A Chat Between Marines

Posted on Mon Dec 6th, 2010 @ 11:38am by Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson & Vice Admiral Iluvar

Mission: Episode 1.4 - "Confusion in the Cluster"
Location: Holodeck II, USS Pandora
Timeline: Prior to Mission Day 01

::BACKPOST::

ON: [[Holodeck 2, USS Pandora, Prior to Mission Day 01]]

Lieutenant Commander Joe Thompson waited by the entrance to the holodeck for Petty Officer Mike Watters. Joe had already loaded a basic program, but he was more interested in talking with the petty officer rather than seeing him in action.

It seemed a bit unusual for Mike (NPC) to be receiving a summons from the head of his department, especially so soon after that person had arrived aboard ship. This was either going to be something really good or really bad. Either way, he wasn't about to refuse such a summons, especially when it meant the chance to make a good first impression with a new superior.

Mike (NPC) emerged from the turbolift when it came to a halt on deck seven. He looked both ways before setting off down the corridor toward the entrance to holodeck two, where he was supposed to be meeting the commander. A few people nodded to him or smiled politely as they passed and he returned the gesture politely as he continued toward his destination. Eventually, he came around a bend in the corridor to find the commander already waiting at the entrance to the holodeck.

"Sir," Mike said, stopping a few feet away from the commander and snapping to attention, "Petty Officer Second Class Mike Watters, reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, Petty Officer," Joe said, smiling inwardly. This was definitely a Marine. "How long have you been with the department?"

Mike relaxed into a position of being at ease before replying, "A little over a year, sir, though I served as a member of the Tethys' marine detachment prior to transferring into the security department."

"Always good to meet a fellow Marine," Joe said, nodding. "Care to join me for a talk?" He motioned to the doors of the holodeck.

The last thing Mike had been expecting when he'd been summoned to a meeting with the new department head was a casual conversation. Still, now that he was here, there was no harm in seeing what it was that the commander wanted to talk about. He had mentioned something about being a "fellow Marine". It was possible that he just wanted to see how well Mike had made the transition from Starfleet Marine Corps to Starfleet. "I don't see why not," Mike replied.

The doors opened to reveal a cliff overlooking the sea. On the cliff, two target launchers were set up with foot triggers, along with two compression rifles. Walking over to the left one, Joe picked up the rifle and activated it.

Target practice, Mike thought to himself as he stepped across the threshold of the doorway and onto the cliff. The moment he cleared the doorway, the doors slid shut and shimmered out of view. He took a good look around before slowly making his way over to the remaining compression rifle. Picking it up, Mike started inspecting the unit to make sure everything was in working order.

"So, I imagine you have a fairly good idea about what's going on with the enlisted men," Joe said. He pressed the foot trigger on his launcher, and a target shot out over the water. After waiting a full second, Joe fired and hit the target dead-center.

"Yes, sir," Mike replied, frowning slightly as he watched the commander's shot make contact, "but Senior Chief Petty Officer Felle (NPC) would be the better person to ask about enlisted personnel. He is the senior NCO in the department." Taking up position behind the launcher, Mike lifted the rifle to his shoulder, took aim, and activated the foot trigger. A target flew into the air before him and he tracked it for only a moment before opening fire. The shot impacted the target off-center, causing it to spin slightly as it broke apart, showering debris in every direction. It wasn't his best shot, but it had made contact.

"I've noticed that Mr. Felle has a certain...uncooperative attitude," Joe said, launching another target as he spoke and taking it down with another direct shot. "I feel safer trusting a Marine - I don't expect you to be shirking your duty."

"I appreciate your confidence, sir," Mike replied, lowering his rifle slightly to glance over at the commander, "but Chief Felle (NPC) has had more experience serving in the department than I have."

"Oh, don't worry," Joe said, glancing over at Watters. "I won't totally ignore Felle. I just need another opinion - one that isn't biased against officers. Speaking of the department...how did you end up transferring from the Marines to Security?"

"Captain Iluvar felt that the mission of the Tethys did not require a permanently assigned marine detachment," Mike explained, turning back as he launched another target into the air and took aim. This time, his shot was much closer to center and the target vaporized upon impact. He lowered the rifle slightly as he continued, "I requested a transfer to the security department at that time. Both Captain Iluvar and Commander Fala Awen approved my request...now here I am."

"What kind of action did you see with the Marines?" Joe asked, launching his third target. He turned away from Watters to track the target for half a second before firing and hitting it dead-on. "You joined as a Private, I assume?"

"Yes, sir," Mike replied, "My unit spent two years along the Cardassian border leading up to the Dominion War. Things got a little interesting when the Klingons decided to pay us a little visit. During the war, I spent a lot of time working with search and rescue operations, extraction missions and the like. It wasn't until after the War that things began settling down and we saw more humanitarian action than combat deployment."

"I've been on combat deployment most of my career," Joe said. "I was a sniper in the Dominion War, and afterwards I did a lot of anti-pirate operations with Fleet Alpha Marine Unit 116. I never thought I'd leave the Marines, but...certain things come along." His gaze unfocused as he looked out across the water, thoughtful.

Rather than pressing the commander for an explanation, Mike turned toward the target launcher once again and fired off another round. His shot was still a little off if he compared it to his own previous performance, but not enough that it really mattered for the typical security officer. Maybe he needed to start spending more time working on getting his accuracy back up to par.

Regaining his focus, Joe fired off another target and took it down with another direct hit. "So, where do you think the department stands in terms of readiness?" he asked.

“From what I remember, Commander Earlond ran a pretty tight ship,” Mike replied, “Commander Fala’s style was different, but she had her expectations and we made sure that we did our best to fulfill them. I’d say we’re at a pretty reasonable level of readiness. There’s always room for improvement, though.”

"And your opinion of Mr. Felle as senior NCO?" Joe asked. From his initial encounter with the man, Joe guessed that the man was bitter towards officers, but he wanted to be sure.

Mike was a little hesitant to respond at first. The commander would not have asked such a frank question if he had not expected a frank answer. At the same time, the chief had served for quite some time, first as a member of the Tethys’ tactical department and later as a member of the Pandora’s tactical department. “Honestly, I think Chief Felle can come off as being a bit abrasive,” Mike said.

"Abrasive, while not entirely acceptable, is something that can be dealt with," Joe said. "Regardless, he is a Tactical officer. Given your Marine background and recent service to Starfleet, I'm recommending your promotion to Petty Officer First Class and assigning you as the senior NCO of the Security Department."

The revelation caught Mike slightly off guard and, for a brief moment, he wasn't sure what to say. Certainly, he had never sought promotion for the sake of advancement. Yet it seemed as if the commander felt that his actions were somehow deserving of such recognition. "Thank you, sir," he replied, "but to be perfectly honest, I just report for duty every day and give it my best. It isn't exactly going above and beyond..."

"But you are an expert in your craft," Joe pointed out. "And I could use you as a senior NCO. Unless you're refusing the post?"

"No," Mike replied quickly, "Not at all, sir. I...thank you." There really wasn't anything else he could say. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to accept the post and its responsibilities, so there wasn't a reason for him to be protesting. The commander had asked him to serve as senior NCO for the security department and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"Good," Joe said. "Now, let's see who can hit the most out of the next twenty targets." Lining himself up, Joe raised his rifle to his shoulder. It was good to have a fellow Marine by his side; it made things a lot more comfortable for Joe. Launching a target, Joe aimed and fired, and the target exploded over the water.

OFF

A JP by

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

and

Petty Officer First Class Mike Watters (NPC)
Master-at-Arms
USS Pandora
Played by: Capt Iluvar