Getting Smoked (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on 03 Apr 2022 @ 1:26pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Commander Marisa Wyatt & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Lieutenant JG Tris Shizn & Lieutenant JG Karras & Ensign Mimi & Ensign Amanda Turell
Edited on on 03 Apr 2022 @ 1:29pm

4,014 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 5, Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 06, 0641 hrs

Previously, on Getting Smoked (Part 3)...

The kind of cockroach that Sofie felt like was not the Cardassian kind but the dead kind, flipped over with their legs all splayed out. The kind of cockroach that didn't want to be here anymore and certainly couldn't imagine keeping going for another five minutes. She meekly tried to follow the actions but any notion of pace or actual proper execution had vanished from her long ago.

Amanda's legs were keeping up but her arms were another matter, she'd taken to only doing 45 seconds of 'cycling' and was seriously considering lessening even that. The grinding sound from her shoulder was getting louder.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Five More Minutes Later...

"...4...3...2...1...and stop!" Blake let her legs drop, her feet planting on the ground and her arms out to either side as she sucked in a few long but controlled breaths. She lifted her hand, using the band at her wrist to pass over her face with a smile, shaking her head. "Take a quick rest; I'd suggest you get some water into you..."

Karras collapsed, officially 'feeling it'. He really wanted water but he wanted to just lay there and not move a little bit more.

Aria rolled onto her front, catching her breath before she got up. She walked over to get some water, taking a little sip before pouring some in her hand to rub over the back of her neck. "Mm..." she looked at Blake, shaking her head, before winking.

Mimicking the XO's motions, Tarin dropped her appendages to the ground then grunted. Ten minutes. Her shoulders, abs and legs were burning from lactic acid buildup. She closed her eyes and breathed at a controlled pace to alleviate the very uncomfortable sensations. Eventually she opened her eyes and slowly sat up, then rose to her feet to procure her water bottle. "Well done," she remarked to the other officers. It hadn't been an easy or pleasant exercise. Credit was due.

Marisa was focusing intently on getting through the exercises and not being noticed. She resented the acting captain on multiple levels. Tarin didn't understand the psychological impact her actions had and would continue to have on the crew and she was clearly incompetent as a leader. But she had been put in charge, and Marisa was going to follow orders and do her job. But she was going to keep a written log of everything that wasn't classified. When this round ended, she stretched out her muscles and waited.

Amanda sat up immediately, flexing her shoulders groaning as they popped and ground, gradually she got to her feet quite unsteadily as the blood rushed back into her long legs. She was regretting not bringing a pain hypo with her.

Panting surprisingly heavily Mimi splayed her limbs out to the side and lay there for a few moments before getting to her feet. "That was certainly..... different." She remarked as she went for some water.

The Andorian’s limbs collapsed to the deck, while his antenna flopped back on his head as he panted. Tris was so, so grateful for his cooling suit. He wondered if he should lower it a few degrees more to help with his aching muscles.

While that had not been that difficult an exercise for Allyndra she felt dizzy as she regained standing on her legs. "Pardon, captain, I need to drink something more than water."

A nod of acknowledgement was given by Tarin towards the winged-doctor. The group was roughly an hour into their training session with several more exercises to go. It was going to be a long morning for those not accustomed to the routine. Which most likely meant everyone, aside from the select few who appeared to be handling themselves well.

Allyndra did exactly that. She got some very sugary water but then in front of everyone she ordered a glass of type O negative and swiftly downed it. Most of the others knew her particular predilection, but it was more for the captain. None the less, it was just what she need, as she felt the rush of the sugar first. The rest would give her a bit of the protein later.

Sipping at her own water Amanda watched with a wide range of feelings as Allyndra ordered blood from the replicator and downed it, she'd met species that liked really odd things to drink but she'd never one that drank blood before, at least that wasn't fictional.

Tris limped over to the container he had brought with him. Opening the wide mouth lid, he began to take mouthfuls of crushed ice and swallowed it as quickly as he could. He needed the water, but mostly needed the cooling from the inside out.

Glancing at the chronometer on her PADD, Morgan stretched her hands down to her toes to loosen her hamstrings. When she stood, she pushed some of her stray dark hair back behind her ears then approached the first officer and the rest of the cadre with preparations to start a new exercise. "Everyone back in running formation," she ordered. "We're doing speed running. One minute at full sprint followed by two minutes of walking recovery. Six sets."

Blake nodded as she moved back into line, trying to get the pattern set in her head, a touch concerned that she'd lose count at somepoint and get it the wrong way around. She figured she'd face that bridge if they came to it, bending her knees slightly, getting comfortable in a stance that was ready to *run*. "Set...go!" she launched forward, her body moving with the efficiency of someone who was well practiced.

