CH02: S [D03|0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

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CH02: S [D03|0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

June 11, 2021, 08:32:33 AM

[ Lieutenant Enyd Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

Surely it would be a day for miracles. Not only had Enyd gotten out of bed without delaying her alarm a half-dozen times as she was wont to do, but she had also found her way to Deck 28 on the first try. Little successes warranted just as much fanfare as large ones, at least when they were accomplished in the wee hours of the morning by someone who loathed mornings. Enyd had every intention of rewarding herself with an ice cream scoop in her coffee once she returned to her quarters. Not the usual morning brew—typically she preferred it black to conform to her intermittent fasting schedule—but after this follow-through, Enyd knew she needed the little reward.

Enyd rolled her neck, then her shoulders, as she continued along the corridor. She personally felt underdressed in her standard-issued activewear combo of red shorts and a blue shirt. Born under a modest moon, as her grandmother explained, or with an old soul as her mother once said, Enyd had never been a fan of showing excessive amounts of skin. Of course, what she was exposing now would make a Ferengi man blush, since it didn’t reveal quite as much as they preferred. Yet, she’d forgotten to pack anything aside from Starfleet activewear when preparing for this transfer and would have to invest in finding something else more tailored to her preferences a little later.

Aside from the sense of physical vulnerability which accompanied her every time she showed more than an ankle without leggings underneath, Enyd also felt over-prepared for the usual bout of Federation training with the tik’leth strapped to her back. Though her arm was still sore and healing from the cut Pa’Qis gave her in the tik’leth sparring, Enyd didn’t particularly like not being at least adequate at something. She had a personal code of ethics to at least be adequate in new things, if not become an expert. Considering the context of their current mission and those coming, Enyd felt a personal push to become better acquainted with the Klingon weapon, if even just for a conversation piece, if not also for a demonstration. In her personal experience within diplomacy, she found that being adequate, if not expert, in something unique to the culture in focus was the perfect bridge point from which to launch. With the Klingons, both those 200 some odd on board loyal to Chancellor Martok, and those they would encounter in the coming days, Enyd knew she’d need every bit of ammunition possible to reach them without appearing wholly foolish in their eyes.

Tugging on the strap that secured the blade to her back, Enyd nodded to one of the few individuals she passed in the corridor. She’d met very few personnel on her journey, and little wonder considering the hour. No one would willingly be up and about without a personal or professional mission, and if they were a morning person cheerily floating about quoting how splendid the day was already, well then, in Enyd’s opinion, they were not to be trusted.

Just as Pa’Qis had not trusted Enyd to conform to the Klingon methods of tik’leth fighting. What she’d told Pa’Qis was still true. Undoubtedly, she could not wield this short sword as a Klingon and hope to have the same percentage of success. She was less than half the weight of an average male Klingon, and even female Klingons dwarfed her to the point she’d felt like the ship’s mascot before transferring to Theurgy. She needed to incorporate her background in gymnastics and dance with her basic hand-to-hand combat training required of her from Starfleet in conjunction with the skills gleaned from Pa’Qis back on the Kajunpak't. If she could successfully get that wrangled together, she might have a chance if an actual fight broke out. Which, knowing Klingons, would occur sooner rather than later.

So, it was for both professional and personal reasons that Enyd had abandoned her bed and sought the holosuite adjacent to the below decks lounge on Deck 28. The physical activity would help her remember all the names of the houses at stake, besides helping her have a better grasp on the blade itself. Drawing up outside the lounge and passing through its entrance, Enyd began to chant out the list of Houses she’d thus far memorized.

“B’Vat, DachoH, Delagh, and then Gorv. Grunnil, Kahnrah, Kang, and K’Gnor.” Making a direct route to Holosuite 02, Enyd continued through her list in the strange singsong fashion she’d developed to aid memory. “Kolloth, K’Tai, Lorgh, and Noggra. Targesh, Tortek, and don’t’ forget Vrag, ah!”

