Anybody seen the Colonel?

Posted on Mon Jul 6th, 2026 @ 3:40am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Lieutenant S'hib & Master Sergeant Luxa Gami [Naxea] & Master Sergeant Moses Henderson

Mission: Season 6: Episode 7: Crossroads of Destiny
Location: Marine Detachment - Deck 32
Timeline: MD4
2044 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

The day started early.

It usually did.

Deck 32 was already awake by the time Samuel Woolheater stepped out of his office carrying a mug of coffee and a padd tucked beneath one arm. The familiar sounds of a Marine deck surrounded him. Boots on decking. Equipment being checked. Somebody laughing too loudly at a joke that probably wasn't funny enough to justify it.

Normal. Just the way he liked it.

Today's schedule was simple enough. Morning PT. Small unit drills afterward. A little time on the range for anyone who needed the practice. Nothing glamorous. Just the sort of repetition that kept people sharp. Sam took a sip of coffee and glanced down at the duty roster. Then he frowned. Lieutenant Colonel Naxea. No check-in. He looked at the time.

That wasn't unusual by itself. The Colonel had responsibilities all over the ship and occasionally her schedule got ahead of everybody else's.

Still.

His thumb tapped once against the padd. Twenty-four hours. No duty update. No message traffic. No appearance on Deck 32. No word passed through the chain. The frown deepened slightly. That part wasn't normal.

Naxea wasn't the sort of officer who vanished without saying something. Even when she was busy there was usually a message, a note, a one-line update letting people know where she was and what needed doing.

Sam looked up toward the training area where Marines were beginning to gather. "Master Sergeant," he called.

Master Sergeant Moses Henderson looked over.

Moses was leading a mixed group of Starfleet and Romulan marines in some heavy weapons maintenance drills, when he heard the X-O's voice call out. "On my way, Sir!" He then handed the drill off to one of his junior NCOs, before hustling over to the Captain. "Yes, Sir?"

Sam asked, "You seen the Colonel since yesterday?"

The big man thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, his deep voice vibrating in his chest as he spoke. "No, Sir. I haven't seen the Colonel since she left to go to the planet's surface."

Sam nodded once. Neither had he. He looked down at the padd again. Maybe it was nothing. Probably nothing. Shit was broken all over the ship. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the location tag system was offline again. Still... The thought stayed with him. "Let's get PT started," he said. "I'll make a couple calls."

Coffee time was over. Something wasn't sitting right.

Woolheater first contacted Security. Depending on the answer, he'd contact Lieutenant S'hib.

When Woolheater attempted to contact the ship's Chief of Security, one of his junior officers replied, telling him the crisis that had just unfolded in the transporter room, that the Commodore was in Sickbay after being stunned, and Commander Reece has surrendered himself and was under house arrest by the ship's Executive Officer. The young lieutenant then relayed that several of the ship's crew were currently missing, including the Colonel, and an investigation had been started.

Sam stood very still. He took in the information with that unflappable Marine demeanor. He didn't like the news, but he had no choice. It was what it was. He thanked the young lieutenant and closed the channel.

The report settled over the training deck like a weight. One missing officer was an inconvenience. Several missing officers—including the Detachment Commander—was a command problem. He would speak to Gami and Henderson - they had a right to know.

But first - a visit to an old friend.

DECK 20 - OUTSIDE QUARTERS 55-KO

S'hib was sitting on the floor with his Daughter when the notification chimed. He ignored it at first. Instead, focusing on teaching Slee Sequus meditation.

But then it chimed again, prompting an annoyed snort from his lips. "S'hib here, what do you want..." He asked, tapping his daughter's snout to keep her head forward instead of looking over at him.

Sam stood outside the quarters with a growing sense of unease. The irritated response from inside earned a faint snort. "Morning to you too." He leaned slightly toward the doorway. "I didn't want this over shipwide comms." A beat. "You heard from the Colonel?"

S'hib head snapped around to face the door, a deep frown digging into his forehead.

At first there was no response, but then the door opened. "Not for a couple of days, but we only really speak when Slee is staying with Nax."

He stepped outside, ducking under the door frame before shutting the door to his quarters. "Has nobody else seen her?" He questioned.

Sam's jaw tightened. "Nobody on Deck Thirty-Two has." Another pause. "And Security's not answering either." That last part bothered him enough that he finally said it aloud. "I figured if anybody might've heard from her, it'd be you."

S'hib ran his broad tongue across the back of his teeth, fiddling with his lips in an attempt to stall himself from blurting out something he might pretend to regret later.

"Sam... where is the mother to my daughter?" The question wasn't so much directed at Sam himself; he just happened to be the only one in the corridor with him.

"Where is Naxea?" He reiterated with a cold fury in his eyes just before Sam started to speak, giving the Captain a chance to find the correct words.

Sam didn't answer immediately. He held S'hib's gaze for a long moment before speaking. "I don't know." The admission tasted bitter. "If I did, I'd already be there." He took a slow breath. "Security just confirmed she's among several officers they can't account for. They're investigating, but information's coming in by the handful."

His voice remained calm, deliberately so. "I came to you because I was hoping you'd tell me something I didn't know." A pause. "So here's what I do know. The Colonel doesn't disappear without a reason. Until somebody puts evidence in front of me that says otherwise, I'm working on the assumption she's alive, doing fine and has control of the situation. That's the Colonel Azhul that I know. I also know that she's going to need us thinking clearly when we find her."

