Brass Tacks

Posted on Thu Oct 7th, 2021 @ 3:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Phyllis D'lar 'Sorceress' & Lieutenant Bobbie Sue "Bobcat" Hunter & Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius 'Gladius' & Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy' & Lieutenant Bucannon Rogers "Van Winkle"

1,925 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Operation Romulus Return
Location: Pilot Country briefing room
Timeline: Present

:ON:

Marcus had debriefed his squadron after their first training sortie, and had a good idea of his squadron's capabilities, and how to motivate them. But, he realized, he had almost no knowledge of the other squadrons he was responsible for since his sudden rise to CAG. It was time to remedy that. He tapped comm badge on his service uniform.

"All squadron leaders, this is the CAG. Report to the Pilot Country briefing room. Repeat: Sorceress, Van Winkle, Speedy, and Bobcat to the briefing room. Bring squadron evaluations and Fitreps. Gladius out."

He gathered his own preliminary reports and headed to the briefing room.

Since Gladius was closest, he arrived first. He grabbed himself an old earth drink, "Mountain Dew", from the replicator and sat at the head of the table.

Phyllis was the next to arrive. "CAG suits you," she said, grinning. She replicated an old-fashioned sarsaparilla and sat down. "What do you think of the Tokyo so far?"

Marcus grinned. "Thanks. She's a good ship, and a perfect base for our contingent of fighters. I've already started putting Delta Squadron through their paces, but I haven't gotten to know the other squadrons or leaders yet."

Soren entered the briefing room, surprisingly on time, with his jumpsuit unzipped and wrapped around his waist. He had a PADD tucked in the back and a Starfleet Flight Academy t-shirt underneath with some of the tattoos on his arms showing. As he approached the main table, he placed his hands down on it as he looked over to Phyllis. For a brief moment he looked back towards the door, as if expecting someone to walk through it soon, before looking back. "Enjoying your usual sarsaparilla, Old Timer?" He said in his usual playful banter as he always did when it came to his very very old friend.

"It's better than anything you whipper-snappers drink." She did like a good cream gin from time to time, but she was on duty. "I missed the wild west, but this drink never goes out of style."

Bobbie Sue walked in shortly after Soren. "Hi!" She smiled at Phyllis and Soren, then turned to Marcus. "I'm Bobbie Sue, or Bobcat. Nice to meet you."

Marcus stood. "Pleased to meet you, Bobcat. Grab your favorite poison (he indicated the drinks on the table and gestured towards the replicator) and take a seat."

Tag Bobbie Sue

Soren looked over to Bobbie Sue and nodded before looking back to Phyllis. "Perspective, Phyllis. Style is all a matter of taste and perspective. We've had this discussion before and clearly your ancient brain forgot all about it." He smirked at her, putting his hand on her shoulder, before playfully adding. "But I love you anyway, you old dogfighter." He gave her a chuckle before walking over to the replicator. "What's your poison, Bobcat?"

"I think I'll try a sarsaparilla," Bobbie Sue said, grinning at Phyllis.

"It's good for what ails ya," Phyllis relied with a laugh. "Well, not as much as a good man." She laughed even louder at her joke. "I should know, I've had several over the years."

Bobbie looked sharply at Phyllis, wondering how much she knew, but said nothing.

Soren stood at the replicator and closed his eyes, releasing a soft sigh. "Lord, give me strength." He whispered softly before ordering. "One sarsaparilla and one Raktajino with a mocha twist. Double sweet." The replicator made the mugs before he took them. He walked them over to the table and set Bobbie's down in front of her and placed his down before taking a seat.

"Thanks," Bobbie said, sitting next to Soren. She turned to Marcus. "Congratulations on the promotion."

Marcus nodded and smiled. "Thanks. It was... unexpected."

Soren looked over to Phyllis, his hand on his mug, before asking. "Which brings up a question. Were you even asked about taking the position or did they go over your head, Old Bird?"

"I was asked. I turned it down," she said bluntly. "I'll be deputy to Trig and Gladius, because they're good men, but I don't want the paperwork. I'm also too old to care about Admirals and their bull." She laughed. "This old bird has been grounded for too long. Time to get out there and stretch my wings again."

Soren leaned back in his seat as he brought his mug up to his lips. "At least you were asked. If they went over your head, I would have given them a piece of my mind."

"Nice to know you have my back, Speedy." She raised her bottle of soda to him in salute.

"Don't let it get around." Soren replied with a smirk before adding. "I have a reputation to maintain."

"Buchanan 'Buc' Rogers came into the room through the doors; his 'Flight Jacket style uniform cover in place but unzipped 3/4 down to be still in regulations. The PADD in his hand and a genuine smile as he made eye contact with the people present.

"Greetings." He nodded his head. "Lucky Buck is back."

Marcus grinned. "I sense a story in that. I'm Marcus Decius, callsign Gladius. Pick your poison and take a seat. We'll get started.

