Gym time

Posted on Wed Nov 27th, 2024 @ 8:39am by Kerilia Dosivi & Teevs Dosivi & Lieutenant JG Maxine Mckull

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Timeline: Between Missions
1825 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

"Do I have to?"

Teevs gave a light sigh as he guided Kerilia down the corridor. The two of them were in attire provided by the Elysium's computer when Teevs had asked for attire appropriate for exercising. His outfit consisted of a dark blue tank top and black shorts, the outfit showing off his trimmed, yet hairy, forearms. "Yes, Kerilia. Just because you're on an alien ship, doesn't mean you get to be lazy."

Kerilia pouted as she let her father guide her forward. The computer had made her an orange-pink tshirt and grey pants, and they didn't feel right. Maybe it was the fabric, or maybe it was because she was being dragged along to do something she didn't want to do, but she would rather be in the cozy attire she was in a few minutes ago. "I'm not being lazy," she said, fidgeting with the collar of her shirt. "I was learning more about Humans. Didn't you always say to have a strong mind?"

A small smile crossed Teevs' expression. "You need to be physically strong, too." Some time after they had first arrived on the ship, Teevs found this one room that seemed to be in good enough shape to be open to the crew. It had many tools for strengthening different parts of the body. Teevs had visited this "gymnasium" a couple of times and wanted to show it to his daughter, except she wanted to read. "It will be good for you to meet people instead of reading about them. Learning about their culture from them is more rewarding."

"To you, maybe," Kerilia grumbled, coming to a stop at a set of double doors, watching them open. Her hand gently felt for the breather that the doctor had given them, feeling it against her hip. While enough time had passed to adjust to the thin atmosphere, she and Teevs still carried the breathers around, just in case. Beyond the set of doors was equipment of various kinds, including treadmills, heavy bags, a padded area, and various weightlifting items. The room was lightly occupied, a handful of people occupying various equipment.

Among the various sights and sounds of the gymnasium, there was Max. Dressed in a tight, absorbent outfit, she was pounding the track. She'd been going for twenty minutes, and the sweat showed on her skin to prove it, not to mention her hair was completely out of sorts as a result of her own speed generated wind vortex. But she was completely in the zone. Her years of training on display as her legs carried her far with each stride. She didn't seem to pay much mind to the newcomers as she rounded the track yet again, breezing right by.

Teevs gently pulled Kerilia back by the shoulder so she wouldn't get in the way of the person running around the track. He didn't recognize this humanoid, but then again there were many people on board this ship, many faces to remember.

Kerilia watched the person running for a moment before turning to her dad. "Can I run like her? Pleaaase? I don't want to lift weights today."

If his daughter had a choice, she'd stay in their quarters and read. Sighing, Teevs nodded and gestured toward the track. "Fine, go ahead."

Kerilia gave him a smile before she headed onto the track and started with a jog to warm up. She didn't often get a chance to run on the Spheia, so it was nice to be on a ship large enough to do so.

Could she in fact run like Max? It was an interesting question, and one Max wasn't aware had even been posed. She pushed herself and continued to run, sweat accumulating on her skin and causing it to glisten.

It didn't take Max long to notice that someone else had joined her on the track, though she didn't recognize the woman from behind, or glancing over her shoulder as she passed her.

There was a sense of timidness from Kerilia whenever the other runner passed her. While she was a lot better at meeting new people, Kerilia still held just enough reservation to be cautious when introducing herself. She picked up her pace, transitioning from a jog into a light run, and focusing on her breathing. Step, step, step, breathe in. Step, step, breathe out. Thanks to her species' sensitivity to changes in atmosphere, there was a very faint increase in air pressure when the other runner approached from behind again. This time, when the woman passed, Kerilia gave a slight smile.

Max wasn't paying much attention to the younger girl, beyond ensuring she didn't come close to crashing into her. When she saw Kerilia turn her head and smile however, she slowed to match the younger woman's pace and tilted her head in return.

"Greetings," came a very flat, artificial voice. In speaking, Max's lips didn't move even slightly, so the sound had to be coming from something else.

A bit of shyness hit Kerilia, and she almost bailed out of the conversation. A sense of determination to overcome her fears kept her running next to this officer. "Hi," Kerilia said. She must have imagined the other woman's mouth not moving, or maybe she blinked at the right time. "I'm Kerilia."

