Turning Over the Reins

Posted on Sun Dec 5th, 2021 @ 5:08am by Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh & Captain Björn Kodak & Lieutenant Commander Emni t'Nai

Mission: Starbase Shoreleave
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 6 at 0930

[USS Sojourner]
[Sickbay - Deck 2]
[MD 6 - 0930 Hours]

The few minutes trip from the Captain's Ready Room to Sickbay had been mostly taken up with surface level niceties. Emni was relieved, proud, and uncertain about the decision to make the cranberry of her uniform a more permanent change. As she and Bjorn exchanged pleasantries she found her hand shifting to her collar more than once as if doing so would reconfirm that the new hollow pip was, in fact, still there. The last stretch of Deck 2 corridor that dumped them out at Sickbay felt slightly surreal to her. A fleeting sadness ran through her as she realized she might never again walk into a Sickbay which belonged to her. She was confident in her choice, but the result was bittersweet all the same.

Overlarge double doors to Sickbay hissed open, revealing a quiet space. Six days into shore leave and most crew were away on Deneva or enjoying a slower pace on board while repairs were enacted. Sickbay, itself, was quiet -- not a patient in sight. It was Lieutenant Dogrov who greeted them both as they entered.

"Captain, Lieutenant..." the Tellarite's eyes widened slightly as he caught the new pip on Emni's collar. "Commander," he corrected with an incline of his head. "What brings you to Sickbay?"

Emni offered the nurse a small warm smile. "Is Dr. Ryan Walsh in?" she inquired, knowing full well he was just through the door in the chief medical officer's office, but wanting to give Dogrov a chance to warn his supervisor of their arrival.

The Captain, meanwhile, simply nodded to the nurse and fell into silence as the exchange took place. Hands clasped behind his back -- a gesture he'd picked up from the Chameloid Muriel -- he smiled and waited for Dogrov to fetch the good Doctor.

"The young doctor is indeed in," the Tellarite Nurse nodded his head and peeked his head through the door into the Chief Medical Officer's Office, "You've got esteemed guests, Doctor. And the kind you don't want to keep waiting."

Doctor Kennedy Ryan Walsh looked up from the monitor to Nurse Dogrov with a nod. He rose to his feet, Dogrov gave him clearance at the door while he stepped out to see Captain Kodak and now Lieutenant Commander Emni t'Nai, "Captain," Kennedy curtly nodded his head and turned to Emni, "Congratulations on your promotion, Commander."

Emni's responding smile was warm and a tiny bit excited. "Thank you Doctor," she said with an inclination of her head.

"And they say people aren't observant," Kodak smirked, referencing the noticing of Emni's new pip by both the nurse and Doctor Ryan Walsh. "Doctor, there's a lot going on today so I'll be brief. t'Nai's promotion is why we're here," he began, his eyes momentarily flicking to Emni and then back. "The Commander has accepted the position of XO permanently. On this ship, at least," Kodak clarified. "But that leaves us with an acting CMO who is only a Lieutenant Junior Grade. While that's fine in an acting capacity, I'm sorry to report that it simply will not do in a more permanent capacity. Which is why," he produced a black, felt-lined box and opened it, "I'm promoting you to the full rank of Lieutenant, with all the rights and privileges thereof." A single, gleaming pip sat atop the velveteen cushion inside the box.

Doctor Ryan Walsh was excited for his mentor that she was now Executive Officer of the Sojourner. Then it clicked, he couldn't recall the last time the Captain stepped into Sickbay other than his evaluation before they set off for answers about the Chameloids. Then it dawned on him that they had made a decision on Doctor Emni t'Nai's replacement as Chief Medical Officer. He was ready to return to his role as Assistant Chief Medical Officer with the arrival of someone else but that wasn't what he just heard from the Captain.

Kennedy looked at the velveteen cushion box with the full gold pip there. He had only been in active service in Starfleet for the past two years. He had seen promotions during his time in Sickbay onboard the Reliant before being reassigned on recreational leave and now the Sojourner. He nodded his head swiftly, "Thank you, Captain."

The former Romulan-CMO's eyes gave away her pride. She had seen the young man come quite a distance since their first meeting on Risa over breakfast and though he was young she was excited for him to have this opportunity. "Congratulations Kennedy," she said warmly.

"Thank you Doctor t'Nai," Kennedy smiled and then looked to the Captain.

"Congratulations, Doctor," Kodak smiled kindly back, then turned his gaze to t'Nai. "Commander, as part of your growth and development, why don't you do the honors, hmm?" he rasped, holding the velvet box out to the first officer. "Besides," the Chameloid smirked, "it seems more a fitting way to hand over the reins of your former sickbay," he grinned then, waiting for Emni to take the pip and affix it on Ryan Walsh's collar.

Emni's smile warmed further and she nodded to the Chameloid Captain. With careful fingers she dislodged the pip from the box and stepped into Kennedy's space. She removed the hollow pip that signified his status as a Lieutenant Junior Grade first, turning to hand it back to Kodak as she did. Deftly she returned to his collar finding the same location and adding the filled pip in place of the one she had removed. She smoothed his collar back in place after and stepped back, eyes shining.

"Lieutenant," she said with a grin. "Sickbay is yours."

"Don't burn it down, Doctor," Kodak smirked wryly, placing the old pip into the velvet box. "Congratulations once again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a few more stops to make. Commander," he nodded to t'Nai, "Doctor," went a nod to Ryan Walsh. And then the Captain was off, striding out of Sickbay like a man on a mission.

Kennedy called towards the door, "Thank you, Captain Kodak." A beam of pride came across Kennedy's face, something that usually never came across expressively. He turned to Doctor Emni t'Nai, "It's going to take some getting use to addressing you as Commander instead of Doctor, Doctor."


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Lieutenant Commander Emni t'Nai
Executive Officer
USS Sojourner

and

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS Sojourner

and

Doctor Kennedy Ryan Walsh, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Sojourner