Working out
Posted on Wed Dec 4th, 2024 @ 5:01pm by Commander Rhupert Tyree & Lieutenant Amy Gordon
Edited on on Fri Dec 13th, 2024 @ 11:13pm
2,477 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
The Foragers
Location: Empok Nor, Deck 12
Timeline: Morning before Get the Party Started
A message came from Amy "Rhu, have you had breakfast yet? Or do you want to spar first then eat later?" taking a look in the small mirror to make certain her braid was done right. Blue tee shirt check, black yoga pants her favorite styel giving her plenty of give for her to move in. And a pair of slip on black water shoes.
Rhu opened his eyes and took in the quarters assigned him from Empok's housing officer. They were comfortable, relatively spartan and mostly furnished in beige with a few splashes of color, such as a black ceiling and a sky blue focus wall, which was the bulkhead and held two portals that showed him a docking ring and ships coming and going about their business. He was sitting crosslegged in the most open part of the floor. He'd been meditating and glanced around to catch the time as he stood and stepped to the provided desk. "Amy, that sounds find. Meet me..," he paused using the computer to localize his VOQ and hers, then locate the nearest rec deck. "Deck 12, Lower Pylon B, Section 22. Looks like there's an open sparring circle and work out facility. If that suits."
"That will suitable, I will see you there." Amy closing up the communication, setting off to that location. She arrived making her rounds in seeing the lay of the area. She had water as well as a towel to soak up the perspiration Amy knew she was going to have. She walked around a circuit to warm up, then began her stretching exercises. Trying to spar without properly warming up would cause a delay in any sort of preparation for the assignment.
Rhu put in a reservation to hold the sparring circle and stood. He changed into lightweight workout togs and grabbed a bag full of sparring kit from the bottom of the rooms closet. The place smelled faintly of ozone. The cleaning field that ran through the place when it was unoccupied was programmed to leave the tell-tale odor so occupants would know it had run. Looking around, he began thinking of steps they'd all have to take while using such accommodations for security. He had a slight awareness of spycraft but they'd all need a crash course.
Lastly, he took the A'kai and put it into a sheath in his left boot.
Arriving at the designated rec area, Rhu found their sparring circle, racked his duffle and began doing stretches of his own as he took in the area and Amy. "I brought pads if you like," he mentioned as he bent at the waist, slowly stretching his back. "How much contact do you like?"
"As in doing light contact sparring or, physical contact as either of us slamming each other down on the mats? I don't think either of us wants to give the local doctor some business as of yet. You and I need to explore how each other works fighting style right?" a pause, "What do you prefer?"
Rhu moved to a sitting position on the map, continuing to stretch as he replied, “Betezoid martial arts changed with the occupation. The primary method evolved through the eons as a method of staying in shape and using mental gifts to detect an opponents intentions and prior to the War, looked a great deal like a dance routine as sparring pairs intercepted thoughts prior to them being even attempted and taking up stances that would indicate the particular preparatory stance.
As he bent to touch his forehead to his knee, he continued, “The pairs would then push faster and faster, going from stance to stance until someone became distracted and within one or two strikes the match would end. It’s really based around concentration. With the occupation, we needed something that would let everyday items become weapons.
He retrieved his A’kai and held it up. These are old staff weapons, often handed down through families through centuries of use. They do make new ones but they’re master crafted.”
Rhu’s thumb found a slight depression and the hand length tube snapped open to a length of about two meters. Rolling back slightly, he twisted at the waist and came up to a half-kneeling position, the staff held across his body at a diagonal and he stood without pausing the movement. Then his hands took the staff and with a subtle movement, the staff split in two and he held batons in either hand.
Wordlessly, he reassembled the staff and collapsed it with a flick of his fingers and deposited it on the mat. “All forms are defined around that, even the open hands ones. The modernized kata emphasizes close in fighting, with strikes from knees, elbows, hands, feet, anything that can hit a soft spot. That’s where the real trick comes in, learning your enemies defenses and soft spots to try and deal with them quickly before the phasers come out.”
Smiling, he asked, “What forms do you prefer?”
"I am open to learning more forms. The ones I do like to use depending on the situation. Khoden Khan Karate which has a combination of some Krav Maga, Muah thay. Jiujustsu and Karate. I also like to utilize Atemi as well. Guess you might call my style as mixed. I also know how to knife fight and fence, and know some escrima." Amy giving a little bit of a shrug.
Rhu ran his eyes over the intelligence officer and said, "Perhaps we work from common ground then? We've both been through Fleet Less than Lethal training. How about, for this session, we work through those forms. Build from the common ground and then branch out in later sessions?"
A warm chuckle, as Amy gave a nod. "I am agreeable to that." She carried no weapons in her hands, as this was a sparring session, one of learning. Her stance was one of feet apart matching the width of her shoulders, her body weight balanced upon them.
Rhu matched her stance and out of habit, began leading them through the warm up moves for Fleet martial arts.
Rhu set his tray on the table, then slid into the booth, pivoting so his back was against the side wall and he stretched a leg up on the seat, using the table as an arm rest. He glanced over the snack-bar out of habit and then his eyes fell on Amy as she joined him. He'd decided to go with a small protein shake (bannana, chocolate and peanut butter) for recovery after their workout session. A burger place add had tempted him for later, so he'd go light for now.
"Good workout," Rhu commented as he picked up his shake. He adjusted the straw and tried to coax the shake out and then set it back down to thaw a bit more. "I used to be a TO for Fleet martial arts back on Star Base 284 in my youngster days. They wanted a telepath, even a poorly gifted one, for other telepaths to beat on. Makes things more even." He wrapped his hand around the shake to help it warm up. "Do you enjoy them or just one of those things you have to do...goes with the job kind of thing?"
