1Lt Arturo Maxwell - Booby Traps

[Iain Turnbull]

((Sickbay))

Finding one of his cats not at home – specifically, the wandering Haggis – Max had put a call in to the first place that had come to mind. His hunch had been correct, and he had found the ginger tomcat in sickbay with PADD's scattered all over the floor where he had made himself comfy on the CMO's desk.

Maxwell: See the lad's made himself at hame.

Toz bent to collect some of the scatterd PADD's as Max gathered up some of the others. 

Toz: We need to teach him to write the reports. 

Shaking his head, with a broad grin Max put the PADD's onto the desk. Toz stacked then hers neatly near those that Max had stacked up. Now he had the mental image of Haggis in a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles and a lab coat, sat in in his own little office in sickbay.

Maxwell: I've nae idea how he keeps getting out ae my quarters. ::A glance at Haggis.:: If I didnae know any better I'd say the computer was in on it.

Toz: ::laughing:: It probably is. I’d bet Haggis is the one that programmed it. ::pause:: He’s an awful smart cat. 

Maxwell: Aye, that he is. No sure what he's up tae half the time.

Haggis chirped, as if adding his own commentary to the conversation.

Toz: Well, he’s got you running all over the ship.

Pausing a moment, Max glanced at Haggis and then back at Toz.

Maxwell: Probably run about after him more than I do the junior Marines.

And that was saying something.

Marine Privates were always up to something. Only the other day somebody had hidden a small canister of firefoam in his locker. The grenade-sized container of fire-smothering foam could be used by Marines in emergencies to fight small blazes that needed to be put out quickly. Opening the door, the canister had been triggered and blasted its contents all over Max five minutes before an OEB Marine officers briefing that included video-link attendance by a three Majors and two Colonels from across the taskforce.

Toz: Response

Suppressing a smile Max chose to remain silent on the fact that seeing as he had no idea who had pranked him, he had rigged the ventilation systems and lighting in the upper hangar deck. The full Marine complement aboard the OEB assembled one a week on the upper hangar deck for a briefing and review session. The next gathering – which just happened to be coming up at 0800 – would find itself punctuated by the lights going out, and the ventilation systems blasting the entire upper hangar deck with firefoam.

As a personal touch he had instructed the computer to broadcast some very – very – loud Klingon Opera the moment the lights went out.

Maxwell: Oh aye, they're always up tae something. It's like looking after a bunch ae kids at times.

His statement was tinged with affection, as Marines trained hard but also played hard.

As it happened, Max would be missing the gathering tomorrow as his alarm would mysteriously be failing to go off.

Toz: Response

Maxwell: I should ae become a teacher.

He grinned.

Toz: Response

--

1st Lieutenant Arturo Maxwell.

Marine Officer, 4/73 Marines.

USS Octavia E Butler: NCC-82850.

O239311AM0