<USS Avalon> Fwd: "Briefing the Captains"




************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
--- Begin Message --- 
"Briefing the Captains"

Captain Skyler, XO, USS Avalon
Marine Captain Adrian Phillips,  Chief/Security, USS Avalon, Leader: Delta 
Squad
Marine Sergeant Walker T.  Ranger, Security, USS Avalon, Leader: Alpha Squad


Walker was  uncertain. Yes, he and his patrol had stopped the near-riot in 
Marine Gym, but  the fact that he had to add yet more bad news to Captain 
Phillips' and probably  Captain Skyler's plates didn't thrill him at all. The 
worry 
that he would be  fussed at for being active again also gnawed at him. The 
only consolation he  could find was that the four-person team he'd led during 
the 
stopping of the  incident had been from all the teams, not just Alpha Squad, 
although that had  been more serendipity than plan.


Things were not going to plan.  Adrian stood there and looked around in the 
Marines' gym, looking at the newly  added plaque. He had been back for several 
hours since the away team mission,  and he had been informed of the incident 
and near riot by another Marine when he  arrived. However, he knew there was 
more to this than just that. "Walker, report  to the gym immediately," he spoke 
simply into his combadge. Something was  causing his Marines to get out of 
control, and someone was going to learn their  lesson for the good of the whole 
unit, regardless of the outcome. 

On  hearing his CO call him, Walker simply teleported to the man's side. 
"Reporting  as requested, Sir." He saluted as he snapped to attention. He then 
noticed the  new plaque on the board and nearly broke attention stance in his  
astonishment.

"My point exactly, Mister Ranger. Explain what happened,"  was all that the 
Marine Captain needed to say. The plaque would be dealt with in  due time, but 
he knew that Walker was involved in the roundup, and thus needed  to brief him 
accordingly. 


Walker nodded. "As our patrol came close  to Marine Gym, we all noticed one 
thing that was odd. The doors were secured. We  overrode the locks, as was our 
briefing should that occur, and entered to find a  small crowd of Marines 
surging toward the ring, which, as you may know, is  called the Pit by many, 
for 
reasons that have probably been lost to  history.


"We managed to startle most of them by merely entering, and  with the aid of 
those not involved, which were members of both Alpha and Gamma  squads, with 
elements of Beta, we managed the situation while I chased down and  captured 
the man who had been defeated in the ring." Walker was disgusted, but  
carefully 
did not show it. "As I escorted the injured man to Sickbay, to be  tended 
before I took him to the Brig, I questioned him about the fight. He lied  to me 
outright several times, all of which I caught him at." He shook his head.  
"There are very few people in this galaxy who can avoid being caught in lies by 
 
Regellians. We're that observant." He chuckled. "Makes us hard to bluff in  
poker, should we ever play, too, but that's not an issue  here."


Clearing his throat, he returned to the matter at hand. "From  reports, four 
people were directly involved in the incident. Those four are in  the Brig, in 
a different section from Ensign Jackson, and include Ensign  Jackson's 
brother William Daniel Jackson, who was, until this incident, a First  
Lieutenant 
with a clean record." He shrugged. "The other three are toughs. Two  of them 
are 
enlisted men, the other a warrant officer." He shook his head sadly.  "The 
one known as Kano, and try as I might, I couldn't find a last name, was the  
warrant officer, Sir." He gestured to the scoreboard. "It is customary for the  
scoreboard to be updated when someone from Fleet defeats a Marine in the Pit,  
but in this case," he nearly laughed, but held it back, "it's not a valid win 
by  a Fleeter. You see, Ensign Talea Erridim is a member of our people's Navy, 
but  was trained as a Marine, and holds rank in both services." He frowned, 
then  reported the final strangeness of the whole matter. "All four directly 
involved  are Gamma Squad, with two more Beta Squad indirectly involved, since 
they helped  lock the doors to the Gym in an attempt to trap her."


"So, let me get  this straight. Four Marines locked up a woman in the Pit and 
had her fight one  of them, one of the ring-leaders of this being Lieutenant 
Jackson?" Adrian spoke  very calmly, attempting to control his rage. He took a 
step back for a moment,  closed his eyes, and then re-opened them. "All 
right, then. If this is the case,  Sergeant, please bring the four prisoners 
here,  
immediately."



