McHale

Restrained and Contained McHale sits calmly in sickbay at a table with the Sergeant Major… McHale looks sternly in Jackson’s Eyes, then down at his hand, as he hums, then back up at the Sergeant Major… “Try Me, Blackjack.” McHale was doing his best not to refer to Jackson by his rank, simply because he had no idea what Captain Moose had in mind for the Marines aboard the Arc as he lays down a Straight. Jackson grunted…. “HRRMM, easy there sport. Not this time….” Blackjack lets out a bit of a grin as he nonchalantly throws down his royal flush. McHale takes his loss in stride… “That song, that song that you’re humming…. What is it? It sounds familiar…” “Oh, sorry. Wasn’t even aware I was humming….. I’ll stop.” “No, no… I’ve heard that tune before, what song is that?” McHale searches his memory as he gets a slight pain from the bruises that are now on his side from his broken ribs…. “It’s a song by a 21st century American artist, Johnny Cash… -The Big Battle-.” Blackjack nodded slowly, then a light went on in his head like he shot up a flare. “Mac, your daddy used to hum/sing that very same song…. Whenever we were about to get knee deep in it…. In battle that is… Your father was never one to admit when our ship was in danger of being lost, but I knew it, I could see it in his eyes.…” McHale stared directly into Blackjack’s eyes as he was talking…. “Son, you remind me too much of your father… You’re a dedicated, honest, and a Decorated Marine….Just like your daddy. And you’re Headstrong and stubborn… Just like your daddy. I’m not sure if that comes from genetics or you being a Mustang… But I’ve never served under a finer Soldier, than Matthew. Colonel Quest has much to learn yet as a Marine, though she’s getting there rather quickly. She has covered the main points, and she’s got the heart for it, and she’s giving your old man a run for his money.” McHale and Blackjack went on for a few more hours… McHale just listening mainly to what Blackjack had to tell him, having seniority and all… While Blackjack was discussing McHale’s father, filling him in on information that was either classified by Starfleet, or simply stuff McHale never knew about his father, since he was never around… and died when Josh was extremely young. Almost for a moment, the marine image was dropped, and they were 2 men sitting in a bar over a drink discussing their past.

More of a Thought than a log…. McHale stubbornly stands up and walks toward the cell doors with the aid of 2 of the medical team…. Then he shook them off….. He lets out several grunts at the Medical team. “….. Let…..Me.” McHale is now standing, and walking slowly under his own power… as he walks by Lieutenant Duncan he musters up the strength to say, “….Thank….you…” Then he grabs hold of the cell doors with his right hand, while holding his ribs with his left…. Then he looks over at Commander Quest, and thinks to himself “Great, another “high and mighty” Starfleet official…. They’re never going to stop rubbing our noses in this one.” Just at that point, Blackjack and Colonel Quest walk over to McHale and Duncan’s Cell to check on their condition…and McHale leans over into the Colonel’s Ear and whispers with great pain, “If Moose….. were a Marine….. he’d understand.” Deep down McHale was scared to death of what might happen to his career, his commission…. But just then a thought hit him… He had done what he needed to do, to survive. Then he thinks to himself again, “I did do the right thing….” After that Klingon hit McHale in the stomach he knew at that instant this was going south of ****. McHale knew it was going to be a bitter, ugly fight for survival, so he thought quick on his feet, he grabbed his Beer mug and shattered it against the Klingon’s head, stunning him and giving McHale some room to move around… so he tackled the Klingon. Now McHale is a rather muscular man, but the Klingon’s strength would have surely overtaken his, if he had been given a chance to get up… Although he’d never say it aloud, McHale knows a Marine’s bond with other Marines is stronger than a Fleet bond… Because Marines Fight for the guy/girl next to them in battle, if it hits the fan then Protocol goes out the window! “Colonel….” McHale dropped to one knee… holding on to the cell bars…. Although what happened in that bar might result in him losing his commission… etc… he wouldn’t trade that night for anything in the universe. For that night, he had made a strong connection with the other Marines fighting along side him… They weren’t fighting for Starfleet, they were fighting for each other.

