Ensign Serala: Uh, I mean Lieutenant JG Serala
Jim Davis
(( Holodeck 1, Deck 6, USS Atlantis, DS26 ))
Renos: Good evening everyone. May I have your attention, please. ::It was more a statement than a question. Renos wasn’t used to being ignored.:: Commander Brell, please join me.
:: As the Captain made his way up to the Admiral, Serala’s confusion and frustration began to abate as she turned her thoughts to well-wishes for her Captain. ::
Renos: Starfleet represents the Federation’s best and brightest. Among such excellence it can be hard to stand out, however, you’ve made a strong impression upon everyone who has touched your life. You have shown incredible resilience and flexibility in the faces of overwhelming challenges. You’ve brought your considerable intelligence to bear in multiple duty posts from security and science, to engineering and operations where you’ve served most of your career. As an officer in command, you’ve been able to rely on the expertise of others, bringing out their best. You are one of the finest officer’s I’ve had the pleasure to call a colleague - and a friend.
Renos: Commander Brell, I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain. You now carry the rights and responsibilities that go alongside it. Congratulations.
::Ne took the dark half pip from the Bolian’s collar and replaced it with a gold one.::
Brell: Thank you, sir, I don’t know what to say to such praise.
Renos: There’s only one thing to say.
Brell: Sir?
Renos: You sir, are out of uniform. ::Smugly::
::The husky Bolian laughed as he unzipped the dress uniform jacket and handed it to his wife who had stood up to bring Renos the new one. The delighted J’naii reached down to get the jacket and held it out, helping Brell get into it in a dignified fashion. ::
Brell: Better sir?
Renos: Wonderful. You look fantastic. ::Beaming at him::
Brell: Commander Williams if you would join me please.
Williams: With pleasure, Captain.
:: Already beaming with pride for her Captain, Serala was anxious to see who else would be rewarded for their service. She suspected Raga would be getting a Purple Heart tonight considering how badly he had been wounded. (The thought of him brought a brief wave of mixed emotions which she quickly suppressed). Other than that, it was anyone's guess as to who would get what. ::
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.
:: As he made his way up, she again experienced those strange mix of emotions. ::
oO Stop it. You're behaving like a lovesick schoolgirl jealous of a rival. Oo
:: No sooner did that thought cross her mind than she realized the truth and let out a low, quiet groan. ::
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.
oO Great. And now he's my boss! Oo
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:
oO There's that smile. Ugh. How many times has Mother said: Romulan, Vulcan, Human, in that order? Al-Leyan is not on the list. Oo
Williams: Would Ensign Serala please join us up here.
oO What? Oo
:: Surprised to hear her name called, especially considering the last few days, she nevertheless managed to rise and head for the podium with all the grace she could muster. As she passed Raga, she could hear him whisper. ::
Raga: ::Whispers to Serala in passing:: See, we do believe in you.
Williams: 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 got 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.
oO Did he just say promote? Oo
Brell: You have served with honor and distinction, Congratulations Lieutenant.
:: As the Captain added the black half pip to her collar, her heart began to burst with pride. For someone who had so inextricably tied her identity to her sense of duty, getting promoted was a great thing. Getting promoted at the same time as her Captain was a high honor indeed. ::
Serala: Thank you, sir. This means more than you could know. Oh, and congratulations to you on your promotion.
:: As she returned to her seat, she suddenly felt glad she had invested the time to make herself look her best. ::
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.
:: Serala dropped her head in silence and remembered her crewmates who had not survived. Ensign Murphy, who died front of her eyes. All because she had not spotted that cursed ship in time. Then there was Lieutenant Lambert, who she had called friend. He had disappeared off the Aeroshuttle. At the time, no one realized the bots had stolen a transporter. It was possible they had beamed him off the Aeroshuttle, and when she fired that torpedo that marked the location of the mothership, when she told everyone to fire their weapons it, and did the same, she had likely sealed his fate. Unknowingly, but it was something she was going to have to live with for the rest of her potentially long life. ::
oO Commander Tel-ar blames himself, but I was the tactical officer that day. It was my fault. Oo
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.
oO No surprise about Raga, but me too? True, I was badly injured, but not like Toryn. And when did Jann get hurt. I never even noticed and he was my responsibility. Oo
:: Nevertheless, she made her way back to the podium with the others. ::
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: Response
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.
oO I feel like a hypocrite, getting rewarded while others died because of my errors. Oo
::Each was handed the rosewood box containing their ribbon. ::
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.
oO Now that's a well-deserved reward. Oo
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.
Williams: 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.
:: As she headed for the podium for the third time, this time with the rest of her crewmates, she was filled with a strong sense of pride, bringing tears to her eyes. ::
Williams: ::Raising his voice:: Ladies and gentleman… the proud crewmembers of the USS Atlantis. hip hip
Brell: Hooray!
:: A round of applause began, and she began to feel unworthy to be part of this crew, but proud that she was nonetheless. She let her tears fall freely. This was what it meant to be a part of something great. ::
Brell: The bar and buffet is open and so is the dance floor. Enjoy yourselves!
:: Serala left the stage rather quickly, not wanting to be around Toryn until she had sorted out her emotions. She did scan around for Lieutenant Commander Jolara, and headed toward her. ::
Turner: =/\= This is Admiral Turner. Attention all Senior Staff (OOC: all Primary Officers) A celebration supper and drinks will be held in the VIP Lounge at 1800 hours tonight. Please feel free to bring a date or spouse. Sitters will be available in VIP Suite 1 for those needing them. We look forward to seeing you there. That is all. =/\=
Raga: All of this, and now we're invited to party with an Admiral. I don't know how much more of this I can handle. ::He chuckled::
oO Me either. Especially near you. Oo
Serala: Excuse me, Commander Jolara. I'm not sure you remember me, but you were my CO for my Academy Finals.
Jolara: Response
Serala: Yes, Ma'am. I just wanted to thank you for that experience. Although, we never did figure out what that structure was.
Jolara: Response
USS Atlantis NCC-76482
A239412S10