p class="MsoNormal"emDoctor Crusher then removed the reproductive parasite from Commander Leijten's thymus resulting the Commander's immune response reasserting itself and reverting all physical alterations./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo took a break from reading to sip at his water, suddenly very grateful that the Krang hadn't been able to produce spores or something else OP like that. Their ability to infect… everything, had been bad enough as it was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Stars rushing by the mess hall windows reassured him that he was safely far from any Krang; as best he knew anyway. emDon't borrow trouble Leo./em Turning attention back to his pad, Leonardo continued reading the wild and wonderful Federation medical database. Currently the best distraction from Leon's alternating cycle of nightmares and insomnia, the turtle was thoroughly enjoying his second favourite nerdy obsession, biology and medicine./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He nodded in acknowledgement as a handful of crewmembers came in to grab a meal, likely on their nightshift lunch break. Leo made a mental note to clear out in another couple hours before Neelix came in to start breakfast prep; he didn't want the Talaxian tattling to the Doctor about Leo's lack of sleep. Especially since his didn't want anything changing today's plans./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Today was going to be his first official training session, emergency procedures. He was supposed to meet the class in cargo bay one at 1000 hours, just late enough to get in his morning swim. But first, emBarclay's Disease? Do tell./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A few hours later, the ninja master was getting some extra PT trying to find cargo bay one. emI'm starting to think they make everything look the same on purpose. Boarders would get lost trying to find the important stuff. /emAt least he'd had the foresight to give himself lots of extra time to get from the holodeck to the cargo bay./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, he overheard a couple of people mentioning Tuvok as they walked through a set of doors ahead and decided to take a chance. Poking his head into the room, he suddenly had the attention of about a dozen people in a large space lined with shelving full of crates and pallets of plastic barrels. "Uh.. hi. Is this the emergency procedures class?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A little girl with red hair and .. horns? on her forehead bounced up. "Yep! You're just in time! We're waiting for Commander Tuvok, he should be here soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo's brain stuttered for a moment as he realised there were three children present as well, looking to range in age from 10 to 16. "Oh, good." He looked around, making sure all adults were ok with him talking to their kids. "Thanks for letting me know, little lady. I'm Leo," he said, ducking his head down closer to her level. span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"She bounced again, a tall teen boy coming up behind her, "I'm Naomi Wildman! I'm the Captain's assistant." The red head answered with the absolute confidence only a child could have./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The ninja snapped to attention. "Yes Ma'am. Good to know."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""We need to be ready for Commander Tuvok Naomi." The dark-haired boy said as he pulled her away by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Leo noticed the signature of Borg technology on the boy's face as he gave the turtle a suspicious look. emGood man, take care of her,/em Leo couldn't help but think. Fearlessness could be an asset, but it could also get that kid in a lot of trouble without someone a little more sceptical at her side. Leo resolutely didn't think about watching out for Mikey in the past./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He was thankfully distracted by the doors whooshing open to admit the oft mentioned Commander Tuvok. Stern, the Vulcan swept his eyes over them all, lingering over Leonardo for a barely detectable moment. "Greetings. Today we will be reviewing emergency procedures. Firstly," the children pushed forward to the front of the group, "where are the emergency kits located?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Naomi's hand shot up. "Two panels up from the floor and three left of the door."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Their instructor nodded, "Correct," then walked to said panel. Tuvok gestured to a green uniformed woman on Leo's right. She scooted forward and removed the panel by lifting it up and off the wall. emOh, that's clever. I wonder if there's something behind every panel./em Making a mental note to check in his own quarters after, Leo craned his neck to watch Tuvok's demonstration as everyone crowded in closer./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"There were three large cases in the wall. Pulling out one labelled with the Starfleet Medical logo, Tuvok opened it for all to see laid out on the floor. "Here we have your emergency medical kit." He went on to list its contents, medical tricorder, dermal regenerator and other schmancy things the Doctor had already helpfully demonstrated for the long-time medic./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Next, Tuvok moved onto the other cases, one being a breathing unit with gases for multiple species, ("You never know who we may have to help in an emergency," one person helpfully supplied.), a flashlight stowed in the bottom, and finally, a fire extinguisher with different compartments for various forms of fire. That prompted several questions from Leonardo on how to choose which you needed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Why isn't the emergency stuff panel labelled?" Leo asked once Tuvok nodded at his raised hand. The other little girl present jolted, stopping herself from blurting out her thoughts. The Commander noticed. "Would you like to answer Mezoti?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The girl, Mezoti apparently, smiled ever so slightly and answered in a flat voice, "Not all Federation species can see the same wavelengths of light and, therefore, the same colours. In order to avoid any difficulties in an emergency, all federation facilities, vehicles and vessels have emergency supplies in the same location in every room and corridor." The young borg, she too had the implants, then folded her hands in front of her waist so primly Leo could almost see his twin standing next to her smirking. emI really need to stop comparing everyone to them./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon was helped to fight off memories by Tuvok announcing the next phase of their training; what to do if the artificial gravity fails. Within minutes, the turtle was happily bouncing around, enjoying a freedom of movement that he hadn't had in years. It was almost like his portals. emOh I didn't realize how much I missed this./em It was even better than swimming. Effortless, no drag, there was nothing to slow him down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Flipping around, the slider used the opportunity to inspect parts of the room he couldn't see before. Crates had thoughtfully been strapped down to their many shelving units, labels only saying things like A-2, emthey must use some index to keep track of what's in which box. Saves them having to change labels all the time I suppose. /emCrewmembers floated by, one clearly fighting to keep his stomach down. All the kids seemed fine. Honestly they were just playing at this point with some of the others that weren't bothered by the loss of a fundamental force./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""You seem comfortable in a zero-gravity enviroment." Leo glanced down to see the Vulcan Commander floating beneath him. "Oh, yeah. I used portals a lot when I was a kid. Enter in one point, exit in another, and the gravity would change almost every time. Frankly, this is easier on my stomach."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Used portals? How di-"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Mr Tuvok!" Both turned as someone lost their battle./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"em…. Ewwwwwwww…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Gravity restored and mess cleaned up, Tuvok moved on to their next lesson; question seemingly forgotten. Now they were drilled on battle stations, currently Leo's would be his quarters, emergency shelter locations, Leo was told to go to the mess hall if he wasn't badly injured or just do what the most senior crew member he was with told him. They covered a variety of other topics, hull breach, life support failure, how to report injuries and damage to the ship, etc./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, they made like a day care class and toddled out into the hallway. "In every corridor along the outer hull, the panels are entrances to escape pods." The Vulcan pulled a panel open to demonstrate his words. "Please open a panel for yourselves."