Owen Matthews

Caine watched Toni, the Ryder-Presit informant she and Owen had dug up, disappearing back into the shadows of the alleyway in which she had met him. She did not let her bearing relax until his footsteps had vanished even from her Vulcan capacity to hear. Toni had provided them with a lot to chew over, but they could hardly discuss it here. She didn't count it impossible that they could be being watched, to see how they would make use of what little factual information he had told them. She glanced at Buddha, who had been standing silently listening to the exchange. "Charming boy," she said easily, jerking her head to indicate the departed gun-salesman. "All that talking's dried my throat out and I need to get off my feet. Let's get out of here." Buddha nodded and led the way out of the alley. “Any particular wishes as to which watering hole you wanna try out this time?” He had a hard time hiding that he was ticked off. They didn’t really have any information other than a warning to stay out of the business. This job was turning out to be more tedious than he thought. "Easy, Buddha," Caine murmured under her breath, hearing the aggravation in his voice. "Closest we can find, far as I'm concerned," she added aloud, starting to move along the street quickly, flicking her eyes sideways to note the team that she had left to monitor the interchange starting to pull back and follow along a little behind. Owen knew they should report their information, as little as it was, to Agincourt but they also had to be careful. It wouldn’t be unusual for Toni to have them followed to make sure they really were who they pretended to be. This meant that contacting the ship right now might give them away. If that happened it would became increasingly difficult for anyone to gather information. So they would have to lay low for a while. If that meant going to a bar Owen was more than willing to make the sacrifice. For him, lying low usually meant spending hours in a ditch or some underbrush, exposed to weather conditions that could range from scorching hot to freezing cold. A place with lots of alcohol and some women definitely beat that. “Proximity sounds like a solid base for making that decision,” he said, half teasingly. “I think I saw one just round the corner over there when we came down the road.” Caine smiled. "I can always count on you to know the location of the nearest watering hole, hmm?" she answered, quirking an eyebrow up dryly. Quickening her pace, she moved on ahead of him, listening behind her for any sounds of footsteps as she scouted ahead and soon saw the bright flashing lights that in all cultures indicated the sort of spot they were looking for. Caine eyed the sign for a moment with her head cocked, trying to translate the alien scribble on the bar's sign, then glanced at Buddha and seemed to be trying not to laugh. "It's a Rihan expletive. This planet really does have the classiest air, doesn't it? After you." With a wave of the arm, she turned to gesture him inside, taking the opportunity to glance behind him and look again for pursuit. She saw nothing. But then again, the whole idea of pursuit was that just because she couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't there. “We should try and fit in as much as possible. Get drunk and tell JoNs we sacrificed ourselves for the mission,” Owen said with a wide grin, entering the bar. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. "Yes, and I'm sure she would appreciate just how great that level of sacrifice was," Caine said dryly. "We're supposed to be lying low, you know, now more than ever." Approaching the bar, she quickly ordered them two drinks -- ones with a bit less of a kick than their earlier brews during the search process, and gestured Owen towards a table in the rear of the bar, where they wouldn't be overheard and could see everything going on. Owen took his drink from Caine and looked at her in mock dismay. “You’re no fun, Junior. But I guess you’re right. So let’s see, we got some time to kill and we can’t get drunk or into a fight with the locals.” He rubbed his neck, suddenly slightly nervous about the prospect of spending time with Caine just sitting there and talking. So far they hadn’t had time to get to know eachother. They’d either been on some assignment or in the gym trying to beat eachother up. Caine glanced sideways at him and grinned. "Indeed...patience, Mr. Matthews, patience. You'd make a poor Vulcan, you know." She sipped at her glass as she settled down into a seat at the table, wincing at the sharp taste. "Center yourself, calm, cool, collected. Discipline, Buddha, discipline." She cocked her head to the side and then smirked. "Then again, they're also pacifists, so you can see how well I'm doing at it." “Oh yeah, I’m a sniper, I hide and wait for the best moment to pull the trigger and then I try to get away as fast as possible. I have almost 30 confirmed kills. I’m good at this pacifist thing you’re talking about.” Owen took a sip of his drink, put the glass back down on the table and contemplated the clear liquid for a moment before going on. “Did you grow up on Vulcan?” "Yep. Child of a scientist if you can believe it...there was a time when I could recite pi to 500 places and do orbital mechanics calculations without a computer." Caine chuckled. "My blood is fifty-percent egghead. Scary thought, eh?" “Wow, Caine, I had no idea. How did the security thing happen? Weren’t your parents disappointed?” Owen knew his questions were somewhat personal but he was genuinely interested and he was pretty sure Caine would let him know if she didn’t want to pursue the subject. Caine shrugged slightly, tossing back another gulp of the low-quality liquor. "Disappointment is an emotional response," she said dryly. "Of course, I think my father thinks I'm bat-scat insane, not that he'd say so out loud. But he -- and my mother -- both expected me to do something that served the greater good, which is what I damn well hope I'm doing. Because it turns out this is what I'm good at." She smiled. "Mother had a bit of an argument with him, from what I could hear through the door, after I told them I wanted to go off-world. Telling him the galaxy needed people out there who were protectors and not dumb as bricks. Funniest argument I ever heard; he never broke his Vulcan cover and she was stomping all over the room. She was a sharp one when you got her going." “Sounds like she was insinuating that most of us ‘protectors’ are dumb as bricks.” Owen said that with a bit of a grin. He knew full well that he couldn’t keep up with Caine when it came to sciency stuff. But he was convinced of his abilities as a marine and as far as he was concerned that was all that counted. “So you joined Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Science Academy. It takes guts not to do what people expect of you.” Caine's grin widened. "I'm sure she hadn't the faintest idea what most Fleet Sec officers are like, except those in the diplomatic corps, who, I can attest from experience, really are often dumb as bricks. As for guts..." She rolled her eyes slightly. "I think I was just a teenager absolutely certain that she was right about everything. But I don't regret it." She caught Buddha's eyes and tilted her head back against the back of her chair. "I think you'll agree...if there's anyone in the galaxy who knows 'the needs of the many' better than us, I'd like to see 'em." “I won’t fool you, Caine. Most of the time I don’t get Vulcans. All this lack of emotions is creepy. Though it’s also weird to see a Vulcan smile.” He shrugged and finished his drink. “Do you ever regret leaving?” "No more than anyone else does, when they leave home to become something, I'd imagine," Caine said, matching his shrug and letting her expression turn more serious. Finishing off her own drink, she set down the empty glass and folded her arms, looking at him curiously. "How'd you get into this business?" Owen leaned back in his seat. “I come from a family of marines. Both my parents are in the corps, so were my grandparents. I grew up on various ships, always moving with my mom when she got a new assignment.” He smiled as he thought back on his childhood. “Sometimes she’d take me to the gym and, well I didn’t just watch. Technically I went through marine basic way before I officially joined the corps. My sister and I were something like the battalion’s mascots.” Caine quirked an eyebrow up. "That'd be an exciting childhood." She reflected that this went a ways to explain some of Owen's devil-may-care nature; growing up surrounded by a dangerous profession tended to make it just a part of life. There were pros and cons to this that she could think of, but she couldn't deny it had probably been a unique experience. "So it was just a given, eh?" “Somehow I guess it was. Though my sister didn’t join the corps. She decided to go stay with my grandparents on Earth when she was 14. She finished school there and went to College. She was a teacher. A teacher with kickass hand to hand combat skills.” "I can think of numerous situations where that might come in extremely handy," Caine said dryly, though her tone softened somewhat, hearing the continued past tense and recalling that his family's deaths still hung very recently in Buddha's memory. Owen shrugged. “I guess. I didn’t get to see her often since I got assigned to the Gideon. You know how it is.” He wasn’t really sure whether he wanted to talk about his family. Though talking about his childhood wasn’t too bad. What really made him feel bad is that he hadn’t even gotten leave to attend his family’s funeral. His parents, being marines themselves, had understood but it felt wrong somehow. "Yep," Caine nodded. "Takes up your time, that's for sure." Owen's eyes were shifting around and she could tell that he felt uncomfortable with the topic, as if they were edging close to a precipice. Rather than pry, she quietly allowed the subject to drift elsewhere as she flicked her eyes around the dimly-lit room. A disagreement of some sort was slowly making itself known up by the bar, and as the area began to grow more crowded, Caine couldn't help drumming her leg gently against the floor in mild discomfort at the automatic cramped feeling it began to engender. "I'll be glad to get out of here," she muttered. "Sounds from what Toni said that there's something more going on here with those ships than just the usual hijacking; we may have a bit more hunting to do." “Whoa, Junior, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re nervous. Relax, there’s nothing we can do tonight. If we do more poking just now people will get suspicious.” As if to underline his words, Owen stretched out his legs and leaned even further back, slouching in his chair. "Not nervous," Caine said, stilling the twitching of her leg and letting herself slouch back as well, putting her feet up on the edge of the table. "Just getting on towards wondering what's gonna happen next."