Walker chuckled. "I don't know why Talea didn't  just teleport out when she 
heard and saw the doors being blocked off. But yes,  sir. I'll get the four 
into the holding cell so you can speak with them." He  wasn't pleased with any 
of 
the five, Talea included, but now knew the real  reason she'd experienced the 
flashback. The fact was that she'd defended herself  well enough to manage 
the win, but at what cost to her still-fragile  self-confidence around men? 
That 
had him very worried indeed. This seemed to be  a pattern, but hopefully one 
they'd destroyed by arresting the other brother.  He'd not seen it coming, and 
that shook him.


Of course, nobody in the  Regellian Defense Forces on either side would be 
foolish enough to do anything  like what was going on with this pair of idiots. 
Perhaps, while Talea trusted no  man, his own behavior was too trusting that 
people were basically honest and  honorable. Neither situation was good, quite 
obviously!


There was a  visible look of relief as Walker left the room to go get the 
prisoners. This was  something that Adrian had not done for many years, and his 
unit was fully aware  of why he had not done it. Simply put, there was not a 
situation that called for  it, because this unit was a veteran marine company 
and knew how Phillips  operated, or the rookies heard through stories. 

Now it was time for a  full-on lesson. 

"All marines report immediately to the gymnasium, this  is not a drill." 
Adrian spoke again into his combadge and awaited as the marines  began to file 
in, 
standing at attention in their respective squads. All that  they waited on 
were the prisoners and Walker.

Walker, hearing the  order, teleported the four into the force-field 
protected ring, then teleported  clear of it. "Prisoners, brought as ordered, 
Sir!" He 
snapped a smart salute,  thinking privately that it was nothing short of 
justice for the four to be  trapped the same way they'd apparently trapped 
Talea 
in the ring. His trip  through the fields had been during build up, so while he 
had a headache, he  wasn't disabled by the dissonant double shield.


And Adrian sure as  hell did not look happy. He paced for a moment, looking 
up and down the ranks of  marines as the entire gymnasium was stone silent, 
save the click and tap of his  boots as he paced. Phillips looked into the 
faces 
of the marines before him.  Some he had served with for several years, fought 
in wars together, while others  were relatively new to his company, but fully 
competent nonetheless. 

He  stopped for a moment in front of the ring, the four prisoners looking on 
at him.  'New ones, it seems, and a shame too, for them to commit themselves 
in this way,  ruins the reputation for all,' he pondered to himself as he 
turned back. Quietly  he chastised himself for not thinking earlier that the 
marine 
and engineer were  related, but again Jackson was a common last name, and he 
had yet to see the two  side-by-side. 

"Friends," he paused again as he reached the center of the  company. 
"Brothers, marines. We are here now because four of your comrades  performed a 
multitude of inexcusable acts. They tricked, lied, assaulted, and  even worse 
in the 
end, were beaten at their own game," Adrian let his words sink  in as he 
looked across the marines at the four captives. 

He cleared his  throat again after a suitable pause. "I have fought alongside 
many of you  through numerous campaigns, and others of you I am still getting 
to know better,  but I hand-picked each member of this company, knowing that 
I could trust each  of you with my life. I did this because I believed that I 
knew your character,  and that as being marines you lived by a code which some 
members of the  Federation and Starfleet cannot even fathom, much less be 
expected to abide by."  

Again, another pause, and the pacing resumed along with the speech.  
"However, that trust has been breached by many of you, but especially by those  
four. 
I find myself in a situation where I am no longer capable of believing  that 
this marine unit is the same unit that I brought aboard this starship." He  
paused and looked over the company again. "So then, I am curious to know  
marines, should I still trust you, after what has occurred? Should I feel safe  
in a 
battle, knowing that my brethren will be with me through it all to the end,  
whatever that end may be?" He turned smartly on his heel at parade rest and  
looked on, shouting his last words. "Show me then, Marines, if I am wrong and  
should reinstate my trust in you!" 

Walker looked on, honestly not  certain what Captain Phillips was doing with 
this. Clearly he was rightly upset  by the situation, but both the Starfleet 
and Regellian Marine Corps had had a  long-standing tradition that any Navy 
personnel entering the Marine Gym could be  challenged by any Marine. Of 
course, 
what had happened, instigated by the four  imprisoned in the ring, was nothing 
of the sort. It had been a highly  dishonorable attempt to seriously harm a 
member of Starfleet, and even worse, a  woman who was already struggling to 
even trust men! The fact she'd successfully  defended herself was almost 
immaterial, given the damage done to her  progress.

