LT Gila Sadar - Foundation Under Renovation (Part II)
Gila Sadar
((MacKenzie Family Residence – Cambridge, Massachusetts Earth))
MacKenzie: For your initial distraction and repulsion of the Borg while my team was over on the Cube, I hereby award the Silver Star to Commander Dakora and Lieutenant Silveira.
Dakora/Silveira/Any: Responses
MacKenzie: Likewise, it is my privilege to award the Distinguished Service to the members of my team who were responsible for helping to retake the ship: Lieutenants Jovenan and Silveira.
Jovenan/Silveira: Responses
MacKenzie: Treating severely wounded officers is difficult enough when the Borg aren’t quite literally knocking down your door. Gods know your ego certainly doesn’t need me to inflate it any more by telling you what I’ve already shared with you, which is that I value and appreciate your skills as a physician, but here I am. For your work to save Commander Hopper in from from ideal circumstances, I award you the Silver Lifesaving Ribbon.
Adea/Any: Responses
The applause that had been practically non-existent at the beginning of the ribbon ceremony grew louder and more fervent as the ceremony progressed, and the Captain’s awards turned from their shared trauma and to the efforts of those who had proved the final line of defense against utter defeat. Gila felt pride in her heart as she watched her fellow crew be awarded these ribbons. She knew in her very spirit that they’d given the Borg a far more intense resistance than the Collective could’ve ever accounted for.
No Artemisian was able to recognize that moment when quitting was the only sensible option.
MacKenzie: Ensign Gnai, please join me in the front.
Gila stood a bit straighter, watching the Galadoran Ensign as it approached the Captain’s location by the grill. The new suit - crafted as it was from space detritus from the Frontier Day Battle - was less sleek and streamlined than the previous one, and yet, in some way, it suited it far better... A testament to the growth the Ensign had had to undergo in the 7 months since it first boarded the Ship.
MacKenzie: Ensign Gnai, in short order, you have proven yourself not only to be a respectable scientist, but a quick-thinker, intuitive, and a valuable contributor to this crew. You have caught my attention in the best possible way, and it is my privilege as your Captain to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that entails.
The applause turned far more excited than previously. Promotions were always a joyous occasion, and especially in the cases where they were more than deserved.
Gnai/Any: Response
As the only Artemisian who’d been aboard the Kitty Hawk alongside Lieutenant Gnai, Gila could attest to it. Despite the hazardous conditions it had been trapped in, the Lieutenant had never stopped fighting for its fellow officers, and more than that, Gila owed it a personal debt. Had it not been for Lieutenant Gnai, Gila seriously doubted she’d have survived Frontier Day. This is why her applause possibly rang the loudest and truest.
MacKenzie: ::authoritatively:: Doctor Sadar.
Her applause died immediately as Gila stared up at the Captain. Horrid memories of dim Betazoid bars and public ridicule immediately surfaced in her mind, and her anxiety ring twisted almost as if by its own power. That is, until Gila realized that it was, of course, her own fingers who did the twisting.
Sadar: ::gulp:: Y-Y-Y-Yes Sir...
Eager to be back to anonymity as soon as possible, Gila shuffled to the front of the crowd with uncharacteristic speed, though she kept her eyes firmly anchored to the ground as she did so.
MacKenzie: Doctor Sadar, it is not lost on me how much you hate being put in situations like this. Many doctors are content to do their duty, save lives and help people when and where they can, and go on about their lives. The problem I have with you is that you continue go above and beyond the call of duty, not only in your medical obligations to this crew, but in your conduct and your ability to think outside the box. More than that, I appreciate your willingness to follow orders, even when you disagree with them, and to know the difference between objecting to them in the moment and raising the issue with your superiors later. Especially when I know how difficult that is for you. For your continued service to this crew, I have no choice but to promote you to the rank of full Lieutenant. Congratulations, Doctor!
Gila was very certain that Captain MacKenzie had no idea what the phrase ‘I have no choice’ meant in context.
Sadar: A-A-Are you su- I mean, uhh, th-thank you, Sir.
And as quickly as she’d approached the Captain, her departure back towards the fringe of the congregation was twice that speed.
MacKenzie: And last, but certainly not least, Lieutenant Jovenan.
Jovenan: Response
Gila broke her rapid escape to whirl around, her hands already hovering near each other to start the applause that was imminent.
MacKenzie: Lieutenant, since you came aboard the Excalibur and now during your time on the Artemis, you have shown exemplary leadership. Your contributions to the ship and your running of the science department have been some of best I’ve seen, and I think it is because you approach your work from a place of curiosity and with the best of Starfleet ideals in mind. You are a shining example of what it means to be a Starfleet officer, even when I know the choices you’ve had to make go against your personal and cultural beliefs. I am proud to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Congratulations!
Determined to be among the loudest of the crew, Gila’s hands thundered against each other in applause for the Edo Lieutenant Commander, as she received a hollow pip onto her collar. Stubbornly ignoring her own rank amendment, Gila decided that that was a command decision to question on another evening. For now, she would celebrate her colleagues, who had deserved every celebration of their conduct possible.
Jovenan/Any: Response
MacKenzie: And with that, I invite you to enjoy this moment together. Eat, drink, celebrate one another and remember that these moments are precious – we never know what the galaxy has in store for us next. Commander Dakora, are those wings ready yet?!
Dakora/Any: Response
The benefit of one of her junior officers wearing an exosuit was the fact that they were easily located in a crowd, and as such, it took Gila close to no time at all to sidle up next to Lieutenant Gnai, a hesitant smile on her face.
Sadar: Lieutenant Gnai? Congratulations on your promotion. ::pause:: It is thoroughly deserved.
Gnai/Any: Response
Sadar: ::shakes head:: I-I’m, uhh... L-Let’s not- D-Did you bring any food? ::considers:: I brought honey-pickled scallops in freshwater salad? Does that agree with you physiognomy?
Gnai/Any: Response
Tags/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1