Ditto that, maybe I'm gonna have to arrange an "accident" for myself just for a chance to meet her. :D Cool bio, BTW. hey... I'm the guy that started this! hehe... If anyone gets in an accident! its goin to be me! **walks into a low hanging doorway on accident and gets knocked unconsious....**

Gunnery Sergeant’s Log SD: 10307.15 I’m very happy how we’re turning out aboard the Arc…. We’re drilling, training, running every moment of every day and I love it. I’m also very proud of Joshua. We’ve switched places so to speak. Him being under my command on J1 station when he was but a mere Corporal, and now I’m under his command as he made his commission… I couldn’t have picked a finer soldier among my ranks than Josh… I remember when there were rumors going around about him being such an outstanding shot… “If you hear the crack, then you know its Mac.” Or “He’ll drop his target with one… while all others run… then he’ll pick the rest off… just for the fun...” Were just a few of the old mottos drifting around that soldiers in his sniper unit would say. His qual tests always proved his talent. :: Piper laughed as he recalled those memories, and then let out a slight sigh of grief, seeing as how he had to leave the station, realizing he’ll probably never see those men ever again. Then he looked down at a picture, of himself and Lieutenant McHale the day he graduated from OCS. :: Such a fine young man, and a damn fine Marine! I’m glad I recommended him. :: Steel stands up and lets out another deep breath and looks around his quarters on the Arc. He then walks over to a wall and straightens the glass plaque on the wall that is filled with his combat medals. :: The Arc is this Company’s home now. It’s a bit plush, but I suppose we can get used to it… I’m going to have to ask Josh about the enlisted bunks…. To strip them of all non essentials… get them down to the bare minimum, that way our boys don’t get soft on us, so they don’t get used to having too much… Hell, Alpha and Charlie can do whatever they want, but as Senior NCO of Beta, I refuse to have my company get soft in the knees when we need those hard instincts the most. I think the Lieutenant will agree. Computer, state the time… -COMPUTER- The time is Zero Four Hundred and Thirty Hours. Well Damn! Computer End log…. **computer chimes** ::Piper gets up from his table yet again, and storms out of his quarters with a padd in hand and his game face on:: Time to go wake up them sleepin’ somb****es!

Congrats G'Noop! Better you than me.... *thinks* Hey wait! No its not! -McHale. grats again.

rofl... ziggy you're alright. heh just that my char is very very very very VERY proud to be a Marine. and with that comes bragging rights of how the corps is better than fleet, nothing personal. lol