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Watching his classmates, Leo worked up his nerve to grapple with the panel in front of him. Pulling it up and off, a jumbo shower-stall sized space with a bench and control panels was laid out in front of him, lights quickly activating. Carefully manoeuvring his bulk into the pod, Leon sat and tried to make sense of everything in front of him. Happily, his instructor took the ninja's lack of experience into account. Crouching just outside the pod, Tuvok spoke loud enough for all to hear his directions, while giving Leo some show to go with his tell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""If you are incapable of piloting the pod yourself, select auto pilot here and it will follow any other Starfleet pods in the vicinity." He said, indicating the appropriate buttons. In a softer voice, Tuvok added, "Basic pilot training will be offered on another occasion." Leo nodded his understanding and thanks. Resuming his instruction, the Vulcan explained their pod's various functions, emergency supplies and S.O.P. when you find yourself having to abandon ship./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The training session wound down with a few extra questions from the kids, mostly Naomi, then everyone started to disperse. A quiet, "Mr Hamato?" held Leo back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Given what he'd read about Vulcans, and how formal the man had been today, Leon decided to match his energy. "Yes Commander?" He realized that he'd unconsciously fallen into parade rest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Given your inexperience with our technology, you performed well today." Tuvok commended, a calculating look in his eye./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Deciding to avoid the gaping wound of explaining Donnie, "The Doctor's been showing me how to use stuff, especially med tech." He huffed a bit, shifting his weight onto his left leg. "Pretty sure he's trying to lure me into sickbay with shiny toys."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The other man raised a pointed eyebrow. "Indeed. If you are feeling well enough, would you be willing to engage in an evaluation of your combat skills? As security chief, I am responsible for the crew's ability to defend themselves in case of attack."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo took a second to look within. He felt pretty much back up to snuff; would probably be healthier than he had been since childhood soon, what with proper nutrition and clean water finally available. Honestly, he'd gone into all out drag out fights with the Krang in much worse shape; a bit of sparring shouldn't be a problem./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah, I'm up for it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok promptly led Leo back to the holodeck he'd been swimming in just this morning. Stopping at the door panel, the Vulcan intoned, "Computer, run Tuvok 3." They walked into the holodeck, currently set up to look like what Leo guessed was a gymnasium or training centre. Starfleet grey walls loomed high overhead with lighting and handles hanging from the ceiling. emOooo, that's some serious verticality. /emBenches lined the walls, a set of towels with water bottles on one nearby. Painted lines in various colours marked out shapes on the floor, likely different forms of training spaces/fighting rings. At least it didn't SMELL like a gym. The dark-skinned man led them into a changeroom with handy workout clothes set aside from each of their replicated wardrobes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Turning around to give the illusion of privacy, Leo changed into gym shorts and a tank top. "Ready?" Tuvok asked, which Leonardo took as a prompt to turn around and was greeted by the sight of his instructor in some form-fitting bicycle outfit thing. emThat does NOT look comfy. Wait, we're gonna be grappling at some point…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"So far, everyone had been good with Leo's questions so, "Um, just to make sure I'm not thinking something I shouldn't, I read up on the.. species I've met so far? And it said not to touch Vulcans?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The other man's face shifted ever so slightly; what that meant, Leo had no idea./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Normally, you would be correct. It is polite to refrain from physical contact with Vulcans out of consideration for our touch telepathy." Tuvok paused a moment, clearly watching to see how Leonardo would react to that tidbit. emOookay. Touches you, reads your mind./em The slider did his best to keep his face politely neutral, not wanting to react badly to something that was just a natural ability./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Whatever the other man saw, he continued, "However, in combat situations, physical contact is generally unavoidable; it is therefore beneficial for Vulcans to practice shielding our minds under such circumstances."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo nodded along, "Yeah, makes sense. I apologize in advance for anything that might squeak through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I appreciate your sentiments, however they are unnecessary. I am experienced in blocking out the thoughts of others to the point that I can, in fact, use my telepathy in combat to read my opponents intentions when making contact. Please rest assured that I will not do this now with you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emOof, that'd suck to fight. /em"Thanks, shall we?" Gesturing out to the gym proper./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok first lead them through a warmup, stretching, then a series of slow movements reminiscent of katas though they weren't any specific forms he was familiar with. The Commander kept an eagle eye on his companion throughout, watching for any hitches in movement or signs of overexertion. Leonardo heartily approved. In fact, during his entire stay so far, he'd seen many encouraging examples that the command officers cared genuinely for the welfare of their crew, making him feel more and more that staying on board was his best option./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Everyone had been kind, he hadn't noticed any disfunction in the command structure yet, the federation crew with its many humans was the closest thing to a known entity to him in this universe…. emUntil I have a reason not to, it's probably best that I commit to throwing my lot in with these guys. They'll be more likely to trust me then too./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Well done." The older man said, drawing Leonardo back to the here and now. "Let us move on to sparring." Wasting no time, Tuvok launched into an attack./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Reflexively, Leon fell into the comfortable routine of block, dodge, grapple and quickly realized he was going to win. The Vulcan was definitely stronger than any human Leo'd fought and certainly knew what he was doing but…. Leonardo was a genetically engineered super soldier, trained by a ninjitsu master and had over twenty years of nearly daily combat experience; it wasn't even a contest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Credit where credit is due though, Voyager's security chief was determined. Over and over he'd get back up and reengage, then Leo would come up with another way to yeet him across the room. Twist his arms together, toss. Jump to grab the ceiling handles, wrap legs around his upper torso and let rip. Spin, sweep the legs then kick on the second time around./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"For a moment, the ninja considered letting Tuvok pin him a couple times but dismissed it. This was an evaluation; Leo himself would've chewed out a recruit that didn't give their all and skewed the results./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"So, they continued, Tuvok trying every trick he knew, and Leonardo batting him around the gym like a playful kitten. At least the officer wasn't getting angry or frustrated at his lack of success. This time he grabbed the other man's arm, pivoted and slung the Vulcan over his shoulder to roll ten feet across the floor. emI'm running out of ways to throw him./em But this time, as Tuvok rose to his feet panting slightly, he didn't come back for more. "Excellent Leonardo. Most impressive." Eyes focussed on the clock over Leo's shoulder, he added, "We have nearly expended the time allotted; I would suggest changing clothes and conversing further after." The vulcan's eyes flicked between Leo and the clock again, nervously? "Perhaps over lunch?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon answered with a nod. "Alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Nothing was really said as the two got changed and headed for the mess hall. HIs lifelong urge to break tension with babble bubbled in Leo's chest, but he still wasn't sure of what was appropriate with the other man yet, so he was choosing to match Tuvok's energy. Happily, it wasn't long before they were both seated in the mess hall, soup, emHOT SOUP!