Adelaide

Posted on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 @ 8:03am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Crewman Adelaide Kirkby

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: USS ELYSIUM - DECK THIRTY-TWO - MARDET HQ
1686 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

=== USS ELYSIUM – NCC 89000 – DECK THIRTY-TWO – MARDET HQ ===

First Lieutenant Sam Woolheater went down the hallway and into the bigger/nicer section of the MARDET HQ Administration section. He had heard that there was a new administrative person to help with the paperwork and organization of files. He walked down the corridor and saw a previously closed office was now open, lights on and had been cleaned up. It was next to Colonel Azhul’s office. Sam poked his head in the doorway and heard a female voice talking on the COMM.

=A=...oh I am so happy for you! Well, let’s meet for coffee sometime and I’ll show you around the ship? =A=

“That sounds very fun. OK. Someone is here, I need to go” Adelaide said.

=A= OK. Catch you later! Bye! =A=

Adelaide ended the call and turned her attention to the marine lieutenant standing in the doorway, “Yes? Sir? Please come in? How can I help you?” She looked at the single pip on Sam’s collar and said, “First Lieutenant? Oh! You’re first lieutenant Woolheater?”

Sam stepped inside now, “Hello. Yes ma’am. Thank you. I’m sorry to interrupt your call. I didn’t mean for you to rush off the call. How’d you know my name already?”

Adelaide said, “There’s aren’t that many first lieutenant’s and since I’m new, I kind of studied so I could get it right. People’s names are important. And so is your rank. Or your rating. I’m not sure which? I’m sorry!”

Sam smiled back and came over to the desk, he grinned back as he listened and then answered, “I got confused by that too when I was in boot and before I got my commission. Here’s how I remembered? A rate is the Starfleet rank of an enlisted marine, showing where an enlisted stands within the chain of command, and also defining one's pay grade. However, SFMC, only officers carry the term rank. Rate is for the enlisted, the backbone of the Corps. And rank is for us knuckleheads who got a commission. I hope that helps?”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. That does help. Is there something I can help you with sir?” she asked.

Sam indicated to the chair in front of her desk, “May I take a seat?”

“Oh, of course. Please have a seat sir” she said somewhat embarrassed.

Swinging his leg over the back, he sat down. “Thank you. You’re going to get tired of saying sir and ma’am all day long. How about you just call me Sam, OK? What shall I call you?”

“I’m Adelaide Kirkby” she answered.

“Where are you from Adelaide? What a nice name that is too!” Sam said.

“Thank you. I’m from Earth. Well, I was born on Terra Nova. Then when I was still little, we moved to Costa Rica. I guess I consider myself more...Earthican than Terra Novan?” she explained.

Sam nodded as he listened, “Ah! There’s a good SFMC boot camp on Terra Nova. I knew a PIO who came from there and ended up at Camp Falkirk. Newcastle was his name.”

“PIO? What’s that?” she asked.

“Oh, sorry, we have too many three letter words around here. You’ll get used to it though. Public Information Officer. The ‘spin-doctor’ as we called them. And what will you be doing here for us on the Elysium?”

Adelaide said, “I’m from the clerical pool stationed with Division Six at Galaxy Station. I was assigned to help you all out in any way that I can. I think my primary role will be to help Colonel Azhul and Captain Tonelly.”

Sam nodded, “Yup. That would be my guess too” he smiled a friendly face at her. “Well, now that you’re here I was coming to see who was new and see if you can help me? If you’re not already up to your eyeballs in work that is?”

“No sir, no Sam. I’m not too busy. I’m here to help so let me know what you need done? Oh, I’m sorry, what do you do?”

He grinned and his eyebrows lifted with a slight exhale, “Ah...what do I do around here all day? Well, I get to be the 1st Platoon’s CO. So that’s a lot of my time making sure we’re ready, we’re trained, and we have our shit together. Oh sorry – I guess you’ll have to get used to the uh...colorful metaphors around here?”

Adelaide laughed, “It's not a problem, I have two older brothers. So, just say what you want.”

