She could just about kill him.
The urge to commit murder may have sprung faster than normal in Iris. Truthfully, she wasn't in a good headspace. It had been 5 days, but already it felt like 5 months. Her carefully stockpiled resolve was nearly depleted.
But still…even in the best of circumstances she knew it'd be difficult to stand him – ensign Sobek. When she'd discovered he was in fact an ensign and not a lieutenant, his response had been 'I never claimed that was my station, only that you should address me as such.' The absolute arrogance!
And now, for the third time that week, he was in the bathroom at 0630. Even though they had mutually agreed on the schedule and he had requested the 0530 slot.
With an irritated groan, Iris shoved a clean uniform into her gym bag and took off to the commissary. She'd just have to get a shower in after her work out.
If only clashing schedules had been the worst part about him, but no. One of the first things Sobek had done was delete all her programs off the replicator. Not only that, he password protected the editor and lectured her about ship 'safety'. It prompted her to re-read the handbook, and she had been right about the rules - all crewmembers were allotted free space on their personal replicators, and as long as the programs had been pre-approved (hers were), they could be added. So it was all nonsense! Sobek just wanted the extra space to add more of his programs.
Still, she had to wait until a senior officer responded to her inquiry. For now, Sobek being an engineer meant she was at his mercy. She had one precious stick of deodorant left, but perhaps if she became ripe enough he'd allow her that one program.
~000~
Iris's thighs screamed as she lifted a small but dense crate of medical supplies off the ground. T'Ri had assigned her to the cargo bay all week. Her job was to supply the various departments with their requested items and keep track of the inventory.
4 years of studying at the academy and she was basically a delivery girl. It was demoralizing, albeit easy. But if she were ever going to get used to T'Kumbra's gravity, she'd need the extra strength building anyway.
Along with morning calisthenics, squadron 3 met everyday at 1730 for specialized training sessions. Iris took her place in the back, as usual. T'Ri rarely called on her to demonstrate sparing techniques, even though she was the most educated ensign in that area. The exclusion might've offended her more if the first demo hadn't ended with a young male getting his jaw broken. From then on, she was glad to be treated like a porcelain doll. It was an interesting look into their culture. After all, the Vulcans always spoke of their passivity and peaceful ways. But lo and behold…
T'Ri stood before them and explained the outline for next week, but Iris barely heard a word of it. Saturday morning called to her like a siren. She couldn't wait to sleep in until noon. As it were, she could've curled up on the rubber mat and napped like a baby. That is, until T'Sala and Captain Solok walked in.
All eyes were on Solok as he took a lirpa off the wall and inspected it. A male in front of Iris cracked his neck to the side, seemingly in preparation for a fight. She wondered if he knew something she didn't.
"As you've already noticed, we have a couple unique visitors tonight," T'Ri said, her voice louder than before. All attention snapped back to her, and she pursed her lips before continuing.
"Lt Commander T'Sala and Captain Solok are here to gauge your current skillset. They will continue to visit throughout the year to record our progress," T'Ri nodded to Solok, who then stepped forward.
"Some of you may already be apprised, but for those who are not – I offer a quarterly challenge to all security ensigns," Solok said, his eyes traveling throughout the crowd. Each Vulcan already had perfect posture, yet they straightened even more under his attention.
"Tonight I will spar with three of you. If any are able to win the match, he or she will be immediately promoted to lieutenant junior grade."
It was like someone had poured ice-cold water down Iris's top. So she was out of the loop, and it was a big loop! Lt. junior grade was half a pip!
Solok paced in front of the crowd, twisting the lirpa in his hands. The big dog inside of Iris had woken up, and her mind flooded with victorious fantasies. It was at once exciting and dismaying. She watched his elegant fingers curl around the wood with practiced ease. No doubt he'd trained with that weapon since infancy. Not to mention his naturally superior strength and speed. There was absolutely no way she could win against him in an equal fight.
"Who accepts my challenge?"
Nearly every hand in the room shot up. It happened so fast. Iris barely caught Solok's nod, but a lone female stood in response.
