Anything you can do, I can do better
RP Scenario played by Kih'Vok and Selena, ACI
Selena woke shortly before her alarm and mumbled the voice command to turn it off. She stretched slowly beneath the sheets and then threw them back and sat up on the edge of the bed. A night in her temporary quarters at Starbase 39 had actually been quite comfortable. The base seemed quieter than Sol Station and despite the nervousness she felt for the interview this afternoon, she had had no trouble falling asleep. Her bare feet touched lightly on the carpeted floor and she moved over to the closest dresser, opening the top drawer and pulling out her workout clothes. She stifled a yawn while taking off the shirt she had slept in, pausing for a long stretch as she pulled it over her head, arching her back just slightly. Selena tossed the shirt over towards the bed and then wiggled into a white sports bra, adjusting herself accordingly. She slipped a simple grey cotton shirt over the top of that, the soft material hugging her slender form. Black cotton shorts that caressed her mid thighs were slid up her shapely legs next and she then stooped down to grab a white pair of running shoes with her right hand. Walking to the edge of the bed, she sat down and put on short white socks on her small feet and then slipped them into the shoes, tying them firmly in place. She rose again, lazily rubbing flat tummy and approached a mirror where she spent a few moments fixing her hair enough to be presentable at her destination. She scooped up her earring with her fingers and attached it to her right earlobe; about the only time she didn’t wear it was sleeping and showering. With a final once over at her appearance, she exited her quarters and headed out towards the turbo lift. The doors soon hissed shut behind her and she spoke aloud her destination, “Gym”
The emerald eyed Bajoran spent the next hour doing a series of stretches and light weight training. She was pleasantly pleased with the facilities at Starbase 39. There were a few other ‘early risers’ there as well and everyone was quite cordial. She left shortly after 07:30, taking with her one of the hand towels and dabbing at her brow and neck. Selena wanted to get her two kilometer run in this morning, as this afternoon would be her interview with an officer from the ACI about her new position. She wandered the hallway until reaching one of the available holosuites. It was vacant and no one was scheduled to use it until 09:00; she would easily be gone by then. As she flicked through the available programs, a section on combat training caught her eye; she noted this and continued on with her search until she found what she was looking for. Her choice today was actually a replica of the Starfleet Academy; she had jogged that campus many a time and felt the urge to relive some of that recent nostalgia. With the program started, she gripped the towel lightly in one hand and slowly began her run.
Selena found herself now standing in front of the command console again, her run complete. The front of her shirt was stained around her neck and breasts with sweat, another trail along her lower back to her waistline. She felt great. The run around the Academy ground had brought back happier times. Though she knew she should head out, get showered and eat some breakfast, her mind had instantly come back to the combat training section she saw earlier. Her fingers pressed gently on the console face while she patted her forehead, face and neck absently with the towel. There were all sorts of available programs but one that caught attention right away was for accuracy. ‘That shouldn’t take too long’ she thought to herself and okayed the program to run.
Just as a bolt from her rifle tagged the highlighted target, she heard a loud beep from behind her. “Computer pause” She spoke, then lowered the rifle from her shoulder. A thought suddenly occurred to her, “Computer, what time is it?”
“Present time is 09:05”
The person who had reserved the suite was here! What happened to all that spare time?? The young tactical officer had become so engrossed with her training that she had lost track of time. She quickly moved to the entry door, placing the rifle against the wall where the console was and keyed open the door. She didn’t even bother to shut down the program she was so embarrassed, “I’m so sorry!” she blurted out before she even saw who she had delayed, “My fault entirely, I lost track of time” she grinned sheepishly, looking like a little girl who got caught staying up too late.
Kih'Vok sat moodily, glaring at a bowl of Zilm'kach he had just ordered from the replicator in his quarters. He had considered Racht as well with his dish, but unlike most Klingons he preferred something lighter in the morning. Even so, the Zilm'kach itself looked unappetizing. He rubbed his temples and massaged his forehead with it's prominant bone crest, trying to rub out the ache.
"taH'qeq ale," he muttered darkly. He'd known better than to drink the Romulan Ale last night in his celebration of the defeat of Krimex several days before. It had a peculiar effect on Klingons, typically giving them exceptionally acute drunkedness - but also providing exceptionally acute hangovers. Still, he'd found it hard to say no when it was offered by J'alThok. At the time he took it with typical Klingon stoicism - even drinking was an opportunity to outdo another, a competition.
Now he felt as if he'd rather have jumped out an airlock. Without a spacesuit.
He looked up at the chronometer. It was 7:35 am, standard time. He had about an hour and a half before the scheduled excercise routine he'd programmed at the holosuite. Time enough to eat, shower, dress, and walk down to the holodeck.
An hour later found Kih'Vok getting his exercise clothes out of his closet. He'd eaten the Zilm'kach slowly, with no small amount of difficulty, and finished with a generous glass of water. He'd then taken a long, cold shower. A very cold shower. He felt much better, and was ready for his exercise routine. He pulled on his pants, and then grabbed his shirt, looking at it and feeling the fabric before he pulled it on. Made of a breatheable material, it none-the-less form fit his body, allowing his muscular and very well fit frame to show. He was rather proud of how fit he was, and made an effort to maintain his fitness level even when it was difficult to do so aboard ship. "mI' chenmoH HoS' SuvwI'," as the saying went; "Exercise makes the Warrior stronger." The last thing he grabbed from the closet was his bat'leth harness, which he strapped to his back and then slid his bat'leth in slowly. There wasn't a need for a phaser; the holosuites had them available for target practice routines. All set, he headed for the door.
His trip to the holodeck was always one that brought a grim smile to his face. It wasn't normal to see a Klingon on the station to begin with, and Kih'Vok made the scene even more eye-catching with his obvious strength and confidence. His height was also a definite factor; he was easily head and shoulders above most others as he walked down the hallways. The long looks of curiosity, and even sometimes thinly disguised fear, made him chuckle to himself. While he didn't relish the apprehension, he found it ironic that despite more than one hundred years of alliance and trade most Federation races still viewed Klingons with suspicion and fear.
However, then there were current events. He scowled as he continued... that he had J'mpok to thank for, that dog of a coward.
He passed a few Starfleet officers as he passed the lounge. Several of them nodded to him... he nodded back in respect. It got him thinking about his chance meeting with the Institute's Captain of the Guard two nights before, Chief Jessica Richards. He grunted in a foul humor - since his new assignment to the ACI, she had been the only officer of the unit he'd seen or spoken to. Finding out she was Captain of the Guard for ACI had been a boon, as he'd meant to request assignment to a combat related department as soon as possible.
Lost in his thoughts, he bumped into a larger male human who was talking to a female ensign, causing the man to spill his coffee. He stopped and stepped back. "My apologies," he stated clearly in his deep voice.
The man recovered quickly, brushing at his shirt. "You idiot," he began as he turned. "Why don't you watch where the hell you--" He stopped suddenly when he had to look up at Kih'Vok.
"You were saying?" Kih'Vok said tightly.
The man quickly mumbled somthing that sounded apologetic, and turned back around.
A few more minutes brought him to the holodeck. He walked down to the suite he'd reserved so see that it was in use. Not surprising, considering the resident population of the station at any given time. Checking the chronometer, he found he had another ten minutes to wait. He checked out a phaser and buckled it on, ignoring the other holodeck patrons that passed by... some of whom stared at him as they went. That done, he sat and waited.
And waited.
Never a patient Klingon to begin with, he watched the minutes tick by on the chronometer. Nine o'clock. Nine oh one. Nine oh two. Try as he might, he couldn't stop a growing anger as he watched the minutes go. He understood how people could lose their sense of time while in the holosuites, but he only had so much time and... and then the door opened.
A well built female Bajoran woman stepped out quickly. She had obviously been working herself hard, as her exercise suit was streaked with sweat. He listened impassionately to her apologies... and suddenly found himself calming as he watched her finish, her grin sheepish. Her obvious discomfort at going over her time amused him slightly. He stood, looking down at her, and indicated the open holosuite door.
"Perhaps you should end the program," he suggested, a slight, tight grin on his face.
Selena came to a screeching halt at the sight of Kih'Vok and she peered up at his massive frame. Leering over his shoulder was the end of a sheathed Bat'leth, his stature and posture reminded her suddenly of a Swordmaster. On several of her away missions she had encountered these grizzled Klingon veterans who used the deadly weapons as an extension of their arms; they were very dangerous. Selena quickly found herself wishing she had on pollyalloy weave armor; she felt practically naked in her t-shirt and short shorts in front of such an opposing presence. Then he spoke, his deep voice held almost a hint of amusement in it and there was a crack in his hard visage as a grin tried to soften his features. In a snap she was reminded that this was not a treacherous soldier of the KDF, but a member of Starfleet, a fellow officer; a friend.
She straightened up and cleared her throat casually, "Yes, that would be the proper thing for me to do, wouldn't it?"
She turned around and went back to the console. With a parting sigh she looked up and the side wall where her scores had been tallied. Out of the four previous rounds she had completed her final marks had been 88%, 90%, 92% and 93% in accuracy totals. Currently she had a score of 95% but the round was only three quarters of the way over. She was sure she had hit her stride by the third round and perhaps that ever increasing accuracy score and drive to improve it was what had caused her to become engrossed in the challenge and lose track of time. Selena pressed several keys on the console in front of her; saving her information and program level for future use if the situation allowed.
"Computer, end program."
The spoken command was responded to with a short fleeting beep, the target wall, score board and phaser rifle all vanished and the room was now the familiar black walls with an illuminated grid. The young Bajoran turned back to the Klingon officer and offered a more polite and cordial apology.
"I didn't mean to hold you up, I guess I got carried away with some skill training." She managed a genuine smile to him. "It's all yours." She indicated the vacant room behind her and made for her departure.
Kih'Vok, being a curious type, stepped closer as the woman began tapping the keys on the console. Seeing the program she had been using, he noted her scores at the end of each round, and grunted in respect. Having been raised away from Qo'noS throughout the majority of his life after the age of twelve, it was rare that he'd seen a female with fighting skills akin to Klingon females. Her obvious ability impressed him... all the more so as she didn't appear to, at first glance, fit the warrior mold.
As she collected herself in preparation for her departure, he turned to her. "Impressive," he said. "You seem to have some skill with a phaser rifle."
As the door hissed open, Selena turned and paused in the archway, turning back to face the large Klingon.
"Thank you, it's my preferred weapon of choice. I find keeping a bead on a target easier with one rather than a pistol or hand phaser." She didn't much like assault style rifles at all, feeling they were too cumbersome in close, tight formations. They were better left for people with a larger stature; though Lt. Cmdr. Ing hefted one around like a toy, despite his small frame. She grinned at this, she did like the Saurian officer. She continued, "A rifle can also double up as a useful weapon in hand to hand combat as well." She had cracked quite a few heads with her own during multiple away missions. They were also handy as a parrying weapon against something like the Bat'leth. She leaned against the open doorway a moment, studying the Klingon Officer.
"Most of my training at the Academy was for ground combat situations." A thought occurred to her and she looked down involuntary at her own attire. "I was working out earlier and I finished up a run not too long ago..." Selena realized that she didn't quite look the part of a Starfleet tactical officer at the moment, more like a member of a cross country team. She pushed away from the doorframe and came back to where Kih'Vok stood.
"I'm Selena Allura, newly transferred into the ACI.. or so I hope to be providing my interview goes well." She smiled up at him, offering him her hand in greeting.
Kih'Vok looked at her hand for a moment before taking it and shaking it in a firm, if rather tight, handshake. Her acknowledgment of being a member of the ACI intrigued him... now he had met his second ACI officer, despite her admission that she had but recently joined.
"Really," he responded. "I also have recently joined the ACI. I am Kih'Vok sutai Pallara." He studied her for a moment, mentally picturing her in combat, physically swinging a phaser rifle against enemies, firing as she moved from cover to cover. Again, she didn't seem the type to be akin to physical combat despite her suggesting that much of her training was for that very situation. The more he considered her background, and her skill with the rifle, the more intrigued he became.
"Might I suggest a competition?" he asked bluntly, nodding to the holosuite. "Your weapon of choice, of course." He smirked, watching for her reply.
Despite her best grip, Selena still felt her hand being crushed beneath the force of Kih'Vok's own. A small twitch of her left eye might have given her away, as she did her best to brush it off. What luck this was though! She didn't know anyone in the ACI yet and here was a new member right in front of her; offering to spend some time with her too. Well.. in a roundabout way she supposed. Knowing nothing of this Klingon personally and only that as a race they prided themselves as fierce combatants (which she had experienced firsthand), his offer caused her a moment's pause.
"Sure, that would be great." She answered, smiling brightly up at him. She didn't know what sort of challenge he had in mind, but she felt confident she could hold her own in combat situations.
"As long as you're sure I'm not intruding on your time." Because as kind as the gesture was, he might have simply been offering as a way to cover up her intrusion to his scheduled holosuite time.
"Well," Kih'Vok replied, "you were... however, don't worry about it." The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became about a competition. In any event, he was Klingon... and as a Klingon any competition was definitely worth his time. "I'll enjoy competing with you."
Kih'Vok moved close to the holosuite panel, and scrolled through the programs until he found the one he thought he had observed Selena save. Turning to her, he indicated the panel.
"Shall we continue with your program?" he asked. "At least, as a starting point." He grinned rather mischieviously.
"Alright" She said cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of her feet at the idea. "I've already done four rounds though, so I am pretty warmed up. Would you like a practice round first?"
She moved away from Kih'Vok and towards the center of the open holodeck. Regardless of where they both stood, the program would automatically adjust the starting position and scale the shooting wall distance appropriately. She would obtain her weapon of choice once the program was running as any sort of firearm was suitable for this particular program.
Kih'Vok glanced at Selena with a raised eyebrow, and the hint of a scowl.
