Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 02:33:25 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Jay P Hailey" Title: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPHailey@hotmail.com) Series: OCC Codes: None Part: 51/342(?) Rating:[PG] Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where. Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Star Trek. I claim Original Characters and Situations for me. Webpage HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com ZTA-1: Episode 51 by Jay P. Hailey And Dennnis Washburn The two Starfleet Marines stood at attention. I hadn't seen such a tight attention pose since the Academy. The young Marine was a private. He was nervous. Watching Sergeant-Major Kendrick's body language, I could easily see why. It had been years since my academy days, but I was still nervous. Kendricks was stock still and his body was completely rigid. There was a ghastly pink undertone to his skin that spoke of laps and push ups and peeling potatoes and latrine duty until you passed out. My shoulders were reminding me that it had been many years since I had done twenty push ups and if I tried it at this point I was going to pay. I got a hold of myself. "Sergeant-Major. I have just received ..." I tried to make my tone as dry and ironic as possible "...a complaint." His pink tone got deeper. I continued before my natural instincts to shut up when the Sergeant was angry took over. "I'm certain that you have a point of view on this matter." The Sergeant-Major growled. "Those Youn Marines are not the most diligent of men." I looked at him. He gritted his teeth and continued. "Private Simpson entered the lounge yesterday at approximately 14:30 hours. He reported encountering the Youn Marines in the Lounge. Since they were not speaking to him he ignored them and continued with his recreation." From the Sergeant's tone I could almost picture the Marine Corps Basic Training Manual on Beginning Recreation. The recruits would have to practice recreation in groups by the counts of their Sergeants. "Private Simpson, in the act of recreation noticed that the Youn Marines were harassing one of their own number." His tone was grim. I understood why. For Marines to publicly pick on one of their own squad, the discipline in their unit had to be nearly nonexistent. "Private Simpson, knowing that such behavior was unworthy of anyone who called themselves Marines went over to try to reason with them. His sentimentality also played a role. He hoped to provide some relief to the individual who was being harassed." Sergeant-Major Hendricks tone told what he thought of sentimentality in a Marine. I thought it was nice thing to try to do. "The Youn Marines turned on Private Simpson, growing abusive and aggressive towards him." Kendricks paused for effect. "When the Youn Marines grew bold enough to physically abuse Private Simpson, he was forced to subdue them until the arrival of ship's Security." Simpson looked embarrassed. "Just him?" I asked. Kendricks pinned Simpson on a glare. Simpson cleared his throat. "Yes, Sir. It was only me." I was stunned. "How many of the Youn Marines were there?" "All of them sir. All five." "What, even the guy you were trying to help?" "Yes, sir." Simpson was bright red. He wasn't amused. He was honestly embarrassed. The situation had become ugly and then the Youn Marines had given a pathetic accounting of themselves. After a few embarrassing moments I had an idea. "Private, you are dismissed." I said. Kendricks looked at me and then nodded to Simpson. The young Starfleet Marine fled my office. "Captain, this won't happen again." He said. His tone frightened me. How many laps around the Harrier could a Marine do before he died? I didn't want to find out. "One guy?" I asked. Kendricks nodded bitterly. His Marines were excellent at what they did, but this wasn't a measure of that. The Youn "Marines" were pathetic. "Those guys are dangerous." I said. I pictured that group of pathetic whiners with phaser rifles. I pictured them panicking in a battle I shuddered. "I think I could convince the Delegate that a combined training exercise would be a good idea, Sergeant. Do you think that you could handle those Youn Marines?" I asked. Sergeant-Major Kendricks said "It's been a while since I ran a class through boot camp, Captain. I would enjoy the chance." He grinned ferally. I feared for the lives and sanity of the poor losers from Youn at the hands of Sergeant-Major Kendricks. -*- "Captain Hailey?" The Delegate of Youn's voice sounded stressed. "Yes, Your Honor?" "Would you please come to my quarters? I would like to speak with you." "I'll be there soon." I wandered down