Kick-ass

Posted on Sat Sep 26th, 2026 @ 9:40pm by Lieutenant Commander Savin & Centurion Hatham tr'Krotash & Uhlan Shizune Nakai Perez

5,347 words; about a 27 minute read

Mission: Chapter IX: Shady Business
Location: Gym
Timeline: 2387-10-18, early morning

Bright and early, Savin walked into the gym. He had always been an early riser and ever since his academy days he had utilised the gym before his first classes and later his shift. Today he had opted not to wear his uniform, instead he wore a loose fitting outfit of a shiny dark aubergine colour. The tunic was of equal colour and was held together at the waist by a sash. Most notably though, the counselor was barefoot, his sword stuffed through a secondary sash on his right side and the recently acquired dagger on his left side. As he hadn't figured out how to conceal either yet, both were very visible.

As he waited for Hatham to arrive, Savin started with a quiet warming up using Suus mahna forms that were easy to use for this purpose.

Moments later, Perez walked into the holodeck that had been officially designated as the ship's training room, dressed in a plain, black combat suit with bronze-coloured striping down the side of the left leg and sleeve. They had started to grow out their bright white hair a little, so Perez had added a plain black headband to keep it out of their eyes. On their back, a simple, black leather sheath with copper fittings held the twin short swords Perez had started becoming known for - but that was not their only weapon. In their left hand, casually leaned against their shoulder, Perez carried a massive greatsword, almost longer than the diminutive Terran. And yet, Perez carried the weapon as if it was weightless.

"Morning doc," they greeted while stifling a yawn. "Still hate the idea of being up this early without having to, you know." They casually twirled the huge sword around a few times. "Meet my first love, Lucy." Perez giggled. "I mean, I fully understand if you prefer going up against the twins, though."

Savin stopped mid-movement as he spotted the new arrival. "Good morning Perez, I had not expected you to arrive before Hatham. I did indicate you could join us later." He nodded towards the greatsword. "May I see that? If you are willing of course. I am always interested in other cultures craftsmanship." He pulled out the sheath and sword from his side and offered it in return. "This is my sword."

Perez smiled and leaned tip of the greatsword on the floor, holding the handle out towards Savin. "It's nothing special, really. Took it off an Orion slave trader, no idea where or when it was made." With their other hand, they reached for the shortswords on their back. "These, meanwhile, are a different story. Still, one thing at a time."

Savin nodded, taking over the handle with the reverence the weapon was due. "May I?" He asked, wanting to pick it up while still waiting for Perez to accept the offer of his own sword for inspection.

Hatham would normally have been there from early hours, though might have let Savin feel he'd arrived first so that he could observed him for a bit before 'arriving'. However, today he'd received a transmission from an old associate that took priority. Not that he was going to say any of that. He strolled in, wearing his usual work clothes - dark durable fabric with enough grey shading to allow even someone of his size to blend into shadows if necessary. While he understood that many people, especially in the Federation, had 'work out clothes' - and he could see made sense in terms of sweating in something easily washed - he'd always been taught that for sparring it was better to fight in your regular clothes since that's what you were likely to be wearing if you had to fight. Also typical of his daily attire, there was a utility knife (large enough that one utility was as a weapon) at his belt and several actual weapons hidden on his person. However, since Savin was interested in fencing, he also carried a sienov - not anything fancy, but the basket hilt of saber-like sword was a little non-standard in that it was ringed with sharp edges and spikes. "Starting without me?"

Perez waved at Hatham. "Morning, big man. We were waiting for you." They glanced at the sabre on the Romulan's belt. "Never seen you carry a sword before, you're always full of surprises." The young Terran turned back towards Savin and the sword he was offering. "I'm not the most versed in craftsmanship, I will admit." They reached towards the handle of Savin's sword and drew the blade out of its sheath. "Now this, custom job, right? Tell me more about it."

Savin turned his head as he saw Perez speak to someone behind him. "Hello Hatham," he greeted before turning back to Perez. "Yes, this was made for me when I was young. It is balanced for my use, though I do not know how it was forged. Where my blade is blue, my father's is red. I am not well versed in craftsmanship either." As Perez took his sword, he tries to lift the greatsword and he had to use both hands to get it off of the floor. "This is quite heavy," he commented. While physically strong due to his genetics and years of training, he still has trouble wielding this weapon.