Having returned from the away team, Skyler decided to make  rounds around the 
ship. She really hadn't had the chance to check out all  aspects of the ship. 
As she walked from deck to deck, she noticed subtle  changes. It wasn't the 
same Avalon, yet it was. Just bigger.

Before she  was aware of where she was going, she noticed she was on the 
Marine deck and  could hear some rather loud voices coming from the gymnasium. 
Curiosity getting  the best of her, she entered and stood by the doorway. What 
she saw and heard  shocked her. Captain Phillips was rather upset, to say the 
least. "Captain, I  don't mean to interrupt, but could you tell me what is 
going 
on  here?"

The spin to which Adrian's step seemed almost watching a ship at  warp speed 
with the naked eye. "We're simply making sure we are all in agreement  here, 
Captain. We had an issue within the marines that is being dealt with. I'll  be 
able to give you a full brief later." He paused as he took a few steps toward  
the doorway, knowing the marines were tense from the speech he had just 
given,  and a few were itching to speak out as Phillips had offered. "I do, 
however,  suggest you check in with Sickbay, because apparently there is 
someone 
there who  needs to see you." 

Skyler simply nodded. "Well, it seems that you have  things under control, 
Captain. I look forward to your full report later. I will  also make my way to 
Sickbay and see just who it is that needs to see me."  Turning to leave, she 
heard the marines start to shout again. She wondered why  shouting was such a 
part of being a marine. As she left the gymnasium, her  combadge went off. She 
acknowledged Lieutenant K'etrall and informed her she  would be in engineering 
after a quick stop in Sickbay.

"We're with you,  Captain!" shouted a young man from Alpha Squad. He was new 
to the company and to  the Marines in general, most likely having not seen a 
lick of real combat yet.  However, he was picked for his known skills and his 
unending zeal for the  comradery of the marines. 

"Agreed, Captain Phillips!" another spoke out,  this time from Beta Squad. He 
was more of a veteran, and had served with Adrian  through the war. More and 
more began to speak up and step forward, until the  entire company except 
Walker and the four prisoners had surged like a machine up  two steps, their 
voices all echoing off the walls of the gymnasium.  


Walker stated quietly, "I am with you, Sir. Never forget that." His  voice, 
quiet as it was, was nevertheless emphatic. "What happened here,  perpetrated 
by these four," he gestured toward the four trapped within the  force-fields, 
"was not typical behavior by Marines. I might have expected it  from members of 
the Triads, though." This last was in tones of utter disgust.  "The Triads I 
refer to make the Chinese Tongs look like choirboys by comparison,  sir. Evil 
actions, often dishonorable ones, are their standard  procedure."

In truth, he was beginning to worry about Talea's mental  state. While it was 
apparent she'd been too fast to be badly injured physically,  her mental 
condition after the incident, so like what the men of her own  benighted Clan 
would have done, was a big concern. He suspected Talea was whom  Captain Skyler 
was to go see, and he fervently hoped Talea would not overreact  to any 
references to the events.


Adrian looked around at the company  in front of him and smiled. "Good, I am 
glad to see that honor and loyalty has  not deserted this fine group of men." 
He turned his attention over to Walker.  "Bring the prisoners here please, oh 
and do inform everyone about what happens  to members of the Triads who are 
caught." 

Walker chuckled. "They are in  the force-field shielded ring, Sir. As for the 
punishment? It largely depends on  their crimes, but usually winds up being 
one of several types of execution. If  Lady Luck smiles on them, the method is 
that of lethal injection, or some other  form of relatively painless death, 
but it is far more likely to be something  else, up to and including forms that 
most civilizations have abandoned long  ago." He looked over at the four while 
standing next to the Captain. "As for  these four? Their actions do not 
constitute capital crimes, so it is far more  likely that they would be 
imprisoned. 
Like many such things, it is different on  Regelis. They would likely be 
placed in stasis for a minimum of five hundred  years after being 
administratively 
disciplined." He did not mention that the  five hundred years were Regellian 
years, or that there would be no counseling  given to help them adjust to the 
new state of the society.

