment Brecat only hoped he'd end up somewhere better. Even with the chaos that had ensued the day before and council members being held hostage he was still expected to report to his post and fulfill his duties. It was something he took seriously but now had an influx of reassignments needing completed.
Looking back at his console he continued going through open assignments and other officers like himself that were in transition and assigned them to fill those empty posts which caused orders to be auto generated in the system. Part of the man hoped to spread the same disappointment that he himself had received, from eating a rather mediocre lunch, to these officers that would soon learn their new fates. He couldn't help but smile every time he took someone that looked to be on the fast track for promotion and placed them into some of the worst assignments in the entire force.
Having gotten caught up in his own game Brecat failed to notice a shadow that now was in front of his desk. "Second class Glen Jerane." A set of eyes from above gave a disapproving look as they set upon him. There was no smile or other sign of emotion from the Cardassian Gul that hovered over him. Another officer awaiting a more prestigious assignment that was for the time being was Jerane's superior.
Stopping what he was working on Jerane stood up out of respect. "My apologies Gul Tercet. I was caught up in my work."
"I have no doubt" came a rather cold retort. "You'd be much better off if you simply took that focus into your previous assignments, especially when you were on board the Vezar you'd be in charge of your own department by now..." It was typical for Tercet to be so critical as Brecat had never heard the man speak any differently. It was something he'd become accustomed to. "Come with me."
Locking his console behind him the young Glen did as ordered and followed his superior until they made their way to a nearby turbo lift. As the pair continued on in silence he wondered if this was a preliminary meeting for whatever his new assignment was or if this was another reprimand. Something he never understood was the need for a precursor to every meeting with some sort of senior leader whether it be for good or bad reasons. But they never told you ahead of time. It was almost as if it were a twisted game that the senior officers concocted and oversaw placing wagers on whom could make the most subordinates miserable.
As the lift halted the doors slid apart revealing a hallway that Brecat had never been down. Ignoring any sort of concern or thoughts that Brecat may have had, Tercet pushed past him and made his way towards a large set of doors. A couple of enlisted men stood on either side and opened the doors as they approached. What was on the other side? A board of inquiry? A court martial?
As they opened up revealing what was behind them, Brecat couldn't help but notice several officers lined up on either side of the room. At quick glance there had to be at least fifty people or more. It became obvious to him where he was. It was their hall used for various ceremonies and review boards. What he didn't know is that it had been selected for its size due to the amount of folks that wanted to participate in a more traditional part of the upcoming ceremony, but it wasn't out of respect for Brecat. It was out of disdain for him. One would have thought that with his currently assigned duties he would've found little trouble to get into an would've interacted with very few folks that the could potentially upset, but this wasn't the case.
Various unit banners, streamers, and awards adorned the walls that were the typical Cardassian steel grey they used in constructing military structures. A brown carpet led from the double doors to a circle rug in the center of the room was of similar color. Tercet walked to the middle of it and turned around. An aide walked up and handed the Gul a PADD.
"Stand in front of me Jerane" Tercet bellowed before scrolling through the display and verified the orders before him. Pressing his thumb print to the screen he handed it back to his assistant who replaced the PADD with a small steel box. "Thank you Morauc."
Having paused halfway up the carpet until Tercet spoke, Jerane had been waiting for further direction and making note of some of those around him. When he'd received further direction the man double timed to post in front of his superior. He took note of the box and made a presumption about what would happen next. Everyone observing quickly formed into perfect rows.
"Attention to orders" Morauc called out. In unison everyone in the room snapped to attention, except for Tercet.
"The Cardassian Defense Force, acting upon the recommendation of Personnel Assignment Command, has placed special trust and confidence in the dedication and service to the Cardassian state exhibited by Second Glen Brecat Jerane. In view of these qualities as well as his demonstrated potential to serve in a higher capacity, Second Glen Brecat Jerane is hereby promoted to First Glen, Cardassian Defense Force, effective immediately. By order of the office of Central Command. Long live Cardassia."
Tercet stepped forward ad pulled the current rank for Brecat's chest before tossing it over his shoulder. His cold steely gaze remained as if he almost wasn't happy in being a participant in the current action. He opened the metal box and pulled out the appropriate rank for Jerane and replaced the insignia he'd removed. Without warning he cocked back his fist and punched Brecat squarely over the pins that had attached his new rank to his cloth dress uniform. "Congratulations Jerane."
Upon impact the junior officer let out a gasp and took a step back to catch himself before returning back to the position of attention and managing to reply "Thank you sir."
The Gul stood there for a moment and stared at Jerane before stepping away from him and walking back down the carpet before exiting the room. No one moved as the doors closed slowly behind him. As soon as they were fully shut however, everyone in the room immediately broke ranks and lined up in front of the newly minted Glen by order of seniority creating a line that snaked back and forth at least a few times. Unsure what to do with himself Brecat didn't move.
Another Gul stood before him and flashed a grin. "Congratulations Glen Jerane." Following suit the man brought back his arm and punched him squarely over his new rank. It wasn't until the second hit however that Brecat took notice he was bleeding. The pins had easily punched through the cloth of his jacket and through his tough outer layer of skin. Blood now began to soak the site of the wound.
Without another word the Gul made his way out of the room as well. Another Gul stood before him, whom gave another congratulations followed by another hit. It didn't take long until officer after officer stepped forward to congratulate him, some didn't say anything, and then punched him squarely in the same site over and over again.
As the line continued and each man took his opportunity, eventually the site became numb. Jerane knew it would take a little more than a dermal regenerator to heal him but he remained steadfast. There was something else behind all of this however and each time a new grin appeared before him, he caught on a little more.
These smiles weren't out of celebration or joy for him. They were out of spite, out of an opportunity for a small taste of revenge, of payback. It wasn't a secret that among several other officers in the building that Brecat had a reputation that made him widely unpopular. Between his attitude and the way he selected members for their assignments many were left wondering why they'd been passed over or given less than they felt was deserved. This in turn explained why so many of higher or now equal rank had shown up. It wasn't because they actually cared about his promotion, just the opportunity it presented.
As each new smile appeared the newly minted Glen simply smiled back. The endorphins now surging through his system had given the man a high and if nothing else he'd see this through to the end, just to spite them and not give anyone here a win in the form of him succumbing to the damage being inflicted upon him. He'd remember each mans face and would make it his life's work to see that they all paid. Or at least their families did.
With his train of thought now so intent on revenge he'd failed to notice the puddle of blood beginning to form at his feet. A portion on the front side of his jacket was now visibly soaked. So much so that drop after manganese drop made it's way onto the brown carpet. The perfect color to hide any sort of stains. This did not however deter him from returning his own form of mocking to each one of them as the line slowly dwindled. Time seemed caught in a loop until the last few officers took their turns and then left. Now he stood there all alone. Sore, bleeding, and drained. Still the man stood tall.
In true Cardassian fashion Brecat took a moment to soak in the experience he'd just gone through, but only for a moment before turning around himself and making his way out of the room, the large double doors opening for him as he left. Today would be the first of a new life for him. One where he would see to it that he rose not only in rank but also to make the others pay. Somehow, some way.
Glen Brecat Jerane
CDF Liasion, USS Pioneer
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