Thanks a lot to C.T. Caine for impersonating William "Shorty" Gibson Owen sat on a bench in the locker room, carefully applying replicated twigs and leaves to what looked like a small bush lying next to him. Unlikely as it seemed, this was standard preparation for his missions even if they were only training in the holodeck. "Yo, Shorty," he said to the Marine who just entered the locker room, looking like a walking tree with a human head. "G'day, Buddha." William "Shorty" Gibson edged his way around one of the locker room benches, careful not to jar the twigs of his own ghillie suit, and he gave Owen an easy grin as he came to a halt, eying his partner's preparations. "'Bout ready to go, then?" "Gotta make sure to go with the local fashion," Owen replied dryly. They had gone through this preparation countless times before. The ghillie suits were basically flight coveralls with pieced of cloth attached so that they'd look like leaves. Once that was done all you had to do was drag it over the muddiest planet you could find. No washing required as that would ruin the effect. The downside was that these things tended to smell...bad. Owen had known a few snipers who preferred their ghillie suits covered in manure. Talk about going too far. He carefully donned his suit and picked up his helmet which was decorated in a choice variety of today's local flora. Looking in the mirror he quickly checked that the paint really covered all his face. When he was satisfied with his camouflage, he lifted the rifle out of his locker and turned to face his observer. "I'm ready to go, Shorty. Checked the rifle, prepped the suit, uploaded the programme. Let's have some fun." "Brings out your eyes as always, Lieutenant," Shorty quipped, hefting his own rifle and turning to follow Owen out of the locker room and towards the already-running holodeck. "I'm right with you. Long days these days, guess I'll take my fun where I can get it." His tone was dry, calm, and he smiled a little sardonically as he checked the charge on his own rifle. Owen stepped into the holodeck and waited for Gibson to follow him. "Good thing we're doing the lush woods thing today. I'm not in the mood for lying in the snow for hours." The good thing about Shorty was that the two of them had been a team for years. No need to tell each other what to do. They could almost read each other’s minds...at least as far as their job was concerned. Each step of the mission, from the planning to the assessment of conditions to the actual firing of the shots, had become second nature to them. This was something that could actually save their lives if they were out in the field. Every spoken word, even if it was whispered, could mean detection, compromise the team and ultimately get them killed. Their job was to take out targets at long range. They were not equipped to engage enemy forces. Their tactic was hit and run. Or rather hit and crawl, since detection had to be avoided at all times especially after a successful shot. Gibson smirked but didn't respond; as soon as he stepped through the doors of the holodeck and let them whine shut behind him, his mind was on that silence just as Owen's was. A quick headjerk around took in the terrain, the angle of the sun, and scanned for any immediate signs of danger, but the area was quiet except for the sound of a couple of birds warbling some feet above them in the trees. His wrist snapped out, silently gesturing a direction, and then he all but disappeared with a low rustle into the brush, taking point. Owen quickly followed Gibson. It was important they didn't lose contact. Even though it was Owen who ultimately pulled the trigger, Gibson's role was just as important. He provided cover fire when necessary, helped him assess conditions, reported sight adjustments and just generally kept an eye out for trouble. Having a good observer meant that Owen could concentrate on getting a good shot. And Gibson was one of the best observers in the corps. After making their way through the dense underbrush of the large wooded area for a couple of hours, Buddha and Shorty finally arrived at their tentative position...the place which, during the preparation of their mission, had seemed best for cover and field of observation. Owen tapped William on the shoulder and motioned for him to take cover behind a large tree trunk. They'd have to set up a position. Since he had programmed the holodeck for a short training mission of no more than 5 hours they'd set up a hasty position. Even though this was the least work they'd still have to find something to provide cover while not obstructing their view. In this environment the underbrush would likely provide them with enough cover to make sure they wouldn't be spotted by anyone. Shorty nodded sharply and angled aside, dropping into the indicated niche and casting his eyes forward, peering through the brush as Buddha located his own cover just in front of him. They had come to a halt at the crest of a small rise in the land which looked down on an open area in which a small encampment was visible. Shorty pulled his scope from his pack and quickly got a sight on the small structure. "Eight targets...Soltie camp as expected," he muttered crisply, low enough as to only just barely reach Buddha's ears. "Range..." A pause as he adjusted the scope and muttered a few calculations to himself. "About four hundred meters." Lowering the scope, he raised his head slightly, testing the air, then continued. "Full-value wind, 9 o'clock, four m-p-h." Owen dropped onto his belly and tried to get himself into a comfortable position, using his left arm to stabilize the rifle. He gave Shorty a sign that he had understood him. Even though William’s calculations were usually spot on, he checked the wind himself and tried to estimate the range. They had indeed a full value wind blowing from his left side but four mph was almost negligible. Now all they needed to do is figure out who of those eight possible targets was the highest ranking officer. To find that out they’d just have to wait and observe. Shorty brought the scope up to his eye again, focusing in on the individual blue-skins moving about the camp. A few minutes passed in dead silence. Four of them were non-coms or something of the sort, he could tell immediately. Two were doing menial supply-checking tasks, the other two were on guard duty. Of the remaining four, three at first seemed to be in conference under a makeshift roof, but closer examination revealed it to be their mess tent; they were working their way through some heavy glop which Shorty could only assume to be the Soltie equivalent of field rations. The eighth of the group had disappeared into one of the tents just as Shorty and Buddha had arrived, and Shorty angled himself a little farther around the tree, a few of his twigs snapping against the bark, to try to get a look inside. "Eyes on the north-end tent," he murmured. "Fellow's set himself off." Owen peered over his scope to orient himself. It took him only a few seconds to make out the tent in question. He carefully aimed his rifle just above the entrance to make up for the bullet dropping along its trajectory. It had been a while since he had used live ammo but sometimes there were situations where you just couldn’t use a phaser rifle. When there was a dampening field for example. So it was important to practice under these conditions. Energy weapons such as phaser rifles were perfect weapons for snipers because they were not influenced by wind, humidity or gravity. You just had to aim at the target and pull the trigger. The scenario Owen had programmed was different, though. The Soltans had set up a dampening field to prevent the use of energy weapons. So they had to go about this old-school. Lying motionless on his belly, Owen waited for the Soltan officer to leave his tent. They had to be feeling quite safe out here for the commanding officer to be so obvious about his rank. It wasn’t Owen’s problem. Now all he had to do was lie there and wait. His breathing was steady and he never took his eyes off the tent’s entrance. He knew that just behind him Shorty also observed the camp closely. They would remain like this, as motionless as possible, until their target was eliminated. Hopefully they’d be able to accomplish this with only one shot. The fewer shots you fired the better the chances to remain undetected. The silence stretched, broken only by the noise of the wind gently rattling the branches above them. Shorty's slight frame leaned slightly against the tree supporting him as he stared unblinkingly at the tent that had become their target. There was no sense of impatience, merely the sort of trance of waiting, the hypnotizing rhythm of heartbeat and wind and nearly silent breath that passed the time as well as any activity, the tension shared by a coiled spring and a sniper with a goal in sight. Finally there was a stirring at the entrance of the tent and a head poked out, followed by the rest of the officer who had taken up residence there. Immediately Shorty's head was up and alertness stiffened his twig-covered frame. "Buddha -- visual." Owen didn’t really need his partner to tell him. He had seen the tent flaps move before the officer emerged. As soon as the man came into view Owen pulled the trigger. Still he didn’t move. His sight remained on the target. He smiled ever so slightly as the sounds of confusion and chaos reached his ears. Men jumping to their feet, urgent voices, shouted orders. Through his scope he could see the remaining Soltans look around frantically, trying to find the two Marines. Fortunately the confusion that reigned prevented them from taking coordinated action. It worked every time. "Clean shot," Shorty muttered, admiration in his tone though his voice was almost too low to be heard. "Let's get out of here." Slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, Owen packed up his gear. Behind him Shorty was doing the same. They left by the same way they had reached their position.

