Serious: Pheonix Battle Squad returns to Marineford ((Open to all pheonix battle squad members and also to the people who want to join))

"Kalamity-shosho!" A marine clerk called, rushing over and grabbing the man by his gloved hand. "We're just about to start...why did you get here so late!?"

Vince seemed shocked. He'd been complacent to wait in the crowd, with all the other marines in attendance, but was apparently being pulled out onto the stage and sat among other officers in the second row of three rows of white chairs. Nishki was in the front row, furthest to the left, just a short ways behind where Talitha stood. The other seats were all filled with men of the rank of Commodore and higher; important men, people who'd earned rank through a lifetime of service. Some of them looked unhappy.

It seemed natural to Vince; he'd run into it dozens of times. Old-timers, vets, hard-workers who'd devoted their life to service and earned a rank on the back of their decades of effort. They were strong men and women, devoted to the cause, and tirelessly persistent. Though the Marines were not his vocation by choice, the Rear Admiral had come to understand and respect all the people who'd given up normal lives to serve the banner of Justice.

They, in turn, did not respect for the very same reason.

Vince's rank was a by-product of his artificial power, of the influence of the Science Division. He was made Commodore upon his introduction from the WGSD into the Marines proper, and promoted to his current rank at the completion of his first mission. It was well known among the old brass that he was young, though his disfigurement made it impossible to tell. It was also well known that he'd been a bounty hunter before his accident; ex-hunters were always hounded by that stigma in the marines, viewed as scavengers, greedy jackals.

Talitha was young. She was bursting with that radiant youthful energy and confidence that made you either like or hate her. She was headstrong, brash, reckless; everything needed to succeed in the world, and everything necessary to fail. The older marines saw a guppy being tossed into the shark's tank, a favour of special priviledge for her relationship with Nishki, a mistake...in the eyes of men who won their medals and ranks on blood and sweat in the line of duty, a jump of two ranks for a tournament, a staged battle, was unfathomable.

The woman herself, for the most part, seemed oblivious to it. Kalamity would have liked to smile; it seemed appropriate that the very reasons for their scorn also made her immune to it. Still, something about this all seemed a bit wrong. A ceremony should be cause for celebration; save for Nishki and a couple others from Phoenix, there were too many blank faces, a few open scowls.

"...and for a meritorious performance in the course of a military training exercise against the formidable opponents of her own division..."

Vince hadn't even noticed when the announcer had begun speaking. He imagined he'd only missed a minute or so of flowery, over-prolix formalities and such, the substance being addressed only now. It was another Vice Admiral speaking; an older man he'd heard of himself not too long ago. He had been a favourite for promotion to Admiral some years back, but age and time had dropped him from the running. There was no joy in his voice, no sense of pride at seeing a powerful young marine advance. There was blank, monotonous duty at it's finest, a poker-face played to keep the bitterness back.

"...and so, as we honor this young and upcoming star in the eternal war against injustices abroad, we've prepared to begin with several of her crew members give speeches in commemoration of this event. First, I proudly present the podium to-"

"Thank you, Iro-chujo," Kalamity announced, breaking etiquette, protocol, and regular on just about every possible level: standing on stage mid-ceremony out of program, walking over the speaker's podium unbidden, interrupting the ceremony (and a superior officer, at once)...he didn't envy himself the dressing-down he'd get for this.

Vice Admiral Iro, however, understood the way things worked. Though Kalamity had ruined things, he had to make it look as if everything was going according to plan. Forcing a grim smile, the sort that clearly said "when this is over, your ass is mine," he held his hand out in a welcoming gesture to the foolhardy cyborg.

"...Rear Admiral Kalamity. He was recently assigned to the Phoenix Battle Squadron, and was Captain Blythe's opponent in the final round of the exercise." There was some light applause, even less than the perfunctory meaningless clapping that accompanied the regular dull ceremonial tripe. It was a willful sign of disrespect, and the young old man took it with grace.

"Thank you, you are all much too kind." There was a pause, Kalamity standing perfectly still before the Den Den Mic, his jaw slightly lowered. It dragged on, the officers behind him coughing nervously, the marines in the crowd breaking into a low din. As it reached thirty seconds, it became impossibly awkward. Iro took a step forward to retrieve the mic, but was cut short after just a single step when Vince finally began his address.

"Drive and power," Kalamity stated into the microphone, his voice sounding a bit less raspy and scathing than usual. "Every marine who does honour to his duty must possess these two things, and the quantity with which they possess them is the ultimate and final measure of their worth to the service." Another pause, this one mercifully short. He seemed to have the entire crowd's attention, both the ratings before him and the officers behind.

"I have known Captain Blythe for less than one day," he stated, slowly, his voice even. "Less than one single day in my life." There was a murmur of confusion from the crowd in front.

"Everyone standing here, on the holy ground of justice, has the drive to do right in this world. You all have the desire to go forth and bring equity to those whom have been deprived of it, to serve and defend those who cannot serve and defend their selves, their families, their holdings. You have the drive to give your blood - your life - to fight those who bring this injustice into the world."

"Not even a whole day."

"Everyone standing here, on the holy land of righteousness, has the power to bring good into this world. You are men and women of discipline, trained rigorously, forever growing stronger as you perform unwaveringly in your duties, spending every free moment between bettering yourself. Discipline, strength, fortitude. You push your bodies and mind to and beyond their human limits that you may become ever-greater champions of justice."

There was another pause, but nobody seemed impatient or uncomfortable this time. Large and by, they all seemed rather intent, interested. Detractors and all, it seemed like officer and enlisted alike wanted to hear where Kalamity was taking this.

"In less than one day, I have taken a measure of Captain Blythe. She is a marine of great drive; her drive is as strong as any who stand here, no matter age or service record, will ever be. There is no man, woman, or abomination present here today that has a will to surpass her own." Vince turned his head to the side, his black eye disk fixing on Talitha for a brief moment, then tilted his head forward a bit to get closer to the mic.

"There are those present who have more power," Vince stated, "and so in the world at large. I told you that by the quantity of drive and power is a marine's measure known."

"Captain Blythe carved into the metal on my body the mark of her power. She testified with an iron fortitude of will - enduring hellish agony, the fatigue of a day of marathon combat - with each blow she landed. There are those present who have more power...but absolutely none hold a rank so low as she did, when she walked in here today."

"My brothers and sisters in the call of justice, we celebrate today the correction of a grievous undermining of the marine chain of command. The wisdom and quality of experience that comes with time cannot be matched by drive and power alone, but their absence is not demerit; it is a promise, one that accepting this promotion makes clear."

"Captain Talitha Blythe steps forward in the world of the marine today in the name of justice, to accept a place that she has by merit of will and strength proven to be rightly hers." Vince's voice was beginning to grow extremely sparse, a gutteral, hissing rasp. The charred remains of his larynx seemed to be reaching their limits.

"On behalf of myself and every last man, woman, and child who you have saved...on behalf of all the ones this promotion will give you the reach to save, I congratulate you on your promotion. The notion that others, by merit of time or service or any other quality, deserve this promotion more..."

There was a short pause, and the Rear Admiral raised his only hand, palm flat out, towards the audience.

"No such thought can exist."

Saluting to Vice Admiral Iro, Kalamity stepped down from the podium and walked back over to his seat. Setting himself back into his place in the rows of authority, his mind drifted to what a pain in the ass taking his lumps would be.