Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Otr’Iq Mirai (Tactical) in Mok’bara in the Holodeck

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Mok’bara in the Holodeck

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Otr’Iq Mirai (Tactical) in Mok’bara in the Holodeck
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The Holodeck had been designed into a serene Japanese shrine, styled after the Kozan-Ji temple in Kyoto. Moss covered stones lead between large stone pillars to a red and white pagoda. In the center courtyard, dressed in a black hakama and white martial arts Gi, Otr’Iq Mirai was parcticing his Mok’bara forms. He glided between the movements, allowing his mind to clear into a meditative state, focusing solely upon the kata itself, snapping from slow and steady deflections to fast strikes as the kata required.

He envisioned the opponents the kata was set to confront. Blocking a strike from an assailant to his front, he redirected and threw him to the floor before lashing out with a back kick to another assailant behind him. He then absorbed the punch from an enemy to his right and redirected the energy into a throw before pivoting behind to catch an attackers Bat’Leth and redirect the blade to his enemies throat.

With his assailants defeated in his mind, Mirai sat seiza, his feet under his thighs and sitting on his heels, hands on his knees, calming his breathing. There were practitioners of Mok’bara, and other martial arts, that would use the holodeck to create holographic assailants to match the kata, to give the kata more realism, but Mirai was more traditional. He saw the point of the kata not as a battle between an actual opponent, but a battle within the mind over oneself. The opponents he defeated were versions of him. Through their death and defeat, Mirai grew, like a phoenix from the ashes.

He opened his eyes and picked up his Bat’leth from where it rested on it’s stand nearby and began to move through the forms when someone entered holodeck.

Lt.JG Otr’Iq Mirai, Tactical

Bump

“Lieutenant,” Slade said from the doorway. “I hope I am not intruding but we have our appointment next week and I happened to see you were in here and the program said open.” She casually hooked a thumb over her shoulder at a display console out side the door.

Mirai looked over to see who had entered the Holodeck and then stood out of the kata. “Counselor Slade,” He said giving a slight bow of his head in acknowledgement of her. “By all means, please enter. You are not interrupting. I was simply working through some Mok’bara kata. It is very relaxing.”

Vanessa looked around the room at the program. It was highly detailed which often meant it was highly personal. There were many “canned” programs where one could generate a basic beach, forest, city, or martial art studio. This one felt different to her however Vanessa never spent that much time meditating so she could be wrong. “The program is beautiful. What city is it?” The architecture of the space felt Asian in design and colors but there were many cultures that had similar styles not to mention the heritage of the officer before her.

Vanessa Slade CNS

This is Kozan-Ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I designed it myself.” He sais, taking a moment to join the Counselor in admiring the scenery, “The holodeck does very well, but I still prefer the real thing.” He took in a deep breath through his nose and picked up the floral scents of the garden and the moss. It was all as it was supposed to be, he thought, but there was a difference between the recreation and his memory of the place that he could never seem to correct. “The smells don’t blend the same as they do in the actual temple. When you have spent as many hours I have meditating there, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, the smells become imprinted into mind.” Mirai took another breath in and out. “Perhaps it is more nostalgia in truth. Perhaps it is my own mind, knowing that what is around me is not real, inventing a sensation to remind me.”

=/\= Computer add the scent associated with a temple based on the programs age due to weathering and use. Also turn up the smells associated with a huge downpour ten hours prior to this moment.=/\= Vanessa had no business altering the program but the changes were not programmed so the program would reset to parameters once it ended. Inhaling, Vanessa wrinkled up her nose some. The perfectly balanced scent of floral and moss was now off and leaning to a slightly stronger Earthy scent. It was not unpleasant but was more natural.

Wrinkling up her nose, she looked at the officer. “I agree with you. Holodecks tend to create an idealistic state. Life is messy and when people program they forget to add things that the computer tends to forget. In this case the slightly musty scent of ancient woods and fabrics that have seen the test of time and history. Not sure that this was what was missing but it’s something.”

Mirai took another intake of breath and said, “Closer, actually. A very good idea.”

He turned back to the counselor and smiled, “Apologies for rambling. Can I help you with something?”

