My Brother

Posted on Mon Aug 17th, 2026 @ 2:50pm by Master Sergeant Moses Henderson & Chief Warrant Officer Man'darr [Naxea]

Mission: Interlude
Location: USS Elysium, Marine Country
Timeline: MD 2 / 1023 hours
1083 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The training area in the center of Marine Country was alive with activity. A few dozen Marines, Starfleet and Romulan alike, were exercising and training together, working to unify the two crews into one, as their leaders had agreed to do.

Off in one corner, where the heavy bags hung to receive their punishment, the mountain of a man, Master Sergeant Moses Henderson was stealing one of the larger bags, ad the current Marine Executive Officer abused it with his powerful strikes.

"That's it, bro," Moses cheered Man'darr on. "Let it out! Don't hold back! Allow that anger to vent out of you!"

Seeing red from anger, Man'darr continued to punish the bag. He had lost everything. His love, his lost friends, they were lost in another galaxy, and no matter how hard he tried, the glory of death in battle eluded him--mostly due to Starfleet Medical . Damn them and their technology. The bag finally gave in as a rip formed in it from a massive punch. Man'darr grunted and stopped, his chest heaving.

Seeing how worked up Man'darr was, Moses knew he had to be careful in how he helped his friend. "That's good, my man! You feel that pumping through your veins? That's life! That's what we train and fight to protect!" He fist bumped Man'darr's chest. "You hold onto that feeling! Use it! It's all of us who are still here, who keep those that aren't still alive. We think about them, we dream about them, we talk about them and we cry about them." He stepped closer, coming nose to nose with the amped-up Capellan. "You think the combat medals you wear are yours?" He shook his head. "They aren't! They belong to our friends, brothers, sisters and loved ones, who aren't here anymore! You wear those awards for them! You wear you rank for them! You live for them!"

"Pretty words," he huffed as he caught his breath. Medals had never meant anything to Man'darr. "But why does death claim those who have yet to live a long life and yet here I remain, someone with nothing?"

This caused Moses to feel a spike of anger. He reached up and slapped Man'darr across his face. Nor enough to hurt him, just enough to get his attention. "Stow that shit right now, Marine! You aren't alone, and you don't have nothing! You have an entire family here, all around you that cares for you! You have us!"

"Easy for you to say," Man'darr growled. "You have your mate. Pray you never know the pain of losing her. And that you never strike me again."

This caused Moses to straighten up. Though he was two inches shorter than the Capellan, the Heavy Weapons Marine NCO had nearly forty pounds of muscle on the Spartan XO. "Loss is loss. I may not know that type of pain, however, I have lost close friends and loved ones to combat, so don't act like you have a monopoly on grief." He took a step closer, nearly coming nose to nose with his good friend. "And if I gotta kick your ass up one side of this ship and down the other, just so you can open your eyes and see what you still have, then I will."

"Is there a problem here?" came a stern and authoritarian voice as Naxea approached the two men, dressed in black gym shorts and a green tank top.

As they were in a no-salute area, Moses merely stood a little bit straighter, turning to face his Colonel, as he replied. "Negative, Ma'am! We're just sparring and talking!"

"It sounded like more than that," Naxea said, walking towards the two men. She wasn't in any mood to deal with whatever was about to happen.

"It is true, Colonel. We were just talking," Man'darr replied

Naxea looked at Man'darr. Capellans told the truth as anything other was considered a dishonor, yet she knew him well enough to know that Man'darr was capable of stretching the truth to a degree. She was no fool. She knew what the conversation was about. "Good. Because if it escalated past a friendly sparring session, I'll throw you two in the brig. With so few of us left, we need to be getting along with one another and working as a team. I can't be worried about having any Marines getting injured in a brawl. Got it?"

Moses straightened up a bit more as he replied, "Aye, Ma'am!" While he respected the Fleet officers on board, the Colonel had his complete and unquestioned loyalty. If she asked him to storm the Underworld itself, he would do so without question.

"At ease. Chief," she looked at Man'darr. "I expect better from my XO, as you should be aware. Yes, you've lost a lot but so have many here and they still show up to serve Now you best straighten your ass up and do it now. Understood?"

Man'darr nodded curtly. "Yes ma'am."

After Naxea moved off, Moses reached over and squeezed Man'darr's right shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "You know she's right, Mani. You do have a family all around you that cares for you and will always stand with you no matter what." He grinned softly as he added, "Who knows...you might even find someone who wants to be with you, even though you're not as sexy as I am." He smiled broadly, his perfectly straight white teeth a stark contrast with his ebony-dark skin.

"I doubt that," Man'darr replied, giving a small lopsided grin. He wasn't sure about anything anymore except Moses was right. He did have those that depended on him. "I need a drink. Are you coming?"

Reaching up, Moses gently patted the other man on the back in a brotherly fashion. "So long as you're buying, Brother. Of course, you never could out drink me." He gave Man'darr a humor-filled wink aa he spoke.

Man'darr let out a chuckle. "That sounds too much like a challenge and one you would lose," he said as he began to make his way out of the gymnasium with Moses next to him.

Over the next couple of hours, the two warrior brothers shared more than a few bottles of synthale...a possibly a couple bottles of Saurian Brandy as well. By the end of the night, the two men were laughing and singing old military drinking songs, the lyrics filled with...colorful metaphors.

~OFF~