Shahr double-checked his uniform in the mirror for a fourth time. “I suppose,” he said aloud to his empty room, “that makes it a quadruple check.”

He’d woken up that morning to a ping from his tablet. His off-duty responsibilities had shifted slightly; he was scheduled to see the captain after his duty shift. Naturally, the tablet offered no clarifying information regarding the purpose of this summons. So, Shahr did what any good ensign would do in that situation: he gave in to some mild panic.

Shahr skipped his usual coffee that morning, as he found himself wide awake without it. He showered, dressed for duty, and ate a piece of fruit on his way to the science labs. He really did try his hardest to keep focused on his tasking that morning… but it’s hard to focus when your summary execution has been scheduled for that afternoon.

Fortunately for Shahr, he was a dedicated and meticulous worker. Within the first four hours of his shift, he had replayed the entire past 2 months of his life in his head, to exacting detail, and he was certain he hadn’t done anything wrong. Relaxing somewhat, he completed his shift without incident. “If I’m not being reprimanded, what the devil could this be about?”

Shahr stepped off the turbolift onto the bridge, then promptly strode over to the captain’s ready room doors. He took one last moment to flick some non-existent lint off his shoulder and straighten his trousers, then pressed the chime.

Captain Nassar looked up from the PADD holding the (entirely insufficient) information as to what their next mission would entail, and placed it to the side. She had thought about how to start this conversation, and come with a somewhat sound strategy.

Entering the small office, Shahr stationed himself in front of Captain Nassar’s desk and stood at attention. “Good afternoon captain! Reporting as ordered.” Shahr immediately regretted being so stiff. He was acting like a cadet. He’d interacted with the captain just fine during the nightmarish hallucination mission. Why was he being so weird now?

Why is he being so weird, wondered Saffiya as her brows knit together in the first hint of a frown. “Ensign.”, she said, deciding that she would match his demeanour until she figured out what this was about. “Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat.”

Shahr nodded and sat across from the captain. He maintained good posture, but loosened up slightly, hoping to move on from his cadet-like entrance.

“I’ve gone over your performance over the last two missions.”, she said eventually. “Both were certainly incidents an Ensign fresh out of Academy is not yet equipped to handle.”

She glanced at her PADD, extending the break between that statement and the “And you have done a stellar job”  she had meant to follow it up with just long enough for Shahr to interrupt.

Shahr did his best to hide the pang of disappointment he suddenly felt. He straightened his shoulders. “I apologize, ma’am. No excuses, I will improve. Please let me know what deficiencies I should correct.” Internally, Shahr was reminding himself this wasn’t the IG. Captain Nassar wasn’t going to slap him around. And yet, despite knowing there was no pain involved with poor performance in Starfleet, he felt worse about disappointing his captain here than he would have back on Andor.

Saffiya looked at him, utterly confused. “I don’t think I said you had done badly” she frowned, doubting her own sanity for a second there.

The look of confusion on his Captain’s face matched the confusion raging inside Shahr. Then, a quantum of hope sparked inside him. Maybe this was not the conversation Shahr thought it was. He considered a moment, then spoke slowly. “I admit I do think I performed satisfactorily in our latest, um, hairy situations. Maybe I’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion here, Captain.”

“Oh. Yeah. In fact I think you did great, despite the fact that you – as an Ensign – can’t be expected to handle situations such as you faced them.”, she quickly explained. There was a small wooden box on the table, which she pushed closer to him.

In truth, the Captain probably felt just as awkward as Shahr did.

Shahr looked down at the box, puzzled. Reaching forward, he paused to search Captain Nassar’s eyes for a sign of disapproval. When he saw none, he gingerly spun the box towards him and opened the lid. His eyes widened in surprise. Inside lay a single collar pip: a black circle with a gold rim.

“Congratulations.”, Saffiya said with a smile, allowing him the time to mentally catch up with what had just happened.

“Thank you, ma’am! I… should I put it on now? The last time I got a promotion in the Imperial Guard, my commanding officer simply tossed a badge at me in the hallway and grunted begrudgingly. I did see a promotion ceremony at the Academy once, but I’ve also been told each command does things differently.” Internally, Shahr’s emotions were at odds. He was very proud, and wanted to smile, but a lifetime of cultivating a good scowl was fighting back. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards a bit.

“Tossed at you?”, Saffiya asked and raised an eyebrow. “That’s not… nice. Honestly I am not big on the whole ceremony part, so this is very… uh… well. Awkward. But I planned a party – well, I had someone plan a party, I’ve never planned one, and would probably be miserable at it.”

“Yes ma’am, he was… not a good CO. I think a party would have given him a stroke.” Shahr considered a moment, then continued. “To be honest, a year ago I would’ve had a stroke at the idea of a party with shipmates. But, I really like it here. It’s different. Better different. That sounds fun, thank you Captain.” Shahr stood, guessing they were wrapping things up. “If I may make a request ma’am, would you mind pinning it on? This is my first advancement in Starfleet, you’re my first commanding officer. I’m proud to be here.”

She hesitated for a moment, then got up and took the pip, adding it to his collar. “I don’t know about your time in the Imperial Guard, but you are doing great here. I’m glad we have you.”

“Thank you again, Captain. I will endeavor to keep up the good work!.” Despite how relaxed the conversation had become after his initial awkwardness, Shahr felt compelled to return to the comfort of military tradition. It seemed appropriate, to acknowledge his new place in the hierarchy here. Shahr snapped a crisp salute.