Danger, Robinson!

Posted on Thu Apr 11th, 2024 @ 5:09am by Commander Naois Mercy MD & Lieutenant JG Toareth Rouen (née Darqa)

4,636 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Fortuna
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: A few hours after away team rescue

Still not sure how to inform his children their godmother would never come to visit again, Naois felt he needed some time by himself. He approached the holodeck controls and programmed a hiking simulation with many a steep climb or descent. "Computer, lower safeties to seventy percent," he ordered, not even conscious of the order as he added his security clearance to override the safety protocol. He needed the thrill, he needed the sensation of being alive. He didn't even realize he was falling into the same trap he had, when Valeia had died.

As he entered the holodeck, his clothes were changed into something more suitable for a hiking trail, along with the necessary gear to safely climb or descend. As he started the indicated trail, he left holodeck access open.

Toareth happened along soon after. Considering the hours of work, the recent conversation she had with her husband, and all the thoughts swirling about in her head, she needed some time for herself and blindly set about to the nearest holodeck. She did not even check the wall terminal to see if it was active or not. If it was, and had the settings been set to private, the doors would not have opened as they had. It was not until she was fully inside the holodeck, the door sliding closed that she realized a program was already running.

The scene was a lush and green mountainous landscape. It was also rocky. A well-travelled foot path gave her the indication that this was a hiking simulation. Someone was on walkabout. Looking the other direction, Toareth saw the trail extending back the other direction and she did not know if she was at the beginning of the simulation, the end, or somewhere in between. Nor was there any indication as to the whereabouts of the hiker.

Toareth stepped to the edge of the path and looked down a steep slope. "Computer what is the current safety setting?"

=^="Safety protocols are set to 70%."=^=

Toareth shrugged her brow. "Someone is in need of a little bit of a thrill." She went over the protocol settings in her head and remembered that 70% safety protocol would not allow injuries exceeding bone fractures. "Always easy to heal," and she set off on her own hike.

Happening upon a flat and fairly level clearing, Toareth ended her trek and stood in the middle of said clearing. Looking upon herself, wearing a black tank top and her usual black cargo pants, she decided her outfit was not quite meant for PT but would suffice with what she had in mind.

Toareth stepped back onto one foot, brought her other leg up, one hand balled and ready to strike out with the other ready as though to block a blow. She moved slowly and changed her stance. Placing her raised foot down, she turned, struck the air with her fist and swung her other arm around as though blocking. All the while, she maintained steady breathing and kept a steely focus about her face.

Within minutes, a somewhat disheveled looking XO came walking up the path. Initially he didn't seem aware of her but as he came closer, his focus seemed to shift. "Miss Toareth, what are you doing here?" He asked, unable to hide his surprise.

Toareth was in the middle of performing a slow kick into the air when she heard the XO arrive. She twisted her body, spun slowly and returned to a ready stance before snapping to attention.

"Apologies, sir," she said. "I wanted some holodeck time. The access was left open. I did not realize this was your program. Sir!"

"It is not necessarily my program," the first officer retorted somewhat awkwardly, "if it were I would have restricted access. Why are you battling an invisible opponent?"

"Oh, um..." Toareth broken from her attentive stance and looked around. "I am just practicing the Verelan Gek'Han Gen. It's a Romulan martial art," she explained. "It translates to mean 'Graceful Warrior Stance' and is the primary fighting style of the Qowat Milat sisterhood."

"I am not familiar with Romulan fighting techniques," the XO commented dryly, "only those of Vulcan origin that were necessary to me as a Vulcan. I am not a fighter." Yet if necessary, those that knew him well, knew he was a force to be reckoned with, especially when it came to defending his family. He brushed a strand of tangled hair from his face and studied the twig that came free. "Perhaps you could teach my son Delon, he is Romulan."

The offer intrigued Toareth. "I am by no means a master. Nor do I consider myself a teacher. But I would enjoy a partner. Besides, the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen is not really a fighting technique. You do not need to be a fighter to utilize it. It helps to center the mind and brings your thoughts into balance. It promotes calmness and peace of self. In a fight, however, it is primarily used to keep the odds equal, to exact the damage your opponent inflicts upon you. That is the way of the Qowat Milat."