Owen sat down on the small sofa and stared at the piece of paper lying on the coffee table. There was just one word written on it. ‘Sue,’ It was the beginning of a letter he dreaded to write. Colonel JoNs had ordered him to write it but so far all his attempts to do so had ended in him pacing the tiny room. He was torn apart by his emotions. Anger. Guilt. Grief. He didn’t know what he felt. He only knew that it hurt. It hurt so much that he just wanted to leave his quarters and run, run and never stop. Owen knocked over the bottle of whiskey as he reached for it. Pouring himself a drink to calm his nerves he spilled some. He paused a few seconds, watching the amber liquid form a small puddle on the table. When he had calmed enough to hold his glass he swigged the whiskey, feeling the burn of the alcohol in his throat. He leaned back and closed his eyes, waiting for his heart to stop pounding in his chest. When his breath finally steadied he opened his eyes and picked up the pen. He set it to the paper and paused to think. Closing his eyes again briefly he imagined his sister sitting there with him. He blinked back some tears, swallowed hard and started writing. ‘I know that I should have told you this. Years ago. Before it was too late. But I was an idiot. I always thought there was enough time for it. I always thought I would be the one getting killed. During battle. That’s why I left a letter. Along with my last will and testament. Back at headquarters. For you to read in case I wouldn’t come back from a mission. It’s all different now. I’m writing this letter. Knowing you’ll never read it. Knowing I’ve never told you how much everything you’ve done for me means to me. Regretting not what I said or did. But all the things I’ve never said and done. It’s too late now. Still, I’m writing this. Hoping that you’re out there somewhere.’ Owen was surprised at how easily the words had come. He had stopped to think of this as a letter for Colonel JoNs. This was a letter to his sister and it didn’t matter that she knew how he felt. ‘You’ve always been there for me when I didn’t know how to go on. A shoulder to cry on. A source of inspiration. You’ve always had some good advice. But now you're gone. I won't ever be able to turn to you for advice anymore. I'll miss the long talks at night. You trying to figure out how to get me out of some fix or other. How you always stuck up for me no matter what. But what I will miss most is hearing your voice. Seeing you smile. Just knowing that you’re there.’ Tears now ran freely down his face and dropped from the tip of his nose onto the piece of paper, smearing the ink on the page. He took a deep breath. It was all he could do to keep himself from smashing up his quarters. This was all his fault. Why was he still here? He was supposed to protect her. Agincourt was supposed to protect Earth. And what had they done? They had led the enemy straight back home! ‘I’m infinitely sorry. For not being there for you when you needed me most. For not defending my home. My family. You. As I had sworn I would. I’m sorry that I’m not the one who died. We led them straight to our homes. Instead of being destroyed we let this happen. We watched helplessly. As they attacked. As they killed you. We just stood by and watched. I am so sorry. I swear I won’t rest until I hunt down those who did this to you. I promise you this. But no matter what I do. It won’t bring you back. You’ll never be there again. And now that it’s too late I finally realize that for all the words I’ve said I never told you the most important thing. I love you, Susie and I’ll miss you terribly. I hope that wherever you are now you have found the peace you’ve always hoped for. I love you, Owen’ He slowly put down the pen, leaned his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. He was grateful no one could see him like this, crying like a little boy.

Owen entered the mess hall and let his gaze wander over the crowd. Alpha shift had just ended so this was probably the busiest time of day. After a few seconds he made out the person he was looking for but decided to get himself some food before walking over to the table where she was sitting alone. A few moments later he stood next to the Lieutenant. "Mind if I join you, Junior?" Caine looked up and grinned as she saw Owen ambling over to her table. "Just can't keep away from me, can you, Buddha?" she asked cheerfully, kicking out the chair across from her and gesturing for him to sit down. "Make yourself at home." Grinning Owen sat down and leaned across the table, answering in a conspiratorial whisper. “Can’t fool you, Junior, can I?” Then he leaned back and took a big bite of his chicken sandwich. “So, heard the big news yet,” he asked. Caine speared a bite of her salad and raised an eyebrow up. "Which big news? The news that we are heading deep into Rihan territory? The news that no one seems, at the moment, to have turned blue yet? The news that our nacelle isn't going to fall off?" “Nooo,” Owen shook his head. “The news that, and now be grateful that you’re sitting down, Lieutenant Colonel JoNs is our new Marine XO effective immediately.” He observed Caine closely for her reaction to this surprising piece of information. Caine's other eyebrow went up slightly. "Ahh...yes, she was not in Fleet uniform when I saw her on the bridge, but it wasn't the first time I'd seen her wearing the jacket; didn't think much of it at the time. So she's defected, has she?" the half-Vulcan deadpanned. Owen snorted with laughter. “That’s one way to put it. Though she didn’t seem overjoyed. I thought she looked a bit…tense when she informed us. Well, and she hasn’t left her office once since then. Bet she’s trying to get whoever is responsible for this on the horn. Gee, how I wish I could listen in on that conversation.” Still chuckling, Owen took another bite of his sandwich. Caine smirked faintly. "Yes, she doesn't seem the type to suffer in silence, does she?" “I’m not sure she’s suffering all that much. I mean she was almost one of us anyway. They just made it official. I have a hunch that what irks her is that no one asked her, that’s all.” Buddha wiped his mouth with a napkin as he finished the sandwich. He was still grinning broadly. Caine nodded. "Understandable, though Personnel's never been a very touchy-feely department in my experience. Not too keen on asking permission." "Well, however that may be, you won't hear me complain. I mean we've had our disagreements and such but she's a good officer and she'll make just as good a Marine." "Aye, I'm sure she will," Caine said agreeably. Stabbing another bit of lettuce into her mouth, she leaned back in her chair and glanced at the windows, watching the Rihan stars stream by. "Got a little time to settle her in, hopefully, before things start rocking about again. Though who knows what we're about to wander into." Owen shrugged. "There's nothing like combat to get to know your people. Besides, she's seen action alongside the Marine battalion. It's not like she's all new. She knows us, we know her. And once she's tried it she'll love playing with the big guys now." Caine's head angled back around and she gave him a mock-glare, her eyes crinkling in amusement. "The 'big' guys, huh? Watch your step, ground pounder, some of us Fleeters aren't so small they can't take you down a peg or two to our level." The grin was back on Owen's face. "Is that a threat, Junior," he asked amused. "Just a fact, Buddha," Caine answered blithely, crunching down on a crouton. "A fact? Maybe you should prove that to me one day. I don't mind a challenge." Caine smiled. They'd already been through this once, and the fact was that she and Buddha were more or less equally matched; she knew that he knew it too, and she doubted he was any more serious than she was about the banter. "Nah...I'd hate to see you demoted again for having to admit a Squid kicked your rear." "Just the idea of you trying to kick my rear is worth the risk, Junior." Owen still remembered their last sparring fight and he had to admit that she was good. Caine laughed. "Brave but foolish, young grasshopper. No matter; I intend to finish my salad before I do any ego-deflation today." She shook her head slightly. "I'll pencil you into my schedule though." “How very nice of you, Caine,” Owen replied dryly, pointing a finger at her. “But you don’t really believe you’ve got a chance now, do you?” Caine slowly set her fork down and looked at him, steepling her fingers in a deliberately Vulcan manner. "To further debate the question is...dare I say it...illogical," she said, and then smirked. "Insofar as neither of us would ever deliberately give ground." Owen grinned and leaned back. “Yeah I guess you’re right. So how about tonight 1900 hours at the gym? I’m gonna teach you a lesson or two.” Caine smiled faintly at the young man's eagerness. "I have work to do; we're in unfamiliar territory right now, which means my job ramps up." “Ah yeah, the job. I’ve looked at the tactical scans and actually they are not very helpful. We know hardly anything about this part of space.” "Tell me about it," Caine said grimly, picking up her coffee and sipping at it. "Not to mention the fact that things are apparently even more complicated than usual here right now, though better fighting the blue-skins in unfamiliar territory than on our own turf." Owen frowned as he considered Caine’s words. “I really don’t know what to make of this, Caine.” He shook his head to emphasize his words. "Make of what?" "Of this whole mess. The Soltans, us being ordered to Romulan space...all that. But I guess you're right. Better fight them here than back home."

