Call of Duty: Guardian Angel

Posted on Mon Oct 7th, 2024 @ 1:09am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Crewman Adelaide Kirkby & Staff Sergeant Liam "Swede" Reece [Reece] & Avalon [ADMIN NPC]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 5: A church beyond heaven
Location: DECK 32 - MARINE HQ
Timeline: MD1
2463 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

Crewman Kirkby was at her desk working on reports. Filing the report required by ship's Security and correcting typo's and checking for grammar and content over the incident reports that Captain Woolheater and the Sergeant On Duty had filed regarding this event. She saw Staff Sergeant Liam Reece. His tall, thin, swimmer's frame walking by the office and then through the front doors. Adele knew that Liam came from a famed military and Marine family. When she filed his marriage documents, she got to read about his family. Some at least. Just enough to know that he was from a respected and loved Marine family. Liam, "Swede" as his buddies called him, was one of the combat engineers. Like Lance Corporal Griffin, those two were Sappers. She looked up from her terminal, "Sergeant Reece? Something I can help you with?"

Liam smiled politely to Kirkby as he stepped inside the infirmary. "Hey, Adelaide. I just came to check on Chris. Have there been any changes to his condition?"

She set the terminal aside and spoke with great concern, "Last I heard from Sam, was that he is stable. He is awake and resting. Leilani basically saved his life. Medics are sending hourly reports. I am so shocked, Liam! Why would they beat him up so badly?"

Liam shook his head, a look of disgust on this face. "I don't know. First there was the attack on...on.." he frowned slightly as he seemed to concentrate on a lost thought. "Shit. I know there was an attack, back on that ice planet.....I just can't remember who the victim was."

Adelaide frowned, "Oh yeah...huh. What was her name? She had this...something about her. I forget. Hold, on, the computer will know, and she started typing for a search into the crew manifest. "I don't remember what she did? In fact, was she a he? Or a her? Isn't this so sad Liam? Have we already started forgetting those we lost?" The search started a...??? there was no search term and so the screen started scrolling through the whole manifest.

Liam stepped over to the desk, looking over Kirkby's shoulder. "Even the computer has nothing? That's odd. I...I know there was someone...." he thought about it for several more beats, clearly getting frustrated. "Damnit! I don't forget things! Especially something like a missing crewmember."

"No, it does, but I don't remember her name. It'll come to me. See? There is no search term. So everybody on the manifest is coming up. This person, I think her...she's on the tip of my tongue. I'll spend some time looking and I'll let you know. Did you need anything Sergeant?" she inquired. As she spoke, the ship's manifest for active duty flight control officer's scrolled slowly on the screen. Minus one name in particular.

Liam watched the screen, confused as to why his brain was telling him one thing, but the computer files showed something different. He decided to ask the ship's A.I. perhaps then an answer would become known. "Avalon, are you online?"

Avalon appeared "Yes I am. How may i assist?"

Liam looked over at the hologram. "Avalon, can you search every record and file in the computers, to find who has been our Chief Pilot? I know we had one. I just.... can't remember any details about them."

The AI paused as if the program stalled. "Unable to find that information." The AI replied puzzled.

Liam's brows knitted in confusion. "What do you mean, Avalon? You have complete access to every byte of information on this ship. How could you not find anything?"

Avalon gave him a puzzled look. "Unsure. Excuse me I need to go run diagnoses."

Liam glanced at Adelaide, while Avalon's avatar stood there motionless, her head locked slightly to one side, as she seemed to stare off into space.

Adelaide ventured, "Maybe we're remembering it wrong? I remember that this person was a female. That much I'm sure and I remember that she at least liked piloting. Maybe she was a pilot? You know? We're remembering it wrong and confusing a ship pilot with our navigator? Like the Mandeller Effect?"

Samuel came walking into the HQ towards his office and saw Staff Sergeant Reece talking to Adelaide and the ship's AI Avalon. He walked by the two as they were engaged in conversation and only said to Reece, "I'll be in the office when you're ready Sergeant."