Second Lieutenant’s Personal Log SD: 10307.10 Well that new Marine showed up Lieutenant Jacob Duncan…. The word “Green” doesn’t even fully describe him. I have no idea what Starfleet was thinking, trying to send a fleeter to a Marine Contingent. Who do they think they are? Fleet Security is no where near as good as a Marine detachment … The Few, The Proud… there is a reason why we have that saying. Its like painting and apple orange, and then sticking it in a basket of bananas. However, Lieutenant Duncan has a Marine heart. He’s eager and willing to learn all there is to know… I believe that with the guidance of Lieutenant Black and myself, and of course Colonel Quest and Sar’n Major Jackson (mainly him), we can whip this boy into a Marine. In the course of yesterday, 4 Marine officers and 1 Senior NCO, were ordered on an away mission. Once landing on the asteroid Lodi, we were told by Colonel Quest and Commander StarDust. That the commander would be ‘in charge’ of us… Not really sure why Colonel Quest agreed to this… But for whatever reason, we’re supposed to take orders from a Lieutenant Commander who couldn’t hack it enough to be in the Corps. I read logs when I first arrived on this ship… about how commander Stardust tried to be a Marine but moose wanted a Fleeter at Tactical… In my mind, he shouldn’t have taken the position. Honor, Courage, Commitment, those are the 3 values upheld by Marines everywhere… if you lack in one, then you might as well be Fleet. Well I guess we’ll find out how this goes… what this fleeter is going to have us do… my guess would be the ‘dirty work’ on this away mission… There is no reason a small contingent of Marines is needed to help fix a Water Treatment station. If the colonists take potshots at the away team, then screw the project, leave Lodi, and let them suffer with contaminated drinking water… simple as that. It would be their own fault. This is just a fleet way of getting the marines to do all the work for them… Using our uniform to persuade the colonists not to do anything, are we helping them or strong arming them? :: McHale taps on his commbadge :: +GySgt. Piper+ “Gunny Round up all three platoons and get them organized for a Ship-wide Marine Training program while we’re down here… Keep the men busy, and Make sure Charlie works to the level of Beta and Alpha.” -Steel- SIR YES SIR! I’ll have those boys Charlie boys crying for their mammas! Sir, Alpha was working on Marksmanship training on the Holo… I’ll let them continue that since they were interrupted, I’ll have Beta run their usual 10 miles, then have them pick up some weapons and head down to the range as well…. I’ll let Popeye deal with Beta while I’ll keep a close eye on Charlie, I plan on whipping this fleet-led platoon into Soldiers sir! OORAH! +GySgt. Piper+ “Thanks Gunny.” -End Log-

And your quarters are on which deck zig? lol....

Great.... Texans on board.... Y'all know what they say about Texas...... Its got some damn good steak... thats right... nothin this Irish-Alabama boy likes more, is a nice t-bone, 5 inches thick. Not saying anything about the MREs I used to have on J1 station. OORAH! Welcome aboard.

Ok yea, i know its a bio, but is it just me or does anyone else want to hit on ruca? lol.

…Corps Morale… McHale’s Log… SD: 10307.08 (plot add) McHale walks into Holodeck 3… just at that time a squad of Marines go running by…. Led by Gunnery Sergeant Piper, they were dressed in brown t-shirts and camouflage fatigue pants with running shoes. The Gunny, doing what he does best, was whipping those boys back into good feelings…. Rather than being down and moping from lacking morale. McHale noticed a barrage of Grunts coming from deep in the gunny’s throat… and oddly enough he understood every one of em. -Steel- Leah- righ-leyahhhh…. (squad chants back) Leh- righ- Leyahhhh, Lefty- riiigh leyaaahhh….Looo- Righ-Leyaahhh!! I love to double time!! (squad chants back) Now, Lift ya head and a hold it hiiiiiigh!! (squad chants)... The best damn squad is a passin on byyyyy! (squad chants) Lookin gooood and a feelin fiiiiiine! (squad chants.) McHale looks on while leaning against the archway of the holodeck, proud of his marines… They really are shaping up… Not that he didn’t have faith in the Gunny… Its more of a statement that squad Beta will be shining brighter than the others on this ship. Just then, Gunny backs off…. This got McHales attention… then SSgt. Hollingsworth takes over (who, when he grunts, sounds 10xs more horse) , and the gunny falls in behind him…. -Popeye- They Dropped me on a Battle Field!! (squad chants) They gave me a rifle and they told me to kiiiiill !!!! (squad chants) A-Loooo-riiigh-Leeyahhh… A Leh-righa-leyahh…. If I should Die in the Combat ZONE!!!! (squad chants) Box me up and ship me home!!!!! The marines continue to drill, in a Paris Island representation on the holodeck… as McHale walks out happy with the status of his soldiers. He wouldn’t expect anything less. McHale has yet to meet this new Lieutenant, he’s eager to welcome him aboard the Arc…. “The more Marines on a ‘fleet’ ship, the better it runs, OORAH!” Though McHale is still rather upset that the order was given to gas sickbay… He can see that his marines are starting to get over it, or maybe that’s just what they’re saying so the gunny doesn’t chew their head off… -End Log- ----------