A Caine & Matthews Production Owen had just finished his workout and walked into the locker room. When he spotted Caine sitting on one of the benches he walked over to her and slumped down next to her. "Nothing like a good workout, eh Junior?" "Nothing like," Caine agreed. She was sitting with her back up against the wall, letting her heart rate spin down from a run and an encounter with the punching bags. It had been a good stress release, expelling whatever pent-up energy had remained after the adrenaline-fueled front-lines battle. She had wanted to wear herself out as much as possible, in order to take advantage of the short rest-and-refuel period which the Agincourt had before heading off towards a new assignment. She glanced at Buddha as he slid into a seat next to her. "I see Commander JoNs is letting you roam free again?" He nodded. "Yeah, it seems she figured I was of some use fighting Soltans." Buddha was glad not to be locked up in his quarters anymore. The few days he had been grounded had seemed way too long especially since he hadn't slept much during that time. To be honest he had almost welcomed their encounter with the Soltans...or he would have hadn't they wreaked so much havoc. "How did things go for you," he asked, assuming Caine would know he was inquiring about the battle. "About as well as could be expected," Caine said with a faint shrug. "Ended up flying the ship from Gamma bridge with a couple of your boys -- Hefner and Petros. Not something I'd care to do again, not with the nacelle thrown all to hell, but we did some good damage. Pulled out rather than go to MVAM..." She paused, pondering whether to discuss the disagreement she had felt for that decision at the time, but it was illogical to dwell on it; Condacin -- a scientist, by trade -- had been in a difficult situation and the point was moot anyway. "So all in all...we kept our rears in one piece, which is all we can really ask." "Thanks, I guess. I had some fun with our blue friends down in the NNC. Man, that was a mess, I tell ya. I'm glad noone's turned blue yet. Though there are some of our people in quarantine." The thought was actually depressing but right now there was nothing anyone could do about it. "Yeah...I know. We were running the scans from the bridge." Caine pursed her lips and shook her head slightly, then stood up, moving to her locker and pulling her uniform from it. "So far no major word on that, at least none that I've heard. Maybe we dodged the blow." "Let's hope so," Owen said, pulling off his shirt and tossing it on the floor. "I'm not sure about some but I definitely don't look good in blue." He opened his locker and dug out a towel which he placed next to him. "I'm sure it'd bring out your eyes," Caine deadpanned as she disappeared into the showers, her own towel over her shoulder. "At any rate," she added, raising her voice slightly over the sound of the sonics so Owen could still hear her, "word is we're moving on now, maybe getting back in the action." "Yeah, I heard about that, too," Owen replied, his own voice raised. "Rumour has it we're moving somewhere near Romulan space. Hear anything about that? "Yeah, but that's all I heard...Colonel's eyes only and all that," Caine replied, reflecting on the speed with which news traveled on this ship as she quickly stripped and hopped in the shower, letting the sonics start to vibrate the sweat out of her hair. She was suddenly feeling very tired; between the battle and the workout, the day was starting to catch up with her. "Apparently it's not just border patrol, though." "Right, Colonel's eyes only but we'll get our butts kicked just the same if something goes wrong. Though I wonder what the Romulans have to do with this whole business. Do they want to help or are they in league with the Soltans, what do you think?" Actually, this was a question that had kept him wondering ever since he'd heard about their new destination. Kicking off his shoes, he wriggled his toes, lost in thought. Caine cocked her head slightly, thinking as she leaned gently against the wall of the shower. She had not really been in the vicinity of the Romulan Empire since she had fought at ch'Revellion and ch'Rihan during the Rihan Civil War; she had not followed their development from there with great attention, except as regarded their effect on tactical decisions. "Depends if you think they're willing to risk their current stability by violating Versailles," she said after a short pause, switching off the low-pitched whine of the shower with a snap. "They'd have a hell of a lot to answer for, in that case." Owen nodded slowly to himself. "Yeah but Versailles or not, I’m not sure we can trust the Romulans. Maybe they think the Soltans are a powerful enough ally to help them screw us. Maybe they have some kind of agreement. They help the Soltans defeat us and in return they get our territory or whatever." Caine stepped out of the shower and began pulling on her uniform pants, grinning to herself as Owen began to spin out a potential scenario. "Don't get paranoid on me, Buddha...you know better than that. We'll keep our heads up and have a look around; no need to buy gifts for a party that's not happening." "It's my job to be prepared for any party, Junior. And it's better to have a gift and not need it than getting the invitation and not being prepared...if you know what I mean." Owen thought for a second about what he'd just said. It made sense, at least to him. Caine laughed. "Fair enough. And we will be ready -- if necessary. It's what we do. But I'm perfectly willing to thump you one if you start jumping at shadows too much." Owen grinned. "Good 'nuff. That'll keep me sane and on my toes. I'm glad I don't have to worry about politics too much." Caine smiled, pulling on her uniform jacket and stepping back out into the locker area. "I'm glad you don't too -- probably saves us all a lot of headache." "Ouch," Owen said pretending to be insulted. "Yes, knife to the heart, I'm sure," Caine said blithely, tossing her workout clothes in the direction of the laundry and grinning at him. "I'm going to get some rest -- you should too." "I'll take a shower first, if you don't mind. And then I'm going to enjoy a well earned nap before we get too close to the Romulans." With that he picked up his towel and walked off in the direction of the showers.

Owen stood in front of his second company, briefing them. He was aware of Commander JoNs watching him from the building where she had decided to set up headquarters. But he had decided to try and ignore her as much as possible. It was more important to tell his people what to do than to worry about the XO. “So your platoon will stay here to help set up the triage tents. Talk to Doctor Socom and Lieutenant Caine. They’ll let you know what they need you to do,” he said to Private Guenther who stood beside him. Then he raised his voice to address the entire company of marines. “You know what to do. We need to act quickly. Expect the first survivors to come in here in 30 minutes. I expect enough tents and equipment to be set up by then to treat them properly. Questions?” No one stirred so Owen took that as a no. He still found it a little strange that he should be in command of the marine contingent in such a large scale operation. He was used to receiving orders and following them, not giving them. It would still take him a while to get used to this new situation especially since it had come so suddenly. It was not because of his excellent service record that he had gotten there either. There was simply no one else left. Hair, Troll and Paradox had left, so had M&M. That had left him in command of the second company of the 130th Marine Battalion. And all this within a matter of a few months. “Dismissed!” Since nobody had any questions it was time to get them to work. He would be in charge of gamma platoon and leave Private Guenther and alpha platoon to help set up triage and headquarters. Beta and delta were going to head out with him. Before joining the other he quickly turned and shot a glance at Kansas who was still watching him. A tall Klingon was standing beside her, obviously trying to get her attention. Buddha decided not to care about the XO’s increased interest in his doings. He was sure she had her reasons and he already had a hunch what those might be. Not long ago he had come close to disobeying her orders. To say he had been emotionally unstable back then was a bit of an understatement. That day he had received confirmation that his sister, nephew and brother in law had not survived the Soltan attack. He had lost his entire family. It had been the Gideon disaster all over again…only worse. Feeling helpless and guilty for not having been there to protect them he had jumped at the opportunity to rush to the rescue of those trapped in the science labs. Needless to say that the Commander had not appreciated his urge to run into a possibly contaminated environment with only minimal protection. Even he had understood why she had relieved him of duty and required him to get a psych evaluation before allowing him back. Now was a little different. He was sure she didn’t appreciate his questioning her decision to set up headquarters in a building when the planet was ravaged by earthquakes. But he was following her orders now. There were no further indications he wouldn’t do so. This wasn’t the time to argue about the wisdom of decisions once they had been made. There would be ample time in a debriefing or maybe even over a glass of synthehol in the lounge. Buddha sighed. Did she really question his willingness or ability to follow her orders? Granted, he would have preferred to receive orders from Harper. She was a marine. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t obey the Commander. He had even refrained from voicing his doubts about her decision to any of his subordinates. It would only cause trouble if the marines knew he wasn’t happy with JoNs decision. It didn’t matter now. He might have to talk to JoNs about this one day but right now was definitely not the time. They had to get their rescue operation underway. Owen turned around and found himself face to face with Lieutenant C.T. Caine.

Thanks to Sam Kent for helping out Owen quickly crossed the NNC to one of thr briefing rooms in the back. Fifteen minutes earlier he had sent a message to all Platoon and Squad officers to meet him there. Now it was time to work out a decent plan for their peacekeeping mission. Though Owen preferred the term Buzzsaw had used: Babysitting. Because that is what it basically was. Only that their "babies" might play with explosives and weapons instead of toys. When he entered the room he looked around to see if everyone was present. Then he strode to the front and faced the assembled Marines. Tactical Sergeant Nichols stood in one corner of the briefing room, her generally dark expression even deeper than usual as she waited for the briefing to begin. She was not thrilled with the contingent's upcoming assignment; hardly the guns-blazing, blood-and-glory type of thing most of them had signed up for, but sitting around, all tensed up with nowhere to go. That sort of limbo was more like hell for someone like Nichols. She looked up as Matthews entered the room and gave him a nod of greeting. Buddha let his gaze sweep through the room once more. After a metal roll call he started without greeting. "Alright, I think by now everyone knows of our new mission to oversee elections on Acamar. I want every single fireteam down on the planet at strategic points. We need to show presence so make sure people see you. Sergeants Green and Nichols as well as myself will coordinate our efforts from headquarters which we will set up on Acamar so we'll be on scene in case we're needed. Everyone is to carry a standard issue phaser rifle as well as the usual sidearms. I don't think I have to mention phaser nets. Questions?" Owen looked around the small room again, waiting to see if anyone had a question or more likely a comment. It didn't escape his notice that Roarke, Mendez and Whyberd were muttering among eachother, shaking their heads. Nichols said nothing. It was really extraordinarily simple; more about making an impression than any real tactical skill. She wasn't worried. She noticed a few of the squad sergeants muttering near her and kicked Roarke's chair sharply. "Got something to say, say it," she muttered, wondering what they could possibly have to discuss. Owen noticed the muttering getting louder. He pointed to Nichols whose voice he had heard last and looked at her. "Why don't you share whatever you have to say, Sergeant Nichols?" Nichols leaned back against the wall and scowled at the younger officers as she got busted for their chit-chat. "Trying to encourage my young friends here to speak up if they've got a comment, sir," she said curtly. "I see." Owen looked at the three men sitting in front of Nichols but none of them seemed inclined to speak up. After another long moment Matthews nodded. "Alright, you know what to do. Dismissed. Sergeant Nichols, would you please stay." Nichols grunted acknowledgment and shifted to let the younger officers file out past her, then looked back expectantly at Matthews as the room emptied. When everyone but Nichols and himself had left, Matthews picked up a PADD and handed it to the Sergeant. "I fear that this mission won't be as easy as it sounds. I trust you are familiar with the situation on Acamar?" Nichols took the PADD and glanced at it before looking at the captain with a cocked eyebrow. "Yeah, I know what's going on. What's complicated about it? Sitting around with cocked guns to scare people into not using theirs." "Heh, yeah sounds easy enough but I have a hunch that some of the people won't be scared enough. I'm pretty sure neither of the both sides will appreciate our showing up. Please make sure Daniels and Diamonte take this assignment as seriously as any other." Owen wasn't happy with babysitting either but he wasn't foolish. He knew that a seemingly easy mission could go south so quickly you'd hardly have time to react. A bomb, a randomly fired phaser, people throwing bricks...all these things had happened before and there was not much they could do to prevent it. Nichols gave a tight smile at the mention of her squad sergeants, hearing an implicit jab at her own confidence. "They'll take it seriously, sir, or I'll have them on weapons inventory for a year. They're smart kids, they know what they're doing." She paused, her dark eyes searching Owen's face. "You really think the fuse is gonna go on this one, Buddha?" She had done peacekeeping before; sometimes it really was as simple as she called it, and sometimes it wasn't, and it was awfully hard to tell in advance which was which. Owen shrugged, picked up another PADD lying around and perused it for a moment before speaking. "It's just a hunch but if someone else higher up didn't think there might be trouble why send us instead of getting a real assignment and kicking some serious Soltan ass? None of us is happy with the mission but it's our job to follow orders and if we're ordered to babysit that's what we'll do. If someone complains you may want to remind them that noone is forced to be here...not anymore." Nichols chuckled. "Yes, sir," she said, and snapped off a salute. "You'll hear no whining from Delta, sir." Matthews couldn't help but smile at the reply. "Very well. In that case you are dismissed Sergeant unless you have any other questions." "No, sir, thank you," Nichols said with a curt shake of the head. "I suppose I'll see you on Acamar, sir." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked from the room.