Karras regretted not grabbing a drink, but the rest had still been beneficial and it felt good to run again. He went full out, quickly speeding to the front of the group, though he suspected someone might take the lead from him. That was fine, but he would make them work for it.

Allyndra winked at Mimi. "Shall we show the humans how it is done?" She knew the Nekomi would out sprint her to start but she was going to give it a darn good try. She figured by the sixth set she would have the advantage. She did not say anything further but took several deep breaths and stretched her long legs. Flying would be so much easier but it was not task at hand. She could feel the air flowing through the lungs, into the air sacs and out, all three hearts working together. Normally the flight hearts would be handling just the respiration from lungs to flight muscles with the central heart everything else, but with the flight muscles not being used the extra circulation would shunt to the general circulation. Unlike the previous run, this time she was really trying.

Mimi laughed for a moment before adjusting to her digitgrade stance and setting off in pursuit of Allyndra, finally getting to run at a speed more suitable for her species. Within a few seconds she had overtaken all the other officers and was alongside Allyndra a moment later.

Tris had gotten to his feet a bit slower than he liked. It seemed like every muscle in his body ached, but he moved to running formation. It was odd to him, as he began to run and then sprint, he was able to keep up with the others. He had focused his mind on the intended result. The pain seemed not to fade, but just not matter so much.

Aria rolled her shoulders, taking a deeper breath. She was getting tired, but sprinting? She could do this. She was fast, it was one of her...talents. But she knew she, as a human, would not be standing a chance record-wise against some of the others here. But it would be good.

Marisa said nothing as she got into position, but she was definitely going to have a talk with Commander Blake at the first opportunity.

Allyndra glanced over as Mimi caught up. As for herself she just leaned and begin to run slightly differently. She did not use her wings, but due to her lighter structure for flight, she could bound almost like an Earth gazelle. She would push off with a thrust, glide in the air a few feet forward, use the impact and recoil to help push the next bound. While she would prefer to fly, this was the next best thing.

In a matter of five seconds, Tarin accelerated to full sprint speed. Her long legs methodically pumped in rapid succession while she cornered one of the track's curves. The increasing airflow pushed her loose ponytail behind her head and was joined by the sound of self-generated wind flowing across her ears. She kept her knees high and extended her stride to achieve max velocity. Morgan lifted her chin to focus on the upcoming quarter-mile markers along their oval route. Her arms pumped in conjunction with her lower body. After twenty seconds, she curiously swiveled her head to observe the positions of the other runners. Especially that of her XO.

Aria too started sprinting, focused ahead of her. She kept focused, making sure her foot landed directly under her centre of mass. She kept her strides long too, although even running fast she had her height against her. And, some would argue, her species.

Tris was at a fully engaged run. Every bit of his stamina was involved, but he noticed that he was falling back. His position was approaching the rear of the group. His mind then trailed off with the thought of what was physically taking place on the holodeck. This group of officers were running at a very fast pace, but somehow not going anywhere. They were all still on the holodeck. A minute or so of thinking through the engineering requirements for this to take place, he realised that nothing in his body hurt, while still running at this high rate with the others. This possibility of ‘mind of matter’ brought a smile to his face.

Blake had her eyes straight ahead, tunnel vision as she just ran. And she laughed. Despite being on duty, despite training, Blake actually laughed as she sprinted hard, relishing the burn in her chest and the singleminded burst of energy. "And....walk it off!" she called out, having to adjust the centre of weight as she pulled up to a walk.

Aria slowed down to a stroll, breathing hard as she ran her hands over her face and then reached to re-tie her hair into a ponytail, her eyes ahead. She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling with it. She looked around at the others, smiling to herself. Not bad, not really. She was happy with her own performance.

It had been too short. Mimi had beaten her on this go around. The Nekomi she knew was built for sprinting. The gazelle leaping though had been fun, almost flying. Allyndra might try adding just a touch of the wings, making the leaps go further. A quick shot of more sugar water though was in order first.

"Not bad Allyndra." Mimi remarked as she slowed to a walking pace.

Tris had slowed down with the others. His chest was heaving, trying to get more oxygen. The pounding inside was now ringing in his ears. Every part of him ached, but he kept walking. He knew it would help.

Hands on her hips, Morgan slowly walked with the rest of the group while she caught her breath and tried to cool down. Perspiration pooled on her forehead, slowly dripping down the thin bridge of nose. It'd been a welcome surprise to see the doctor and deputy operations manager run with such quickness and vigor. It appeared they enjoyed this exercise, and probably weren't the only ones. Tarin approached Blake then walked closely beside her. "Having fun?" she discreetly grinned.

