Lone Wolf

Posted on Sun Sep 18th, 2022 @ 5:30am by Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece] & 1st Lieutenant Joshua Young [Taylor]

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Officer's Lounge
Timeline: (Takes place shortly after the incident in Marine County)
1708 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Anna sat alone at a table in the lounge. Looking at a glass of scotch. And she sat far away from anyone else. She didn't trust one of these people. She put down a shot and poured another. She had gone back to drinking after a shift in the armory.

An officer walked up. "Is this seat...."

"It's not yours, find another table." She said calmly. The Lone Wolf she once was before Mattias hired her for the Black Watch mission had returned.

Josh entered the lounge, is eyes sweeping the area, looking for one person. After a brief search he found her. Making his way to the table, he took a seat opposite her. "Thought I'd find you here." He started and stopped as the waitress came over, "A rum and coke please. Oh, and a large order of onion rings." Once she left, he returned his attention to Anna. "You wanna talk or just drink?" He asked casually, his eyes on hers.

"Sure you want to talk to me? It might offend all these clean cut, thin skinned, light weights?"

"God damnit Anna, I'm not your enemy and why would I not want to talk to you? We share the same quarters unless you are moving out." Josh answered. "Not to mention, I don't care what they think."

"For now, I'm keeping my head down and im just doing as im told. I haven't belonged on a Federation Starship since Atten II." Anna sighed. "You know I haven't always been Starfleet. Well, I kinda got used to the black watch. I wasn't born on earth Josh, my mom and pop were Fifth generation border worlders." Anna noted.

"I know all that Anna." Josh replied. "You want to keep your head down? Fine. You don't need to keep it down with me. We've always been honest with each other Anna. Its why we get along so well and love each other so much." He paused as his drinks and onion rings arrived. He placed the rings in the middle of the table so Anna could get some as well. "I got use to the Black Watch as well Anna, you aren't alone there." He paused as he popped a ring into his mouth. "These are good, have some." He sipped his drink, "I know what you need. You need to punch something. Let's go the holodeck and work out."

Anna walked with Josh to the holodeck. Getting away from drinking. She began to punch whatever was in the holodeck immediately. "Do you know what we called Starfleet Admiral Alynna Necheyev, Josh?" She noted as she worked over a punching bag. "We called her the 'traitor of the DMZ.' The woman who sold out our homes to the Cardassians for a meaningless... worthless peace." Anna noted. "And how did it end? It ended with war." Anna mentioned. "So when my mom and dad saw the Dominion destroy everything our homes and lives, They picked up what people survived the Dominion's Maquis Purge and founded a new colony. Hell they're so well hidden, they won't trade booze with a Ferengi." She beat the sack more.

Josh held the bag while Anna punched it. "A lot of people felt the same way you and your parents did Anna." He conceded. "It was an ill conceived idea, However it is in the past and you have to let go and move on. Note, I didn't say forget, I said move on and you need to do the same thing here. Move past this. Don't let this eat at you Anna, your bigger and better than that. get what you are feeling out. Take your frustrations out here and if you want something to punch back, I'll spar with you."

"No," a familiar voice sounded from the open holodeck doors. "I will." Mattias strode in, wearing his duty uniform of fatigue pants, boots, and blouse. As he approached, he removed his blouse, revealing his green tanktop underneath. "What do you say, Anna? Care to take a few jabs at a fellow recon Marine? No ranks in here, just three Devil Dogs that have bleed together."

"Do you wanna bleed that much, Mattias?" Anna noted. "You sure you want your nose crooked for your wedding?"

"Um look Captain, no offense but this was my idea to spar with Anna. You can spar after your wedding. then your broken nose won't look so bad." Josh told their CO.

Mattias kept his eyes lo ked on Anna's as they moved towards the sparring mat. "Who said my nose will be busted, Josh? And I said, no ranks in here." He took up a ready stance as he waited for Anna. "You ready, Marine?"

"But you are pulling rank." Josh protested. "It was my idea to bring Anna here and have her work out her frustrations and my idea to spar with her until you came waltzing in."

