Marine Battalion Commander MAJ Ishiiu: Counselor at Large

[Crash Calestorm 0]

The following log takes place early in our 48 Hour TBS, after the events of the 01.16.12 Sim…

 

USS Comanche Creek

09:00 PM

December 31, 2259 (Ships time)

 

The Federations tag line of “Join Starfleet, See the Universe” didn’t cover every situation the universe could throw at Starfleet officers. Officer Training School sure as shootin’ never covered temporal time travel, not in detail anyway. For all the accolades and perks that the position of commanding officer offered, the reality was that a starship captain was on her own.

 

She could talk to CDR Wesley or Dr. TAral, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do so…not for this. The conversation with CPT Chirakis had helped, being able to converse with another commanding officer, but Calestorm’s concerns hadn’t fully been mitigated. How do you protect your people from…time? How do you make a decision about somethin’ that can’t be seen? Is stayin’ here in 2387 really all that bad? Is it safe to return to 2259? What are the odds that the same moment in time we departed from will still be there when we return? In less than forty eight hours, they’d be boldly going where no one had gone before - back through a rip in the fabric of space-time.

 

It was one thing for Cale to allay any fears or hesitations among the crew; that was her job and she did it without hesitation. But, she’d admitted to herself – and only to herself – that for the first time in a good long while she was afraid of the unknown factor.

 

Crash had tried everything at this point: cigarettes, several rounds on the armory range, a good solid workout, paperwork. Normally, she’d be able to speak with Shauna, Craig, or Reed about any command level issues that were bothering her. Unfortunately, they were all one hundred and twenty six years in the past and most likely long dead, and she was up Sh*t Creek without a paddle.

 

It was time to lose this ‘nervous energy’. It was time for Plan B. With ‘B’ standing for the one and only ‘Boo Yah Baby!’.

 

= = = =

She was unstoppable. Duck, weave, fire a pulse shot. Duck, weave, pulse shot. One hover drone down. Then two. Then another. BOOM! Goes the Boo Yah! The auto-Mech automaton took a shot, robotic limbs flaying against the EM grenade pulse. Leap and roll, come up again and dodge for cover.

 

Clad in combat boots, helmet, BDU trousers and a tee, Calestorm was running light with no battle armor or plates. She’d gathered some cuts and bruises. She was alive. For the moment, she was temporarily free from the concerns of command. She was one with her spirit animal, the animal that Shauna Coyote was always telling her she should listen to.

 

Calestorm vaulted over the final trench, zoomed through some strategically placed scrub trees, and ended up grabbing some serious air time.

 

The last couple feet of the floor just retracted, extending the course and exposing the hazard. She managed a strangled cry and by reflex turned in a mid-air lurch to try and reach hard ground. The cold water was a shock and she couldn’t see anything in the murk. Basic training recall kicked in and she held her EM 33 above the waterline as her upper body submerged.Dang right she held onto the weapon. Your pistol is your friend…

 

She’d never been a great swimmer; Crash got her head above the water line, coughing and sputtering. She inhaled H20, mud, and bugs floating in the rancid water. She gagged, went under again, and popped back up. Pistol was still dry!

 

“Tread water!” A voice bellowed from somewhere. “Move to the edge!”

 

Vision blurred from the muck, she could make out a figure waiting for her on the deck; strong hands gripped her underarm and back of her web belt, hauling her out. The pistol disappeared from her grip; face down and beached on the deck, she puked up water, mud and…random insect parts.

 

That unpleasantness done, Ishiiu hauled her up and half assisted, half backed her up against the bulkhead to make sure she didn’t face plant. A canteen of water – clean water – was shoved under her nose, and she grabbed at the lifeline and took a grateful pull.

 

“…the hell was that…” Gasp. Dry Retch.

 

Major Souta ‘Shadow’ Ishiiu*, Battalion Commander of the Comanche Creek MARDET, eyed his commanding officer. “That, Captain Calestorm was a water trap…you’re the only Navy captain I’ve served under that runs the training course*.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Wasn’t a compliment.”

