Lt Jovenan – Junior no more
Jovenan
((The Fifth Chalice, Oxeania Commercial District, Tharazad, Betazed))
The first ceremony of this kind Jovenan had taken part of had been in the Round Table lounge on the Excalibur. The next one had been held in the State Dining Room of the Tecra Provincial Government building. The one after that was in the Elysium.
This was a random bar.
It wasn’t a bad bar, there was jazz and waitstaff offering drinks and appetizers. Not that Jovenan knew much about bars, good or bad. When she had arrived, Oxeania had appeared massive compared to Dekoa where she had visited with Doct… er, Genkos. More urban, more modern as well. She couldn’t come up with a reason why the Captain would have chosen this specific bar out of dozens, maybe hundreds of similar or ones, but it wasn’t exactly a bad choice.
The mid-sized room began fill up of her friends and colleagues, until she heard a clear chime of a utensil striking the side of a glass. She, like the rest of the present crew, turned towards the Captain.
MacKenzie: I’m glad to have you all here with us. Mr. Dakora introduced me to this bar a few days ago, and I’ve been thinking about it as a place to host a little awards celebration. As many of you know by now, Commander Yalu has needed to step away from his duties for the time being, and Commander Dakora has graciously accepted my offer to become our new First Officer. Would you please congratulate – and properly harass – him?
Jovenan clapped to the new XO, who had changed his full black uniform to one with red shoulders. Commander Yalu’s departure had been sudden and surprising, but she admitted that Talos would make a great first officer. As long as he remained out of trouble, that is.
Dakora: Response
The Captain moved on.
MacKenzie: I hope you have all found time to rest, recharge, and take advantage of the hospitality offered by this beautiful world. There were a lot of traumas from our last mission – physical and emotional scars that no doubt run deep after being betrayed by, well, ourselves. But, I’m as proud now as I’ve ever been by how you continue to perform your duties in ways that no doubt make you among the best officers in Starfleet. (beat) Which is why we’re here tonight!
Jovenan pursed her lips. The healing process would take long for some members of the crew. She had, like others, suffered some mental scars on the road, and Hiro’s sudden departure hadn’t helped her in that regard. She thought he would have deserved to be present in this ceremony as well.
The Captain moved to open one of the many wooden boxes she had on the table. Jovenan knew those boxes well by now.
MacKenzie: It’s not often you face your counterparts… From another place, from another time… To be faced with the very real possibility of how you might have turned out differently if you’d faced a different set of circumstances… For your encounter with the Desdemona and their crew, I hereby award you the Quantum Reality Service Medal.
Clapping, again. Every time Jovenan had skimmed through the ribbons list, she had thought the Quantum Reality ribbon was the most intriguing looking one of them. The gold, silver and bronze lines waving in the starry background was a clear, albeit stylized, representation of different timelines crossing and then deviating again. Jovenan accepted hers as Talos did a round handing them each one.
MacKenzie: I’d like to continue by calling Ensigns Z’Vahme, Kel, and Chevalier to the front, please.
Jovenan looked on as the trio of new ensigns took their place in front of the Captain and the crew. She remembered having met some of them in the exercise earlier, but she couldn’t say knowing any of them quite yet.
MacKenzie: I haven’t had a formal opportunity to introduce the three newest officers to the rest of the senior staff. Ensign Z’Vahme will be joining us as our new helmsman, Ensign Chevalier in the operations department, and Ensign Kel as our newest security officer. Also, it is my great pleasure as your commanding officer to formally award you with the Starfleet Academy Graduate Ribbon. Would you please welcome our newest officers?
Z’Vahme/Kel/Chevalier: Response
Clapping. Each of them had earned the ribbon the moment they had graduated, but being handed it by the new Captain and First Officer was always a great moment in an officer’s life.
MacKenzie: Mr. Chevalier, if you’d remain a moment… And if I could ask Commander Dakora, Lieutenant Yellir, and Ensign Savel to join him…
Talos, Savel and Lt Yellir moved to join Ensign Chevalier. By the accounts Jovenan had read from the reports, these four had seen some of the most gruesome moments of the mission. Whichever ribbon the Captain had selected for them, they had earned it.
MacKenzie: You each faced particularly perilous circumstances on our last mission. ::looking at Savel:: The catastrophe in Sickbay… ::looking at Yellir:: Facing off with alt-Dakora in Engineering… ::looking at Chevalier and Dakora:: Trying to make sense of which me was the real me, and facing off against… whatever that cybernetic being of theirs was…
Yeah. All that.
MacKenzie: For the way each of you has handled your respective situations, I’m proud to award each of you the Good Conduct Ribbon.
Yellir/Savel/Chevalier/Dakora: Responses
More clapping. The rest of the crew only stopped after the four officers returned to their appropriate places.
MacKenzie: Lieutenant Jovenan…
Oh dear.