Hey! You blew it up now you have to deal with the consequences. :P

Megan virtually stalked through the hallways on the way to the gym. No one, not one soul, who saw her coming failed to give way. That was one ANGRY Marine! And those who didn't see her coming, and didn't hear the crisp footfalls... may they rest in peace. Fortunately, anyone who noticed that someone wasn't moving pulled the person out of harm's way, so that her progress was unimpeded. She stalked into the gym, which fortunately was empty, and started beating the stuffing out of the punching bag. Owen made his way to the gym. He was still confused, frustrated and angry. Hair had been right, he needed the time in the gym and vent some of it but he was also tired and worried about Megan. He knew she and Paradox were close and what really concerned him was how she had cut him off when he had asked how she was. Without even realizing it Owen had reached the gym. He stepped in and looked around. He was quite surprised to see Megan. For a fraction of a second he thought about turning round before she'd notice him. Maybe she needed to be alone. But then he decided to give it a try and walked up to her. "Hey!" She whirled around to see who was insane enough to approach her. When she saw Owen, she nearly broke down in tears, but refused to give in. She turned back to the punching bag, and continued, "Hello." Owen opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, exhaled audibly and watched Megan for a moment. He didn't know what to say so he simply reached out and put a hand on Megan's shoulder. He felt a little awkward. Being sensitive wasn't Owen's forte. "I'm really sorry, Megan." She grabbed his wrist and threw it off. "You heard, then? It's official, is it?" She stopped her destruction of the punching bag, and sat down with a hard sigh. For a long moment, she just sat and stared at her hands. Now he was really confused. Sitting down beside her he looked at her questioningly. "What is official?" She looked up, "That she's dead." She went back to staring at her hands. Owen's jaw dropped. He sat staring at Megan for a full minute before he even realized what he was doing. He closed his moth, turned a little to face Megan and pulled her gently closer, hoping that she wouldn't push him away. "I had no idea, Megan," he said softly. "I had no idea....I'm so sorry." Megan frowned, leaning back, "You said you'd heard... didn't they send notice to the NNC?" "I said I was sorry...for things going wrong during the mission. I really had no idea. I went to get cleaned up a little and then right to the gym. I honestly didn't know," he said almost pleadingly. Megan frowned, anger flashing through her eyes, "Did they or did they not contact the NNC to report that Paradox was dead?" "I have no idea, Megan. Last news I got was you swearing over the comm. But I'm sure Harper knows and she'd send word to the NNC right away. When did she...." he traield off, unable to finish the sentence. Megan rested her head on his shoulder. Her slim body was trembling slightly. "I don't know... Troll and Socom were working on her.. but they went into a surgery suite.. I couldn't see or hear anything... I couldn't stand being there anymore, so I came here. Last I saw they were shocking her." Turning slightly, she buried her face against his shoulder. Owen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Feeling Megan tremble, he held her tight. "Megan, I'm sure she's not dead. They would have notified you right away...I'm sure Medusa would have." He fell silent again for a minute. "Do you want me to check with sickbay?" he asked. Without speaking, she shook her head. Silence reigned for another minute. Finally she looked up. Her eyes were red, though she hadn't let a single tear fall. "I can't face it if she is. She's been my best friend for over a decade. She woke up... spoke... " Megan frowned, "She 'pathed to Medusa.. I'm sure of it. Then Socom brought medication, and she crashed. Troll beamed in. She shouldn't have 'pathed. Why? Why did she take the full grenade blast?" She pressed her face against his shoulder once more. For a long while Owen just sat there and held Megan. He knew nothing he could say would make her feel better. After what felt like an eternity he finally spoke. "We all know the risk and still we do our jobs every single day. That's what Paradox did down there. She saved some poor guy's life." After another long while, Megan sat up, sliding an inch or two. "But.. our unit.. we haven't lost anyone since we came to this armpit of the galaxy.. not in fair, honest, mission-related combat. We can't lose our XO as the first one. It's just not right!" "I know how you feel. I lost most of my friends when the Gideon was destroyed...my whole unit....well, you know what I'm trying to say. I know it doesn't seem fair. And honestly, I don't know what to tell you." Megan nodded, scrubbing at her eyes. "I know.. here I'm whining about one person. This must bring back bad memories for you. I'm sorry." She stood up. "If you're right, though.. they haven't called because either they haven't given up, or things have settled down. Either way... let's talk about something else for a bit... or get some dinner. I haven't eaten since we got back." Owen got up and gently caressed Megan's cheek. He smiled at her. "It's alright. You needed to talk about it. And you know I'm here. Let's go have dinner and well...just a quiet evening. How's that sound? Maybe we can stop by sickbay and check on Paradox. I'm sure she's ok." Megan nodded, taking one more swing at the punching bag, then walked with him to the exit.

Hair's day completed without further incident Off-duty, mess hall, rack time, last minute inspection of gamma shift as they went off-duty, back to the mess hall. A night shift had passed since the incident with Buddha. Soon, the Marines would be going off to gain access to the Soltan technology. If Medusa and Paradox planned their attack time-wise, this Alpha shift or the one the following day would be activated for this attack. First, she had to make sure she could confidently tell the colonels that her Marines were at full readiness status, and, if not, she had to make sure they were when the deployment alarm goes off. And, that meant making sure she could count on Buddha. It wasn't an enviable task, but it was one that became necessary. She checked her chronometer and confirmed that Buddha's next duty shift had begun. She tapped her comm badge. "Hair to Buddha, report to my office in the NNC." Buddha frowned as the call came. He had just arrived in the NNC and was still in the locker room, checking his gear as was his habit at the beginning of every shift. "I'm on my way, Major," he answered only just managing to suppress a sigh. When he had tapped his comm badge to deactivate it he slammed the door shut and glowered at a couple of Privates who stared at him. A minute later he was standing in front of Hair's office door and knocked. Hair stood up and shut down the computer console. "Enter," she said as the door opened. Hair's office was something of a hole off the main NNC. It consisted of a computer console desk, a few chairs, and nothing much else. Its spartan decoration had the air of a place that was rarely used and not quite fully moved into. Owen took a deep breath before walking into the office and stood a few steps in front of the desk. He had a pretty good idea what the Major wanted to discuss and he didn't like it one bit. "You wanted to talk to me, Major?" She let the door close, and stuck her right hand under her desk for a brief second. "I need to know that you're ready to go into Soltan territory." She stepped a bit back from the desk and waved her right hand. Within less than a second, a small white ball found its way flying in the direction of Buddha's chest. Buddha caught the ball with a swift movement of his right hand, only taking his eyes off Hair for the fraction of a second. Then he assumed his "at ease" position again. "Aye, ma'am." He kept his answer short for fear of saying something that might get him into trouble yet again. But just the fact that she had called him into her office to check whether he had followed her orders irked him. She scanned Buddha. He looked rested. His reaction time was perfect. She assumed what she thought might be a less threatening tone. "What's going on, Buddha? Talk to me." Owen took a deep breath. "With all due respect ma'am, but talking gets me into trouble." His jaw tightened as he finished to speak. He'd have liked to tell her that the only problem he was having right now was that she seemed to think he wasn't able to do his job. Ordinarily, Hair would have stopped at a Marine's word, and a carefully placed physical test. But, there was something that needed clearing up. "Now, it may get you out of trouble. At every moment you're on duty shift, I and the Marines under you need to know that you're in top shape. Even when you're not on shift, if the red alert klaxon goes off, the same applies. Closing up and being defensive does not help you instill confidence." He cocked his head ever so slightly. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" Precisely what she wanted. "Granted." Owen didn't talk immediately. He wanted to think his words over carefully. He had gotten himself into this because he hadn't used his brain before talking. It wouldn't happen again. "I've been with the corps for quite a while now and never, not once in all this time have I failed to give anything but my best on the job. I...don't like it that suddenly my judgement is questioned....ma'am." "You're getting to the heart of the problem quickly. You came from the Gideon, so I didn't go over your full service record before your assignment here. It seems I'm not the first one to question your judgment." At these words Owen clenched his fists behind his back. So she did know! "That was something entirely different and it was not exactly on the job." "Your CO seemed to think it was." The information she had was fragmentary at best. All she knew was that there was a disciplinary action taken against him, resulting in demotion. "My CO's judgement happened to be influenced by...personal involvement in the whole thing. But it had nothing to do with my comitment to the job." Buddha wondered how much Hair actually did know. It was obvious she didn't know the details and he was not going to give her those...especially not now, not when she thought his and Megan's relationship would have a bad influence on him. Hair tried to get something out of him. "If we weren't so far outside comm range from civilization, I would be tempted to contact your former CO and ask for an explanation. But, I can't do that. All that I've got to work with is a record, and your word. Now, you're challenging the word of another Marine who was your superior officer. You see why this is troubling to me?" Owen shook his head. He hadn't meant to make it sound like his CO had made the wrong decision. "I'm not saying he had no reason for demoting me. All I'm saying is that if the circumstances had been different I'd have gotten away with an official reprimand and weapons maintenance duty for a couple of months. As it were, the CO wanted to make sure I'd...be able to...control certain...needs." This was getting difficult. He didn't want to give away too much but at the same time he didn't want to sound like he was hiding anything important. Hair knew he was hiding something. "'Conduct unbecoming.' That's a charge that gets you a court martial and a ticket out of the service. An outsider might interpret demotion and a transfer as a slap on the wrist. You're being evasive, and you know it." Closing his eyes briefly Owen took a deep breath. He didn't like the direction this was taking. "I was not court matialled because my CO thought me a capable Marine and thought I deserved a second chance...just not anywhere near his daughter. It was a stupid mistake, I learned from it." Owen braced himself for what would come next. "So that's what this is all about." Hair paused for a moment. It was all beginning to make sense. The commandant had clearly wanted his indiscretion to follow him wherever he went, so he intentionally kept the reprimand on his record, kept the courts out of it, and left out the details. Here, she thought, Buddha must be thinking the same kind of thing happening again. "As I said before, I don't care what you and Megan do on your off-time. She's quite capable of taking care of herself. As for you. That remains to be seen. Until now, your record in the 139th has been exemplary. I want to make sure it stays that way." Now Hair had surprised him. He had thought she'd tell him it might be a mistake to be with Megan especially since it seemed to keep him from doing his job. "I have no intention whatsoever to change anything about that record. I assure you that I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a Marine Officer and that a misjudgement of my own ability to perform on the job might put lives at risk. I know I'm still the new kid around but it's not like I'm new to the job." "Let's keep it that way, then. Unless you have anything to add, dismissed." Owen hesitated for a second, but decided it'd be best to leave it at that. He tossed the little white ball back to Hair and turned around to leave. Hair caught the ball and set it back under her desk. She let the door close behind Buddha, and hoped that she could put this incident permanently to rest.