She was almost his height, so they were matched in that. Iris knew Vulcan males and females generally possessed the same amount of physical strength. And their society practiced near perfect egalitarianism. It often made Iris wonder how Earth's history would've changed if human females had been as strong as their males.
T'Ri moved to stand beside T'Sala at the far end of the room. The young female bowed deep to Solok, and he acknowledged her with a nod.
Solok yelled something indecipherable by Iris's communicator, and it was so sudden that she gasped. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.
The two Vulcans circled each other. The female appeared more determined than Solok. Her posture was low, but he didn't sink to that same level. Suddenly, the woman cried out and rushed him. Iris wasn't sure what the yell accomplished, other than letting him know she was coming. Possible intimidation? It was an odd choice for a species supposedly above that sort of fear-based reactionism.
The ensign swung her lirpa low, clearly intending to get him across the stomach. Iris's eyes widened. A part of her had thought they'd just use the blunt end of the melee weapons. Solok jumped back and swung around, catching her in the jaw.
Green blood sprinkled the mat. The female's mouth was cut, and she'd nearly fallen over. But she still held on to the weapon.
She stepped back, and Solok allowed her reprieve. He stood twirling the lirpa as he had before. Iris thought it was kind of showy. His body language read as if he weren't taking the match seriously. If it were her up there, she'd be offended. But Vulcans didn't assume emotion in other Vulcans, so she was probably reading too much into it.
The female lunged again, but this time the two got caught up in a fast-paced back and forth. Their staffs clacked together loudly. Every time one would try to swing, the other would catch it. Sometimes the movements happened so fast Iris couldn't even see them. Eventually, the tide turned on the poor female. Solok got her with an uppercut from his hammer end, and while she absorbed the hit, she left herself open. He locked his lirpa with hers, put a foot on her stomach and pushed. She was knocked back, and although she managed to fall on her side, she landed without a weapon; thus ending the battle.
In all the excitement Iris put her hands together, but luckily noticed the distinct lack of applause before doing it again. One male turned and raised a brow at her, and she sank down in embarrassment.
The female picked herself up and bowed once more to Solok. She left the room afterwards, likely en route to medical.
Solok went back to the crowd and once again all hands shot up. This time he chose a male, and one who was quite a bit beefier than he was.
The match began as it did last time, although here the challenger didn't fool with battle cries. They were up close almost instantly, clacking away. After some back and forth the ensign was able enter a strength hold. They held their bars across one another's, and the larger male attempted to use his size to force Solok down. For a moment it looked it would work, but the captain came back with an impressive surge. Iris idly wondered how much force was between their bars; likely enough to break human bones.
The young male looked briefly overwhelmed; Solok took full advantage and struck him with the blunt end of his weapon. When the ensign swung back, the captain caught his hand and shot forward to knee him in the stomach. It incapacitated him, and Solok used that to get him in position for a throw. The young male resisted, but it was no use. He was lifted up and slammed to the ground, landing on his free hand with a sickening snap. If Iris had to guess, that was the sound of at least three bones breaking.
Solok walked around the downed man, giving him a moment to get up. All eyes were on the ensign, but Iris watched with great surprise as Solok subtly smirked. He was enjoying this. She couldn't hide the disgust on her face. Not even when he locked stares with her.
So far every Vulcan she'd met had been a complete jerk, and now she understood why; they were taking after their captain!
Iris knew perfectly well what Solok thought of emotions, which is why her expression felt deliciously defiant. But when he raised a brow at her, she suddenly remembered where she was and the look melted off her face.
The ensign groaned, and Iris turned her attention back to him. He held the lirpa in his working hand and still appeared determined to battle. She made a mental note to get his name; he seemed like her kind of people.
Solok circled the injured male like a wolf. It was clear who the winner would be, and Iris hoped he'd be quick. But no such luck. Solok mercilessly beat on the man, targeting the locations for several of their important organs. It was far more brutal than the last round, and Iris wondered if part of the tradition was that each battle grew in intensity.
Eventually, the ensign just dropped. His fist went slack, and the lirpa rolled out of his hand. The room was silent, but Iris was sure all the pointy ears could hear her wildly thumping heart.