Lieutenant’s Log, Personal SD : 10307.06 All I remember is opening my eyes and seeing this intense light focused down on my face… I started to squint because the light just added to the serious headache I had from being gassed in sickbay. Let me tell you, nothing makes a man feel more useless, and weak, then to be given something that he cannot fight off. In this case it was gas… It was a HUGE disturbance to my squad’s morale… They believed strongly that they could have, with the help of Lieutenant Black’s squad, dealt with the situation in a timely manner… It is the opinion of my squad and myself that Lieutenant Colonel Quest acted in an untimely manner and with without cause… Personally I believe she showed a complete lack of faith in us as Marine officers. By gassing sickbay and clearly knocking out everyone in its vicinity, she showed complete lack of respect for the Marine training in handling dangerous and tense situations. **walks into his quarters from sickbay, still in his dress Uniform, however unbuttoned and wrinkled from his duration in sickbay…. ** My father would have never given such an order. He would have let the men whom were under his command to do everything in their power to handle the situation as best they could. Only as a last resort would he ask his officers in charge their opinions… Which also seemed to be left out, though Blackjack served with the colonel for a longer period… there were 2 ranking officers involved in that situation. Myself and Lieutenant Black. However, there was/is a light side to this… Gunnery Sergeant Piper and Sergeant Major Jackson seem to be getting along better since the incident. They now have something in common, rather than a Hard headed Sergeant Major bashing up against a Hard Headed Gunnery Sergeant. Both were a little quicker to recover than I was, because I fought the gas, which only worsens its effects… The Gunny briefed me on their cooperation in overseeing the rest of the negotiations between the Ambassadors…. Gunny stood in for me, and Popeye stood in for him… Other than that, the 2nd marine detachment handled the delegations, as the 1st detachment recovered from the premature order given by the CO. We’ll just have to see how everything pans out in the next couple of weeks… I’m not sure if my squad’s morale will ever be quite as strong… We were dealt a huge slap in the face… If we were still on J1 station that would have never happened… At least there an Officer’s thoughts and opinions matter. **takes off his coat, and tosses it on the bed…. McHale starts to unbutton his shirt and walks to the sonic showers…. ** - -End Log - - 2nd Lieutenant McHale SF Marine Detachment USS Arcadia NCC-1742-E

(((((PLOT ADD ON, CONTINUATION OF PREVIOUS LOG))))) I’ve noticed tensions growing thicker and thicker since my arrival on this ship… I’ve been here a week, and its hard to look at another crewmember in the corridors without thinking about the peace negotiations… This is a very serious time for the Arc, its our duty to bring these two worlds together in peace, to end their 300 year feud. **walks over to his closet and pulls out a long black bag… and unzips it down the length of its side, revealing a Starfleet Marine Dress Blue “class B” uniform, as well as “Class A” uniform, and his standard Dress Greens…. McHale walks over to his bed and lays them out…** --thinks out loud to himself— Now which one did the Colonel tell me to wear…. I do believe she said Dress Blues Class B…. but that would mean Ribbons instead of Medals… hrm… Like I was saying, everyone is getting a bit edgy, I ran into Commander Stardust on his way to the bridge, and my way to Main Security to go over some reports, for the peace negotiations… Normally Ziggy would have at least acknowledged my presence…. But he kind of just blew past me with a sense of determination about him. I think this whole negotiation process is getting the best of everyone… I’m sure everyone will settle down a bit better once this whole thing blows over…. From what I’ve been told in my brief stay here, is that this crew isn’t happy until a warp nacelle gets blown off, and we’re 15 seconds away from a warp core overload. **walks to his closet again, and this time pulls out a black rectangular box, roughly about 1 meter in length… he snaps open the clips, and inside lays a beautifully polished dress sword** --thinks to himself again—But what if she meant class A’s…. then I’ll need this… ::sigh:: Commander Dac however, has had such a load delivered on her shoulders… She’s going to have to pull a trick out from under her sleeve, if this peace thing is going to work. I’ve been reading through the Ships logs and as far as I’ve seen, miracle work is a daily occurrence on board, I have faith in our 1st officer. As with the rest of our crew. I see peace coming quite soon to these two peoples, and if it doesn’t… the Arc will be smack dab in the center of the worst backfire Starfleet has ever seen.