Moving around to get a look at Savin's sword, as well as place himself in view for the man to lip read, Hatham nodded. "Hello, Savin. As a guess, slightly educated since my father insisted I know something of how weapons are made as well as how to use them, I'd say if your father's sword is red it's because it was forged with toranium in the alloy. Hard to come by anymore - the Cardassians stripped every deposit they could find during the war because of its resistance to phaser fire. The blue in yours comes from substituting diburnium, which will also stand up to phasers, and then heating treating to get the same hardness." His eye followed the edge of blade. Savin might not know much about actual fighting, but it appeared that he did know how to care for his sword. "Nice piece."

Savin did know about fighting, but did not have the experience either man had, not by a long shot. But he did indeed know how to care for his weapon. "Thank you, it bears great personal value." He watched the big Romulan with his sword and took note of his expertise. "It is balanced for left-handed use."

Perez chuckled as Savin struggled to pick up the greatsword. "It is designed to be used with two hands, really. Even with all my genetic modification can't really swing it in one hand. Which is why I switched to these." They returned Savin's sword and drew the twin shortswords from the sheaths on Perez' back. The almost black steel of the main part of the blades glinted in the light of the holodeck, highlighting the thin line of copper separating it from the polished silver cutting edge. "It's quite a story, how I got these. Actually here on Drozana. Ferengi merchant sold me them for an absolute steal, which immediately made me suspicious. Until I found out that Shi - my counterpart from this universe, that is - had given them to that merchant, with the instruction to sell them specifically to me, and cheap."

Perez laughed. "Because she thought that would be funnier than just giving them to me." They twirled one of the blades in their right hand. "They are designed as a pair, perfect mirrored twins of each other. See how the guard only extends to one side? That's intentional, so that they can be paired together and carried in one sheath. Made by a Vulcan bladesmith, with plenty of influences from traditional techniques from Earth, like how the steel is layered. Damascus steel, I believe they call it." They held one sword out flat, and pointed to a mark near the guard with the tip of the other. "See this mark? It's the symbol of the craftsman who made these. The personal bladesmith of the Terran Emperor. Still haven't gotten Shi to tell me how the hell she managed to get these."

Handing his own sword to Hatham for expert inspection, Savin examined the black blades twin swords. "These are beautiful," he marveled, "it is not important how you got them, only that you do. And your deeds alone count, when wielding them. I had the misfortune to be wounded with my own sword, when I was younger. I am still not quite certain how exactly it had happened. One moment I am defending my captain, the next I am run through. How do you manage not to wound yourself, wielding two blades at once?"

Perez shrugged. "They're single-edged. Keep the cutting edge away from you and facing towards the opponent. The curve in the blade helps with that, too. Apart from that, it just comes down to training and experience. I've had plenty of the latter, as Hatham will be happy to confirm."

"Indeed," The big Romulan agreed. "And we're fortunate you were - few people I'd rather fight beside," he added with a smile at them. Handing Savin's sword back, he nodded to Savin's dagger. "Also ideal for this lesson since dual-handed fighting is something you need to learn. Using twin swords exemplifies the style, but sword and dagger is a useful variation, and one that gives more range of distance for strikes. At least if you aren't as compact as Perez."

Savin nodded in understanding. "Dagger for close quarters, sword for more range," he noted, somewhat logically. "I can use a phaser right-handed if necessary, if accuracy is not required. I have done this in combination with my sword once or twice, but it was quite some time ago. As I said before, I have never wielded two blades, but between the two of you, I have every confidence I will be proficient soon enough. Do you both desire to warm up first?"

Perez shrugged. "I mean, this is a casual workout, rather than a real combat simulation, so, sure." They turned to Hatham with a smirk. "Shall we show him how we warm up, then? I think we ended up with a tie last week anyway."

That wasn't quite what he was referring to but it would be interesting to observe at least. "By all means," Savin suggested, watching the two men with keen interest. "This is not just a workout for me this is meant to be educational."

