The Farewell

Posted on Sat Sep 30th, 2023 @ 8:00pm by Lieutenant Winnifred "Freddie" Zhang

Mission: Home Sweet home.
Location: USS Renown - Currently Docked at Spacedock

Lt. Zhang's Quarters

Closing up the last crate of her personal effects, Freddie hung her hands on her hips and let out a deep sigh of satisfaction. As she glanced around the small quarters, she suddenly realized just how much more 'stuff' she'd collected over the years since her first assignment as an Ensign. Before it had been a single container and a large duffel. Now she wouldn't be able to carry everything in one trip, but already had a plan for how to solve that.

Noticing and picking at the bits of fuzz on her only occasionally worn uniform, the woman was surprised when her communicator went off, causing her to look at it wide-eyed for a moment before lunging over to swipe it off the nondescript desk she'd set it down on. Flipping it open, she said a quick, =/\= "Hi!" =/\= before loudly and deeply clearing her throat and correcting, =/\= "Lieutenant Zhang, here. Go ahead." =/\=

It appeared that the Montana had arrived, albeit a bit earlier than she'd thought, but not earlier than had been expected given the time the chronometer on her wrist informed her. Letting out a quick cuss as she sprang into action, she replied back, =/\= "I got some tagged cargo crates here that need to be beamed aboard. Can you get with their people to find a cargo bay to beam them to?" =/\= Smiling as she used her sweet 'service' voice, Freddie was still getting used to all of the 'Lieutenants' and 'Sirs' being tossed her way now that she would officially not be a junior officer anymore.

Once vague confirmation was given and the call ended, she flipped her communicator closed before shoving it into her pocket. Snatching up her duffle and a small, wheeled crate to pull behind her, Freddie only made it to the doorway of her quarters before stopping to turn back and look upon the now barren room she'd been accommodated with not much more than a year prior. It reminded her of her first day as Assistant Chief on the Renown. But now it would be the memory that would come up marking her last day.

The mechanical hiss of the door closing behind her as she stepped out into the hall made the woman stop in step as she took a moment to reflect on the ship she was leaving behind. It wasn't her first time being transferred to a new posting, but this one had seemingly gone by in a blur. After taking a deep, settling breath, she got her feet moving and headed for the Renown's transporter bay, peeking out one of the corridor windows to catch a glimpse of the remarkably similar in appearance USS Montana that she would soon call home.

Primary Transporter Bay

As soon as Freddie stepped into the Renown's transporter room, her eyes flashed wide and her famous, bright, wide smile came to her face as she let out an awkward, "Guuuyyys… What are you doing?" The few good friends she'd made, and her soon-to-be-former Chief, had staged a surprise farewell for her. While her own smile seemed to be infectious, she did flinch when Kamala and Petey set off a pair of poppers that showed her in confetti, giving them both a feigned look of annoyance before giving them both hugs.

The two seemed to talk at once both giving similar versions of, "We're going to miss you! You're gonna do great!"

Moving on to the next two, Freddie smiled and tilted her head to the two as she spotted the gifts in their hands, "Riri.., Jen..,"

Handing her a rather large model of the Renown, Riri smirked at her senior Engineer and tried to play it cool, "Figured you'd want something to remember her by." Taking the model, Freddie was a little unsure how she was going to look carrying it as Jen quickly thrust a bottle out towards her.

"For you…In case you want to remember us…and maybe forget whatever is stressing you," the Operations Officer said the last part as a feigned whisper with her hand raised to her mouth as if it was something nefarious.

Having to juggle her duffel and model to take the bottle, Freddie gave its label a glance, causing her eyes to go wide at it before coming up to Jen to question, "Romulan Ale?! How am I gonna get this aboard?!"

Jen only offered her a smirk and a shrug before answering, "I don't know. You're supposed to be a 'Chief' over there, right? You'll figure it out." The two then proceeded to give the outgoing engineer a hug at the same time before stepping aside to allow Freddie to land her gaze on the last two members of her 'farewell party'.

"Shaun," she addressed the man who had his arms crossed over his chest with something wrapped in flashy paper and clutched in his one hand. The man whom she'd probably become closest with had heightened the awkwardness of the room due to the feeling that filled the space between them. Giving her a nod, Shaun offered her the gift as she asked, "What'dja get me?"

Shuffling the items she was already holding to tuck them underneath an arm, she took the gift and pulled away the wrapping. Freddie couldn't stop the somewhat sad smile and glance that went back and forth between the gift and the man as a tear began to form in her eye. It was a picture that had been taken after the woman had been promoted to full Lieutenant and been given the post of Assistant Chief, with her surrounded by all those that were squeezed into the tiny transporter room.

"C'mon..," she said as she wiped away the tear that had threatened to stream down her face with her shoulder and sniffled as she stared at the picture. "You really shouldn't have," the woman commented before glancing around at the group of younger officers that whom she'd spent countless hours both on duty and off duty with.

Giving her the typical 'Bro Hug' that had become the norm from him, Shaun gave her a steady look and an assuring nod, "You're gonna do great, Freddie. You're ready for the job. I just hope the Montana is ready for you." Grinning at her, the woman gave him a smirking glare but was unable to find any words to say in reply.

Finally, she came face to face with her supervising officer who had taken the young woman under his wing, helped her grow into the officer she was, and recommended her for the position she was now shipping off to. "Chief Wong," she addressed him with a much steadier tone than she had the others.

Gripping the woman by her shoulders, the Engineering Chief locked eyes with her as his trusty, calm words came, "Freddie, you know everything you need for this assignment. I know you will do well and make me proud." Smiling at him, the young woman couldn't contain the tears that had started to stream down her cheek. Releasing her shoulders, the man stood up straight to add, "But I wouldn't want to let you leave without all of the tools you might need." Pulling a small device from his pocket, Chief Wong held it out for Freddie to take.

"Whoa!" she reacted as she looked down at the tool before glancing back up to the Chief. "You sure?! That's your favorite sonic screwdriver. You seriously giving to me?" Offering her only a nod and a hum in the affirmative, Wong slipped it into one of the woman's front jacket pockets, seeing she had already run out of hands. Glancing down at it as its end extended just out of the pocket, Freddie brought her eyes back up to say, "Thank you, Chief. I'll never forget all you've taught me. Couldn't ask for a better Chief. Seriously."

Taking on a very subtly proud stance, Wong nodded in agreement, "I know. That's why I know you'll do a great job as Chief of the Montana." Finding a way to free her hand and offer it to the man, Freddie and her Chief exchanged a firm yet enthusiastic shake before he pulled away to step aside and order, "Now get moving, Lieutenant. You have to beam to spacedock before reporting to your new ship, and you're already running late," he said holding up the chronometer on his wrist and point to it.

Taking in a deep breath and releasing it as a heavy sigh, Freddie stepped up onto the transporter pad, duffle slung over her shoulder and her arms full of gifts, and took her position that had her gaze washing over the room of friends she would be leaving. Letting out a sniffle as she took the sight of them all in, she couldn't contain her smile as she admitted, "I love you guys. All of you. You all… I'm gonna miss you guys."

There was a resounding response of reflecting reactions given back to her before Chief Wong glanced over to the transporter officer and ordered him to energize. Freddie's last memory of the Renown would be the image of all of them gathered together for her in that transporter room. Within moments, the hum had caused them to fade from view before she found herself in a new yet familiar larger transporter bay…