USS COCHRANE: Stepping Into the Frying Pan

USS COCHRANE: Stepping Into the Frying Pan

[[[Scene: USS Cochrane, Corridors just beyond Sickbay]]]
[[[SD: 23.0102.0014]]]

Ma’kauran braced her hand against the wall allowing a momentary reprieve from stiffness of her movements. It hurt more than she would ever let on, but then again the cane that she was supposed to be relying upon was back in her quarters. Having to relearn how to walk, does that to you. Not that she used the stupid piece of equipment. She had been cleared for light duty, which for a Marine basically meant desk duty. And it ranked just below being discharged on the meter of things that sucked.

At least she wouldn’t be left behind.

Senior officers from around the fleet were being recalled to SB Omega to take part in a sort of senior leadership war games. The USS COCHRANE had been refit and would serve the central role in the planned war games. Some were arriving via D-Warp shuttle, while others came with their entire ship. The SOJOURNER-TRUTH, the HORIZON, the KATANA, and the ZAHAL were a few of the ship currently in orbit of Demeter. Several others were due in shortly.

She wasn’t sure if the rumors were true, but then again she didn’t speak much to those around here, unless she had to. The once stoic Marine, hadn’t made many friends while on OMEGA since the medical staff had successfully revived her from the comatose state she had spent the previous seven months in due to an unknown illness which inflicted her on COCOON 2.

Anyway, skuttlebutt in the Residential Dome had it that the finest minds in the fleet were to be assigned to the USS COCHRANE, and to two other – names yet to be uncovered – ships to serve at the center of these so called War Games. The COCHRANE was the obvious choice as it had been just refit, and the skeleton crew who escorted the ship to OMEGA from the Gaia shipyard couldn’t seem to keep their mouths shut.

Three against the whole fleet didn’t seem like fair odds, but it they had the best and the brightest, who knows what could happen.

Or not happen.

Too many chiefs and no Indians. It was a real concern.

Could all these outgoing, decorated, and somewhat stubborn command personnel come together to outwit the greater assets? Admiral Tergin had let it slips several weeks ago that the results of this War Game would greatly influence the direction the Cocoon Fleet would take.

Not a small weight to be placed on so many officers.

And would she get to play a part?

No. The Marine command didn’t want to let her off of the disable lists, religating her to almost certain desk duty. It didn’t matter that her rehab had progressed faster than any had expected. The fact that it progressed at all was astounding. And more than likely it had to do with her own internal healing factor, that and the biomedical implant that had kept her alive when Starfleet Medical couldn’t do anything.

Tergin had fought for her, ensuring that she could at least serve in a technical advisory role. It was better than nothing. As seeing as she would have to continue the rehab that she had come to despise, Maka was currently on her way to check in with whoever had been assigned CMO on this hunk of junk.

Ok. So the COCHRANE would never be junk. She just wanted to have more of a role then she was fated to have. That was her old self fighting to come out, even though she had pretty much shut herself out while relearning to walk and to talk. Her speech was only mildly choppy, but her gait was noticeably awkward and unsteady. Hence the cane. And with the combat Marine trying to fight her way out of a corner, the cane permanently disappeared. She would have nothing to do with it. And screw whoever wanted to make her rely on it.

Taking a final breath, she made the rest of her way to the COCHRANE’s Medical bay. She could check in and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. If the doc wanted any info, he or she could get it from her record. She was done explaining. Given her ability to heal, five more months or so, and she just might get cleared for full duty.

And until then, there was no reason promoting to others just how weak, she was.

A cripple.

Ma’kauran punched the nearest hatch at that thought. It wouldn’t do to think like that.

She would be strong again. She was strong.

Striding through the Medbay doors with as much confidence and power as she could manage, but she was not prepared for what awaited her.

Or whom.

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NRPG:
1. Senerio encluded… War Games, Senior Leadership Exercise
2. There is more than one ship. If there are other NPCs you want to have around but aren’t sure how they could fit, they can easily be on one of the other ships participating in this event. I am sure the COCHRANE won’t be alone in whatever happens to it.
3. Maka’s updated BIOFILE has been uploaded to HWF Wiki.

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With Wings of Light

Lieutenant Colonel Ma’kauran
Technical Advisor/Future 2O, USS COCHRANE
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EJ