Sam stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. "I'm not asking you not to worry." A faint shake of his head. "Hell, I'm worried too. But getting worried and angry won't help her."

He looked toward the closed door behind S'hib, knowing Slee was only a few meters away. "And your little girl doesn't need to see either one of us lose our heads." Another beat. "The minute I learn something..."

A beat ... "...you'll hear it from me."

S'hib reached to his side and hit the door panel, letting it slide open before talking.

"You best hope you find her soon, Sam, because I'm not about to sit around and wait for you to have a dozen department meetings before you decide to do something."

He stepped back inside his quarters with a warning and a promise written across his features. "Slee, go find your bag."

Woolheater understood the man completely. And he shared the same sentiments. Marines are persons of action. And Sam's CO and friend had gone missing as well as other crew. To S'hib, she was the mother of their child. And perhaps that characterization ranked everything else.

Sam nodded once. It was settled. Time to get some answers.


DECK 32 - GATOR DECK

A short while later, after Woolheater gad returned to Marine Country from speaking with S'hib, Gami strode into the Central area of Marine Country. Even with her telepathic defenses up, she could feel the tension on the deck. "What's going on?"

Moses heard his angel approach and couldn't help but smile softy. However, out of respect, he didnt do anything to embarrass her in front of the junior Marines. Straightening his features as he turned to her, he replied in his work tone. "The Colonel's missing, Gami. When's the last time you heard from her?"

"I haven't seen her since before she went down to the planet," Gami replied.

Woolheater listened to her answer. Then, Sam frowned. He lowered the padd and looked across the training deck. Marines were moving through their morning routine. Equipment checks. PT formations. Conversations. The ordinary rhythm of military life. But there was a sour taste in the back of his mouth now. And this time it wasn't the coffee.

He looked toward Moses and Gami. "Something's off. There is something going down in one of the transporter rooms. The Security chief isn't answering and for some reason sickbay just went into lockdown." The words came out quieter than he intended. "Did we miss a damn meeting?" He shook his head. "Azhul doesn't just disappear." He checked the time again. Then checked for any pending messages. Nothing. No update from Security. No response from Blackford. No message from the Colonel. No operations bulletin. Nothing. That bothered him more than if somebody had simply told him there was a problem. The Marine captain folded his arms. "Let's start asking questions and turnin' over some rocks ay?"

"Moses." His gaze shifted toward the Master Sergeant. "Would you do a head count of the detachment? Let's do it manually and make sure everybody that should be here is here. Manually. Skip the computer."

The heavy weapons senior NCO nodded crisply. "Roger that, Cap." He then moved off and started to get the headcount of Starfleet and Romulan personnel currently assigned to the Spartans.

When Moses moved off, Woolheater looked to Gami. "And I want a list of every Marine currently planetside. They should all be accounted for. They're supposed to be here. But let's do the math counting on all our fingers and our toes." A pause. "Not because I'm worried." That earned a snort from himself. "Actually that's a lie. I'm definitely worried." The humor vanished almost immediately.

"Got it," Gami stated as she walked off at a brisk pace.

A few moments later, Moses returned to Woolheater's side and reported his findings. Aside from the Colonel, all personnel present or accounted for, Sir. We've got three kids still up in main Sickbay, recovering from injuries sustained during the battle, the rest are down here."

Sam nodded, "Thank you Master Sergeant, I copy that. That's good news. Sam said, "If the Colonel's tied up in something official, fine." His blue eyes moved between the two senior NCOs. "But if we've lost contact with the Detachment Commander, Security, and half the people who ought to know where she is..." Sam shook his head slowly. "...then we're already behind."

Woolheater crossed his arms across his chest and shifted his stance. He was thinking and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He calmed himself and cleared his mind of worry and chaos that was trying to creep in. Colonel Azhul had trained the Marines better and Sam was determined to hold them together.

"All right." His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. "Until somebody tells me otherwise, we continue operating. Not business-as-usual. Normal. We're Marines and we're not disappointing our Captain or this crew."

He glanced toward the Marines moving through the morning's drills. "That means no rumors. Let's keep the detachment busy and focused. Lock that rumor shit down if you hear it. No speculating. No guessing. If anybody asks, we're accounting for our people and waiting for official information."

His eyes settled on Moses. "Keep the Spartans together."

Then to Gami. "If Security starts releasing names or locations, I want to know before the ink's dry."

A slow breath.

I'm going to see the XO and the Chief of Security. If this turns out to be nothing..." A faint, tired smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "...I'll happily buy the Colonel a cup of coffee and apologize for worrying." The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. "But if it isn't..." His gaze swept across Marine Country. "...then our people are going to need us steady." He straightened his uniform top. "Let's make sure they get exactly that."


[OFF:]

--
​Captain Samuel Woolheater, SFMC
Executive Officer, Marine Detachment
Sniper / Infantry Officer
Precision Fires & Recon Division
62nd Company "Spartans"
=/\= USS Elysium NCC-89000 =/\=


Woolheater signing off for:

Master Sergeant Luxa Gami
Master Sergeant Moses Henderson and
Lieutenant S'hib