A few years ago, when Lieutenant Jovar first came aboard the USS Orion, just as he had done aboard the USS Cochrane and the USS Lantree, Jovar set up a few exercise programs on the ship’s Holodeck. Program one simply resembled a gym with weights, cardio equipment and mats to stretch and perform other exercises not requiring weights like Push-ups and sit-ups. Program two resembled a cage with a matted floor for two people to spar against one another. Program three establishes various scenarios for hand to hand combat armed or unarmed, against computer generated opponents. Program four has the option of choosing several different terrain settings  and consists of engaging targets at various ranges uses laser weapons. Today, the tactical department chief Lieutenant Commander Poxx and the ship’s Tactical Officer were exercising on the Holodeck using Jovar’s exercise program one.

[color=7bcdc8]“Interesting.” Xiril said through a grunt. He and Jovar held themselves up in tense push-up positions across from one another on the ship’s holodeck, having spent the past few minutes discussing their respective planet’s courtship rituals as the conversation for that morning’s workout -- Namely, their unspoken superiority to the contrived, confusing rituals of their human crewmates. Xiril was now fifty pushups behind Jovar, though this was not entirely out of the norm. He was, after all, more of a swimmer in physique.[/color] 

“In the Klingon culture, it involves a lot of grunting, scratching and biting.” Jovar got caught up in the moment. His push-ups slowed as he stared into the distance, obviously imagining the Klingon mating session.

[color=7bcdc8]Xiril furrowed a hairless brow, before tilting his head into his own more reserved recollections. “On Cepha, we typically,” He paused, bringing himself up from the ground with a moment of exertion. “Create a mating nest out of soft seaweed,” He pushed himself up once more, slower than the last pushup. “And a mating drum from the skin of a fish.” Finishing his remark, he sat up and rolled onto his backside to sit on the holodeck’s simulated gym’s floor with a grunt. “I have been told the Vulcans have a similar ritual.”[/color]

“Honestly Commander, I do not know about Vulcan mating rituals or whether or not they create nests of seaweed.” Jovar illuminated to his section leader. 

[color=7bcdc8]Xiril nodded, standing up to stretch. “I know little of the people, and have only ever briefly encountered their kind. Have you ever encountered a Vulcan Captain?”[/color]

“I find the people to be plain and boring. They all have black hair and brown eyes. They have their pointed ears and speak only of logic. There is no color, animation or anything interesting in their lives. They are very different from the Klingons and I must also state, very different from humans. Enough about that,” Jovar stated. “Have you been to Vulcan before the Orion? I was there with the Cochrane about six years ago.

[color=7bcdc8]“The Highlander once stopped at Vulcan during my tenure as helmsman, but my rebreather was not properly calibrated for the planet’s environment at the time.” He tapped the metal device on his neck and sucked in a lungful of air as if to emphasize his point. “I look forward to meeting one, however. It seems the Vulcan philosophy mirrors Cephanian instinct.” He walked over to one of the gym’s many treadmills and began pressing a few buttons on the screen. “Ambassador Spock is a Half-Vulcan, I hear. He will be the first Half-Vulcan I have met, though I will likely be the first Cephanian [i]he[/i] has met.” He chuckled dryly to himself three times and no further, cracking his lips into the faintest of smiles.[/color]

Jovar stood up, slipped on a pair of sparring gloves; the light gloves that provide padding to the back of the hand, yet the tips of each finger are exposed. A heavy bag hung from the wall in one area of the gym. Jovar assumed a solid fighting stance with his arms up to his face. He tapped the bag with a left jab. Then repeated the jab twenty more times, increasing the intensity with each strike. He then rotated his right shoulder forward, throwing a succession of crosses. Then he alternated Jab cross in rapid succession for one hundred strikes. After completing the jabs and crosses, he dropped into the push-up position, executed one push up then jumped back up to his feet and struck the heavy bag with an additional two hundred successive jabs and crosses. He continued in this manner, until he had hit the bag five hundred times and executed five burpees.

“Commander, I should check the port side phased energy emitter on the lower hull. It has been acting oddly lately. I will check with Engineering to see if they have fixed it at all.” Jovar was ready to leave the holodeck and begin his duties, but he had one more thing he wanted to do before he left. He removed his gloves and picked up a towel. “Unless of course, you would like to go for a few rounds?” Lieutenant Jovar smiled at his supervisor; intentionally baring his teeth.

[color=7bcdc8]Xiril gave him the closest thing a Cephanian could to a smile -- A nod warmer than his usual. “I am still recovering from our last bout of sparring, Lieutenant, but I feel I have lost a finer degree of skill during this absence.” He paused for a moment, grasping faintly in a gesture for “I don’t know”, trying to bring the right words to mind. “I fear I am growing, as one might say, [i]rusted[/i]?”[/color]

“OK, Commander. I’ll see you on the bridge in an hour or so. I’ll check with Engineering about that phased energy emitter. Thank you for the work out.” Jovar nodded at Commander Poxx and left. Within the hour, Lieutenant Jovar was standing at his station to the rear of the bridge behind the Captain’s chair.

[right][sub]Collaboration With: [@DeadBeatWalking][/sub][/right]