Hatham rotated his neck - about all the warm-up he ever did - and grinned at Perez. "Ready when you are."

"We'll just do the warm-up one, though, not the full routine," Perez remarked as they placed the twin swords back in their sheath and briefly did some stretches. "Computer, load programme Perez Alpha-Five. Parameters, three waves."

As soon as the command was given, six holographic Klingons appeared in the room, wielding a variety of melee weapons. Above them, a timer counted down from 90 seconds.

"Right, once the timer runs out, these guys will attack," Perez explained to Savin. "After two minutes, or when only two of them are left, another six will spawn in. That will repeat, for a total of three waves of enemies. I've gone for the easy one, normally Hatham and I go for ten waves of eight." They turned to the big Romulan. "Let's use this to start teaching our new friend here, how about, this once, we don't keep score."

"Sure, I can go easy on you this time," Hatham tossed back with a wink and grin.

Savin nodded a second time, staking a step back to be out of range from the Klingons but still have full view of Hatham and Perez. Just in case however, he did pull out the dagger with his right hand while keeping his sword in his left.

Perez smirked as Savin assumed a defensive posture and did some wide swings with the greatsword to loosen up their shoulders. As the timer reached zero, a klaxon sounded, and the holographic Klingons began to advance. Three moved towards Hatham, the large Romulan obviously presenting the largest target, while two began running towards Perez. The remaining Klingon, however, began moving towards Savin.

With a fast swing of the sword, Perez cleanly cut one of the Klingons in half at the waist, before quickly blocking the other one's bat'leth as his fallen comrade disappeared. The Terran groaned as they pushed their attacker back before swinging the greatsword again, this time taking off the hologram's forearm and plunging the blade into his chest. "That's two," Perez called out - despite declaring that they wouldn't be keeping score.

"Thought we weren't keeping score," Hatham laughed as he cut an attacker's throat. Three going for him was by this point a light warm-up, and so he'd responded instantly to three attackers moving to encircle by quickly moving to the right-most to force the others behind that one. By the time they caught up, he'd already blocked a bat'leth swing with his sword and stepped in to drive his dagger into the Kliingon's throat, following smoothly with a kick that sent the dead man into his closest comrade. With the second attacker momentarily tangled up, Hatham went for the third, this time using the dagger's guard to catch his mek'leth and slicing through his abdomen with the sword as he passed through to engage the last one. "Matched score!"

The words went unnoticed as Savin was fully focused on the one Klingon that came his way. He had little time to study the hologram as it charged him head on. As the Klingon brought up his bat'leth, Savin used his sword to deflect the broad traditional weapon. He grimaced upon the impact then dove under the swing, using his dagger to score his opponent across his chest. As the Klingon charged past, he pivoted and took the holograms head off with a clean swing.

"Three!" Hatham called as skewered the last of his initial three. "You want me to drive an extra your way so you can catch up?" he asked, already moving to position for the six that had appeared as soon as they'd dropped the first four.

"Oh, please," Perez snorted as they leaped into the air, coming down swinging their blade and cleaving two of the Klingons. "Four. Hang on." They reversed their grip and thrust the greatsword backwards, impaling another attacker. "Make that five. You were saying?"

"Show off," Hatham said with a smirk as he took the head off the last the one they had left him. "Four, but I'll catch up."

Savin watched them with an expression of genuine astonishment as they took down the holograms as if they were bowling pins. He winced as one of the remaining adversaries caught him along his side during his lapse of attention. In reflex, he brought up his dagger and stabbed him as his sword was useless in such close quarters. As the Klingon staggered away, the counselor pivoted and took him down with a wide arced swing of his sword. The dagger clattered to the floor as the hologram disappeared.

"Nice one," Perez called out as Savin eliminated his attacker. "So that's five for me, four for Hatham, two for the new boy. Let's switch it up a bit." They smirked. "Computer, set safeties to low. Spawn final wave plus two."

As soon as the computer acknowledged the command, the next wave spawned in, this time eight instead of six attackers. With a chuckle, Perez threw the greatsword at one of them, cleaving him directly in the head, before drawing their twin swords. "Six."