Standing outside the holosuite, Enyd paused. She’d put so much effort into getting out of bed and getting here, not failing to mention developing a theatrically worthy song and near dance number to help memorize the Great Houses loyal to Martok, that she’d completely forgotten to think about what sort of setting would be best to assist in her tik’leth training. If she programmed a regular Klingon instructor, she’d get her arse kicked without learning a thing. But if she programmed, say, a regular fencing instructor, it would still not quite fit her needs. Enyd crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

“Well,” she sighed, “damn.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #1 – July 03, 2021, 05:50:13 PM

She hadn’t slept very well despite being exhausted from the previous day’s tasks. After the explosion, Mickayla had remained on duty for most of the night, only returning to her quarters at around 0400 ship time. She’d slept a few hours before returning to duty to continue with the aftermath of the explosion. Her day had been filled with damage control, witness statements, evidence reviews as well as reviewing sensor and surveillance logs in an effort to determine the cause of the explosion. And as the day had gone on, the pit in the Klingon’s stomach had grown as she came to the horrible conclusion that the explosion in the lounge was a deliberate; it was a bombing.

She’d collapsed into her bunk last night and, though tired, sleep had been difficult as her mind worked through the events. Eventually she had drifted off, but she had been unable to fully settle and had still woken up earlier than she had planned. Not wanting to waste the time, she had dressed quickly and, after gathering her Mek’leth and D’k tagh, had descended through the ship, heading for the holosuites in the Below Decks lounge. They were usually empty at this time of the morning and made for a good location for Mickayla to run through one of the sparring programs that Captain Ruzaxo had left her.

Entering the lounge, she found it sparsely occupied and mostly silent. That was, except for the female walking across the room, dressed similarly to herself, with a Klingon sword over her shoulder and reciting a list of Klingon words, some of which she recognised to be the names of Klingon Great Houses. Curious, she followed the woman across the deck towards one of the holosuites and drew close enough in time to hear her curse.

“I usually say that when I am waking up, not when I am standing in front of an empty holosuite,” Mickayla commented casually, folding her arms across her chest. “Your sword, its Klingon isn’t it?” she asked, wanting to confirm what she already believed. “May I ask how you came by it?”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #2 – July 11, 2021, 03:03:14 PM

[ Lieutenant Enyd Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

Enyd was so used to looking up, and up, and up to her fellow crewmates that it was a welcome change when she turned and found herself staring at a green-eyed, strongly built, beautiful Klingon woman only a few inches taller than herself. Dressed in activewear and sporting what looked to be Klingon weapons as well, there was no doubt in Enyd’s mind that the woman had come to the Holosuite with the intention of training. Perhaps…Enyd stopped herself from getting too far with scheming for a sparring partner. She was still new to the ship, and it was best to let things develop naturally, instead of trying to maneuver people and situations to her liking. Work habit that it was, best not to go that route so early in the morning, especially not pre-coffee.

At the woman’s introductory statement, Enyd laughed, giving a half shrug. “I didn’t realize until just this very moment I hadn’t really given thought to the type of program I’d need to train with the tik’leth that would allow me true learning without getting completed thrashed again.” Enyd nodded to the woman’s questions, “Yes, I received it as a gift, or a loaned gift to be more precise, from a friend I made on the Kajunpak’t.” Enyd laughed then and shook her head, “Before you go thinking I bested some superior statured Klingon warrior,” Enyd gestured to her body and winked, “Pa’Qis is an engineer who found me about as adorable as one might find a kitten. No doubt she thought it would be amusing to arm said kitten with bigger claws just to see what sort of mayhem could ensue.” Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a quick whistling rush, Enyd shrugged. “I’m to use it in battle and tell her the tales when we meet again on Qo’nos. No pressure there whatsoever.” Enyd gave a playful eye roll for good measure.

She took her eyes off her companion long enough to stare at the holosuite doors again. “Hence why I’m here, at this unholy hour, trying to think of a program to train with. Rik'evet, my scientist friend from the Kajunpak’t, was more amiable to the reality that I cannot fight with traditional Klingon moves with this weapon if I hope to survive the fight. Pa’Qis begrudgingly agreed, only after she gave me a parting gift.” Enyd shifted on her feet to show the bottom half of her cut that traveled from just above her elbow up towards her shoulder, running out of view under her shirt. Turning again to face the Klingon woman more directly, Enyd gave a formal head nod. “I am Lieutenant Enyd Isolde Madsen, diplomatic corps. I'm sure you have deduced by now several things about me, one such fact being that I transferred in last night from the Kajunpak’t. I'm not normally a morning person but this being my first day onboard my first starship posting, I figured I'd best start it getting my arse kicked in, so I was humble enough later to keep an open and pliable mind when I meet the rest of my department.”