"Excellent,  Walker. Now, please escort them here in front of the company." 
Phillips said  coolly as he watched over his marines and the reactions of the 
prisoners. He  knew that they would be worried, but they were all relatively 
new to the  marines, so didn't quite understand how things were run around 
here. 
"I'm glad  to see that the Regellians still know proper discipline 
techniques."  


Walker's lips curled very slightly as he suppressed the smile before  calling 
out, "Lower the fields!" As the fields dropped, he teleported to the  center 
of the group of prisoners and grasped the guide chain before any of them  
could react. Within seconds, he had them hustled into place, although two other 
 
Marines assisted in stopping the bruiser named Kano from attempting to knock 
him  out. After thanking the two, he swatted Kano upside the head with his open 
palm.  It made more noise than actual harm, but the other three quieted, which 
was  Walker's intent.



Adrian paced around in front of the four  gentlemen, no, dogs that were in 
front of him. Few things actually got him to  this point, but this was 
definitely one of them. "So then, do you not even have  the decency to admit to 
your 
crimes of treason, and still attack a superior  officer?" Phillips turned in 
disgust and looked back at his company.  

"It's a shame that men such as these are allowed into the marine corps.  
Completely disappointing and it makes all the rest of us seem like horrible,  
warmongering, and disgusting people." He turned back around and looked down the 
 
line. "Which one of you is the leader of this infamous operation? Speak  
truthfully, for I will know if you are lying," Adrian said, his face set like a 
 
solid rock, unwavering in his decision already made.



Walker  commented quietly to Adrian via telepathy, ~I literally will know and 
can alert  you if they lie. If you wish. Don't react physically,  Sir.~


Lieutenant Jackson spoke up in accordance with Captain  Phillips' order. "I 
am, Sir. Imprisoning my brother for calling someone a name  is not in any way 
justice!" He was unaware of the true reason Ensign Jackson had  been thrown 
into the Brig.


Walker almost, but not quite, growled at  the man's declaration. To the man's 
credit, he was telling the truth, but to his  shame, his information was 
woefully inadequate, and his lack of fact-checking  was all but inexcusable. 
He, 
however, had no authority to respond to the man's  jibe.


Kano spat in the general direction of the First Lieutenant.  "Damn fool. Now 
we're all going to get it. Had you left well enough alone, only  your brother 
would have deep-sixed!" The other two prisoners, not quite as  defiant, and, 
in fact, very much remorseful and repentant of their actions, took  Kano to 
task without saying a word, by turning their backs on him, their  expressions 
severe as they did so.


Silence fell again as Adrian just  watched them for a moment from their 
responses, both verbal and physical.  "Lieutenant Jackson, thank you for 
speaking 
honestly and freely. I believe you  are fully unaware of the entire situation 
as to why your brother is in the brig,  which is most unfortunate, because he 
has done much more heinous crimes than  just a mere verbal assault." He paced 
around the group once, allowing those  behind him to get a good look at the men 
in front of them. "Your brother  attempted to physically and sexually assault 
the Ensign when she was found in  his quarters by a mistake done by the 
operations staff. That," he said with  emphasis as he spun and was inches away 
from 
Jackson's face, "is why your  brother is in the brig and is about to shipped 
out to the nearest JAG facility."  


Lieutenant Jackson's face paled. "Dear God in heaven. If he survives  the 
court-martial, he won't our family's wrath. And they won't treat me with  much 
more restraint." His face was solemn.


"Kano, step forward, you  filthy dog!" Adrian turned his glare directly at 
the marine in question and  beckoned him forward. "You think deep-sixed is 
where 
you are headed?" He  laughed, but not one that seemed amused by the 
situation. 



Kano  stated crisply, if a little grudgingly, "Insomuch as our careers are 
concerned,  yes, sir. We likely haven't a prayer of clemency after this 
incident." He  thought privately, 'Dumb bastard's ruined us all. And for what?'

"Don't  worry, Lieutenant, you'll have plenty to deal with in good time." 
Adrian  commented to Jackson before turning his full attention to Kano in front 
of him.  "The three of you, step to the side, now." 

