Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Honoring the Dead and Celebrating the Living
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
((Beta Quadrant, Par’tha Expanse, USS Atlantis, Deck 6, Holodeck 1))
::She grimaced as Williams stepped into sight. It was a difficult reminder, but she was determined not to let those memories touch her here.::
Rosek: o0 I’m a Starfleet officer. I’m a professional. 0o
Brell: I would like to share the spotlight this evening with a few other people who really deserve it. To that end would Mr Raga please join us.
Williams: For those who haven't met Mr. Raga, please make sure that you do tonight. He saved us on more than one occasion. Although his methods are sometimes a bit unorthodox and many would say “dangerous” it is because of him that we can all be here today.
Brell: Mr. Raga, it is my pleasure to promote from JG to full Lieutenant, and position as Chief of Tactical and Security of the Atlantis.
::Lael grinned, resisting the urge to yell out, instead opting to clap very enthusiastically.::
Rosek: ~Go Toryn!~
::She was ridiculously proud of him...and maybe a bit envious about him becoming chief of not one, but two departments, while her appointment as Assistant Chief Engineering Officer aboard the Veritas was still up in the air, pending a conversation with Rahman.::
Raga: Ah..thank you sirs. I shall try to live up to the faith you've in me. And hope to be as honorable as our previous Chief.
Williams: As a former chief of these departments you can be sure I’ll be keeping a close eye on you son. ::He said it a bit to loud so everyone could hear it::
Raga: I'd expect nothing less sir. ::smiles::
Williams: Would Ensign Serala please join us up here. Although you are still relatively new to us, you have proven yourself to be a capable officer in the dark hours that haunted us a few weeks ago. You did your duty and went far beyond that to make sure we get back to the light. It is our honor to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, and I am positive that is not the end of your career track. Congratulations.
Brell: You have served with honor and distinction, Congratulations Lieutenant.
::Despite her earlier (and if she was honest, still slightly present) jealousy of the young woman, she applauded politely. If the emotions Toryn was giving off were any indication, he cared about Serala and it wasn’t going to do Lael any good to dislike her. Even if the thought of Serala and Toryn...together...bothered her, she was comforted by the fact that the Al-Leyan mandates were as strict as they were regarding intimate contact with outsiders. She grimaced. That thought alone made her feel like the worst kind of person.::
Serala: Thank you, sir. This means more than you could know. Oh, and congratulations to you on your promotion.
::At that moment, Williams broke in, referring to a PADD in his hand.::
Williams: As you all might have known we have difficult weeks behind us. The ship you see today has only been recently restored to its full glory. While damage can be repaired, lives can not simply be replaced. Before we move on I would like you all the take a moment of silence to remember our shipmates, and fellow officers who gave their lives for what they believed in.
::A lump formed in Lael’s throat as the grief and loss of everyone in the room battered at her mental shields. Being in the presence of such overwhelming emotion brought tears to Lael’s eyes. She searched for Toryn, the expression on his face speaking volumes. Recalling the many lives lost during the Gorkon’s year in hell, she bowed her head. She pressed her hand to the cross that she wore beneath her uniform, offering a whispered prayer for those who had lost their lives, even though she didn’t know their names.::
Williams: Thank you all… ::he paused for a second and checked his PADD again so see who had to be called on stage: Lucky for us, we have an excellent medical staff. Without them the list of casualties would be even larger. Many got injured and some heavily. For that they are represented with the Purple Heart. I have two of them myself but why we give medals to people who take an injury was always a mystery to me. Today I think it's a way of telling ourselves how lucky we are that we are still alive. We are glad to celebrate that these man and woman are still with us. Raga, Jann, Serala, please accept these Purple Hearts as an acknowledgement for your hard work. You showed us that you overcame your injuries and live to fight another day.
Raga: Thank you sir. I'm glad to be alive, though I would gladly trade my life for even one of the twenty seven.
Jann: Thank you sir.
Serala: Thank you, sir. Like the others, I'm glad to be alive. I only wish I could have saved some or all of the deceased.
::She watched Toryn accept the box containing his ribbon, worrying her lip as she tried not to project the overwhelming mixture of emotion at the thought of what he’d likely been through to earn that. She’d earned three in three years, all of which she’d have traded in a heart beat for three of the lives that had been lost during her service. Some saw the ribbon as a badge of honor. For her, it only served to remind her of the price she’d paid to wear them.::
Brell: Ensign Knight without your quick thinking and skills the battle with our robotic foes could have had a very different outcome. Your discovery of the jamming signal led to us being able to mount a counter attack. It is my honor to present you with the Innovation Ribbon.
Knight: response
Williams: Now as you might see we still have a table with a whole set of boxes. I won't call everyone forward but everyone who served with us during the spider bot attack will be given the Legion of Merit for staving off the attack. It was a hard and painful struggle but in the end we pulled through. I’ll have to correct myself on this one. Why don't you all get on stage after all. Let our guests see who you are and what you did.
::Wiping away the moisture, Lael applauded as the Atlantis crew stepped up to the stage.::
Williams: ::Raising his voice:: Ladies and gentleman… the proud crewmembers of the USS Atlantis. hip hip
Brell: Hooray!
::With a wane smile, Lael joined the applause, an overwhelming feeling of pride swelling in her chest. This was why she’d joined Starfleet. It was people like the crew of the Atlantis that made her honored to be a Starfleet officer.::
Brell: The bar and buffet is open and so is the dance floor. Enjoy yourselves!
::The dance floor. That was something she’d been looking forward to before things had gotten so complicated. She hadn’t expected Toryn to be entering his season nor had she expected that to have such a powerful effect on her own, so close. She exhaled heavily.::
Rosek: o0 I can control myself. I can stop him if he starts pushing. 0o
::She’d resisted far greater temptations, even if she couldn’t recall them at the moment. Even though she knew what they both wanted wasn’t possible for them right now, she wanted his company and a chance to congratulate him on his promotion. Surely one dance couldn’t hurt, could it? She closed the distance between them enough and stood in his direct line of sight so that her thoughts would reach him and no one else, still giving him enough space that the urges wouldn’t be so strong and that he could think more clearly. She noted that he was talking with a few people she didn’t know, but reached out before she could change her mind.::
Rosek: ::pauses:: ~Congratulations on your promotion.~ ::smiles wanly:: ~I’d say the same for your Purple Heart, but I’ve gotten enough of those to know that the way you earn them doesn’t make up for the award itself.~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
Rosek: ::worries her lip:: ~Given how badly this could turn out for you if something goes wrong, I understand if you don’t think it’s a good idea, but...dance with me?~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
Rosek: ~No pressure. I won’t try anything, I promise.~ ::smiles:: ~I’ll keep my hands and all other parts of me respectable. I just...even if we can’t be that for each other, I’d like it very much if we could be friends. And friends dance, don’t they?~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~
Rosek: ~I have my mental shields raised, so I can block what I’m feeling and thinking.~ ::pauses:: ~As far as the pheromones...I won’t breathe too deeply. I don’t know if you can manage the same, but--~
Raga: ~RESPONSE~