Marine Check In

Posted on Sat Sep 3, 2016 @ 1:15am by 2nd Lieutenant Gage Aravan

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Marine County
Timeline: MD 0 || 1100

James entered Marine County, and saw that checkpoints had already been set up. He was proud of his men for working so quickly, and as soon as he cleared the checkpoint, he tapped his comm. badge. "This is Colonel Racktor to all Marines. Assembly area, ten minutes." He ordered. He didn't need to say anything else, because he knew the Marines would gather.

He saw his wife, Lucy, who smiled at him, as he reached the quarters area, seeing the Marines racing past, saluting as they did walk past him. "I've already got the engineers sorting our quarters, we'll have them sorted before the end of the day." Lucy said. James smiled.

"I don't know what I would do without you. I wish I had Marines just like you." James said. Lucy leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.

"You do. You have Marines who are wonderful because you've trained them perfectly. They respect you, and you respect them. It's why you have one of the best units." She complimented.

"You know exactly how to make me smile dear. If you need anything, let me know. I'm going to greet the new troops." James said. Lucy nodded, and watched him as he walked away towards the assembly area.

When the call came out to assemble, Master Sergeant Gage Aravan wasted no time in rousting the five hundred strong Marine battalion from their bunks, the recreation area and wherever else they were in Marine Country. "Move it, Ladies!" he bellowed as he raced down the corridors banging on panels, yelling in wardrobes and every other location the Marines had gathered.

By the time Lieutenant Colonel Racktor had appeared, he had them in formation and standing erect and ready.

As he entered, he saw the Marine's assembled, and felt a wave of pride. He tapped his comm. badge three times in a row, and when it chimed, he was pleased with his engineers. It meant the speakers were set up so everyone would hear him. "For those of you who are new, Welcome to the Roughnecks." He said, his voice being heard by all.

"My name is Colonel James Racktor, your commanding officer. It is my job to ensure you all survive your duty. But unless you accept the fact that the galaxy is an uncaring, dark and dangerous place, I will not succeed." He said, as he reached the front of them.

"When we meet a new ship, a new species, an unknown element, you will not accept they are friendly, until we have proof. Even then, you will not allow your guard to drop. You will, under my command, build and cultivate a strong mental attitude." James continued. "Because for every friendly species we meet, there are ten others who will kill you, drain your blood and wear your skin for winter coats. And believe me when I say I won't be buying those coats."

"Your days, from now on, will be split into three time periods. One shift will be for being on duty, including guard duty, training, protection and anything else you will be needed for. The second will be for eating and training should you wish, or to relax with your families. The third will be for sleeping. If you get less than six hours sleep, you will not like what happens next. I demand the best, and I give the best. I also make sure my men are well rested, because if you are not, then you are no good to me." James said.

"I want you ready at all times, for anything to happen. I will run unexpected drills, I will test and push you. I will train and educate you. And I will give you the tools you need to stay alive. You will be given your rotas, which change once a month. See your team leaders immediately. Now fall out, and get to work." James ordered.

"Ooh Rah!" came the thunderous response as the Marines broke formation and split off into smaller assigned units and headed with their respective leaders.

He then looked around, and made his way to one Marine he wanted to meet. "Master Sergeant Aravan." He said, recognizing the man from the image the Captain showed him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Racktor, Sir!" Gage came to rigid attention, his decorated battle dress uniform immaculate and his blue eyes locked on the Marine Commanding Officer as if he were tracking a target and didn't plan on missing.

"At ease, son. Walk with me, I'd like to speak to you." James said, as he walked towards the exit. "I understand you were the only Marine to remain aboard when your unit was transferred off. I have to admit, I was curious as to why." He said, his voice warm, yet commanding at the same time.

Gage had studied the Marine Commander's record and had found it to be filled with a long and honorable service record. He stepped in pace with the Marine Colonel as he thought about his answer. "The Triumphant needs stability, Colonel," he said after a moment. "She's seen a number of rough missions that demoralized enough of the crew to where a great majority of them transferred off of her for other assignments. Only myself, Captain Aravan and Commander Weisz remained out of the original complement and I felt that I would be a traitor if I chose to leave her as well, Sir."

