Another Pack Member in Need

Posted on Sun Sep 18th, 2022 @ 9:31am by Captain Mattias Richardson [Reece] & 1st Lieutenant Joshua Young [Taylor]

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: USS Elysium, Holodeck 3
Timeline: TBD (immediately following "Lone Wolf")
1778 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

*Holodeck*

Josh was getting madder with each passing second, he was hot both temperature wise and at both Mattias and Anna. Mattias for barging in and taking over the sparring match Anna and he (Josh) were going to have or Anna for letting him walk away and not even attempt to stop him. He shot another of the little green shits and dodged a swarm of the killer mosquitos. "Damn, I really hate this place."

After Anna had come to her senses, Mattias helped her to the quarters she shared with Josh. When they got there, he noticed that Josh had been packing his things. Mattias cursed under his breath. What was it with these two??

After ordering Anna to remain in her quarters and rest, Mattias accessed the ship's computer and located his other wayward Devil Dog. He then made his way down to the holodeck in question and looked up which program was being run.

Which made him curse again.

He was tempted to have the computer end the program, but decided to let it play out. Upon entering, however, he had the computer replicate the appropriate gear and weapons for the environment. Once he was ready, he set out after Josh, following his trail through the bush easily.

Josh had taken refuge in a cave. The little green guys didn't like caves, as they couldn't see worth a crap in them as they had terrible night vision. He took a swig from his canteen and chewed on a protein bar and stewed over Anna and Mattias.

A few moments later, the sound of phaser fire could be heard. Then, a voice full of power and authority. "Lieutenant Young! Get your ass out here on the double Marine!!"

"Well shit!" Josh muttered at hearing the voice. "There's no escaping him." He came out of the cave, his eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light and looked for HIM.

As Josh exited the cave, it was clear he wasn't in his full tactical mind. Had he been, he would have seen the nearly obvious snare trap that Mattias had sent up before he killed the holographic bugs.

As soon as Josh stepped in the trap, his weight triggered the snare, which zipped tight around his legs, then yanked him up off his feet, dangling him upside down about six feet of the ground.


Josh was stunned for a moment but no more as he reached for his K-bar he had in his boot to cut the lines.


"What in the ever loving hell?!" Mattias barked as he stepped out from the bushes, looking like a forest Demon come to life.

Stepping up to the dangling Marine, Mattias shook his head slowly. "I thought you were Recon Marine." He said, disappointment in his tone. "A damn plebe would've spotted that trap."

"God damnit!" Josh hollered as he reached up and cut the lines which sent him tumbling to the ground. Rolling as he hit the ground he was up in an instant. He glared at Mattias. "I'm the best Recon Marine you have, that you'll ever have. My thoughts were elsewhere." He admitted. "What do you want?" He challenged.

Mattias was on Josh in an instant, his speed surprising for his bulk. In one fluid movement, he grabbed the young Marine by the front of his uniform and flipped him over onto his back. Mattias finished the movement by planting his knee on his young protégé's neck. Not enough to truly hurt Josh, but enough to get his attention. "Recon Marines don't get distracted! If they do, people die!"

"Did you die? Did Anna? It's a damn holodeck simulation Mattias. I've never had anyone die because I wasn't paying attention." Josh fired at his mentor. "But your hearing must be going, I asked you what do you want?"

After climbing off of Josh, Mattias reached down and hauled the young Marine back up to his feet. "What do I want? What do I want?!" He pulled Josh closer. "I want you to pull you head out of your fourth point of contact! Anna is not going anywhere and neither are you! I have put much work into you both to allow you to throw it all away!"

"Throw it away? What am I throwing away Captain sir?! I think Anna and I have returned your time and effort a hundred fold. You barged in and took over the sparring match Anna and I were going to have, just so you could be the good guy, the buddy. Instead, you should have let us go a round or two and then you could have sparred with Anna."

Mattias's eyes softened a bit. He then let go of the younger man. "Josh, you and Anna are more than just my friends. You're my family, damnit! Family that I clearly failed. After one scuffle with the local unit, Anna decided that she was done with everything and wanted to leave! She was so angry by what happened, she would have mopped the mat with you, son. Hell, she almost did it to me, and I've got years of experience on the both of you!"

