STF

New beginnings - Holodeck 2

Posted Feb. 17, 2019, 10:15 a.m. by Lieutenant Julien Smith (Doctor) (Julia Hager)

snip
Julien nodded. “Very well.” he said and they started on their trek to Holodeck 2 that was - surprisingly - free.

In the corridor Julien vamped up his auditory receptor in his right ear to listen if anybody was anywhere close, but nobody was.
“How good are your senses?” he asked in a very low voice, barely audible.

  • Julien Smith, doctor

“Ears at Vulcan standard, nose at least six times better attenuated and the fur helps detect movement somewhat. Add a mobile spine that I can whiplash and binocular vision that works best at speed and I’m a holy terror… bones are a bit weaker than humanoid norms though, more like a birds, hollow, for lightness and mobility… and yes I’m telling you this so you don’t break any” Stark replied in his own low whisper.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Julien nodded with an appreciative side-glance at Stark. “Very good.” he said in a whisper. “We will be able to communicate in a very low voice. And no worries, after a few initial unfortunate accidents when I got my android parts, I’ve learned to level the strength I put behind a movement.”

They reached the holodeck and Julien started his simulation of the human colony. He already had a very good idea where Stark would be better than him. Speed had never been his forte, due to the immense weight of his right body half and the imbalance it caused which he had to constantly level out.

They entered a landscape that looked a bit like Vulcan, only there were more sunburnt trees between the rocks that dotted the landscape like sharp teeth reaching upwards. In the distance there was a proper jungle-like forest and a mountain range. The sky had a weirdly purple colour and next to the sun was a small moon.
It was hot and the air was very dry. A slow breeze was cooling things down a little though and forming tiny swirls of red sand here and there. The wind in the few trees around and an occasional bird voice was all there was to be heard.

Julien suddenly wore a warrior’s outfit, black cargo pants, boots, a black shirt and a black protective vest. His leather bealt had a hoster with a Mekleth in it. Next to them a wooden rack appeared. It held the same gear for Stark and two Batleths. Julien took one of them and warmed himself up by moving it in a sort of Katana, a series of studied movements. It was apparent that he was very familiar with the weapon.
He breathed in the air deeply and a slight smile appeared on is face. There was a subtle change to the way he moved and expressed himself.

“Let’s get warm with the program first, shall we? Please feel free to use any weapon you like, I don’t know your preference. I do prefer my real Batleth, but I couldn’t bring it. Why would a doctor have a Batleth? I miss it though, this holostuff is just not the same. MIne is perfectly balanced out for myself.” he said and there was an undertone of eagerness in his voice.

  • Julien

Stark dressed as he talked seemingly flowing into his clothes with sinuous grace. “I normally use claw extensions” he said conversationally practicing using a low tone “but these will do nicely” he said picking up two Mekleth. He started to warm up by systematically turning a nearby tree into a bonsai with a flurry of flowing strokes. “T’Pon’s training regimen” he said deprecatingly, “She likes to multi task”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Julien’s right eye watched appreciatively how fast Stark was while he finished his series of movements. “Computer start program, two players” he said.

In the distance a horn sounded, it was an eerie, foreboding tone. Then two Klingons, armed with Batleths, appeared from behind a large boulder some 30 meters away and came charging at them in a run, Batleths raised and roaring.

Julien turned towards them, broadened his stance and let them come, Batleth held at his side with two hands as if he was at ease. His eyes looked eager and there was a light smile on his lips, of which he was probably not even aware.

  • Julien

Stark analysed the Klingon’s run and Julien’s stance adjusting his position to not get in the way. Game plan was to leave Julien centre stage and perform hit and run attacks himself to harry and put down the Klingons.

He whispered “Should the option present itself we should try to learn to work in tandem, with your strength and my agility we have options we wouldn’t have alone. Feel free to toss me”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO (and honorary dwarf, don’t tell the elf)
OOC: hhheeeeehehehe

That comment actually surprised Julien, right in the moment the first Klingon reached him with a raised Batleth. Julien just barely managed to raise his Batleth in time to deflect the blow and then got in one more move which was stepping to the right side from which the second Klingon was approaching, effectively putting the second one in front of the first one, so he would only have to fight one at a time.