As the three others complied,  leaving Kano on the ground in front of him, 
Adrian stepped in front of him  slowly. "Private Kano, you have been the 
attacker of a Starfleet officer whom  was unwillingly forced into combat with 
you. 
Not only did you fight without any  sort of honor whatsoever by using weapons," 
he continued, his anger slowly  beginning to show, "your actions as have been 
recorded by witnesses seem to  explain something other than just simply 
defeating your foe." 

Adrian  turned at this point and faced the marines assembled before him, 
though keeping  his full alert in case Kano did anything tricky. "By Federation 
Marine law,  assaulting another crew member without due reason or orders is 
considered to be  treason." 

Turning back to face Kano, Adrian drew his phaser pistol. "As  Marine Captain 
of the 243rd Federation Marine Company on board the USS Avalon,  you will be 
summarily executed for your acts of treason to the victim, ship, and  your 
fellow marines." And with that, Adrian opened fire, landing a perfect shot  
onto 
Kano's chest with his phaser set to maximum kill. Just before Adrian fired,  
Kano shouted, "Injustice! Where's . . ." but his statement was cut off rather  
permanently by the disintegration of his body.


Walker blinked. That  was certainly unexpected. He knew the penalty in both 
services (both those of  the Regellians and Starfleet) for murdering an officer 
was death, but he'd never  expected that Captain Phillips would shoot the man 
down in what amounted to cold  blood! He made a mental note not to tick the 
man off.


Lieutenant  Jackson gasped, ducked and covered, his face ashen, 
half-expecting to be next on  the hit-list, knowing as he did that he was the 
ringleader of 
the small  group.


Several of the younger Marines looked visibly startled and two  of the women 
looked to be nauseated by the action, although nobody said a word.  Most of 
them wondered who would die next, and by what method. More than a few  thought 
that Kano had it coming, but at least one other in the group of four  probably 
deserved it more.

Walker then stated softly to Captain Phillips,  "Sir, what you have done may 
have prevented us from discovering the full extent  of this small group's 
activities; he had mentioned other women they'd, um,  entertained." 

"This is true, Sergeant, but I believe after this display,  the others will 
be speaking much more freely about their previous actions," he  whispered back 
to Walker before turning his attention back on the three  remaining culprits. 
"Gentlemen, each one of you is up for these heinous crimes  similar to those 
of the late Private Kano. You will be escorted to my office  where we will 
proceed with some 'debriefing,' because it seems as though that  was not the 
private's first attempt at assaulting a woman, and you all were the  closest to 
him." 

Adrian then turned to the marines assembled. "Comrades  in arms, what has 
just taken place may be a bit unnerving for some, but speak  with the veterans 
within your unit and they will help you to understand. If  anyone, of course, 
wishes to challenge my reasoning or logic, please feel free  to do so whenever 
you feel most ready, and we will discuss it further," he said  with a smile on 
his face, seemingly perfectly unfazed by what had occurred or  what might 
occur. "However, do take this as a warning. I will not tolerate any  of this 
behavior, no matter if we are on the battlefield or on board a starship  
baby-sitting the navy. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Hooah!" ensued from the  company in front of him, though some were more 
jubilant than others. It would  take a few days, Adrian knew, but the marines 
would understand by then why that  had occurred. 'Hell, that's why one of our 
men 
doubles as a counselor for the  company. This sort of information is what the 
'fleeters don't see.'  



Walker then heard the scream of the alarm announcing to one and  all aboard 
ship that a phaser set above stun-5 had been fired. "Sir, we have a  slight 
problem. Namely, the fact that everyone aboard ship likely knows a phaser  set 
above Stun-5 has been discharged." He chuckled. "Unless they're so clueless  as 
to not know what that alarm means!"



"True, but fortunately for  us, security deals with these things," Adrian 
replied with a smile as the  marines dispersed to their duties. "And we are the 
security." He shouted to one  of the retreating marines, "Turn that alarm off 
when you get back to your  station, Witherspoon!" The Marine nodded as he 
headed back to his station.  



Suddenly, out of nowhere, Skyler heard the alarm klaxon going  off. Some 
idiot had fired a phaser on the ship. Getting up immediately out of  her chair 
in 
sickbay, she left without so much as a word to Talea. Tapping her  combadge, 
she almost yelled the command for an intraship transport to the site  of the 
shooting. When she rematerialized, she found herself in the company of  the 
marines and Captain Phillips.

