The Ladder of Rank

Posted on 27 Oct 2014 @ 1:02pm by Commander Norvi Stace

370 words; about a 2 minute read

I've been back in Starfleet for almost ten years now. And I have to admit that I have struggled climbing back up the ladder of rank since first gaining my commission after I was Joined. To fall so far from Captain to back to Ensign has been an adjustment. But I believe that it is this journey, this progress, that has shaped my fifth life into the one it is today. And shaped it for the better.

I have experienced, through my re-entry back into the Fleet, rather a lot of hostility and resistance from the Symbiosis Commission. They never like any Symbiont to tread a path they've already known, but I believe service life is a calling that can stretch beyond one or two, or even three, lifetimes. And it is a calling that I have wanted to take up again and not regretted for a moment.

Being promoted to Lieutenant Commander is an honour, especially amongst such distinguished officers. To rise through the command structure and gain my third onyx pip has validated why I am here, and what I am doing. It is in my discussions with my former Assistant Chief that I have come to realise that serving amongst the stars in any capacity requires that you experience it as more than a role; more than a task and job at hand. I am no mere scientist. Yes, it will always course through my veins as I push, colleagues in tow, the boundaries of science of knowledge further, but it is as an officer of Starfleet where my heart truly lies. And gaining the position of Second Officer has lit a fire in my belly even Janel would have nodded his pride at.

Shoreleave will be busy for me. I need to dust off my old command-style hat, and lead not only the Science Department of the Gally onwards, but also her crew. This is perhaps one of the finer days I have experienced to date, and having a projected pride from a voice in the past is something that I have come to cherish and be thankful of.

End Log

Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer & Second Officer
USS Galileo

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