Savin was about to protest the lowering of the safeties and that being against Starfleet protocol when he reminded himself he was no longer on a starfeet vessel and this crew wasn't bound by those rules or regulations. He gave a simple nod of acknowledgement as he threw himself into the fray. He ran one Klingon right through with his sword but couldn't avoid being scored with a d''k'tagh in the process. He confiscated the Klingon dagger before the hologram disappeared and used it to defend himself close range as his own dagger was still out of reach.

"Two can play that game." Hatham sheathed his dagger and in same motion drew a knife from his sleeve and threw it into a Klingon's neck. "Five," he called as he redrew the dagger and side-stepped a bat'leth strike, letting the Klingon's momentum carry him past so he slice the saber-like sienov through his side. He spun immediately, catching the blade thrusting for his back on his dagger's guard, and being too close for a sword thrust, punched the attacker with the basket hilt, driving one of the spikes through an eye. "Seven!"

Nowhere near as fast, Savin focused on efficiency rather than numbers. However as Hatham was bragging about his last victory, Savin jumped forward to spear an attacker that had come up to the mountainous Romulan and would've done serious harm.

Hatham spun the Klingon impaled on his sword guard around to serve as shield only to see Savin drop him. He nodded to the counselor, then threw his dagger, taking the one rushing Savin in the forehead.

Savin nodded in return and shifted his focus to the next target. By the looks of his target, it was roaring something and Savin assumed it was likely some Klingon profanity. He parried the bat'leth swing with his sword, deflection its trajectory and stepped out to use the Klingon dagger he still held to gut his adversary.

While the main group of opponents crowding Hatham and Savin were dispatched, two more remained, circling around Perez as they watched the carnage on the other side of the room. "Come on now, don't be shy," they muttered at the holograms, who promptly rushed in. Perez ducked low between the incoming bat'leths and spun in a circle, swords held out wide and taking the legs of both of their attackers. As the Klingons went down, they handily decapitated both of them.

"Simulation complete. All attackers neutralised."

Perez took a deep breath and returned their blades to their sheath, then went to pick up Lucy. "That was fun. I'm awake now, definitely." With a laugh, the Terran walked over to the replicator and grabbed three water bottles, throwing one each towards Hatham and Savin. "I think we tied again, Hatham. This is, what, third time in a row now? Anyway, we should probably review the footage of how our new friend here did."

Panting for breath, Savin shoved the d'k'tagh between the sash around his waist then moved, somewhat gingerly to pick up his own dagger. His tunic showed a few tears here and there and it was obvious he wasn't wholly unscathed. His expression spoke volumes however as he faced the other two, awaiting their verdict.

"Going for a record," Hatham joked, grabbing the water bottle out of the air and taking a drink. "I'd say go for a tiebreaker, except we keep tying those too. Besides, our newbie did okay, but I wouldn't want to push it. Gable gets touchy if anyone needs her services."

"Does that happen often then, her services being needed after a training session?" Savin asked as he shrugged out of his tunic to examine a cut along his left arm. "As a doctor I could attend to any superficial injury right here, there would be no need to inform Doctor Gable." Not that he intended to keep secrets but why bother sickbay for something minor?

Perez chuckled. "Gable is annoyed with me mostly because I don't go to sickbay. Ever, really. Hatham had to physically carry me there once, when I broke my leg. Since, you know, reduced pain sensitivity and all." They shook their head. "Anyway. Computer, replay combat footage, focus on Lieutenant Commander Savin."

"Acknowledged." In the centre of the room, a holographic projection of Savin, weapons drawn, appeared, and played through his actions during the "warm-up" exercise, showing him and about 5 metres of his surroundings.

Once the playback had finished, Perez turned to Savin. "Before we start critiquing and giving advice, what are your thoughts on what you just watched?"

"Clearly not used to using two weapons," Savin concluded as he continued to tend to the cut on his left arm. He had torn his tunic to strips and was -somewhat clumsily - wrapping it around the injury. "And perhaps I should not have thrown my dagger, but I did acquire an effective replacement."