Owen was standing in front of Megan, trying not to take out his anger on her. He had the feeling that something had just gone terribly wrong and he just knew it wasn't his fault. He sighed. "Alright, would you please tell me why you are mad at me?" Megan looked up, surprised, "Excuse me, Lieutenant? What gave you the impression that I'm 'mad at you'? I'm simply busy working on something." Owen resisted the distinct urge to hit his head against the bulkhead repeatedly. "Let me think... could it be the "I'm busy working on something and don't want to talk to you" part?" He was getting more and more frustrated as he started getting the feeling that Hair had managed to get him into some real trouble. Megan reached out, and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him closer. Lowering her voice she spoke, "Look, Buddha. This is my duty shift. I *work* during my duty shift. If you can't understand that, then you are in the wrong line of work. You want to talk about 'us', and that isn't a conversation I'm going to have while I'm *working*. Is that clear?" "Fine," he answered through clenched teeth. "In that case I'd ask you to meet me after your shift. Since I've just been sent to bed without supper I suggest we meet in my quarters...if that's ok with you." It was difficult to control his emotions but he knew Megan probably had every right to be annoyed. Though Owen felt he had done nothing to deserve this treatment. Megan nodded briefly, thinking Hair was probably correct in her assessment that Buddha was not at the top of his game. But she didn't think that their occassional liaison was really the source of the problem... unless, that is, he was conflicted about their working relationship now. "Get some rest, Buddha. You look beat." At Megan's last words Owen relaxed a little. He was still confused but he knew it was no point trying to talk about what had just happened with Hair now. "Alright, I'll go sleep. Otherwise Hair would probably get me for disobeying orders anyway. See you after your shift." Megan nodded, already going back to her project. ................................................................................................................................................................ It was about 30 minutes past the end of her shift. Megan had stayed a little later than usual to finish up something, and to beat up one of of the guys from the swing shift that was being cocky. Now, she stood outside Buddha's door, wondering if he might still be asleep, but finally she shrugged and hit the chime. Owen had just come out of the shower when the chime rang. He quickly pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt and went into the living area of his quarters. "It's open." He called, thinking it must be Megan. Megan walked in, still a little sweaty from her last minute humbling of the beta-shift private. She looked him over, "You look like you slept a little at least." He nodded as he walked over to the replicator. "Yeah, I did and it feels good. Do you want anything?" Owen looked at Megan, trying to read her expression. She nodded, "Ice water would be great, thanks." With the comfortableness of an old friend, she found a spot to sit, without standing on ceremony. "So, what the heck was that all about earlier?" Owen got the ice water and a tea and walked over to the sofa. He sat down the glass and the cup on the small table and wondered how to explain things. He decided to go for the truth. "I just told Rieve that I was tired, she asked why, I told her because of the paperwork and my supplementary training sessions...and as a joke I added that you kept me up, too. I mean...I intended it to be a joke...you know humorous tone of voice, big grin...all that stuff. Hair took me seriously and told me that I shouldn't let our relationship get in the way of my duty. I told her my private life was none of her business." He sighed, looking at Megan and waited for her reaction. Megan closed her eyes and sighed. "Buddha, that was stupid. Really, really stupid. I thought we agreed to keep our off-duty time separate from our on-duty time? And then you go and bring it up with the Major? Do you have any idea how that looks? It looks like our ability to keep things professional is compromised." "Good grief, Megan, it was a joke. I mean c'mon, we've spent more time training in the holodecks together than in our quarters. Ok, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to say but what's going on between us does by no means compromise my ability to perform on the job. You know that, I know that and it annoys me to no end that Rieve makes it sound like I can't do my job. I wonder if she found out the reason why I was demoted and reassigned to the Gideon." Megan frowned, "You were demoted? Why?" During his rant Owen hadn't realized that he had let slip some information he had meant to keep to himself. There was nothing he could do about it now except tell Megan the truth. "Because I was stupid." He sighed before going on. "I sneaked out of the barracks at night to see the commandant's daughter. He found out, wasn't happy and I was demoted from 1st Lieutenant to Private for breaking regs and conduct unbecoming. And to make sure I'd keep my hands off his daughter the Commandant had me reassigned to the USS Gideon. Couple of months later the ship blew up and...here I am." Megan's jaw dropped, "You were doing the horizontal tango with the Commandant's daughter after hours, without clearance to be off base?" She sighed again, "Maybe I was right afterall... you do have issues with professionalism." Owen scoffed. "Yes, I was stupid, I was drunk, I've learned my lesson. Something like that won't ever happen again. And no, I don't have problems with professionalism. Tell me one thing. What exactly are you worried about?" Megan stared at him, "What am I worried about?" She stood up, "Yes, I'm worried about appearances. I'm not exactly the poster child for the marines. I'm short, I'm petite, and I've had to work damn hard to get where I am, and I have had to prove myself a few dozen times over to stay where I am. And here you go and open your mouth that "i'm keeping you up", like a common trollop... and it not only makes it look like I'm here because I've slept my way into the assignment, but it also looks like I may be a liability to the dept. That's what I'm worried about." "Oh, c'mon, everyone knows you deserve to be exactly where you are. Geez, you've beaten up most of us enough times to prove you're just as good, if not better than anyone else. You know what, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut but, heck, it was a joke. How could I know Hair would take me seriously?" Megan shook her head, sitting back down, "There is no maybe about it, Owen. You SHOULD have kept your mouth shut. What do you think Paradox will think when she hears? How likely do you think it will be that we'll be permitted to go on the same missions now? And yes, I've had to be a little better, because I don't fit the standard. Did you wonder why I was a little sweaty when I got here? It wasn't because I was giving a guy a good time--it was because I was putting a mouthy private back into his place. A private that thought the best way to move up was to try to make himself appear better than someone else. And why do you think he chose me?" Owen looked at her. He hadn't realized that it must have been hard for Megan to get this far. Being a guy and being tall certainly helped getting some respect especially when you worked out like he did. "He chose you because he was stupid," he said in a calm voice. "Look, I didn't think when I said it. I'm sorry but I can't do anything about it. If you want to I'll talk to Hair though I doubt it'd change anything." Owen didn't feel like fighting right now so he refrained from trying to defend himself. He had been stupid once again and he knew it. He just hated to admit it. "So, what do you want to do now?" Megan sighed, "He truly was stupid.. I think his exact phrasing was something about whose pole did I grease to get this assignment." Owen chuckled. "Wow, must have been one of those "tough" guys who wanted to show his friends he can beat up a woman." He paused a moment, grinning. "My mum's a Marine, too. She's a bit taller than you but I learned pretty early that you should never underestimate an opponent because of his...or her... appearance." She grinned, "Yes, he learned that lesson the hard way. I'm pretty sure Sickbay can set both of his arms easily." "Ouch! Megan, you're evil...though he probably deserved it. So, what now? I've slept, I'm clean, I'm hungry. Want to take a quick shower while I prepare some food or would you rather...well...not stay here?" "Dinner would be great... I'll slip back to my quarters and shower and change, and be back in 10 minutes?" Owen smiled. "Sure. Do you have any preferences?" Megan thought for a moment, "I've worked up a bit of an appetite.... How about Italian?" "Perfect. So see you in 10. And don't be late or the food will get cold."