Sam grinned, “Cool. Uh, I get to be trainer, coach, administrator, but my first. Best job. The only one I’m really any good at? I’m a sniper. It’s all I ever wanted to be. Probably the only thing I’m good at. I haven’t fucked things up so bad yet, so nobody knows it...yet” he chagrined.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. The Colonel doesn’t sound like the kind of person that would put you in a spot where you would fail. I mean, I don’t really know her yet, or you, or anybody. But...I don’t think she would be the Colonel of a bunch of marines if she didn’t know who was good and who wasn’t.” Adelaide said with sincerity.

“Well. I stand corrected then. What’s your brothers do? You mentioned you have two? Are you the oldest? Youngest?”

Adelaide smiled, “I’m the youngest. My oldest brother is Stephen, and he is a computer programmer. My middle brother is Michael, and he is a Search and Rescue paramedic. And then there’s me.”

Sam nodded, “Then we must take good care of you and see that we treat you right. Who have you already met Adelaide? Is that what you want us to call you?”

“I’ve already met the Colonel. There were a few marines that helped me clean out the office.”

“You mean the junk room? Storage closet? I didn’t even know this was here until a few days ago” Sam said and chuckled.

“Yes. I haven’t met the XO, Captain Tonelly yet. And I’ve met the CO’s from the third and the second platoon. I’ve heard about Chief Man’darr but I haven’t met him yet” she said.

Sam laughed, “Well, you will meet all those people. And don’t worry. I’m sure everybody is just happy that somebody competent and knows their way around the administrative bureaucracy is here to help.”

She laughed and smiled back, “Thank you Sam. You can call me Adele. I prefer that.”

Woolheater nodded, “OK. Adele. Glad you are here. Can you help me?”

“Sure, with what?” she said.

“I had a hell of a time just getting here from Camp Margrave back on Titan. I had some personal issues, a loss, a death...and my head wasn’t really in the game you know? My transfer got all screwed up and now I need help giving a complete detailed report back to Division Six. There was some damage done to a ship...my name got associated with the damage...now the SFMC has to fork over some credits to pay out a damage claim and they want a report. I have my logs and I wrote down everything that happened. I sent it off to them and they kicked it back to me saying it was incomplete and not properly formatted. Can you help me get it right and get it done? I got a platoon to run, and this isn’t my thing.”

Adele perked up and answered, “Of course. It depends on what forms they want you to include. I’ve had to file administrative claims before for lots of enlisted folks. For benefits and medical treatment so...I do know my way around the forms. Send me what you sent them? Division Six at Galaxy Station? Or Camp Margrave?” she asked.

Sam answered by taking a PaDD from her desk and typing into it and downloading the reports he had already done. “Both I’m afraid. And... the starship Front Royal too.”

“Oh?” she asked intrigued, “I know a friend on that ship. She’s a pilot. Lori Miller!” Adele said.

Sam smiled back, “I know Lori. She helped me...with transportation. Yeah” he said as he had tried to forget that claustrophobic trip inside a torpedo. “It’s a small galaxy.”

Adele just smiled back and said, “Lori’s crazy. She’s a nice person. Buuut...girl is a bit kooky sometimes. She told me that...” here Adele started to whisper and leaned in closer. Sam leaned to closer too, “...that there was this guy that needed to get back to his ship. And there were no shuttles available. She suggested that they put him into a photo torpedo casing and shoot him back to Earth? The crazy part is that he did it.” Adele leaned back. Sam leaned back too and simply said, “Huh!”

Sam said, “Well. I should get back to work. Here’s the PaDD with all of my reports I need help with. Thank you for helping me, Adele. Really appreciate it. Can we come to you from time to time for help?”

She responded, “The Colonel didn’t say anything on that. So, I suppose you can?”

Sam stood up, “Great! Pleased to meet you, Adele Kirkby. You know where the office is, just give me a call if I can help you?”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” she said as she took the PaDD from him.

[OFF:]


Adelaide Kirkby
Crewman Apprentice
DIV 6 - Marine Clerical Pool
MHQ – Galaxy Station

&


1st Lieutenant Samuel Woolheater
“Saepius Exertus, Semper Fidelis, Frater Infinitas”
Division VI, MARDET 62nd Company "Spartans", 1st Platoon CO
=/\= USS ELYSIUM - NCC-89000 =/\=

 

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