His next one was a similar job to the role he had served aboard the CC.  Though he could easily serve on a high level staff of his choosing, he was interested in taking on the tip of the spear jobs that he thought he might be able to have an impact on.  He was being assigned as the Senior Enlisted Advisor/Chief Yeoman aboard a starbase that was just being recently renovated and upgraded.  A fresh new Commander would be taking her first command aboard the Vision class station and Starfleet thought he might a good fit to help her and the station acclimate to their new roles.

His duty to serve as a veteran watchstander and good advisor had been fulfilled.  His implied role to make sure that K’lev and his young senior staff would be capable of operating the vessel effectively.  It had been a bit of a pilot project that had been forced upon Starfleet by the losses in personnel over the last year and half.  And in this case Bong felt it was a grand success, and his own role in it had been minor.  A few chats each week with K’lev and his senior staff each week had allowed him to impart what he felt they may have been lacking in terms of specific and general knowledge in several aspects of starship operations.  But by and large ‘they had the right stuff’ as a group and didn’t need him around any more. Sure they were young but they were smart, skilled and a good team.

Bong stopped and turned back to K’lev and Lotharys, who had followed him the whole way.

K’lev, who had handed the wrapped box to Lotharys as they walked, stepped forward.  “Chief, I know I speak for everyone aboard when I say how grateful we are to have had you aboard these last few months.  There isn’t a one of us here who can’t honestly say that you’ve helped make us all better versions of ourselves, both personally and professionally.”

Many of the assembled crew nodded in agreement as K’lev continued.  “I wish you could stay with us longer, but Command’s spoken, and they’ve said they need your skills elsewhere.  I hope the next commander you serve with knows just how lucky they are to have you on their crew.”  He smiled, taking the wrapped box as Lotharys handed it to him and stepping forward.  “I also hope you don’t forget us here on the Culver City, because we won’t forget you, no matter where our careers take us.  Now, if you’ll forgive the indulgence,” he offered the box to the chief, “a small token of our appreciation to our erstwhile command chief as he begins the next step of his long and storied career.”

“Thanks sir. Just remember your training and your duties everything will fall into place.” He opened the box and gazed at the mini Cali a while.

“Well, this will definitely have a home in my case of mementos here…I’m sure you all got better thing to do then to say goodbye an old salt like me.” He and the other to transferees stepped onto the transporter padd. He kept looking at the little model of the CC and the plague. The kids would indeed, be alright.

As the transporter operator engaged, a single tear dropped from the Chief left eye and quietly splattered on the pad just before he disappeared.

After the chief and the remaining transferees dematerialized, K’lev nodded to Lotharys, who dismissed the crew back to their duties.  As the crowd dispersed, though, he remained a moment in the transporter room, before he too returned to his duties; after all, there was much still to do before Culver City sailed, and only a few hours to do it in.