"Captain, what the hell is going on  here and who in bloody hell fired a 
phaser on board this ship? Whoever it was  had better have damn good reason for 
doing so." She stood firmly with her arms  crossed across her chest. Her mood 
was no longer the pleasant, understanding one  it had been in sickbay. Now she 
was downright pissed.

'I can't believe  that someone was stupid enough to fire a phaser. When I 
find out who and why  they are going to pay dearly for it.' She stood her 
ground 
while waiting for an  answer. Neither Adrian nor Walker were doing much 
talking at the  moment.


Walker stated quietly, "It is not for me to explain, Captain  Skyler, save 
that I am uncertain that the action would be understood by anyone  outside the 
SFMC or the Regellian Alliance." His tone showed respect, a little  worry, and 
puzzlement. The puzzlement being simply the fact that he didn't  understand 
why Captain Phillips had not realized that at the range he had fired  at Kano, 
Stun-5 would have killed, most likely. Now, they had quite a mess on  their 
hands, and a very upset XO.


"You are correct, Sergeant. It is  not for you to explain. It is up to 
Captain Phillips, and he had better have a  damn good reason for doing so." 
Turning, 
she again looked at Adrian, waiting for  him to respond.

After several tense minutes with no response from Adrian,  one of the 
younger, less experienced Marines blurted out, "Captain Skyler,  ma'am, Captain 
Phillips summarily executed that prig named Kano!"

Looking  at both Adrian and Walker, Skyler couldn't believe what she had just 
heard.  Trying not to totally lose control, Skyler spoke quite tersely. "Is 
that  correct, Sergeant? Did Captain Phillips fire on another person and kill 
them?"  She was not going to wait long for an answer, so she hoped that someone 
answered  her quickly.

Walker nodded. "After referencing SFMC regulations regarding  treasonous 
behavior by a member of the Marines, aye, ma'am. Said regulations are  not 
well-known outside the Marines, however." He didn't say to Skyler that he  did 
not 
approve of the summary execution, but he suspected she could tell  anyway. He 
was only lightly shielded, after all, and not enough to prevent  truth-reading. 



"Marines or not, we do not just summarily fire on  another person, killing 
them, without first giving them their due justice.  Sergeant, you will take 
Captain Phillips' weapon and relieve him of command. You  will also see that he 
is 
placed under arrest. Have I made myself  clear?"


Walker nodded. "Crystal clear, ma'am." He turned to Captain  Phillips. "Sir, 
your weapon." He held out his hand for it. With a look of utter  disgust, 
Captain Phillips placed his weapon in Walker's hand. "Jax, Sophia,  escort the 
Captain to a holding cell. Treat him with honor." He was saddened by  the 
necessity of arresting his immediate commander, since it would reduce morale  
amongst 
the unit at a time he felt they needed to be most cohesive. And, as the  
now-ranking officer, Walker would have to assume command of the unit, something 
 
he was not keen on doing.


"Now Sergeant Walker, I want a full written  report upon my desk within the 
next 24 hours. I want to know what the hell  happened here and why. I will not 
tolerate this type of behavior from a senior  officer or from anyone else for 
that matter. While you are at it, make sure  Ensign Jackson and the others are 
still secure in their holding cells." She  stiffly turned and started to walk 
away. She couldn't believe all this was  happening now, on the Avalon. 



Walker raised an eyebrow, but  stated quietly, "Yes, Sir. It will be done. 
Likely sooner than a Terran day." He  smiled wanly as she left the gym. "Ok, 
people. Enough gawking. Baker Team, Gamma  Team, you're on ship-patrol. Kindly 
do 
it?" He turned to Alpha and Delta Teams.  "Ok, you lot. Let's not mull over 
what's been done here. Let's get everyone  secured and the first five processed 
and charged so they can be sent to JAG for  trial, please." He was actually 
hoping the Captain would calm down, accept the  differences in regulations and 
let Captain Phillips go. As it was, he'd just  saved Starfleet several hundred 
credits at the least, and many more at the  worst.


As the groups dispersed to their duties, two of the proper  team taking 
Captain Phillips in hand, Walker walked toward what was now his  office.>
 



************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

--- End Message ---

Other related posts: