The Ivy Grows Part I

Posted on 06/25/2023 @ 11:02pm by Colonel Jack Patton & Master Sergeant Robert Schiano & 1st Lieutenant Baaru Ixalia

3,362 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Pages...
Location: The Throneroom - Command Tier Deck 19 - Poseidon Station
Timeline: Current

Jack stepped from his office and looked around at the Marines moving about the daily work. Things returned to somewhat normal in the aftermath of the Mirror Universe and the wedding planning. Memories of both of those events would remain with him forever, for entirely different reasons of course. It seemed that while he was away a new Lieutenant had been assigned to The Kingsmen. This was something Jack expected, new people being assigned while he was away. However, recently his first Sergeant had reminded him that a particularly emotional tradition had been neglected and it was time Jack rectified that problem. He made his way into the Briefing Room which had its stone looking round table set up and the chairs all around it. This was important to Jack as like King Arthur he beleived everyone to be equal in this room. He sat down in his usual seat, the sound of a crackling fire could be heard as a fire burned in the hearth. It was holographic but set a particular mood that Jack liked. The PADD that he leaned back to read spoke of one First Lieutenant Ixalia Baaru a Bajoran. The file was exemplary it spoke of an officer who had very little fear and the talent to get the job done. He read that she had been born during the Occupation of Bajor. That could not have been an easy childhood. Jack thought. To have her formative years under Cardassian rule and then later the Dominion. That can shape someone to do a lot of things he coninued his thought.

Next Jack turned his view to the after action reports from Meatball and the rest of the unit that remained on the station. Meatball's report was of special interest as he spoke about Baaru's calm when they had to literally jump onto a Breen vessel under fire. She led them to take that vessel and turn it to attack the Breen. None of this was a small feat and Jack knew it. However, reports did not tell the whole picture. She would have to pass his test and then the test of the unit as all who wanted to be Kingsmen did. Jack tapped his comm badge. "First Lieutenant Ixalia Baaru report to the Throneroom on the double."

=^=On my way Colonel=^= quickly came the response. Ixalia had been in her quarters writing up a few reports for both Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia about the recent events on the station. Mainly the reports were on Breen combat tactics, both in space and on the ground, which she thought the Bajoran Military could use for potential training programs.

Walking into the Throneroom, Ixalia paused for a moment and gave her uniform a quick look over to make sure it was presentable.

Schiano saw Baaru enter the Throneroom as he had expected. Jack told him this would be going down today during their morning briefing. "You listen here El T. That man is nuttin. Just anuther one of us. You give em hell and he will see what we all see. You already have earned a spot here as far as I am concerned." After he spoke up a few of the enlisted that were around called out in agreement. For Robert's part he wanted to show her that she had support here, a family. He felt a kindred spirit to the Bajoran.

Looking over at Schiano as she walked, she gave him an evil grin, “if I find out any of this is your fault, you’re going to be scrubbing deck plates with a toothbrush” she said before pausing for a moment, “besides, if his aim is anything like yours, I’ve got nothing to worry about”

When she entered the Briefing Room she stood before the round table and Jack. After coming to a stop, Ixalia snapped to attention and gave a salute, “Sir, 1st Lieutenant Baaru Ixalia reporting as ordered” she said, correcting the naming error he had made earlier when he had called her down here.

"At ease Ixalia. Before we begin I want you to know that from this moment forward when in this room there is no rank. We are equals, we serve the same purpose and we strive for the same goals. So, take a seat and the name is Jack or Blackjack if you like." Jack took a try from the replicator. On it was everything needed for coffee or tea and a small wooden box. The box was something he replicated countless times and would replicate countless more times. In it contained two patches which to Jack meant more than the rank insignia on anyone's collar.

“I will try to remember that Sir” Ixalia replied, finding the idea of addressing a superior officer by their first name to be a little strange. Quickly taking a look around the room, she was impressed by the design. It reminded her of a few of the old temples on Bajor.

Jack placed the tray on the table and the wooden box in his uniform pocket. "I was on mission when you arrived so I am not sure if you were given the complete information on the unit you seek to join. Yes, I say seek because The Kingsmen are one of the few units in our beloved Corps that can select our members. The Kingsmen are classified as an elite unit, but in truth we are what we made ourselves to be. Our slogan sums up what it means to be a member of the squad. Frater Fratrem In Mortem Et Vitam Vobis, Brother to brother, yours in life and death. We are more than Marines we are a family, we are of shared blood. I say this to you not to toot our horn, or to intimidate. I say it because I want you to be ready for the commitment. I also give you this information because I want you to understand that we have a different way of doing things, different than anywhere in the Corps. Before we proceed with anything you tell me if you feel you are ready. Once we get into it there is no coming back." Jack smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

After hearing Jack’s statement, Ixalia’s expression went from one of fascination with their surroundings and anticipation of meeting her unit CO to one of concerned confusion, “um, you make it sound a little like a cult. I know us Marines can be quite fanatical about some things, but this sounds like something else” she said, making her way down to stand at the opposite side of the table from Jack, “but Starfleet didn’t waist its time sending me here for nothing, so let’s see what you’ve got.”

"You are right... In a way we are a cult. Doesn't every family share traits with a cult." She is daring I will give her that. Jack thought as he spoke. "I come from a very old family. In fact there has been a Patton on a battlefield ever since the Second World War on Earth. I tell you this so that you know a more about me, about the person who will lead you should you choose to go down this path. Like my ancestor before me there is one thing I cannot abide and that is someone who is not willing to do the work that they ask of others. I lead by example, and lead from the trenches not from the rear. I expect my officers to do the same, the men and women under my officer's command will know that they will die together should it come to it. I can see from your record that you do not have a problem speaking your mind. That is something that I admire about you. So tell me... What do you expect from those who lead you?" This was a question that would tell him not only what she expected from him but more about her in general.

"What do I expect from my leaders? Competence, empathy, understanding, a willingness to listen to their subordinates." Ixalia answered, never actually having given such a question any thought, "To boil it down, I would assume that the officer in question would know what they're doing and have done something to deserve their current rank. I believe one of my former squad mates put it best like this: There are two kinds of officers, Killing officers and Murdering officers. Killing officers get you killed by accident, Murdering officers get you killed for their own selfish reasons"

Jack nodded as he agreed with the sentiment that she shared. He even took note of the addage that she shared, indeed those words were worth remembering. Jack liked her view of her superiors. Now he wanted to gage her emotional stamina. He did not want grunts in The Kingsmen, he wanted people. "Months ago I had to go into hand to hand combat with a member of this station's crew. An old friend but someone who was not themselves. You have to understand that we are more than fighting machines in this unit. So, I must ask are you emotionally ready for what may lay ahead? We may be prepared for anything but are you prepared to kill your friend, your brother, your own mother if it meant protecting the safety of the Federation and by extension this ship and it's crew." Jack was shouting a bit, but he had to get the point home. He calmed himself down. He sat back down and placed a silver case that bore the emblem of the Kingsmen on his desk, then sipped his coffee.

This question had hit Ixalia a little harder than she thought it would. For her, family was everything. No matter what happened they always had your back or at least were always there to ask for advice. While she had found a similar feeling among her fellow Marines, it never felt quite the same as her connection to her family back on Bajor. Having lived through two seperate occupations of her home, family ment more to her than anything, ever her Starfleet Career. Taking a breath in and out, Ixalia looked back over at Jack, “if you want me to defend the Federation, I’ll do that, but if you make me choose between my career and my family then as far as I’m concerned the Federation can crumble into dust. This may just be my Bajoran heritage talking, but nothing means more to me than my family and my homeworld. I’m sorry if that doesn’t meet your exacting standards but that’s how I feel.” She said as she returned her stance to stand at attention.

Right now, Ixalia was getting the feeling that her stay here on the station may not be as long as she’d hoped. Maybe I should return home and join the militia she thought to herself as she waited for Jack’s responce.

Jack smiled and was almost near laughter. "Spoken like a true Bajoran. I am not like the rest of the commanders in the Corps, and as such this unit is not like any unit in the Corps. If I were to ask you to be anything less than yourself that would be well not me. My question comes from the idea that there may be times when the defense of the Federation comes into conflict with your family, friends or homeworld. In those times you must make a choice and you must be true to yourself. All I ask is that you speak up, and you just proved that you could." Jack paused to allow those words to set in. "Now Ixalia please put yourself at ease." He made sure that his tone indicated this was a request and not an order.

Taking a few moments to process what was happening, Ixalia wasn't quite sure what to make of Jack or his rather unorthidox approach to his staff. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly released it as she gradually relaxed all the muscles in her body starting at the top and working her way down as she exhaled.

"Well, Jack, I will say I have never met an officer quite like you before. Most of the officers I know would've tried to write me up for insubordination or something like that by now. So, what's the next step? Klingon pain sticks? Walking on coals?"

Jack smiled broadly. "Thank you I will take that as a compliment." He placed a silver case which bore the emblem of The Kingsmen on it on his desk. "Now you open this case..." Jack began but held up a finger to stop her while he continued to speak. "When you open the case the excersise will begin. You will have exactly five minutes to complete it. Do you understand?"

Ixalia gave a confident nod, “let’s get to it” she said before reaching forward toward the box. She was very curious what could be in this box that Jack would call an ‘exercise’

As soon as she opened the case the shimmer of a level five forcefield erecting around the office could be seen. Within the case was a standard issue phaser. On the phaser a red light could be seen, and a low volume but high pitched whine could be heard. Next to the phaser was a set of small tools. "Now Lieutenant you have five minutes to discern what is wrong with this phaser or we both die. I suggest you get moving."