/em, in front of them. The slider wasn't thrilled with it's flavor, but he was far from picky at this point in life./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, the Vulcan set his spoon down for a moment. "I was greatly impressed with your combat skills, Leonardo. My security teams could benefit from such training. Would you be willing to teach them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The slider blinked rapidly a few times. It really shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. One of Leo's many duties in the resistance had been training troops whenever he had time, emCasey/em, but he hadn't expected so much so soon./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emHe's giving you a chance Leon, don't screw this up./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Sure. I used to do that back home anyway. And I really do want to carry my weight."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The Vulcan nodded once. "Excellent. It is good that you have previous experience as a trainer. I can rotate my staff through training sessions. Perhaps we could open it to the crew in general at a later date?" They spent the next hour or so hashing out a schedule that would allow for moderate progress while not overloading Leo as he learned and trained himself for life onboard./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Neelix thoughtfully brought them over some coffee with a wink and a smile towards the end. Wrapping his hands around the warm mug, Leon sipped, careful not to slurp. Tuvok also savored the warm beverage a moment. emOh right, Vulcans are from a desert world. He's probably a little cold all the time too./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I am impressed you were able to manage so many different responsibilities on your home world. A leader, teacher, soldier and medic. All of these require a great deal of time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leonardo snorted after the older man finished. "Yeah well, it was kinda do or die." emOr do and die anyway./em Ugly memories curdled in his We tried so hard and got so far… yadda, yadda, yadda./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"It must have been written across his face or, y'know, the other man could put two and two together because Tuvok suddenly became even more solemn. "I grieve with thee." He intoned; it sounded like a ritual response, "I cannot realistically imagine what you have endured Leonardo, but I have witnessed planet wide tragedies, even genocides, during my service in Starfleet. There are no words sufficient."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Blinking rapidly, Leo wrestled his emotions, jaw grinding. "Thank you." A sniff then, "You're right. There's no words. I just… there's nothing left. An entire world of plants, animals and peoples… gone. Nothing left but Krang." emDamn chewing gum freaks./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""How did they.." His dinner companion trailed off, visibly effected for the first time the slider could tell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""They're parasites." Voice gruff, Leo decided to take the route of a Doctor Donnie info dump. "Giant, nearly unkillable parasites." emMikey nailed that one psycho though. /em"They appeared one day, huge portal over the city, their ship came through it and we were on the back foot from jump." emThey hadn't learned until later about the key and Leo's world ending fumble. /em"The militaries tried but, the Krang just steamrolled right over them. Eventually we wound up fractured communities hiding underground around the world and trying to fight back as best we could with guerilla tactics. They spent the next twenty years grinding us into the dust."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok granted him a minute of respite, contemplating the information before continuing his gentle interrogation. Honestly, Leo'd been half expecting this. It'd be stupid of them to not gather intel on a world killing threat. He was just grateful it was being done so kindly. emAnother point in their favor./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Is there any chance that the Krang could follow you here from your Earth?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo thought for a moment. "I mean, I don't see how. They didn't know what we were doing, and Mike'd never've let them through his portal." He focused back on his lunch companion, "Honestly Commander, unless they exist in this universe too, I don't think you have to worry about it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The security chief absorbed this, then, "In sickbay, when you first woke up, you said they 'consumed everything'?" Tuvok prompted as Leon took another fortifying sip. He nodded before replying huskily, "Yeah. Like I said, they're parasites. They can infect virtually anything, biological or technological. I.." he winced, hoping this came across right, "I met Seven and looked up…. Yeah. The Borg sound disturbingly familiar. Just.. less tech more fleshy goop."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Horrified comprehension was apparent in Tuvok's dark eyes. "Ah."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah. Maybe if we had something like your tech… Well, at least we could've run then I guess." Leo mused, absently twisting his mug on the tabletop./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Many species have been forced to flee the Borg." The security chief replied, "Others have gone into hiding, some truly impressive peoples held out for a time. Their shear numbers however.." He trailed off. "Developing defences against them has been a priority for all species we've encountered that know of the Collective. The Federation is fortunately quite distant from their established space and Voyager has been able to transmit valuable information from our encounters. Given enough time, we may be able to successfully resist them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emHow many times did Donnie say something like that?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Deciding not to compare, Leo lifted his mug a little, "Here's hoping."/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"That afternoon was spent exploring the panels of his quarters and contents thereof. As expected, the emergency kits were in their proper place and Leo ran through a quick review to make doubly sure that he'd retained this morning's lesson. He also found a not unexpected mass of technology that he oh so carefully covered back up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Grabbing his pad, Leo discovered two messages waiting for him. One an invitation from the Doctor to return to sick bay for another of their impromptu modern medicine lessons. The other an offer sent by Commander Chakotay to join a daily classroom to learn more about, well, being a person is this day and age. It was described as largely independent study with prewritten lessons and someone on hand to answer any questions. He promptly sent back affirmative to both. Anything to get more info and distract from less than pleasant thoughts constantly chasing each other around the periphery of his brain./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"In the meantime, he had managed to work up a bit of a sweat this morning and wanted to smell half decent for dinner with people; time for a bath. Half an hour later he was happily soaking in his almost big enough tub. Pad carefully cradled against upper plastron, Leo had dug into the ship's entertainment database. Thankfully, not all of it was holonovels and he'd found a trove of comedies to enjoy. He knew he wasn't getting a good chunk of the jokes, missing necessary cultural context, but it was still nice to have that connection. Some things were near universal. He was especially happy to see a couple species he recognized. Hopefullly, consuming their media would help him to understand them at least a little better./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Chuckling as Hwond'a tried to convince Ashton that yes, fermented birds were a gesture of appreciation on his homeworld, Leon sank a little lower into the steaming water, wishing the tub was big enough to have his legs stretched out. emDon't get greedy Leo. Even on Voyager, this is a luxury. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"After about twenty more minutes of soaking, it was time to set aside his pad and take up a scrub brush. After a thorough scrubbing, water change and rinse, he got out and towelled off thoroughly. Leo didn't think he could pick up algae or an infection from the ship's water, but no point risking it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Stopping in front of the mirror, he took stock of his appearance. With better nutrition and hygiene, his stripes had started to stand out better and the natural colour of his scales was clearer, though it would take a couple sheds to look normal again. His scars were also more noticeable without a layer of grime to conceal them. Twenty years of war and about eighteen years with fairly aggressive brothers before that, emthat's not fair, some are from April too,/em had left the turtle with a road map of lines, burns and pockmarks all over. emBullet scars suck, and so did Smith's aim, trigger happy idiota./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leonardo's sides were filling out more, with good food and proper hydration; he wasn't just skin and muscle stretched over a skeleton anymore. emAt least the shell hid the worst of it./em Leo pondered his musculature though. Years of hard work had allowed him to pack extra muscle onto his naturally lean frame, but he hadn't been able to keep it up since the last frantic days of the resistance, scrambling to survive as their only remaining base got dug out from above. emI don't really need to be a powerhouse anymore, but the arm…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The arm would be a problem. Built to Raphael's specs at the age of just twenty, though he'd grown into larger models very quickly, it really was too big for what would probably be Leonardo's natural build. Fighting hand to hand with the Krang unfortunately often resulted in them infecting a person's dominant arm first. Fortunately though, that also meant that if the limb could be removed fast enough, the person themselves could be saved. There'd been a lot of people running around with replacement arms after about ten years. At least Leo and Raph had both been right-handed, allowing for a family member to reuse the valuable device. At the end of the day, if Leo wanted to keep using the arm Donnie made for their big brother, he'd need to maintain some bulk to carry and balance it out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emTraining Tuvok's people should help, but I'm going to need to set up a proper exercise routine. I'll ask if there's a gym on board or if I should replicate some exercise equipment. Maybe some resistance bands./em The slider snorted to himself. emAt least I won't have to use random pieces of rubble anymore./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Quickly getting dressed in jeans, tee and a hoodie, emBoots Leo. Can't run around barefoot anymore, /emhe headed up to meet his now customary dinner companions. This time, he had no trouble navigating the nondescript halls to his destination. emYay! Progress!/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Supper passed as usual. Tom and Harry were easy to talk with, though Harry was a little more reserved. Little glimpses of the temper Tom had mentioned in B'elanna showed occasionally, but she was clearly fighting it and much preferred to lean on a wicked sense of humor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon learned that there was in fact a dedicated gym set up in an empty corner of cargo bay two, used on a first come first serve basis, and that it was established that you could jog in the outer corridor of deck five as long as you kept hull side and followed the arrows someone had carved into the wall to avoid collisions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A proper routine was starting to take shape in Leo's mind. Starting tomorrow./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He had another episode of Polar Opposites to watch before bed./p
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p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemIs this what the first day of school felt like for April?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMemories flashed by of their nervous sister getting ready the night before every year, packing her bag with supplies and having Leo and Donnie helping her pick out her first impression fit. It was so minor compared to going on a mission, knowing he'd likely be fighting for his life before sunset but…/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanCleaned up after his way too early trip to the ship's "gym", emthank you insomnia, /emLeo nervously straightened his hoodie, zipped it all the way up … all the way down….. halfway up showing off his bright blue shirt, he put his hands in his pockets and leaned on one leg. emYeah that looks good…. /emAnd promptly felt ridiculous. emAs long as I don't look like a hot mess, no one's gonna care Leo. Get over yourself./em Grabbing his pad, the slider headed out./p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/emLast night he'd learned that there was a meeting room on deck ten that the various section heads used to have meetings with their departments. With Voyager's unique situation, it was reserved at certain times to be used as a classroom. He'd also gotten some handy dandy directions to get there./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanStriding in a few minutes early, he found the same kids as yesterday along with a handful of other adults in their civvies. emMust be off duty./em Nodding a hello, Leo snagged himself a spot at the conference table that was a socially acceptable distance from everyone else. At least it wasn't going to just be him and the ship's children. That would get real awkward, real quick./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHarry had explained that once they regained contact with Starfleet, some of the crew had decided to start taking academy courses for a variety of reasons; to improve their skills, work towards promotions or even just get commissioned so they could stay in Starfleet if they got home before retirement age./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll conversations stopped the moment Commander Chakotay entered the room. "Hello everyone. I'm you're assigned instructor this week. Start your lessons and let me know if you need any help." Carrying his own pad and water bottle, the man pulled out a chair next to Leo himself. "Let's get you setup and started."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanChakotay got Leo going on a series of basic tests to see where he was in terms of Federation educational requirements. His math and literacy skills tested out fine while their teacher went around the room helping his other students. Returning, Voyager's second in command then helped Leo begin lessons that seemed to be geared towards people immigrating into the Federation; it's history, a general overview of member worlds, etc. Looking ahead with Chakotay, there were other lessons the Commander had picked from school programs to teach children about technology and what would be considered essential knowledge in the various sciences that would likely make up the bulk of Leonardo's schooling./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHalfway through the morning, Chakotay called a washroom and refreshment break./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSipping from his bottle, the copper skinned man asked, "So what are you up to this afternoon?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Doc asked me to come by Sickbay. He likes talking shop." Leon replied, nibbling on a cookie that one of the other adults had thoughtfully brought to share. "He's not subtle."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanChakotay chuckled to himself, deep laugh lines apparent. "No, no he is not. Personally, I think he's a little lonely. He works alone most of the time and there's no one else on board that's really THAT interested in his field. I know its still early, but if you stay, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do?" He took a bite of his own snack./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanPitching his voice to not be overheard, Leon answered. "I.. think I'm gonna stay." Chakotay smiled encouragingly. "As for what I wanna do? I've been fighting for so long, I'd like a change of pace. Help make people feel better instead of just killing all the time, y'know?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah. I know." Leo could tell, in the other man's eyes and voice, he really did. The ninja remembered a moment later that B'elanna and Chakotay had been part of the other crew em(terrorists?ish)/em that had joined Voyager at the start of their crazy trek across space. Maybe they hadn't been in a twenty-year war, but they had seen serious combat. The Native American knew how that weighed you down and wore you away./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I've agreed to train people in ninjitsu with Commander Tuvok, and I'm happy to help defend the ship if needed, but I'd like to try my hand at assisting the Doctor." The retired soldier said, nervously running a finger along the grey tabletop./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, let's work towards that then." Chakotay replied, voice soft./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe rest of their class period passed without incident, followed by lunch and a productive afternoon in Sick Bay getting a thorough Starfleet first aid course with variations for the species on board. Leo had supper and then spent his evening in the ambiance of the mess hall reviewing his lessons for tomorrow. This looked to be his routine for the foreseeable future. Tame, relaxed, educational and relatively safe. Taking a break to watch stars streak by, Leo prayed that