Blake's hands were on her hips as she chuckled softly, hoping the gleam in her eye wasn't too obvious as she glanced across to her. "That would make me a masochist. But that's not a no..."

"Captain, if I may." Allyndra asked of Tarin. "Since this exercise is not the most difficult for some of us, and idea. What if say I and perhaps Mimi if she is willing, play hound and hare. We are the hares. The hounds, the rest run after us, until they tire, then the next set. Eventually if the hares tire the hounds will catch."

Morgan rolled her eyes at the suggestion. "Stop showing off, doctor," she lightheartedly reprimanded. "You two are fast. Maybe too fast. I want to see you both run faster. This isn't an endurance exercise. In our next set, show me your top speed...and sustain it for as long as you can. Achieve your personal best record. Then, maybe when we finish, I'll chase you down," she subtly grinned.

Allyndra made a tilt of the head. "Very well captain. Just pointing out differences. I would not stand much of a chance with a physical altercation with you for example. Light bones, lighter musculature for example, since weight is the enemy of flight. Very good, let's see what you have left." She gave a little salute and went to get more sugar water with the emphasis on the former.

'she wants faster?' Mimi thought hearing the conversation between Allyndra and Tarin, she flexed her digitgrade-stanced legs. 'coming up'

"Enough chatter, more action, let's run!" Blake called out as the end of the two minute walk came to an end. She started to sprint again, enjoying the rush of how hard her body worked and the rush of the blood that went with it.

Marisa adjusted her sweatband and began to run. She'd need to meditate at some point today because if this was going to be the norm, she'd need it. She much preferred a hard session of latin ballroom to this. Plus, she was concerned about how some of the others were reacting to the exercises.

On the XO's command, Tarin's legs started pumping again. Her muscles were already loose and she quickly accelerated to high speed. The curvature of the track ended as the group rounded the bend. She saw a free lane in front of her and pushed her long strides to their fullest. Her low pony tail bounced with each rapid step, half-suspended in the air by the force of her self-generated wind. Her breathing quickened and the surge of adrenaline increased after each 40-yard marker.

Aria legged it. She pushed herself to sprint as quickly as she could, arms and legs moving quickly with in. Her strides weren't as long as those with longer legs, but she pushed herself forward the way she had been taught in the Academy.

Waiting just a few moments as her muscles begin to stretch from having relaxed, Allyndra again began that gazelle run, jump. Foot hit, push off hard, go through the jump, hit and use the impact and muscles to push off again. Well she thought maybe more like kangaroo since she had only two legs like that earth animal.

Karras began to accelerate his walk to full run, finding the difficulty in this exercise to be in switching gears. It kept either the walking or running from being too monotonous though, so he ultimately appreciated the variation. He began to hit speed and pushed himself hard.

Tris wasn’t sure how he was going to do this any further. He was almost exhausted. Yet, if he was going to not run, it was going to be because he physically could not continue. The Andorian followed suit. His walk moved to a jog, which transitioned into a run. He was at the rear of the group, but he refused to not try. And he knew that it was very likely that he might be carried to Sickbay after this ‘extra bit’ of exercise.

Coming around allowed Allyndra to observe the rest of the group. Most seemed to be doing well but she could see the task was starting to wear on a few. She would keep an eye on them and check them over at the cool down period.

Sticking at the front of the pack; her long legs giving her long strides even at a sprint pace Amanda ran hard, trying to focus on her breathing rather than the pain in her shoulder and the general ache in her body although her attention kept being drawn to the unusual feline woman and the even more unusual winged woman who were close to lapping them.

"And time!" Blake called out as they hit the 60 seconds, slowing herself back down to a walk, breathing hard to get some air back into her. She settled her hands on her waist as she walked through it, rolling her shoulders. She felt it, she definitely did, but she felt better for it. As converse as that might seem to some people.

Slowing to a stride, Karras started to stretch his head from side to side when his grace betrayed him and he tripped over his own feet. A faceplant seemed inevitable but he had the presence of mind to lean into it and turn the fall into a controlled roll. He regained his footing and kept walking, but he looked from side to side sheepishly, his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. So much for the exceptional coordination of the Ba'ku.

Tarin suppressed a grin and rolled her eyes at the counselor's misfortune. It happened to the best of them at times. More importantly, such casual missteps were often a sign of fatigue. Morgan was away from her PADD and chronometer but her mental evaluation of their exercise session put them all close to the 90-minute mark. "That's enough for now!" she ordered. "Fall in and take a knee." Beads of sweat were again running down the new CO's cheeks and forehead, prompting her to wipe her brow and search for a towel.