As Max spoke again, it was clear that it wasn't a trick of the imagination. Her voice was completely toneless and artificial. "You are the child of our guest, correct?"

Max continued to circle the track, moving at a decent clip, seemingly challenging the girl to keep up with her.

Kerilia nodded, though her mind was intrigued by this person. How was she talking without moving her lips? Was she telepathic? No, her voice sounded very present, unlike a telepathic thought. She could always ask. "Yes, Teevs is my dad," she answered aloud. "Forgive the question, but are you telepathic?"

"Telepathic?" Max echoed, as her legs continued to carry her forward. As she rounded the track again, she thought she caught a glimpse of the girl's father, and tilted her head faintly in acknowledgement. Had anyone paid attention to the movement, it may have simply seemed contemplative, and to a degree it was so, as well. Was she telepathic, really? In the strictest sense no, of course not. But in reality, a form of telepathy did play a part in all this.

"Not precisely," Max eventually said, shaking her head. "I am not, but my implant is, to the extent it can read my thoughts to communicate them."

Max had expected this level of curiosity. She'd hoped she would be able to fly under the radar, but that didn't seem to be the case. It was a struggle for her to open up about her translator, but she kept reminding herself of what Captain Taylor had said. This crew supported each other, and if she was going to cast off the implant one day, the helmswoman realized she'd need that support.

"Cool." As one very comfortable with technology, and perhaps still a bit naive to understand the ethics of implanted technology that Teevs was familiar with, Kerilia accepted the response without much else thought. The subtle challenge from the older woman was met with one in return, as Kerilia pushed toward just a little bit. "What do you do on the ship?"

More questions. Max nodded slowly and took a second to bite back any feelings she might've had. She was part of this crew now, part of this family. If they were curious about her, it was because they wanted to better get to know her, to get closer to her. She wasn't just an oddity around here. She didn't want to be.

Continuing ahead on her powerful, if short legs, Max answered in the same monotone. "I am the assistant flight control officer aboard."

Kerilia's eyes sparkled at the response. She had an off-and-on interest in learning to fly a ship, but it was rare that she and Teevs would be in an area of space that allowed them to let her practice. "I don't have much practice, but I think I want to be a pilot when I get older."

Max nodded to herself thoughtfully. Space always seemed so vast, yet she knew it truly wasn't. Especially with their quantum slipstream drive. Half the quadrant could be traversed in a matter of hours. There was always the holodeck, but the Elysium's were non-operational at this time. She cast a thoughtful look at the girl over her shoulder. "Being a pilot is a great deal of fun. I will keep your interest in mind, should the opportunity arise for someone to accompany me on a flight," she promised.

A shy, yet excited, smile was Kerilia's response. A chance to fly one of their shuttles?? Or maybe even the ship???? Maybe they'd be on the ship long enough for her to reach maturity, when her forehead ridge grew in and she could then explore career options. She could learn about the different parts of the ship. Motion caught her eye, and Kerilia looked to see Teevs waving at her. "That's my dad. Do you want to meet him?"

Max caught the wave out of the corner of her eye, and the girl's explanation clicked in a few moments later. Peering over her shoulder, she could tell her running companion was quite taken with the idea of flying a shuttle. A born pilot perhaps? She found herself slowing slightly, considering the question posed. Then she nodded slightly. "Alright," she responded simply, now coming to a complete stop.

Teevs turned his attention back to his weights when he saw Kerilia approaching. Being careful to set the weights back down, he then wiped his hands on the towel he had grabbed from a stack. "Do you want some water..." When he turned to present the bottle to her, he noticed that someone else had come along. "Hello there, I see you met Kerilia," he said to her with a nod.

Max gave a slight nod to the girl's father and lifted a hand in greeting. She moved slightly, positioning the two other figures in her line of sight so she could more easily hold a conversation between them before her monotonic translator began to vocalize. "You could say she has been a running partner for a short time," Max affirmed. "Perhaps a flying partner, as well."

A smile crept onto Teevs' face at that. Kerilia was getting more comfortable with these aliens. It was probably the first time he saw her go talk to an adult on her own, usually it was with the kids and others her age. "A flying partner, huh? If your vessel would allow it, I'm sure she'd enjoy flying lessons. I'm Teevs."

"I fail to see why not," Max stated. "With proper supervision, at any rate." Max nodded, extending a hand towards their guest. "Ensign Mckull."