Casey was enjoying a life much the same. emYou deserve it kid. Sleep tight. Miss you./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo took a break from reading to sip at his water, suddenly very grateful that the Krang hadn't been able to produce spores or something else OP like that. Their ability to infect… everything, had been bad enough as it was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Stars rushing by the mess hall windows reassured him that he was safely far from any Krang; as best he knew anyway. emDon't borrow trouble Leo./em Turning attention back to his pad, Leonardo continued reading the wild and wonderful Federation medical database. Currently the best distraction from Leon's alternating cycle of nightmares and insomnia, the turtle was thoroughly enjoying his second favourite nerdy obsession, biology and medicine./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He nodded in acknowledgement as a handful of crewmembers came in to grab a meal, likely on their nightshift lunch break. Leo made a mental note to clear out in another couple hours before Neelix came in to start breakfast prep; he didn't want the Talaxian tattling to the Doctor about Leo's lack of sleep. Especially since his didn't want anything changing today's plans./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Today was going to be his first official training session, emergency procedures. He was supposed to meet the class in cargo bay one at 1000 hours, just late enough to get in his morning swim. But first, emBarclay's Disease? Do tell./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A few hours later, the ninja master was getting some extra PT trying to find cargo bay one. emI'm starting to think they make everything look the same on purpose. Boarders would get lost trying to find the important stuff. /emAt least he'd had the foresight to give himself lots of extra time to get from the holodeck to the cargo bay./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, he overheard a couple of people mentioning Tuvok as they walked through a set of doors ahead and decided to take a chance. Poking his head into the room, he suddenly had the attention of about a dozen people in a large space lined with shelving full of crates and pallets of plastic barrels. "Uh.. hi. Is this the emergency procedures class?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A little girl with red hair and .. horns? on her forehead bounced up. "Yep! You're just in time! We're waiting for Commander Tuvok, he should be here soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo's brain stuttered for a moment as he realised there were three children present as well, looking to range in age from 10 to 16. "Oh, good." He looked around, making sure all adults were ok with him talking to their kids. "Thanks for letting me know, little lady. I'm Leo," he said, ducking his head down closer to her level. span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"She bounced again, a tall teen boy coming up behind her, "I'm Naomi Wildman! I'm the Captain's assistant." The red head answered with the absolute confidence only a child could have./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The ninja snapped to attention. "Yes Ma'am. Good to know."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""We need to be ready for Commander Tuvok Naomi." The dark-haired boy said as he pulled her away by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Leo noticed the signature of Borg technology on the boy's face as he gave the turtle a suspicious look. emGood man, take care of her,/em Leo couldn't help but think. Fearlessness could be an asset, but it could also get that kid in a lot of trouble without someone a little more sceptical at her side. Leo resolutely didn't think about watching out for Mikey in the past./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He was thankfully distracted by the doors whooshing open to admit the oft mentioned Commander Tuvok. Stern, the Vulcan swept his eyes over them all, lingering over Leonardo for a barely detectable moment. "Greetings. Today we will be reviewing emergency procedures. Firstly," the children pushed forward to the front of the group, "where are the emergency kits located?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Naomi's hand shot up. "Two panels up from the floor and three left of the door."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Their instructor nodded, "Correct," then walked to said panel. Tuvok gestured to a green uniformed woman on Leo's right. She scooted forward and removed the panel by lifting it up and off the wall. emOh, that's clever. I wonder if there's something behind every panel./em Making a mental note to check in his own quarters after, Leo craned his neck to watch Tuvok's demonstration as everyone crowded in closer./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"There were three large cases in the wall. Pulling out one labelled with the Starfleet Medical logo, Tuvok opened it for all to see laid out on the floor. "Here we have your emergency medical kit." He went on to list its contents, medical tricorder, dermal regenerator and other schmancy things the Doctor had already helpfully demonstrated for the long-time medic./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Next, Tuvok moved onto the other cases, one being a breathing unit with gases for multiple species, ("You never know who we may have to help in an emergency," one person helpfully supplied.), a flashlight stowed in the bottom, and finally, a fire extinguisher with different compartments for various forms of fire. That prompted several questions from Leonardo on how to choose which you needed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Why isn't the emergency stuff panel labelled?" Leo asked once Tuvok nodded at his raised hand. The other little girl present jolted, stopping herself from blurting out her thoughts. The Commander noticed. "Would you like to answer Mezoti?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The girl, Mezoti apparently, smiled ever so slightly and answered in a flat voice, "Not all Federation species can see the same wavelengths of light and, therefore, the same colours. In order to avoid any difficulties in an emergency, all federation facilities, vehicles and vessels have emergency supplies in the same location in every room and corridor." The young borg, she too had the implants, then folded her hands in front of her waist so primly Leo could almost see his twin standing next to her smirking. emI really need to stop comparing everyone to them./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon was helped to fight off memories by Tuvok announcing the next phase of their training; what to do if the artificial gravity fails. Within minutes, the turtle was happily bouncing around, enjoying a freedom of movement that he hadn't had in years. It was almost like his portals. emOh I didn't realize how much I missed this./em It was even better than swimming. Effortless, no drag, there was nothing to slow him down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Flipping around, the slider used the opportunity to inspect parts of the room he couldn't see before. Crates had thoughtfully been strapped down to their many shelving units, labels only saying things like A-2, emthey must use some index to keep track of what's in which box. Saves them having to change labels all the time I suppose. /emCrewmembers floated by, one clearly fighting to keep his stomach down. All the kids seemed fine. Honestly they were just playing at this point with some of the others that weren't bothered by the loss of a fundamental force./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""You seem comfortable in a zero-gravity enviroment." Leo glanced down to see the Vulcan Commander floating beneath him. "Oh, yeah. I used portals a lot when I was a kid. Enter in one point, exit in another, and the gravity would change almost every time. Frankly, this is easier on my stomach."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Used portals? How di-"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Mr Tuvok!" Both turned as someone lost their battle./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"em…. Ewwwwwwww…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Gravity restored and mess cleaned up, Tuvok moved on to their next lesson; question seemingly forgotten. Now they were drilled on battle stations, currently Leo's would be his quarters, emergency shelter locations, Leo was told to go to the mess hall if he wasn't badly injured or just do what the most senior crew member he was with told him. They covered a variety of other topics, hull breach, life support failure, how to report injuries and damage to the ship, etc./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, they made like a day care class and toddled out into the hallway. "In every corridor along the outer hull, the panels are entrances to escape pods." The Vulcan pulled a panel open to demonstrate his words. "Please open a panel for yourselves."