Owen took a deep breath as he looked around the cave. The smell of wet earth mingled with a curious scent he couldn't quite identify. The clouds had completely covered the sun so that it had taken some time for his eyes to get used to the relative darkness in the cave. Now that he could make out his surroundings a bit better he saw that the cave didn't go far back into the mountain. When his eyes fell back on Megan he smiled. "Still cold?" Megan rolled her eyes ever so slightly, "Why? were you hoping to warm me up? I'll be fine. Boy, that storm rolled in fast! I hope everyone got under cover." She looked out at the dark exterior--a dark almost as dark as night. "What's wrong with some exercise?" Owen shrugged. "I'm sure everyone is fine. It's only some rain and how likely would it be for anyone to get hit by lightning out here?" Megan snickered, "You've lived on a ship too long, love. Planets are disasters waiting to happen." She paused, looking at him, "What kind of exercise did you have in mind? Not much space here, though I can still maneuver fine." "I haven't been planet side except for shoreleave ever since...I can't even remember when. I don't really miss it much either. I got used to living abord a ship." Owen paused for a moment and fumbled at something under his uniform that looked like the hilt of a knife. "I was thinking of the kind of exercise that doesn't take all that much space," he added grinning broadly. She put on a convincing, though fake, frown of confusion, "What do you mean? You brought a PADD game?" Owen replied with a tone of mock annoyance. "Yeah, let's play chess, how bout that?" Megan laughed, "Okay, but I'll kick your butt at that too." She glanced again at the rainfall... more like bucketfull-fall. It didn't appear to be letting up too quickly. They could be there for a while. Owen followed Megan's gaze. He thought he knew what she was thinking. "This might be your last chance...if it keeps raining like that we'll drown out here." He left it to Megan's imagination to guess what this might be the last chance for. Megan looked up at him, barely able to make out his handsome face in the dim light. She snaked one hand up around his neck, and pulled his head down to hers. Without a word, she kissed him passionately. Owen closed his eyes and returned the kiss. When they broke apart he smiled. Last time she had kissed him like that they had ended up spending the night together. Megan had asked him to keep her company and that's all he had done. Eventually she had fallen asleep in his arms. Owen had spent the better part of the night thinking about their, admittedly, strange relationship. Megan was the first woman who truly intrigued him. The thing with her was that he didn't even know what he wanted. Neither of them was the kind of person to go for long term relationships. Right now he was all for some short term fun, though. He pulled her gently closer and waited how she'd react. Megan snuggled next to him, still a little cold despite her statement to the contrary. "That was nice. You're an intriguing man, Owen Matthews. A very intriguing man." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "I'm doing my best," he said in a low voice. Megan craned her head to look up at him, "So what do you really want, Buddha? I'll admit that I'm VERY attracted to you.. and I really like you. But I don't want to mess things up. I've seen two marines get attracted to each other, then one does something or doesn't do something.. or one outranks the other.. and it gets ugly... really ugly. and it can affect the whole ship. I don't ever want to be the cause of that.. that's why I avoid shipmates as potential interests. Yet, I can't help wanting to be around you.. even to be with you." Owen sighed and considered his answer carefully before actually speaking. "I want to be honest with you. I'm confused. I want to be with you but you keep reminding me of that rule of yours and...I don't know I keep telling myself that it'd be just...for fun. But I'm not sure anymore. Could it really be such a bad thing if we tried? I'd hate to think that I missed the one opportunity to be happy with someone if we didn't. There are always possibilities, Megan. We're both trained professionals. Our private life should never affect our job anyway." Owen wished he could believe in what he just said. An ugly end to a relationship would always influence your ability to perform well with eachother on the job, trained professional or not. But then he really feared he might, one day, regret not taking the risk. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Megan couldn't help but smile. "You do realize that if we were to... do anything like we're talking about here... and things didn't go well, and you broke my heart.. Well, Paradox would tear you into pieces so small they could be flushed out of the ship through the gaps in the hull." Owen chuckled at the image. "I don't even want to imagine that but somehow I feel it'd be worth the risk. Besides, I need you to keep me in line." Megan grinned, "Okay, then. Now what?" He shrugged. "I'm willing to take the risk. The more time we spend together the more I get the feeling I'd regret not trying." Waiting for Megan's response Owen subconsciously held his breath. Megan patted his cheek, "Yes, dear. I'm willing to as well. But I meant it's still raining out. What are we going to do now?" Now Owen was really confused. After a second he realized what she had said and he grinned sheepishly, glad she couldn't see him blush. "Euh...play chess?"

The views expressed in this log are those of the characters only (IC), and should not be construed to be OOC/player sentiments!!! Megan, lying in sickbay recovering from wounds received in honorable combat, was contemplating rather dishonorable actions to take upon the perpetrator when she was able to finally leave the medical bay. She was totally bored, being denied even a PADD to call up something to read. Truth be told, she hadn't asked--Troll didn't seem in the mood. And, she had to be even further honest with herself, she felt so tired, she'd probably fall asleep by the second page. Not that she was sleepy... and vividly picturing the vivisection of the guilty party was SO much more enjoyable. Buddha made his way down the corridor to sickbay. He had just been relieved of "evidence duty" and his uniform. So, after changing he had decided to check on Megan. He felt bad for what had happened even though he knew it hadn't been his fault. How was he supposed to know that the safety features were offline? He sighed before entering Sickbay. Looking around he tried to find out where Megan was. Not seeing her he asked one of the medics who walked past him. "Euh...excuse me. I'm looking for Lieutenant Marshall." The medic pointed toward the left and walked on. Owen walked off in the other direction, bracing himself for whatever might come. He stood at the doors of the room the medic had indicated and knocked. The first "Come in" was so pathetic that Megan just sighed. Her lungs were not cooperating! Granted, one of them had been punctured.. but... She didn't bother to try again. Reaching for the small, empty hypo next to the biobed, she carefully pitched it to hit the door release. Why hadn't the person just come in? All of the doctors and nurses had so far... The door slid open as Megan craned her head slightly to see who it was. Hesitating slightly, Owen entered and looked at the hypo lying on the floor. "I knew you would probably not be thrilled to see me but no need to chuck things at me, M&M." He couldn't think of a better thing to say, so he simply stood there and grinned sheepishly. She motioned him closer, and when he was close enough she spoke in a whisper, "Come back to finish the job?" She didn't blame him, but she had no qualms about making him squirm… just a little. Buddha sighed. He wasn't sure whether she really thought he had meant to do this or whether she just wanted to...well...do this to him. He shrugged before answering. "You know I'm thorough." He pulled up a chair that was standing around and sat down. "I hope you don't play the saxophone or something." Megan grinned at him. "Tuba," she said, her voice still a little rough. "You okay?" "Peachy. On my last mission I killed hundreds of Selshan...then almost you...I think I can take the rest of the week off." Owen was glad to see that Megan seemed to be doing ok. Granted, she'd still be stuck in sickbay for a few hours, maybe even a day but she was alive, that was already something. "I think you could get a few days off, too? How bout just you and me and well..." Megan shook her head, "You know my rule, Owen. As sweet as you are.. it would just be asking for trouble. So... do they have any idea who did this? I have some plans for him or her." Her eyes glowed briefly with the anticipation of battle. "You don't know what you're missing, M&M." The grin faded from his face as he tried to decide what to tell Megan. Since he didn't know much Owen decided to let her in on everything he knew. The culprit hadn't yet been identified so there was no danger she'd run off and rip him limb from limb. "Apparently the safety features of the holodeck were turned off. I don't think they know who did it. Knowing Paradox, though I'm sure they will find someone soon. She was ready to rip my guts out down in the holodeck." She gave him a "DUH" look. "The safeties were off? Really?? I hadn't noticed." Rolling her eyes, she looked back at him, "Paradox wouldn't have killed you... unless you'd been at fault. She's a telepath, you know.. she could tell you were just as surprised as I was. I think it was that little security pansy.. the one that thinks he can ###### with the big boys. Jealous, probably..." Owen shrugged, not really convinced of Megan's theory. "The guy who almost started crying when we wanted to strip him and paint him pink? Dunno. It's a possibilty. I'm sure they're looking into it. As for Paradox, I think it was her way to show that she was worried. This is a serious incident...you could have been killed." "It was green, actually.. but you might be right.. he doesn't have the balls... But then that might be why it was the safeties. Get us to do his work for him, since he isn't man enough to do it himself. And as for the rest... I'm too stubborn. Don't you know that already? You're lucky I overswung that fraction... or you'd be the one in the morgue, love." "In your dreams! But you might be right on one thing. It does take a real coward to do something like this. I mean, c'mon, that's like shooting someone in the back." Owen shook his head. He couldn't imagine who would do such a thing. But he was certainly able to imagine what Day and Harper would do with the one who'd done it once he was found. Buddha didn't envy them. "You'd like to think you're in my dreams, wouldn't you? But it's the other way around, I'd bet." She held out her hand to him, feeling the warmth of his skin. She was still so cold, from the shock and blood loss. Troll was doing a fantastic job of fixing her up, but it still took a little time. "I wish we were back home... This arm of the galaxy just sucks." Owen took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Whoa, M&M, did they put you in the morgue and realized their mistake just before it was too late? Boy, usually I want to get you undressed but now I feel like giving you my uniform so you don't freeze to death." He paused for a moment before going on. "You know, I don't care where we are...here, home, the delta quadrant...it's all the same to me." She shook her head, "Just blood loss and shock. I'll be fine. Please don't strip.. I don't think my heart can take that kind of additional pressure... besides, it would be bad if I threw up, you know." She smiled again, "Eh.. it's not quite the same. New players that don't know the rules. New rules that we can't seem to find except the hard way. Like that gladiator ship.. now there was a nightmare. No, I'd rather be back home watching out for the Romulans to slip a knife in your ribs. At least then you know what you're up against." "I know you find me irresistible." A grin accompanied this comment. "After the Gideon...you know...I don't care much. It's all the same. What's the difference being killed by the Romulans instead of the Selshans? The rules are the same everywhere in the galaxy. Don't ###### off the boys with the bigger weapons...or those who are best pals with the boys with the bigger weapons. It's not complicated. The problem is finding out how big everyone's weapons are. That's what we're here for." She sighed, "Seems the only way is to find out the hard way, at times. At least at home we know who has what." She sighed again--this whole being tired thing just... well, it bit. big time. "Buddha... much as I'd love to continue this banter...." She trailed off, being pretty sure he'd understand. Owen nodded and got up. "Sure, I just wanted to see whether you're still breathing." He walked to the doors and turned around. "You'll see me later, hun...in your dreams. " He winked and turned to go. She smiled, trying not to laugh--it hurt. Closing her eyes, she settled down to sleep a bit... afterall, she needed to recover so she had the energy to draw and quarter the coward that had caused this trouble.

