Trending towards normal
Posted on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 @ 3:51pm by Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 @ 12:32am
1,021 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Personal Quarters
Timeline: MD003 2000 hrs
Neil was working the heavy bag he had in his quarters, this after a five mile run on the treadmill plate. All wearing weighted vest, gloves and anklets. He was getting tired and his punches were flagging. His timer hit the one minute warning and he threw himself into the exercise, knees and fists slamming again and again into the heavy bag as he pushed through the ‘mad minute’.
The timer went off and he stood back, chest heaving and sweat pouring off him as he stripped the weights off and let them fall, then grabbed a towel. Finally he moved a couple of steps off and began shadow boxing. Tired to the bone, his now weight free arms and legs moved spongily as he sparred his shadow until it got tired of it all and the eight minute lights came up.
Grabbing a water bottle, he dropped to the deck and draped a towel over his head and just sat until his heart beat regulated and he hydrated. Finally, he stood and stowed his equipment after wiping everything down. Next he stripped and tossed the sodden workout clothing and the weights he’d been wearing into the sanitizer and moved to the sonic shower.
After thirty minutes of the waves working him over, first stripping the sweat and dirt off and then moving into massage mode he emerged. His skin had a pink, freshly stripped look to it and he felt slightly numb. He dressed in casual workouts and collected a squeeze bag containing Marine workout supplement smoothie #65 before collapsing onto the couch. He ordered the computer to bring up his schedule for tomorrow; it didn’t hold any real surprises save for a department head meeting that was appearing out of the normal rotation. He tossed the PADD aside and contemplated the rest of his evening.
Neil was between training modules and there wasn’t anything he really needed to be studying tonight. His paperwork was caught up and could all be done during office hours.
He decided he was bored. He hated being bored. It was coming up more and more lately and he wondered if it came with knowing the job. As and enlisted and non-com, he could mix it up with like minded equals. Neil just wasn’t good at socializing in his newly found rank. He’d had no problem on shore-leave, but then that hadn’t been aboard the Pioneer. He considered again then stood and finished off the post workout smoothie and tossed it into the cycler before changing again into a standard working uniform and headed for the door.
He’d try After 11 again and at least try and be normal.
Or at least as normal as he could.
Then the comm sounded and he Neil turned, surprised as the computer announced “Beta-band sub-space message from Camille Lee for you Lieutenant.”
“Open channel,” Neil ordered, moving to the nearest screen. Cami’s face appeared, smiling brightly and he smiled in return. “This is a surprise,” he said.
“Hello Marine,” she said, “Miss me?”
“I did, actually,” he confessed.
“You sound surprised,” she accused then, her eyes narrowing.
“Well, yeah,” he responded.
Their eyes met and she looked thoughtful before saying, “Well good. Thank you for the flowers, by the way.”
“What flowers,” he asked deadpan.
She stared at him for a moment then said “How did you know I loved water roses?”
“I saw a picture of you with them. Two pictures, actually,” he amended. “I thought it a safe guess.”
“Well I love them, but where did you find them this side of Wellstone?” she asked, smiling at him.
“Well,” he winked at her, “I know this Marine biologist…”
She processed that then stuck her tongue out at him. “How long did you plan that line?”
He became distracted by the diamond tongue stud and finally said, “Not long, really. And the person I know actually is a marine biologist. Then it was just a small matter of logistics. Nice tongue ring, is it new?”
“No, I just don’t wear it very often. Like it?” she asked. “It’s a memento of a misspent youth.”
“I do, though I don’t remember it,” he commented.
“I only wear it on special occasions,” she told him, giving him a coy smile.
He shook his head and she laughed at him. “So,” she said, “I will be performing on Empoc Nor in a few days time. Any chance you’ll be able to make it?”
Neil shook his head, “I don’t know, but probably not” he told her. He saw a flash of disappointment wash over her face before she covered it up.
“Well, that’s too bad. When my agent booked it I’d hoped we could play together again.”
He chuckled again and told her, “Well there will be no shortage of Marines to play for. But hopefully I’m the only Marine you want to play with.”
She colored at that and he grinned wider as she flared, “Well, maybe I’ll get a better offer. Why are there Marines there?”
“A brigade’s been stationed there,” he told her. “There will probably be 50 to 100 marines stationed there at any given time.”
“Well that sounds promising,” she grinned at him. “Why so many?”
“The Federation want’s to make a statement backing up the Cardassian government, would be my guess,” he said.
She nodded, then sighed at him. “Well, it won’t be nearly so much fun. I hope you can make it.”
“Me too,” he said, surprised that he actually meant it.
They spoke for a few more minutes, then she signed off. “They’re calling for my next set, then I have to run for daddies ship. Stay in touch?”
He told her he would and she blew him a kiss, and the screen went blank.
“Daddies ship?” he asked, wondering. Then he went to look out the view port in his quarters, thinking.
Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
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