Turning over a new leaf

Posted on 17 Jan 2014 @ 10:11am by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Luke Wyatt

1,451 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 1 - Ready Room
Timeline: MD01 1500

[ON]

With the responsibility of a new command came the perks of being able to choose one's crew. John had of course taken this ability with the same determination he took any other task, and had started methodically working through the personnel files of all crew members aboard the ship, weeding out those he felt were ineffective under his command and shoring up those departments who would benefit from a few extra hands.
The latest file to appear on his screen was a little more complex - a marine wanting to transfer to the Fleet. John was usually a little reserved when it came to these sorts of transfers, the marines operated a very different command style and indeed their methods were rather dissimilar to life aboard a starship.

Taking a moment to think, the Captain decided to bite the bullet and tapped his commbadge.

=^=Galileo to Dock Control - please could you locate a Chief Petty Officer Luke Wyatt and have him report aboard Galileo immediately? =^=

Had Galileo been in space or at a spacedock, the act of laying one's hands on a member of one's crew was a simple case of calling out over the comm, but with the Galileo currently docked planetside, there was far more chance for the crew to get "out and about" and a little more effort was required to track someone down.

=^=Right away Captain Holliday =^= came the response from the dockmaster. All the Captain had to do now, was wait.

Luke was wandering the starbase prior to their leave, being on the Galileo such a small ship compared to what he was used was a luxury. He was a little surprised when a call came over the station's communications system. 'What could he want he wondered somewhat confused. Heaving a sigh he proceeded his way to the docking port Galileo was currently occupying.

Sometime later...

Luke had just about enough time to quickly change into his uniform, he wasnt sure whether to wear Starfleet yellow or Marine green so he went with what he had hoped this was about and choose Yellow for security. Stepping close to the door and pressing the door chime he waited to be ordered in.

"Enter." John replied in his usual tone. He knew exactly who this visitor was likely to be, and suitably braced himself for the response he was expecting to get from a Marine on his ship.

Luke walked through the door and braced up "Chief Petty Officer Wyatt reporting as ordered sir" He stayed in the braced position a very peculiar motion for someone with his experience. As a Marine he was regarded as one of the most senior soldier and often looked up to.

"At ease Marine." John replied, referencing the commands he had heard Marine commanding officers use during his time at the Academy or on those assignments where he had crossed paths with their kind before.

"Take a seat - I understand you have put in a transfer request to the Galileo?"

"Yes, that is what I hope" He said sitting down on the seat and tucking it in slightly "I understand that this is and can be seen as an unusual and hastily made request but It's something I am especially looking forward to" He continued.

"I don't often find marines serving in Starfleet roles - I am aware of a few examples, indeed my XO has experience of the Marines - but what makes you want to transfer to what I'm sure your colleagues see as the more boring arm of the Federation?"

John was still unsure of the motives of the man sat in front of him. There was still a degree of apprehension between Starfleet and the Marine wings of the Federation - one was seen as the explorers, and one as the soldiers. Nevertheless, they were still all on the same side, and there had to be a degree of interchangeability between the two command structures.

Luke nodded along and had to agree with the man. Holliday was right, most if not all Marines would say that the fleet side of life is most definitely the less exotic and exciting part of the Federation. "I can not disagree with that Captain, many do believe that and even I myself have thought that at times but with recent events I believe I hold invaluable experience which will benefit this ship and crew. I can be a valuable asset in both security and tactical matters and as a Marine Senior Sergeant I know how to lead a team"

"You know how to lead a team...of Marines." John replied, emphasising his point with a short silence. Leading a team of soldiers was far different to leading a team of scientists, or civillians, or indeed working with Starfleet Security.

"The men and women aboard Galileo are not combat veterans - besides a very small number of us not many have seen any significant quantity of combat - their capabilities in an emergency are not the same as you would expect from your Marine counterparts. There will be a serious learning curve should your transfer be approved. Are you up to the task?"

"That's my point exactly captain, I am not expecting and never will be expecting them to be combat trained and ready for any situations like the marines are trained but with my help maybe next time If there is ever a next time when the Galileo needs a combat expert if you will, I can give this crew the extra help to come through the other side. I think this would benefit the crew and myself a lot. I have never wanted rank nor power just to be able to help and make a different and I can see I can make a better difference if I am on this ship with this crew." He finished as he fell silent, sitting back into the chair ready to listen.

John was satisfied that this Marine at least, had other things on his mind than finding out the flaws in the Galileo's own capabilities. It was refreshing to get an opinion from a soldier that was something other than a disdain for Fleet personnel.

"Thank you for your input Mr Wyatt. I will take your comments under advisement. In the meantime I recommend that you get some R&R before redeployment. Welcome to the Galileo."

Luke let slip a smile, "Thank you Captain, I hope that yourself will be enjoying some R and R It would seem unfair otherwise." He noted whilst the topic was open. He had not spoken to Holliday one to one since being on the Galileo and was determined to get to know the man.

"A new command is never something easy to adjust to. What with the refit and the change of crew structure I somehow doubt I am going to have much in the way of time off. Nevertheless - a visit home may be possible."

John replied, trying to make polite conversation. If he was going to serve as this vessel's Commanding Officer he needed to know more about the people under his command, and his training had always taught him never to squander an opportunity to learn.

"Though our experiences differ in that you are an officer of a starship and I was a Sergeant of a Platoon I can say I understand what you mean but something I learnt is that all work and no play will affect your ability to learn." Luke knew how easy it was to get carried away with work, when he was younger it was that very thing that lead to his divorce.

"A very accurate statement." John replied. He had seen his fair share of combat over the course of his career, but the Marines were trained to live in that kind of situation. In truth John had never cared overly for downtime, he was just as happy with a PADD in his hand as he would be with a beer, book, or a bat.

"Perhaps I will get away for a day or so - Mars isn't so far away that a comm signal can't reach me. Galileo shouldn't be going anywhere any time soon."

"Precisely, there's always time for one's self even if it isn't obvious at first" He stood up pulling at the bottom of his tunic "Well, if there is nothing else Captain Thank you for our little talk"


"Dismissed Mr Wyatt." The Captain replied with a slight smile, watching as the Marine departed before returning to his work.


[OFF]


CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo


CPO Luke Wyatt
Security Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed