Captain Michele Winters - New Starfleet Marine Training Regiments
Joel Cannistraro
((The Evening Star))
In the back of Michele's mind new training protocols, regiments along with acting and singing lessons were starting to stack up as items she needed to add to her weekly PADD work. The Starfleet Marine Corp trained for what they claimed was every conceivable combat related scenario. A smirkish grin crossed her face as she thought about taking this entire day back to her Corp instructors and laying it out before them as a new training regiment. She could see the look on her instructor's eyes now as she started acting out a dying lover on their deathbed in front of a live studio audience or singing in a musical while trying to determine threat assessment and escape routes.
PR3ST1G: I may not be a headliner anymore after this voyage, but I do still have friends in the business. Joni, Snape, I know you have plans to get married on the last day, and you are all so close, so I made sure you’re all posted together.
It was only then she finally pulled out what lay inside the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. On it was official looking print, but it didn’t make any sense - it was simply to look like something formal was written there.
DeVeau: You have?
DeVaue glanced at everyone before asking the question that was already lingering on Michele's mind.
DeVeau: Where?
PR3ST1G: I’ve made sure you’re all going to be together. And even better, you’re going on the brand new luxury cruise liner - the Solar Empress!
On the screen flashed a brief introduction to the new cruise starship - opulent, premier, and luxurious.
Winters: The Solar Empress. Impressive, does that come with a new contract?
Herrick: And better tippers…
Promontory: Sounds like it. I hear it’s pretty highfalutin.
Winters: I don't know about you guys but I think a new contract is warranted for such a prestigious gig.
Herrick: Don’t you want us to send us off on our honeymoon well?
The woman looked at them and another ‘smile’ appeared, but beneath it was a sense that she thought they were absolutely stupid - and they weren’t exactly following the script.
PR3ST1G: Of course you’ll all have new contracts. The Solar Empress will be launching from the very dock where the Evening Star will end her final voyage, and you’ll be brought on board then. After…
Michele just watched as one of the tentacles lifted up and indicated Josh and Trake.
PR3ST1G: the wedding of course.
DeVeau: That’s good. It means they can’t breach any agreements without consequences.
Promontory: Seems only reasonable, since we’ve been such excellent performers here!
Winters: Oh, I think we are well worth the time. Especially if you want us to keep raking in the big money for you.
PR3ST1G: Oh not for me. After all, I’m the headliner, not the owner, and as we said, this is also my final voyage.
DeVeau: Yeah.
DeVeau's tone lowered and her voice softened even more. Michele was rather taken by the officer's acting abilities. On the other hand, Michele wanted nothing more than to get her hands on some explosives and light this show up in true Marine fashion.
DeVeau: It is…isn’t it?
Promontory: I’m sure the final soiree will be a real blow-out.
Winters: It's gonna be a blast when this party really starts. The fireworks are going to be off the charts.
At that point, music began to play, and a single word flashed up on the screen: IMPROV.
Improv? Interesting.
The captain began to tap, then Herrick began to sing. Michele's eye's rolled up....oO Oh not again!!! I need a phaser rifle! Oo
Herrick: ♪♪ It’s our time, our time to rise, our time to shine… ♪♪
Promontory: ♪♪ New adventure, will it be scary or fine… ♪♪
Herrick: ♪♪ Now’s our chance, shake it off, shake it off, and just dance. ♪♪
Ensemble: ♪♪ … and just dance. ♪♪
Then the Captain began to dance - and so did Deveau. Michele took a deep breath and sighed as she began to sway along. This was getting ridiculous and in her own mind, out of control. She felt like a play thing, being toyed with and strung along with no reason. Maybe this was some cosmic child playing with them and it needed some straight up parental discipline.
Winters: ♪♪ A wild new adventure. Fast and Furious, A wild new adventure is at hand. ♪♪
Then Herrick began to dance!
Herrick: ♪♪ Let’s get it started in here. ♪♪
People began to make their way toward the door, the music played, and DeVeau fell into step. Michele wished she had the singing dancing talent the female officer had but that was not the case. Michele could not carry a tune to save her life and dancing was something she never cared for.