"No," he said, perhaps a touch more gruff than he intended. "I don't need a practice session." He adjusted his gunbelt and took his phaser out, ensuring it was adjusted for use in the holosuite. With another glance in Selena's direction, he unbuckled his bat'leth sheath and set it near the door, leaning against the wall.
"Whenever you are ready," he began.
“Computer start program.”
With a simple chime of her voice the holodeck initiated her command. The walls changed back into the previous layout. The score walls were blank and the target wall a lifeless grid field.
“Computer add names ‘Selena’ team one and ‘Kih’Vok’ team two.” The young Bajoran did a surprisingly accurate pronunciation of the Klingon’s name. Both score walls soon reflected the command and each of their names had a 0% next to it. She walked to the starting line and proceeded to obtain her weapon.
“Computer load phaser sniper rifle; size Selana1.” A simple rifle appeared in her outstretched hands and she gripped it loosely. She turned to Kih”Vok to explain the program.
“I set the program to run in 45 target sets. There are three different color targets; each has its own diameter. Blue are 20cm, yellow are 10cm and the red are 2.5cm. The rounds last five minutes and you will get an equal number of each color. They will appear at random intervals. The computer only recognizes one shot per target.” She rested the length of the rifle over her shoulder and paused to think if there was anything else she needed to say. After a moment pause, she offered him the open spot next to her.
“We can take turns or go simultaneously; the target wall will alternate users if we want it to.” Selena would let him choose is preferred method.
"I would prefer the simultaneous method," Kih'Vok said. He didn't add that the primary reason for that was a slight bit of distraction as they shot at the targets. He also didn't say that this form of target practice was rather bland in his opinion... but he was curious to see how well Selena shot in person with a program she was comfortable with, at least at first.
He was also curious how well he himself would fare, as this sort of target practice was relatively new to him.
He gathered himself, holding the phaser lightly. "Whenever you are ready," he suggested with a tight grin.
Selena nodded to the big Kilngon and out of habit checked the charge on her rifle.
“Computer set program to run both users together.” She gave a pause and raised the rifle up, resting the butt in her shoulder and when she saw that Kih’Vok was likewise ready she ordered the start.
“Begin.”
The red haired Bajoran tuned out the presence behind her and began to fire at the colored targets as they appeared. A connected hit would result in a short ‘ping’ and a missed shot a sharp ‘bleep’. She had had no trouble with the blue and yellow targets, all of her recorded misses were on the smallest red one.
The round progressed at a steady pace, and from time to time when she thought she could spare the moment she could glance up at Kih’Vok’s score on the wall next to her. With a simple side glance of her emerald eyes she saw that at the half way mark they were both very close. After their last shots were fired Selena lowered the rifle and let one end rest gently on the floor, keeping it upright with her hand. She turned to Kih’Vok.
“Nice job,” she said with a smile. Her accuracy score for the round was 94%.
Kih'Vok set himself and concentrated hard on the targets as they began to appear. As he shot at each target, he couldn't help but watch Selena out of the corner of his eye. She was very good with a rifle, he had to admit. Her shots were clean and measured, with very few misses.
However, he himself was not quite so accurate. At least, as far as he was concerned. Each loud "bleep" when he missed grated on his nerves and set him to scowling more and more as the round progressed. It just felt so unnatural to simply stand there and shoot. He attempted to ignore this as best as he could, but he found himself involuntarily ducking and weaving slightly as he continued. The larger targets did not present as much of a problem, but the small red targets continued to anger him; he attempted to remain calm and complete the round, but the increasing number of misses began to get to him.
Finally, it was over. He checked his score - a mere 89%. He scowled horribly at the reading on the wall as Selena congratulated him, and turning to her, nodded and raised an eyebrow.
"You're pretty good with that rifle," he said with grudging respect. "I'm impressed; well done." He shifted his weight and threw back his shoulders to crack his back.
"Shall we try again?" he asked her pointedly.
The young Bajoran beamed at the compliment.
"Thank you, I had a great instructor," referring to whom she learned how to shoot from. "You're much better with a hand phaser than I am." She hoped to convey that while he was not pleased with his score, it was a higher score than she would have received with a similar weapon.
Selena scratched her left thigh lightly and then turned to reposition herself to be ready for the next round. "Alright then," She said, accepting Kih'Vok's offer. "Whenever you're ready."
This second round went much the same for her as the previous one had and her aim was sharp and quick. Selena was in her zone; shooting confidently and readily. There were still a few targets that were spared the sting of her shots, but she didn't let that bother her. It felt nice to be practicing again; something she hadn't done in a long time (most of the time it was actual field action) and to be doing so with another person. The mood harkened back to her academy days; where she had learned to shoot along with a group of other cadets training to becoming well rounded tactical officers. The whole scenario was quite enjoyable for her.
She couldn't say the same for the Klingon though. As she turned to face him she noticed the scowl had returned to his face. Selena had scored another 94% and while Kih'Vok's had improved, he didn't seem too pleased with himself about it.
As the second round began, Kih'Vok felt a bit more at ease with the situation. Attempting to ignore Selena while he concentrated on the targets, he was much more fluid than the first round, and began to feel a bit better about his climbing score. He was able to cleanly hit all the larger targets, but again the small red ones were his bane... even though he struck a few more of them than he had last time. As the round terminated, he glanced at his score... a solid 92%.
Then he looked at Selena's score.
He scowled, thrusting out his lower lip. He wasn't accustomed to being defeated in combat prowess. He briefly recalled many other shooting and combat sessions when he was younger with his brothers and cousins... and how he had soundly defeated many other target practice opponents since he'd joined Starfleet. Perhaps, over the years, he had softened somewhat since he didn't have the opportunity to compete with other Klingons. But even so, Selena's skill with a firearm was obvious, and deserved respect.
"Good score," he said bluntly. "Perhaps a third round?"
Secretly Selena thought that if Kih’Vok had taken a practice round like she suggested he might be happier with his overall score. She was feeling great but this was her fifth round, soon to be her sixth. She also thought about complimenting him about his use of a hand phaser but something in his demeanor cautioned her not to at the moment. Instead she merely nodded and agreed to his offer.
“One more round would be great, but I don’t want to keep you too long from your original plans.” She smiled at him, “I get the feeling you didn’t come here to shoot targets.”
When they were in position again the she started the third round. While each of the colors appeared at a random interval and in a random order, Selena seemed to have a feeling on when the small red ones would appear; or perhaps she was simply itching to better her score and was overly ready for them. A round of pings and beeps later, she had managed to get her best score yet; a 95%. She gave a long, easy sigh, pleased with herself and coming to the conclusion that even if she stood here for another 10 rounds, this was probably the best she was going to get today. She related the thought, turning to the Klingon beside her.
“I think that’s as good as I am going to get today.”
Kih'Vok nodded as she agreed to a third round. As it began, he concentrated more, and was clean and true with his shots. As the round continued, he began to smile, knowing that he was scoring higher than he had, and feeling better about the direction the day was heading.