Mattias didn't look over at Josh. "Not pulling rank, just giving her a target that she really wants to hit." He gave Anna a grim grin. "That is, if you can hit me."

"Yes, you are," Josh replied stubbornly. He looked at Anna. "Knock his block off.'' As he turned to walk out of the holodeck, feeling very much the third wheel.

Mattias watched Josh leave, out the peripheral of his vision and sighed internally. Now he had another of his Marines in a damn snit. Shaking his head slightly, he put it aside for now, Anna required his dull attention at the moment. "Well, Marine? What are you going to do?"

Josh left the holodeck and headed for the quarters he and Anna shared or HAD shared up until today, He was pissed with Mattias and keenly disappointed in Anna. Mattias had barged his way in an taken over his idea just so he could be seen as a buddy, a good guy. Anna had just stood there, not saying a word and had let him walk out. After so much they had been through, she just let him walk away. *Yeah, she was all talk and no action unless it affected her. * He railed internally. He reached their quarters and upon entering he grabbed his duffel bag and began packing. He was tired of this shit, tired of trying to help others, going the extra mile to help, especially the woman he loved and being pushed aside like he didn't matter. He stopped packing with his bag about halfway full and decided he wanted a drink and then he could think of his next course of action. Maybe a transfer was what was needed. Hell, he'd think on it some more while he had his drink(s). Leaving his duffel on the bed, he set off in quest of a drink. He would go to the Elysium's lounge; he didn't want to be around any other marines.

Back in the holodeck, Mattias and Anna started to circle one another on the mat, each one looking for an opening in the other's defenses. "Anna," he started to say. "I know I let you down. I'm sorry. I had no idea you would have this much difficulty rotating back to the Line." He was referring to what Marines tended to call a normal, ship or station based unit. The "Line" was usually made up of Marines that took care of the day-to-day duties of Marine life. The "Bushes", however, was everywhere that Marines went to engage the enemy. typically, the deeper into the Bush a Marine went, the more highly skilled and trained they were.

Mattias had made sure that both Josh and Anna were both very highly trained, for they would be, and did, go deeper into the Bush than most Marines ever even knew existed.

In the Elysium lounge, Josh drank and the more he drank the madder he got. Mattias was wrong. It was that simple/ he had no right to barge in and take over. he should have allowed Anna and himself (Josh) to spar then he could have spared with Anna. That was the right thing to do, and Anna had done nothing! He shook his head in disgust. He put his glass down but took the bottle with him and left the lounge.

On the way to the range, Josh had a better idea, he would go to the holodeck instead and program it for the mission he and Anna had been on out in the bushes on T'meric III, fighting those little green shits in that hot, humid jungle. He had the safeties turned off. As he entered the holodeck, the sights and sounds of the jungle assailed his senses. Birds were singing, squawking and insects were doing whatever they do. What passed for a mosquito buzzed his head, only this was six inches long and when it bit you, you knew it. It had a long needle liked nose, that it used to bite it's victims. "Fuck! I forgot about those little shits, How could I forget about them?" Josh grumbled silently.

===Back in the Gym===

Mattias and Anna continued to spar, each getting a few good hits in, though Mattias, being more experienced, was quickly gaining the upper hand. With a powerful roundhouse mule kick to her solar plexus, he sent her sprawling to the mat, gasping for air.

Moving over to her, but staying out if her reach, he spoke to her as he caught his breath. "Stand down, Anna. I don't want to hurt you."

Anna tapped the floor to end the match and she was released. She looked at him. "I've been out of the marines too long, Mattias.. I've been doing things my way for nearly five years."

Stepping over, Mattias offered Anna a hand to help her back to her feet. "Anna, once a Marine, always a Marine. I would go onto any battle with you by my side any day. You just need to relearn how things work back on the line is all. You'll get there. Now, go back to your quarters and get some rest, alright?"

Anna nodded in agreement, then turned and left. Mattias went with her, helping her back to the quarters she shared with Josh.

~TBC~

 

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