The move wasn’t as fast as Stark’s movements by far, but Julien had learned to fasten his moves by using the momentum of a swing and he had been swinging his Batleth in a roundhouse swing towards the second Klingon. The moment their Batleth’s met, the second one stumbled back two steps, into the range of the first one, by the sheer force of Julien’s blade.

While Julien tried to regain his firm stance towards the new trajectory, the two Klingons refocused as well, one focused on Julien, the other one on Stark.

  • Julien

Stark bolted forward and used momentum to throw himself onto his back sliding on the floor face up. His mekleth’s were aiming for a place that the majority of humanoid males would instinctively protect. He held no illusions that his strike would land, they would block, instinctively, they would see him prone on the floor and again, instinctively come for him, and it would be that instinct that would be their downfall as they momentarily forgot Julien who would have a clear path to their heads. It was a move he would only make when partnered with someone trusted and here and now was the place to test that trust.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

He was spot on in his prediction as to their reaction, both Kingons looked down, but one had stepped away from the other again.

Julien saw his chance and made a forceful round swing that put both of the Klingon’s throats in its wake. He slit the first Klingon’s throat efficiently, but the second blocked Julien’s blade with his just barely in time, while unsheathing a Mekleth with his other hand.
Julien knew from the Klingon’s position and trajectory, his only feasible goal would be Stark, so he stepped in and blocked the Mekleth whith his hand before it could come down on Stark.

It was his right hand so he felt no pain as the Mekleth bit into the artificial skin on his android hand. A minor damage, easily repaired. But he was now locked down with both arms, keeping both blades at bay while in the distance a third Klingon was approaching.

  • Julien

  • Julien

The second Klingon was effectively blocked, Stark was down but far from out. A caitian on it’s back has many options and one that had studied capoeira extensively has even more. Stark scissored his legs flicked his spine into a half moon and launched off the floor spinning around Julien’s locked arm using the two bodies as momentum he aimed one mekleth for the Klingon’s throat and the other for the shoulder. Sailing up and over the black streak attempted to take the throat and use the other blade to launch through the air feet first at the oncoming Klingon behind it’s fellow.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Both blades met their mark swiftly and unerringly and the approaching Klingon stumbled and fell, clutching the blade sticking out of his chest. HIs momentum made him slide over the sandy floor directly before their feet as Julien stood up straight again. In the ensuing calm, Julien gave Stark an appreciative look full, his mismatched green eyes were sparkling.

“This is fun!” he said, as they heard the next pair of footsteps. Twenty minutes or so later, the program beeped, ending the level. They were both pretty drenched in Klingon blood and had left a trail of dead bodies between the spikey boulders, severed limbs and other gruesome sights that didn’t seem to register to Julien at all.

Julien pulled out a swath of fabric and started cleaning his blade. It was a holographic blade, but Stark got the distinct feeling he was watching an almost unconscious ritual. There was a satisfied almost happy gleam in Julien’s eyes as he was wiping his blade, sweat geaming on the left half of his face.
As Julien realised that this was not his real blade and that the sequence of this level was over, he quickly chucked the fabric away and made the Batleth disappear, focusing on Stark.
They had danced gracefully, well mostly Stark had, he he had just done his thing, but they were such different fighters with such different strengths that they were a perfect team. Stark had exactly what Julien was missing, and that in abundance.

“This was a great workout, I think we would do well in a real fight.” he said to Stark.

  • Julien Smith

“Indeed” Stark said his dark eyes afire with a predators instincts. He took a deep breath to lower his adrenalin to manageable levels for speech stretching for battle mode into relaxation mode fluidly as only a Caitian could. “It would be worth working on some set pieces for certain situations, I admit to being excited about some of the manoeuvres we could achieve as a team harnessing our different skills”.

Julien nodded. “Yes, I’m all for it, there are quite a few possibilities. For example you could jump up via my right hand onto my right shoulder and pounce from there.” he held out his right hand at the height of his hip and made an upwards motion.

After a moment of surveying the wreckage around them with appreciation he looked up and asked “Do you mind if I ask a personal question?”

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Julien nodded. “Sure, ask me anything, you’re one of the very few people I can actually talk openly with.” he said.

  • Julien

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