Liam snapped to attention, when Captain Woolheater entered the office. Though he didn't know what the MXO meant by his statement, he still did the polite thing as he replied. "Aye, Sir."

"As you were. Just see me before you leave. I need your help."

Avalon shifted. "It is hard to determine, my diagnostic is showing no issues. I need to go to engineering for further information."

Adele suddenly said, "Look! See?! The Queen Anne's Revenge, there. look that ship has no pilot. Liam? Avalon? I think that's the confusion. We have a different ship with no pilot. Right?" she asked unsure of herself.

"Our link to that ships computers shows no owner. And no record of who brought it on board." Avalon replied. "Please excuse me" the AI Vanished.

Liam looked from where Avalon had vanished, over to the computer screen that Adelaide was looking at. "How the hell can we have an auxiliary vessel aboard, without any record of who it belonged to?" He shook his head in confusion. "Something definitely isn't right with this whole situation."

Adelaide said, "The Flight Deck Officer should have logged the ship when it docked. Maybe its from the Arena? I'll see what I can find out." She gestured to the XO's office, "Go on, shoo!"

After speaking with Adelaide, Liam made his way over to the XO's office. When he reached it, he reached up and pressed the call button.

The door was open and Sam looked up from the desk when the chime rang, "Staff Sergeant. Come on down" he said as he motioned to the seat in front of the desk. It was fairly spartan in here. Sam wasn't much of a decorator. Just a few pictures and a very few mementos. There was a slideshow digital picture frame that cycled through various pictures of him with friends at boot, on parade, in dress uniform, with different people and different dates. Some were images from field operations and other engagements that had meaning for him. "Adelaide and you looked pretty intense there; find what you were looking for?"

Liam did as instructed, and sat in the chair, at a modified position of attention. "Just more questions, Sir," he replied clearly. There doesn't seem to be any memory of whom our Chief Pilot was before Lieutenant Makall, Sir, nor any digital file on them. Yet, there is evidence that we did have one. I have some extremely vague images of them, from the ship manifest chain of command that we have to know. However, everything I try to focus of who it was, I keep coming up empty. Clearly, we had to have had one up to this point, Sir. Otherwise, who piloted the ship here?"

Sam narrowed his eyes as it was a curious kind of a problem. But he dismissed it, "Flight control and OPS should take that up. Sam tapped a button on his desk PaDD and the office door closed, "Sergeant, I need you focused because I need your help. You already know about what happened at the end of watch to Corelli. I want to find those responsible. And I want to find them before this has to go up the chain and before ship Security has to get involved. I don't like what happened. Not one damn bit. And I want to put a stop to this crap-ola. How well would you say you knew Private Corelli?"

Sam sat back in his desk chair and tilted it back, he put his booted feet up on the edge of the desk to listen to Reece. He was relaxed and ready to tackle this problem head on.

Liam replied evenly. "Private Corelli is in my Platoon, Sir. I've been keeping an eye on him lately, as his overall performance levels have started to slide south. His squad leader, Sergeant Mills, has been working the entire squad harder, in order to bring them all up." He sighed softly as he added, "I have heard a few quiet rumors that his squad mates were starting to hate the extra training. I'm thinking, whomever his attacker was, came from one of them."

Sam said, "Third Platoon is all heavy weapons billets. And, despite all of the crap we have been through, they have not been able to use or deploy much. Even when we were marooned on the icebox planet all they had to look forward to was guarding the perimeter." There was a pause and Sam said flatly, "Docs are going to release Private Corelli this afternoon. He'll be sore a few days, off duty of course, they beat him. I saw the blood where they dumped him. I don't think they thought they killed him. I think they're sending a message. That they don't like having to keep their stats up. The bastards beat a Marine. I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen."

