SD241807.03 | JL | Com Ivanova, Cmdr Dahe'el | "You can't take the sky from me..." pt 4/5

Posted on Sat Feb 18th, 2023 @ 7:04pm by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Commander Almar Dahe'el

1,883 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Lacuna
Timeline: BACKLOG

"You and I know that you can't pull the trigger," Almar replied, dropping back into his usual accent before looking up and catching sight of Wash rounding a corner and flashing a pistol in the direction of Rochelle, "Ain't that right, you ain't seekin' to shoot me, are you, Rochelle?" he asked as the accent came back for the benefit of the holographic character above him.

"Can't or won't? Do you really want to bank on that, Mal?" Rochelle asked, coolly stepping to keep Almar's bulk between her and the weird pilot. They were now locked in a rather intriguing dance, one where the Cardassian was bent on calling her bluff. Can't... Can't because of the safeties? Because if her itchy trigger finger squeezed that warming bit of metal she'd kill him or can't because of moral obligations? This was a pivotal moment for reasons philosophical. As a Captain she was obligated to potentially order him to his death for the greater good of the vessel and her crew, that was essentially pulling the trigger. Could she do it? Her stomach lurched, flooding her system with cold anxiety. "Your man has two choices, go back to the bridge or take one to the head. Your choice." Good save. For now.

"Wash, we're just havin' a bit of a disagreement as to... payment for services rendered, head on back to the bridge and prep the ship to launch once we've been able to visit Badger," Almar replied with a slight chuckle as he took his eyes off Rochelle and looked up to the pilot.

"You sure, Mal?" Wash asked as he glanced down at the man below him.

"I'm sure," the Cardassian replied, "Noone is going to get shot here today," he added as he turned his attention back to Rochelle.

A brief look flashed between her and the Hawaiian shirt clad pilot. It was clear to see that he wasn't completely convinced or satisfied, but he followed the skipper's orders none the less. "Payment for services rendered?" She asked when, at long last, she was certain he was out of ear shot. It was oddly quiet in that hold, "You didn't answer my question. What makes you so damn sure that I won't pull the trigger?"

"Because I know you, Rochelle," Almar replied, the smile was still fixed across his face and he allowed himself a step forward to close the gap, "Even with the safeties on you wouldn't be able to do it, not to me." he added as he came to a halt again and checked over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, "So, since I don't think you intend to shoot me, that means you intend to fight me some other way, you're certainly prepared for a fight,"

"You're killing me, smalls." She sighed, refusing to yield ground. It meant that his chest came flush with the yawning muzzle of the pistol in her hand - too close for comfort screamed the sensible part of her. "Calling someone's bluff is a very dangerous proposition. It puts them in a rather rough position." Toe to toe the differences between them were grossly apparent. She was downright tiny, forced to tip her head back to look him in the eye. Cardassians had a diminished sense of hearing, but from where he stood she was almost certain he could hear her heart hammering away - or at least feel it as it raced along. "You're pressing your luck."

"I've always pressed my luck," Almar replied with a chuckle as he cocked is head to one side slightly, "Have you ever known me not to push your buttons, Rochelle?" he added as he slid his hands into his pockets and took a half step backwards, "Even the first time we were together on a holodeck, I pressed my luck then too if I remember right, you weren't impressed with how I acted and chastised me appropriately."

At first she simply nodded and the fullness of her lips pressed into a thin line as she processed how to handle the open mockery and bravado he was touting. It was clear that the Cardassian was doing one of two things; baiting her or he truly believed he was both Teflon and fireproof... Maybe it was a mix of each ingredient, but it lead Rochelle down a much different rabbit hole. While she couldn't, or rather wouldn't shoot him - they both knew it - and the gun hit the deck with the clatter of false defeat. "I haven't forgotten." Rochelle replied, "If I'd told you the sky was blue, you'd have argued with me." The stinging memory of her lip splitting against his knee as a direct result of him disobeying an order to shut the simulation down bubbled up and her hand rose to touch it, soothing over the now balmy and intact skin. It also made her head shake, and her mind settle on an appropriate course of action. No... She wouldn't shoot him, but her body turned from him in a quick spin. Her leading leg lifted, bending at the knee and helping to guide the weight of her body airborne in a continuance of that spin, while the following leg came up and extended, delivering a snappy blow to the Cardassian's chest heel first. "That's for busting my lip."