"My godfather is Romulan, yet he never mentioned any of this to me," Naois commented dryly, "I wonder why. Even so, as a Romulan, I do think Delon may benefit from learning more. He needs all the guidance he can get on how to be who he is. There are things, I cannot teach him as I am Vulcan." He paused, offering an awkward smile. "Half-Vulcan," he corrected himself, not wanting to sell his Human father short.

"It is understandable that this was not mentioned to you. The Qowat Milat do not advertise themselves. They are generally cloistered and open only to those who seek them out and find them. They are unknown even to most Romulans. I found them because..." and Toareth could feel a pinch in her mind, behind and above her right eye. It already felt like a small migraine; one she could power through. "...because I was seeking answers and happened upon the Qowat Milat. If you feel Delon would benefit from my knowledge, I would be happy to make the time for him. The Verelan Gek'Ha Gen does require a partner after all," she finished.

"Please," Naois accepted the offer, "how different is it from the Vulcan training form Suus mahna? I do practice that."

"Very different," Toareth said immediately. "The Verelan Gek'Ha Gan is a mirroring of your opponent's maneuvers. If they strike with their right hand, you strike with your right hand. That may lead them to block with the left. Then you do the same. Again, this martial art is meant to keep the odds equal. If your opponent seeks to land a blow, they must be willing to accept one in return. If they seek to kill you, they must be willing to receive death in return. The Qowat Milat do not always seek victory. They bind their blades and skills only to lost causes. The Verelan Gek'Ha Gen is evident of that mindset."

"Ah..." Naois pondered on something. "Suus mahna is designed to overcome multiple assailants with little effort. I practice but I am not too adept. I am a healer, I try not to injure an opponent if I can avoid it. How would one he a victor with your technique?"

"As I said, the Qowat Milat do not seek victory. Should the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen prove to end your opponent and leave you as the survivor, then so be it. The only victory the Qowat Milat will seek, if this is to be referred to as victory, is if the opponent decides to stop fighting and walk away. The Qowat Milat, before a fight, like to say, 'Choose to live,' which is a shortened way of saying 'The path you are on has come to an end. Choose to live.' And the Qowat Milat hope that the opponent will choose to do just that." She let that sink in a short second before continuing. "As for injuring an opponent, with the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen, injury only comes if and when your opponent desires it."

"So you are saying a Qowat Milat will never cause injur" he arched an eyebrow at that. "How....illogical."

"They will not cause injury first," Toareth corrected. "They like to give their opponent the chance to walk away. Otherwise, violence ensues. Not all Qowat Milat will utilize the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen however. Those who do generally frustrate their opponents into walking away. It is a rather ingenious style. For combat and for personal centering and for inducing calm." Toareth thought briefly. "Then again, Romulans are not always logical."

"I can speak from experience that Romulans do not generally employ logic. My son deliberately does not. But I can also say that not all Vulcans do it either. I sometimes abandon logic in favour of a more emotional approach." He shrugged. "Perhaps we can measure the styles against each other?"

"That is the funny thing about logic. Sometimes a little bit of illogicalness is needed to learn what logic is. And sometimes, the best answer is a bit of illogicalness." She caught on to his desire to spar and stepped to a standard distance before him, assuming the same stance as he. "And you will see that as we compare styles. Because, the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen will have me mirror your maneuvers to the best of my ability. I have studied long and hard. My reflexes are well tuned. So, if it is your intention to land a blow, then be prepared to receive a similar blow at the same time."

"I am Vulcan," Naois replied simply. He had been trained in various forms of Vulcan martial arts since he was a child, to prepare him for the possibility of ritual combat. This had saved his life on one occasion even though it had left him critically wounded at the time because his opponent hadn't fought fair.

He tensed a little as he studied her, watching her mirror even the slightest of movements. This was certainly going to be different, he reasoned as he shifted his weight on the very last second, changing his move from trying for a jab to her chest into trying to sweep her feet from under her.

Toareth was quick on her reflexes. She learned long ago, from the Qowat Milat, that you never look your opponent in the eye, and leave your gaze there. Eyes have a way of misleading and betraying you. Always look at body posture and always look for where muscles appear to tense up. Doing so will always clue you in on your opponent's next move.