Buddha was sitting on one of the benches in the gym of the Agincourt waiting. He had been there early, making sure he'd have enough time to change and warm up. He didn't want to take any chances. Kansas entered the gym, wearing sweatpants ending just below her knee and a faded blue tee shirt that bore the stylized logo of a snarling cat surrounded by lightning - the ships symbol of her assignment on the ThunderCat. She carried a gym bag in one paw, and her gaze searched out who she would be sparring with. When Buddha saw the security chief enter the gym a grin spread across his face. It looked like today was his lucky day. Beating Kansas in a sparring fight would definitely not be bad for his reputation. He got up and walked up to her. "Commander, I think we have a...date," he said with a grin. An ear flipped back, and a grin exposed her fangs. "Buddha? Okay, this is a surprise." She walked over to the marine. "I didnt think I would get one of the senior officers this early in the department rotation." Owen shrugged. "I can get you Keane. He's eager to show off. Between us, I'm not sure he'd win, though. Are you ready to get started or do you need some preparation? I don'T want anyone to say that I only beat you because I didn't let you warm up properly." "Lieutenant...you sound very sure of a win. And no, I don't need to warm up. Feline Athleticism." She winked at the officer. Owen bit back a comment. He didn't want to get into any trouble. "Don't get me wrong, I honestly value everything your department does for the ship but well...we marines are specialized in any combat situations including hand to hand combat. I don't think you stand a chance." "Damn Lieutenant - a bit cocky aren't we?" JoNs set her bag down and took a place on the blue mat, rolling her neck as she spoke; she placed protector gloves on her paws, in case her claws popped out. "I know the marines train extensively in the hand to hand arts, but security is no slacker either." Matthews inclined his head slightly. "We'll see how this turns out, ma'am. But I'm not sure it was wise to agree to this kind of competition." "Well, this joint training between our departments has been done before - prior to the Gideon crew signing on that is. I mean...would you want us NOT to joint train? Escpecially considering all the unknowns here in the Perseus sector? Or are you just trying to tick me off Marine?" The felines gaze held him, her green eyes glittering. Buddha grinned. "Alright, you didn't hear this from me but...it's tactics. Try to make sure the opponent is annoyed with you. There's no better way to make sure that they'll make mistakes." He watched the feline get ready for their little fight. "Anyway, after what happened in the NNC the other day I think it's a good idea for the security department and the marines to get to know eachother." "Ever consider annoyance can help them focus as well? Nothing like incentive." "Naw, usually they make even more mistakes than usual. Alright, so I promise I won't hurt you more than necessary." He grinned. "Right back at you Buddha." A feral leer lit her leonine features. "Begin!" Buddha went right into combat mode. As he watched Kansas move he started to doubt this would be an easy victory. She was probably faster than any human on this ship including him, of course. He circled her and waited for her to make the first move, thinking it best to find out just how fast she was before attacking. The security lieutenant commander had dropped to all four paws, circling the marine second lieutenant, looking for an opening...and there it was! She darted right at him, intending to guage which side he favored. Owen anticipated the move more than he actually saw it. He just managed to avoid the full impact of the blow but Kansas had hit him hard in the ribs. He stumbled a bit and gasped for air, quickly trying to turn to face her again. Now he had his answer. This would be a tough fight. He grinned despite the distinct pain he felt in his left side. "Nice one, but you didn't think this'd be enough, did you?" Kansas leapt away, turning to keep Buddha in her sights. "Owens, if any of us are "easy", we have no place on this ship..." she darted back in, going for a leg sweep. This time Buddha was not fast enough. He fell sideways but used the momentum to get back onto his feet immediately. "I don't know," he said while he was waiting for her to get inattentive for just a fraction of a second. "I guess we'll see after this challenge who's easy and who isn't." There it was! He aimed a kick at the side of her head just as she had looked down. As his bare foot made contact with Kansas' skull he knew he had managed to land a critical hit. The feline officer was nailed squarely in the side of the head; with a growl of pain she flew a couple of inches and stumbled to the side, landing hard. She moaned and rolled over onto her back, disoriented. Owen took advantage of Kansas' disorientation and kneeled down, putting one knee hard onto the security chief's chest. He knew it was risky but he didn't think she'd recover from the blow too quickly. Sweat was running down his face and his back and he was breathing hard. "Wanna give up before it gets worse?" She so had a headache now. Wincing up at Owen, and blocking out the discomfort of the knee pressure on her chest. "Yield? And have you blab all over the ship regarding how fast your victory was? No way Buddha - you need to earn this, not go off half cocked with half truths. Now, let me up." Matthews waited a couple of seconds before he got up. "Alright, get up. But don't complain if you're sore tomorrow." "Too late jarhead." Kansas re-positioned herself and beckoned to him with her wrapped paws. Owen grinned, going back to circling his opponent. He was too experienced a fighter to actually move in right now. He usually only made a move when he was absolutely sure his opponent wouldn't be able to block. So he was patiently waiting for another opening again. Kansas opted for the exact opposite; the no niceties tactic. She snarled and dove straight at the human. She tackled the heavier man and got him down flat on his back. He was taken by surprise. As he hit the floor just one thought crossed Owen's mind: God she was fast! This time he didn't manage to get back to his feet as fast as the first time. Pain shot through his left side again. He got up, panting. "What, that's the best you can do?" At which point the feline darted in and swept his legs. Owen immediately regretted his words, feeling a sharp pain in the general area of his right knee. He had managed to move sideways just in time so she hadn't managed to knock him off his feet again but it was still hurting. Ignoring the pain he still watched Kansas closely. As her left paw darted forward to hit him again he was ready. He grabbed it and twisted her arm. Usually he'd have aimed a good hit on the elbow but knowing that this would result in a serious injury he just twisted her arm behind her back and put his left arm around her neck from behind. Panting, he whispered in her ear: "A little pressure for about 10 seconds and you'll be out cold for a few minutes." Was the feline lieutenant commander good at what she did? Yes. Was she stubborn? Very much so. Kansas hissed and struggled; she rammed the back of her head into Owens face. Matthews immediately tasted blood as Kansas' head hit his lip. He also felt something warm trickle down his chin. He only just managed to keep his grip on the securtity chief. He applyied some pressure with his left arm and silently counted the seconds. The feline security officer passed out shortly thereafter. Owen let Kansas slide to the ground gently, lay her on one side, felt her pulse and then sat down beside her to wait for her to regain consciousness. He knew it should only take a minute or so. Meanwhile he'd make sure they'd get treated quickly so they'd be able to get back to their posts on time. +Matthews to sickbay, two officers incoming- sparring wounds. I'll bring in Commander Jons as soon as she's conscious. Matthews out.+ For now he didn't care about the confusion he might have caused in sickbay. He simply sat, looked down at Kansas and waited.