Solok nodded to two males in the crowd who picked up their downed peer and led him out of the training room. This time it was certain they'd be on their way to medical.
Around Iris, Vulcans leaned into one another to whisper. She couldn't pick up what they were saying, so again her attention fell to Solok. He'd walked over near T'Sala. Obviously, he'd need a break after that.
T'Ri approached him with a glass. He accepted the drink, and Iris didn't miss how her hand brushed against his. She stood very close to the captain, and even from a distance Iris could see the corners of her mouth twitching like she had to fight to keep the smile away – it was pure adoration. All in all, Vulcan PDA was probably the mildest form she'd ever seen, but it still made her want to vomit.
The captain stood in front of the crowd again, and to Iris's great surprise all hands shot up once more. She moved to massage her temple in annoyance, when suddenly-
"Iris Wade," Solok said, and she felt as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.
"Y-yes?" she asked.
"You accept my challenge?"
She stared at the captain, mouth agape, for apparently too long.
"Was your hand not raised?" He asked softly.
It wasn't. It certainly wasn't. Iris looked around at all the ensigns focused on her, and she wanted to disappear.
"You may back down, if you wish. Terrans have a tendency for rash decisions. It would not be unprecedented."
Anger swirled in her gut. She'd been so good about avoiding conflict, but he'd found her weakness. She wasn't a fool, but she just couldn't back down.
~000~
Solok watched as the little Terran stood. He didn't miss her slight tremble. As expected, his comment had stirred her emotions to the point where she was powerless against them. He knew her raised hand hadn't been meant as a challenge, but the opportunity to observe her in such a state had been too interesting to pass up.
She picked up the discarded lirpa and took a defensive stance in front of him.
If she had been Vulcan, he'd have thought her brave. Especially after witnessing what had happened to the last challenger. But since she lacked equal strength and speed, it was illogical for her to attempt. Unlike with her Vulcan peers, no amount of skill could enable her to win the match.
He made the decision in an instant.
"Because of the differences in Vulcan and Terran physiology, I will amend the rules for our fight," he said, and she looked surprised.
But it was only logical to make concessions. One of the most consistent criticisms he'd received on his earlier papers had been on the inequity between subjects. He had the outcome of this match calculated with 98.6% accuracy, but he did not want the results tarnished by a perceived lack of fairness.
"In order for me to win, I must knock the lirpa from your hand thrice. All you must do …is land one hit."
The human blinked, and her grip tightened around the bar.
"Do you accept?" He asked, and she nodded her agreement.
He signaled the start, and the battle began.
All previous challengers had aggressed on him, but this time would be different. The Terran eyed him up and down, but he didn't give her time to think. Instead, he charged.
~000~
Nearly 5 years ago, Iris had her ass handed to her by a Klingon 1st year. He'd been harassing her friend all night, and she'd finally had enough of Sarah trying to politely turn him down to no avail. The only thing Klingons responded to was violence, so that's what she provided. Using Andorian melee techniques, she'd been able to land a few potent hits. Eventually, his brute strength had won out. Still, Sarah walked away unmolested, and the Klingon had been kicked out of the academy.
Iris had thought being the target of a charging Klingon would be the scariest thing she'd ever experience.
She was wrong.
The last thing she saw before going airborne was the greenish blur of her Vulcan captain.
She landed with a crack. Pops of color danced in her vision, and she knew her back was going to be one big bruise tomorrow. It took a moment for her to realize the lirpa had flown from her hand.
She rolled to the side, and felt for signs of internal injury. When nothing seemed wrong, she moved to sit on her knees and leaned forward. The room spun, and for a moment she felt like vomiting.
"You may choose to forfeit at any time," Solok said.
On any other captain, a constant soft-tone would've been comforting. On him it was venomous.
Several somethings cracked as Iris stood up.
Solok watched her with his normal unaffected look. He paced away, throwing his weapon in the air and catching it. His lack of concern could not be more obvious; it was even more pronounced than it had been with the others.
Iris got back into defensive position, not that it'd do much. She was hopeless against his strength.
There had to be something else she could do.
~000~
The ensign appeared dizzy. It wouldn't take much to finish her, but Solok did not intend for the match to go quickly. The outcome was all but determined; the real fascination lied with her behavior.
The look in her eye during his first attack had been fearful, but then she stood up even angrier than before. She vacillated so quickly between opposite emotions, but neither one provided logical aid. After all, she had not yet forfeited. He remembered well Benjamin Sisko's unwillingness to give up. Certain Terrans did not like their pride wounded.
He charged again.
Curiously, she was not afraid. Her stance had firmed, but it wouldn't have mattered if he really wanted to knock her out. This time he didn't, but instead engaged in close combat. She was far slower than previous challengers, but he didn't overwhelm her. Instead, he worked with her. He allowed her to gain speed through the back and forth.
Her face rapidly reddened as they went on, and he didn't miss the sheen that had broken out over her brow. After 9 minutes and 47 seconds it was clear they had reached her physical capacity.
He locked their bars together and forced her back. Her eyes widened in surprise. Had she thought she was making headway? If so it was a foolish assumption, but perhaps the exertion combined with her rage had erased the small amount of logic Terrans possessed.
Her thin arms trembled to keep hold of the weapon, but he raised a boot to her midsection. She watched him, likely knowing full well what was coming.
He shoved her back same as he did with the first ensign, and wrenched the bar from her feeble hands.
He'd expected her to go down, but this time she took an ill-conceived swing at him. She'd gone from ensign to animal in exactly 13 minutes and 15 seconds. In Benjamin Sisko, the transformation had taken 20 minutes and 10 seconds. And he'd been younger than she.
He easily dodged her attack, and returned her aggression with a flick of his lirpa.
~000~
The hammer cracked over Iris's wrist. Pain shot all the way up her arm and into her neck; it was so pronounced that she barely felt her backend meet the floor. For a moment she sat, rocking the damaged appendage and sucking in air through her teeth.
"It is unwise to attempt an attack as you are falling," Solok said, and she couldn't help but sneer at him. He was right, though. She knew it.
"Perhaps you should take rest," he said. "You are unlikely to win in such an emotionally compromised state."
It was like music to her ears.
With a roar, she charged up again and grabbed the lirpa. As she ran towards him, his eyes narrowed just slightly. She was glad to have caught it. This time she was sure to recognize his tells.
Their bars connected again, and they picked up where they had left off. Her wrist sizzled in pain with each thrust and block, and tears welled up in her eyes.
It wasn't particularly hard to get riled up, or at least act like she was. Everything in the past week had gotten to her: the bad food, the grueling pace, the loneliness, the constant exercise, that damned heavy gravity, and the at-times overwhelmingly hot temperatures. Not to mention the fact that everyone underestimated her. But today she'd use that to her advantage.
She noticed when Solok put pressure on their bars. He was going in for the kill.
Iris took a quick step back and threw her lirpa into the air. As luck would have it, he took the bait. Solok's eyes went up; he was ready to grab it mid-air.
She threw herself at him clumsily and clutched the front of his uniform. His hands shot to her wrists, ready to stop an oncoming punch, but that wasn't what she had in mind. Instead, she thrust her knee upwards.
She didn't expect to do much damage, but she did aim for an area all humanoid males were sensitive in. Even Vulcans.
The captain's face was only inches from hers, so she got the full view when her hit landed. His mouth thinned to a line, his eyes widened, and his slanted brows shot up.
The reaction, albeit minimal, excited her. So she stuck again. Harder. The noise he made was somewhere between a grunt and a cough.
Her lirpa landed on top of them just as he violently shoved her away.
She was on her back again, and pretty sure there was blood pooling internally near her spine. But still, she held on to her weapon.
~000~
For inspiration, I've had 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite' on loop, so this was a satisfying scene to write. Let's be real, Solok deserved to get kneed in the jewels. At least twice.
And I swear…if writing this teaches me only one thing it's going to be how to spell 'lieutenant'.
Thanks to Lyz, CeresMaria, wiccanlovely, and Garden Gnomie for the reviews! All your kind words help keep me going. I'm working really hard to keep this story as interesting and true to the source as possible. ^_^