She saw the muscle in his arm lax a little. He was not going through with that jab to the chest. Toareth, in turn, decided to abort her, responsive, jab to his chest. He shifted weight and she did likewise, at about the same time. Romulans, like Vulcans, sometimes had minute and latent telepathic senses. And that was why the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen worked so well for them. Thankfully, El-Aurians were empathic, with slight telepathic senses that were near nonexistent but worked enough to allow her to mirror Naois' moves almost as quickly as he performed them.

Watching her, Naois put his foot back down, only to shift his weight and lash out with his non-dominant right foot, fully aiming to strike her in her side. It showed the usually pacifist Vulcan XO and counselor wasn't without skill, he just lacked the general showing of it.

Toareth likewise shifted weight and, similarly, brought up her right foot. She positioned her arms just as he did, for balance and for full force of the kick. There was one drawback of the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen though. If your opponent had a longer reach, more stamina, more strength, etc, then the technique was not always effective. The Verelan Gek'Ha Gen was more of a weapon wielding technique than anything else, but it sufficed in hand to hand combat too, at times.

This time though, Naois proved to have the upper hand with his taller frame, and therefore, longer reach. Toareth had to step in slightly as she realized what he was doing so that her kick would land a similar blow to him as his did to her. His musculature and his eyes proved he was committed to this kick. Toareth committed herself likewise, but, in order to extend her reach, she bent a little more, hoping for that additional inch. Her foot connected with his side with as much force as she could muster, given her stance. His foot found a home under her arm and amongst her upper ribcage and found that home with a force that made her lungs void all the air contained within.

He hissed painfully as her foot connected, though his expression was one of concern as he landed in a crouch, nursing his left side. "Are you alright" asked as he climbed back to his feet, still rubbing his left side. His concern was genuine, he wasn't going to do anything until he knew he hadn't actually hurt her.

Her breathing was labored as she strove to get her lungs back to working again. She pressed her left arm against her side. There was obvious damage, possibly a fractured rib. It was not a clean break. She had endured cleans breaks in her time. Taking deep breaths proved a little painful, but she hid it. She knew there was a growing bruise under her shirt. "I'm fine," she said. "That is the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen," she breathed; inhaled then exhaled both to work her lungs and to get through the pain in her side. "If you wish to land a blow, you had best be ready to receive a similar blow." She breathed again. "Illogical? Yes. But the battlefield is still equal. Agreed?"

"You are not fine," he countered, stepping closer to her. He could sense a certain determination however, so he nodded. "As equal as it is fair to be," he suggested, "however as I am Vulcan you must remember I have more stamina and strength than you do. I have no desire to cause further harm you you."

If he were any other person, Toareth would have regarded those words as arrogant and prideful. But he was Vulcan, spewing his Vulcan logic and truth. By his breathing and how he carried himself, she had inflicted very little injury to him in return; perhaps only a bruise. "It has been a while since I have sparred against a sentient opponent. I appear to be a bit rusty," she admitted hesitantly. Toareth wanted to continue. The exhilaration of sparring against another was nearly overwhelming, but the crack in her side prove to have more sway. Besides, she was sure more of that Vulcan logic and truth would flow forth from the XO.

Except his statement had been genuine, as a medical professional his concern was real. Studying her a few seconds longer, he gave her a solemn nod as he could sense her desire to continue. "But I will end this when I sense an increase of discomfort from you. I will not allow you to be harmed for my desire to learn or spar. Is that understood?"

Reasoning she did, he shifted a fraction, body tense as if to spring into action any second. Instead however, he waited to see if she would make a move instead.

Toareth lightly stepped around him. She kept her left arm pressed against her side. She had to protect that side but still had full use of her arm. Perhaps he would be unaware and find a strike from said arm a surprise. Time will tell, she thought. Her training with the Qowat Milat was not always Verelan Gek'Ha Gen. The primary drawback to that technique was when no one wanted to make the first move and she saw that Naois was doing just that; not wanting to make the first move.

Toareth tensed her left shoulder, brought that arm up a little as a means to feign a strike from said arm. But, stepping in with lightning speed, she thrust her right arm forward and, instead of a fist, formed her hand into a tight knife-hand with the point of it aiming for the pressure point where his left shoulder met his chest.

