Welcome to Marine Country

Posted on Thu Sep 24th, 2020 @ 9:59pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Gunnery Sergeant Flarn & Gunnery Sergeant Gaagii & Staff Sergeant Shayla Kunadt & Major Cornelius Tremble & Sergeant Azure Thompson & Corporal Rairror Thoran & Corporal Adélaïde Moreau
Edited on on Thu Sep 24th, 2020 @ 10:17pm

3,128 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - New Home, Same Pioneers
Location: Snake Pit (assembly area) - Deck 9 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD011 0900 hrs

Neil made his way out of the Vault corridor and heard someone, he thought Flarn yell out, “Attention on Deck!”

“As you were, Marines,” Neil said as quickly as he could. “It’s been a long enough day that there’s no use standing on ceremonies of any kind. He looked around the Snake Pit at his marines and the selected visitors as he walked to the room’s center position.

“This detachment’s seen a lot of changes lately and you’ve all done me proud. Not so long ago the Corp has officially confirmed the M-Mobile designator for the Cure. That means,”he continued,” that everyone has gotten their hours in and been signed off by their squad leaders and myself as being fairly competent with the Mark-IV’s. Even you, Corporal Fry,” he said with a bit of humor creeping into his voice.

There were a few whistles and cat calls at that and he held up his hands, calming them down as visitors began filing in toward the back. Not all of them had been in Marine Country before and weren’t quite sure of what to expect.

He let that sink in as various marines nodded as he caught each and every beings eyes, causing him to turn, and regard the troops gathered round. “I want you all to know I’m proud of you and appreciate your hard work.”

“For the next while, we’ll be showing our guests around Marine Country: specifically the Morgue, Vault and such so they don’t wonder quite so much at what we’re hiding away down here.”

There was some laughter at that and a couple of more whistles from the back as he caught Flarn’s eye and the Sgt. roared. “Marines, Atten-Hutt! Fall in fall in!”

The Marines all fell smartly into a double row, shoulder to shoulder facing Neil who waited until Flarn ordered the detachment to separate at which they all moved a shoulder width apart and Neil walked through to face the guests who were watching him. He turned on his heel as Flarn ordered, “Detachment! Abooouut Face, Harch!”

The marines all turned in place to face Neil and the guests and he regarded them before he said, “Stand easy. We have one last bit of business before the festivities.”

Flarn had been standing off to Niel's right hand side and one step behind him. For this ceremony the Tellarite was proud to perform the duty of First Sergeant. “Corporal Thompson. Lance Corpora Kunadt. Lance Corporal Thoran. Lance Corporal Moreau, and Private Aiden Pierce. Front and Center!” Flarn ordered sharply.

After she had the conversation with Niel Shayla knew what was going to happen. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Captain, XO and COB looking on. It seemed the Niel wanted to go for the whole show, and that made Shayla both nervous and proud at the same time.

Adelaide loved the comradery of being a marine. It wasn't just a job, a role in the fleet, it was a family and one she was glad to be a part of. However, being called forward put a knot in her stomach. For reasons unknown she felt nervous at being called out, even if it was with others by her side. Still, she stood by her friends and waited for whatever was to come.

'Shit, now what I have done' Aiden thought to himself as his brow began to sweat, his eyes swept towards his colleagues, looking for some reassurance. He swallowed hard, before doing as ordered without question.

Azure knew what was about to happen, but she still felt a little nervous.

Rairror was happy, but one wouldn't be able to tell from his plank expression.

As the five marines stepped crisply from their places in the formation and came to attention, Neil spoke. “By order of the Commandant, with endorsements from Captain Malbrook and myself, Private Pearce you are nearby promoted to Lance Corporal. Lance Corporals Moreau and Thoran, you are hereby promoted to full Corporal. Corporal Thompson, you are hereby promoted to Sergeant.”

Neil paused and then said, “And, Corporal Kunadt. Based upon the responsibilities you’ve assumed to get the Cure’s mission done. You are hereby promoted to Sergeant.”

Neil turned to those assembled and said, “And once Sergeant Kunadt passes school with what will be top marks, I assure you, she will be
awarded her Warrant.”

As he spoke, Flarn moved behind each of the marines Neil had called forward and pinned on their new rank insignia. Once the master sergeant had finished, he joined Neil and they both saluted the Marines.

Once Flarn had finished pinning the new ranks Tyler had thought that it was a good moment for him to recognize all of the fine work that this unit had done for the Pioneer and for the Federation. He stood to Tremble's left and behind him as to not steal the Marine's proverbial spotlight. Tyler saluted the newly promoted Marines as well.

Once he broke the salute, Neil walked to the nearest of three barrels and threw open the top. “All Marines have twelve hours off duty. I made arrangements with Security, at the cost of one of these barrels, to cover the No-Lone Zones and SKIF watches for that period. Have fun. Don’t cause too much trouble, and don’t hurt any of our guests. Detachment, Dismissed!”

