A Distinction

Posted on Mon Dec 30, 2019 @ 4:42pm by Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake & Lieutenant Vel Oss Arap Tor

Mission: The Nanjing
Location: Medical
Timeline: MD 0 || 0900 Hours

Lieutenant Vel Oss Arap Tor, or Doc Tor as he preferred while on duty for the amusement of hearing Doctor as two words. It had started when the Pahkwa-thanh male was at Starfleet Medical in his final year and he had kept it ever since as his moniker. Now he found himself as the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Triumphant with two decks of dedicated labs and everything else under his control.

He faced the mirror that was in his office to remind himself of the diversity in Starfleet and admired the cut of his custom lab coat and the adhesive pips which clung to the collar of it to indicate his rank of Lieutenant. His combadge was in place on the right side of his reptilian breast and he reached up one clawed hand to tap it lightly.

=^=Lieutenant Blake, pleasssse come to the Chief Medical Officersssss office,=^= he requested in his hissing voice.

=^=On my way,=^= Dani replied before she ended the link and secured the terminal she was working on. After a moment, the petite woman rose to her feet and made her way to the CMO's office, reaching up to touch the sensor that would activate the chime on the other side. She clasped her hands behind her back and waited to be granted entry. There was no telling what this impromptu meeting was about, but the head nurse knew she'd find out soon.

Vel reached out one long, sharp pointed talon and gently tapped the door release with a very light touch. "Enter," he invited.

The small nurse made her way inside the office and looked toward the CMO, offering him a smile. Perhaps, his appearance might have spooked some, but it didn't spook her. Granted, he was the first of his species she was meeting for the first time, but their day to day lives found them encountering some very interesting beings. "Doctor," she said with a respectful nod in his direction. "You wished to see me?"

"Yess," Vel said as he gestured towards a chair in front of his desk. "Pleassse, have a sseat." He politely requested as he adjusted his custom lab coat.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" Dani asked as she settled down in front of his desk and gave him her complete attention. It wasn't often she was called in here, so of course, her mind went to the fact that she'd probably done something wrong and was about to be reprimanded for it. However, she couldn't think of anything she'd done. Maybe, just maybe, it was something she hadn't done. Sadly, she wouldn't know either way until he started talking to her.

Vel went back behind his desk where there was no chair and activated his holographic console to pull up her record. "I've been ssstudying all the persssonnel in thisss department ssince I found myssself in charge and noticed sssomething odd," he started, acting as if he was embarrassed at what he found.

Dani frowned. She did absolutely nothing to hide it. "Oh? What did you notice that was odd?"

"The fact that you and others have done much, but have received very little recognition," Vel said. "Why is thisss?"

She found that to be a very odd question, but planned to answer it regardless. "Well, I can't speak for others... only myself," Dani began. "I don't do what I do for recognition. I do what I do to make a difference in the lives of others."

"According to your recordsss, you've done more than make a difference in the livesss of othersss, and I'm about to make a difference in yours, Lieutenant Blake." The Pakwha Thahn told her.

Dani cocked her head to the side. She was a bit confused. "What do you mean, Doctor?"

"For your conssstant and diligent dedication to Sstarfleet Medical." Vel said as he drew the moment out while he reached into his lab coat pocket with his left manus and snagged something which he pulled out and presented to her. "I hereby present you with the Departmental Distinction Award for your service and it will be reflected on your permanent record."

He offered her the small black box with a toothy smile that others would think was his way of inviting them to dinner. In his mouth.

Dani accepted the small black box from him and opened the lid to it, then peered inside at what was resting in the center of it. She was speechless. These things came as a surprise to her considering she wasn't in her field for this kind of thing. Still, it was nice to be recognized. "I... thank you, sir," she said softly, still looking down at the award in her hand.

Inside the box was a small pin with the Starfleet Medical emblem on it laying on a bed of velvet.

"Jussst keep up the excellent work, Nurse Blake and I'll look out for you and the othersss," Vel told her. "If you have any recommendationsss, I would be happy to take them under conssssideration."

"I don't at the moment," she said, turning her attention from the pin and back to him. "But, if I think of anything, would it be okay if I came to you with them?"

"Certainly," Vel assured her. "Isss there any you feel may need sssome ssspecial attention?"

Dani found herself shaking her head. "No, Doctor. I can't say that I feel anyone needs any special attention. I've been on board this ship for a while now, and I can honestly say that our medical personnel are some of the best. Each individual takes their job very seriously and does what is needed of them regardless of what the situation is," she told him. "I have seen Medical personnel work nonstop during extreme times of crisis without complaint. We all know what's expected of us, and don't plan to give anything less that a thousand percent."

"That'sss what the recordsss alssso indicated," Vel said with a very human nod of agreement that didn't look like it belonged as a natural reptiloid function. "However, I have known recordsss to be falsssified or sssome thingsss ssssimply not entered for the sssake of friendssship or, the Firsssst Egg forgive me, a bribe."

"I seriously doubt you're going to come across anything like that on this ship," she told him as she closed the lid on the small box in her hands.

"Excellent," Vel said with another toothy smile before looking at her record again. "Have you ever consssidered moving up in your career, Lieutenant?"

Dani looked thoughtful at the question. "No, I can't say that I've really given it much thought. Ever since I was a young girl, I always wanted to be a nurse. I wouldn't even know where I could move up to, to be perfectly honest."

"If you ever decide to, I'd be happy to put in a good word to Sssstarfleet Medical for you," he offered. "We could ussse more of you."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir, and thank you again. It's nice to be recognized even if you don't do what you do for said recognition," she said, offering him a smile.

"The honor," Vel said. "Isss mine. Continue with what you do and I'll sssee you next time."