She was fast, he had to give her that! Naois side stepped, attempting to knock her hand aside and shove her past him at the same time. He was too slow however and he stumbled a few paces as her hand struck him. Still trying to use her momentum, he tried to trip her up instead. "You are good," he complimented, "very fast."

"30 Earth years aboard cramped transports with more than half the people being men, some of them wanting on one thing. Yeah, I learned long ago to be fast. Pressure point manipulation was one of the first bits of anatomy I ever studied." She was also impressed with his technique, his movements, his ability to trip up and reverse it in an attempt to send that misfortune on to his opponent. Toareth, saw it just as it was happening and adjusted to minimize any affect. "I can say the same about you, sir. Your style is not entirely Vulcan, therefore somewhat illogical. Illogical usually leads to unexpected things. And unexpected can always be an advantage," and she stepped forward quickly, hopefully catching him unexpectedly, with a left jab toward his face. That jab was meant to find nothing but air. Toareth used the momentum of that jab to start herself into a spin. Extending her right arm and aiming at about the same altitude, she was hoping for a right back-hand to the face. And, in case he saw and dodged that too, she raised her right leg as she spun on her left, bring her right foot up for a quick and successive spin kick.

He sensed more than saw the jabs, but as he focused on avoiding those, he noticed her leg too late. As he moved he aimed to ward off her kick with his arm but he was too slow for the full measure of the defensive move. Instead it caught him partially on his arm, partially on his chest and he was sent sprawling due to unbalanced footing. "My mother is Vulcan, my father is not and while a healer, he does know a thing or two about defending himself. My Romulan godfather also taught me a thing or two. The illogic is to attempt to combine them."

He grimaced as he crawled back to his feet, his bare arms showing the scrapes of where they had hit the rocky gravel. Gritting his teeth, he started to slowly circle her, looking for a weakness.

"That is one thing I have learned about Romulans during my decades and my travels," she said as she kept her eyes on his chest, looking for the first sign of his next move. "Violent? Yes. Illogical? Yes. But there is always something to learn from them, even when you think you know all about them."

Utilizing the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen again, she mirrored his move as he threw a jab. He threw a block of her responsive jab just as she blocked his. Again with a kick, which he deflected with his left arm as she did with hers, minutely exposing her sore ribcage which he did not take advantage of. Then, dropping the Verelan Gek'Ha Gen, she simply deflected a quick jab to the torso, which she realized he was never committed to. It was merely a thrown jab, probing her for an opening; any weaknesses.

Toareth, in turn, threw an inside lowkick toward his inner right thigh. With precise aim, striking both the Vulcan femoral artery and pressure point near the aforementioned artery would have double effect; reducing blood flow to the leg very briefly whilst also making said leg go numb for a few seconds. And, as expected, Naois positioned himself for her strike to hit only the artery and not the pressure point. He did not even try to block her kick. The result was him being barely effected. He was expecting it, at least drilled it enough to know what to do should someone attack thus.

This impressed Toareth a bit and she shuffled back a step or two awaiting his next move. As luck would have it, lack thereof more like, Toareth felt a pinch behind her right eye. She had always feared this happening at the worst possible time. At least this was a sparring session and not a real fight. This was no time for a migraine, she told herself, but also realized there was nothing to do about it. The initial seconds did not prove debilitating, so she decided to power through. Her right eye flinching was the only sign of the sudden handicap.

But as this was a sparring session, and knowing his opponent was hurt, for now Naois wasn't even using his full Vulcan strength. He did seem focused as he had parried a few moves that could've slowed him down, but his main focus was to cause no harm. As he watched her, he sensed a change in her focus, not knowing what exactly was going on.

He continued to circle her for a minute or so making sure they didn't get too close to the edge of the plateau they were on. He had seen the slope and was keen to stay clear of it despite this being a holographic setting. Unlike her however, his attire was meant for hiking, not sparring so he kicked off his heavy boots and pulled off his jacket. He never stopped moving but when he finally saw an opening, he shot forward in an attempt to take her down.

