Standing By, Doing Nothing
Posted on Tue Aug 3rd, 2021 @ 8:18am by Lieutenant Colonel Shaun Bradley & Cornelius Warner MS
990 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Frizzle
Location: Outside Kocoa Caverns
Timeline: During "Parental Protection"
Cornelius had watched the gathering of parents from a safe distance, as he'd been servicing a collection of weary looking Marines. He'd recognized them, they had been there long before he'd arrived, and he was confident they hadn't stopped working in the whole time. But it wasn't that Marine he had been paying heed to after, no, it was the one in a pilot's flight suit standing just outside of the radius of the light from his little stand, also watching. Setting down the cups of coffee next to the bowls of soup, the lithe form of Warner slipping out from behind his work bench and over to the watching Marine.
"Colonel," he said, his tone flat and even, causing the man's eyes to drift to him, then narrow.
"Mister Warner," Shaun returned, the tone clear. They'd known one another before, it was clear as mud, but they had met in a past life. Neither had left that encounter feeling particularly fond of the other. Still, there was something to be said about keeping respectful relations with one another. The pair stood in silence as the voices of concern and general murmur of unease drifted to them. "What a spectacle," Shaun said first, breaking the tension. Cornelius nodded. "I couldn't imagine though that if I had kid, Naeris would be any different. Right there beside the rest of the parents, concerned." The swivelled their heads in unison as a small team of security guards marched over towards where a small security outpost had been set up, collecting riot gear.
The gaggle of collected Marines had slowed too, their work becoming sluggish as eyes wandered. Shaun knew better than to try and stop the peering eyes, it would only make work sloppier as people tried to do both. It was when the first rock was thrown that you could feel the tension come to a full boil and the shouts became louder and more angry. Hands drifted to holsters and work stopped entirely. Like the predators they were, all eyes were now on the group that had turned hostile. It was likely they didn't even know it, but slowly a protective line was formed around the entrance to the cave. Shaun hadn't noticed he'd placed his own hand on his service weapon when Cornelius' voice pulled him out of the moment.
"I'd let security handle it." It wasn't a snarky shot at the Marines, that was the tone of an Intelligence Analyst giving real time combat information. In that moment, Cornelius wasn't a bartender or brew master, he was back on Romulus, watching the unease as people realized their doom was upon them. "New Chief, new crew, and new Starfleet presence. You step in now, you undo all of that," he said, his own tone dropping to barely above a whisper. Just loud enough for the pair to hear. Shaun nodded, responding back.
"That crowd will become a riot any second," his eyes drifted to the Albatrosses sitting on the dirt. Tapping a button on his flight suit, he activated the comms in the collar of his suit. "Teams Charlie, Echo and Sierra are to secure the Albatrosses, no one gets on board," he said, watching as a few Marines moved from their position and broke into a light jog towards the ships. Before they reached their destination the boil over happened, and the crowd became a mob. Punches were thrown, and the remaining teams tensed, waiting for an order. "Stow the guns, and stand the fuck down," he hissed, which caused eyes to drift to him. "It's not our fight, and we won't make it our fight unless we're asked," he continued. "If any of you crossed the line to help without the Fleeters specifically asking for it, I'll make you scrub every piece of equipment we brought down with your own fucking toothbrush."
You could watch the Marines physically lean back out of their stances, and shrink their line towards the cave entrance more. Charlie, Echo and Sierra were the medic teams anyways, and with their orders clear in their own comms, they stood in the doorway to their respective Albatrosses, and waited. The group knew that the Colonel meant it too, he was after all a disciple of General MacTaryn, there was no such thing as an idle threat. A silence fell over the Marine chatter, and the positions were held. Cornelius looked back at his little stand, and then to the Marine. The fight was getting bad, and in that moment he suddenly regretted not smuggling a phaser with him to the site - he could have easily hid one in his boot or in his riding jacket's pocket. The smile on Shauns face gave him pause.
"You look concerned spook," the Colonel said, amusement in his tone. "Worried you'll have to rely on someone else for once? Or is civilian life making you soft?" This earned him a snarl from the brewmaster, but Cornelius didn't outright show it. He still needed the Marines to like him enough to protect his stuff should things turn worse. Still, he had the urge to clock the man.
"You know, you're more and more like your mother every day Bradley," he finally spat out, but before either of them could follow up with anything they noticed the small group making their way towards the rest area, with what looked like injured. "As much as this exchange of wits sounds like a fun way to spend my morning," he said, venom in the words, he turned and walked away towards the group, leaving the Marine standing alone, he himself turning his eyes towards the group. The mob was ebbing and flowing, and the threats of the Captain drifted towards him as he tensed now. He didn't need his telepathic abilities to feel the tension, it was apparent from here. He instead just hoped the Captain made the right call...
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