Before he knew it, the round was over. He turned to look at his score - 94%. Nodding to himself satisfactorily, he turned and looked at Selena's score. His smile faded. He looked carefully at Selena for a moment, with a grudging admiration and respect. He listened as she suggested she wouldn't get a better score should she continue... but he had another suggestion.
"Congratulations," he rumbled. "It's been some time since I was defeated three times in a row." He nodded to the rifle. "Your skill is obvious." He turned around and leaned over, picking up his bat'leth. He began to strap it on.
"I wonder if you might try a little different of a challenge," he began. "Something more... robust?"
It looked as if Kih’Vok was as pleased as he was going to get with the standings, so she ventured a return compliment.
“Thank you Kih’Vok. You are very good with a hand phaser. I find that I take too long to sight small targets and my score would be considerably lower If I had attempted to use one.” She shook her head. “Those red targets are just too much with a hand weapon.” More of a verbal admission to herself than a continue in dialogue to the Kilingon.
She watched as Kih’Vok began to strap on his bat’leh and was about to order a recall on her rifle when he spoke again to her. At his offer, she looked to the far wall and then back to him. She could see where the current program seemed rather drab compared to whatever it was he had come to do. Perhaps it was the use of different types of weapons, but the red haired Bajoran hadn’t really seen the last activity as a competition, but now that she looked back on the three rounds she saw where Kih’Vok’s possible frustration had come from.
She set the butt of the rifle on the floor and lightly scratched her flat stomach. His offer had intrigued her, but she wanted to gauge what was about to come before she accepted fully.
“What is it you have in mind?” Her emerald eyes watched his movements.
He continued strapping on his bat'leth sheath while he answered her.
"I have always found," he began, "that shooting at static targets isn't necessarily a true test of one's ability in combat." Finishing the task, he shrugged his shoulders a couple times, and tightened a strap, before he continued. "I propose we give my program a try." He smiled, his demeanor giving the expression an almost predatory look. He turned, and facing the far wall, spoke loudly.
"Computer, execute program KSP0032 - password Delta Omicron five seven. Phase one. Pause at initial render."
The holosuite suddenly shifted to a battered corridor... what appeared to be possibly a ship corridor after some rather severe damage. Debris littered the floor, a few beams had fallen to the floor a ways down the corridor from their position, small fires under them... while around the far end appeared the light of what looked like a large fire. The smell of smoke and ozone was in the air. Selena and Kih'Vok were standing at the end, against a blast door that was closed. The corridor was fairly wide, approximately twenty feet or so, and about ten feet high. At second glance it almost appeared to be a rendition of a Miranda class light cruiser engineering corridor.
Kih'Vok turned to Selena with a slight grin. "This scenario tests one's actual battle prowess," he said. "In a series of phases, more and more enemies come at us from the far corridor end. The computer keeps track of our hits with phasers, our kills with personal and melee weapons, and how many times we ourselves would have taken wounds... or been killed." He smiled. "It also provides some fairly good exercise."
If Selena hadn’t already felt under dressed besides the large Klingon before, she certainly would have felt so now. The chaotic scene before her demanded more attention than a small tee, running shorts and sneakers. But that’s all she had. Despite her appearance, she looked at the sight with interest, scanning the debris and trying to anticipate how the program might begin. She looked up to Kih’Vok.
“Do we take turns running the scenario, or is this to be another side by side competition?” She thought privately that she might fare better with a ‘partner’ of sorts out there with her, but it wasn’t her program or her rules.
“The safety checks are all turned on I hope?” Klingons, though the same could be said for many warrior races, often chose to forgo safety precautions during training, as they felt it helped heighten the overall battle.
Kih'Vok watched Selena's reaction for a moment after he described the program. She seemed a bit self conscious for some reason as she answered him and asked her questions. However, if his assessment of her while watching her shoot was any indication, he knew she would do very well. He reflected that this was the first time he had ever shared this program with anyone but another Klingon. He was looking forward to watching her, and watching how she fought.
"Normally I set the program so that if I am accompanied we run the scenario together," he answered. "The program will automatically edit the algorithm to duplicate the phases so that each of us has the same number of combatants per phase. However, if you would prefer to take turns, it is your choice." He kept working his shoulders, and knelt slightly to stretch his legs as he continued. "I should note that, while the program duplicates the number of combatants, they will fight us as one team. In other words, your combatants may attack me as well, and vice-versa."
He paused for a moment before he answered her last question. "The default program only tracks injuries. As a result, you will not receive any injuries during the combat." He stood, and again shrugged his shoulders and began waving his arms back and forth, working himself up to the battle to come. "I do, however, typically disable the safeguards when on my own," he said. "After all, if there is no risk, there is no honor to the fight. Risk makes you fight harder, and better." He watched for her reaction... rather directly.
Selena made a show of looking around the room again while she considered Kih'Vok's reasoning on the method of the session. She lightly chewed her bottom lip, one hand went to rest on her hip while the other repeatedly tapped the butt of the rifle against the floor while she thought. Kih'Vok had obviously run the program many times, it had a password set on it, which indicated he didn't want someone ill equipped to run it by accident. This same train of thought however, also meant it was probably a very dangerous program. However, they would be running this program together, and certainly he would watch out for her just as she would watch for him. She would learn from his experience as they went. Besides, the program could be paused or ended if something went out of control. She thought about her interview with Captain Richards and Captain McFerran later this afternoon, and hoped she wasn't being reckless by agreeing to this contest.
"Alright," she said, "let's run it without the safety set. But I'm not going to run around getting shot at in just this." Selena set the rifle down and addressed the computer, "Computer; load one Pollyalloy Weave armor, female size 5."
The computer chirped its response and the familiar looking armor piece appeared on top of a small crate next to them. She walked over to the crate, set her rifle on top and picked up the armor husk.
"Excuse me a moment." Smiling sweetly at him, she disappeared behind a larger crate and reemerged after several minutes fully clad in the suit. The armor fit her slender form well and even the utilitarian design such as it was did not much hamper the femininity of the Bajoran woman. She returned to Kih'Vok and picked up her rifle, she then turned around and set her t-shirt, shorts and shoes on the ground at the base of the blast door; they would be safe enough there. She returned to his side, looking a little nervous but overall composed and ready.
"Okay, ready when you are."
Kih'Vok smiled broadly as Selena ordered the pollyalloy armor, and his grin followed her as she went around behind a large crate to change. His respect for her rose significantly when she decided to run the program without the safeguards enabled... even her decision to wear armor did little to affect it. He was amused by her obvious discomfort in her exercise outfit. Turning, he called out to the computer to disable the safeguards; after the system responded he waited for her to finish.
As she came back around clad in the armor, he was surprised to see that she had taken off her exercise outfit to put the armor on... he assumed she'd put the armor on over her outfit. He'd not really thought about it, not even when she went behind the crate. He watched her closely as she put the clothes by the door, his eyebrows raised slightly. His admiration of her rose again... for her to trust him like this after having just met him...
