Standing in ranks, admittedly in the back of the rest simply due to height, Ocano was very much happy with everything that had happened. Every little action, class, day, week, month, every single [i]year[/i] had led up to a singular, wonderful moment. It had been a long, long while since he had felt someone be proud of him for that keystone moment, that mark on a life’s path where passing a test just…didn’t seem like enough. He was going to a ship, a Starfleet ship, as an officer…granted, just acting in that role for now, but if things went well, he would be one. Traveling the galaxy, learning of new species, civilizations, people both alive and dead that could teach so much, that sounded like a dream. True, Ocano knew it would never be always like that, but…the little difficulties could be ironed out. The idea of the thing was enough for him.

The man gave his speech, something the Pakled paid a certain amount of attention to. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t expecting before, wasn’t anything particularly new or fascinating, yet still, nevertheless…there was that feeling behind it all. That thought of “I’ve done it” seemed to pervade everything, overpower everything. It was just [i]there[/i], above everything. He listened for the assignments afterwards.

[quote][i]"Ocano... Just Ocano? Sorry, forgive me. Chief anthropologist, USS Tucker. You're on the Duke. It'll be in shuttle bay 2."[/i][/quote]
He nodded in acknowledgement, not really giving the brisk piping-out that some other Ensigns did, quickly moving on to somehow use up several hours before embarking on the ship. USS [i]Tucker[/i]. What sort of vessel would that be? Likely one of the smaller ones of the fleet, he thought, one of the…well, other than the Mirandas, nothing else would likely track. Maybe one of those. He got to his room, small as it was considered he’d had to share the space with two other prospective officers, found his items just as he’d left them all packed up.

Well, where else does one really go? He found a bench, sat down, and just…looked out. Looked at the Academy and the far-off ‘Golden Gate Bridge’. Listened to the trees and birds and all the things he’d never really looked at before, the things he’d been too busy to look at before and enjoy. Ocano just paused, listened, closed his eyes and felt the wind on him.

It was nice.

Finally, though, he found the shuttle bay and, summarily, ‘the Duke’. Walking through the smaller crowds who were all finding their own shuttles, coming to the thing Ocano found one other already there. Londo…something? Xid? Xad? [i]Xad[/i]. After he’d made his introductions, which included a salute and a click of the heels of all things that he thought better to comment on, Ocano stepped forward. Despite him not trying to be especially loud, the Pakled nevertheless was.

“Ensign Ocano, reporting.”