Back In Action

Posted on Thu Nov 18th, 2021 @ 12:33pm by Major Cornelius Tremble & Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr
Edited on on Tue Nov 23rd, 2021 @ 12:43am

1,235 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 12 - Risin' To Risa
Location: The Snake Pit - Deck 9 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD 002 0800 hrs

It was a quick trip from Empok to the Pioneer once it had docked. Lachlan smiled as he watched her approach and was glad to be back 'out there' again after his year planning and expanding on the Eternals Project that had been given a broader go ahead more recently.

Lachlan was serving a dual role now as Chief of the Boat of the Pioneer and Master Sergeant of The Cure on board, a way of putting into practice the project he preached.

He had heard from HQ there were rumblings for Captain Tremble to be given a naval position of command as well as still being in charge of The Cure on board. This made Lachlan smile as he approached the man's office to meet him.

As always it began with the ringing of the bell.

Neil glanced at his door, the office's holo pickups automatically turning the door transparent so he could see who was knock-knock-knocking at his door.

Well, ringing the bell. But still...

The security system verified Lachlan's identity and Neil keyed the door's opening and leaned back in his chair. "Come in, Master Sergeant."

"Thank you Captain." Lachlan said entering the room and snapping to attention with a sharp salute. "Master Sergeant Lachlan Barr, reporting for duty."

Eyeing Lachlan, Neil stood and returned the man's salute then offered his hand. "At ease, Master Sergeant. Welcome to the Cure." Neil resumed his seat, gesturing for the sergeant to take the seat across from him. His HUD brought up the sergeant's bio and he remarked, "Seventeen years in the Corp. You made Top early due to good performance reviews and you're well thought of by the commands you've served. Primarily spec-ops right out of boot. The Cure's more main line than you may be used to...is that going to be a problem for you?"

Lachlan nodded and released himself from the steel grip stance of being at attention. He slid into the seat as he listened the almost inevitable reading of his life in Starfleet form. "Not at all Captain." Lachlan replied straight off the bat. "I know my history speaks for itself, what is on paper anyway but that was more of a life that chose me instead of the other way around. Found what I was good at and the corps did the rest." he added. "I even spent the last year out of active field duty to work on the Eternals Project with General Mercer so I am not afraid to adapt to what's needed of me."

"Well, lets hope so. Rumor has it that the Cure is going to be going through some changes in the near future. I don't have the details officially yet and it won't really change much from the operator level up. But it still will a change for the kiddies. That being said, I'll need you to get up to speed fast. Get to know the detachment and get familiarized with the Suits. That will take some time but the holo-tank trainers are pretty good."

Grinning, he said "We're pretty high speed, low drag but I think you'll enjoy the diversity of missions. And since you're a proponent of working with Fleet, that won't be as large a learning curve as it is for some. My door is always open and I look forward to working with you. Any questions, comments or concerns?"

"Yes, sir. I hear there are plans for the Cure on this vessel and the marines as a whole in this sector of space. General Mercer is keen to see how a dual role works within fleet structure, and as am I." Lachlan said confidently. "What is your opinion of the naval men and women of this ship? General overview really, not looking for specifics. I like to have the most information possible when going somewhere new."

"Overall, they're a good group," Neil replied. "They're fleet, but the detachment has been integrating more since I've been aboard. I think the Cure is regarded with some hesitation as a group, but individually we mostly fit in. Which I'm fine with. We are the teeth of the Federation, after all. I'm a firm believer in emphasizing that while we work with Star Fleet and depend on them for rides, ultimately we're an independent armed force which reacts when the Federation points us in a direction."

Neil paused for a few beats and said, "It's a fine line. But sometimes Fleet needs reminding that we don't necessarily jump when they say Frog. That's why I'm going to take as much control of our re-organization as the brass will let me. Especially when it comes to mission planning. I'd rather they give us a task and let us tell them if and how we'll meet requests they have. Fleet is good a naval actions and security. But we're not security."

Lachlan nodded. "I can understand fleet hesitation. In a large group we can be quite intimidating, but opinions have began to shift of late." he added whilst listening to the Captain speak further about that fine line and the reminder that they were not under their remit.

"That's where I see the Eternals project coming in to play. My initial idea was to begin a slow melding of fleet and marine, so that we have that little bit more say in how and where our teams are deployed but also give the fleet a better understanding of who we are, what we do and ultimately to help us all function better together."

"So you're a politician at heart. Well, since it seems the FMC and Fleet are getting into this with eyes wide opening, all a simple marine like me can do is say aye-aye and execute. Why don't I show you around the Morgue, the Vault and hand you off to the Snake Pit to get acquainted as you like. I know you have COB duties as well but first things first."

"Not at all, sir. Not a fan of all the speeches, sitting down and playing dangerous games from a safe distance." Lachlan said. "I am a marine, always will be. The past year of making these plans has been tough, not a lot of wiggle room for me to get out, but I have the Corps in mind throughout the whole thing." It was not that he needed to justify himself, but he was not a politician at heart by any means.

He heard Tremble offer him a small tour of the facilities and all he could do was accept. "Sounds good, Captain. I am looking forward to seeing what set up you have here and yes, I do have COB duties but as you say, first things first." he grinned.

Neil stood and headed toward the hatch, trusting the Sergeant to follow. "Alright, so the Vault has all of the Cure's individual and crew served weapons and explosives," he began as they exited his office. "Up on the hanger deck where the Hawkeye is kept, there's a bigger ordinance bunker..."

A joint post by:

Captain Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Commanding Officer, The Cure

Master Sergeant Lachlan Barr
Chief of The Boat, USS Pioneer
First Sergeant, The Cure

RSS Feed