A Chance Meeting

Posted on Wed Nov 23, 2016 @ 9:58pm by Captain Madelina Weisz & Major James Mattis

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Deck 18
Timeline: MD 2 || 1000 Hours

Mattis was walking back to his office, quite happy with the outcome of the meeting with the Captain, and at the same time reading a PADD that contained a preliminary status report of his men. Because of his 7'1 height, you would think most people would see him from a long way away, but apparently this person was just as distracted as he was. He walked smack into her, and quickly, noticing the Commander's pips on her collar, said, "Sorry about that Ma'am."

Commander Weisz stumbled backward when the tank of a man walked into her, and the only thing that kept her from falling onto the floor was the fact she'd grabbed the bulkhead to steady herself. When she was stable, she brought her hands up to straighten her uniform and shook her head. "It's fine," she said to the Goliath standing in front of her. "You may want to start looking down on occasion when you're walking, though."

"I do apologize sincerely, are you ok?" Mattis asked, looking down at her with a questioning expression on his face.

"Apology accepted, and I'm fine, thank you," she said as she began to study the man in front of her. With someone his size, Maddy would remember meeting him, but she didn't recall much about his. "You must be new on board. I would certainly recall meeting you. Transfer?" Without a PADD in front of her, she was stuck guessing. That was one thing the Commander didn't like, and since she was on her way to her office, she had no other choice. "Tell me about yourself, Major."

"Yes Ma'am, Major James Mattis, Marine Commanding Officer. What would you like to know about me Commander?"

"How about your service record since I'm without a PADD presently," the redhead suggested.

"Well, the short story is I have been a Marine all of my adult life, participated in more combat than i care to remember. I have participated in Combat and operations against every known Federation enemy, from the Jem'Hadar to the Borg and everywhere in between" Shifting his weight, he added "The long story however is quite a bit different."

"And what's your take one Starfleet Security?" Maddy found herself asking. She knew most Marines hated Security with a passion.

"Do you want an honest, blunt answer on that?"

Maddy folded her arms and nodded her head. "Lying to me would not be the best way to start our working relationship."

"I hate Starfleet Security, I have my whole adult Marine life, the only exception to which is a Security Chief I met years ago, and then, only because he had once been a Marine."

Maddy smiled. It wasn't just any kind of smile, but a smile that was much like a shark swimming silently through the water as it snuck up on its prey. She didn't say anything for a few seconds as she allowed his words to permeate inside her mind. "I got my start in Security," she said, looking up at the large man. While most people might have feared the man in front of her for his size, she wasn't one of them. "In fact, it made me what I am today... got me where I am today. I'm going to say this once, so make sure you're listening well. If you give my Security personnel any kind of grief, I will wear your ass like a sock on every deck of this ship. I assure you this isn't a threat, but a promise. First complaint... there won't be anywhere for you to hide."

She stepped aside and gestured with her hand. "Keep moving, Mister Mattis. You and I have nothing further to say to one another unless it's duty related." Her tone left no room for anything other than moving on.

His face turning red, Mattis asked, "Is there a problem Ma'am? When I said I hate Security, I meant the profession, as I have found nobody save the one who knows what they are doing, not the people themselves."

"It's of no consequence, Major. You have said what you wished to say, and that is all there is to it. Excuse me," she said, sidestepping him so she could be on her way once more.

"Ma'am!!" Mattis said raising his voice.

The Commander stopped when he shouted at her, then turned around to look at the large man she'd thankfully gotten some distance away from. "Major... when I said 'excuse me', that meant I was done talking. I've got things I need to do."

"As do I, but I have to tell you why I hate Security, the profession I mean. When I was just an enlisted man, we were on a mission to root out and eliminate some rogue Jem'Hadar. While we were out hunting, the Security sentry guarding the main entrance to our camp fell asleep, and that's when they chose to mount a full scale attack. When we got back, we walked right into a ambush and 57 of the 60 Marines I was with were killed, one of whom I held in my arms while she died." A tear slid down his face as he said, "That is why I hate them, I know in my heart they are not all the same, but because of that one Security Officer, 57 people, 76 when you also count the Security personnel who were there, died."

"I assure you his ship's Security personnel are top notch, and shouldn't be lumped on with those who obviously don't know how to do their jobs properly. You will be working closely with them during your time aboard this vessel, so it might be wise to figure out a way to make that work," she said. "If there are any issues, I will find out about them and handle them accordingly. Welcome aboard, Mister Mattis. I hope you can find a way to make this work."

"Ma'am you have my word that i will do everything in my power to try" A small smile speading on his face, he said, "Perhaps you would like to meet K-9 Reaper?"

"Perhaps another time, Major. I need to get back to my office," she replied. With that being said, she continued on her way hoping things would go smoothly.