Despite her earlier resolution to not maneuver things, Enyd found herself continuing and figured it was the lack of caffeine that had her speaking so loosely without a greater study of her companion for receptivity. “Forgive me if I am falsely assuming you have also come here to train with your Klingon-looking weapons, but if you have indeed come for that, would you mind ever so much if I join you? I’m going to assume again that you may already have a program suitable for training?” Enyd refused to nibble her lower lip as she waited for the woman's response. It was a bad habit for when she was curious, confused, nervous, or just bored, and it was a habit best broken sooner rather than later.

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #3 – September 08, 2021, 05:28:03 PM

Mickayla had thought her questions easy enough to answer. Yes, and the name of the person who had given it to her. Perhaps even a little of the background as to why she had received it. Instead, she had listened to a verbose address that had informed her that she was speaking with one of the new officers that had joined the crew, that she was Lieutenant Enyd Madsen, a Klingon engineer named Pa’Qis had passed the sword to her and that she had no idea how to use it. That last part threatened to overwhelm Mickayla’s self-control and bring a smile to her face, but she managed to contain it, instead straightening her posture as she did whenever speaking to an officer.

“Chief Petty Officer Mickayla MacGregor, ma’am,” Mickayla said, declaring her own identity. “My apologies for my forwardness. I meant no disrespect.” In truth, she hadn’t needed to deduce much about the new officer as the Terran had been a flowing fount since meeting. “Terran? When did I start thinking like that?”

“I am a Klingon, ma’am,” Mickayla stated, forcing herself to keep her tone even. “But yes, I am here to train. And I have several programs that I believe could be of benefit to you. Have you ever used a sword before? Or done any kind of martial or weapon’s training?”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #4 – September 09, 2021, 01:14:43 PM

[ Lieutenant Enyd Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

Enyd vowed never to drink that Klingon coffee ever again. She’d had an almost fatal amount of it back on the Kajunpak't, and no doubt the residual effects of it were what had caused her to nearly overwhelm her new shipmate. Though caught up in her own mixture of fatigue, curiosity, and the excitement of the moment, it was not lost to Enyd just how much she’d spouted information in such a short amount of time. Though aware of it, she’d been unable to stop it, and THAT she blamed entirely on the Klingon coffee.

“May I address you by your surname? Your given name? Your rank?” Enyd smiled playfully. “Though probably not thought of first on the list of ‘rebels against protocol’ within Starfleet, those of us in the diplomatic corps have a habit of adjusting certain measures to fit a situation. For myself, I’d much prefer my surname, or LT if you insist upon using rank.” She chuckled then, picturing some of her previous professors or superior officers as pirates with eye patches. A random thought, and again one she blamed the Klingon coffee and poor sleep on.

Tearing herself back to the moment, Enyd waved away MacGregor’s concern about respect. “I will likely be the hardest person to insult or disrespect. See that as a challenge if you wish, but it is the truth. Considering I found my time on Tellar to be delightful, well, I doubt you could say or do much that would add up to my feeling disrespected.”

Glancing between MacGregor’s weapons and her own, Enyd nodded. “I am skilled in a number of Terran and Vulcan martial arts, with a basic background in blade work for those schools of movement. I also have a background in gymnastics and dance, the latter two being the features of my swordplay that truly baffled Pa’Qis, but those were the only moves I could pull that kept me from being smashed to bits by her attacks.” She shrugged and waited expectantly for her Klingon companion to decide. “None of those blades were quite like this, though. So more training would be most helpful in not dying. And, truly, rank and timing aside, if you would rather train by yourself first, I will come back later after I nurse a few cups of coffee.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #5 – October 02, 2021, 03:12:00 PM

“LT,” Mickayla said, enunciating the two letters, “You can call me Chief or MacGregor,” the Klingon cleared up as she considered what to do. She could see, if only in general, how the officer’s prior training could be adapted to learn the new weapon. Mickayla herself wasn’t an expert in her own weapons yet but she was progressing well using the programs given and was confident that she could at least point the officer in the right direction to utilise her sword as well.