 

She glared at him. She was who she was, always had been, and damn well didn’t intend to apologize now. “Major—“

 

“—but, you’ll do Crash.”

 

The deliberate use of her call sign had the desired effect; she relaxed a smidge, her glare dialing back. She nodded with respect to Ishiiu, and he continued speaking to her. “…last I checked you aren’t indestructible. I can only conclude you are burning off body karma at an accelerated rate.”

 

Calestorm grunted her agreement, half coughing. Doc TAral kept telling her the same thing…

 

“This is my course. I call the shots. I am your God and Master. You access my training run without a spotter for an advanced recon level. I would have gladly spotted if you’d asked me. And have you ever been recon Captain? No you haven’t according to your profile...”

 

He wasn’t done. Cale was content to stand there, listen, and not hurl. She took another drink of the water.

 

“You deploy with an EM33 phase pistol instead of the standard issue rifle…you may have a small arms MO Captain, but on my course the MC16 pulse rifle is your best friend. And thenyou run the team oriented scenario as a Lone Wolf…”

 

She croaked out, “Lone Coyote, actually.”

 

Shauna’s last name was “Coyote”, but Calestorm’d been the one tagged with the spirit animal in the ceremony they’d participated in those years back…go fig...

 

Ishiiu had no idea regarding her off-hand reference, though, and didn’t much care. “You are not interrupting with your usual smart assery, are you Captain?”

 

She couldn’t help the quizzical look. Smart…assery? Is that a word? And am I usual? “Major, I would never—“

 

He interrupted her. “Good! You didn’t wear the standard BDU jacket , which as you know, would have mitigated the water trap slightly when the smart fabric sensed the water and deployed…at least you wore the helmet.”

 

“Mama didn’t raise no fool.”

 

“Uh huh.” Ishiiu continued to eye his CO. “You work through whatever it was that was bothering you?”

 

“Aye Major.”

 

The Asian man closed his eyes, drew in a breath through his nose, and just managed to keep a smile from his lips. His gaze refocused, and he silently rechecked the safety on the custom 2150’s Starfleet-era weapon, and then turned his attention back on Crash.

 

“Nice piece. Well kept. I’ll hang onto this for now. You’ll stop by my office after first shift to retrieve it. Then, we’ll discuss the course.”

 

Her expression telegraphed weren’t we doing that already? Thank God she kept the opinion to herself.

 

Ishiiu didn’t miss much, and he smirked. “Now there’s some progress. Silent is good, but you Navy vacuum riders always have an issue with keeping quiet, now don’t you?”

 

“Am I allowed to answer that Major?”

 

“No.”

 

“Aye Major.”

 

“Since you disabled the cameras and course recorders,” he gave her a look that only a Marine DI could wing, “and went off the grid, I’ll need a verbal report on the course. I want your personal assessment of the course, the terrain, the obstacles, your tactics. Due respect, your ass is mine and we’ll be a while. Pack a dinner.”

 

Crash perked up, her mind going into something she’d always been good at: tactical mayhem. “Those nasty little flight drones? I can get my hands on a tracker program that Fighter Command employs.” She cocked her head to the side in speculation. “If you upload to the drones, they’ll really give your fire teams a run for their credits.”

 

The Major gave Calestorm another milder look, considered, and then nodded in agreement. “That’ll work…,” He turned to leave, “...after first shift, Captain. I will see you then.”

 

“Aye Major. Italian, American, or Asian?”

 

“Surprise me.”

 

“Would it be conducive to our tactical meeting if I were to bring along a prime example of Rihan Ale as well?”

 

His back to her, he answered over his shoulder, amusement coming through in his tone. “That possibly constitutes a bribe that goes against regulations.”

 

A pause. “I’ll take it anyway. Carry on Sir.”

 

--

Authors Notes:

*The Major Ishiiu (NPC) character is used with the permission of WO2 Cassidy Granger.

*The initial idea of a commanding officer that runs the Marine training course comes from MCAPT Rose, a minor character from the Confederation of Valor novels by Tanya Huff; the concept is something I admire about the character.