hmm there is an idea how do you post pictures and images?
Closing out Chapter 2, and setting up Chapter 3
A Diamond Girl: Midway through the 2nd cruise, I was transferred from MC to BDCO, for 2nd Watch. Along with the transfer was the addition of a second chevron, giving me the diamond insignia of a Majourette. Wendy was still a lewie, and so was Terry, but Barb became the flight mother for 2nd flight of their squadron and besides the nice new diamonds, she also had eighteen icons on her bird, each picture, a stylized FMA representing the Corporate military meant a fighter kill. She was easily the leader in AS kills in the entire aerogroup. Her call sign of “Pyschobabe” was well earned, her primary winggal, Terry or “Iron Horse” had a respectable 8 kills. If Barb could stay alive, the squadron and perhaps mini group would be hers to command in no time.
If I thought being on the VNB was dull, there were times that 2nd Watch on the BDC was downright tedious, for one we couldn’t be distracted like on the VNB, as we were still running the ship, but nothing happened during 2nd Watch. And even when we were at action stations, I was just the back up to Ms. Francis. However as watch BDCO, I did get familiar with all stations on the BDC. This was definitely a step up the ladder to having my own command someday, but at the moment it is dull and tedious. The worst part was that I saw less of the aerospace crew as much as I liked the Gremie, an escort cruiser is also not the place to be for adrenaline rushes.
My own responsibility extended from including just the MC division, as I was still the senior rated MC officette, but also the other officettes in 2nd Watch including the BDC and VNB, a grand total of eight more pretty faces, three Lewies, and five Kaydettes. So if anything we got a lot of training done. Miss Paula Sanders, the MCO for 2nd Watch made Lewie and took my old station on 1st Watch. I was training a new Kaydette Miss Rebecca Stoneman as MCO for 2nd Watch.
AIDOF seems to have the policy of training up, and keeping the crew on one ship for as long as possible, it makes for a very close knit, almost family like atmosphere but also means some attachments and rivalries are made much more intense. For example Miss Stoneman and Miss Greentree (MC VNB 2nd Watch) do not like each other, as Miss Greentree seems to think the new girl should have the VNB while she should transfer down to the BDC. This animosity went both ways, as Greentree and Stoneman had eyes for the same lady, Miss Annette Kingston, the Navigator for 2nd Watch. Needless to say the fact that I was only a year or so older and already wearing the diamonds of a Majourette and also partnered with a very attractive person, meant that these two Kaydettes did not really care for me either.
Oh well, the prima Donna attitude that Miss Greentree exhibited did not endear me to her anyway, as for Stoneman, she had the attitude of a feisty dog trying to establish herself among the girls. I also held Miss Kingston partially responsible for she was a Lewie with a few years of experience, actually two more years than me, but being a technical specialist not on the same fast track for higher ranks. She did not seem to mind as MC, and Sensors were the two tracks that led quickest to command. I decided to shut them up once and for all by having a command inspection, during 3rd Watch so, only Miss Woods was exempt, the dress for the inspection was Shore Dress Uniform with all ribbons. I was after all making a point.
All four Lewies were present as well as the six Kaydettes off duty. Miss Kingston by far had the most time in service as was noted by her two bronze hearts on the service ribbon, for a total of six years. Miss Dianne Watson, the Sensors for 2nd Watch was next with one heart; however I knew she had almost five years in, the first two as a rating. Miss Erica Strasser the sensors and VNBDO for 2nd Watch had only three years but had a MSM for actions aboard the Dauntless, she transferred to the Gremie to be closer to her own sweetheart, also a Raptor pilot, but in the other squadron than Barb. And then Miss Sanders, who although junior to both Watson and Strasser, was by default of being the next senior MCO, was my protégé so to speak, and like Kingston and Watson were both from the original shakedown cruise.
Within the sphere of responsibility, I naturally had the MCO’s in one group and the other divisions of 2nd watch in another group. However the MCO’s on 2nd Watch were also under operational control of either the ABDCO (Miss Kingston) or the VNBDO, depending on where they were. This left only Miss Watson without any real authority, so she tasked as the training officette.