“If it’s alright with you, ma’am, I’d like us to run through a simple sparring program first, so that I can see what you know already and any good or bad habits that you have. The sooner we can see them the sooner that we can either reinforce or remove them,” Mickayla advised, turning and entering the holosuite, rolling her shoulders to loosen them up. “Computer, load Klingon progression sparing program, level 01 but do no run,” she called out.

“Acknowledged,” the computer, an empty tone that only barely resembled Thea’s replied. The suite changed into an open hall, lit by firelight from hanging torches with several entrances spaced along each wall.

“This program is a simple sparring one. We’ll start off with two opponents, because there are two of us, and our opponents will be replaced as we eliminate them. For every 5 that are killed, the total against us is increased by one. So, 2v2, then 3v2, 4v2 and so on until we are both taken down with what the program deems ‘kill shots’. Any other injuries you’ll feel as electric shocks of varying degrees. Ready?” When Madsen had given her assent, Mickayla unsheathed her own weapons.

“Computer, run program.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #6 – October 03, 2021, 02:34:23 PM

[ Lt Enyd Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

Enyd laughed as she followed the woman into the holosuite, "Oh, I can assure you I have quite a few bad habits, Chief; they just don’t all pertain to sparring.”

At MacGregor’s order, the environment changed to a fire lit great hall with multiple entrances. It reminded Enyd of ancient Earth castles, and perhaps it was meant to, or perhaps it was reminiscent of similar types of buildings on Qo'noS. In either case, it was a well-designed environment for a sparring session as it offered multiple openings for attack and defense, and the low lighting was also a test of the senses. Enyd smiled. She was likely going to get her arse kicked, but it would be fun and helpful. Once she gave her nod of understanding to MacGregor, the Klingon ordered the computer to begin.

There was no smooth transition from nothing to something. It was the two of them one moment, and the promised opponent was slicing at her head the next. His blade made a hissing whine as it passed over her head when Enyd ducked. Adjusting her grip on the gifted tik’leth, Enyd shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She studied her opponent's movements, how he too adjusted his grip and angled his torso first this way, then that.

His attacks were rapid and fierce when he made them. His footsteps bursts of passing steps as he made downward arcing wrath blows meant to cleave her face in two then upward-moving low blows intended to take out her legs. Enyd voided his attacks with parries and uppercuts, their violent dance carrying them a circling pace away from MacGregor and her opponent. When their blades met, the sharp click and clatter of metal on metal echoed off the walls of the chamber. Accompanying the metallic song were her own grunts of effort when her opponent’s superior strength knocked her off her feet.

However, Enyd pivoted back into a ready position before her opponent took advantage of her dislodging. Shifting sideways in a feinted attack, she used an angled overhead thrust, her blade whispering through his lowered guard as he stabbed at where he thought she'd move. Her blade made a direct hit to his chest. Her opponent shimmered out of existence with her victory, and Enyd turned surprised eyes back to MacGregor. She had likewise bested her opponent, likely far more quickly than Enyd, and stood waiting for Enyd before starting the next round.

Licking her lips, Enyd tasted the salt of her sweat, and now that the opponent was no longer taking aim at her soft bits, she felt the energetic fizzle of adrenaline as it pumped through her veins. It gave her the edge she needed, only so long as she didn’t get cocky.

Enyd spoke as she shifted the blade from one hand to another, taking the time to wipe away the beads of sweat dotting her brow. “Well, Chief, what bad habits should we be working on to ensure my head remains attached to my body?”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #7 – October 07, 2021, 04:44:53 PM

By the time Mickayla’s second opponent was vanishing from sight, the Klingon had learnt a great deal from watching the Human fight against the warrior opposing her. And it was not encouraging. Absently, Mickayla blocked an overhead strike from the next warrior and gutted him with her offhand. She had run through this program multiple times and was now starting at a higher level after progressing through more of the training programs left for her. A quick roll as the last opponent in this set shimmered into view and Mickayla had knocked them down and stabbed into their holographic throat, dissipating their existence.