He shook his head slightly as she joined him. As she said she was ready to go, he looked at her for a moment. "Ok," he answered. He flexed his arms as he raised his face higher.
"Computer, execute program; phase one."
"Executing KSP0032 phase one," the computer disspationaly answered him.
Almost immediately, two Romulans appeared at the far end of the corridor, beaming into position. They were both armed with phasers, wearing standard Romulan Centurian dress and regalia. They both immediately dropped to a combat stance, and scanned the corridor, quickly seeing Selena and Kih'Vok. The one on the right moved quickly to cover behind a smashed crate, while the other took aim at Kih'Vok.
Almost immediately upon the Romulans beaming in, Kih'Vok, without any hesitation, immediately aimed and fired at the one on the left. The shot took the Romulan high in the chest, flinging him back into the wall where he slid down and crumpled into a disarrayed splay of arms and legs, unmoving.
Selena tensed into a ready state as Kih’Vok started the program. Familiar with only the basic premises of what to expect, she waited a moment to observe what appeared at the end of the hallway, though she chose to do so from down the length of her rifle. As the two Roumlans appeared she quickly swiveled and moved behind a fallen platform, allowing the large object obstruct the line of sight of her enemies. She favored a quick glance to Kih’Vok and was surprised to see him attack so readily. She supposed that this was due to him having run the program many times and knowing what to expect.
After this short observation she turned back out and around from her spot of shelter and fired at the second Romulan. The pulse struck him across his right shoulder, a solid hit that rocked him back on his feet, but not before he got a shot off of his own. His imbalance caused the shot to hit the platform she was next to and he ducked quickly away behind a crate, wounded but not out of action.
Kih'Vok watched his target for a moment as the Romulan smashed into the wall... out of the corner of his eye, he saw Selena's first shot strike her target, but not drop him. Still, he grinned fiercely, her first shot was none-the-less a hit.
Taking aim, he moved quickly to crouch under cover behind a broken beam and shot once again. His phaser beam struck an upright metal support next to the wounded Romulan, spraying an arc of sparks over and around him.
"QI'yaH!" he grated, and aimed again.
The red haired Bajoran peeked quickly around the edge of the platform to assess the situation. Presently their enemies were very well contained; Kih’Vok had taken his down on the first shot and was also presently harassing the one she had wounded. While Selena had no idea what the entire run of the program was going to entail, she was certain that any moment now other enemies would appear from someplace and thus decided best to keep her position secured.
She also favored the Klingon with a quick glance and she smiled slightly to herself as she observed his expression. During her academy days and while serving on the Claymore, Selena had known several other Klingon officers; though more in passing and on a professional level. This was her first time in an actual combat situation with one and it was apparent he defiantly took to this over her target shooting. The growing momentum of the scene made her forget they were in some way competing against each other. When the moment was right she darted across the gap between them and crouched besides him, again peering down the hall.
“Should we advance?”
As Selena crouched next to him, he turned and favored her with a quick, toothy grin. A shot from the Romulan hit the bulkhead above them, showering sparks down and across them both. Kih'Vok involuntarily ducked slightly, then shot a glance at the Romulan before he replied.
"No," he said quickly, "they'll come to us."
Another shot from the Romulan struck the broken beam they both hid behind, blowing more sparks and smoke up and around them.
Selena shut her eyes and covered her face as the sparks rained down on her. She thought about what Kih’Vok said and decided the reason they had begun at a dead end was to allow for a ‘trapped’ scenario where they had no choice but to resist all incoming advancements. She recovered quickly from the spark shower and lifted her rifle, getting off a shot as the Romulan she had wounded earlier again tried to fire on them. Her shot rang true this time and the blast hit his chest, he crumpled to the ground.
She rose to her feet and dashed back across to her previous point of defense. There was no point for her and the Klingon to share the same location if they weren’t planning to advance up the corridor. Separate positions would give the enemy more alternate targets of where to shoot. She didn’t know if they would have grenades either and snuffing out two people with one grenade was never a tactical spot she wanted her team to be in.
As Selena's shot slapped into the Romulan and sent him to the floor, Kih'Vok grunted a quick, explosive laugh. He was about to suggest setting up a crossfire when she suddenly darted across the corridor to her previous position. He again grinned in admiration and respect; she certainly was well trained and knew her business in a combat situation.
Before he could continue the thought, four Romulans beamed in at the far end of the corridor. One of them immediately crouched and commenced shooting at Kih'Vok - the beam sliced through the air just missing him as it struck the closed blast door a few paces to his back, showering the wall with sparks. The other three sought cover, randomly shooting with little effect.
Kih'Vok waited behind the beam for just a moment, then quickly popped up, aimed, and shot at the standing Romulan. The beam took him in the side of the face, flipping him backwards to lay on the floor. One of the others fired an answering shot that came close to giving Kih'Vok a reverse mohawk as he ducked quickly.
“Kih’Vok!” she called out his name as she watched the return fire nearly miss the Klingon’s head. Selena had little time to do much else as she too came under heavy fire. With the short bursts of time allotted both sides returned fire back and forth at each other. The surrounding debris was soon scarred with stray phaser fire. A shot from a Romulan enemy grazed her left shoulder as she lingered too long; trying to get a clear shot off at one of the attackers. With her back against the fallen beam she took a deep breath; that had been a close one. The impact had been absorbed by her armor but the idea was a little unsettling.
Her emerald eyes flashed back over to Kih’Vok and she signaled to him with one hand that she would cover him if he wanted to make an approach on the spot the Romulans were bunkering down in. They would just be trading shots endlessly from here; hoping for a lucky shot.
After he ducked, almost falling backwards, he heard Selena call his name. He glanced up at her just in time to see her take a shot to the shoulder; at first it looked serious, but after a moment he could see it had only grazed her.
More shots peppered the area around them. Most of them were poorly aimed - he had programmed this program with data from many Romulan engagements so that the holographic Romulans fought as they would in reality. As a result, the images fought as real Romulans; overly cautious with little real ability to handle firearms. Despite the aim, however, the simple amount of fire pouring from them was impressive.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Selena motioning to him - he looked at her for a moment, and in a flash he understood. He waited for another second, then leapt over the beam he was behind and dove towards a crate a few steps ahead, shooting quickly at the Romulans under cover. His move surprised the Romulans; their attempted shots were wildly inaccurate, and he was under cover behind the crate before they could zero him.
She admired the quick response and athletic execution from the large Klingon. Battle prowess from Klingons was something she had really only gone up against in recent times, nothing she fought alongside with. With a barrage of shots from her rifle she kept the Roumlans at bay as Kih’Vok made his advance; in the heat of the attack she was able to take one of their enemies out as well.
Pleased with the maneuver and the safe position of her partner, she ducked back behind her cover to avoid return fire. If they could advance like this again, it might give Kih’Vok time to take out the remaining Romulans quickly in close range combat. Then again, the Klingon knew what to expect from his program so she was sure he wouldn’t allow her to send him into a trap or ill favored situation. Perhaps it was best to stay at a distance for the moment until this wave was taken down. She cursed the narrow hallway; her attempt to find a way to flank the enemy failing. Repositioning herself to see Kih’Vok’s back and the remaining enemies, she waited for his next move before deciding what to do next.