Perez nodded. "I mean, throwing the dagger is certainly an option in a pinch. But you need to be absolutely certain that that is your best option, when you do it. Now, what I have seen you do a lot in this fight is to use the sword for blocking, and then the dagger to follow up. While that can be effective, it is generally considered exactly the opposite of what you do with an off-hand dagger, also aptly referred to as a parrying dagger. It's different when wielding two weapons of equal size, but when you have one main and one secondary blade, the secondary is commonly used for defensive purposes, while the primary is used for attacking."

"Yes, and you'd be right to say that throwing a blade is something we all did. But the first blade I threw was one of several I carry, so I didn't need to pick up a replacement. The second though was expedience." Hatham added. "As to fighting style, Perez is right in general use. But it's best to stay fluid - inside the distance for the sword, the dagger is more effective, so it can be better to block with the sword and strike with the dagger. That said, I suspect you avoided blocking with the dagger at least in part because you're inexperienced in using it to block. That's natural: blocking is self-preservation and so even if you didn't think about it consciously, your reaction is to use what you're most sure of."

He looked aside to Perez. "I think that helps with defining the practice to focus on for the next sessions."

It did make sense and Savin 'listened' with interest, absorbing the new information. "Which is recommended, go with what feels natural or following a certain style." He had never really adhered to any specific style so far in his solo training, always having grabbed things from different styles to which felt usable to him.

Perez shrugged. "I was taught in a number of different styles, and now use what feels natural out of a combination of them all. So what I recommend is doing exactly that. Study various ways of fighting, and combine them into your own, personal style, something that feels natural to you. One thing that rather impressed me as well was your general awareness of what was going on around you, despite the fact that you can't hear, and you can't sense holograms with your telepathy. That is a very important skill as well, being able to maintain an overview of the battlefield even with temporarily impaired senses."

"It is an important skill to have," Hatham agreed. He hadn't been as surprised by it; his training had included learning to fight deprived of sight and/or hearing because both could be compromised in multiple ways in combat. He was sure someone accustomed to lacking hearing would naturally develop very good skills at sensing movement around them. "As to fighting styles, I was also trained in several and use whatever aspects work for any situation I'm in - fluidity is important in combat. And I don't just say that because my Element is Water," he added with a slight grin. "But there is an important distinction between 'trying' and 'training'. Some things will feel smooth and natural at first try, and you should absolutely adopt those, but most will not unless you train yourself to use them - building familiarity and muscle memory. Practice blocking with your dagger repeatedly and against various strikes. It will take hours of repetition, but afterward you will do it naturally rather than automatically using the sword."

"Element?" Savin queried, his interest once more piqued. "I am used to being aware of my surroundings," he admitted, "and sometimes, depending on the flooring, footsteps cause vibration which I can feel. Like the bass in music, which can be felt through a specific dance floor. I may not be used to wielding two weapons but I am training in using Vulcan weapons such as the lirpa and the ahn-woon as they are traditional for Vulcan males to master. I am also trained in suus-mahna as are many Vulcans, though I am far from an expert. My father trained me to use this sword." He nodded in confirmation. "I will heed your advice," he promised.

"I reckon Hatham should be of much more help to you than myself," Perez admitted. "My training was, let's just say, very different. Not particularly comparable to what you'd see in the Federation, or even in the Romulan Empire." They turned to Hatham. "Unless you also make kids train in combat for six to eight hours a day from the day, with real weapons and the explicit goal to kill each other?"

"No. Definitely not," he replied. "We let kids take more lumps than the Federation does, but if they try to kill each other in a match, an adult stops it." He knew Perez knew that, but had said it as much for Savin since the man clearly knew little about Romulan culture. "People having an Element, or sometimes a combination, is sort of custom," he explained. "Or maybe superstition. But it's common for people to say that certain personality types are governed by a ruling Element."

"How does one define which element one... adheres to?" Savin asked, "how did you define yourself as being water?"