Her heart was beating ever-so-slightly faster as she pushed her way through the barrier of her colleagues, under the gaze of the Captain, to the central stage. She had become gradual less nervous wreck being in this position, although standing in here alone, she was still not completely without some level of awkwardness.
MacKenzie: Lieutenant, without your scientific intuition and incredible work ethic, I’m not sure that we would have been able to figure out how the prismagons worked… and if we wouldn’t have been able to sort that out, I’m not sure we would have been able to send the Desdemona crew back to their universe. For your work, I hereby award you the Innovation Ribbon.
The Captain and at least some of the crew applauded as Jovenan accepted the ribbon from Talos. The Innovation Ribbon was a nice ribbon – innovating was never easy. She was proud that she could now fix the third golden star to the one in her collection.
The applauses died out soon, and the red-cheeked Jovenan was ready to thank the Captain and make a haste flight back into the crowed, but the Captain instead raised a single finger up.
MacKenzie: Not so fast…
Jovenan looked surprised as the Captain herself took one the wooden boxes from the table and circled it to stand just in front of her. Jovenan looked up to her commanding officer’s eyes as she began to understand what was happening.
MacKenzie: Lieutenant JG Jovenan, you have continued to act in accordance with the best traditions of Starfleet. You have displayed good leadership qualities, mindfulness and empathy toward others, and you continue to serve as an example to be followed by everyone on this ship. It is both my duty and my privilege to promote you to the rank of full Lieutenant.
After coming out of her brief bewilderment, Jovenan tilted her head slightly to the left so that it would be easier to the Captain to access her rank pips, although it wasn’t strictly necessary. She felt the Captain’s hands removing the hollow pip first. It had been 8 months, to the date, since her promotion to a JG, and even that had been an honour beyond her grasp.
She then felt the Captain adding a new pip to her collar. Jovenan straightened her head, smiling. The pip didn’t weight significantly more than the old one, but she could feel its symbolical mass on her. Lieutenants had felt so much above her previously, and so much wiser and capable, too. She now shared the rank of so many individuals she respected.
Adding a pip to her collar didn’t prevent the Captain from continuing.
MacKenzie: I also continue to be impressed with your creativity and your scientific ingenuity. On countless occasions, I think about how your contributions to our work have in some instances been singularly responsible for getting us out of tricky situations. And that’s why I can think of no better person to serve as our Chief Science Officer, effective immediately.
The Captain and the crew began clapping while Jovenan stood there trying to comprehend. They were putting her in charge of the entire department? Her? And… she now had an office? A new room to equip and decorate while even her own quarters didn’t even have another seat for quests to sit on? In her bafflement, the last thought made her even more nervous than all the actual responsibilities she now had.
Eventually, she managed to get a word out.
Jovenan: Th-thank you, sir!
Luckily, promotions weren’t dependent on articulation skills.
With the Captain’s nod, finally, Jovenan returned to the crowd. Lieutenant. Not JG. Full. It was a weird thought.
MacKenzie: There’s just one other matter. …Doctor Sadar?
Jovenan couldn’t help but feel sorry to the shy medical officer. Doctor Sadar had many great achievements under her name already, but she had never seemed to learn coping with attention. Jovenan could almost bet that Doctor Sadar would have preferred her award in the form of ignoring her for a day.
MacKenzie: Doctor Sadar, you are… weird. When you came aboard the Artemis, you were timid, and skittish, and I’m pretty sure you were on the verge of wetting yourself every time I walked in the room.
Oh dear. The Captain was either being humorous or she really didn’t like Doctor Sadar.
MacKenzie: But you are also an exceptional physician. I have watched the way you have interacted with your patients and the way you have started to form friendships with your colleagues. I have also seen the way you stand up for what you believe in, even if that means offering a dissenting opinion. Despite whatever insecurities you may have, I hope I no longer cause you any anxiety, as I believe you have the makings of an exceptional officer. One that has certainly earned my respect and the respect of everyone gathered here. It is my privilege as your commanding officer to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant JG.
Jovenan clapped excitedly as the Captain’s hands approached the Doctors collar, holding a small pip. She had been with Doctor Sadar large parts of the last two missions, and she had learnt to trust in the Mizarian physician’s abilities and skills. The Artemis had many world-class, nay, galaxy-class professionals and great individuals, and Doctor Sadar was one of them.
Sadar: Response
Eventually, the Captain raised her hands in the air and addressed the group.
MacKenzie: Alright, that’s it! Food should be out shortly – congratulations to all of you!
Jovenan didn’t waste a moment to reach Doctor Sadar, who had barely left the central area before the awarding part of the ceremony had ended.
Jovenan: Doctor Sadar! ::reaching her, smiles:: Congratulations, Lieutenant! You’re the one of us who deserved that honour the most!
Sadar: Response
She studied the new Jay Gee’s expression for a moment.
Jovenan: How are you feeling? Did you not expect for a promotion?
Sadar: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11