Lieutenant McHale walks into his quarters, walks to the end of his bed, and finally gets a chance to sit down… He lays backward, feet still touching the floor…. And he lets out a big breath of air. “Finally some time to relax.” “Computer…” **computer chimes**as McHale sits back up…. “Start Recording.” -Second Lieutenant’s Log, Supplemental.- Stardate 10306.25 Well it was my first day aboard the Arc. And what a fine ship she truly is. I think Colonel Quest was grateful to have another Marine officer on ship, to take the edge off her responsibility rack. After all, we’ve all gone through the same training. Anywho, I met Sergeant Major Jackson today as well. He looks every bit how my father described him in his logs and journals. My father was a great man, so I’m told. I was too young to even remember his face, other than through pictures. He wrote great volumes in his journals about the men that he served with, and from what I’ve read, he mentions the Sergeant Major quite a few times as to how fine of a Marine he is. I think the Sergeant Major and I are going to get along quite fine. My Enlisted personnel on the other hand, I believe Staff Sergeant Hollingsworth will be adequately fitted to perform his jobs to the letter. But Gunnery Sergeant Piper on the other hand, has expressed to me his uneasiness about the Sergeant Major. I assured him it was nothing, but I’m not sure if it sunk in. Gunny Piper is how would one say….. Hard headed. That’s why he’s “The Gunny.” **chuckles**He’s a Damn fine marine. A little stuck in his ways, but he’ll grow around it. Give him a situation to deal with, and he’ll deal with it completely, it just takes time for people regardless of rank to get his respect. Myself included. We arrived in the Lipu system, where we picked up diplomats from the 1st and 12th planets. I was ordered as security escort with Marine Squad 2 for the diplomats from the 1st planet, my first assignment before I even step foot in my quarters for the first time. When they were beamed aboard, no one knew they were there… they were miniscule for lack of a better term. I remember throwing rocks as a child that were larger than they were. Suddenly they “re-sized” themselves and were the size of an average human. This was an eye-opening experience for me, never have I really been exposed to other cultures outside of Marines on J1 Station. Other than battles/skirmishes I’ve been in while on patrols or missions, have I experienced other civilizations so unique such as the Lipu-ians? …. =/\=….End Second Lieutenant’s Log….=/\=….

Lieutenant's Log Stardate 10306.25 I never thought I'd feel this way again... I'm actually nervous to meet my new crewmates... The USS Arcadia is one of the finer ships in starfleet, of new Sovereign class design. It sure beats that bare space station I was on before. I wonder what the crew will think of me, the way I preform tasks and the way I conduct myself... I hear the captain is pretty straight forward. Not unlike most starfleet captains, they prefer to tell their crew all they need to know, instead of hiding information like Starfleet Brass. I had a breif run-in with my new Colonel the other week... We met as I was departing from the academy, and she saw my new butter bars. She's a very pleasant woman, with a good head on her shoulders and a wise mind inbetween her ears. **chuckles and remembers thats what his mother used to say** Not to be rude, but it sure is good to see another Marine in these parts. We're scattered so thin across Starfleet, that in case of emergency it would take weeks/months to establish a full invasion/ground force. Its good to know that the Marine Corps still lives on, from the days of my great great great grandparents... I'm Proud to wear this Uniform. There are just certain things other SFMC Soldiers understand that Starfleet can't... not won't, just can't... As for the rest of the ship's crew, I hope to meet with them and get to know them. In time I wish to grow fond of all of them and think of them, as I think of my family, because... In essence, they are my new family... End Lieutenant's Personal Log 2nd Lieutenant J. McHale Starfleet MarineCorps, Hours away from Starbase 36