Hatham tipped his head, thinking. There were things so common and accepted that you didn't really think about them or examine them that closely. "I didn't exactly define myself as governed by Water. It was more ...consensus of people who know me. A lot of people just looking at me would think Earth - because I'm built like a big rock, and I can definitely plant my feet and refuse to move," he chuckled. "But that's my father: solid, set in his ways, but also the ground that supports everyone. I adapt, flow, sometimes hit like a flood and others wear away at obstacles. The other Elements are Fire - people from the Federation seem to understand that type right off - and Air, which is typical for pilots: movement, freedom, speed."

"Hmm.." the counselor looked thoughtful for a moment. "I am not certain I would recognise fire," he admitted, "but I can see why one would associate you with earth. You are solid and from what I understand, trustworthy. You also seem generous, at least that is the impression I have. So I would have others entrust me with an element, if I were to be defined by one? It seems an honourable way to live."

"Thank you." Hatham inclined his head. "Like most streams, there's probably a bit of earth carried along in me." It was a bit of joke, as many references to the influence of Elements on someone often were, but also carried a touch of truth since he was in many ways his father's son. "As to Fire, you'd probably recognize it - there's usually what humans describe as a fiery disposition. Passionate, temperamental, but also someone capable of great emotional warmth," Hatham explained. "I don't know you well enough yet to say what your element might be. Water also turns up a lot among people in medicine, so that's the most likely."

"Because those in medicine need to flow with the tides of the care that I'd needed or demanded." That made sense to him. "And a certain flexibility is required. Yes I can understand why one would associate Humans with fire. How would you describe Perez? I see someone passionate about their knowledge, and willing to share that knowledge." It was no lie because Perez did seem willing to help him improve his skills.

Perez had remained silent, listening to the conversation about elements without having anything to add. When their name was mentioned, they looked up at Savin and tilted their head. "Good question, counselor. I have to say, I never really thought about it, myself. I mean, there are other cultures that also consider other elements. Lightning, ice, light, darkness. In addition to the four already mentioned, that is. Some even add life and death themselves to that list." They shrugged. "I've got enough on my mind figuring out who I am without adding that kind of consideration."

"You are you," Savin answered without pause, gently reaching out, carefully touching the position of the young warrior's heart. "You are what you feel in there, where your true self resides. Remain true to that and you will find the balance within yourself." Big words, from someone who was still discovering who he was himself. "And you are who you want people to see, no more and no less."

"Aie, though you'll get some incredulous looks from Romulans with that advice," Hatham put in. "For anyone raised in the RSE, who we want people to see is both more and less than who we are. We contain multitudes. And do our best to keep them contained." His brows moved in and up-down shrug. "I suppose that's where the folk lore on Elements comes from - a system for trying to work out what someone is like. But Perez here is one of the most authentic people I've ever met, so it never occurred to me to try to pin them down by Element, or any other system."

Perez laughed. "Why, counselor, didn't know you were into that kind of thing!" They smirked and shook their head. "Joking aside, I know there are sides to me that I do not want people to see. That I don't ever want to see again myself, unless I absolutely have to. Hatham, I am sure you know exactly what I'm referring to. You've seen it in action, after all."

Hatham simply nodded. He had indeed, and it was the one aspect where Perez matched the uncontrolled explosive aspect of Fire. Drat, now he was thinking about what Element fit them.

"I do not understand, into what kind of thing?" The counselor was genuinely confused. "You do not have to share that which you desire to remain private. As I said, you are who you are and only you decide what you allow others to see or learn about you. Some things are a matter of trust."

"Just a silly joke, don't worry about it." Perez shook their head. "And don't you go psychoanalysing me without consent. Need I remind you that I have swords in easy reach, and I can guarantee I'd be faster than you." They began laughing. "Well. I think my part here is done, anyway. Let Hatham teach you the basics, and I'll show you some dirty tricks once you're more used to fighting with two blades."

"I am not psychoanalysing you," Savin promised, "I am only reaffirming what you already know." He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement of his last words. "Thank you for your time Perez," he added, "I shall look forward to next time."

"Like I won't show him some tricks," Hatham said, giving a sly grin to Perez. "I'll catch you later for a reall warm up." With that he turned to Savin. "Okay, you may find this tedious, but 'repetition becomes reaction' as my father is find of saying. Computer, initiate dagger blocking exercise A101. Single attacker..."

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