By this point though, that pinch behind Toareth's eye had turned into a ringing. The pain of the migraine was still minimal, but present. She was still able to power through it, but her attempt to do so, made her lose focus briefly enough to realize, all too late, that Naois had shot forward toward her. In that second, Toareth actually lost all focus and, through what it felt to be some extra-dimensional sensory realization/response, she bent to the side, brought a foot up, grabbed his arm to help him along with wherever he was going. She used the foot she brought up and shot it around behind him, striking the Popliteal fossa to trip him up, pulled him along in his forward direction, then allowed herself to start into a controlled fall to the ground.

Through a pinpoint of awareness, Toareth remembered they were sparring on a plateau of sorts and realized she had used his momentum against him to send him on toward a steep slope. She was not even thinking about this being the holodeck, nor of any degree of safety measures that were in place. She, as instantly as she touched ground, rolled over her bruised and sore ribs, completely ignoring whatever pain that happened forth, and reached out with her right hand hoping to grab whatever of him she could, hoping to prevent him from a rapid descent.

As soon as she used his momentum against him, Naois realized his mistake. However as he was already airborne, he saw the edge of the plateau come closer and closer. Frantically, he tried to shift himself mid-air and make for any handhold he could find as his body touched ground and rolled forth. He could feel the ground disappear beneath him, the sharp edge scraping against his torso.

His body slammed against the slope as something caught hold of his sleeve and for once he was grateful for actually wearing something with long sleeves. His breath was expelled with force, leaving him gasping for air as he tried to claw himself back up and failing because he couldn't find anywhere to put his feet. "Some help....." he breathed, begging for assistance yet not knowing in what condition his sparring partner was currently presiding. Not knowing the extend of her injury and the pain it caused him. His own fear was preventing him from sensing it.

Toareth reached forth with her other arm, ignoring the pain in her side, and also got a hold of him. He did ask for some help, so..."It is my professional opinion, Sir, that we both brush up on our abilities before trying this again. Computer," she called out, "create rocky outcropping, a sturdy one, beneath the feet of Naois Mercy."

As she touched him, pain soared through his torso as if it was his own and it nearly caused him to let go. Then he felt something appear under his feet which offered support. "I agree," he managed after finding his feet and using the new ledge to help draw himself up to the plateau. "Perhaps a visit to sickbay first," he offered, rubbing his scraped chest. "You are more injured than you led me to believe. Had I known, I would have ended the session."

"Then I supposed your own professional opinion might align with mine;" Toareth could feel herself wanting to rebel violently against this admission, but, "that I might need realize my own pride and shortcomings." She looked over at her satchel on the ground. "I have a personal regenerator; not synched with the ship's computer. We can keep our injuries off our respective profiles."

"I am a doctor, of course it aligns," the Vulcan countered, then frowned. "Do you require healing often, that you wish to keep injury from your records? Even though a thorough scan would show them, regardless of age?" While occasionally very reckless on a holodeck, and aware of said dangers, Naois clearly disapproved of keeping things from medical.

"I sometimes find myself needing to heal often. Mostly healing others, not often myself. And, in my travels, I have come across many who wished to remain anonymous, to not have their medical history stored in a computer database somewhere," she explained. "Therefore, I like to keep an unsynched tricorder and regenerator with me wherever I go." But they did not need to be anonymous. And both of their records were contained within the database. Most of Toareth's record at least, not all of her history was contained within. Besides, she felt there was not really any need for anyone to ever know about their failed sparring session on the holodeck. Still, he was right. "Just trying to spare us a trip to Sick Bay is all, sir."

"You may use it, but we will file the injury," he decided, unwilling to hide his own error. He knew lowering the safeties as he had was dangerous, he knew what problems it had caused him a few years ago and what it might cause now. "At least mine, as a healer, you will report it." Hers might just not have been prevented even with regular safeties as they were the results of personal, not holographic, contact.

Toareth used a little bit of Vulcan logic to decide that, "we shall both go to Sick Bay then," because anyone could see that she was also on the holodeck during the time he had acquired his injuries. Questions would certain be asked. They could be explained away with relative ease, but she would rather not have them to begin with. Toareth worked herself into a kneeling position and offered a hand to help him up.

Reaching out with his right -bionic- hand, he accepted the hand up. "Computer, end program," he announced and they went on their way.

 

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