Liam nodded in agreement. "We don't attack our own, Sir. Hell, if my Grampy was here, he'd smoke the entire unit until those responsible came forward. Then he'd smoke them some more, before finally dishonorable discharging them. Individuals like that don't belong in the Corps. Sir."

Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Reece? Liam. I need your help. I never thought I'd have to ask a Marine to be a 'Guardian Angel' to another Marine.
But it sure feels like that's what we need. I'm concerned about the stress levels in the detachment. And I am not as close to the trenches as I once was.
I need someone to get close to the Private. Someone who is respected and others look up to. Your family is...an honored one." He dropped his hand and looked at the Staff Sergeant, "I know that if I order a Reece to do a job; then he will do it. But, I'm asking you, not ordering you. I need someone to watch over the Private and who can keep their mouth shut and someone I trust. For a little while until we catch the bastards. Just...get to know the kid? Find out if he knows who attacked him? See if he is going to press charges. See if you can find out why he's slipping. I have my own theories but I'd rather not go guessing right now. I'm concerned that as we turn up the heat, they might try to send him to morgue."

He pursed his lips in a kind of scowl and said, "We have twenty-four hours to find out who is responsible. And, I can't keep whoever did this in the brig for the next 13,000 years. And Corelli is going to have to face his Platoon and he's going to have to pass the physical fitness. He has to in order to earn the respect of the Platoon. Is it fair? No, it isn't. But we need every Marine we have. I don't need to tell you. In twenty-four hours I'll have to report and most likely turn over the investigation to Security. Nothing against Security but this is our own house; our problem, let's catch these bastards and then we can hand them to Security."

Liam nodded as he replied. "Aye, Sir. I'll talk to the kid, take him under my wing. And we will discover who did this." He paused for a moment, then suggested, "How about, for good cross training, the entire unit works with Engineering on continuing repairs to the ship? Especially the areas that are blind spots right now? In an intruder situation, those same blind spots will be major detriments."

Sam shook his head 'no' and said, "Negative. I appreciate the idea Staff Sergeant. But these Marines knew that there was a 'dead spot' on the internal sensor grid. And for all we know they maybe even created that blind spot. This is an oversight or sabotage. Either Engineering dropped the ball on this - I don't care what the excuse is - or someone in our detachment has enough smarts to create the blind spot. Because I think we all can agree that it wasn't this way when we left spacedock. I don't want anyone, other than Engineering or Security 'fixing' this issue. I want to know if it was an oversight, or it broke later or if someone tampered with it." Sam said calmly and thoughtfully. He had already thought this through but he did appreciate another person also trying to help and get to the bottom of this incident.

"You have given me an idea that I hadn't considered before though" Sam said as he thought about a new option that was based on Liam's suggestion.
"Second platoon, they usually train at the same time sometimes in the same areas as the third? They have a sniper doing overwatch for them. What's his name, came aboard at our crew rotation, 1st Lieutenant Vale. I want him watching your back. Once they see you with Corelli, you may become a target yourself. Reece or not. Keep it on the down low. See if Vale has observed anything...interesting."

Liam smirked confidently. "They've already played their hand, Sir. I won't be surprised like Corelli was. That, plus both of my brothers would wade through here, like reapers, if their baby brother got jumped." He chuckled, then nodded. "However, I hear what you're saying, Sir. I'll reach out to the L-T."

Sam nodded, "Well, let's avoid that eventuality at all costs. I consider every Marine here my responsibility as does the Colonel. And before I bring any problems to her attention I want to have solutions and fixes. I know and I am grateful that I can count on you Reece." And with that Sam got to his feet and said, "I know I can trust you to get the job done. Carry on; you are dismissed."

Liam stood as well, snapping to attention, then offering a crisp salute. "Aye, Sir!" After Sam returned the salute, the Sapper performed an about face, and moved smartly out of Sam's office.

[OFF:]


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

&

Staff Sergeant Liam "Swede" Reece
Third Platoon Platoon Sergeant
Battalion Sapper NCIOC
(NPC Reece)