Where do we go now?

Posted on Thu Oct 17th, 2019 @ 5:02pm by Lieutenant Tree Woods

Mission: Onboarding & Departure
Location: Armoury - Deck 15

Warrant Officer Sharif stood at one of the large tables in the armoury, he was currently going through the collection of Phasers and various other gear that the security team used, checking to make sure it was all functional and fit to use. While the weapons are checked regularly, Sharif always preferred to check them before and after combat, you could never be too sure if you'd need them again. He had heard about the Hirogen vessel, Sharif also knew that an away team had been sent over to check it out, they had taken casualties and beamed back on board. That had been a little while ago, none of the team had checked in yet but the Doctors and Nurses in Sickbay could be a little protective at times.

Picking up a Phaser Rifle, Sharif checked its aiming sights, power pack and firing mechanism, he briefly ran a tricorder down the length of the weapon to check for any internal issues. Satisfied that the weapon was in working order, he placed it back in the weapon rack and moved grabbed the next rifle in line, brought it back to the table and repeated his checks.

By the time he got to the fourth weapon along, he noticed a figure standing in for doorway, he briefly looked up and saw it was Lieutenant Woods "Afternoon Lieutenant, what brings you down here?" He said, returning his attention to the weapon in his hands. When no reply came, Scott looked up once again, concern crossed his face as he actually looked at Woods in detail. Carefully setting the weapon down, Sharif stepped away from the table and towards the doorway "What's wrong? What's happened, Lieutenant?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice and a puzzled look on his face.

Tree seemed distracted as she took place behind the chief's console, previously belonging to Oscar Vladinchi, her direct commanding officer. It felt weird to her. It was her console now, but it just didn't feel right to her. She felt like she was treading on a grave. At Scott's question though she snapped out of her thoughts. "there - ... was an incident, Warrant. Vladinchi, Johnston, Carpenter, and T'pon are dead. Ambushed and killed by Hirogen while on a mission of mercy." Beat. "I know I'm new to the ship but you've known them for longer. My condolences. Were you close to them?"

Sharif slowly walked around the armory for a few moments, trying to compose his thoughts over what he had just been told, the Doctors weren't being overprotective then. Coming to a stop in front of the weapons table, Scott looked back over to Woods "I am close to everyone in the department really, as close as you can be in this job anyway. We had all served for a while or at least trained together at some point." Sighing, Sharif looked away for a second "They were all good people, may Allah watch over them now" He looked back towards Woods and gestured to a door in the corner of the room that had Master-At-Arms across it, Sharif's small office "Would you like a drink?" he asked, moving towards the doors.

Tree hesitated a moment. There was so much she had to do, so much work ahead of her. Paperwork, mostly. But she figured that if he'd invited her for a drink he'd done so with a reason, so with a nod and a simple "Sure" she rose from her seat, to take him up on his invitation. This was the first time she'd been in the armory or the MAA's office. She paused before the office to look around at the layout of the armory, before stepping through the door to his office.

Once there her eyes fell immediately on a number of decorative weapons on the wall. Swords of Arabian origin, one-handed, with broad, curved blades. "Nice. Shamshirs if I'm not mistaken. You any good with them?" she asked as she motioned at the wall. "I have a Messer that I train with."

"A nice blade the Messer, I have used one once or twice but I am not proficient with them," Sharif said as he walked up and pulled down own of the Shamshirs that hung on the wall "And yes, you are correct, this is a Shamshir. It is based on a traditional Arabian design, but this one is just a replica that I picked up just before leaving Earth. I keep my family weapons stored away at home, though I'd love to see them with me, I don't want to risk losing such a piece of history. My father would never forgive me if I did that." Gently spinning the blade around, keeping the blade level to prevent any injuries, Sharif presented the handle to Woods for her to have a look at.

She took the Shamshir and contemplated it for a moment, holding it out in front of her and doing a lazy wave or two to check the balance and feel. She then took a step back to find some space, positioned her feet and held the blade back in a defensive stance, giving the weapon a few swings, as she spoke.

"My Messer is a replica too. Only real antique I have is an old 20th century Mauser, from World War Two, but I keep the original mechanicals safe and only shoot it using replica mechanicals to avoid undue wear on the original parts." She parried an imaginary attack, then lunged and gave two quick slashes at her imaginary attacker before handing the Shamshir back to Sharif with a nod. "Good replica. Nicely balanced. A bit light for my taste though, I'll stick with my Messer."

"We all have our preferences after all" Sarif said with a small smile, he took the sword from Woods and gently placed it back on the wall rack. After securing the weapon, Sharif turned back around to face Woods and indicated to one of the small chairs next to his desk "Take a seat if you want. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, I could use a drink." she mused, sitting down in the indicated chair. "Something strong, if you have."

Offering a knowing nod, Sharif opened a small cabinet that was built into his desk, he reached and pulled out two glasses and a large bottle containing an amber coloured liquid. Sharif placed the two glasses next to each other on the desk, uncorked the bottle and poured two equal measures in the glasses, then he sat the bottle down on the desk. Picking up both glasses, he handed one to Woods "Saurian Brandy, not the rarest vintage but it does the job all the same"

"Mmhm. I am familiar with it." she mused, raising her glass to him. She held the glass cupped between her hands for a moment to warm it before speaking again. "Well, here's to Vladinchi, Johnston, Carpenter, and T'pon, may whatever deity they believed in guide them into their afterlife." she offered, raising her glass to Sharif and taking a good sip, eyes closed.

