Rough Start

Posted on Thu May 18th, 2017 @ 8:47am by

766 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Unknown Life, Unknown Dangers
Location: Firing Range, Marine Country.

Samantha was in the Holodeck doing some routine certification updates with some of the marines, a routine task at most but she liked to make sure everything was up to date when it came to weapons. Sam was a firm believer that it was better to have a skill set and not need it, then need it and not have it. She felt that by not having the certifications could compromise the operational capacity and combat effectiveness of the unit.

So far all the marines were performing as expected bar one, Private Sarah Atleave. Sarah was a new addition to the team fresh from bootcamp and assigned like most of the class to the Dreadnought to fill in departures when they arrived at Earth. While Sarah passed the certification, it was only just. Sam felt that she needed to talk to Sarah to see what was going on, see if something was bothering her.

After dismissing the group she called for Sarah to remain, when everyone else had left and the door closed she left the hologram running and perched herself on the table with a chair nearby. "What the matter Sarah?" Sam asked. "You and I know you are better than this, what's bothering you?" Sam motioned to the chair.

Sarah sat down with her hands in her lap looking at the floor. She explained that she felt pressured into joining the Marines because her brother died in the service. Father was a major driving force towards her enlistment but her Mother stayed silent about it. She wanted to do well but fighting wasnt her goal, she wanted to be a medic. In her current role Sarah had nothing to do with medical without training to be a combat medic.

"Is that something you'd want to do?" Sam asked. "A more medical role?"

"I thought about joining Starfleet's medical training program but Father was insistent." Sarah spoke still gazing to the floor.

"I'll talk to the Colonel, if he approves I'll see about getting a instructor to train you." Sam replied with a small smile of reassurance. "The heart is in the right place Sarah, you just need to be in a position to better use it."

Sarah nodded, smiled and then departed as she had PT to go to. Sam however stayed and thought, pondered on where her life would be if she did something different. What if she took on a more medical role? What if she never became an officer?

Sam left the Holodeck when she ended the training program. A Corporal was waiting for her holding in his hand all the scores and marks obtained. Sam knew that she would have to speak to the Colonel about a few things especially reassigning some people based on the scores that they got and how better they could be used in a different team or one that lacked that particular skill set. All of which would require the Colonel's approval once she'd run it by him. Right now though she had to wait as he was in a briefing with the new boss, some Commodore Hood who apparently had a thing for the ladies if the rumours were indeed true.

Still Sam wouldn't judge until she met the man for herself, rumour and hearsay was one thing, actually seeing it was clearly another.

As she walked back to her office she witnessed marines doing a variety of tasks, sparring, training or relaxing as they wanted. It was down time for them right now until the Colonel had briefed them otherwise so for most it was make the best of now because later will change. When she entered her office she had seen that SSgt Winters had already compiled the reports from earlier and laid them on her desk. She had to admire the woman's efficiency even if her choice in man had cause some rift amongst the men.

Sam thought nothing of it, she was confident her choice of woman was equally stunning but it changed nothing. Amanda was the sort not to let it change who she was and apparently Lt Luthar bent over as best he could to make the relationship work even by changing quarters to something close to the deck for her ease. Sam had to admire that to some degree but she'd never consider it with Annabelle. Two strong independent women don't need to be making changes like that, not yet at least in these early days.

Sam sat down behind her desk and picked up the first item that needed her attention and began to read it.

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