JP Flt. Cpt. Karrod Niac and Cmdr. Toryn Raga - Boldly Gone Someplace Wonderful (PT2)
Karrod Niac
((Ceremonial Observation Tower, Reef))
He waited for the small spate of laughter to pass before motioning to Toryn.
Niac: With those recognitions conferred, there are a few individuals who distinguished themselves in this course of this mission. Firstly, I’d ask anyone who was injured in the course of their duties to step forward…even if that does seem to represent the majority of the crew…::His repaired knee gave a phantom ache::...myself included. Each of you will be receiving a purple heart as recognition for yet another injury received in the line of duty. On behalf of the command staff, you all have my heartfelt thanks. On behalf of the medical staff, I’ve been encouraged to remind a few of you to duck from time to time.
Raga: As my best friend Serala would say, they aren’t supposed to be collectible items. ::he smirked::
He offered Toryn a small smirk and the man's eyes flashed, reflecting the light all around them.
Niac: While every member of a crew plays a part in seeing a mission through every now and then a combination of skill, luck and grit sets apart the contribution of a few officers who are the right people, in the right place, at just the right moment. Lt. Cmdr. O’Connor, Lieutenant JG. T’Fearne, Lt. JG. Evinrude…please step forward.
Raga: Don’t worry, I promised the Captain I wouldn’t bite.
He glanced towards the first row of boxes sitting on their replica conference table and thought for a moment of how small those ribbons were for all they represented. He offered a nod to each officer as they came to the front of the room and stood shoulder to shoulder facing the gathered crowd.
Niac: Deft piloting that kept us in the fight long enough to protect a friend. Calm precision in a firefight that allowed our crew to complete their vital duties. An ability to see all the facets of an impossible problem…and work seamlessly with others to solve it at astounding speed. Each of you faced a moment in this crisis where many would have faltered…but you remained steadfast and put the mission…and those around you…first. For that, each of you have been awarded the Legion of Merit…and you have my sincerest thanks.
Toryn took up each rosewood box in turn and took his time to hand one to each of them with a warm, proud smile and a not too firm handshake.
Raga: Well deserved. Keep this up and they’ll need to rename these the Ronin of Merit. ::he smirked::
He waited while the applause died down, looking around the crowd and finding each of the next officers he’d marked out one by one.
Niac: These next awards are for those officers who particularly distinguished themselves in the performance of their duties…and in many cases, in the course of being injured. Commander Raga, please ask Doctor Kel, Chief Tucker, Lieutenant Venn, Ensign Marsek, Ensign Wren and Doctor Shortrith to join you here at the podium.
The Al-Leyan turned towards the crowd with a mischievous grin that curled his lips and stood with his fists on his hips as if he were inviting dissent. Toryn truly loved recognizing people for their work.
Raga: You heard the Skipper. Front and center before I have Scuttles light a fire under your posteriors.
Seven awards on the table stood in a row by themselves and each was profoundly singular in its recognition.
Niac: During our last mission each of you, through your bravery, your empathy, your compassion, your level headedness or, in one case, very hard-headedness…::he glanced towards Ensign Marsek for a moment::…made unique contributions to our mission that lead to a success beyond anything we could’ve hoped for. As such, each of you have been awarded the Captain’s Citation and your exceptional service to the Ronin…and to one another…has been noted. You have my sincerest thanks and the gratitude of the entire crew.
Several thumps echoed from above and Karrod realized several of the cosmozoans were excitedly waggling towards themselves. It took him only a moment to understand his oversight and he smiled as he looked back to the crowd.
Niac: And, it seems, the gratitude of all the creatures who call this place their home. Congratulations to you all.
Toryn looked up for a moment smiling then rest his gaze on the recipients with a wizened expression.
Raga: If you take nothing else from these citations ::he pointed straight up while keeping his gaze on them:: remember that right there.
Kel/Tucker/Venn/Marsek: Response
The applause was growing more boisterous and seemed to roll around the beautiful walls which rippled with color in celebration. It was a bit like standing within a great stained glass bubble with a vast ever changing rainbow of color dancing all around them. With each cheer the colors shifted and intensified, the cosmozoans outside rippling with colors of their own. He held up a hand to restore some order before everyone could wander back into the crowd.
Niac: Doctor Shortrith, Ensign Wren, why don’t you stay put. Lt. Jg. Evinrude, please rejoin us…I believe you know the way by now.
Karrod smiled towards the young officer who’d grown so much since coming aboard the Ronin. The soft spoken Counselor had quickly become a fixture in Sickbay and had demonstrated skills far beyond what one expected of someone their age.
Toryn smirked at Karrod and stepped back to grab the next boxes.
Niac: Doctor Shortrith recently reminded me it has been just over a year since they joined our crew and in that time they’ve faced the unimaginable with a poise and calm that goes far beyond their years and experience. They have routinely demonstrated a level of professionalism and skill that has set them apart from the rest of our medical staff and has earned glowing praise…or an ambivalent harumph…from more senior medical practitioners aboard.
He heard a small spat of laughter along with an aggrieved dramatic sigh from somewhere in the back of the room near the bar. At least Doctor De La Croix had deigned to show up.
Niac: The way in which you’ve stepped up into a leadership role in our medical team has not escaped the notice of the command staff and Doctor Beck repeatedly informed me that he knew Sickbay was in good hands when you were in charge. That said, I cannot in good conscience have a Lieutenant Junior Grade serving as the head of our medical department and the ship's Chief Medical Officer any longer. It is far too critical a role so, as of this moment…I am making a change…
He paused, allowing himself a fraction of a moment to enjoy himself before smiling broadly.
Niac: …and promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant, with all the responsibilities and privileges thereof. Congratulations Lieutenant Shortrith. I’m sure I speak for the entire crew when I say I’m certain our physical and psychological wellbeing will have the finest care in the fleet.
The rosewood box Toryn grabbed emerged from its hiding place behind his back and he placed it in their hand with a firm handshake.
Removing the hollow pip Karrod smiled as he swapped it for a solid one and attached it to their uniform, glinting in the light. He took a step back and offered them a congratulatory handshake of his own.
Raga: Congratulations, Lieutenant.
Shortrith: Response
He nodded and turned towards the second officer in line with a small smirk. When he looked at the deeply competent and organized operation officer he couldn’t help but recall the time he’d inflicted a bit of creative discipline on him, Chief Tucker and Mister O’Connor. To his great personal satisfaction it seemed that lesson had been quickly and deeply engrained.
Niac: Lieutenant JG. Evinrude….you have repeatedly gone out of your way to serve you fellow crew and have made constant efforts to ensure the running of this vessel, for all its quirks and eccentricities of age, remains smooth and constant. You are a source of support for everyone around you and, when our last mission demanded it, you put yourself in mortal peril to do what was right for a being we hardly knew. You continue to achieve aboard this ship and, with the expectation that those achievements will not stop any time soon I am hereby promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant. Congratulations, Lieutenant Evinrude.
Raga: Well done, Lieutenant. You make the Ronin stronger and better.
Toryn smiled and removed the new pip from the rosewood box in his hand and held it out for Karrod.
He took the offered pip and affixed it sharply, stepping back and nodding to the young man, reflecting on how far they’d come together since those first days on and then under the surface of Bajor.
He smiled and turned to the next young officer in the group and remembered the brightly dressed engineer who had diverted from their very first shoreleave to try to unlock his recalcitrant desk terminal.
Niac: Ensign Wren, when you joined this ship you were immediately thrown into a crisis and for all the strange twists and dangerous turns you faced, you never wavered. Commander Kel’s reports are, in a word, glowing. You have since become an essential piece of Chief Tucker’s engineering team and you played no small part in getting us all here…and in establishing our communication link back to the Federation. Your professionalism, your poise and your endless ability to create the extraordinary on the fly has set you apart. You have made friends here and enriched the lives of those around you. For those reasons and many more besides, I am promoting you. Congratulations Lieutenant Junior Grade Wren. May you keep the Ronin flying a good long while and possibly give Chief Tucker a day off one of these years.
Raga: Ronin Strong, Lieutenant. ::he smiled:: Well earned.
Wren: Response
Toryn held the open rosewood box out for the Skipper.
He withdrew the hollow pip and pressed it against her uniform with a smile before offering another firm handshake.
