#6 He's a Collaborator

Posted on Wed May 24th, 2023 @ 12:28pm by Major Jackson "JJ" Barnes {Meji} & Warrant Officer Shannon Money {Meji}

Mission: Character Development
Location: phaser range holodeck
Timeline: current

ON:

Particle weapons fire criss-crossed the terrain ahead, which just so happened to be a holo-matrix warehouse full of bad guys and hostages. Shannon Money was hunkered down behind some cargo crates as bolts of energy whizzed by overhead. When there was a momentary pause coming from the bad guys she would raise up, try and acquire a target, and fire back. It was slow going, and something in the back of her mind told Shannon that Captain Barnes had added an extra squad of assholes to the program, just to muck with the marines and keep them on their toes.

From her vantage point Money could see the stairs leading up to the office area in one corner of the warehouse. The problem was there were, at minimum, six antagonists keeping the marines from getting upstairs to the hostages. She touched her earpiece. "We need to get up those stairs! If you can, people, rally on me."

Another few minutes went by, and in that time, three more marines showed up to aid the fighter pilot. Teresa Scabbia just so happened to be one of the marines that ended up hunkering down with Shannon. "Good to see you again, Warrant!"

"You too, Private."

"So, was this party your idea, or theirs?" Scabbia asked, a shitty grin on her face. She raised up, popped off a few bolts, then hunkered down again.

"This party is about to get loud and proud," stated Money. "Bum rush the stairs, engage flashbangs, then sweep and clear. They won't expect us to risk the lives of the hostages."

"Nor will the Captain," added Scabbia. "But, you're the officer." The group got in close and brainstormed on approach and engagement. Once all had been decided they began to move. Two flashbangs went out at once, the marines covering their ears and squeezing their eyes shut as they went off.

Coming out of concealment each and every marine walked forward, rifles at the ready using the pistol grips on the barrel to hold their rifles angled sideways. Where their eyes went the barrel went, along with bolts of particle energy when needed. Bad guys began to drop fast with two of the seven marines going down. The rest did not hesitate, stepping over their comrades and continuing to engage and move up the stairs. Outside the building, through the wall, they could hear more firing and explosions as the baddies tried to use the exterior stairs to escape with their prizes in tow. Getting to the top of the stairway and stopping just outside the door into the office space corridor, Money hesitated. Scabbia got in on the other side of the door and began to nod at her Warrant Officer. One, two, and the third nod had them push the door open, Money using a foot to keep it open, both aiming down the hall. Two people stepped out, one covered more by the man in front of him as his rifle was resting on the hostage's shoulder to provide better aim and balance. Both women opened fire, with Scabbia taking down the bad guy as Money shot the guy he had been hiding behind.

All of a sudden an alarm sounded and everything went quiet as the program froze and all the bad guys disappeared, leaving the marines to regroups and look around.

"What gives, Cap'm?" Asked Private Kevin Jacobs

"According to the exercise, we just lost a hostage." Barnes answered, raising his voice for all to hear. "Stand where you are until we figure out wo did what." Jack began to move around from group to group, eventually ending up in the office spaces standing over two dead bodies along with two of his marines. "Who shot who?"

Teresa Scabbia motioned to the two bodies. "I shot him...a lot. Money took that guy."

Jack's face looked over at the fighter jock marine. "Congratulations Warrant Money, you have killed a hostage."

"He was a collaborator, Sir." Money responded without hesitation. She made the mistake so she would own it, even if a bit of flawed logic were used.

"A collaborator? How do you even know that, Miss Money."

"Easy, Sir. He's dead, and the other hostages would have been rescued. So, it stands to reason that in this situation his loyalties got him killed." Shannon's face was stoic, matter-of-fact. She would hold her ground on this even though deep in her being it bothered her. But, marines are to improvise, overcome and adapt, and part of that is living with mistakes made during combat.

Barnes shook his head slightly. "Let's make sure this doesn't happen in the real. You people carry stun grenades for a reason, not just flashbangs to confuse and disorient." He turned to the rest of the class, addressing them about the mistakes made by quite a few. They all left the holodeck in the phaser range, all wearing their combat gear as they made their way through the ship to the marine berth. The green machine returned to marine country and began to dress down and hop in the showers, laughing and joking as they went.

OFF: