From the Ashes: Part 1 [Moriarty's History Files]

Posted on Thu Jun 4th, 2026 @ 6:27am by Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Moriarty & Sergeant Jace Morven
Edited on on Mon Jun 8th, 2026 @ 5:02pm

1,973 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: Federation Ground Forces Officer Training Facility
Timeline: Moriarty's History Files: 2376 (year 1 of training - 8 months after the war)

:: Jesse Moriarty's History Files ::
:: Ground Forces Officer Training ::
:: 2376 - year 1 of training - 8 months after the war ::


The air was cold, brisk. It had caught Martinez by surprise when they had stepped off the transport earlier, the contrast with the warmth of New Vallis, Mars. They had spent a few weeks there before the course started, with their family, still feeling around the Diego-shaped hole that the war had ripped from them. It had been hard, trying to slot back into a place they hadn't seen for years, and as much as it hurt to admit, they had been relieved when it was time to leave.

Martinez's first impression of the officer training facility was that it was definitely not basic. It looked like an Academy, with the Federation Ground Force's flag flying proudly next to the Federation one.

It made Martinez hold their thermos closer, a sense of both pride and dread filling them.

It looked untouched by war.

Unlike their fellow students.

Some looked impossibly young to Martinez. Others, like them, wore the scars of the war, either visible on skin, or hidden underneath.

The first speech had passed like a sandstorm for them, and they'd listened with half an ear for information, ignoring the flowery words. Honour. Duty. Martinez hadn't stopped believing in them, it was more that it didn't need to be said anymore.

When they were dismissed, Martinez moved to the wall, grabbing their bag and opening it. They took the thermos of café de olla out, unscrewed it, let the cinnamon and coffee aroma rise...and looked around. They saw someone standing alone, not lost, just...standing. A stillness that seemed so familiar that they almost swore. But they bit it back and smiled. "Hey, you cold?"

"It's not exactly regulation ambient temperature," Jesse Moriarty agreed, taking in a deep breath of the cold air. His dark, slightly curled hair was growing out, just enough to be pulled back from his face that bore a slender scar down the contour of his cheek. He didn't move though, just watched the stranger with careful dark eyes.

Martinez nodded and tilted their head a little, dark eyes studying Jesse. "I'm Martinez," they said before they lifted the thermos. "You like cinnamon? I got some café de olla here, it's still hot...my mama made it. Best drunk on the same day, can't finish it by myself. Too sweet."

"Cafe de...." Jesse faltered, giving up on the exotic phrase. He reached carefully for the thermos, sniffing cautiously as if testing it. Finally satisfied, he took a sip, his eyebrows lifting with surprise at how much he liked it. "I can help you with that," he finally confirmed before offering it back. "Moriarty."

Martinez nodded and pulled out a battered FGF issued metal mug, pouring into it. They offered it over and shifted to sit on their pack, as if it was normal. And it had been, a year ago. You sat where you could. They used the lid of the thermos as a mug for themselves, hands wrapped carefully around it. "Good to meet you, Moriarty. Nice to see someone here who's not a kid..." they met Jesse's eyes, giving a weak nod as if to seal some invisible deal.

"So long as that doesn't mean we end up playing Mum or Dad around here for the younger officer candidates," Jesse sighed heavily as he moved to drop down next to Martinez. The age difference hadn't been lost on him. He suspected it would be everything from exhausting to infuriating being around these fresh faced kids, but he didn't have much choice. Not if he wanted to find a place for himself in this 'new' world of so called peace. Becoming an officer would make him feel a whole lot more secure now the war was over.

"Yeah, I'm not really into those roles," Martinez said lightly with a shake of their head. They took a sip, eyes closing with the memory the taste and scent brought forth. They lowered the mug and studied Jesse, taking in the shape of him. Learning it like they'd learn a tactical plan. "I was a Corporal before this. Thought I'd try my hand at becoming an officer...try and correct some of the things I've seen over the years."

"Lance Corporal," Jesse motioned to himself, nodding at the familiarity of the story. "Field commission though. Don't know how I got sponsored for officer training, I must have done something right."

"That or a shit ton of officers retired. Or you just survived without that much blood on your hands," Martinez said lightly and tipped their head back against the structure behind them. "I got asked. Apparently I...caught the attention of the right people. My battalion got disbanded so...seemed the right thing to do." Their squad had been scattered to the winds anyway. Nothing to stay for, so why not try and make changes where rank had meaning.

Jesse looked across to Martinez with an arched eyebrow, trying to decide whether they'd deliberately given a more optimistic version of officers retiring versus them dying in the war...or if they really believed it. "I figured there was more risk in not trying it out than giving it a shot."

Martinez met his eyes, a small smile pulling at the corner of their lips. They closed their eyes again, just for a moment. Not tired, just trusting in that moment that the trooper next to them had their flank. "Yeah. Old dogs got to learn new tricks, right? Or else they get put down."

