Who's bright idea was this?

Posted on Sun Dec 31st, 2023 @ 11:08pm by Major Erin Ishikawa & Colonel Josiah McEntyre
Edited on on Mon Jan 1st, 2024 @ 4:29am

1,281 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: First Deployment
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 1 - 08:00 HRs

Giving her uniform a tug Erin finally arrived at the CO's office. Not exactly how she'd envisioned coming aboard but after the long and... to say the lest unnecessarily arduous process of decon and medical examinations she was just glad to be through it. Well mostly, she had a standing appointment with the Chief Medical Officer for a follow up on her injuries. The Andorians did a good job, but she needed more time to heal fully. Erin didn't know quite what to expect, Command had been cagey about the assignment she and a small unit of the First had been assigned to the Unicorn. Now that she was finally going to learn what this was all about she was actually nervous? No time like the present. She thought giving the chime a tap she waited anxiously for the reply.

It had been…a morning. Sometime in the overnight hours, an Andorian ship carrying parts of the remnants of the First MACO Expeditionary Force docked with Unicorn. It’d been a bit chaotic from what Colonel Josiah McEntyre had been told. Now he was sitting at his desk going over what information had been brought back from Berengeria.

He looked up as the chime sounded.

“Come in”

He yelled out to the door.

Sounds just peachy... Erin sighed with the thought, tugging on her uniform jacket once more and stepping through the now open hatch. This was her first look at the Colonel in person, sure she'd read his file, looked up his profile, but the six foot Viking of a man was certainly every bit the full Bird. Coming to attention before his desk Erin raised her right arm in a crisp instinctual salute. Tugging on the still tender ribs Erin tried to hide the wince of pain shooting up her sides as she held her arm up.

"Sir. Captain Erin Ishikawa reporting."

Josiah stands, and renders a crisp professional salute to his fellow MACO.

"At Ease, Captain. Colonel Josiah McEntyre, MACO Special Operations, Welcome Aboard Unicorn."

He says before returning to Parade Rest.

"I know that you might still be recovering from the attack at Berengeria which is why I asked for you to come up. I need a full accounting for what happened and what Intel you can provide. Unicorn's orders are to launch for Berengeria inside of the week."

He explains to her as professionaly as possible.

"Aye sir." Erin, swallowed a moment, still feeling the twinge in her ribs and shoulder. "Suribachi and Bainbridge were part of the initial QRF assigned by Starfleet to respond to the initial attack on Starbase One. We arrived in support of Discovery..." Erin didn't have many details about the space battle, she only really knew what she'd learned after waking up aboard Docana. Discovery was gone, Suribachi was towed to Jupiter station... "The ground battle wasn't much better sir. We took fire almost as soon as we broke atmo, at least a third the pods went down. We organized took out the air defense batteries the Romulans had setup."

That had just been the first day, they fought for three more, first through the jungles surrounding the Starbase, or what was left of it and the Vulcan Science Outpost. Those had clearly been lost, it was then a fight to the colony itself... "By the time we got there and began to consolidate our positions that's when we got the evac order. Get as many of the remaining civilians out as possible. We put up defensive positions while the Andorians pulled our people out. During the fighting I was hit, woke up in the Docana's sickbay."

Josiah looked…worried. The report was troublesome.

“What about 3rd MACO? Did they make it out with the rest of 1st MEU? Colonel Grayson, Major McEntyre?”

He asked concerned before he went over to the big leather chair and sat down, gesturing to another leather armchair sitting in the opposite corner, a small table dividing the two chairs but allowing both to face each other diagonally.

“I also assume you met Major sh'Kohlaka?”

Taking her own seat Erin nodded, she noted the concern the Colonel showed for the leadership of the 3rd MACO. She knew of them, heard their names, but she was a Company level officer, she didn't have much contact with Senior Officers outside of her own unit. "I'm not sure sir, I know they were reenforcing us, but there wasn't a lot of information aboard the Docana. We didn't have anyone from the Third aboard with us either, only the First and a few of the local Colonial Guard."

Erin shifted, with a grimace. "As for Major sh'Kohlaka, yes I met her when I arrived aboard. Very invested in procedure, but I'm sure she only has the ship's best interests at heart." Her tone might have said somewhat otherwise, but she wasn't going to let a personal annoyance color her first impression with the Colonel.

“That’s…that’s good to know.”

The Colonel sensed something else in the tone of her voice but decided to leave it along for now.

“I know that you and your men only just got back to Earth, but I’m goin need you and your best men for a return trip. Furthermore, you, Captain Ishikawa, have been assigned to Unicorn as of last night. Now officially you’ll be the Detachment Executive Officer, realistically, you’ll be in command of the Detachment with myself overseeing ship and MACO operations.”

He opens the drawer of the table and withdraws a small leather jewelry case and opens it up to show Erin a MACO gold leaf patch.

“In addition to this, General Casey has ordered that you be promoted to Major for your actions at Berengeria and for the purposes of assuming command of the Detachment. Congratulations”

"Ay-aye sir, thank you." Erin said quickly catching herself and taking the small case from the Colonel. "I'm ready to get back in this fight Colonel, I'm sure plenty of my people are as well." More than probably she would be allowed to bring with her, either by the Doctors or the ship's existing compliment of MACOs. "I assume there's a Ops Center aboard, somewhere I can review the current state of the Detachment?"

"There is on Deck 8, a full barricks and MACO briefing room along with MACO Officer Quarters and Enlisted Barracks."

Josiah handed her a new PADD with all the information on it.

"This should bring you up to speed with the MACO Situation and Major sh'Kohlaka is our Stategic Intelligence Officer, she'll want whatever intel you have and she'll brief you on whatever intel she has. In Addition, The MACOs we're pulling for the ship will be from MACO Special Operations. So you'll have the best badasses in the known galaxy behind you. Oo-Rah, Major?"

"Good to know we'll have the best sir." Quite gung-ho isn't he?" Erin thought with a raised eyebrow, but then again he was a full Colonel. If someone was going to be as invested and as hard charging it would be him. "I'm sure between the Major and I will get a very good team together"

"Excellent, If there's nothing else, Major?"

Josiah asks the new Major.

"No sir, I'm looking forward to getting started." Erin was sure they'd have many more meetings, trying to find their own groove, as well as bringing the right people aboard to make an effective fighting force.

“I look forward to seeing you in action, Major.”

Josiah nods to the young woman across from him, before standing up.

“Thank You, Major.”

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