Niac: Congratulations Lieutenant Wren.
The Al-Leyan smiled and shared a proud look with Karrod for a moment before he turned around to face the assembled crew. Arms held out towards the rosewood boxes still on the table. The ones that held the ribbons the whole crew had earned.
Raga: For the rest of you we’ll be sure to have your ribbons transferred to the Ronin before we get underway again. Until then, I think there are some who would like to show their appreciation for you all.
Toryn gestured broadly to the countless dozens, if not hundreds of cosmozoans crowded around the dome. Each was a kaleidoscope of brilliant color pouring through the nearly invisible walls and ceiling, drenching them in color and light. Even Karrod felt a small gasp slip out as the creatures poured out a joy of celebration that no holo could ever hope to catch. Yet even then the Reef found one last way to delight them as the whole of Narhelions dry dock surged with illumination, framing the great living vessel in a halo of shimmering iridescence.
A vibrant light illuminated the nearby berths and as he looked over Toryn watched as Narhelion stirred physically for the first time since she’d gone to sleep in the dockyard. The massive cosmozoan emerged from the slip and made a slow circuit above them before she settled in place just above the dome.
Karrod’s mouth fell open as the vast creature swam by seemingly meters from the ceiling. He felt like a great glowing moon had suddenly descended from the heavens and taken a personal interest in him.
Several monitors formed out of the platform and the luminescent image they’d seen before the battle addressed them, with a melodious chorus of a voice that seemed to come from everywhere around them all at once. In different circumstances it would’ve been alarming and overwhelming but in the moment, Karrod found himself struck with a profound sense of awe.
Narhelion: Hello, Fuzzy Caretaker! Narhelion apologizes for taking so long to recover. Much has Narhelion learned while I slept…Narhelion is the last of the Fissure Striders. The last who can come and go from this place at will. Long ago Narhelion was damaged and without the Caretakers, could not return to this place to heal. Narhelion sought out a way home and would have failed if not for Tiny Predator, Ronin. Now I am restored. Renewed. Some day we will be ready to emerge. Some day we hope to join you. Narhelion can return you to your space when you are ready but will remain and teach all these new generations. Especially Nyx. Narhelion may not be the last fissure strider…for long.
It took Karrod a few long seconds to fully absorb the enormity of what Narhelion had conveyed and as he tried, Karrod felt something rolling out of the corner of his eye into his beard. He shook his head with a smile and suddenly remembered there were several hundred other people in the room. He turned and saw them staring with much the same sense of wonder. He spoke towards them all, including Narhelion, and somehow knew she could hear him.
Niac: These are the moments, crew of the good ship Ronin. This is what your hardship and sacrifice has earned you. Tonight we celebrate and tomorrow…tomorrow we’re going home.
Toryn’s glowing eyes equally shimmered as the emotion of the moment was impossible to suppress, not that he’d even want to. He felt the tickle of those emotions along his cheeks.
Raga: So for now and the rest of the day, savor your accomplishments. Enjoy and soak in this wonderful place that has given us refuge and respite. Share your appreciation and gratitude for our hosts. Take any final recordings or images of whatever you want to remember most here. And get ready to return to our day jobs. Dismissed. Enjoy.
The kaleidoscopic colors filled him as they stepped off the podium, offering handshakes and celebratory toasts and even the occasional smile until even the Reef itself seemed to vibrate from the sheer undiluted joy of it all.
[End]
((ooc: On behalf of Brian and myself I just wanted to thank all of you for bringing what is easily the greatest shore leave I have experienced and enjoyed in my time here. All of us have brought to life such a remarkable place and memorable denizens that this has been a complete joy. And we hope that you all have loved this leave as much as we have. I have little doubt this will be a fond memory for all of us from now and forever. With this, consider shore leave drawing to a close. Be sure to mark any scenes not related to the awards ceremony as Backsims. All scenes should be wrapped by Monday as we’ll be going into our next mission Monday/Tuesday…ish. In the words of our illustrious Skipper, “There’s always room for -ish around here.” Until then, enjoy the festivities!))
======================================
Fleet Captain Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
&
Commander Toryn Raga
First Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
Writer ID: A239410TR0
https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Toryn_Raga