Lt. JG Otr’Iq Mirai

“Yes. You have your ship intake and I thought why not get out of the office and into another office,” she let out a chuckle. “Back in Boston I tended to do intakes outside of the building but this whole ship is a floating office so I make do and adapt. Turn around please,” Vanessa stated and gave a finger twirl with her hand.

=/\=Computer give me some appropriate clothes for the program.=/\= The computer dropped an gui similar to what Mirai was wearing. Always prepared, Vanessa kicked off her boots and pulled on the pants. Wearing a skirt allowed her to maintain her modest as she could pull it under and then take the shirt off. The tank top under her uniform shirt kept the rest of her prim and proper.

“I see-” Mirai began to say when he was ordered to turn around. He did as instructed and, after hearing the counselor’s orders, understood.

“Okay let’s get started. Show me what you are doing,” she announced signaling he could turn back around.

Vanessa Slade CNS

Mirai turned around to face Slade and looked her up and down in her Gi, inspecting it and finding it well suited. He gave a bow to her, Bat’leth at his side, and then stood to face her. “I was beginning to perform a kata, or routine, for the Bat’leth.” He explained. He stepped back and began a basic routine slowly, the weapon cradling in his arm as he stepped into a ready stance. “Traditionally,” He said, “Practice with the Bat’leth did not involve Kata, but focused primarily on sparring and “Practical usage.”” Mirai, stepping out again, struck out with a jab, the blade arching over the invisible opponent’s defense.

Vanessa kept a neutral expression on her face as she listened and watched. Her inner dialogue however was going a mile a minute. Oh great sharp, heavy, pokey things, she laughed internally. Security, intelligence, and tactical officers loved sharp pointy things and running. Lord did they love their running. In her years of practice she had run so much it actually trained her for marathons. The bonus to the sharp pointy things though was not being out of breath. No matter how well one trained, huffing and puffing as one ran and tried to talk was never a good situation.

“Then,” He continued, “as the Klingon Empire joined with the Federation, and after the resolution of the Klingon Civil War and the Dominion War, there has been a long stretch of general peace in the Empire.” Mirai then gave his opponent an upper cut from the back of the blade and stepped in again. Pulling back again, he used the momentum to send the other side of the weapon into what would be the head of his opponent. “So, to keep up the warrior spirit of our ancestors, these katas were created, taking inspiration from the Japanese Samurai during their own time of peace.” The enemy vanquished, the Kata finished, disengaged from his foe and returned the Bat’leth to cradle in his arms.

The psychological profile of security and tactile officers often indicated that they were highly intelligent and contained far more restraint than most people attributed to them. In Vanessa’s prior clients, they used their training for defense overwhelming compared to offense. The flip side of this meant they often trained harder and longer not to end someone’s life but to incapacitate them and save a life. It was a highly interesting paradox and often why the veterans showed up on her doorstep. Most veterans didn’t regret the job the performed but came to her about the what if’s they could have done to save more lives.

Vanessa had no idea what Mirai was actually like and this was just a meet and greet of sorts however she already saw that traditions, honor, duty, and family was highly prized in this officer. She liked him instantly and while she had no clue what she was about to do, she was eager to learn more about the officer in the room with her.

“It is a new art, this Bat’leh-Do,” He explained, rising from the Kata, the Bat’leth at his side, “and it tends to focus more on the battle within, while also training the warrior without.” Mirai gave another bow and then looked more directly at the counselor. “Would you care to join me? I can have the computer replicate a practice Bat’lehta, then name we’ve given the training Bat’Leth, for you and I can show you some of the basic forms.”

Lt. JG Otr’Iq Mirai

“Absolutely but know that my learning curve on this is going to be huge,” she chuckled. “The last time I participated in a meditation event I feel asleep. The instructor said I tapped into something. I know what I tapped into. The back of my eyelids.” Whether or not Mirai found it funny to Vanessa didn’t matter. She laughed at her own joke with a large smile on her face. “At least this time I will be moving so no chance of drifting off to nonny nonny land so let’s do this. “

Vanessa Slade CNS