"Then, when I was trying to protect you from her ill-placed anger, you decide to up and quit too! I saw your bags packed, Josh. Don't deny it."

He released his hold on Josh and stepped away, shaking his head. Looking back at Josh, he asked, "What was it, Josh? Where did I fail you two so aggregiously? What ever it was, I'm sorry."

Josh looked his mentor up and down. " You are being overly dramatic sir. You didn't fail me or Anna. Anna was already in a bad mood with the local unit, I was trying to deescalate the situation and could have handled her. As for moping the mat with me I think you gravely mistaken. As for me, I'm just mad or was over the situation. Anna let me walk, didn't try to stop me. As for my bag being packed, I don't deny it, but if you had looked closer it was only half packed and I didn't quit." Josh explained. "You didn't fail Captain, this situation with the locals affected all of us, made our nerves raw and because we are so close it affected us more so. For what it's worth, I apologize sir."
Josh finished, waiting for Mattias reaction.

For a moment, Mattias was silent. Then he extended his right hand in friendship. "Forgiven and forgotten."

Josh looked at the offered hand and without hesitation grasped it in a firm handshake, cementing the friendship. "Agreed and thank you sir."

Mattias smiled and nodded. "Now, do me a favor. Go back to your quarters and sit down and talk to Anna. And unpack that damn bag, Marine!" He grinned a bit more as he finished speaking.

"Go to our quarters, okay. Unpack bag, okay. Sit down and talk to Anna. Um, I don't know, she didn't even try to stop me from leaving Mattias. That hurts." Josh answered.

"Josh," Mattias spoke evenly to the younger man. "You love her?"

Josh answered instantly, "I love her as much as you love Lilly er Phoenix, Captain Lalor."

Mattias smiled a sage grin. "Then go to her. She is hurting, and I don't mean physically. She needs you by her side, showing her that you are on her side. Sometimes, though they may act tough as nails, the women we love still want us to come to the rescue."

Josh nodded slowly. "I hadn't thought about that." He answered guiltily. "I was just wrapped up in my own anger. I'm always on her side, always." Josh answered. "Thank you for helping me see what is important, and that's Anna."

Mattias nodded. "So we can leave this sweat box and return to a more civilized local?"

"Absolutely. Anytime you are ready sir." Josh answered. "I hated that planet and I hate this simulation."

Chuckling, Mattias said aloud, "Computer, end program." The scene around them, and Mattias's gear, all vanished, leaving the two warriors standing in the empty compartment. "Go to her," he said, tipping his head to the large doors. "Take care of your lady. And remember, be patient with her, Josh."

"I will." Josh promised. "Sir, if you don't mind, how do you and Captain Lalor do it? Work out your differences?"

A huge grin filled Mattias's face at the mention of his love. As the two men started to leave the holodeck, he gave the best reply he could. "We're just....two halves of the same whole. It's always just felt...natural with her." He shrugged slightly as he continued. "I don't know, maybe it's just a combination if the fact that I saved her life when she was younger, and the men of her birth world are so damn backwards in their thinking." He shook his head. "At the end of the day, she's my rock and I'm hers. We are a team against the rest of the world."

He looked over at Josh and added, "I've seen you and Anna together. It's still a young relationship but, I can see it going the distance. You both just have to work together to make it work."

"I love her with all my heart." Josh admitted. " I like to think Anna and I are like you and Captain Lalor. That we complement each other, that we draw from each other's strengths." He sighed, "Anna always know what to say to make me smile and I try to keep her from flying off the handle. Something I'm still working on, with limited success." He said with a grin. "However, I will keep trying for she is my rock, my soulmate. The person I can always turn to and who listens and supports me, Like I do her." A smile appeared and grew on his face, "You know? We are a team. We rely on each other."

The senior Marine gave his young friend an odd grin as he asked, "So what the hell are you still doing here with me? I'm not going to kiss you, no matter how much you ask."


Josh twisted his face at Mattias's words, "Oh, for Christ's sake! Way to make it gross captain. I'm going to see Anna right now!"

Mattias chuckled as he watched Josh make a hasty retreat. When he was alone, he reached up and tapped his commbadge. "Captain Richardson to Captain Lalor, I'll see you at dinner tonight." He smiled, then double tapped his badge, closing the channel. He then made his way home to start getting that dinner ready.

~OFF~

 

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