Back In The Zone

Posted on 10 Feb 2015 @ 11:37am by Captain Jonathan Holliday

1,172 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 5 - Holodeck Two
Timeline: MD45 : 0600 hrs

[ON]

The ship was eerily quiet - most of the crew spending their final day on shore leave enjoying the comforts of the starbase, knowing that shortly they would return to the cold embrace of space, and their mission to explore the strange, the unknown, and the incredible.

Holliday, true to form, had chosen to remain aboard his ship - his connection to the collection of bulkheads, conduits and cabling becoming stronger ever day that he stood in command of the tiny Nova-class. With the ship deserted, he had chosen to taken some personal time, and stepped from the turbolift into the surroundings of deck 5.

Taking a look around, the Captain sighed in relief as he found no sign of any of his crew. Having chosen to forego his usual duty uniform, John instead had clad himself in a simple white dogi, fastened with a white belt, and in his right hand, the black scabbard of his favourite weapon - the katana itself safely hidden inside until he reached his destination.

The turbolift had deposited him mere metres from the holodeck, and with a few short paces he found himself outside the large metallic doors.

"Computer. Access my personal database - load sparring program Holliday Echo Four."

The computer bleeped for a moment before the display indicated the program was ready, and the doors slid open to welcome the Captain inside. Obliging, he stepped into what had until just a few moments ago been a blank holodeck to instead find a simple white room, clad with protective matting on the floor, and little else.

Waiting until the doors closed behind him, John tentatively slid the katana from it's usual home, taking a moment to look at the blade in his hand. It had been a long time since he had been given the opportunity to practice his swordplay - so long in fact he may not have had the time to do so aboard the Galileo.

Taking a breath, he brought the blade to a vertical position, touching the cool blunt side against the end of his nose and breathing in deeply. For that moment he was nothing more than a man. The trappings of rank and station simply melted away, the captain's pips on his neck missing, the ship around him now nothing but a memory.

With a few short sharp strokes, he began his old training routine, the thin blade slashing through the air in front of him with a satisfying crunch. Muscle memory took over, as he followed each step with the next, feeling his muscles moving on their own knowing the forms they should follow, and knowing the way his limbs should coordinate - it was if he had never stopped his studies.

Still his eyes remained closed, as his naked feet moved across the mat with an almost silent embrace, the light pitter-pat all that could be heard as he followed each step with another, and another, and another.

With one last satisfying swipe, he stilled his blade, and his feet, listening only to his heart beating inside his chest, and reverberating in his ears - he felt alive.

Opening his eyes, the captain brought his feet back together, and allowed the blade to come to rest alongside his foot, the tip just touching the matting and resting gently in his grip.

"Computer...a sparring partner if you please?"

A few moments passed before the holoemitters caught up to his command, and a figure wearing traditional kendo armour appeared before him, holding a katana of it's own. Nodding to his holographic adversary, the Captain raised his blade into the ready position, and waited.

It didn't take long for the hologram to make the first move, jutting forward with a blow that took little for Holliday to parry, before following up with a few more simple thrusts that did little more than allow John to practice his basic guards.

Taking the initiative, on the final thrust, John pushed the opposing blade to the side, and stepped forward with one foot, letting loose a flurry of his own strikes which again the hologram brought it's blade up in defence against.

The sound of metal on metal filled the air as the two opponents grunted and stepped around one another - outside competition rules, the sport could be as ruthless as any other, and John had always preferred it this way. The holodeck safeties might have been on, but it still felt more real than any competition match could ever have felt.

"Computer!! Increase difficulty!"

Holliday barked at the program - watching as the hologram became more proficient in a matter of seconds, pushing the Martian onto the defensive, and quickly backtracking towards his starting position.

John grunted with effort as sweat began to pour down his forehead from the concentration involved. Eventually though, he got back onto an equal footing and returned with a few swipes of his own that he had hoped would catch the hologram by mistake.

Deciding to improvise, Holliday fell back on his other passion, kenpo, and waited for his opponent to strike forward once again. Allowing his own blade to fall from his hand onto the cushioned mat, John grabbed his opponent's forearm, turning to bring his back to bear against the hologram, before using his body weight to pull the opponent from the floor, and over his shoulder, yelling with effort as he slammed the projection into the floor.

The hologram did nothing to respond, instead it quickly picked itself up, and grabbing the previously discarded blade that Holliday had dislodged in the fall, returned on the attack. Holliday barely had time to grab his own weapon from the floor to block the strike.

Flurry after flurry from each of the two combatants rained down on one another's defences, John becoming more and more exhausted with every sequence. Eventually, he decided to go all in, and with little to lose, let out a beast-like yell as he advanced on his opponent.

Blow after blow rained down on the hologram as he came under more and more pressure from the ship's captain. Like an animal possessed, John pushed his opponent further back towards the far wall, eventually coming the point where his target's back rested against the holodeck wall. With one last blow, John took a swipe at his opponent's head, hitting not only the hologram, but piercing the holodeck wall as well.

After a moment the holodeck fizzled and whined, before the projection failed completely, leaving the black and yellow markings of the walls visible, except for the section cleanly sliced through by Holliday's blade.

Panting, the Captain did not realise what he had done for a moment, before looking up awkwardly at the disfigured holodeck. Taking a moment to get his composure, he padded over to the exit, and tapped on the comm panel.

=^=Holliday to Engineering - Mr Kita...I think I need a maintenance team to Holodeck Two.......=^=


[OFF]


CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

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