Newly-promoted Lieutenant Commander Varyn K’lev sat behind his desk in his ready room, looking at a pair of small boxes on his desk.  After a moment, his console chimed, a text message arriving marked to his attention.  Opening it, he read its contents, a smile forming on his face as the message brought the tidings he had hoped to see; Command agreed with his recommendations, and had confirmed his requests, so all that remained now was the ceremony of it all.

He tapped his combadge.  “K’lev to Bong,” he said.  “Chief, would you please join me in my ready room?”

After a moment, the door swished open and Chief Bong entered, stopping before the captain’s desk.  “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“I just received word from Command regarding a recommendation I’d put in,”K’lev said, turning his console’s display around so Bong could read the message.

The chief’s eyes moved as he read the message.  Once he was done, Bong looked back to K’lev.  “Shall I notify them?” he asked.

K’lev shook his head with a smile.  “No, I think I’d like to pass this news along.  But you can certainly do the honors, Chief.”

Bong nodded, then K’lev stood and slid the two boxes across the table to him.  “With how this is all going, I’d hazard a guess we may be doing this again with some of the others, too.”  He quickly smoothed his uniform jacket a sly smile starting to creep onto his face before he stifled it.  “Okay, go ahead and ask them in, please.”

Bong nodded, then tapped his combadge.  “Bong to Lotharys and Pelix.  Report to the captain’s ready room.”

A few minutes later, Ensigns Lotharys and Pelix stepped into the ready room, slowing in surprise and confusion as they saw their captain and the command chief both standing; clearly, this was something official.  The Trill and the Tellarite exchanged worried glances, then stopped before the desk, remaining standing as well.  “You asked to see us?” Pelix eventually said.

K’lev nodded.  “Yes.  I wanted to discuss your recent work.”  He smoothed his jacket again, giving them a chance to sweat.  “Quite frankly – and Command agrees with me on this,” he paused, quite frankly for dramatic effect, “it’s been great.  Exemplary, in fact.”  The smile he’d hidden earlier now spread across his face.  “As such, it gives me great pleasure to say that you both are hereby promoted to Lieutenant, effective immediately.  Chief, if you would do the honors?”

Bong nodded, then stepped forward.  From the two small boxes – one at a time – he withdrew a pair of solid pips, adding one each to the collars of the two new lieutenants.  He then stepped back to the side once more.  K’lev smiled widely as the two new lieutenants looked between themselves, feeling combinations of both surprise and pride.  “Thank you, sir,” Lotharys eventually said, Pelix nodding his agreement.

K’lev nodded.  “Trust me, you’ve both more than earned this.  We’ll have a proper celebration after this crisis is over, but for now let’s get back to it.”

The meeting/ceremony now over, Lieutenants Lotharys and Pelix left the ready room, followed by Chief Bong.  K’lev took a few more minutes to finish reading the latest report on the ship’s status, then returned to the bridge himself.