Promontory: ♪♪ Solar Empress, you must confess? Are you real, no or yes? ♪♪
Twirling around, DeVeau came face to face with another man from the ensemble, then matched his movements, the two seemingly in sync, and still they moved closer to the door. PR3ST1G stood and watched, the overseer of their prison.
Winters: ♪♪ Through one door an old adventure ends and the Solar Empress begins. ♪♪
Herrick: Response
Promontory: ♪♪ The E’ening Star sets, we settle our debts. A new dawn rises yet. ♪♪
Michele kept closer to the Captain but some of the ensemble kept grabbing her and pulling her in other directions. She was trying to keep an eye on the Captain and the XO while resisting palming the next dancer who grabbed her by the rib cage and moved her in another direction.
Winters: ♪♪ A grand adventure awaits, rush ahead before it's too late. ♪♪
Herrick: Response
Promontory: (loudly) ♪♪ Solar Empress, is more than a guess; It’s our future, nothing less! ♪♪
And then the music stopped on the Captain's note. Around them, everyone froze, as did Michele along with DeVeau and the others. A moment of tense wondering filled Michele's mind as she prepped for potential conflict but then everyone relaxed and PR3ST1G’s fake smile came on once more. Lifting her hands, she called out.
PR3ST1G: Let us make our final voyage the best one yet!
With that, the scene went dark.
Quietly, quickly, people began to move. Michele was swept up in the comotion and found herself hurried in a different direction by the moving bodies to the very door she, DeVeau, and Herrick had been trying to get to.
As Michele moved towards the door something unfamiliar touched her, grabbed her and held her from moving forward. She turned trying to see what was stopping her as one by one, the ensemble filed past through the opposite door until it was empty save for the two aliens, PR3ST1G and another of it's kind and four starfleet officers. Music started up again, and the group remained face to face with the ‘director’.
PR3ST1G: I was right in my choice. You are all extremely talented.
Michele turned ready to fight but it seemed that DeVeau was going to beat her to the proverbial punch.
DeVeau: Let us go. You have no right to force us to do this and take us from our home.
Winters: Stand down and release our crew.
Michele clenched her jaw as she tensed her body and postured herself ready to leap into hand to hand fighting if needed.
Herrick/Promontory: RESPONSE
PR3ST1G: I have every right, because our people take the right.
The tentacles at the bottom of her face swayed and Michele wondered if she could get a solid grasp on the tentacle. The thought quickly changed as the alien continued to speak.
PR3ST1G: However, we both have things we want. If you help me, I will help you.
Winters: Help you? Why should we help those who trap us and make us play for their entertainment?
Herrick/Promontory: RESPONSE
DeVeau: Well, what do you want from us?
PR3ST1G: This story has a parallel to real life. See this musical to the end. Don’t just play in it, embrace it.
She paused, then glanced up. Michele glanced up briefly to see what the alien was looking at but saw nothing. Was she looking at someone? A camera somewhere maybe? Was her species telepathic and she was communicating with someone outside of what the team could see? Michele lowered her eyes back to the alien and thought about the fight that was to come. The red dress she was in was far too tight for her to fight in and as she tried to move her toes in the very cramped points of the high heels she was wearing, she grimaced again at the lack of mobility she was going to have.
PR3ST1G: There are people here who would do whatever they can to get rid of me. Help me complete this story. You will gain fame, and your freedom. If you don’t…you might gain infamy and risk cancellation.
Another brief pause and Michele took the moment to slip out of her high heels and squared her bare feet on the deck surface.
PR3ST1G: We have thirty seconds until we must be back on stage.
Winters: Personally Captain, I'd rather fight our way out of this.
Herrick/Promontory: RESPONSE
Winters: Not really a singer sir.
Promontory/Herrick/DeVeau/PR3ST1G: Response
Michele kept her defensive posture held steady. Performing for this alien was not what she wanted to do but at the same time the CO and XO were her top priority and she had no weapons to immediately defend them with.
Winters: And what happens if we do not help you? You just keep trying to cycle us through production after production?
Promontory/Herrick/DeVeau/PR3ST1G: Response
Music started up again and Michele turned her gaze from the alien to the Captain and gave him a gentle nod.
Winters: You're my responsibility right now so I go where you go.
Promontory/Herrick/DeVeau/PR3ST1G: Response
[Tags/TBC]