James stopped, looked at the man and smiled. "I respect that greatly, Marine." James said, before he continued walking. "It shows a great deal of respect, not only to this ship, but to the uniform. Marines often get told where to go, but there are always times when we know we're needed elsewhere, for the right reason. I've looked at your service record, and I'm proud to have a Marine like you in the Roughnecks." James said, as they reached James' office.

James opened the door, and saw his desk already set up, along with a couch, a couple of chairs and a table. It wasn't as big as the Captain's ready room, but it would seat a few marines for private meetings. He sat down on one of the chairs, and motioned for Gage to take a seat.

"If there's one thing I value most in a Marine, it's dedication. I've been a Marine for a long time now, and I've seen a lot of Marines come and go. I never accept good enough, I always demand better. Every so often, a new recruit to the Roughnecks will demonstrate that." He said. He pointed to his scars on his face. "After I got these, Doctor's felt I should be rotated outta action. I didn't accept that, and remain on duty. Received a scar on my back and got given the purple heart for it. Oh, sure, I can get the scars removed, but I like them. Reminds me how dangerous it is out there." He explained.

"I read your record, and I gotta tell you, you remind me a lot of myself. Had to have a second look when I read about the Dealeri. Damned fine work, especially for someone so young. I wish I had a hundred more just like you." He said, with a smile.

"If there were a hundred more like me, Colonel, the quadrant wouldn't be as unique and the enemy would catch onto our patterns of behavior," Gage said. "The first rule is to keep them guessing."

James chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Damn straight." He said. He leant back in his chair, and looked at Gage. "So what have you heard of the Roughnecks?" He asked. He was certain of one thing; Gage Aravan would make an excellent member of, and leader in, the Roughnecks. But he was curious about the man's viewpoint.

"Nothing, Sir," Gage replied. "I read your record, but I prefer to let a unit speak for itself, Colonel. Nothing read can ever reflect the actuality of how a battalion performs under pressure, Colonel."

James nodded. "Good answer Marine. Now, you'll be working with Alpha Company, that's my own unit. We have three separate units within the Roughnecks. Each unit has sub units, such as marksmen, demolition experts, even a few engineers. I want you to get to know Alpha team inside and out, as much as you can. I also want you to work with the new marines fresh out of boot. We have a few of them to supplement the numbers we lost recently in battle. I'm also going to make an appointment with the ship's Security Chief; I intend to run some joint training ops." He explained. "You being here is actually good providence; My last Master Sergeant was killed in our last battle."

The news of the death of the last Master Sergeant sat heavily on Gage, but he forced his expression to be neutral. It was bad luck to be a replacement and worse luck to find out why he was a replacement. "I'll get with Alpha, Colonel," he said. "I'm well versed in the breakdown for a standard company, platoon and squad. I'll arrange a training schedule as soon as possible."

James nodded. "Good man. Send me the schedules when you're done; call me old fashioned, but I'm hands on, and like to know everything that's going on. You'll also find that a number of new security checkpoints are being set up at every entrance to the deck; I'd like you to make sure they're working perfectly and that if there is an unauthorized person on the deck, we detect them within seconds, and stop them."

"I already noticed that on my walkthrough, Colonel," he said. "I've been here long enough to notice every change. Excellent idea, Sir."

"It's something my mentor, General Anderson, always instituted, before he was killed in the first battle we were in of the Dominion War. He prepared for everything...and the Jem'hadar still took us by surprise with their tactics." James explained. "Damned dark days. Hell, there were days we weren't sure we would survive. But we learnt hard lessons, including being prepared."

"The most important lesson I ever learned was that no plan ever survives contact with the enemy," Gage replied.

"Ain't that the truth." James agreed, remembering more than one battle plan that had gone very wrong. "Do you have any questions you want to ask? I'm happy to answer any you do have."

"No, Sir," Gage said. "However, if and when I do, you'll be the first person I ask."

James nodded. "Well, alright then." He said. "Being a member of the Roughnecks brings some privileges. I take care of my own, and I give the best. You need anything; weapons, tech, anything you think the Roughnecks will make good use of, then I'll use all my influence to make it happen. If it protects you, then I don't care what the cost is because no cost is too high for my men."

"Understood," Gage said, having some influence of his own with his brother, but preferred the Marine way of doing things. "If there's anything I can think of, I'll bring it to your attention immediately, Colonel."

James nodded. "Good man. Welcome to the Roughnecks, son. Dismissed."