<SNIP>

“Interesting set up for a holodeck,” she stated gesturing around. “Has the I want to take off your head and then engage in high tea with cucumber sandwiches vibe,” she gestured to the bag and then gazebo, “only you don’t look like the type that eats cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches.” Her smile indicated she found humor in his choice of programs but also was intrigued. Most people were far more complex than their normal personalities presented to the world. Jacen was no different. He was the perfect officer with the perfect record but no one was that transparent. Behind his perfect record was a story of someone who rose through the ranks getting his hands dirty and working hard. It was why Kelly had requested him to fill the vacant slot she had on her ship. Finding officers was easy. Finding officers that worked hard alongside everyone in the crew regardless of rank was more difficult. Jacen seemed to easily fill this role.

He cracked a smile at the sandwich comment before replying, “They’re actually delicious, but the quantity of them I would need to eat is prohibitive of me partaking in them very often.” There was palpable humor in his voice, and while his comment might be funny it wasn’t completely wrong. He was a large man and little finger sandwiches with no legitimate protein source wouldn’t go very far to quell his appetite.

“Not to mention they normally don’t come with fries. Lucky for you I know where they keep the good stuff at those stuffy formal monkey suit events you are now going to have to attend given those pips on your neck and your new career duties. The best booze along with the burgers to soak up the booze is the bar closest to the service entrance. News travels fast but just tell them you are part of Captain Chao’s crew and they will take care of you,” she said offhand. The information was extraneous but given with a purpose. It was mainly to see what Jacen retained as valuable information and what he assumed was banter. It would not be too long before they were stuck in a formal affair and Kelly would know if he tugged this nugget away or not.

Jacen stored away that information. It seemed a little out there to simply be a throw away statement, and he thought it might have a purpose later on.

“You learn your moves from brawling on shore leave or training?” The comment was not a slur but more an observation. Jacen had not gone the traditional route in Starfleet to get where he was standing now. For what little she knew of boxing, Jacen seemed to be marrying trained skill and ingenuity. It interested her to see where he had achieved his skills.

Kelly CO

Flex was lost in thought a moment as he thought back to when he learned to fight, it had been so long ago now that it felt like a different life time. “Without getting super long-winded, the colony I grew up on had very few legitimate opportunities for a boy to make a living. So I learned to make mine with my fists. Once I enlisted in the Marines, it became more formal as I competed in the corp and yes sometimes while serving dirtside fighting was our best form of entertainment.” His eyes surveyed the CO as he gauged her reaction. His interactions with the captain had been limited previously, but given his new appointment he knew he’d be seeing much more of her and it would serve him well to get a read on her body language and other mannerisms… after all most communication was nonverbal.

Flex

Kelly nodded taking in the information. They could not have come from different pasts but that did not mean they shared completely different experiences. “My background at the academy was security and intelligence. I don’t have the body weight for boxing so my choice of sport was something else. May I,” she gestured to the bag hanging in the middle of the gazebo. Kelly was dressed for the activity in high-waisted leggings and a sports bra. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail so that it was out of her face and free to move around. =/\=Computer boxing gloves=/\= she requested.

As they materialized at her feet, Kelly pulled them on. She was nowhere proficient enough to just tape her hands like Jacen had and frankly it would probably injure her than help her. Sliding her hands in the gloves she held them out like a kid with mittens on their hands. “Lace them up and give me some pointers,” she asked.

Kelly Bordeaux

Flex helped the CO put on the gloves and lace them properly. The light weight gloves wouldn’t provide a ton of protection for her hands, but they weren’t going ten rounds at this point so Jacen thought it would be fine. =^=Computer training mits=^= he said casually as a pair of flat pads that fit on the wearer’s hands appeared. They served as movable targets for training that provided solid resistance without the considerable heft of a bag. He pulled the set on and slapped them against each other to get a feel for their weight. He then held the mits out in front of him. “Before I can give you some pointers, I need to see what we’re working with. Show me what you’ve got boss.”

Flex

This form of working out was novel to Kelly. Like anyone she had slugged it out with a punching bag when she was younger to burn off steam but only a handful of times had she been in an actual ring with someone. “You know this might damage your opinion of how useful I would be on an away mission,” Kelly joked rising up on the balls of her feet slightly to take the weight off her heels. One of the few things she did remember distinctly was Herman Hornsby the chief proctor of security and tactics screaming ‘Jesus Christ Shultz are you a boxer or a boulder? Get lighter on your feet’.

Jacen grinned at her comment before replying, “Honestly, if you’re put into a situation like this on an away mission, several of us have failed at our jobs already and/or things have gone south in a hurry and anything you do to help you survive will be sufficient.” He watched as she shifted her weight up to the balls of her feet to make herself more mobile.

Bringing her hands up to her face, she threw her first punch at the center of the bag. The impact of her fist on the target felt and sounded satisfying but it could not be this easy.

Kelly Bordeaux CO

Kelley’s right hand snapped out to strike the mitt on Jacen’s right hand with a nice pop. It lingered there a second too long and she dropped her right shoulder as she brought the hand back. Flex quickly tapped the CO on her unprotected right temple with the mitt on his left hand.

Kelly’s head bounced slightly to the left from the impact. It was definitely meant for her to know she was struck but more of the annoying nature than painful. “So first impression, I am really starting to like you Jacen. It took you less than a second to take a swing at me.” Her comment was tongue in cheek about her being his superior and the fact right now he only saw her as an opponent. While this sounded obvious, few people would have acted the way he had.

He laughed. “With all due respect, you’re a grown woman who knew what she was signing up for.”

“So first impressions, if you’re only throwing a single punch… it has to be a devastating strike that ends the fight.”

“Have you seen me? Unless I have a crowbar I am not sure I will have the power to knock someone on their ass in a single punch. So how am I going to do that?” The comment was more than just an observation about her. Every officer on the ship needed to be trained and recertified tactically once a year. No one in security wanted to deal with the scientists and doctors at times so maybe instead of the job being a punishment, Jacen would be the right man to deal with it.
.

” To do that, you’re going to have to drive through the entirety of your back foot, not just the ball. Being light allows you to move, but when it’s time to deliver power that comes from the ground it’s about transition. In most cases a single strike won’t do the job, so work combinations.... and never let your guard down. Strike and bring the hands straight back to the shoulder.”

Flex

Kelly nodded and adjusted her stance. Bringing her hands up she threw a quick one-two punch letting the power come from her shoulder more than her foot but it was counter to how she normally fought. Dropping her hand she bounced on her feet for a second. “This is so opposite to what I am used to. I am used to getting in close to disarm. Not striking and moving back.” Kelly tucked her chin and threw two quick jabs before trying to distract Jacen with a left hook.

Kelly Bordeaux CO

The two punch combo connected solidly with the mitts and Kelly bobbed under a right hand meant to remind her that she had to play offense and defense at the same time. “Better…” Flex said almost to himself. Upon hearing her comments about boxing being different than the fighting she was used to, Jacen nodded knowingly, “I’m assuming that’s because you don’t fight recreationally very often. In self defense you’re trying to end the conflict as soon as possible and by any means necessary. Boxing is fundamentally different because of the limitations that rules place on the sport.” Jacen caught the jabs and hook with the mitts. “Throwing from your shoulder like that telegraphs your movements. If your hands and feet aren’t connected, the motion doesn’t flow naturally.”

Flex