"Welcome, Buc," Bobbie Sue said, smiling at the new arrival.

Soren leaned back in his chair, taking a sip from his drink, before looking over to Buc. "So... you're one of the guys that came out of the freezer?" He smiled a bit, with a nod, before adding. "There a reason you and the other guy decided to turn yourselves into a human pilot-sicle or was it a happy accident?"

"Fate kind of knew the future would be short of good pilots and wanted to make sure the best would be available so here I am." Rogers replied.

Soren immediately, in a fun way, placed his hands on his chest. "Ouch. You wound me, Sir." He pretended like he was in pain before chuckling slightly. "I guess we're not good enough pilots for this era, Bobcat."

"I think he balances things out nicely," she countered, not wanting to be too specific. There'd been enough drama with the pilots already.

Marcus grinned at the friendly banter among his fellow officers. "Okay, people. Let's get down to it. I wanted to have a somewhat informal meeting so that we can get to know each-other. As the new CAG, it's my responsibility to make sure we can operate as a unit, while still looking out for our individual squadrons. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius, callsign: Gladius. I'm from Magna Roma, and this is my second ship. I served aboard the USS Echidna before transferring here. I'd like to get to know you better, and I want to get an idea of how you think your squadrons are doing. Who wants to go first?" He took a sip of Mountain Dew.

"I'll go first," Bobbie Sue said. "As you know, we did some shuffling on the way back to Earth. Half my people are new. The ones I flew with before who are still in my squadron are good pilots. They work as a team and follow orders. For the new arrivals, I plan on running some scenarios on the holodeck to get them acclimatized to the group." She could tell him about some of the pilots she did have before, but scuttlebutt was going around that he'd already dealt with some of them.

"I will follow the Lady." Rogers said. "I am new as the Squadron Leader; I have gone over their training records and even had a few simulated flights to evaluate." He explained. "They seem a good group and the Predecessor; Trigger, is it?" HE glanced about for a second. "Kept great records and had his hand well on the Squadron so I have inherited a good bunch of pilots from initial observations. " Grinning. "I intend to work them in simulators and rotate the flight assignments when the time comes to better get a handle on what I have."

Marcus nodded. "As most of you know, I'm fairly new here. I have conducted live training with Delta Squadron, and can see some opportunities for improvement. We have a lot to do when we leave spacedock." He paused. Lieutenant Dillinger, how's your squadron shaping up?"

Soren took the mug away from his lips and replied with a slightly straight tone, half joking half note. "You mean the ONE other person in my squad?" He paused slightly, looking away for a moment as if deep in thought, before adding simply. "Fine, if she wasn't 5 feet tall so her legs dangle off the front of the seat and has dreams of grandeur." He gave a smirk, allowing a slight chuckle to escape his mouth, before clearing his throat. "In all seriousness, Sir, she means well and I am sure she's a capable pilot. However, I can't have an efficient team for you when it’s just me and one other person. If I can't get pilots onboard to come into my squad, I am going to have to request you allow me to transfer some from off the ship to my team. Pilots I am familiar with and have worked with before..." He took a sip from his mug before immediately putting it down and swallowing to add. "Pilots from my Academy days. Not when I left. To be do that other thing that I won't mention in case you didn't know." He took another sip before quickly added. "Also, I can't help be offended that someone with my history and background is partnered up with a pilot whose nickname is Pickpocket and dreams to be the head of a crime family. Even though, I repeat, she's 5 feet tall and probably 100lbs soaking wet. I can't help take it as a personal offense. Just saying."

Marcus chuckled. "I'll see what I can do about filling out your squad, Lieutenant. I went over pickpocket's file. She may be small in stature, but it looks like she has potential. I'd like you to take her under your wing, so to speak." He paused for the groans at his egregious pun. "I'll see what we can do about getting you some more pilots." He sipped his Mountain Dew.
"Are there any questions or concerns you'd like to bring up? If you feel this is something that can be discussed as a group, feel free. If not, see me privately. Anyone?"

"A friend of mine informed me earlier today that a group of pilots will rendezvous with us shortly," Phyllis turned to Marcus. "You should get the list before long and you'll have all the pilots you need."

Marcus was impressed by the efficiency of his second in command. "Thanks, Sorceress," he said, smiling at her. He was very grateful for a familiar face. "Is there anything else?"

Giving everyone a moment to voice any concerns, he stood. "Okay. I've arranged a little training for the squadron leaders. Report to the holodeck in 30 minutes. Come in loose-fitting clothing that's easy to move in. We're going to learn what being a gladiator has to do with squadron tactics. Dismissed."

He winked at Phyllis as he left to get ready.

OFF

Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius 'Gladius'
Commander, Air Group, USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Phyllis D'lar 'Sorceress'
Deputy CAG
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Bobbie Sue Hunter 'Bobcat'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Bucannon Rogers 'Van Winkle'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

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