Kih'Vok realized now was the time for action; he had seen one of the remaining Romulans go down from Selena's cover fire as he moved, and other two had made a tactical mistake of seeking cover behind the same crate rather than spacing themselves out so they could cover one another. He quickly turned to look at her over his shoulder, and signaled to cover him again. While doing so, he quickly slid his bat'leth from it's sheath, and waited.
Selena, the trained tactical officer she was, caught and understood the signal Kih'Vok gave instantly. She nodded back to him and then readied herself to provide the necessary cover. After a short inhale of breath she popped back up and sighed her rifle down the hallway to the last known positions of the Romulans. A quick click of the trigger sent off a spray of bolts across the field of battle. While they perhaps looked random, each shot was directed into a possible escape route that the Romulans might take; for them to move meant a chance of being hit. She effectively kept them trapped and unable to move out. One attempted to return fire but stopped and duck back almost as soon as his head peeked around; a shot narrowly missing him. Now was Kih'Vok's chance!
As soon as Selena began shooting, Kih'Vok leaped over the crate and immediately advanced. It took him only a second to reach their position; as he did so he shouted at the top of his lungs, his face contorted in mask of rage. The first Romulan saw him coming and stood to meet him just as he reached their cover, a large piece of pipe in his off hand. The Romulan raised his disruptor pistol to fire, but Kih'Vok had closed the distance and swept his bat'leth around, slapping the Romulan's hand; the pistol went sailing down the corridor. The Romulan stepped back and raised the pipe with both hands.
Still roaring his battle cries, Kih'Vok immediately attacked. He quickly found that this Romulan appeared to know how to defend himself. Striking with broad overhand and sideswipe blows, he fought ferociously as the Romulan used the pipe to block his attacks; the ring of steel sang loud as both traded blow upon blow. The Romulan began to step backwards, maneuvering himself so that his companion could get off a shot. Kih'Vok, seeing this, suddenly jumped to the side, closing the short distance to the second Romulan instantly just as the Romulan was bringing up his pistol. Kih'Vok kicked out with a straight legged attack; his foot caught the Romulan in the chest, sending him backwards out from behind his cover onto the floor, scrambling for his disruptor pistol.
Immediately after his kick, Kih'Vok spun around with a broad two handed sweep; the first Romulan involuntarily ducked, the bat'leth just missing his head. Kih'Vok stepped forward and swung again, the Romulan this time stood and blocked his attack with the pipe; the ring of the impact as loud as a bell.
Completely in his element, Kih'Vok's expression changed to a tight grin of exultation.
It was a pleasant change to see a Bat'leth wielding Klingon charging at someone other than herself or a member of her away team. Even from the back view the movements and sounds from the Klingon warrior brought a shiver down her spine. Careful not to lose sight of him, she slowly crept after Kih'Vok, bringing up the rear. The battle sounds from the skirmish rang across the long hallway, the sharp clangs and clatters of the two weapons meeting echoed in her ears. With a quick look to the left and then the right, Selena was secure in the knowledge that their immediate area was secure.
From her new position she could see Kih'Vok had his hands full with the two Romulans but was doing a fair job of containing them both. However while his kick attack to the first Romulan opened up room for him to combat the second, it was clear to the Bajoran officer his advantage would soon be compromised. She sighted along her rifle barrel and watched as the scrambling Romulan reached for his disruptor. His fingers had just begun to curl around the handle when she let off a single pulse to his backside. The impact wracked his body with a sharp jolt and he flopped to the ground, lifeless. It was up to Kih'Vok now, she could probably get off a clear shot if she was patient, but she knew enough about Klingons not to interrupt a personal battle. Though she would if his life became at risk.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kih'Vok saw the shot, and the saw the Romulan flop lifeless to the ground. He grunted a quick, explosive laugh, and renewed his attacks on the Romulan he was engaged with.
For several moments, the battle raged as both combatants swung and blocked, the ring and clang of steel loud. Then, with a sudden twist of his waist Kih'Vok altered his point of aim in mid swing, bringing the bat'leth low and up under the Romulan's defensive blow. With an ugly, wet tearing sound, the blade chopped deeply up into the chest cavity from below the ribs. The Romulan groaned weakly, and slumped. Kih'Vok kicked the body off his blade, and turning quickly sprinted back towards Selena where he knelt for a moment beside her, breathing heavily.
"The last round," he rasped, panting, with his deep voice. "Six this time." He flashed her a quick grin. "Good shot."
Even with her experience in the field and countless combat situations under her belt, Selena still blanched at the sight of Kih'Vok's blow and she turned her head quickly away. This signaled the last attacker of this present wave. She wasn't sure what to expect next so she checked the charge on her rifle and tested her grip against the handle.
The Bajoran tactical officer didn't have to wait long to find out what their next challenge would be as Kih'Vok was soon besides her and revealing the mission details. The two officers were now at the opposite end of the long corridor, the surrounding fires, smoldering crates and red alert siren began to fade back into her conscious train of thought. Her emerald eyes began to dart around the area and she shifted closer to the large Klingon next to her. Six more! Those were some disturbing odds, but this was Kih'Vok's program and surely he had passed these tests many times before, right? Where would they beam in at? If their arrival was at the same point it had previously been, that put them right in the middle of everything. The final encounter would be an explosion of mayhem with close quarter combat with numbers three to one against them. She took a deep breath and readied herself.
Before Kih'Vok really had a chance to move, the distinctive sound of transporter beams filled the corridor. A moment later, six Romulans stood at the far end of the area. They immediately looked around quickly, two of them crouched and aimed in the direction of Kih'Vok and Selena and began to shoot. Plasma smacked into the walls behind Kih'Vok and Selena, splashing sparks and plasma fire around the floor and crates behind them as the remaining four Romulans gathered themselves for a charge.
Kih'Vok, crouched down behind the cover of the crate next to Selena, eyed the Romulans for a moment, an ugly smile on his face as he gripped his bat'leth in his left hand while he drew his phaser with his right.
Selena could smell the melting metal from the wall behind them as the plasma beams thudded into it. She turned away and covered her eyes from the spray of sparks quickly and then checked her hair quickly with a free hand to be sure nothing took. A quick analysis of the situation set a gruesome scene for the two Starfleet officers. The two farthest Romulans would surely provide cover fire for their four advancing teammates. This would make the eventual engagement next to impossible to manage for just two people. Two on one odds were better risked than the first option so she decided quickly to try and take out the shooters.