Sharif raised his glass as well, before taking a large drink of the strong alcohol. He pulled out his chair from the desk and settled down into it "We lost some good people today, but it's the risk we take when we put on this uniform, to give our lives defending others and helping those in need." Scott mused thoughtfully while looking into the amber liquid in his glass "We should have a memorial for them, if one isn't already being planned that is. I'm sure the rest of the squad would like to remember them in some way" he added, looking back at Woods.

"Do you want to put something together?" Tree asked, honestly. "You've known them longer and knew them better than me. Seems only fitting it'd be you that organizes a memorial."

Sharif nodded, confirming Woods's request "I can work something out for them. I'll send you the details when I have it planned out, I'd appreciate it if you could share it with the rest of the senior staff" he asked

"Yeah. I can do that." Beat. "Guess I'll have to, being the new de facto security chief." She sighed, contemplating her drink for a moment before taking another good deep drink, and remaining silent for a moment, lost in thought. She wasn't sure she was ready for this whole thing, this battlefield promotion. She hadn't even been assistant security chief for that long and still considered herself new in that position. And now she was chief?

"So, tell me a bit about yoursef, Warrant." she ventured. Maybe getting to know the Master at Arms a bit better was a way to get those insecure thoughts out of her mind.

"What would you like to know Chief?" Sharif asked with a chuckle as he grabbed the bottle of brandy and topped up his glass. Taking a large swig of the potent drink, Scott continued "I was born and raised on Mars, my mother was of American heritage and my father was Afghani. That's why my name is an odd mix of Middle Eastern and Western culture, I was a child of both" he paused for a few moments, letting Woods absorb what was just said "Ever since a young age I had an interest in weapons, modern but mostly ancient and those of my people. As you can see, I'm a bit of a collector, not just of the weapons themselves but their associated history as well. Every weapon has a purpose, a design to it, I enjoy learning about that and it's history"

Sharif leaned back in his chair, took another swig of his drink, a thoughtful look crossed his face before Scott carried on "Though, this may surprise you, I have never been a man of violence. More specifically violence without reason. I prefer the peaceful options over those of force, it's something that people don't attribute to those in our profession. They just see us as mindless killing machines, shoot first and ask questions later, but I've always stuck to the reverse of that, ask questions first and only shoot if needed." He chuckled to himself, as if replying to a long lost memory or joke.

"Anyway, I joined Starfleet with those principles in mind, I wanted to help defend the peace and support those that needed it, good ideals right?" Sharif asked, with a hint of pride in his voice "I knew I'd never be officer material, I always preferred to be on the ground and so I enlisted rather than go to the academy. Since then, I've been on various ships and deployments, seen more combat then anyone would ever like but I wouldn't change a thing. Despite what the populus may think, we do a good job out here" He concluded with a light smile before downing the rest of the drink "If you want to know more, just ask me"

"Damn good ideals indeed." Tree smirked. She'd been listening and enjoying her brandy, being less of a drinker than Sharif it seemed. "My story mirrors yours in most aspects, except growing up on a low rent colony. Rough place. That's where I learned to fight, though my father made sure to teach me how to fight with my mind before resorting to weapons. He gave me this stupid name to ensure I grew up tough."

She took a sip, smiling softly, enjoying the distraction from work. "Never neglected to teach me the gun and the knife either. Later on I inherited his old Messer replica and learned the sword as well. I managed to escape life on Hope's Haven, found my way into a small Starfleet academy on a nearby ish starbase and here I am."

Sharif nodded, it seems he and Woods had more in common than they knew "I understand that, Mars isn't as glamorous as Earth and there are still plenty of rough spots around. Everyone likes to believe that the Federation is all shiny, happy places but it's not always true." He paused for a minute or two, letting a small silence settle in as he gathered his thoughts. "I'm glad we share a similar outlook towards our jobs, it's gonna make things a hell of a lot easier. Everyone has been through enough already without having to listen to us arguing over philosophy"

"Indeed." She heaved a sigh, then rolled her shoulders a bit, cracking her neck. Stress aches annoying her to no end. "We should spar some time. Shamshir against Messer. Holodeck simulation ofcourse, don't want to damage my Messer unless I have to, and I suspect you feel the same way about your Shamshir."

"No, that's the last thing I'd like to do, but a good spar does sound like a good idea, I think we could all do with a bit of stress relief" Sharif said with a hint of fatigue in his voice, while he hadn't done much physical work, the days events had left him feeling a little drained. It was never easy to lose friends and colleagues, no matter how well they died, it all takes its toll eventually. "Speaking of the Holodeck, we should schedule some training with the rest of the unit. No-one has faced the Hirogen in combat before, we should be prepared for the next encounter" he added, knowing from Voyager's logs that they're will be plenty of more encounters to come.

"Good idea. I'll see what holodeck programs we have available that might help. Hirogen specific ones, with any luck." She finished her drink, pondering the empty glass for a moment. "I should get back to work, I suppose. Thanks for the drinks, though."

Sharif stood up as the meeting came to a close "Anytime Lieutenant, my office is always here if you ever need anything" he offered with a warm smile, before holding out his hand "It's going to be good to work alongside you"

His hand taken and shook in a firm grip, she gave a nod. "And you, Warrant. Thanks for the drink." she offered with a smile before heading back to work.