The shake had started to loosen and he was able to coax some of the mixture through the straw as he looked at her.
Amy had on her tray, a frozen vanilla yogurt with brries on top, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. On the side she had four pieces of celery with cream cheese upon it. Her drink, a simple glass of water to prevent brain freeze. Before she answered Rhu, Amy had to have a bite of her yogurt, her eyes closing with the pleasure she had in the taste.
"MMm, its been way too long since I've had one of these." a light chuckle. Amy looking at Rhu. "A TO you say? It shows. As for me, I do enjoy the work outs, and the training. I could look at it as tedious but there are benefits as to having them." She propped her left arm upon the top of the table, eating her yogurt with her right, picking up a berry with her spoon. "Do you like doing them?"
He finally coaxed some of the shake up the straw and was rewarded by the slightly chunky mix. After swallowing, he said "I enjoy being done with them. The meditation and light form work gets me up and moving in the morning. But then I like my workouts fast and intense."
After more of the shake he chuckled, "Which goes for most of my relationships. How about you, Amy. I know what's in your file but I like to have an idea of my officers personal lives from their own mouths. Some things the files don't do justice too."
" I am not one to say I am an open book." Amy began, "Personal relationships? I'll have to figure that one out. Before I met up with Daynah and Rapp, I was on Vinderous III. I kept from making any close relationships. Couldn't be allowing any true attachments. Especially with the man who had been seeking a relationship with me." she took a bite of her sundae then continued. "Kept him at bay, poor man." giving a shake of her head. "My cover story was my having been a widow and stil in mourning for my husband. He actually was respectful of that, then... it was time to leave, and sadly the man's hoped for beginning of an intimate night... Went south. His date was killed by a wild animal." there was a flicker of regret coming from her, as she added, "Where he took me, an out of the way to their cottage of love, that was where I made my escape. Probably broke his heart but, that was the best time for me to leave. And maybe that wasn't exactly what you were asking for."
"Cottage of love sounds promising," Rhu said. "But yeah he's probably out there staring at the stars wondering what happened." Shrugging then he said, "It wasn't exactly defined, but it answers the question. Hard to have a relationship in some jobs. Especially when you take on so many roles you can forget who you are after a while."
"I kind of feel like I gave you a bit of an ambiguous answer." Amy giving a laugh. "The one thing that has helped, is that I got into acting when at a young age. I enjoyed it very much, Mom and Dad had been very encouraging in my interest in acting. They enjoyed the stage as well." Another bite of her sundae Amy continued. "As I got older it clicked, as to them introducing me to the family legacy, the family business. And it was something I liked. In fact, fresh out of the Academy, I got to work with my Dad and my brother, being part of a motley crew to garner information. That's just a tidbit of my past. I have had relationships but like you just mentioned, it is difficult to stay in a long term one. My mom and dad have been able sustain a good marriage. I had asked Mom and Dad just how they managed to stay married so long they just laughed and told me it was hard work, willingness to adapt, to grow and learn. Communication was also a key point as well."
Rhu nodded to show he was following along, picking through her wording as she explained about relationships and glossed over any that she might be participating in.
That was fair.
"Sounds about right," Rhu said as he worked at his shake, using the spoon like straw to extract the last bits from the bottom seam. "That covers pretty much any relationship from personal to professional," he confirmed. Pushing his now empty cup back, he stretched and said, "Personal relationships have never been easy for me," he said. Grinning he said, "When I was younger I wasn't interested in anything that would tie me down. Then I met Amanda and being tied down was one of the perks."
He smiled wistfully, looking into nowhere for a moment and shrugged, " They say all love is fleeting and to revel in it when you have it."
'"Amanda sounds like she was something special." Amy murmured softly "And yet the lingering thoughts of the one you truly love will never go away, and it shouldn't." One more spoonful was left of her sundae, scooping up the final part of her dessert, complete with the last berry. She placed her spoon down and using her index finger, Amy made certain to not leave any last drop of the sundae syrup. "Don't mind me, I can be a barbarian at times." giving a wink at Rhu. "When it comes to developing friendships do you have trouble with those as well?"
"Relationships all run along the same borders," Rhu said as he fiddled with his now empty glass. "All directed by trust. Friendships go in gradients. Just like loves. Sometimes we let work control us too much and it dictates to us. I have a few true friends. More decent friends and the rest are acquaintances." He met Amy's eyes and gave her a wink of his own. "Sometimes one person doesn't see the same thing but think they do. I know people that would be shocked to find out I wouldn't trust them with pouring pee out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel."
Amy laughed, "Oh I've known a few like that. And nice metaphor." not being put off by Rhu's example. Amy put down the now empty dish, gave a little bit of a stretch. "what are your plans for the rest of the day? My plans are to see if there is a small spa or even someone who can give a good massage. I could use one, I know how to give massages but... just to have someone work out the kinks would be wonderful. Definitely time to explore what the station has to offer. "
Rhu nodded at his intelligence officer and said, "That sounds like a good plan. I have a few things to see to myself and then I may seek some diversions." Standing, he bussed the table and said, "I'll be hosting a party for the crew at Neverwinter Nights later on around 1900 local time. I hope you stop by Amy."
"I will make certain that i do. Hopefully I won't get into too much mischief." giving a playful smile, Amy continued "enjoy yourself and see you at Never Winter." rising up from the table, "And thank you, this was fun."
END
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