Posted by Major Manika-Esp (2IC, Marine Battalion) in New Nest, New Roost

Posted by Major Manika-Esp (2IC, Marine Battalion) in New Nest, New Roost

Posted by Lieutenant Colonel Drangon Cull (Commander, Marine Battalion) in New Nest, New Roost
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Marine Captain Manika-Esp, Commander of Charlie Company of the Fleet Marine Force Reconnaissance Companies hated long shuttle flights. She was on one now. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but long trips in these compact tin cans were uncomfortable. Early in her training there had been problems with transports. She was tall, but that wasn’t the issue, it was her wings. She had stretched her wings in the cramped space, and smacked a couple of people around. Unfortunately for her, one of them had been her drill sergeant. Manika had learned immediately to hands and wings to herself.

She should have been enjoying a week of debrief and normalcy, but once Charlie company had returned, she had been given new orders. She was to report to Lt. Col. Drangon Cull of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. That had just been assigned to the USS Chimera. So this trip was taking longer than Manika had anticipated. She rolled her shoulders, but it didn’t do much to relieve the ache in her back or the stiffness of her wings.

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The shuttle landed on the flight deck of the Chimera and the hatch opened and Manika waited for everyone else to disembark before she grabbed her bag, stood, and walked down the hatch to the floor of the flight deck after thanking the pilot. She looked around curious and impressed by the efficiency of the Black Sheep. They were as legend as aviators as the Raiders were for their… well specialties. She was going to be stationed here with both of them. Engineers swarmed the shuttles. They would not be staying, but it was a matter of pride that no craft left without being operation ready.

Manika took a deep breath and then spread her wings to their full length and groaned. There were several smirks and snickers from the company. She stopped a passing engineer, “Can you tell me where Lt. Col. Cull’s office is?”

“Deck 29, Captain. Take the lift across from the flight deck. Take a left out of the lift and follow it around the a quarter deck and it will be on the right.” Manika nodded, “Thank you Cpl.”

Manika took the lift and a few minutes later rapped her talons against the frame outside of Cull’s office.

Esp

“Enter!” a startlingly deep voice barked. The doors slid open to reveal a Xindi-Reptilian, a very large Xindi-Reptilian, standing behind the desk with his back to the door. He was in the process of hanging a Star Fleet Marine Corps flag on the bulkhead behind the desk. The rest of the office was spartan, but there were crates stacked in two corners. Without turning around, the figure said “You Captain Esp?”

Cull, MCO

Manika was wearing a weird modification of the standard uniform. Her pants came to just below her calves, leaving her taloned feet free and her shirt was nothing more than two sashes criss-crossed in front and back, allowing her wings free movement. She stepped into the office and came to attention, even though his back was to her. “Yes sir, Col. Reporting as ordered.”

Esp

Cull fixed the last corner of the flag to the wall and said “Is it straight?” as he took a step back and eyed the flag. He looked back over his shoulder and shook his head. “By the gods, at ease already. This is the Raider Battalion, not some brass-heavy command building.”

Cull, MCO

Manika looked at the flag. Her keen eyesight seeing what others would not, “Half a millimeter off. It won’t detract from the aesthetic, Col.” Her voice had a soft trilling to it. When he said at ease, she almost grinned, but it was hard to tell. It was noticeable that she did because every feather on her body ruffled and fluffed slightly as she sifted position. “Yes Sir, I’ll remember.”

Esp

Cull waved off the statement and said simply ‘“Sit.” and he took a seat and tapped the desk interface with a sharp black claw. “So… Captain Esp. Formerly of 1st Recon Battalion, 2nd Light Armored Recon Battalion, and most recently of Force Recon.” He looked up at her and chuckled. “That’s a f-<k ton of Recon, Captain.” and he looked back down. “Sniper qualification, Recon Indoc, SEER qual… well well well. You ha e been one busy bird, haven’t you?” and he looked at her.

Cull, MCO

Esp sat, her wings spreading slightly to hang over the sides of the chair. “It’s what I’m good at Col. I tend to stand out when it comes to direct covert work. Unless the population is very specific.”

Esp

Cull nodded and then said “Well, we’ll demo that bridge when we get to it.” He looked back at her file and then closed it. “Okay… so. I brought you here because I one, I need an XO. And two, I need someone that is going to be able to keep the battalion in order while also maintaining it’s… ‘unique culture’.” and he grinned. “I also needed someone who wouldn’t take any s#!t from the Brass when they inevitably try to tell us how to do our jobs. Do you have a problem with doing any of that?”

Cull, MCO

Manika’s eyes narrowed and her head turned so her beak was angled off center in curiosity. She’d told the brass more than once they were idiots. It had kept her, despite her achievements and talent and skill, to a slower crawl up the promotion ladder. The brass didn’t like her telling them they couldn’t see past the end of their nose, but her direct COs did. She knew how to form a team that had complementary skill sets and make them work together. But XO? Of the Raiders? That was not what she had even expected when given her transfer orders to come here. She had assumed that there was some special operation that required either her skill or her…ability to blend in to certain cultures.

There was absolutely no hesitation or doubt in her answer. “No Sir, no problem with that at all.”

Esp, MXO

“Good. Then your first task is making sure all platoons are present and accounted for and all the gear is being stored and inventoried down to every last power cell. You just arrived, so I’ll give you four hours to get settled and to get your kit in your office. You can decorate on your own time. We are going to have a briefing tomorrow att 0630. Me, you, and all the platoon leaders. After that… well… then we do what Raiders do. Train. Train. And train some more.”

Cull, MCO

“Do I need to inform the platoon leaders, or do they already know about the briefing, Col.?”

“I figured I would give you the fun of introducing yourself, Major.” Cull said with a chuckle.

“I will have the muster and inventory ready for you before then. Are there any quirks about the Battalion I should know about before I get started, Col?”

Esp, 2IC

“Oh, most definitely. But it wouldn’t be fun for me to just tell you. So… you get to find those out on yiur own.” Cull replied. “But I will tell you this: they are consummate professionals when working. But when they play, they xan be a handful. So just keep that in mind.”

Cull, MCO

The feathers on top of Manika’s head ruffled and laid flat again, which was the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. “I will keep that in mind. Anything else before I get started Colonel?”

Maj. Manika-Esp, 2IC, Marine Battalion

Bump

“One thing, yeah.” Cull said and reptilian lips spread back over sharp teeth in a wicked smile. “You are late. Don’t let that happen again. Dismissed, Major.”

Cull, MCO