Ensign Lyra Voss - Dressed Up and Right-Side Up
Sarah Terry
((The I’vish Gallery, Shi’Kahr District, Starbase 118))
Lyra sat down nearer the back of the small set of tables and took a moment to look around the room. There were so many people she hadn’t met yet, or had only met in passing, but she did recognize her fellow ensigns scattered around with the rest of the crew. The last time she’d seen them, they’d all been hanging upside-down from a ceiling, so it was nice to see them both dressed up and right-side up this time. Before she could take in much more, their commanding officer, Gogigobo Fairhug, made his way up to the dais and the room grew quiet. Lyra wasn’t sure what to expect from the award ceremony and she had to stop herself from twisting the edge of the tablecloth nervously in her hands.
Fairhug: Welcome, everyone, to the I'vish Gallery and to Ops’ latest awards ceremony. I'm sure you'll all agree that this is a very appropriate venue and if you haven't spent much time in the Shi'Kahr District before, I'm sure this evening will make a lasting impression.
She definitely planned to visit the gallery again, if only to come back and spend more time with the Pekev.
Fairhug: First of all, I want to say thank you, once again, to you all.
Commander Fairhug looked out into the room and she could feel how deeply he cared about his crew. The bonds were beyond simple friendship and camaraderie - they felt familial. It was a tender feeling, though it did make a small, insecure part of herself feel set apart. Everyone had been so welcoming, but she wasn’t family yet. Hopefully, one day she would be.
Fairhug: Our last mission was a particularly stressful one. There were times when I thought, as I'm sure some of you must have, that we might not make it back to the base at all. But as always, this crew never gives up and *always* finds a way.
The commander raised a glass of champagne to the room, and the audience joined him. A sense of mutual pride radiated through the gallery - it bubbled brighter than the pale gold liquid in their glasses and left Lyra with a heady feeling.
Fairhug: So, cheers! To you all.
Marsh: Cheers!
Foster: A toast, to all of you!
Any: Response
Fairhug’s gaze grew distant.
Fairhug: As you all know, we have lost some of our colleagues recently. Fortunately, only to other postings, but their absence is still felt, of course. ::pausing:: Lieutenants Tito and Kreshkova are participating in the launch of the USS Thor and Lieutenant Korras has offered his services to USS Khitomer in their struggle against a new and powerful enemy. ::raising his glass again:: We wish them all well in their new roles and hope to serve with them again one day.
Lieutenant Marsh had mentioned Tito to her, but she didn’t know Kreshkova or Korras. Still, she could feel all of their losses hanging heavy in the room.
Marsh: It's too bad I wasn't able to wish them the very best. I'll have to send them messages at some point this week.
Willow: Response
Foster: The Thor has been the first major launch after Frontier Day, to much fanfare. Congratulations to all of them!
Any: Response
After the applause for their erstwhile comrades died down, the commander looked back out in the crowd and Lyra knew what was coming next. Her heart started to beat a little faster.
Fairhug: Now, while some fine officers have departed, others have arrived. It is always a pleasure to be able to introduce new crew at a ceremony such as this, so please, give a warm welcome to ::holding out a hand indicate the Andorian:: Ensign Mi'shune sh'Sonora, our new Helm Officer.
Lyra clapped for sh’Sonora, and couldn’t help grinning as her thoughts flashed back to their final Academy exam together, complete with giant, hallucinogenic starfish tentacle monster. Funny, it felt like ages ago, when it had barely been a month.
Foster: Welcome onboard!
Any: Response
sh'Sonora: Response
Then, Fairhug’s gaze fell on her and she felt her heart jump to her throat.
Fairhug: Also, Ensign Lyra Voss, a new addition to the Science department.
Marsh: Welcome Lyra!
Foster: I’m excited to have you with us!
Any: Response
Any remarks were momentarily drowned out by what felt like red alert klaxons in her head. She tried desperately to smile like she wasn’t terrified and raised a hand in acknowledgement.
Voss: ::finding her voice:: Thanks! I look forward to working with all of you.
Well, a little stiff, but at least she wasn’t visibly shaking. You took the wins where you could get them. Fairhug turned to the next ensign.
Fairhug: ::another slight turn:: Ensign Arlo Zara, who will be joining the Engineering team.
Ah, there was a good dose of nerves coming from their direction as well.
Any: Response
Foster: Welcome onboard matey! May we ever sail the seas together!
Arlo: Hello, everyone! Very excited to be serving with you all.
Finally, the commander came to their final new addition - another engineer. She hadn’t had much of an opportunity to speak to Taylor yet, but she was curious to learn more about him after a few unusual comments he’d made when they were all in the Promenade.
Fairhug: And last but not least, Ensign James Taylor. Another much needed Engineer.
Any: Response
Foster: I’m glad you can join us, ensign! You took quite a trip to get here!
Taylor: Response
With the new crew acknowledged, Fairhug moved on with the rest of his speech.
Fairhug: It is my honour to welcome you all to StarBase One-One-Eight as newly minted Ensigns. I hope that your careers will be long and successful and I look forward to getting to know you all as time goes by.
She caught Arlo’s gaze, and she could feel their excitement at all the possibilities this posting laid out in the front of them. She was eager to get started herself.
Foster: And remember, we’re here to help you succeed!
Their FO, an Andorian with pale blue skin and a crown of white curls, jumped up with his glass in hand.
Foster: First, let me propose a toast! To the crew of StarBase 118! We endure, we preserve, and we support each other! And then we get to play hard because we worked hard! To you!
Lyra took another sip. How many toasts were there going to be, exactly? Should she be rationing this champagne? Probably overthinking it. Definitely overthinking it.
Any: ?
Lt. Commander Foster jumped up and joined Fairhug on the stage, to their commander’s apparent surprise.
Foster: Now, bear with me for a moment, because I have a few awards to hand out…
Any: ?
Lyra settled in to watch the ceremony, relieved that her small part in it was over, and slightly sad that she hadn’t planned ahead as well as Dr. Wethern, who she could see had an entire plate of snacks in front of him.