Not Our Path Or Route

Posted on Thu Nov 19th, 2020 @ 2:10am by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Major Samuel King & Ensign Luis Martinez & Gunnery Sergeant Billy Rhodes

Mission: Mission 3 - 100
Location: MACO Barracks
1268 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Samuel had arranged for a member of the security team to join him in front of his team for a meeting. His whole squad was present, they were a noisy lot so really you couldn't not hear them in any part of the ship. They knew the type of life they led was dangerous and short so they made up for it with vibrant personalities and behaviour.

"Alright everybody, settle down," he yelled as the room began to quieten down. "This is Warrant Officer Madison Walker, formerly of the NX Enterprise and Armory Officer here on Atlantis. We actually were on the Enterprise in 2153 and took part in the operation to rescue Ensign Sato from the Xindi. She is invaluable to us here on the ship and as such, this is a forum where we will talk about how we will integrate with the Amory on board. With security depleted we will fill the gap. At the moment ground operations are still our remit, we have maintained numbers enough to not need essential replenishment. I have asked Warrant Officer Walker to be here to discuss how we fit into their plans for the ship and then we will open up for questions." he said as he nodded to Walker.

"Thank you for having me, Major," Maddison stated. "During regular duty, I am hoping to reinforce Engineering with two guards and two guards on roaming patrol in opposite paths to cover the max area As well as one guard posted at the entrance to the Bridge. During Combat situations, I want at least four guards on Engineering with doubling patrols on decks, with doubling the guards at the bridge."

Beth had snuck in at the back with Luis to listen to what had to be said. She had been hoping to not be caught for a bit but Luis had caught her and had next to her but it was what it was now. It was a good guard duty roster. The armoury department was truly started to retake shape after losing the sparkle that was Sloan.

Samuel nodded as the Warrant Officer gave her take on how things were to pan out for them. "As you all know Engineering and the Bridge are two key areas of the ship that need protection in case of boarding. To that end, this is why we are setting up this cooperative measure. At this stage, we will take point from the armoury personnel on board so we find out bearings and then we can start to relay our expertise to them. This will lead us to become a unified force onboard Atlantis."

Having stayed quiet so far, Ellie decided to follow on from Samuel's point.

"To follow on from what the Major's just said, it's also worth bearing in mind there's a lot of things we can learn from the armory department too. For those who have never taken part in combat aboard a starship, I can tell you from experience, it is a completely different ball game, and Starfleet's armoury departments have been doing it for longer than we have. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't learn anything from Lieutenant Reed's team during the Xindi mission, and I'm confident many of you will learn something new from this exercise" Ellie commented.

it always made Beth smile to hear the Enterprise mentioned. She knew of them and had many crew from them onboard as Starfleet was so small it was bound to happen but she had never actually met any of the senior officers from there. Fate had not allowed her than the option. "It is our new approach to life," Beth spoke up making the room go silent as the marines all turned and looked at the redhead sat at the back and they were oblivious. It was as if suddenly snapped and they all stood up which made Beth stand up automatically before she indicated for them to all stand down. "Rest easy Marines. I came to learn and observe."

Sam smiled at the quick snap too of his marines. They were a well-trained bunch and it was nice to see the respect for naval officers, of everyone was still ever-present. Samuel nodded to the Commander and smirked. "In ship combat, there are fewer places to find cover, usually corners, the odd blown off door can come in handy. Close combat is also a possibility." Sam explained. "Whilst also with Lieutenant Reed on the Xindi mission we did have encounters with Reptilian Xindi, they are extremely hard to take down in close quarters. The Armoury department will be essential in you learning what it means to protect an asset from within and with little room to manoeuvre. I did learn a great deal from Malcolm whilst on the Enterprise, even Captain Archer taught me a few moves."

Beth looked around the room and rolled her eyes. It was the same no matter where you were in Starfleet when the Enterprise and her crew were mentioned. “They might have been the first and led the way but the Enterprise has never walked our path,” Beth said gently. She knew they were legendary but the Marines and Armoury Officers needed to be less starstruck by them. The enterprise had never overcome hunger, the constant threat from a strange enemy or even got pulled across the universe. They were thriving under extreme adversity and they did not even realise they were doing it.

Maddison listened to the exchange between the newly recovered MACO lieutenant and the CO. Having served on the Enterprise herself, before the Xindi attack on Earth, she knew the effect of mentioning Archer's name had on others. "I will agree with the commander. We are not the Enterprise, we are the crew of the Atlantis--we're better and we will continue to get better by cross-training and working as a team. If any of you require training in the Armory Department, come see me as I trained recruits at Starfleet Academy prior to the Atlantis."

Samuel sucked air through his teeth at what the two women had said. He was always happy to admit when he was wrong but this wasn't one of those times, especially with his team watching on as two naval officers spoke. "I did not say we were the Enterprise, simply that they have helped me develop into a better protector aboard starships. I do not compare this crew to theirs," he said simply as he surveyed the room. "We are not them, you are right Commander. Our path is as alien to us as those we will meet on our travels back. As much as it is complicated to do it is still simple in its entirety. We must head for the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

"Indeed, Major. It is possible to accept the present and future while acknowledging the past, and how it's helped to make you who you are today. My time on Enterprise helped to make me the MACO that I am today, but it's my time on Atlantis which will benefit from those experiences" Ellie offered, feeling somewhat philosophical.

"Perhaps Lieutenant but maybe it will hold us all back," Beth said darkly as she rose from her chair. She turned as everyone rose with her before she indicated fro them to sit back down. They would be on their feet for hours training after that. The least she could do was allow them to sit for a bit longer. "I will excuse myself and allow you to carry on with your training."