Ensign Alok Munshi - Award Ceremony: Promotions

[Alok Munshi]

((Beachfront – Raskor II))

The initial excitement of the toast had downshifted into a more heavy, expectant frequency. This was the data point everyone had been waiting for: the official recognition of the mission’s variables.

Taybrim: Now, before we break, I of course have some important announcements. First… ::his gaze settled on the back row:: Ensign sh’Sonora, if you could please join me?

Alok watched Mi’shune stand up, her antennae giving a sharp, startled twitch. She looked like a pilot who had just been told she was flying a mission without a navigational array. Taybrim’s praise for her was extensive—piloting civilian vessels, test-flying impounded ships, and maintaining an “unstoppable energy.” When he announced her promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade, Alok felt a genuine surge of professional satisfaction. She was a chaotic variable, certainly, but she was the only one on this station with the “frell it” attitude necessary to make the high-risk equations work.

sh’Sonora: Oh… umm… wow… that’s… wow! I mean… WOW! Thank you, Sir!

Munshi: ::Clapping loudly as she accepted the rosewood box:: Well done, Lieutenant. You deserve it.

Any: Response(s)?

The Commodore’s order for her to stay safe and avoid a Purple Heart was met with a classic Mi’shune quip, and as the applause died down, Alok saw Taybrim’s eyes roam the crowd again. They landed on Lyra.

Taybrim: Ensign Lyra Voss, if you could please join me?

Alok felt a strange, localised spike in his own internal temperature as she moved toward the stage. She looked small against the backdrop of the Raskorian dunes, perching her sunglasses atop her head with a nervous, characteristically sincere grace. He remembered her in the lab—the way the light had caught those messy, humidified curls—and he found himself tracking her movements with a frequency that felt a bit outside his standard analytical parameters.

Voss: ::Smirking at the mention of Ensign Bingo:: Ensign Bingo, sir? Never heard of it.

Taybrim: ...In recognition of not only your accomplishments, but your continued ability to think creatively and make good decisions under pressure... I am extremely happy to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade…

But the Commodore wasn’t finished. He offered her the position of Assistant Chief Science Officer, and for a second, Alok thought he saw her experience a momentary systems crash. She looked genuinely overwhelmed, her eyes welling with tears as she thanked him.

Voss: That’s… I… I’m honored. I’m… thank you.

Any: Response(s)?

Taybrim: Congratulations, Lieutenant! I am very proud of all you have accomplished and I look forward to seeing where you go forward from here!

As soon as she stepped down the podium Alok congratulated her.

Munshi: Excellent work, Lyra. Congratulations!

Voss: Response(s)?

Any: Response(s)?

Finally, Ryden Sylvax was called forward. Alok watched the Trill officer step up, remembering their conversation at the Brew Continuum. Ryden had discussed the “muscle memory” of his hands and the weight of carrying multiple lives. Seeing him promoted to full Lieutenant and appointed as Chief Medical Officer felt like watching a complex equation reach its final, stable solution.

Munshi: ::Catching Ryden’s eye as he returned to his place and offering a knowing, respectful nod:: Incredible job, Ryden. CMO you. Just don't let the paperwork become a 'millstone.'

The evening concluded with the formal appointment of Commander Foster as acting CO and Solaris McLaren as his First Officer. As they raised their glasses to the “amazing crew,” Alok didn’t immediately look at the stage. He let his gaze linger on Lyra for a beat longer than was strictly professional, wondering if the next mission would provide a few more shared data points between Science and Engineering.

McLaren: To 118!

Foster: To an amazing crew!

Munshi: To everyone.

Any: Response(s)?

 

 

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Ensign Alok Munshi
Engineering Officer
StarBase 118 Ops
A240204AM1