“Oh,” he called out laughing, as the marines started to surge toward the barrels, “The gift shop is officially open as well!”

The first barrel revealed bottles of iced down Danubian alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) teas and equally frosty bottles of Andorian ale. The other barrels were similarly loaded and Neil grabbed a bottle of the ale and turned toward the guests.
* * * * *
Quinn thought that was a nice touch, show the guests the Morgue. It was a subtle message, of saying stay out of my area, without actually saying it.

Quinn noticed a barrel arriving, he wondered what was in the barrel, as he walked over to Marine Captain Tremble, and reached out to shake his hand. "Thanks for inviting us down." Quinn said, with a big grin on his face.

"Thanks for coming down sir," Neil responded, shaking Quinn's hand. "It's probably overdue but with the gambit of missions and changes, I think it's a good way to let The Cure show off a little too."

"You have the best marine unit, a Marine Commander could ask for. Each and everyone one of them deserved that promotion." Quinn said, with a humble smile on his face. He read the mission reports, and the crew evaluation reports. He stood behind the words, he just said.

Tyler walked over to Tremble and Quinn. "I am going to have to concur with Quinn. Neil you are definitely one of the best as is this unit. Leadership is a two way street. A CO is only as good as the people they command. But people also need a strong leader to succeed, The Cure definitely has that in spades. It has been a tough few months and they have earned those promotions." Tyler was immensely proud of all the Pioneers including The Cure.

Neil felt his face start to color at the praise and hurriedly said, "Well, good people tend to make a CO look good, Captain. All of the credit goes to the troops as far as I'm concerned."

Then he changed the subject and grinned at the small kiosk Coporal Fry was manning. "The gift shop isn't a little too much, is it?"

"Not even a little bit." Adelaide spoke before her filter engaged as she then took a drink of one of the bottles of Andorian ale. "Sorry..." she blinked a little before looking away.

"I bet the shop is still open Corporal, if you need get a hoodie." Quinn said, with a smile on his face. He saw what the Corporal had done. Tried to bail out his CO from the Captain and First Officer.

"I think it is a nice touch. Hell there is a really nice Cure T Shirt that I am eyeing. I am a sucker for good swag..." Like a long list of mid-westerners before him Tyler drank some whiskey, which he took a sip of. "...I hope that the Corps will be giving you and your men some much needed R&R."

Neil grinned at that as he drank from his bottle and shook his head ruefully. "That would be nice sir. The last couple of R&R stops the Pioneer has had, the Cure's been busy. Since we are at port though, I'm hoping all of the troops get the chance to take those conditional five day passes you approved."

Looking over at Quinn, he said "The shop will always be open sir. It's a little bit softer than having Corporal Fry yelling, "Stop and be Recognized, to anyone who wanders in and doesn't know the drill. I figured the cubby there will get them to pause before hitting a no loan zone."

At the last he smiled toward Moreau, "Though I do believe Fry is very interested in sharing out his duties as Corporal of the Guard."

Tyler smiled and raised his glass toward Fry. "Well the ship and The Cure can do with some uplifting. I just hope that everyone doesn't start to expect ceremonies like this when they are promoted."

Fry, who was showing a variety of marine action figures to some youngsters, grinned and caught Neil's eye and tossed his CO a blister pack. Neil caught it, grinned and said, "I forgot about these sir. Would you like the very first Captain Tyler Malbrooke, Dashing Commanding officer of the USS Pioneer action figure? The only one we had made, of course."

"I want one of those action figures, if you get around to making one." Quinn said, with a big cheerful smile on his face. He knew they were teasing the Captain. But he saw a moment to chime in, so he did.

Tyler regarded the action figure for a moment. "Hmmmm, never thought I would have an action figure. I think the next one in the series should be Quinn. What say you Number One?" Tyler chuckled. "You know I think I will hold on to this. But you can go ahead and make more if others would like."

"I think its a great likeness Captain." Azure said approaching the Command Crew. "Mine looks alright, but it doesn't capture my essence."

"I don't know Azure." Adelaide said cocking her head to the side. "You're a nice shade of blue." she grinned.

"Merci, bébé." Azure replied. "I love your hair, I was thinking dyeing mine that color."

"I am more a traditional man, by that sort of measure." Quinn said, with a humble grin on his face, as he watched the others talk about their hair styles. His chair was short, and functional.

Tyler chuckled and turned toward Quinn. "Come now Number One. Don't you think there needs to be a Quinn O Flannagain action figure? How can someone collect the whole crew without the First Officer.?"

"The wife has already pre ordered them all, she said something about only her hands get to touch her man." Quinn said, in a playful manner. Meaning that to be more playful than sexual.

Tyler laughed boisterously at the joke. In truth he was overjoyed to see the crew letting their hair down.

Quinn was happy to see Tyler laughing. After the incident with Empok Nor, the New Maquis, he was curious, if he would ever see his friend smiling again.

