MACO - Why can't you hear me waving at you?

Posted on Wed Feb 23rd, 2022 @ 1:32pm by Captain Stenn

Mission: Mission 5 - Babel
Location: Barracks
Timeline: Day 280 - Right after "The time to leave... or not"
1079 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

With Major King's sudden demise Stenn's recuperation period had been cut short and he was thrust into command of the detachment.

Once the funerals had been complete and all personnel were back onboard his first decision had been to hold a unit meeting to set out their path forward.

The detachment was gathered together in the barracks, there were now just twelve of them operational, divided amongst three teams of four.

Stenn would be taking over the Command team, with Staff Sergeant Magnuson, Corporal McAndrews the Detachment’s Sapper and Corporal Singh the Detachment’s Sniper.

Then two Fire Teams; Alpha and Bravo, one led by Sergeant Hoffmann; the other by Corporal Thomas.

The allocation of personnel was optimal and logical, Stenn did not intend to make any changes. He focused on the detachment's role going forward.

"You are all aware that we are many light years from our home planets. The situation is serious but not one that we shall not face and overcome. We were brought here by an unknown means, but that proves there is a way toc ross such vast distances in a much shorter time than previously known.

I am confident the Captain and her officers will do everything possible to return the Atlantis safely home. But we cannot know how long that may take and we must accustom ourselves to living each day as it comes.

I have met with the Armory Officer Lieutenant Gerhard, we will be continuing the cooperation established between Armory and MACO by Major King. Furthermore, I intend to increase that cooperation to include joint training and cross-deployment duties. MACO will become a fully integrated part of the Atlantis crew, we will work with and alongside Lieutenant Gerhard and his Armory crew in ensuring the safety and security of this vessel."

He continued to describe some of the training Gerhard and he agreed when he noticed some people were giving him odd looks.

There was a cough from his right and he looked to Magnuson. "Staff Sergeant?"

"Err Im sorry sir, you said that last part in Vulcan" The man replied "I know a bit and so does Singh, but I don't think anyone else understood."

"I spoke in Vulcan?" Stenn was inwardly surprised. He did not think he had done so.

"Sir, yes sir." Corproal Gurkiran Singh replied "I got most of it par fer tusin hune-hune gall-baat in vulcan shuru kar ditti hai"

Stenn raised an eyebrow as the woman suddenly began speaking in a different language, one he did not recognize, nor know was called Punjabi.

Magnuson interjected "That's not Vulcan, is that Indian? " He asked Signh "Hvorfor byttet dere språk?" breaking into Norwegian

Stenn looked between the two of them. "You are both mixing your languages" He stated in Vulcan. "I do not understand you"

Signh looked confused and replied also in Vulcan. "Sir, me not understands, why you talks that way"

Magnusson also looked baffled "You are correct, Norwegian I was saying. Why I do not be knowing"

There had been a couple of nervous laughs from some of the others, but when one trooper went to ask a question all that came out was pure Turkish "Ne var ne yok? Neden böyle yıldız gibi konuşuyorsun?

Within a minute the detachment had, for some strange reason, loss the ability to communicate in anything but their various native languages.

Of the fourteen, Stenn, Magnusson and Singh spoke Vulcan. Magnusson and Singh also spoke English besides their own Norwegian and Punjabi, as did Corporal McAndrews, along with his own Gaelic.

As well as those three, English was spoken by Sergeant Hoffman, who also spoke German and Italian, Corporal Thomas and four others.

Lance Corporal Lenard and two others could communicate in French. Trooper Altan could only speak Turkish and Trooper Silva who only spoke Brazilian Portuguese.

Then a command came over the comm channel but nobody could understand what it was saying. Although the tone indicated that whatever it was, it was urgent.

Confusion was beginning to set in and Stenn stood up to get their attention. Discipline was quickly restored, everyone was quiet and turned to look at him.

"For some reason we have loss the ability to converse in standard language" He said slowly in Vulcan, letting his tone and cadence set a calming tone. "Therefore we will switch to zero-comms communication"

He looked around at each of the troopers and gave them the hand sign for zero-comms. It was standard MACO training to practice communications without using voice or electronic means.

Primarily designed for a tactical environment where speaking or using a communicator was liable to be overheard or intercepted. MACO training had developed a battle language of hand-signs and gestures that enabled them to communicate under such circumstances. It was also practiced to simulate comms-failure when conducting operations in EVO suits.

"Stay here, I will go to the bridge and find out what has happened. Magnusson will be in command" He signed to the rest, locking eyes with each one in turn until he received an acknowledged>/i> from them.

He stopped by Magnuson and spoke slowly in Vulcan. "I believe the universal translator may have failed. I will take Singh. Keep tall here until I return"

Magnusson replied in his limited Vulcan "Bridge do you go, yes, here stay I and them" and flipped up the .OK, I got it covered sign

Stenn nodded and signaled for Singh to come with him. The pair of them were heading for the turbolift when suddenly the ship shuddered and bucked.

It happened again and Steen could feel the deck thrumming as the engines tried to propel the ship forward against some kind of resistance. He knew what that feeling was the Atlantis was being targeted by a tractor beam!

They entered the lift and the ship juddered again. Singh looked nervous. "It is a tractor beam" he said slowly in Vulcan "An energy beam that stops motion"

"A ray beam make ship stop?" She asked.

"I think so" He replied.

There was another command over the ship page. It sounded like Leroux but he did not understand the words.

"You go Captain, see in meeting chamber" Singh explained

They got off the lift and met Darru on the way there himself.
With the Science Officer there Stenn sent Singh back to the barracks to inform Magnuson and the rest of events.