Captain Mei'konda Delano - Around the Captain's Table

[Mei'konda Delano]

(( Ten Forward / Pagrati Lounge, USS Astraeus ))

(( 1358 hours, minutes before arrival in the Shemsh system ))

Standing in the middle of the table at the head of the Astraeus lounge most commonly used by her senior officers, Mei’konda’s tail twitched behind him as he sat at the table just aft of the massive windows that looked out into the ripples of blue, white, and rainbowed streaks flashing past the massive starship.

Normally, he felt free to come to this place while out of uniform, as he normally didn’t set foot in any of his command’s many lounges unless he was off duty, but not for this sort of ceremony. When it came to recognizing his crew’s hard work, he dressed the part, and was dressed in his duty uniform, with several small boxes arrayed on the very special surface in front of him. He’d heard some of the crew start referring to it as the ‘Captain’s table’, which he had to admit, at least to himself, flattered his sensibilities slightly.

The table was a gamma-welded combination of damaged structural members from the Astraeus herself, salvaged from damage sustained during the Dominion War, and one salvaged from the USS Chin'toka during its mission to protect the Lanaxa system from a rogue neutron star. The atomic structure of the metals had been altered in ways that only extreme stress from weapons fire and gravitational pressure could cause, and the combination of that and careful crafting had given it a beautiful pattern on its surface, alternating between wavy patterns of glossy gunmetal gray and burnished gold.

It was beautiful, he thought, something he was still grateful for Timothy Alentonis for putting together.

As some of his officers began to file through the wooden double doors, he smiled at them as they approached his spot, and rose from his seat, gesturing toward the seats that surrounded the table.

Mei’konda: Welcome, everyone. I’m glaad you could make it. Please, sit. I know that not all of you were present duriing our last mission, but I wanted some of our newest officers to see how we honor our crew after a paarticularly taxiing mission.

Serala / Raga / Cheveyo-Arma: Responses

Kiax / Peters / Levinson: Responses

Dermont / Ral / De’Vere: Responses

101 & 000 / Hixma: Responses

They could all hear the sound of the Astraeus’ engines throttling back before much about the view in front of them changed. The streaking stars past them shrunk from long lines, to shorter ones, to solid dots as the ripple of blue and white around them dissipated, and they were suddenly back in normal space, the distant Shemsh sun shining brightly. Off in the distance was a brief speck of purplish light. Shemsh itself. 

Mei’konda knew that up on the Bridge, the beta shift helmsman was throttling them up to half impulse power and bringing them on course to dock with Shemsh Orbital-Alpha, the planet’s nearly complete orbital facility. It would be a routine systems check after the ship’s first mission in the Expanse, to ensure that neither their mission nor their high warp test had caused any undue stress on the vessel that her engineers hadn’t been able to detect. Mei gestured at the sight behind them.

Mei’konda: And here we are, baack home. The crew of this ship, of the Chin’toka before her, just saaved a planet. I never want any of you to forget that. Liife here is easier for all of us in the Expanse, now that we haave a home to come back to. For those of you who have not seen Shemsh yet, I will be graanting a short shore leave upon our arrival, but I antiicipate new orders from Starfleet command soon. But for now? Let us have a short, priivate celebration.

The Caitian man shifted his attention toward the group of officers as a whole. 

Mei’konda: For our work on Lanaxa in helpiing them repair essential infrastructure and to prevent further loss of liife after the close passage of the neutron staar, Starfleet Command has seen fit to award the entiire crew with three separaate awards. The Medical Science Ribbon, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and the Peacekeeper Service Ribbon. Congratulaations, all of you.

Serala / Raga / Cheveyo-Arma: Responses

Kiax / Peters / Levinson: Responses

Dermont / Ral / De’Vere: Responses

101 & 000 / Hixma: Responses

Mei’konda shifted his attention toward three officers in particular, next. Or, considering the unique way that two of them functioned, was that two and a half?

Mei’konda: Would Ensigns One zero one and Zero zero zero, and Lieutenant Commander Levinson step forwaard, please. Commander Serala?

Mei passed a trio of small wooden boxes to his First Officer, so that she could step around the table and pin each small ribbon to each of their chests.

