Running Free

Posted on Mon Jun 5th, 2017 @ 12:57am by Lieutenant Commander Christopher Evans & Lieutenant Commander Ziyal Tajor

Ziyal was reading a book in the Ten Forward, it was a new epic that was selling well on Cardassia. She smiled as Ziarial, the hero of this generation chose, just like his father, to serve the State. It was a good uplifting tale. She only wished that the real Cardassian state deserved the loyalty that Zianial was giving it.

Chris had decided he needed to relax a bit after everything that had been going on since he made it to the Victory they had been rather busy and he hadn't had time to really look around the ship or get to know anyone. So the Operations Officer made his way to the bar, ordered his drink and then started walking around looking for someone to talk to in Ten Forward.

Chris noticed Lieutenant Tajor sitting reading a book and made his way over. "How's the book?" he asked, trying to break the ice.

Ziyal looked up and smiled at Chris, "I'm loving it, the author really has a way of turning a phrase. I'm just starting to dig into the second generation, when things get really interesting. Have you ever read a repetitive epic?" Ziyal asked enthusiastically, motioning for him to sit if he wanted.

Evans took the offered seat "Thank you" he paused and shook his head "and nah I can't say that I have" he paused " read a repetitive epic, I mean."

"Their great, by seeing how each generation responds to similar circumstances, you can see the true character of the family." Ziyal said clearly enjoying talking about her favorite genre. "What do you like to read?" She asked.

"I'm not a big reader" Chris said, he spent most of his free time working out and if he did read it was usually some Starfleet manual on some sort of Starship operations. "When I do it's usually of starship operations manual or new tech manual."

"So what do you do to relax?" Ziyal asked, curiously.

"Have a drink" he raised his glass "Let off some steam in the holodeck, take a run around the ship" he cut a crooked smile.

Ziyal nodded, "Interesting, I do quite a bit of running myself. I practice Parkata Urbatsu, if you've heard of it."

Evans shook his head "I have not" he raised an eyebrow.

"It's the art of urban movement. Most martial arts focus on the fight response, being really good at that. There are those fight aspects in Parkata Urbatsu, but it's main focus is getting away from situations rather then fighting your way out of them." Ziyal explained.

That sounded interesting to Chris "Perhaps you can give me a lesson?" he asked taking a sip of his drink.

"Sure," Ziyal surveyed the fairly crowded room and then gave a grin. "Bet I can beat you to the door." An instant later, she was using the table for leverage to flip herself out of her seat and over the table without disturbing the vase of flowers that had been placed there. She ran a few steps and then dove, tucked and rolled to avoid running into someone. Then she was up and jumping over the bar where she ran at a full sprint down the length and sweeping past the bar tender without even touching him. That end of the bar had a ensign sitting there, slightly shocked to see a Cardassian running at him full tilt. Then she was up and over him, doing a somersault to land in front of the door. Even though the whole thing had only taken less then ten seconds to cross the whole of the room, everyone was looking at her. She took a bow and smiled at the crowd. Appeased that this was a performance, they turned back to what they were doing. She grinned across the room at Chris.

Chris wasn't expecting that at all. He got up and started jogging after her "wait up" he shouted.

Ziyal waited at the door for a moment, watching him navigate the crowd. She waited until he was closer, and started to head towards the holodecks. "So, what did you think about that?" Ziyal asked.

"That was fast" he said with a smile finally catching up to Ziyal.

"Navigating quickly through a crowd is one of the most basic forms of Parkata Urbatsu, it's the first time that you encounter what is in many ways a truly unpredictable force, and an audience. Parkata Urbatsu is more then just about urban movement, running away or chasing someone. Regardless of if you play the pursuer or the perused, your goal is to make your opponents and everyone watching stop in awe and ask them selves, 'how did they do that?'" Ziyal explained, then opened the door to the holodeck.

Evans was intrigued. He was quite used to the more basic forms of martial arts, but this sounded like it was something on another level. "Well just start slow" he was only half way kidding.

"Ok, slow, I take it you know how to run in a straight line?" Ziyal asked. "Computer, Track with hurtles." She commanded and they were at a beautiful track by the sea. At intervals around the track there were hurtles placed that they would have to jump over. "Lets see how you do when there is something in your way."

Chris had never jumped hurtles before, but he would give it a try. "Alright don't laugh" he started running and made it over the first few hurtles and on the third one his foot got caught and he landed rather hard on his chest.

Ziyal went running with him, easily clearing all three, but when he tripped over the third one, she stopped and offered him and hand to help him up. "Not as easy as it looks?" She said, with a small smile.

"Thanks" Chris took the offered hand "no this is going to take some practice"

"It does, but the idea is there. Another obstacle is a wall. Computer, two meter wall." The hurtles disappeared to be replaced with a two meter tall wall. "Another basic form is how to get over a wall like that quickly and efficiently without losing speed. There are a lot of different things, but those are some examples of what we do." Ziyal explained.

"How do you not loose any speed" he paused and looked at her "while going over a wall?"

Ziyal nodded, "I guess strictly speaking you don't, but your pursuer also has to come over the wall if they want to catch you. If you get over it faster then they do, you've gained some speed. While if they get over it faster then you, you've lost some speed."

What she was saying made sense "Well here we go" he started off as fast as he could and made a jump for the top of the wall when he reached it. Chris grabbed the top of the wall and pulled himself up, tossing a leg over the top he quickly landed on the other side.

"Good" Ziyal said, and backed up several meters and went at the wall at a dead run. It looked like she planted her foot on the wall and jumped up, her hands were on the top of the wall, and she swung both of her legs over in a single smooth motion before dropping down the other side. "So this is the boring practice bit. You remember that weird rock garden with the walls at the academy?" Ziyal asked,

"Yeah between the" Chris said with a nod as his mind went blank "between the science building and that other one" he giggled trying to be silly.

Ziyal nodded, "I spent a lot of time there because it was one of the best places to practice on the campus. Holodeck, Huerta memorial." The landscape changed to the entrance of the rock garden between two much larger buildings. Ziyal stepped into the garden and turned right. "Each of the rocks here has a name on it. The name of a Starfleet officer or enlisted who earned their citizenship through Starfleet service, or would have, and died in the line of duty." She picked one of the rocks up and looked at the name, silent for a moment before putting it back down. She stood and turned to Chris with a smile. "So, from here to the other entrance. Wanna race?"

"Sure" Evans said with a smile on his face. He knew there was no way he could beat her, but would give it a try.

"Go!" Ziyal shouted suddenly and Ziyal dashed off through the garden, climbing over some walls, going around others, and at one point climbing a drainage pipe to get over a wall. She had done this, both at the real one and in the holodeck hundreds of times.

Evans made a good start at the course following not far behind her, but the climbing slowed him down. As he landed on the other side of the wall he fell on his rear end. Laughing and trying to catch his breath "I'm going to have to get some practice in Ziyal."

Ziyal laughed and helped Evans up, "You've started, and that's what matters."

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Lieutenant Ziyal Tajor
Chief Strategic Operations Officer

Lt. Commander Christopher Evans
Chief Operations Officer