1stLt Samuel Woolheater – Battle of Kastor Basin
Radamio
1stLt Samuel Woolheater – Battle of Kastor Basin
(( 08-0101, Deck 8, USS Octavia E. Butler ))
She set the pace the moment he sat down. Well, she was Klingon after all.
The goblet. The pauses. The small laughs that never quite gave anything away. Speak, sip, watch. Let the silence do the work. She leaned back like she had time to spare, like he didn’t. Questions set just wide enough to see what he gives up.
This wasn’t a conversation; it was an impromptu crew member assessment. Sam let his breathing settle, posture easy, eyes steady without fixing on any one point. This was not the plan for his evening. Just wanted a coffee. Then the memory came to him, for reasons that he wasn’t quite sure of.
The Battle of Kastor Basin. Pre-Dominion War case study. A very bloody affair. Fought in a creek bed and yet it was all on dry ground. It was hot on Kastor V, he remembered reading and there was a lot of heat distortion. Sensors scattered across a shallow basin. Two forces that looked close enough on paper, local militia stiffened with what was left of the 177th battalion. The other side was tighter. Better equipped and more cohesive. Someone had to cross that ground.
They hit first. They were fast. In doing so, they tried to end it early before it turned into a grind. It didn’t work. The local militia and Marine remnants; they got pushed back across the basin, and once you’re moving backward over bad ground, you’re already behind it. Their tattered formations were stretched. Comms were lagging. They were bleeding out and their units stopped acting and started reacting. Then the fast movers pulled off.
The reasons why are a little muddy. In the end, it didn’t matter why. Timing’s what killed them. A gap opened and fresh Giac shock troops poured in fast. They were brutal. A professional strike element. It was a decisive move. One borne of planning and seizing an opportunity. They didn’t waste it. After that, it wasn’t a battle. It was just a matter of time.
Sam had studied that old battle and for the important lesson that people like him and others could learn from it. “Don’t lose cohesion and don’t get pulled out of position.” They were all good fighters. Good crews can still fail… if they’re not together when it counts.
Sam’s focus came back to the room, to the woman across from him. Different ground. Same kind of test. He wasn’t going to be the one that broke formation.
Woolheater: How are your accommodation? I know of at least one other Klingon on the ship, maybe two. Doctor Ragh is one of our newest arrivals. He may share some of his observations with you regarding crew quarters.
T’Korva: Do you think only another Klingon can relate to what I’m seeking?
Sam let the silence sit. Not rushed. Not uncomfortable for him. He held her in his gaze a moment longer, then answered.
Woolheater: Doctor Ragh, my friend, was a point of reference, Commander. ::beat:: Not a limitation.
T’Korva: At ease, Lieutenant. I was just testing you. ::beat:: I will reach out to Dr. Ragh in due time. I’m meeting with as many of the crew as I can. ::beat:: Obviously, there are too many to meet with one-on-one in a reasonable amount of time. I don’t plan to be aboard long enough, anyway.
Sam nodded in understanding. She had a job to do and, if he put himself in her shoes, it was an unglamorous one.
Woolheater: You asked earlier if I had eyes and ears? Aye, I’ve got eyes and ears, Commander. I just don’t build assessments on secondhand impressions. ::beat:: If you’re assessing this crew, you’ll see it soon enough. When it matters, they close the gap. That’s what I’ve worked alongside. So…why you? How’d you end up with this…assignment?
His voice was level and clear and calm the entire time.
T’Korva: Normally people get to know me better before they ask why. ::beat:: I appreciate your forwardness. The fleet relief officer role isn’t new, but it’s a less utilized position. I truly believe I can bring helpful perspectives, and tools, to the senior staff aboard ships and stations. But I also know that my approach can be ::beat:: abrupt and hard to swallow, especially over time. So I was a perfect candidate.
Woolheater: Well, we’re on our way to getting to know you better already. If you’re assessing function, then this crew responds when it’s tested. That’s what I’ve seen. I don’t speculate beyond what I’ve worked alongside. That’s guesswork. Marines don’t guess with other people’s jobs and lives. If you don’t mind me speaking freely?
T’Korva: Nah, I don’t mind it. I wasn’t the popular kid in school ::laughing:: as I’m sure you can imagine! But seriously, I wasn’t and I didn’t really age like a fine wine ::holding up her goblet:: quite the opposite really ::laughing again:: What about you Lieutenant? What drives you, what landed you here? Why the marines?
Sam watched it the same way he watched everything else. The laughter didn’t quite match the rest of her. It came at the edges and after a push, after a question that carried weight. It wasn’t weakness. It was really an adjustment. A way to reset the line. Take control of the pace again.
He let it pass.
Woolheater: As for the Marines… I enlisted because I wanted to be where decisions have weight and consequences are immediate. The Corps puts you there. It’s straightforward work. You do the job… you bring people home. For Sam, it really was that simple. Show up. Do your job.
T’Korva: Response?
Woolheater: Understood.
::nods:: That approach will get
you what you’re looking for. Like the good book says, ‘Pressure gets
compliance. Respect gets results.’
T’Korva: Response?
Woolheater: Aye Commander. If you need anything further from me, I’m available.
And he would be. There was still some shore leave left and he still had a list of stuff he wanted to do.
T’Korva: Response?
Those sounded like final chords to Sam.
Woolheater: Unless you have anything further, Commander.
He waited to be dismissed. Off duty or not, Sam knew the protocol.
T’Korva: Response?
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Scout Sniper / Infantry Officer
MARDET, Starfleet Marine Corps
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850