LT Gila Sadar - May the Turn of the Wheel bring Peace to your Path, Genkos Adea
LT Gila Sadar
(( Main Shuttlebay - Deck 11, USS Artemis-A ))
Slotted in with the rest of the Medical Department, Gila stood uneasily as she awaited what was to come. The news had come as a shock to her. Commander Adea, getting a reassignment? This wasn’t the first time she’d seen colleagues off, of course, but this time felt different. This wasn’t a call to Starfleet for volunteers to bolster their efforts in the Alpha Isles. This was a promotion, and one that would see Commander Adea, once again, leave Sickbay behind to claim the red uniform.
Gila was happy for him, of course, but there was a sense of unease that accompanied it. For the past two years, Commander Genkos Adea had been her direct superior, and while she hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye with him, he’d been a comfortable guiding force, familiar in his conduct and reliable in his presence. Now, they would have to get a new Chief of Medical...
And new was scary.
She wondered if this was also the thought that went through Commander Adea’s mind when the shuttle bay doors opened, and he stood there, watching with evident surprise in his face upon the entirety of the USS Artemis-A crew complement, gathered there to pay their respects to him on the eve of his departure.
MacKenzie: Attention to orders.
Everyone, whether they were the authoritative sort or not, clicked their heels together and stood at attention, giving Commander Genkos Adea, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Artemis-A, a send-off worthy of his service.
MacKenzie: I believe your shuttle awaits, Commander.
Gila wasn’t the most perceptive person, but working with someone for a long period of time would inevitably lead to her understanding their behaviour. Commander Genkos Adea was a dedicated mentor, ever open and available to observe and give feedback on junior officer’s work. His office was always open in case you had any concerns or questions. And he didn’t really like being the center of attention.
Adea: Captain.
Commander Adea moved slowly towards the shuttle area, where the most senior of the crew were placed, and as Gila watched him approach, a memory moved to the forefront of her mind. The first time she’d met the Chief Medical Officer.
(( Flashback: SD240008.01 - Siamberr Library, Rylar District, Cait ))
She had nearly reached an empty space when she realized - with a fair amount of color draining from her already pale white face - that the adjacent console was taken by someone eerily familiar, despite the fact that they’d never met face-to-face. Almost instantaneously, a struggle between flight-or-fight responses occurred in her mind, as she watched the side profile of the Chief Medical Officer of the Artemis.
Adea: What in the four -
Gila could’ve kicked herself, as she realized that she - in a half-conscious attempt to back away, towards the entrance - had knocked over the empty chair just beside her. Panicking, she immediately bent over to try and pick up the fallen seat, and then hit her forehead on the console edge. The heavy sound of metal against padded skull reverberated throughout her head, as her overactive imagination gave her a very detailed rundown of how in the Galaxy that must have looked to her superior officer.
She almost cried.
Instead, she just remained in a squatting position, rubbing one white hand against the skinfolds that had taken the brunt of the blunt force trauma.
Adea: You okay, let me have a look.
Sadar: S-Sorry Sir. Yes, umm… I’m fine. Sorry.
Ensuring through great effort and patience that her subsequent attempts at clearing up the mess would proceed without slapstick deviations, she stood back up to her full height, setting the chair in the correct position. Then, she slowly turned towards her superior officer - the thought almost made her wince.
Sadar: Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Horizontally or vertically.
Adea: That’s okay.
(( End of Flashback ))
All things considered, it was a miracle Commander Adea had ever entrusted her with anyone’s care.
MacKenzie: Any last words, Mr. Adea?
Commander Adea turned to face the assembled crew, all 350 of them, to offer his goodbyes.
Adea: Farewell to the crew of the Artemis-A. It has been one of the greatest honours of my life to serve with you all.
MacKenzie: Commander Adea, your service to this ship and its crew have been exemplary. Our loss is the Eagle’s gain, and I am filled with nothing but pride knowing that you are leaving us in pursuit of a higher purpose. On behalf of the entire crew, I wish you fair skies and calm seas.
Commander Adea bowed his head low in response to the Captain’s kind words, and while Gila couldn’t be certain, she imagined she could see the emotions gripping his shoulders.
Adea: Thank you, Captain.
(( Flashback ))
Sadar: ::ghost of a smile:: I swear to not submit handwritten duty logs. If you don’t mind me saying so, Sir, Sickbay can get plenty chaotic without the addition of loose papers floating about when gravity’s down.
Adea: Oh isn’t that the truth! I have to admit I am enjoying being back in the thick of it rather than up in the FO’s office.
Finishing her sketch and standing back up to her full height, though still hunched over as she tended to be, she turned towards the Commander. It had been a peculiar thing for her. When she’d first arrived aboard the Artemis, she’d been alerted to the fact that there was no true ‘Chief Medical Officer’, but that until one could be employed, she’d be reporting to Assistant Chief Kyle Morgan. She hadn’t heard of ‘voluntary demotions’ before, but that seemed to have been what occurred for Commander Adea, and so now, they did have a department chief.
All the same, Gila was happy about it. Commander Adea seemed more… Approachable, than Lt. Morgan.
Sadar: Did Command not… Suit you, Sir?
Genkos shook his head and ran a hand through his long hair, pausing only as a finger got caught in a knot.
Adea: You can take the doctor out of sickbay and all that… But I’ve never been terribly ambitious, career-wise - when I made CMO of the Gorkon a few years ago, that’s about when my desire to climb the ranks ceased. But I’m always happy to help out if needed.
(( End of Flashback ))
‘You can take the Doctor out of Sickbay’, was what he’d said, and Gila fully believed this to still be true. She’d read up on the old human proverb soon after meeting the Commander, and had realized that this was true of both him and the Captain. While Starfleet may need them to fulfill other duties, both of them would remain Doctors until the end of their days. And while Commander Adea would henceforth be wearing a red uniform, as he helped shepherd the USS Eagle forwards, Gila knew he’d always be a Doctor at heart.
As his subordinate, there was comfort in that.
MacKenzie: Dismissed!
The majority of the Artemis-A’s crew left the shuttlebay in an orderly fashion, leaving only the senior staff and a few others to give a more personal farewell to the man who, for the past many years, had been their colleague, and to some, friend.
Commander Adea shook his head.
Adea: You bastards.
This elicited some varied responses, and while Gila’s first instinct was to apologize to her direct superior for ambushing him with an emotional farewell, she was fairly certain he meant his insult affectionately.
Aliens were weird like that.
MacKenzie: Response
Any: Response
A brief pause filled the room as Commander Adea looked upon all of them.
Adea: I really am going to miss you all.
Gila tightened her lips into a narrow line. Mizarians didn’t form personal relations with their superiors. It was considered improper for personal affections to cross hierarchical boundaries, but she’d started getting accustomed to the way that the Betazoid Chief enforced a sense of familiarity regardless, and she had to admit, she would miss it going forward.
MacKenzie: Response
Adea/Any: Response
Gila uneasily produced the small package that she’d held under her arm for the duration of the farewell, reaching it out towards Commander Adea.
Sadar: C-Commander... Y-Your guidance of and impact on the Medical Department is something... We will never forget. ::bows her head respectfully:: May the Turn of the Wheel bring Peace to your Path, Genkos Adea.
Adea: Response
MacKenzie/Any: Response
Gila stepped uneasily back and forth.
Sadar: I-It’s, uhh, Mizarian Saltschnapps. I-I debated procuring sapphire wine, b-but it felt, uhh... ::clears throat:: W-Well, l-less personal. ::twists her anxiety band::
Adea/MacKenzie/Any: Response
TAG/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1