Musings of a Marine

Posted on Thu Jan 26th, 2023 @ 7:58am by Captain Natalya Markova

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: USS Chimera - Bridge
Timeline: During exploration of Trarim

ON

Natalya Markova sat in the center chair of the bridge. As a Captain in the Marines, she now had the duel responsibility of a rotating spot as a duty watch officer.

The ship was calm, maintaining orbit, and a fair amount of the senior staff planet side.

Inside, Nat was anything but calm. Her expression, unknown to herself, was locked into one of deep concern as her mind walked it's own paths. For the moment, it was locked firmly on the recent events of the boarding action of Penweather's men.

Her mind retraced the events, from arriving in the transporter room, out into the corridors, and tracking the fifty that had boarded. Fifty. It was a staggering number to look back on. She could remember finding them in groups of twos and threes. The hundred year old phase pistol in her hand. It hadn't felt like much against disruptor rifles, but she hadn't wanted to kill anyone. She remembered that, quite clearly.

She also remembered the crushing despair at seeing the empty cargo bay that had housed the Marine unit. Her troops had already left the ship. She had been alone. She had expected to be killed after that. Alone, no backup, no weapons worth a damn, and no real plan. All that stacked against - what she had later learned were left - thirty-seven well armed, well trained soldiers.

It had seemed impossible. Fuck, it should have been impossible. The fact she was alive was simply proof that there was, in fact, a God, and he did indeed look out for fools, drunks, and heroes.

Hero, she considered. Yeah, some hero she was. A damned foolish one. Racing headlong into the fray. It hadn't been heroism. It hadn't been bravery. It had been ego. Ego, and a damned sense of duty.

Glaswan. Former Major in the Marines. He had turned his back on the Corps. Turned his back on Starfleet, and the Federation. It had come down to being that simple. The Corps takes care of its own. Good, and bad.

Of course, how she had dealt with that problem was still hounding her. Her eyes locked on the blank viewscreen. Her gaze beyond it. She could see the look in his eyes. The expression on his face.

They had faught. He, fighting to settle some personal debt. She… for the same thing? Her mind wasn't sure.

If it had been personal, then it was a personal debt of honour. Self imposed, and as important as any duty she held. She had been fighting for the Corps, her ship, her crew, and her Captain.

Cally had trusted her, put faith in her, sent her off on some damn fool of a mission. That made her different to him. That made her… better? The question gave her pause. No, not better. Just on the right side of duty.

That didn't make her feel any better. Not when she could see him, drifting out of the airlock. It was one of the worst ways to die. Exposed to the cold vacuum of space.

Of course, he had chosen to commit piracy, and was not the traditional punishment for such a crime to be executed? Nat cast her mind back. She had read something, back in her Academy days. What was it called, she wondered. A very old volume, that guided such decisions. Rocks and Shoals. A collection of Articles of Justice.

Starfleet, and the Federation was a little more civilized than the era of publication, yet the principle had carried through uniform service. Piracy was a universal crime against all governments. As such, punishment was harsh.

So why did it bother her so much? She had seen death before - too much, truth be told - had dished it out herself more than once. So why did this death bother her?

It was a question with no current answer.

Nat became aware of a figure in her peripheral vision. She snapped out of her reverie, and looked at the young officer who held out a PADD. The current department status report, she saw. "Sorry, Ensign. Lost in thought."

She took the PADD, looking it over. Everything was nominal. A thumbprint affixed, and the PADD handed back. Nat resettled into the seat, determined to pay attention to her surroundings this time.

OFF

CAPT Natalya Markova
Marine Commanding Officer