snip

The second Klingon was effectively blocked, Stark was down but far from out. A caitian on it’s back has many options and one that had studied capoeira extensively has even more. Stark scissored his legs flicked his spine into a half moon and launched off the floor spinning around Julien’s locked arm using the two bodies as momentum he aimed one mekleth for the Klingon’s throat and the other for the shoulder. Sailing up and over the black streak attempted to take the throat and use the other blade to launch through the air feet first at the oncoming Klingon behind it’s fellow.

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Both blades met their mark swiftly and unerringly and the approaching Klingon stumbled and fell, clutching the blade sticking out of his chest. HIs momentum made him slide over the sandy floor directly before their feet as Julien stood up straight again. In the ensuing calm, Julien gave Stark an appreciative look full, his mismatched green eyes were sparkling.

“This is fun!” he said, as they heard the next pair of footsteps. Twenty minutes or so later, the program beeped, ending the level. They were both pretty drenched in Klingon blood and had left a trail of dead bodies between the spikey boulders, severed limbs and other gruesome sights that didn’t seem to register to Julien at all.

Julien pulled out a swath of fabric and started cleaning his blade. It was a holographic blade, but Stark got the distinct feeling he was watching an almost unconscious ritual. There was a satisfied almost happy gleam in Julien’s eyes as he was wiping his blade, sweat geaming on the left half of his face.
As Julien realised that this was not his real blade and that the sequence of this level was over, he quickly chucked the fabric away and made the Batleth disappear, focusing on Stark.
They had danced gracefully, well mostly Stark had, he he had just done his thing, but they were such different fighters with such different strengths that they were a perfect team. Stark had exactly what Julien was missing, and that in abundance.

“This was a great workout, I think we would do well in a real fight.” he said to Stark.

• Julien Smith

“Indeed” Stark said his dark eyes afire with a predators instincts. He took a deep breath to lower his adrenalin to manageable levels for speech stretching for battle mode into relaxation mode fluidly as only a Caitian could. “It would be worth working on some set pieces for certain situations, I admit to being excited about some of the manoeuvres we could achieve as a team harnessing our different skills”.

Julien nodded. “Yes, I’m all for it, there are quite a few possibilities. For example you could jump up via my right hand onto my right shoulder and pounce from there.” he held out his right hand at the height of his hip and made an upwards motion.

After a moment of surveying the wreckage around them with appreciation he looked up and asked “Do you mind if I ask a personal question?”

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Julien nodded. “Sure, ask me anything, you’re one of the very few people I can actually talk openly with.” he said.

• Julien

“You seemed to enjoy this carnage as much as I did, I was curious if it was personal feelings towards Klingons that was the reason or perhaps something more general?” Stark looked the man in the eye, “I ask only as I want to understand your feelings and motivations more, much as you need to know more about mine”

Stark Nightstalker CIO

Julien nodded, having expected that question. “Long story short, I started out as a doctor in Starfleet, I swore the hypocratic oath. I only got involved into that black ops because thanks to my android half I was strong enough and because they had my older foster brother and I wanted to free him. There was a point in all that fighting when I intentionally kept killing instead of healing and it broke me in two. Half healer, half killer, just like my body is half human, half android. It’s irreversible and I’ve learned to live with both and find a balance. “
It was quite amazing that although he had learned to talk about it without much emotion showing, it still hurt like hell, Julien reflected silently, while seeing the vacant look of his brother’s eyes in his mind when he had finally found Damien in the Klingon main camp’s torture room.

“Ironically I don’t think I’ve ever would have become a Captain had I remained ‘only’ a fully human doctor. So yes, that dark half enjoys it and yes, I do have a special hatred for Klingons due to my months on that godforsaken colony and due to what they had done to my brother… but I’m trying to move past that.” he said.

• Julien

Stark sighed, “You won’t” he said his own eyes showing his understanding, “You may lessen it, channel it, use it, force it to create good outcomes rather than darker ones, but you became a killer for a reason and just as your love for your brother will never dim neither will the reason you became a killer” He looked up and his eyes burned with intense fury, something he did not show often outside of battle, “The question we must ask is if we love killing, or love killing for a purpose, the path is chosen but we choose how we walk it”.

Stark Nightstalker CIO