“Computer, freeze program after next opponent is defeated,” she requested as she eyed the Human as she still tarried. Finally though, she managed to gain a victory with an overhead thrust that dissolved her opponent. Enyd asked what Mickayla thought of her bad habits and the Chief had to take a moment to determine how best to, diplomatically, go over them.

“You are too defensive. Studying your enemy is useful until it leads to inaction. Every time you are attacked and struck at, you should be looking for an opening to counterattack,” Mickayla advised, mimicking a parry and riposte movement with her mek’leth. “You are smaller and weaker than your average enemy, but also more than likely quicker. And your weapon gives you reach. Move around more, make them react to you and when they make a mistake, strike quickly and accurately. A hand removed or a sword through the thigh can be just as deadly as a thrust through the torso.”

“Computer, restart program at the Lieutenant’s command. Same parameters.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #8 – October 13, 2021, 02:41:53 PM

[ Lt Enyd Isolde Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

Enyd nodded in response to the Chief’s insight and critiques. In truth, the majority of her martial arts and blades training had been in the form of responsive defensive movements and not aggressive attacks. This weapon required the type of fighting the woman spoke of and assuredly not the defensive sort Enyd was accustomed to. She’d been on the ship a matter of hours only, and already Enyd knew that the coming missions were going to require far more pragmatic assertion than any of her previous assignments. Going through the literal and figurative fires on Vulcan after the fiasco that had been Javec’s betrayal and death on Cardassia could be considered her true training grounds for the scenarios she was to meet in the coming days aboard this ship. Anderson had all but said that very thing to her in his missive.

“Aggressive, be aggressive. Got it.” Enyd nodded, more to herself than to the Chief since the woman had returned to her own training after leaving Enyd with her requested feedback. Rolling her shoulders and mentally readying herself for an abrupt change in pace, Enyd spoke calmly while readjusting her grip on the sword, “Computer, resume program.”

Again, there was little other warning before her opponent was armed before her. This time, instead of waiting for his attacks, Enyd smiled to herself. As she mentally hummed through one of her favorite tunes from the ancient Earth composer Igor Moiseyev, her mind aflame with the many acrobatic dance moves she’d learned some years ago when studying his work, Enyd immediately launched into an advancing glissade with the tik’leth in a front guard. Using an enchainment series of weaving movements, Enyd moved into her opponent’s weak zone and took a quick step forward by moving her rear foot into the front position while she shifted the blade from a front guard into a downward arcing strike. Her opponent shedded her strike with a deflecting clang, as she assumed he would—as she would have if she’d been in his position.

Enyd used the momentum of his deflecting push to pivot en dedans, curling inward and crouching down like a corkscrew. Moving down and out of her opponent’s strike zone so suddenly, and “irrationally,” worked to her advantage. With a quick thrust upward, Enyd worked her sword behind her opponent’s guard and plunged the end of her blade deep into his guts, the blade reaching upward through his torso until he winked out of existence, and she was left in the same semi-crouched position with her blade pointing upward toward the ceiling.

Glancing back to the Chief with the same giddy smile on her face as had been seen throughout her violent dance with Russian music playing in her head, Enyd stood to her full height. She shifted the blade from one hand to another, wiping the sweat on her clothing as was needed.

“From what you’ve observed, what else can I improve on?” Enyd asked, genuine in her desire to improve and learn. She glanced at the Chief's sword then back to the woman's face. "And may I know where you learned to fight? Was it just from standard training from Starfleet or is there a greater tale behind the prowess?"

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #9 – November 22, 2021, 03:13:30 PM

“No necessarily aggressive, but definitely proactive. Continue your defence but always be on the lookout for a counterattacking opportunity. The best fight is one that never happens. Second best is one that is over quickly,” Mickayla advised before stepping back out of the way, nothing else on her mind to say. Instead, she atched with a critical eye as Enyd restarted the program and, surprisingly quickly and with a flair that was unexpected, defeated her new opponent.

