Facing The Storm
Posted on Wed Dec 12, 2018 @ 1:47pm by Major Victor Crowe & Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Gunnery Sergeant Hanley Woodard
1,263 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Plaga Navis
Location: Arcturus Cluster, Delta Quadrant
USS Washita
25 minutes until rendezvous
Jim Holbridge sat at the helm, while Vic and the Gunny manned Ops and the engineering stations in the spacious cockpit. The other Marines were busily stowing their gear for the return to the Victory. Vic calmly sat at his station, carefully monitoring his instruments while Jim kept the gunabout under tight control.
Holbridge’s theory about a deuterium fuel base had borne no fruit. Jim simply kept the small ship on course, waiting for the Victory to make her presence known. Holbridge had listened to his friend’s report on his Captain and didn’t care one way or another about her Borg past. As long as she treated Vic right and gave him the respect he and his men deserved, Jim wouldn’t speak up.
“Incoming, zero-zero-seven, mark zero-one-nine!” Vic announced.
Sure enough, the Victory dropped nicely out of warp to cruise sedately through the cluster. Jim took a second to admire the ship’s sleek lines, noting her compact design. “She sure is a beaut, Vic. Ok let’s do this!” He tapped the subspace radio control. Washita to Victory, this is LCDR James Holbridge. I have one Major Victor Crowe on board and we are requesting permission to come aboard.”
=/\= Copy your last, Washita. Captain Kennit has requested both you and the major be beamed directly to her ready room. Stand by for beam out. =/\=
Vic stood from his station. “Better not keep her waiting, lest we be walkin the plank, ye scurvy dogs!” he chuckled at his friends. Victory, this is Crowe, energize!”
CAPTAIN’S READY ROOM
USS VICTORY
Once the transporter beam had released them, the first thing which the Captain said was "Please tell me that the rest of your force are still aboard that ship out there and that you are not the only one making it back."
Vic looked her directly in the eye, still a trifle irked but holding his voice steady. "The rest of the squad was transported to the Marine deck, ma'am. I didn't think it would be seemly to have a dozen sweaty Marines in your office."
Jim elbowed his friend in the ribs. "Shut up, idiot!" he rasped
Vic looked at Jim as if he was being bitten by a Horta.
"i've had worse." she commented dryly. "What prevented you from reaching the rendezvous for extraction on time." the Captain asked then. "Who else was with you.."
Both Jim and Vic looked at the captain with matching strange looks. Jim seized the moment to raise his hand. "That would be me, ma'am. LCDR Holbridge, Starfleet Intelligence. I was monitoring your prison break and when it went to hell, I volunteered my services as escape coordinator." Jim finished his explanation with a neutral expression while Woodard and Crowe stifled smiles.
Her dark eyes focused on him, unreadable. "And what were you doing out here.. monitoring our activities and for that matter, how did you determine who we were to begin with? The ship we flew here had no markings to identify it, and no one in the away team wore Starfleet insignia."
Jim's smile grew wider. "Captain, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and you step in duckshit when you walk behind it, it's a duck. I was covered as an operations officer for the prison, so when an unscheduled transport full of mostly humans shows up, it piqued my interest. Besides, the prison's security protocols ran facial recognition scans on all of your team, and when the computer pinged on Vic there, I surmised that there might be something amiss. So, being the good scout that I am, and obeying a standing order that says I am to provide assistance to any operation as long as security is maintained, I did so. When things went to Hell and your marines were cut off, I stepped in to save their lives. Hope that's okay with you. Ma'am." Jim said nonchalantly.
"Your timely action was serendipitous, to be sure. I am sorry if our action interfered with your own mission parameters however, the retrieval of our target was deemed necessary by my own superior officers.. he may have information which could prove quite useful in solving a puzzle." She looked at the Major then, and added "However, you still have not responded to my earlier question Major. Who else was with your force when you cleared the planet.. several personnel remain unaccounted for as they did not reach the rendezvous on time and we could not delay in departure as the Rascal's shields would not hold up against a heavy barrage from the prison's security defenses for long."
Vic gave her a steady stare. "The Marine squad was with me, ma'am. I didn't encounter anyone else. We had a few dozen angry prison guards hot on our sixes when we ex-filtrated."
"I didn't see anybody else when i sealed the airlock, Captain" Gunny Woodard rumbled. "We were engaged in a heavy firefight. I was the last man aboard and I didn't see Commander Hunter or the Doctor." Woodard looked at Vic. "I am volunteering to lead the rescue team."
The comm chimed then with a message for the Captain from Lt. Cmdr Torres on the Bridge, "Bridge to Captain, we just received a communication from the XO, he's standing by whenever you want to talk to him." (OOC: Copied from "Ludus Incipit, Part 4")
Holding one hand up in a 'wait one moment' gesture at her Marine Commander and the errant Intell Officer who'd arrived at the doorstep (so to speak), the Captain responded "Have them transport aboard and report to sickbay for a medical check. I am currently occupied with other business.."
"Understood Captain." Torres replied.
Turning her attention back to the two men before her, she said "It would appear that they were able to find their way back without needing a trail of breadcrumbs after all.. fortunately. It means there is no need to put any one at further risk."
Vic regarded the captain with a withering stare. "That's a good thing. Gunny, stand the squad down and get back to normal operations." Vic turned to Kennit. "With your permission, captain?" he added, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Jim just rolled his eyes, then looked at Kennit "If you don't have any objections, captain, I'd like to tag along. Might be fun to be on a starship again. I'm pretty sure you have a few open spots." Jim half-smiled.
Before she could answer, Thecomm chimed again, this time not to convey standard information but instead, Torres said "Bridge to Captain, we've just received a distress call."
Jim put his hands together and smiled. "Oh boy, my first day on the job and we have a distress call!" he said in an excited voice. "After you, mon capitaine!" JIm bowed and swept his arm towards the door, winking at Vic in the process.
Giving him a decidedly female ‘look’, the Captain was all business (for all that she was still dressed as a smuggler) and said “We will discuss your request at another time. For now, it appears more urgent matters must be seen to.”
“Gentlemen...” With a sweep of her hand, she indicated for the two to follow as she walked toward the door leading back to the Bridge.
As Vic walked past Jim, he softly whispered, "Welcome aboard, asshole!"
"Thanks, dipshit!" was the amused reply.
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