As for the Kaydettes, well Miss Harriet Rivers, (MCO, 1st Watch VNB); Miss Greentree, and Miss Stoneman rounded out the MC division, minus Miss Woods of course. Miss Janice Longfellow (Commo, BDC 2nd Watch), Miss Ursula Nitron (Commo VNB 2nd Watch), and Miss Maria Anna Lopez-Garcia (Astrogator and assistant Navigator 2nd Watch) rounded out the group. Lopez Garcia and Greentree both had service ribbons without any hearts, thus they were on their second tour. Not uncommon for an astrogator to remain being a Kaydette for over 2 years, but as I had already found out Miss Greentree’s personality has cost her going to gold at least once.
Now besides the diamond on my collar, the other two things that stood out (besides only having one star on my service ribbon) were the MSM and the dark red ribbon with a single gold star, signifying the Gold Star Cluster. (The sector regent thought that getting the instant approval for the lesser award would be better than fighting the arcane bureaucracy of AIDOF to get a Ruby cluster, for a mere Kaydette.) But the impact of those two ribbons did the trick, I may be young but I have seen action and possessed the 3rd highest award in all of AIDOF.
After the little inspection and pep talk about doing our jobs and keeping a civil attitude while on duty; they got the message and shaped up. By the end of my 2nd cruise on the Gremmie, all but Miss Greentree and Miss Stoneman were wearing the gold of a Lewie. Greentree is destined to serve her entire time (albeit short) in AIDOF as a Kaydette. I was glad when she was transferred off the Gremmie to the Corvette Sunshine; I think being in a small corvette will do wonders for her personality if not her career. Her replacement was a new Kaydette Miss Linda Jones, and I could tell right away she was going to be a rising star, no attitude there, as well a s nice figure. Miss Stoneman now had a new piece of eye candy to ogle. The addition of Miss Jones was just in time as the whole ATG just got tasked to the 141st Attack Fleet under the command of Wanaxxae Catherine Volkberg as part of something called the 1st Expeditionary Fleet, under Princess Nicole Volkberg, who has fully recovered from her injuries sustained in the Zeta campaign.
Closing out Chapter 2, and setting up Chapter 3
A Diamond Girl: Midway through the 2nd cruise, I was transferred from MC to BDCO, for 2nd Watch. Along with the transfer was the addition of a second chevron, giving me the diamond insignia of a Majourette. Wendy was still a lewie, and so was Terry, but Barb became the flight mother for 2nd flight of their squadron and besides the nice new diamonds, she also had eighteen icons on her bird, each picture, a stylized FMA representing the Corporate military meant a fighter kill. She was easily the leader in AS kills in the entire aerogroup. Her call sign of “Pyschobabe” was well earned, her primary winggal, Terry or “Iron Horse” had a respectable 8 kills. If Barb could stay alive, the squadron and perhaps mini group would be hers to command in no time.
If I thought being on the VNB was dull, there were times that 2nd Watch on the BDC was downright tedious, for one we couldn’t be distracted like on the VNB, as we were still running the ship, but nothing happened during 2nd Watch. And even when we were at action stations, I was just the back up to Ms. Francis. However as watch BDCO, I did get familiar with all stations on the BDC. This was definitely a step up the ladder to having my own command someday, but at the moment it is dull and tedious. The worst part was that I saw less of the aerospace crew as much as I liked the Gremie, an escort cruiser is also not the place to be for adrenaline rushes.
My own responsibility extended from including just the MC division, as I was still the senior rated MC officette, but also the other officettes in 2nd Watch including the BDC and VNB, a grand total of eight more pretty faces, three Lewies, and five Kaydettes. So if anything we got a lot of training done. Miss Paula Sanders, the MCO for 2nd Watch made Lewie and took my old station on 1st Watch. I was training a new Kaydette Miss Rebecca Stoneman as MCO for 2nd Watch.
AIDOF seems to have the policy of training up, and keeping the crew on one ship for as long as possible, it makes for a very close knit, almost family like atmosphere but also means some attachments and rivalries are made much more intense. For example Miss Stoneman and Miss Greentree (MC VNB 2nd Watch) do not like each other, as Miss Greentree seems to think the new girl should have the VNB while she should transfer down to the BDC. This animosity went both ways, as Greentree and Stoneman had eyes for the same lady, Miss Annette Kingston, the Navigator for 2nd Watch. Needless to say the fact that I was only a year or so older and already wearing the diamonds of a Majourette and also partnered with a very attractive person, meant that these two Kaydettes did not really care for me either.
Oh well, the prima Donna attitude that Miss Greentree exhibited did not endear me to her anyway, as for Stoneman, she had the attitude of a feisty dog trying to establish herself among the girls. I also held Miss Kingston partially responsible for she was a Lewie with a few years of experience, actually two more years than me, but being a technical specialist not on the same fast track for higher ranks. She did not seem to mind as MC, and Sensors were the two tracks that led quickest to command. I decided to shut them up once and for all by having a command inspection, during 3rd Watch so, only Miss Woods was exempt, the dress for the inspection was Shore Dress Uniform with all ribbons. I was after all making a point.
All four Lewies were present as well as the six Kaydettes off duty. Miss Kingston by far had the most time in service as was noted by her two bronze hearts on the service ribbon, for a total of six years. Miss Dianne Watson, the Sensors for 2nd Watch was next with one heart; however I knew she had almost five years in, the first two as a rating. Miss Erica Strasser the sensors and VNBDO for 2nd Watch had only three years but had a MSM for actions aboard the Dauntless, she transferred to the Gremie to be closer to her own sweetheart, also a Raptor pilot, but in the other squadron than Barb. And then Miss Sanders, who although junior to both Watson and Strasser, was by default of being the next senior MCO, was my protégé so to speak, and like Kingston and Watson were both from the original shakedown cruise.
Within the sphere of responsibility, I naturally had the MCO’s in one group and the other divisions of 2nd watch in another group. However the MCO’s on 2nd Watch were also under operational control of either the ABDCO (Miss Kingston) or the VNBDO, depending on where they were. This left only Miss Watson without any real authority, so she tasked as the training officette.
As for the Kaydettes, well Miss Harriet Rivers, (MCO, 1st Watch VNB); Miss Greentree, and Miss Stoneman rounded out the MC division, minus Miss Woods of course. Miss Janice Longfellow (Commo, BDC 2nd Watch), Miss Ursula Nitron (Commo VNB 2nd Watch), and Miss Maria Anna Lopez-Garcia (Astrogator and assistant Navigator 2nd Watch) rounded out the group. Lopez Garcia and Greentree both had service ribbons without any hearts, thus they were on their second tour. Not uncommon for an astrogator to remain being a Kaydette for over 2 years, but as I had already found out Miss Greentree’s personality has cost her going to gold at least once.
Now besides the diamond on my collar, the other two things that stood out (besides only having one star on my service ribbon) were the MSM and the dark red ribbon with a single gold star, signifying the Gold Star Cluster. (The sector regent thought that getting the instant approval for the lesser award would be better than fighting the arcane bureaucracy of AIDOF to get a Ruby cluster, for a mere Kaydette.) But the impact of those two ribbons did the trick, I may be young but I have seen action and possessed the 3rd highest award in all of AIDOF.
After the little inspection and pep talk about doing our jobs and keeping a civil attitude while on duty; they got the message and shaped up. By the end of my 2nd cruise on the Gremmie, all but Miss Greentree and Miss Stoneman were wearing the gold of a Lewie. Greentree is destined to serve her entire time (albeit short) in AIDOF as a Kaydette. I was glad when she was transferred off the Gremmie to the Corvette Sunshine; I think being in a small corvette will do wonders for her personality if not her career. Her replacement was a new Kaydette Miss Linda Jones, and I could tell right away she was going to be a rising star, no attitude there, as well a s nice figure. Miss Stoneman now had a new piece of eye candy to ogle. The addition of Miss Jones was just in time as the whole ATG just got tasked to the 141st Attack Fleet under the command of Wanaxxae Catherine Volkberg as part of something called the 1st Expeditionary Fleet, under Princess Nicole Volkberg, who has fully recovered from her injuries sustained in the Zeta campaign.