Mei’konda: For the paarts the three of you played in safely pulling informaation from a highly advanced Romulan informaation gathering device that was… fraankly, trapped and secured well beyond my understanding, I am awardiing each of you the Starfleet Investigation Ribbon. Thaank you for both helpiing to keep this ship and crew safe, and for accompliishing your mission.

Serala / Levinson / 101 & 000: Responses

Mei’konda cleared his throat. Announcing awards that involved himself had always felt a little awkward to him.

Mei’konda: Starfleet Command has also awaarded the Diplomacy Ribbon to myself, Commander Serala, and Lieutenant Commanders Peters and Cheveyo-Arma for our efforts to prevent the… siituation on the plaanet from spiraling out of control. It’s easy to focus on whaat went wrong down there, but ultimaately, your efforts prevented what could have been a laarge loss of life from taking place. Excellent work, all of you.

Serala / Peters / Cheveyo-Arma: Responses

Mei’konda reached down to pick up another small box on the table. Stepping around toward their new medical officer, Doctor De’Vere, Mei opened it up and passed it over.

Mei’konda: We also haave one Recovery Ribbon, to be award in absentia to Lieutenant junior grade Wyla Avae. She has been workiing hard in her physicaal therapy in order to recover from injuries sustaained in the line of duty, and I would liike you to present this to her when next you see her. Thank you, Doctor.

De’Vere: Response

Stepping back behind the hybrid-metallic table, Mei lifted his muzzle up, blue eyes once again drifting between his officers. 

Mei’konda: Next is an awaard that I never partiicularly enjoy awarding, but it is for something that deserves recognition, and speaks to the chaaracter of this crew in a waay that few other things do. The Prisoner of War Ribbon is being awarded to Lieutenant Commander Toryn Raga, Doctor Elizabeth Snow, and Lieutenants Valin Dermont and Wyatt Ral. I’m sorry all of you haad to go through what you did, but none of you waavered from your duties in a very difficult situation. Thank you for everythiing you did.

Passing the small boxes to Serala once again, Mei offered each officer a somewhat wan smile was she pinned the ribbon to their uniforms.

Serala / Raga / Dermont / Ral: Responses

Mei’konda: Commander Serala, would you joiin me on this side of the table, please.

Lifting two identical boxes, Mei passed one to his Romulan First Officer, while keeping one of his own. He opened it up, displaying the small award to her.

Mei’konda: Command has also seen fit to award each of us with the Starfleet Medal of Commendation, for our efforts overall, and our mission to Lanaxa’s surfaace to rescue our away team from the hostaage situation they’d been held in. Chief Petty Officer Andrew Davis, and Seniior Chief Petty Officer Jenta Solana have also been graanted this award for their participaation. Both are on duty, and so Mr. Raga will give this award to them both.

Carefully, Mei’konda attached the small ribbon to the woman’s chest, just below her collar bone, let her do the same to him, then took a step back and nodded his approval to her. She’d been an excellent number one to him, every day since he’d been given temporary command of the Chin’toka. Today certainly did nothing to make him doubt her proficiency.

Serala: Response

Mei’konda: And finaally. Would Lieutenant Commanders Toryn Raga and Noa Levinson joiin us up here once again.

Levinson / Raga: Responses

Mei’konda picked up the two remaining boxes, passing one, the one to be presented to their Chief of Science, to Serala. The second, he retained in his own palm.

Mei’konda: Commanders, our efforts on Lanaxa would have been in vain if not for the selfless efforts of both of you. Mister Raga, you plaaced yourself in deliberate daanger so that Serala, myself, and the others could ensure that the hostaage situation was resolved with as little bloodshed as possiible. Lieutenant Commander Levinson, you are being awaarded the Leadership Excellence Ribbon. And Lieutenant Commander Raga, I’m honored to present you with the Starfleet Medal of Valour. Congratulaations to you both.

Serala / Raga / Cheveyo-Arma: Responses

Kiax / Peters / Levinson: Responses

Dermont / Ral / De’Vere: Responses

101 & 000 / Hixma: Responses

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Captain Mei’konda Delano

Commanding Officer

USS Astraeus, NCC-70652

M239002M10