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Watching his classmates, Leo worked up his nerve to grapple with the panel in front of him. Pulling it up and off, a jumbo shower-stall sized space with a bench and control panels was laid out in front of him, lights quickly activating. Carefully manoeuvring his bulk into the pod, Leon sat and tried to make sense of everything in front of him. Happily, his instructor took the ninja's lack of experience into account. Crouching just outside the pod, Tuvok spoke loud enough for all to hear his directions, while giving Leo some show to go with his tell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""If you are incapable of piloting the pod yourself, select auto pilot here and it will follow any other Starfleet pods in the vicinity." He said, indicating the appropriate buttons. In a softer voice, Tuvok added, "Basic pilot training will be offered on another occasion." Leo nodded his understanding and thanks. Resuming his instruction, the Vulcan explained their pod's various functions, emergency supplies and S.O.P. when you find yourself having to abandon ship./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The training session wound down with a few extra questions from the kids, mostly Naomi, then everyone started to disperse. A quiet, "Mr Hamato?" held Leo back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Given what he'd read about Vulcans, and how formal the man had been today, Leon decided to match his energy. "Yes Commander?" He realized that he'd unconsciously fallen into parade rest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Given your inexperience with our technology, you performed well today." Tuvok commended, a calculating look in his eye./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Deciding to avoid the gaping wound of explaining Donnie, "The Doctor's been showing me how to use stuff, especially med tech." He huffed a bit, shifting his weight onto his left leg. "Pretty sure he's trying to lure me into sickbay with shiny toys."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The other man raised a pointed eyebrow. "Indeed. If you are feeling well enough, would you be willing to engage in an evaluation of your combat skills? As security chief, I am responsible for the crew's ability to defend themselves in case of attack."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo took a second to look within. He felt pretty much back up to snuff; would probably be healthier than he had been since childhood soon, what with proper nutrition and clean water finally available. Honestly, he'd gone into all out drag out fights with the Krang in much worse shape; a bit of sparring shouldn't be a problem./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah, I'm up for it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok promptly led Leo back to the holodeck he'd been swimming in just this morning. Stopping at the door panel, the Vulcan intoned, "Computer, run Tuvok 3." They walked into the holodeck, currently set up to look like what Leo guessed was a gymnasium or training centre. Starfleet grey walls loomed high overhead with lighting and handles hanging from the ceiling. emOooo, that's some serious verticality. /emBenches lined the walls, a set of towels with water bottles on one nearby. Painted lines in various colours marked out shapes on the floor, likely different forms of training spaces/fighting rings. At least it didn't SMELL like a gym. The dark-skinned man led them into a changeroom with handy workout clothes set aside from each of their replicated wardrobes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Turning around to give the illusion of privacy, Leo changed into gym shorts and a tank top. "Ready?" Tuvok asked, which Leonardo took as a prompt to turn around and was greeted by the sight of his instructor in some form-fitting bicycle outfit thing. emThat does NOT look comfy. Wait, we're gonna be grappling at some point…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"So far, everyone had been good with Leo's questions so, "Um, just to make sure I'm not thinking something I shouldn't, I read up on the.. species I've met so far? And it said not to touch Vulcans?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The other man's face shifted ever so slightly; what that meant, Leo had no idea./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Normally, you would be correct. It is polite to refrain from physical contact with Vulcans out of consideration for our touch telepathy." Tuvok paused a moment, clearly watching to see how Leonardo would react to that tidbit. emOookay. Touches you, reads your mind./em The slider did his best to keep his face politely neutral, not wanting to react badly to something that was just a natural ability./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Whatever the other man saw, he continued, "However, in combat situations, physical contact is generally unavoidable; it is therefore beneficial for Vulcans to practice shielding our minds under such circumstances."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo nodded along, "Yeah, makes sense. I apologize in advance for anything that might squeak through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I appreciate your sentiments, however they are unnecessary. I am experienced in blocking out the thoughts of others to the point that I can, in fact, use my telepathy in combat to read my opponents intentions when making contact. Please rest assured that I will not do this now with you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emOof, that'd suck to fight. /em"Thanks, shall we?" Gesturing out to the gym proper./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok first lead them through a warmup, stretching, then a series of slow movements reminiscent of katas though they weren't any specific forms he was familiar with. The Commander kept an eagle eye on his companion throughout, watching for any hitches in movement or signs of overexertion. Leonardo heartily approved. In fact, during his entire stay so far, he'd seen many encouraging examples that the command officers cared genuinely for the welfare of their crew, making him feel more and more that staying on board was his best option./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Everyone had been kind, he hadn't noticed any disfunction in the command structure yet, the federation crew with its many humans was the closest thing to a known entity to him in this universe…. emUntil I have a reason not to, it's probably best that I commit to throwing my lot in with these guys. They'll be more likely to trust me then too./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Well done." The older man said, drawing Leonardo back to the here and now. "Let us move on to sparring." Wasting no time, Tuvok launched into an attack./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Reflexively, Leon fell into the comfortable routine of block, dodge, grapple and quickly realized he was going to win. The Vulcan was definitely stronger than any human Leo'd fought and certainly knew what he was doing but…. Leonardo was a genetically engineered super soldier, trained by a ninjitsu master and had over twenty years of nearly daily combat experience; it wasn't even a contest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Credit where credit is due though, Voyager's security chief was determined. Over and over he'd get back up and reengage, then Leo would come up with another way to yeet him across the room. Twist his arms together, toss. Jump to grab the ceiling handles, wrap legs around his upper torso and let rip. Spin, sweep the legs then kick on the second time around./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"For a moment, the ninja considered letting Tuvok pin him a couple times but dismissed it. This was an evaluation; Leo himself would've chewed out a recruit that didn't give their all and skewed the results./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"So, they continued, Tuvok trying every trick he knew, and Leonardo batting him around the gym like a playful kitten. At least the officer wasn't getting angry or frustrated at his lack of success. This time he grabbed the other man's arm, pivoted and slung the Vulcan over his shoulder to roll ten feet across the floor. emI'm running out of ways to throw him./em But this time, as Tuvok rose to his feet panting slightly, he didn't come back for more. "Excellent Leonardo. Most impressive." Eyes focussed on the clock over Leo's shoulder, he added, "We have nearly expended the time allotted; I would suggest changing clothes and conversing further after." The vulcan's eyes flicked between Leo and the clock again, nervously? "Perhaps over lunch?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon answered with a nod. "Alright."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Nothing was really said as the two got changed and headed for the mess hall. HIs lifelong urge to break tension with babble bubbled in Leo's chest, but he still wasn't sure of what was appropriate with the other man yet, so he was choosing to match Tuvok's energy. Happily, it wasn't long before they were both seated in the mess hall, soup, emHOT SOUP!