Aria looked at Tarin with confusion, about what 'take a knee' meant. She looked around, out of breath, but wondering what it meant. "Captain? What is take a knee?" she finally asked, getting back to her place.

"It means down on one knee with your other one up," Tarin answered, not just to Rice, but the entire group. "If you're right-handed, right knee down. Left-handed, left knee down," she explained, lowering herself and kneeling as described to set the example. Morgan suppressed a grin. It was an Earth tradition born from years of playing competitive sports throughout her youth and Academy years. A subtle symbol of collective consolidation.

Aria looked confused, but did as she was told, even if she looked extremely uncomfortable doing it as she watched the Captain. She was unsure what benefit it served, to kneel like this in her spot.

Transitioning back to her regular stance so she could kneel properly Mimi joined the group although kneeling wasn't ideal for her respiratory heat regulation.

Karras fell in next to Mimi. Being ambidextrous, Tarin's advice was no help, so he lowered his right knee and placed his hands on the left one.

Marisa watched the others gather around Tarin. "Is taking a knee an order, ma'am?" she asked. She did not play sports and she saw no need to show any sort of solidarity for a pseudo-commanding officer who had no idea how to inspire respect from her subordinates. The science officer would follow orders, and do her best to solve this particular mystery, but she had no desire to pretend she supported the mandatory PT.

Looking up at the Vulcan science officer, Morgan gave the woman a perplexed expression along with a terse reply. "Does it need to be?" And what difference does it make, she wondered. Her hazel eyes sharply stared at the lieutenant commander with little patience.

"I will stand with the others, but if you wish me to also take a knee, then yes, it will need to be an order, ma'am." It was Marisa's little rebellion at the mandatory PT and the heavy-handed behavior of the acting captain. At the same time, she remained outwardly calm and professional. Her feelings were firmly buried behind a wall of self-control.

Tarin rolled her eyes at Sandoval. It was an overt cue indicating she wasn't in the mood for verbal semantics. She was also getting hungry, and it was almost time for breakfast. "Then consider it an order, lieutenant commander."

"As you wish," the science officer replied. She'd kneel, as ordered, but she would not go to breakfast. That had not been an order, and she would rather take that time to prepare for the day and her responsibilities than pander to the acting captain's ego.

Galileo's officer corps finished assembling in PT formation, this time down on one knee while they caught their breaths and cooled down from their sprints. Morgan regarded them all with a private sense of pride. All things considered for the first day, they had achieved slightly more than she'd expected from a starship full of scientists. "We're done with PT for the day," she proclaimed, wiping her sweaty forehead once more. "I won't lie to you - some of you did well and some of you need work. But that's why we're here, and this is just day one. We're going to do this each morning, every morning, until these exercises become second-nature. And in time...with practice, all of us will improve."

"When Captain Saalm returns to the ship," Tarin continued, "I want to hand her an officer corps that's better than when she left. It's going to be hard work. But this is what Starfleet expects from all of us. We need to be able to lead by example towards the NCOs and junior enlisted in our departments." The acting captain looked to the XO at her side. "Commander Blake, anything to add?"

Despite shaking her head, Blake opened her mouth to speak anyway, looking around the group. "Eat and drink well, take care of yourself and try to keep moving gently through the day so you don't stiffen up. You're all strong people, in many ways, or you wouldn't be here."

The first officer's words were prudent. Motivational, even. "Head back to your quarters, shower and change into uniform. We'll meet in the mess hall for breakfast in..." Tarin double-checked her PADD, "25 minutes. Dismissed."

Pushing herself up to her feet Amanda flexed her arms, she knew she'd be in for a world of discomfort if she stiffened up too soon, the pain hypo sat on her bedside table was looking more and more inviting.

Aria had forgotten that they were forced to eat together. She hid her grimace, but her mouth did turn down a little at the sides. She wasn't hungry, not after all that, and having to eat with them all was a bit unsettling. Especially with so much to do. But it was an order. And 25 minutes was 25 minutes. She would have to grab Amanda though, to talk to her.

Standing Mimi headed for the door looking forward to getting breakfast, she was going to need a good one to keep her body fuelled up, a nap would be good too but she knew there wasn't time for that.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Lt. Aria Rice
Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Karras
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Tris Shizn
Helmsman
USS Galileo-A

Lieutenant Commander Marisa Sandoval
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

ENS Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

ENS Amanda Turell
Security Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

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