If it's not one thing
Posted on Tue Mar 26th, 2019 @ 12:00pm by Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Tue Mar 26th, 2019 @ 1:02pm
872 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Marine CO's Office
Timeline: MD 003 0830 hrs
Glancing at the flimsy in his hand, then at the Marine Lance Corporal in front of him, then at the Gunnery Sgt. hovering in the corner, Neil glowered.
As a CO, a good glower is important. As a senior non-com, it’s sixty percent of the job. Neal had practiced his for over a decade and it worked.
PFC Modge stood at rigid attention 46 centimeters from Neil’s desk, her eyes focused a prescribed fifteen centimeters above his head.
Dropping the flimsy onto his desk, Neil finally asked. “So, Lance Corporal, you apparently had some fun while you were on shore leave. I understand that, while I and the Cure were off on excursion. You missed two watch rotations AND,” he raised his voice to add emphasis, “You. Contracted. A. Communicable. Disease.”
Glancing back at the flimsy, then up again he said. “That is a remarkable feat, given that Casper Prime is a certified resort planet. When I contacted their processing center they of course denied that your bug could have been gotten on their planet and they suggest that you either had it prior to arriving on planet or contracted it from another tourist.”
He let that all settle for a moment, then continued. “Now, I have a certification from medical that you were bug free at your last medical screening and a certified copies from Transporter control of your bio readings both coming and going that show the bug clearly being present when you came back.”
“You have told Gunnery Sgt. Wilson that you have no excuse for missing your watch assignments, thus being AWOL. An adequate answer. What is not adequate, Marine, is your unwilling to answer to your medical problem. In order for any other FMC elements or personnel to travel to Caspera Prime on R&R, we have to close this chapter and your Refusing to Answer is not acceptable,”
Lance Corporal Modge, young Antaran female with paling green skin opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it, then said, “I. Lieutenant, a lady doesn’t tell.” She offered up lamely.
“Well, that’s excellent news, Modge,” Neil said coldly, “You’re a xaxdamned Marine, not a lady. Now, give me the thraggling name before I bust you back to recruit. Apparently more training is required as you have just forgotten that you were at attention. Further you did not ask for permission to speak and were not given permission to speak.”
She paled and shut her mouth and Neil nodded. “That’s the first thing you’ve done right since you came in here. Now, give up the information needed. Keep in mind this is more than just a matter for me as the CO of the Cure. If we can, we want to keep this a Corp matter. If it goes further, you could be facing a general courts martial.”
The Lance Corporal went nearly white and Neil sighed. “Good xaxdamn. You did realize that getting the Truc wasn’t necessarily your fault. The fault comes with you refusing to answer a direct order from a Superior Officer. Forget the Doc’s up in medical. You refused the gunny and me. Especially me. The gunny’s there to protect you from yourself and keep you from being drug into my office to deal with this kind of drahk.”
His voice had risen and if she hadn’t been at attention, he imagined Corporal Modge’s head would be hanging and he saw emotional oils starting to pool over her eyes.
“Oh suffering….” Neil sighed, tiredly. “At ease, Modge. And speak freely. We’re getting close to the point where I have to strip your stripes and toss you into the brig.”
Modge slid into something to an at ease posture, but her body was still rigid and Neil could see the Antaran wracked with indecision. He let the silence hang, and finally she met his eyes. “Sir. I. Well. True works differently on Antarans. I bought it to.”
She gulped and Neil wondered what the medical report hadn’t said as she finally blurted out.
“Well, I. It laced into some Na’Truc’Sha I bought from a bartender in the Pha’mi’s sector.”
Neil blinked at that and gritted his teeth. “You bought an illegal narcotic…and it gave you a communicable disease. And you did this knowingly?”
“I. Well, I was already high on something else and. Well it seemed like a good idea at the time, Sir.” she answered, quietly. Her voice unsteady.
Neil could only sit back and shake his head. “You were on shore leave. The use of mood altering, mind numbing substances is sort of expected. Being dishonest and partaking of illegal substances is not. The Sgt. will now take you to make a full statement and based on that, I will make a determination of your status. For now, you are under house arrest. Dismissed.”
He resisted the urge to laugh after they’d exited his office and shook his head. You never knew what would cross your desk next as the CO of the Cure.
Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
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