Looking over the phaser, Ixalia’s first thought was that this was a phaser set to overload, but the tools did confuse her a little. Taking a deep breath in to focus her mind, Ixalia picked up the phaser and immediately got to work removing the power cell. That way, even if she was wrong about the phaser overload, it wouldn’t matter as without power, the phaser couldn’t operate.

Jack could see from the way she set to work and her first task that Ixalia was a woman who thought somewhat outside the box. The problem for her was that sometimes issues thought outside the box as well. Even with the power cell removed the phaser continued to have a high pitched whine. In fact the pitch of the whine got even higher when the power cell was removed. "You have about four minute now Lieutenant. Should I notify my fiance that I won't be at the wedding?" He asked with a small smile on his face.

Looking at the phaser with a confused expression, Ixalia tried to think of where the energy could be coming from. While the idea of simply completely disassembling the weapon down it it’s individual parts did cross her mind, Ixalia dismissed it out of hand as she thought it would take too long. There was always the truly brute force option of just smashing it, but something told her that doing so would be a poor choice.

After burning up almost another minute, Ixalia got to work pulling out every singe piece of the phaser she could think of that could have anything to do with an energy build up starting with the most directly related parts.

As she disassembled the phaser the whine stayed at the pitch it was at. However, once she had the phaser opened and one of the circuit boards removed Jack could see the foreign part that was implanted into the device. It was not hard for him to see as he was the one who put it there. Now he wondered how long it would take the combat engineer to notice the extra part. For the time being he simply sat back and waited to see what happned.

As she went through pulling each part out of the phaser, Ixalia paused for a moment after removing one of the chips and placing it to one side. Her reason for pausing was that the sound was no longer coming directly from the phaser, but instead from just off to one side. Quickly holding the phaser up to her ear to confirm, the sound had indeed gone from the phaser itself. Following her ears, Ixalia eventually came across the chip responsible for the noise.

Giving a sigh, Ixalia picked up the chip and held it towards Jack, “there’s your problem”

Jack cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "You better explain there is roughly two minutes left. Now are you going to put a stop to that overload or are we dead Marine." He knew that she had figured it out. However, for him it was not enough that she figured it out. Ixalia had to explain and question. Jack wanted officers who were equals not blind soldiers.

Looking at Jack with an expression of confusion, Ixalia figured she might as well just lay it out, "Sir there is no overload. The sound is coming from this chip, not the phaser itself. The phaser was made inert after I removed the internal power cell. This chip is too small to hold enough of a charge to be dangerous. In fact, I imagine that this chip isn't capable of much more then producing the sound" she explained as she took hold of the chip with both hands and snapped it in half, "and now it's not even capable of that. The only reasons I can think of for having such a chip installed into a phaser is either for training purposes or as a means of sabotage. By having the actual chip replaced with this one, the phaser itself would not function correctly and could lead to an explosion or simply remaining inert in a time of need"

With the snap the high pitched sound stopped and Jack smiled. "Quite so, quite so. With that you have figured out this exercise. You see most Marine units want people who are good at their jobs and will follow orders. I want people who are good at their jobs and will question. Our briefing room has a replica of Arthur's roundtable and that is because we are all equal. Do you have any questions before we move on to part two?"

After a moment of thought, Ixalia shook her head, "not that I can think of. I can appreciate the thought behind the table, though I'm a little more accustomed to a more traditional authority structure." She said before reassembling the phaser and placing it back into the box, "so, I guess the only question I have is what's next?"

"You have passed my test and now you must pass the test of the senior Kingsmen and have them accept you. As I said we are all equals and as such I would not have somebody the rest of the unit does not accept. I warn you that things could get a little personal." Before she could say anything Jack tucked the small wooden box that he held into a cargo pocket in his uniform then tapped his comm badge. "All Senior Kingsmen report to the Throneroom. There is someone who needs proving."

The channel closed and Jack motioned for the door. "Now Lieutenant let us to that roundtable. That is if you are willing to proceed. I will let you think on it." With that Jack left her in his office and made his way to the briefing room. He knew she would be along, they all came to the briefing room after a time.

Standing in the room for a few moments longer, Ixalia took a long deep breath in, held it for a moment before releasing it. She could tell this assignment was going to be a rather special one.

To Be Continued...

Lieutenant Colonel Jack "BlackJack" Patton
Commanding Officer, The Kingsmen
Poseidon Strategic Command
Poseidon Station

Master Sergeant Robert "Meatball" Schiano
First Sergeant/EVACC Specialist, The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

1st Lieutenant Baaru ‘Ivy’ Ixalia
RECONNECT CO, The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

 

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