Lan had just been observing from a bit of a distance. This was her first time on the ship. She heard about the establishment of Marine Country on the Pioneer, and her marines on the Pioneer had quite the reputation. She looked around the shop. She had her hands behind her back the entire time. Impressive, captain." Was all she could say. She wasn't really interested in any nick nacks.

Neil turned to Pioneer's new COB and smiled, "Well it serves multiple purposes. Besides the gew-gahs and trinkets and corp badged apparel, there's fresh snacks and various beverages obtained from Pioneer's ports of call. Something, hopefully, more enticing and moral promoting than replicated offerings. And of course," he said with a straight face, "It makes us more approachable and less menacing. Or so the Corps' Office of Outreach informs me."

"Interesting," Lan chimed, "On one side I think that make sense. But should the marine unit be functional as well, or should it not? Also, I would I am quite interested in the armored suits, what did you call them, Mark-IV?"

"Oh, we're functional," Neil assured the COB. "Plus we maintain fire watch and man the No-Loan Zones as a matter of routine. The suits were added a few months ago when we were assigned the M-Mobile designator. The suits are the MARVEL-EAS Mark fours. Officially notated as being a force multiplier in the field. We've got a few staged in the Morgue for viewing today."

"Well, captain, if you do not mind, I would like to see them, if you don't mind give me a tour of the Morgue," Lan asked giving a nod to him. But given it was from a half Vulcan, there was no emotion behind it.

Rairror sat alone in corner nursing his drink. Social occasions were uncomfortable for him. Slaves weren't taught the social mores.

Neil waited for the initial flurry of noise and congratulations to wash over those assembled and judged the time right. He excused himself from the COB and stepped out and said in his best battlefield voice, "Attention to Orders!" he grinned as he watched the visitors blink in surprise. The old hands in the corp knew enough just to quiet down and pay attention. The younger marines all went through stages of starting to stiffen to attention, then relaxed as they sorted the order.

"As you might have guessed, I'm incredibly proud of the marines I just promoted. But, I'm not done yet. "Staff Sergeant Flarn, Front and Center." Again, Neil let his voice revert to his Gunnies tone and he watched as the Tellarite stiffened. Straightened. And then stepped forward smartly.

"It's been my pleasure serving with the Sergeant," Neil commented, "Through my time on the Pioneer. I think I can speak for all of the Cure when I say that Sergeant Flarn is the backbone of the Cure. So, it's definitely a pleasure to announce that by order of the Commandant, with endorsements from myself and Captain Malbrooke to promote Staff Sergeant Flarn to Gunnery Sergeant!"

Neil reached into his pocket and stepped close to Flarn, reaching up to pull the rank insignia free from the Terllarite's collar, palmed it and attached new insignia: the three chevrons and two rockers of a gunnery sergeant with the M designator for the Cure's mobile status. "These were mine, Gunny," Neil said, a grin spreading over his face. "So they're more than a bit tarnished, but I hope they'll do."

Stepping back, Neil saluted the Tellarite.

Flarn returned the salute and swelled with pride. "You bore them with honor and valor. I hope to do the same and half as well." He looked down at his chest and the chevrons almost made a tear come to his eye. He squared his jaw and kept his eyes on Niel.

Grinning Neil said, "That's not quite all." The captain glanced over the assembled and said, "Everyone knows that Flarn runs the Detachment anyway, but I enjoy my status as figurehead. So, officially, he will be assuming the roll of Second in Command of the Cure as well. At some point, Fleet or the Corp may send us a junior officer, but Gunnery Sergeant Flarn should get recognition for the work he's doing anyway."

Flarn performed an about face and came to attention in front of the gathered Marines. "You heard the top... Just because you have some R&R doesn't mean we get soft. Tomorrow bright and early..." He waited the obligatory moment to allow people to groan before he smiled.

Neil considered that and said, "And speaking of work, Sergeant Gaagii, Front and Center!"

As the recon sergeant stepped up, Neil gestured the human take a spot beside Flarn, Neil said. "And last, but not least. Sergeant Gaagii, by order of the Commandant and with endorsements by Captain Malbrooke and myself, you are hereby promoted to Staff Sergeant. Your hard work and dedication to the Corp, the Cure, and the Pioneer have not gone unnoticed, nor unappreciated."

Neil took a half step forward and offered the insignia he'd taken from Flarn back to the Gunnery Sergeant. "Gunny, perhaps you'd like to do the honors and pass these along?"

Flarn stood nose to nose with Gaagii. "Brother to brother, yours in life and death." Then he pinned his old stripes to Gaagii.

"Thank you Naa t' anii." His soft voice rang out. The promotion came unexpected. The two exchanged salutes and returned to the festivities.

Tyler was amazed how Marines could go from full ceremony to play in a matter of minutes. He was proud of The Cure and overjoyed that they could spend some time being people instead of Marines.

A Joint Post By

Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer