[Marine Detachment Office, Starbase Ronin]

 

Sulan looked over Lee's records casually, as she sat at her desk. "Your service record is most impressive Mr. Lee. Most impressive, indeed." The office was spartan and functional, as only a vulcan would have it. To one side of the office was a small armory, to another, was the marine briefing room.

 

Lee sat on one of the most uncomfortable chairs that he had ever been in besides his cockpit, as he faced towards his new boss who was just a looie above himself. “Thank you ma’am” Lee said as he noticed that the office was quite small in comparison to the usual ‘office size’ onboard other ships. “Is there anything that is need from me before I can begin my duties onboard the station?” he asked the Vulcan officer.

 

"Yes. I am quite curious as to how you thought you could infiltrate*my* station." She holds up a tri-corder she had hidden under her desk. "I fought in the dominion war, Did you think I would not know your kind?" She said with a dark gleam in her eyes.

 

Lee looked at the officer across the table as he held, what some would call his thousand yard stare at the marine officer who accusing him of ‘infiltrating’ her station. “Ma’am I have no knowledge of what you are spouting about and or accusing me of, but I can assure you that I do not have any hostile intentions towards you or to this station. Also, pardon my insubordinate actions, but to correct the CO, the station belongs to Starfleet and not to you ma’am”. he retorted calmly to her.

 

She raised am eyebrow, hitting her com badge. "Code omega" She said acidly. On either side, of the office, both doors opened, and marines leveled their phaser rifles at Lee. "If it moves so much as an eyelash, kill it." She barked harshly as shetossed the still open tri-corder to the desk with a clatter, and walked around the desk, her face centimeters from his. "Talk!" She roared. She grabbed him by the from of his uniform and hauled him to his feet. "I have never had the pleasure of torturing a changeling before...." She said with a slight grin. "I have slain them yes, but I have always wondered what it would be like to see one suffer."

 

As Sulan had dragged him up to his feet, he faced her mad raged face, “Why don’t you test one of those Anti-Changeling Devices on me, I’m sure you’ll have all the pleasure in the world watching me suffer horribly. If I am a changeling as you had claimed in the first place ma’am”. He calmly replied back as he stared straight into her dark auburn colored eyes, “Besides what honor would you have, commanding your men to fire upon a unarmed man, and a friendly marine for that matter.”

 

She nodded. "Excellent, Mr. Lee. Justwhat I had expected." She let him go, and smoothed his uniform. "I hope you can forgive me for this little test, but, I had to see what you were made of, so to speak." She offers her scarred had to him, in a gesture of friendship. "After all, our lives may depend on you."

 

Lee nodded, “Understandable ma’am, but let’s hope that it won’t have to come to that. Besides I’m sure that everyone can depend on each other if we’re to be thrown into the thick of things.” he said as he looked around room to see the armed marines that once stood at the ready, had now took up the parade rest position.

 

"We are marines. Chances are better than not that it will indeed come to that. But, your actions here today, and your service record give great confidence in your abilities. Welcome to the team, Mr. Lee." She moved back behind her desk, and folded the tricorder, and put it away. "Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Lee?"

 

“Yes ma’am, which Air Group, and Squadron will I be assigned to ma’am.” He asked, not knowing since he was plucked out of the Bismarck in mid-mission and was shipped with a priority stamp to the Ronin, without being told which space division he was to be assigned. Let alone getting any kind of information about his new position onboard the station prior to his arrival.

"Probably leader of the Sixth Aerospace Core. You seem to have your work cut out for you in that respect though. They seem mostly made up of green cadets. Do you believe you are up to the task?"

 

“Green Cadets?” he asked out loud, wondering if his ‘teaching’ skills were up-to-date, and ethical for that matter. Lee faced back to Sulan, “I think there won’t be any problems in training those maggots, it’ll be easy as eating pancakes ma’am.”

 

"Maggots, you say?" She said raising an eyebrow. "I believe this is thebeginning of a beautiful friendship." The faint smile appeared once again. "Unless there is anything further, you are dismissed, Mr. Lee."

 

Lee turned on his heel, and was about to leave the office, but something was nagging at him in the back of his head. He stopped in mid-stride, “Actually there is something, why did you challenged my loyalty in the first place ma’am. Don’t give me that crap about how you need to see if you count on me or not, tell me why did you have to question my loyalty to you, to this station, and to the corps?” He asked Sulan, not looking back.

 

"Because true loyalty, is more rare than the omega particle Mr. Lee. The day may come where I will need to remain loyal, even when everyone and everything you know is telling you to be otherwise." She said, with a dark tone in her voice.

 

Lee turned around slowly facing Sulan, “I see, then what did your little test sayabout my loyalty to you and to everything else?” he asked her, as Lee stood firm next to the door with his hands clasped behind his back.

 

"More than I care to share with you at the moment." She said, though not harshly.

 

Lee quirked his mind as why she was telling him that it wasn’t any of his concern to know about the outcome of his little loyalty examination to her. “To be frank ma’am, why is that? Is it because that I have not proven worthy of myself to you? Or is it because that I haven’t earned your trust or respect yet ma‘am?” he asked.

 

"I shall keep my own counsel for now, Mr. Lee. As is my prerogative as superior officer. Do you wish to risk the points you have gained by questioning me now? I believe I have dismissed you, have I not?"

 

“Yes ma’am” he said without emotion and exited the room and into the corridor. As he walked away from theMarine CO’s office, the words of a intelligence officer was running around his mind just before heading off into that Fubar mission that gotten him this far. ‘Suspect everything, assume nothing’.

 

OFF:

 

First Lieutenant Telek Sulan

Marine Commanding Officer

Starbase Ronin, SB-47

 

Second Lieutenant Kit “Bossman” Lee

Marine Flight Element Leader

Starbase Ronin, SB-47