Landing the tornado kick in those old boots was rougher than she'd anticipated, but she made it and picked a stance. The best defense was more offense, there would be no waiting for his reprisal as she went in to assault his legs.

The kick to his torso was not unexpected but her speed caught him off guard and Almar found himself retreating a step or two as he regained his footing and offered her a quick smile, "So that's how it is," he noted as she dropped in to an attack posture and came at him low, his feet never left the deck but his stance lowered too to match hers, a wide base would give him the best level of stability and he knew she'd be targeting his legs, a perfect strategy for a smaller opponent taking on a much larger foe, he squared himself against her and presented a wide target, his arms came down to his sides and he held his forearms out at right angles with palms opened and facing towards her.

Those hands. Those big, strong, capable hands. That's what her attention flickered to. If he got a hold of her, it would be a fight indeed to get free and with as long as it had been since she'd used this particular skill set... No... She wouldn't doubt herself, that would wind up getting her hurt regardless of the situation and the goal here wasn't to do much more than set him straight, teach him a lesson, and have a bit of fun in the process. "So it is," she responded with a swift single nod. A quick kick to the shins was a fun feint for a jab for his chest - the same spot her foot had claimed just moments before. The dust mark on his shirt provided an ideal target, and she'd take it as often as possible just to wear him down and make it difficult for him to flex those pecs of his. Her tactical mind was constantly working, aligning with her knowledge of anatomy - kill the power supply for his arms, and he'd be far less imposing of a figure to fight.

Almar blocked the feint for his shins with a kick of his own and bought his left arm around in a large arc to deflect her blow to his chest down and to his left, his right arm held still at his side, ready to counter another blow that was expected. The Cardassian knew every tactic for a smaller opponent facing him, he'd been in fights many time over his life and had always been the Goliath to their David, he knew that Rochelle didn't want to hurt him and wouldn't be putting everything into hurting him permanently.

What it did, however, was lead to her advancing frustration and advancing frustration lead to a shift of tactics, Distracting the stationary hand meant she needed to come closer. Coming closer meant she had to be more than aware of the way his body moved and their relation to their surroundings. Rochelle grunted when he deflected and forced her to absorb a blow to her thigh, but it didn't stop her from hopping forward to invade his space and use her greater flexibility to her advantage. A sweep to his ankle was low enough to encourage him to move and yield territory unless he wanted to risk it becoming a ground fight - something she herself wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of - but it opened up her chances to impede and conquer his defenses, thrusting a palm heel strike again towards that branded target on his chest while her opposite hand darted out to grab his wrist to twist and push up and back. "Yield to the pain or I'll break your wrist," She warned him. Another step and her knee was entirely way too close to his groin. Even if the shot made logical sense, she couldn't stomach the idea of taking it.

A slight chuckle indicated that Almar had been holding back and feigning weakness as she bent his wrist back and threatened to break it, the Cardassian lowered his stance further and hooked a large leg out wide, sweeping it behind her ankle. The muscles through his chest rippled below his shirt and he clenched the fist she was pressing back and straightened it out without so much as a grunt, as he straightened it he swept her leg out from under her and bought it towards him, sending her backwards down to the deck, he quickly reached down with his free arm and hooked it around her waist so she wouldn't hit the plating too hard, the arm supported her from waist and up her back, his palm cradling the back of her neck, "That might have worked on someone who can't lift without using a Grav Harness." he added with a bright smile, "You're fast, exceptionally fast."

"And far too kind," Rochelle retorted in a pant, forced to release him by the sensation of the fall and the instinctive need to brace - something he'd softened by catching her the way he had. It was the first time, in a long time, that she'd been bested - and while it stung she knew too well that she'd had so much more to give than she'd delivered. Cradled by him, and peering up at him, she blew to free her face from that obnoxious bit of hair. He was truly exquisite, she decided, no matter how much that tactical brain chided her for being soft on him and allowing her greater femininity to dictate desires other than victory. She reached to stoke his face, her thumb tracing his fuller lower lip while both sides offered up ideas.

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To Be Continued...
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Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NX-78213-F

Commander Almar Dahe'el
Executive Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NX-78213-F

 

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