A quick sideways glance showed Selena her teammate was ready for anything; pistol in one hand, his bat’leth the other. Right as the four closest Romulans made to move; she shot up and traced a quick sightline to the far two enemies. The four took off, hurried onward by a desire to capitalize on their superior numbers they started to close the short distance between them quickly; too quickly. As she pulled the trigger on her rifle Selena knew that though she would make clean shots on the two in her sights, her recovery time would not be fast enough to prepare for the incoming onslaught. Her decision was made however and off went the shots; her target practice from earlier paying off beautifully. Both targets took phaser shots straight to their face, only one got off a shot and it missed Selena’s erect form marginally. In came the four remaining Romulans, it was up to Kih’Vok to prevent them from tearring her open.
Kih'Vok was about to suggest a quick plan of action when out of the corner of his eye he saw Selena rise up and take aim. Surprised for a moment, he watched her fire two quick shots - both of which struck their targets. He grunted in admiration... not only of her shooting and prowess, but also of her risking herself to eliminate the Romulans cover fire.
Immediately after both her targets stopped shooting, he lept up, shouting at the top of his lungs. With a heave of his shoulders, he flung his bat'leth hard and low. It whirled across the short distance to the advancing Romulans, and before the lead one could react, it struck him point first in the midsection, sinking to almost a third of it's length into the Romulan's body with a sickening crunch; he flopped backwards groaning in agony. At the same moment, Kih'Vok charged; he fired off phaser shots as he advanced.
His attack took the Romulans by surprise. With the demise of fully half their number in the space of a couple seconds, they hesitated for a moment, glancing left and right for cover as they began to bring up their weapons. In that moment, Kih'Vok was among them.
Selena didn’t have much time to be amazed at the quick dispatching of one enemy done by her teammate. She was however, reminded of the deadliness of a Bat’leth in the hands of a trained Klingon. It was a gruesome sight and she was much more accustomed to seeing energy weapon wounds.
Even with one down, the other three came hard at them. Kih’Vok managed to engage two more with his roaring charge but the third slipped past to attach the smaller Bajoran female. Selena had been given enough time to recover though and she met his attack just as fiercely. She started to sight her rifle at him but realized he was deliberately moving into a closer range for hand to hand combat. Apparently her early work of quickly picking off his comrades had caused him to change his tactics to better his change of survival. A long bladed knife whipped out from a sheath at his hip and he swung it at an arch right at her mid section. A quick hop back avoided allowed her to avoid the blow but she collided with the crate she had been hiding next do and it grazed the edge of her armor. Not deep enough to penetrate but a sickening reminder that the safety precautions were turned off. With her back to the crate she thrust the butt of her rifle at him; It collided with his shoulder as he tried to move away. Enough to stagger his footing slightly but not give her room to break away. He lunged at her again and their melee continued.
Kih'Vok immediately kicked out at one of the Romulans as the third one lunged past him towards Selena. His kick went wide as his target stepped back and drew a long knife... the other followed suit as Kih'Vok recovered from his kick. He stepped back quickly as the two Romulans began to spread out towards him and reached down, grabbing his bat'leth. With a quick, forceful jerk, he attempted to yank the blade from the dying Romulan... however, the blade was stuck fast.
Looking down quickly he yanked hard again, almost lifting the Romulan from the floor. Placing his left foot on the Romulan's chest, he prepared to yank a third time when the Romulan on his left lunged in for a thrust.
Kih'Vok twisted his body and sidestepped away from the thrust. This, however, brought him in range of the second Romulan... who kicked hard at Kih'Vok's midsection. The blow struck hard in Kih'Vok's lower abdomen. Due to his already slighly off balance stance from avoiding the first Romulan's attack, the impact knocked him backwards several steps. The only thing that saved him from falling was his grip on his bat'leth. Still stuck fast in the now dead Romulan, the body slid across the floor as Kih'Vok staggered back before managing to recover. The other two Romulans both then lunged in to attack.
She caught the advancing blade with her rifle and deflected the blow, but the Romulan opponent had prepared for that. The small opening left by her two handed parry gave him enough time to pop off a quick jab at her face. The young Bajoran felt the hot impact against her nose and saw stars for a second, the pain was a sharp spike in her nose. Selena jerked back her rifle and brought in into a defensive attack position and blindly fired off three shots at point blank range. She had nowhere to go and was desperate to widen the engagement distance between her and her attacker.
The first shot was dangerously close to the Romulan’s torso and he dodged it by sheer determination. He hastily grabbed the end of her weapon and held it off to the side as the remaining two shots fired off, sending the bolts cascading harmlessly into the wall of the corridor. He tried to wrestle away the weapon from her and she fought back fiercely; to lose her rifle would put her at a most serious disadvantage.
As the two Romulans rushed him, Kih'Vok suddenly lunged forward and dropped to his knees. The move caught both Romulans off guard... the one to his right struck Kih'Vok and fell over his shoulder, while the one to his left managed to stop his momentum enough to merely collide with Kih'Vok so they both had to struggle to maintain their balance. As he recovered, Kih'Vok turned and put his shoulder into his pull on his bat'leth; with a wet tearing noise it suddenly came free.
He was in a critical position, and he knew it. The Romulan on the floor was even now struggling to stand before Kih'Vok could attack him, but it was the other one that was of primary concern. Before Kih'Vok could bring up his bat'leth to defend himself, the Romulan struck.
Despite his attempt to avoid the blow, the blade punctured is left side. The Romulan's blow was clumsy even so... the blade did not sink into Kih'Vok's back, but instead skittered across his ribs, leaving a deep gash that immediately started oozing purple colored blood.
Kih'Vok felt the pain... and his rage got the best of him. Roaring at the top of his lungs, he whipped around to face the Romulan, who had stepped back for another blow. As the Romulan attempted to lunge again, Kih'Vok deftly sidestepped his lunge and grabbed the his wrist; with a quick step he moved inside the Romulans guard and snapped his head forward, smashing his boned forehead against the Romulan's face. The Romulan immediately went limp and dropped.
Knowing the other Romulan was most likely even now preparing to slide his knife into his back, Kih'Vok jumped forward and spun to face him, just barely avoiding yet another strike. They began to slowly stalk one another, Kih'Vok ignoring the pain of his wound.
As she wrestled for her weapon she heard the piercing roar from her Klingon partner and immediately looked to see if he was alright. Her emerald eyed widened in shock and she grimaced as she saw the knife sink into Kih'Vok. She was amazed to see him seemingly shrug off the attack and continue to pursue his adversaries. He indicated earlier that he rarely used the safety protocols in the holodeck for his exercises, did he get this torn up often? How did he manage to handle so many by himself? There was no time to ponder this of course because she too was under attack. Fortunately Selena was not the only one who looked over to the Klingon as he roared and she took advantage of this in her Romulan foe.
With her right foot she reached back and pushed off the crate behind her, using her momentum to pummel into the distracted Romulan. He stumbled backward and she with him, until he tripped over a fallen body of one of his comrades. He gave up on trying to break his fall and thrust his knife deep at Selena's side. The young Bajoran was determined to end this attack and was so focused on her pursuit that she hardly noticed the knife as it stuck into her side. When they hit the ground she brought down the butt of her rifle against her opponents face with a grunt of effort. There were two sharp cracks; one as her weapon smashed his nose and the other as his skull bounced off the hard floor. His body lurched a moment and he fell still.