to the quarters assigned to the delegate of the Youn. I pressed on the door bell to announce my self. The door opened. The artificial gravity had been turned off in the Delegates quarters. Furniture and luggage belonging to the Delegate floated randomly around the compartment. I saw Sergeant Logan and the second squad of Marines floating naked in the quarters. They all floated randomly around the room, holding themselves stiffly at attention. Their uniforms drifted independently around the room also. Little slips of paper floated around the room, also. I snatched a slip of paper as it went by. It said "The Delegate from Youn shall be refereed to as Your Honor." It was signed by both the delegate and Sergeant Logan. The Delegate floated in the middle of the room, holding onto a table. He looked miserably unhappy. One of the Marines drifted into him and he gently pushed the man away. The delegate made his way towards me from fixture to fixture in a zero-g hand over hand style. He tried to cross the thresh hold out of his quarters but miss-judged the change to full gravity and fell heavily down on the deck of the corridor. I helped him up, and we walked a short distance away from his quarters. "Captain, upon thoughtful consideration I find that your offer of joint training exercises, while of commendable intent are simply not practical. I wish you would return my Marine Honor Guard to me and take your own fine young Marines back with you." "I'm terribly sorry, Your Honor, they have recently entered the Holodeck for an extended training exercise with Sergeant-Major Kendricks. To remove them now with a series of half formed survival traits and reflexes would not only ruin them as Marines, it might drive them mad." "Really? How unfortunate! Uncalled for really. I may have to lodge a complaint. Er, How long did you say that this exercise was to continue for?" "Approximately four weeks depending on how your Marines fare in the early going." "Four weeks?" Despite the cultured tones, the Delegate had the look of a trapped animal. "Oh, dear." He pressed on "It might drive my Marines mad if you released them now?" "Sadly, yes." "How mad, exactly?" "The most common threat is homicidal mania, followed by suicidal depression." "Suicidal depression?" The Delegate said hopefully. "Yes. From the fragments and the ship's recorder marker, it seems that some poor tortured soul sabotaged the starship he was on. It was lost, with all hands. Since then, we don't interrupt the training cycle if we can help it." "All hands?" He squeaked. "Yes, so you see it's vital that your boys complete the training regimen. I simply can't allow them to quit." "I see, I see." It was the voice of a man coming to terms with his own death. "I can have the Marines reassigned, if you like, but that would leave you without an honor guard." "But, what about my status?" "I'm not certain of the effect that it would have on your status." "No, Captain, I'm sure that you don't. It's all right, I'll try to make it through, somehow." He turned and stiffly walked back into his quarters. He resumed his float in the middle of the room miserably. "Sergeant Logan, may I speak to you out here in the corridor?" I said. The Sergeant moved with a reasonable amount of grace and alacrity to join me out in the corridor. Anyone who speculates about humanity evolving into a space borne race hasn't seen naked Marines in zero-g. Logan came to attention in the corridor. I noticed that we were drawing looks. I was using the Japanese etiquette which says "Nakedness is seen, but not noticed." Several female crew members on the Harrier did not see it that way. "Report, please, Sergeant." "The Delegate was somewhat vague with his orders, Sir. I requested clarification." "Does this have anything to do with a White Mutiny?" "Sir! No, Sir!" His expression was carefully neutral. The Marines had a time honored method of putting an arrogant CO in his place. It was called a "White Mutiny." In a white mutiny, the officers and crew members interpret the unfortunate victim's orders as literally as possible. It was a standard technique for training superior officers to think before they speak. They pulled it on us in command school. I remembered my own run in with it quite ruefully. The Delegate from Youn was having about as much fun with it as anyone did. "I see. Carry on Sergeant." "Aye Captain." He saluted and then with perfect self possession turned and marched back into the delegates quarters. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.648 / Virus Database: 415 - Release Date: 3/31/2004 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! 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