/em, in front of them. The slider wasn't thrilled with it's flavor, but he was far from picky at this point in life./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Finally, the Vulcan set his spoon down for a moment. "I was greatly impressed with your combat skills, Leonardo. My security teams could benefit from such training. Would you be willing to teach them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The slider blinked rapidly a few times. It really shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. One of Leo's many duties in the resistance had been training troops whenever he had time, emCasey/em, but he hadn't expected so much so soon./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emHe's giving you a chance Leon, don't screw this up./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Sure. I used to do that back home anyway. And I really do want to carry my weight."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The Vulcan nodded once. "Excellent. It is good that you have previous experience as a trainer. I can rotate my staff through training sessions. Perhaps we could open it to the crew in general at a later date?" They spent the next hour or so hashing out a schedule that would allow for moderate progress while not overloading Leo as he learned and trained himself for life onboard./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Neelix thoughtfully brought them over some coffee with a wink and a smile towards the end. Wrapping his hands around the warm mug, Leon sipped, careful not to slurp. Tuvok also savored the warm beverage a moment. emOh right, Vulcans are from a desert world. He's probably a little cold all the time too./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I am impressed you were able to manage so many different responsibilities on your home world. A leader, teacher, soldier and medic. All of these require a great deal of time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leonardo snorted after the older man finished. "Yeah well, it was kinda do or die." emOr do and die anyway./em Ugly memories curdled in his We tried so hard and got so far… yadda, yadda, yadda./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"It must have been written across his face or, y'know, the other man could put two and two together because Tuvok suddenly became even more solemn. "I grieve with thee." He intoned; it sounded like a ritual response, "I cannot realistically imagine what you have endured Leonardo, but I have witnessed planet wide tragedies, even genocides, during my service in Starfleet. There are no words sufficient."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Blinking rapidly, Leo wrestled his emotions, jaw grinding. "Thank you." A sniff then, "You're right. There's no words. I just… there's nothing left. An entire world of plants, animals and peoples… gone. Nothing left but Krang." emDamn chewing gum freaks./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""How did they.." His dinner companion trailed off, visibly effected for the first time the slider could tell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""They're parasites." Voice gruff, Leo decided to take the route of a Doctor Donnie info dump. "Giant, nearly unkillable parasites." emMikey nailed that one psycho though. /em"They appeared one day, huge portal over the city, their ship came through it and we were on the back foot from jump." emThey hadn't learned until later about the key and Leo's world ending fumble. /em"The militaries tried but, the Krang just steamrolled right over them. Eventually we wound up fractured communities hiding underground around the world and trying to fight back as best we could with guerilla tactics. They spent the next twenty years grinding us into the dust."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Tuvok granted him a minute of respite, contemplating the information before continuing his gentle interrogation. Honestly, Leo'd been half expecting this. It'd be stupid of them to not gather intel on a world killing threat. He was just grateful it was being done so kindly. emAnother point in their favor./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Is there any chance that the Krang could follow you here from your Earth?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leo thought for a moment. "I mean, I don't see how. They didn't know what we were doing, and Mike'd never've let them through his portal." He focused back on his lunch companion, "Honestly Commander, unless they exist in this universe too, I don't think you have to worry about it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The security chief absorbed this, then, "In sickbay, when you first woke up, you said they 'consumed everything'?" Tuvok prompted as Leon took another fortifying sip. He nodded before replying huskily, "Yeah. Like I said, they're parasites. They can infect virtually anything, biological or technological. I.." he winced, hoping this came across right, "I met Seven and looked up…. Yeah. The Borg sound disturbingly familiar. Just.. less tech more fleshy goop."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Horrified comprehension was apparent in Tuvok's dark eyes. "Ah."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah. Maybe if we had something like your tech… Well, at least we could've run then I guess." Leo mused, absently twisting his mug on the tabletop./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Many species have been forced to flee the Borg." The security chief replied, "Others have gone into hiding, some truly impressive peoples held out for a time. Their shear numbers however.." He trailed off. "Developing defences against them has been a priority for all species we've encountered that know of the Collective. The Federation is fortunately quite distant from their established space and Voyager has been able to transmit valuable information from our encounters. Given enough time, we may be able to successfully resist them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emHow many times did Donnie say something like that?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Deciding not to compare, Leo lifted his mug a little, "Here's hoping."/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"That afternoon was spent exploring the panels of his quarters and contents thereof. As expected, the emergency kits were in their proper place and Leo ran through a quick review to make doubly sure that he'd retained this morning's lesson. He also found a not unexpected mass of technology that he oh so carefully covered back up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Grabbing his pad, Leo discovered two messages waiting for him. One an invitation from the Doctor to return to sick bay for another of their impromptu modern medicine lessons. The other an offer sent by Commander Chakotay to join a daily classroom to learn more about, well, being a person is this day and age. It was described as largely independent study with prewritten lessons and someone on hand to answer any questions. He promptly sent back affirmative to both. Anything to get more info and distract from less than pleasant thoughts constantly chasing each other around the periphery of his brain./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"In the meantime, he had managed to work up a bit of a sweat this morning and wanted to smell half decent for dinner with people; time for a bath. Half an hour later he was happily soaking in his almost big enough tub. Pad carefully cradled against upper plastron, Leo had dug into the ship's entertainment database. Thankfully, not all of it was holonovels and he'd found a trove of comedies to enjoy. He knew he wasn't getting a good chunk of the jokes, missing necessary cultural context, but it was still nice to have that connection. Some things were near universal. He was especially happy to see a couple species he recognized. Hopefullly, consuming their media would help him to understand them at least a little better./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Chuckling as Hwond'a tried to convince Ashton that yes, fermented birds were a gesture of appreciation on his homeworld, Leon sank a little lower into the steaming water, wishing the tub was big enough to have his legs stretched out. emDon't get greedy Leo. Even on Voyager, this is a luxury. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"After about twenty more minutes of soaking, it was time to set aside his pad and take up a scrub brush. After a thorough scrubbing, water change and rinse, he got out and towelled off thoroughly. Leo didn't think he could pick up algae or an infection from the ship's water, but no point risking it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Stopping in front of the mirror, he took stock of his appearance. With better nutrition and hygiene, his stripes had started to stand out better and the natural colour of his scales was clearer, though it would take a couple sheds to look normal again. His scars were also more noticeable without a layer of grime to conceal them. Twenty years of war and about eighteen years with fairly aggressive brothers before that, emthat's not fair, some are from April too,/em had left the turtle with a road map of lines, burns and pockmarks all over. emBullet scars suck, and so did Smith's aim, trigger happy idiota./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leonardo's sides were filling out more, with good food and proper hydration; he wasn't just skin and muscle stretched over a skeleton anymore. emAt least the shell hid the worst of it./em Leo pondered his musculature though. Years of hard work had allowed him to pack extra muscle onto his naturally lean frame, but he hadn't been able to keep it up since the last frantic days of the resistance, scrambling to survive as their only remaining base got dug out from above. emI don't really need to be a powerhouse anymore, but the arm…./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"The arm would be a problem. Built to Raphael's specs at the age of just twenty, though he'd grown into larger models very quickly, it really was too big for what would probably be Leonardo's natural build. Fighting hand to hand with the Krang unfortunately often resulted in them infecting a person's dominant arm first. Fortunately though, that also meant that if the limb could be removed fast enough, the person themselves could be saved. There'd been a lot of people running around with replacement arms after about ten years. At least Leo and Raph had both been right-handed, allowing for a family member to reuse the valuable device. At the end of the day, if Leo wanted to keep using the arm Donnie made for their big brother, he'd need to maintain some bulk to carry and balance it out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emTraining Tuvok's people should help, but I'm going to need to set up a proper exercise routine. I'll ask if there's a gym on board or if I should replicate some exercise equipment. Maybe some resistance bands./em The slider snorted to himself. emAt least I won't have to use random pieces of rubble anymore./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Quickly getting dressed in jeans, tee and a hoodie, emBoots Leo. Can't run around barefoot anymore, /emhe headed up to meet his now customary dinner companions. This time, he had no trouble navigating the nondescript halls to his destination. emYay! Progress!/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Supper passed as usual. Tom and Harry were easy to talk with, though Harry was a little more reserved. Little glimpses of the temper Tom had mentioned in B'elanna showed occasionally, but she was clearly fighting it and much preferred to lean on a wicked sense of humor./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"Leon learned that there was in fact a dedicated gym set up in an empty corner of cargo bay two, used on a first come first serve basis, and that it was established that you could jog in the outer corridor of deck five as long as you kept hull side and followed the arrows someone had carved into the wall to avoid collisions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"A proper routine was starting to take shape in Leo's mind. Starting tomorrow./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"He had another episode of Polar Opposites to watch before bed./p
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p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemIs this what the first day of school felt like for April?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMemories flashed by of their nervous sister getting ready the night before every year, packing her bag with supplies and having Leo and Donnie helping her pick out her first impression fit. It was so minor compared to going on a mission, knowing he'd likely be fighting for his life before sunset but…/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanCleaned up after his way too early trip to the ship's "gym", emthank you insomnia, /emLeo nervously straightened his hoodie, zipped it all the way up … all the way down….. halfway up showing off his bright blue shirt, he put his hands in his pockets and leaned on one leg. emYeah that looks good…. /emAnd promptly felt ridiculous. emAs long as I don't look like a hot mess, no one's gonna care Leo. Get over yourself./em Grabbing his pad, the slider headed out./p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/emLast night he'd learned that there was a meeting room on deck ten that the various section heads used to have meetings with their departments. With Voyager's unique situation, it was reserved at certain times to be used as a classroom. He'd also gotten some handy dandy directions to get there./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanStriding in a few minutes early, he found the same kids as yesterday along with a handful of other adults in their civvies. emMust be off duty./em Nodding a hello, Leo snagged himself a spot at the conference table that was a socially acceptable distance from everyone else. At least it wasn't going to just be him and the ship's children. That would get real awkward, real quick./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHarry had explained that once they regained contact with Starfleet, some of the crew had decided to start taking academy courses for a variety of reasons; to improve their skills, work towards promotions or even just get commissioned so they could stay in Starfleet if they got home before retirement age./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll conversations stopped the moment Commander Chakotay entered the room. "Hello everyone. I'm you're assigned instructor this week. Start your lessons and let me know if you need any help." Carrying his own pad and water bottle, the man pulled out a chair next to Leo himself. "Let's get you setup and started."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanChakotay got Leo going on a series of basic tests to see where he was in terms of Federation educational requirements. His math and literacy skills tested out fine while their teacher went around the room helping his other students. Returning, Voyager's second in command then helped Leo begin lessons that seemed to be geared towards people immigrating into the Federation; it's history, a general overview of member worlds, etc. Looking ahead with Chakotay, there were other lessons the Commander had picked from school programs to teach children about technology and what would be considered essential knowledge in the various sciences that would likely make up the bulk of Leonardo's schooling./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHalfway through the morning, Chakotay called a washroom and refreshment break./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSipping from his bottle, the copper skinned man asked, "So what are you up to this afternoon?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Doc asked me to come by Sickbay. He likes talking shop." Leon replied, nibbling on a cookie that one of the other adults had thoughtfully brought to share. "He's not subtle."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanChakotay chuckled to himself, deep laugh lines apparent. "No, no he is not. Personally, I think he's a little lonely. He works alone most of the time and there's no one else on board that's really THAT interested in his field. I know its still early, but if you stay, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do?" He took a bite of his own snack./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanPitching his voice to not be overheard, Leon answered. "I.. think I'm gonna stay." Chakotay smiled encouragingly. "As for what I wanna do? I've been fighting for so long, I'd like a change of pace. Help make people feel better instead of just killing all the time, y'know?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah. I know." Leo could tell, in the other man's eyes and voice, he really did. The ninja remembered a moment later that B'elanna and Chakotay had been part of the other crew em(terrorists?ish)/em that had joined Voyager at the start of their crazy trek across space. Maybe they hadn't been in a twenty-year war, but they had seen serious combat. The Native American knew how that weighed you down and wore you away./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I've agreed to train people in ninjitsu with Commander Tuvok, and I'm happy to help defend the ship if needed, but I'd like to try my hand at assisting the Doctor." The retired soldier said, nervously running a finger along the grey tabletop./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, let's work towards that then." Chakotay replied, voice soft./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe rest of their class period passed without incident, followed by lunch and a productive afternoon in Sick Bay getting a thorough Starfleet first aid course with variations for the species on board. Leo had supper and then spent his evening in the ambiance of the mess hall reviewing his lessons for tomorrow. This looked to be his routine for the foreseeable future. Tame, relaxed, educational and relatively safe. Taking a break to watch stars streak by, Leo prayed that Casey was enjoying a life much the same. emYou deserve it kid. Sleep tight. Miss you./em/p