“Freeze program,” Mickayla ordered as Enyd wiped the sweat from her hands. She listened silently as the Terran officer asked for more pointers and then some history from the Klingon. “Just keep practicing that until counterattacking and looking for opportunities becomes second nature. And keep moving. It’s a little more tiring but it balances out in the increased defensive and offensive angles that it provides.”

“I learnt to fight in Scotland, using traditional broadswords,” Mickayla began, trying not to let her emotions from her youth overwhelm her. “After that, there was some fencing at the Academy, and security and tactical training, of course. But Klingon weapons, only about 3 weeks now. A captain Ruzaxo owed me, and he set me up with some good blades and armour, along with a suite of training programs that I have been working through whenever I can. I can copy them for you if you’d like.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #10 – December 01, 2021, 02:12:22 PM

[ Lt Enyd Isolde Madsen | Below Decks Lounge | Deck 28 | Vector 3 | Holosuite 02 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Stegro88

“Have you ever read warfare philosophy from the ancient Earth warrior Sun Tzu?” Enyd held up the weapon to study its length as she spoke. “’He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight,’ is something he said that my father always reminded me of whenever I came home from school angry at something a classmate had said or done either to myself or someone else.” Enyd laughed and shook her head. “I always had a habit of putting my nose into business that others felt wasn’t my own.” Shrugging, Enyd lowered the blade and returned her gaze to the Chief, “My grandmother was also well-read, no surprise there, and favored another Sun Tzu quote of ‘in chaos, there is opportunity,’ or something along those lines. I suppose my fighting style and approach lies somewhere in between my father and grandmother and that of one of my trainer’s in the Academy, who also, interestingly enough, enjoyed Sun Tzu. ‘Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.’”

Enyd offered a playful salute in response to the Klingon’s instructions to keep moving and looking for opportunities. In the few skirmishes she’d already weathered, the lack of stillness was all that had saved Enyd’s skin, and she had no intention of slowing down any time soon. As Mickayla revealed a little of her history, Enyd perked up. She could very much imagine the Klingon beauty wielding a broadsword and smiled in response to the mental image, an image complete with bagpipes playing in the background of her mind. Enyd snapped back to the moment at Mickayla’s offer to copy the programs, and she eagerly nodded.

“That would be most appreciated, thank you.” Holding up the Klingon-style blade, Enyd smiled. “I’ll need all the training I can get with this thing. As for me, my background is also in some fencing, but mostly martial arts blades work and fighting styles, ranging from Earth techniques to Vulcan.” Her internal clock chimed, or the equivalent to that, queuing Enyd into the reality of the passing of time and her need to report to her new department head sooner rather than later. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to slash and dash this morning. I don’t want to set a bad precedent with my new department head and show up late.” Sheathing the sword, Enyd offered the Chief a broad smile of gratitude, “Thank you again for sharing your program this morning and for the pointers.”

Enyd waited for the woman’s response before moving towards the holodeck arch and the exit, “I look forward to more shared training sessions in the future if you’ve a mind for them.”

Re: CH02: S [D03 | 0557] A (Slightly Violent) Morning Meditation

Reply #11 – January 01, 2022, 03:26:15 PM

“I have read ‘The Art of War’ a few times over the years,” Mickayla confirmed. “It's been a while though since I did so I cannot recall that quote about chaos. I was more referring to words in Chapter IV about tactical disposition,” she continued, casting her mind back to the times she had read the timeless body of work. “Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.”

“Still relevant even today, whether in combat or outside of it,” Mickayla noted calmly, idly wondering if there were other lessons she could stand to relearn before deciding that a reread was in order. But that was for later as a chime sounded within the program. “I can have the programs duplicated and delivered to you within a few hours, ma’am,” Mickayla declared after Enyd made her apologies about having to leave so abruptly.

“If you need any help with them or other training, please to reach out to me,” Mickayla said before her companion exited the holosuite. As the doors shut and faded from view, Mickayla rolled her shoulders.

“Computer, reset program to level 12 and resume in 10 seconds.”

~FIN~