Cloak and dagger – First impressions
by Soghla' Marie St. Helene & HoD Ro' Matlh

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Title   First impressions
Mission   Cloak and dagger
Author(s)   Soghla' Marie St. Helene & HoD Ro' Matlh
Posted   Tue Dec 24, 2013 @ 12:07am
Location   IKC FHew
Timeline   During Repairs
“You!” Marie bellowed. By Klingon standards it was probably not much more than a yelp but she was still learning the ropes. “There’s a spot of dirt on your boots. You call yourself a Marine? Out in the field you can be as filthy as you want but here.... Here it’s spit and polish.”

She knew she couldn’t run this act too far, much though she enjoyed it. Being too authoritarian would just mean a fist to her mouth and a d'k’tag slid to into her ribs. It would be a good clean fight but that would be the result.

She walked down to the next Marine. “Is that...? Is that lipstick you’re wearing? I don’t know what things are like on Qo’nos but no enemy out here is going to hug you tenderly and ask for a dance.” She watched a bemused look cross the Marine’s face. “Oh, I get it, you want to impress someone. Could it be me?” she asked disingenuously. “Forget it, sister. You had your chance and you blew it. Go find some other girlie to play with.” She looked at the other Marines. “Didn’t you know. Darling here likes to play with girls.”

By this stage the Marine was seething. There was no lipstick as Marie knew full well but a few of her comrades were casting surreptitious glances in her direction to see if there was.

“Right. I ordered this parade because I wanted to see what sort of Marines you are. Oh, I’m sure you can wield a bat’leth with the best of them but it takes more than that to be a Marine. It takes discipline and I expect discipline; you will obey my orders at all times. It takes teamwork; you will help out on the FHew. If I say you muck out the targ pits you will muck out the targ pits. If I say you will camouflage the ship then you will do it. Am I understood?”

The Marines stood at attention but their attention was slipping. Who was this petaQ to order them around like this? They were soldiers, not lackeys; they did not muck out the targ pits. That was a job for the scum which flew the ship.

“Am I understood?” Marie repeated. She could easily read the thoughts crossing their faces. “What, you’re above such menial tasks. You!” she said, addressing the female. “Find a broom and a shovel and get moving!”

Marie knew she would soon have to prove her worth. That meant employing all the dirty tricks she’d learned on the streets of Nouvelle Nouvelle Calédonie if she hoped to stay alive. She had to stay one jump ahead and she had to keep this lot off balance.

“Right, the rest of you,” she said while the female was still in hearing. “Normally I’d suggest we go share some bloodwine but we have nothing to celebrate. There are two warring races up there and neither side will be too particular about which side we’re on – or even if we’re on any side – so you’re going to learn how to help crew this damn ship. Because, if you can’t help out then you’re useless baggage. Mind you, that works both ways. You’re going to teach me the finer points of fighting with a bat‘leth. I can wield one well enough to avoid getting killed by someone who’s never seen one before but I’m the first to admit that I’m no expert. Now, we don’t have a holodeck so we’ll just have to practice outside in the mud and slime.”

And that was exactly how Marie wanted it. Fighting on firm ground is one thing but Marie used the treacherous footing to her advantage, constantly slipping away from attacks then sliding inside and striking blows of her own; often quite literally sliding. She took her fair share of hits but she gave as good as she got.

By the end of the practice she had at least established some sort of grudging respect. That was enough to start with; she could, she hoped, build from there.