Posted by Civilian Kara Nakuto (Engineer (Consultant Researcher - Yellow)) in New Lessons (tag Nakuto)

(snip)

Casela took note of the room, and later would be able to recall the details with scary accuracy. She too liked to be close to her work. Quarters on the residential deck had too much noise, too many people passing by, and kept her awake and listening. Too many years spent in locations that were not safe, and you always slept with both eyes open and a weapon in your hand. The room was stark by normal standards, but more comfortable than what Casela was comfortable with. The shelf of trinkets made her smirk softly. She had such a similar shelf, and respectfully did not comment on it. The taprestries were elegant and of fine quality. Worthy of Lazol’s standard. They were a frivolous luxury that Casela had not earned the right to possess in her lifetime, yet. That was the whole purpose of this training, to get her ready to do what needed to be done. Ryder had mentioned getting her ‘home comforts.’ She’d thought the idea sweet but what did she really need like that. Looking around Kara’s room it wasn’t a matter of need, but memories, inspiration. She wondered if she could get a tapestry of the Great Fire.

With a wide grin spreading across her features, she drew an imaginary circle around the space with her blade, before commenting, “There is clearly insufficient space for us to train within my quarters. But fear not, Counselor. I know the perfect place.”

And then once again they were on the move, Kara quickening her pace as she dove back into the corridor and down past the main laboratories. This time, when they finally stopped, it was at the threshold of a much larger, and much more impressive, door emblazoned with the words “Anomaly Experimentation Facility - Area IV”.

“My previous experiment was concluded and packed away this morning,” Kara declared by way of explanation, “so you will find the space clear of any undesirable obstacles or equipment. Or any anomalies,” she added with a wink. Entering her personal access codes into the wall terminal released the outer doors and revealed a small antechamber into which she quickly stepped inside, before motioning for Casela to join her. Once both women had crossed the threshold, the outer doors sealed shut and red, emergency lighting blinked into life.

Casela followed her in with a laughed, “Well, learning to use the mek’leth while attempting to contain a yellow level anomaly would certainly put my skills to the test, Kara.”

No more than six feet in width, the walls of this chamber were covered with a variety of terminals and digital readouts, most of them currently displaying a default, home screen message:
“Warning - This is a Yellow level secure area. Yellow level protocols must be followed at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or loss of life.”

For a moment, Kara fell into silence, brown eyes studying the other woman under the dim, blood-red lights. Then gently, she reached out and placed a hand on Casela’s left arm.
“You may find the conditions inside a little jarring at first. But do not be alarmed. You will acclimatise quickly.”

And then before she could rethink her course of action, Nakuto released the main doors and slipped smoothly into the experimentation area, taking full advantage of the lowered gravity to turn somersaults around the vast, cavernous space.

• Kara Nakuto (Consultant Researcher)

Casela was intrigued. Kara felt the need to warn her and that peaked her interest. There wasn’t much that surprised Casela these days, even on the flagship of the ARU. She stepped in, felt the change in gravity and swallowed the bile attempting to escape through her mouth. She moved, more cautiously than most. ‘Alright, Casela, it’s not too bad, this is NOT zero-Gs, just lighter gravity. Like bouncing on a trampoline. You are not going to loose your lunch in here. Focus.’ She remembered T’Jal setting the environmental controls of the dojo to similar settings. Claiming you never knew what the fighting environment would be like. Casela, for all the things she’d endured, had no stomach at all for zero-Gs and anything similar to it, she got sick. Oh T’Jal would laugh at her now. F’actar would probably lower the gravity even more, just to make her fight while hurling at the same time. She took a deep breath and pushed off, taking advantage of the lighter gravity to move with more speed an agility than she normally had, focusing, for the moment, until oriented, on her center of gravity and moving around it, rather than against it.
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

Settling herself into a comfortable stance, Kara smiled as she watched Casela in the lowered gravity. As the other woman would have quickly realised, the effect was not so pronounced as to allow extended time off the ground, but instead provided a noticeable lightness in the step and the ability, with practice, to jump several feet. However, it also served as a counterbalance to aggression, the force required to wield a weapon against standard atmospheric friction was in this room greatly reduced. Meaning that every swing, every stroke, required the ultimate measure of discipline and control.

Nakuto waited patiently until Synthi-er also had come to a halt, then moved to face her and offered a traditional bow.

Casela didn’t spend a lot of time getting used to the lower gravity and quickly came to a stop. She turned and bowed respectfully to Kara. The skill and familiarity with the tradition showing spent a lot of time with this tradition.

“I am unfamiliar with your methods for warming up before combat,” she began, assuming a stance parallel to, and several feet away from, the Counselor, “so I hope you will not object to me using my own methods. It is important, in the traditions of both my mother and my father, for the mind and the body to be equally prepared. So for a few moments, I would ask you to close your eyes, relax your body and concentrate on both your physical and spiritual awareness. Become connected to your surroundings, the feel of the ground beneath your feet, the coolness of air as it enters through your nose, nourishes your body and then dissipates through your mouth. Take the mek’leth into your dominant hand and become accustomed to its width, to its weight. Then shift it to your other hand and measure it the same. This weapon, it is no longer separate from you. When you choose to wield it, it becomes a part of you. It is an extension of your arm. Another digit on your hand. It is controllable by your thoughts the same as all other limbs on your body.”

This was a familiar ritual to her as well. She closed her eyes taking in her surroundings, the smell, the feel, the sounds, the telepathic feel of the room. She weighted the mek’leth in her hand and then the other. When it came to weapons, Casela didn’t have a dominant hand. T’Jal, F’actar, and Jake all made sure of that. She could fight with either hand, both or just one. The feel of the mek’leth was strange, it was a weapon she wasn’t familiar with. Eyes still closed she moved her arm feeling the weight of the weapon, adjusted her grip several times, deciding what was best comfortable and natural and then she switched hands.

The half-Klingon fell into silence and, for several moments, concentrated on her own preparation, allowing space for Casela to do the same. Then once she felt ready, Nakuto opened her eyes and waited for Synthi-er to follow.

• Kara Nakuto (Consultant Researcher)

Casela found that calm center, created by the intense training of her mentor and honed in the fires of a living hell. It washed over her and sliding on like armor that was not a second skin, but the embodiment of herself. She opened her eyes at the same time as Kara, calm, centered, aware, and ready. She didn’t change her position, she didn’t shift her weight, but she was ready to move in a moment to react, to either an attack or a lesson.
Lt Synthi-er, CNS