Selena slowly began to creep back from the intensity of the moment. She was breathing hard from effort and partly fear, her hair line was damp with sweat and she felt several drops pooling on the ridges of her nose. As she sat back up she immediately became aware of a sharp pain in her side, she looked and saw the knife blade sticking out. With a cry following a gasp of surprise she heaved the blade out of her flesh with a jerk and observe the tip of the weapon. It was stained with blood but no more than an inch; the polloyweave armor had saved her, for surely without it the knife would be six inches in and stuck in a kidney. The bleeding wasn't bad and she fumbled to pick up her rifle, remembering that Kih'Vok was still fighting and might need her help. She looked his way to assess the situation and with a grunt, got to her feet.
Kih'Vok, breathing heavily between his clenched teeth, glared at the Romulan as they stalked each other, slowly circling, stepping over debris as they moved. The Romulan kept twitching his hand towards his disruptor pistol, and Kih'Vok watched closely. He knew the Romulan was aware that he was the only one left... and he was certain he'd attempt to draw his pistol and shoot. He waited, biding his time until he saw the Romulan make a fatal mistake. In stepping over a piece of debris, he crossed his feet.
Immediately, Kih'Vok lunged forward, bring the blunt edge of his bat'leth around in a huge sweeping arc towards the Romulan's ankles. Caught off guard, his enemy tried to back pedal, and stumbled over his own feet as he made the attempt. A split second later the bat'leth smashed into his ankles; the force of the blow was enough to send his feet completely out from under him. He fell hard on his side with a loud grunt.
Kih'Vok spun, continuing the sweep around full circle, and brought the bat'leth up over his head, blade down. With terrific force, he plunged the sharp edge of his weapon into the chest of his enemy. The Romulan cried out in agony for a brief moment, then went limp. Kih'Vok stepped up and, putting his foot on the Romulan's face, yanked his bat'leth from his body, and wiped it on the corpse's uniform.
Standing up, he turned to check his wound. It wasn't deep, and looked worse than it was, but it was still oozing blood fairly regularly. Placing his hand over the wound, he looked around for Selena. As he did so, the computer chirped.
"Round one complete," it said in it's typical dispassionate female voice.
The small Bajoran made a short path to join her tall Klingon teammate. She wiped away the sweat from her brow with her hand and took a few deep breaths, calming herself down from the recent skirmish. What a mess the area was; fallen bodies, sparking conduits and scattered debris. It reeked of blood too, something she was not accustomed to smelling on a holodeck.
She smiled at Kih’Vok and was about to congratulate him on his victories when the computer chimed in. Round one? Round one!? Selena had completely forgotten this was a program set to pit their skills at some length, to an increasing level of difficulty. She had assumed that each proceeding wave of enemies had been the increase. Her emerald eyed widened and she asked the question anyway, fearing the answer.
“How many rounds are there?”
Kih'Vok saw Selena approaching, and was about to say something when the computer chimed and he saw the look on her face. He smiled somewhat mischievously as she asked her question. For a split second the practical prankster in him threatened to be let loose, but instead he turned his head slightly, still looking at Selena, and addressed the console.
"Computer, pause program," he said loudly. He then turned to face her directly again.
"I have programmed up to six successive waves of enemy combatants," he stated. "They all progress as this one did; the emphasis is on a long term physical workout than increasing difficulty through phases."
He paused for a moment and began to look down when he noted she was injured. He pointed at her wound.
"You are alright?" he asked. Her disregard of the injury impressed him.
At the mention of her wound she instantly brought a hand to her side and pressed there; testing its condition.
"I'm alright," she didn't even flinch from the touch, the battle hardened part of the Bajoran woman taking control. It was easy to forget one was in a holodeck and a real life attack would require she press on as the damage was minor. Selena paused a moment, considering something, her pink tongue darted quickly across her lips to moisten them.
"How much longer will the program run?" She hadn't forgotten that in a few hours time she was to have her interview with Cara McFerran and Jessica Richards for her transfer into the ACI. It wouldn't do her much good to be cut up and bruised for such an occasion, nor for her to be late.
Kih'Vok eyed her for a moment as she pressed her hand to the wound, and nodded. At her question, he looked down again at his own wound and inspected it as he replied.
"The program typically runs a full standard hour," he replied. "It's paused now, so I can terminate the program if you wish." He looked back up at her.
"You handled yourself very well," he grunted with a rather wolfish grin.
Perhaps it was best if they called the session as it stood. Selena had already been preoccupied longer than she anticipated and she needed to return to her temporary quarters to shower, get dressed and do a few other things. Probably stop by sickbay and have the on duty staff patch her up real quick. She set the butt of her rifle on the ground again and smiled warmly at his compliment.
"Thank you Kih'Vok. I studied and trained for mostly ground encounters and scenarios back during the Academy. I think I still enjoy it the most despite being trained in other tactical areas." She flashed him a bright grin.
Her teammate had done very well too; more so than she herself did she thought. Kih'Vok had taken on several opponents simultaneously and improvised really well. He was able to adapt to a situation with a unknown ally and work as a unit. Selena supposed this was normal for Klingons though, and Kih'Vok was a Starfleet officer so he would have been given training to act cohesively.
"I had a great teammate," she began after a moment's reflection. "I am not sure how the computer ranks a score in this program nor if it does so after just one round, but I am certain you were the stronger showing." Her voice was light but respectful; she really did admire the prowess of her new acquaintance and there was nothing wrong with admitting it openly. "You gave quite a showing and I was glad to have you on my side," she finished her compliment with a quick wink; her emerald eyes sparkling with a daring tease to a Klingon.
Selena gave a look around the scene again and came back to her earlier thoughts. "However I think it would be best if I retired early from your simulation. I have stayed much longer than I originally planned and there are still quite a few things I need to do before I meet with Fleet Captain McFerran and Richards." She set the rifle on top of a crate next to her, she needed to change out of her armor and back into her work out clothes before she left the holodeck.
"Is your wound alright?" noticing perhaps for the first time how severe it was- or seemed to her.
Still probing the wound with his fingers, he looked down at it quickly. "I'm fine," he said. "It's merely a scratch." He looked back up at her, and was struck again at the seemingly contradictory sides to her personality he had already seen. In many ways she appeared delicate and attractive - for a non-klingon, while at the same time displaying raw courage and a ferocity in combat he had not seen in a Starfleet officer for some time.
"I am impressed with your abilities," Kih'Vok said in a low, deep voice. "You have been trained well, and adapt quickly. It was easy to coordinate with you as well." He flexed his shoulders quickly as he continued to probe his injury with his fingers. "It was an interesting exercise," he then said quickly with a tight grin.
He turned slightly and used his free hand to carefully slide his bat'leth back into it's sheath on his back, and then ensured his phaser was holstered before he looked back up at her.
"I don't wish to keep you from your appointment," he said. "But if you agree, maybe we can meet for drinks later."