Entry 116 - 11.27.3303 I finally did it!
27 Nov 2017MBaldelli
Current System: Abraham Lincoln Station, Earth, SolMy mornings when I'm docked at a station usually involves a larger than normal breakfast, coffee in some sort of travel mug, a visual survey of my ship at the docking berth and talking to any ground crew currently around the berth. I was still getting used to seeing the silhouette of the Tokugawa in my assigned bay. Watching the ground crew around it, I was struck with an almost sense of reverence from the crew there.
I returned the greetings to them as I headed up the gantry to check the boards to see whether there were any Navy Promotion contracts available this morning.
Nothing with the word Navy in them, so I picked through Courier, Boom Courier, and Pirate Lord Assassinations missions. They were all close to Sol and they were all relatively easy to get through. Occasionally I changed out picking up legal salvage missions for the money and for improving my skills are picking up cargo through the scoop.
When I returned to Abraham Lincoln, I saw a couple of juicy mission going to Alpha Centauri and realized based the payout, I would be going to Hutton Orbital. Then I remembered my promise to do the Hutton Orbital run over the holidays to get a feel of the .22 LY distance from Entry to the Outpost and accepted the missions to head out.
As you can see here:
I don't remember how much time I spent in cruise, but it wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be. Looking at the ship's logs I was at it for about 90 minutes.
What I was greeted with when I came out of Supercruise at Hutton Orbital wasn't a desolate and mostly vacant station, but a busy space port of Haulers and Couriers trying to get a docking berth to deliver and pick up cargo and credits.
I got my landing permission and was greeted not only with the hustle and bustle I would expect at Abraham Lincoln or M. Gorbachev Stations, but ground crews more friendly and hospitable than both combined.
They knew I was a fresh face on the docks and greeted me both cordially and warmly in spite of the fact that I was as green to the local factions as a pilot fresh out of the academy. They even offered to have a "first landing" drink with them at the end of their duty shift.
I had to turn them down and said I would take a rain check on it the next time I came out here and explained that I was on a mission to earn my commission with the Federal Navy.
They wished me luck and told me they would take me up on the rain check, let me go about my business for payment transfer and left to head to Chiao Landing, Lacaille 8760 to deliver a reroute salvage and to hand in the additional bounties I earned from the assassination mission in Luyten's Star.
The instant I handed in that bounty and was paid, I received message that the local faction was more than grateful for the removal of that Pirate Lord, granted me cordial access and told me they had a Navy Contract available for the taking.
It was an easy salvage mission in Fomalhaut.
I hit my cabin, picked up the sponsorship documents that I had stored in my locker and walked as quickly as I could to the Navy Post Office to hand over the documents.
He looked up at me as I approach his desk, "Is there something I can help you with Commander?" His accent was vaguely Latin in origin.
I saw he was a middle-aged man, getting a bit wide around the midsection from too many months at a desk job. His hair cut high and tight, black hair slowly greying from age. His cap on his desk, forward and right to where he was sitting. I could tell he was wearing a no-nonsense aftershave; the sort often used at a barbershop.
The name plate on his desk read Post Captain R. Paxti.
"Captain Paxti," I began as I handed my sponsorship papers over to him, "this is the necessary paperwork for my commission within the Federal Navy."
Taking them, he unfolded them neatly and reading them stated, "Isn't it a little premature to be handing me these papers, Commander Baldelli? You haven't even completed the assignment yet."
"No, sir. However I've spent more than 80 hours performing extractions in Ceos and Sothis; this should be a cake walk for me. I should be back in about 90 minutes to pick up my rank pins."
He put the papers down, opened one of the bottom drawers on his desk, pulled out a small jewelry box, put it down on top of my papers and smiled a little bit more saying, "These will be waiting for you in 90 minutes."
I finished the assignment in 35 minutes (from launch to recovery to return).
I was finishing up post-landing checks when I saw Paxti standing in my docking bay holding the jewelry box in his left hand.
My email dinged telling me that I had earned my promotion and permits to Ross 128.
I met with Paxti at the bottom of the gantry of the Tokugawa.
He handed me the jewelry box, shook hands gave a salute and said crisply, "Congratulations, Ensign Baldelli. You are now a commissioned officer within the Federal Navy. While it's just an honorary commission, serve with honor and distinction."
"Thank you, Captain."
While I didn't do a military about-face, I did instead turn around and head up the gantry to my quarters to put the pins on my dress uniform as was customary.