"Hm..." the noise from the often intense man was neither a yes or no. He looked over to where some uniformed instructors were mixing with a couple of fresh recruits, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Think they have it in them to teach us any new tricks?"

"They have four years. If they don't teach me something new, I'm out of here," Martinez said and opened their eyes. They looked over at the flags flying, considering something. "But if they do? They might live to regret it." Their eyes flickered to Jesse and they smiled, almost playful. A bad joke, or a truth disguised.

A soft grunt of laughter came from the man, and Jesse looked to Martinez with narrowed eyes, sizing them up. Their short dark hair, athletic build and knowing, no-nonsense expression. "Yeah...yeah, I think you might be right," he gave a heavy sigh, world weary, as if contemplating...not for the first time...if he had it in him to do this. "What'd you think? Can we take 'em?"

Martinez met his eyes squarely, almost as if they were considering him the same way. And then they nodded. "We can," they said, as if it was a recon that they were planning, or a breach. Their eyes shifted a little, clearly thinking. "If we stick together we'll have a better chance. Some of these newbies here? They got Admirals and Generals in their blood. But we got experience. We survived. The Ground Forces need officers that know how it feels to be in a trench with mud sinking into the fabric of the uniform and blood under the fingernails...to taste the fear in the air. So that the next time something like the Dominion happens, the ones hitting the ground don't feel so...alone."

Jesse's frown deepened as he looked out, his body still as he brooded on his thoughts without even realising he was doing it. Martinez could be right. Maybe some troopers somewhere could benefit for it. He just wasn't sure if the other officers would feel the same way. Or make it easy for them. "Maybe it's worth it for better food..."

Martinez had watched him, the stillness. The frown, carving deeper into his skin. They also noticed the shift, into something...less heavy, at least in words. They decided to pick that up instead. Small steps. Small wins. "Let's eat them out of house and home then."


~~~~~


Martinez moved as if they had their old squad at their side and enemies ahead. It was instinct...an obstacle course and a run...familiar in the way that emergency rations were, or the breath in their lungs. They had pushed ahead with Moriarty, not even thinking about it. Until they were on top of a wall, looking back and seeing...the other cadets. Far behind. Not even over the trench full of water they had to navigate across.

Martinez exhaled, straddling the wall, running their hand over their hair to push it back from their eyes, so it didn't get stuck to the sweat on their forehead. "They've fallen behind," they announced, not shouting but voice pitched for Moriarty to hear.

Jesse chuckled softly at the confirmation, having suspected they'd pulled a good deal ahead. He took a few steps back before sprinting at the wall, half running up it to jump the rest of the way, catching the edge to pull himself up to sit with them. "I suppose it's good form to wait for them to catch up a bit."

They looked at him, raising an eyebrow before nodding. "It's what we do," they said before they took the moment to get their breath back, their heart calming down. They looked at Jesse, studying him closely. "You're fast."

"I've done a lot of running," Jesse replied lightly with a straight face, but his eyes glinted with humour as he glanced their way, settling on the wall next to them.

Martinez grinned at the words, tipping their head back a little. "I can tell," they said before they shifted to look at the others...not fast. Some struggling over the obstacles. "If this is what we're working with, I am not looking forward to the holosuites. Throw them into a snow storm, or sand storm...climbing mountains to get to the target..."

Jesse watched the distant figures clambering and lunging, a soft chuckle rolling in his throat. "Do you think we were ever like that?"

Martinez thought back, to their own basic training. 18 and hungry for it. Before the 77th. Before the War. "I don't know, maybe a little. I wasn't the fastest or strongest. I just kept getting up. You?"

"I've always run and climbed," he admitted quietly, shaking his head with a frown as thought back on it. "But I suppose I must have been like that too, just not realised it."

"A lifetime ago," Martinez commented as they studied him, briefly, before they nodded. "Alright, they should be here soon...we going to help them up the wall?"

A wicked smile suddenly pulled at Jesse's lips, his eyes shining with rare mischief as he cast Martinez a sidelong look. "You have no idea how badly I want to just watch them try..." he chuckled at himself, shaking his head. "But...arseholes don't live long out in the field. So I'll do it."

Martinez looked at him, considering it for a moment before they nodded. A small smile came to them and they shifted, wedging a foot for better grip. "We will both help them."

"Come on you 'orrible louts!" Moriarty bellowed in his best impression of an over the top holodeck sergeant, sliding back down the wall to help the others climb up.

Martinez laughed despite their best efforts and something relaxed in them. Settled, in a way that they had not felt for years. "Shift it!" they called out, hand outstretched, to catch a hand to pull the person up. And they looked at Moriarty, with a sense of hope. In the future. In this new chapter of their lives.

To Be Continued...


FGF Cadet [now Lt. Colonel] Jesse Moriarty
Federation Ground Forces

FGF Cadet Angel Martinez
Federation Ground Forces
(NPC Morven)

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