Renos Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 [FLASHBACK] ((Starfleet Academy, San Francisco Campus - Colleen Bancroft’s Quarters - 239105.10 11:10 Hours)) ::Colleen was just finishing up a paper for her Hostile Species Diplomacy course when a ping came in on her PADD. She wrote the last couple paragraphs, saved the paper to her terminal, and then grabbed said PADD. A private message sat in it from one of her instructors, Mike Logan, who she had trained under since she’d gotten to San Francisco. He owned a dojo in ‘Frisco proper, where he taught Aikido, Judo, and Jiu-jitsu, as well as an Anbo-Jytsu class. Mike also taught Anbo-Jytsu at the Academy, as well as one of the basic Unarmed Combat courses.:: // To: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen From: Master Chief Petty Officer Logan, Michael, Instructor, Starfleet Academy Hey Colleen: Happy Friday. I’ve got a student in my class this semester who is massively struggling. At this rate, he’s going to fail, and yes, I know we still have two and a half months (or so) to go. I know you’ve got your own class load to manage, what with the dual major and all, but is there any chance that you can do some private lessons for him? -Mike // ::Colleen sat back in her chair and considered. He wasn’t wrong that she had her own course load, and it wasn’t simple or very easy, but she also hadn’t been training as much this semester - she could use the training time, as well as a chance to teach. Besides, it was unarmed combat. She had yawned her way through the course and still would have gotten an A+ if it’d been possible. Leaning back forward, she pulled up her reply box.:: // To: Master Chief Petty Officer Logan, Michael, Instructor, Starfleet Academy From: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen Mike: Yeah, I can do it, favor to you. Can I count this towards my Judo ranking? (Kidding) Do you mind if I use the dojo for it though? Trying to schedule time at a campus dojo is a bitch. -Colls // ::It only took a minute for the Master Chief to respond.:: // To: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen From: Master Chief Petty Officer Logan, Michael, Instructor, Starfleet Academy Yeah, go ahead and use the dojo. You have your key, but you also know the rules, no interfering with regular classes! And I’ll think about counting it. -Mike // // To: Master Chief Petty Officer Logan, Michael, Instructor, Starfleet Academy From: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen I was kidding about the ranking, but thanks. After two and a half years, I definitely know the class schedule; I’ll be sure not to interfere with regular class. Send me your student’s details and I’ll get him into shape. -Colleen // ::Colleen exchanged a few more messages with him, getting the student’s details in the process, before bringing the conversation to a close. She glanced at the student’s profile - Choi Ji-hu. He was an Engineering major and Mike’s note said that the guy was miserably failing the class. Couldn’t throw, couldn’t get thrown, couldn’t… well. The guy needed help.:: ::Colleen sighed, and then composed a message to the other student.:: // To: Cadet Second Class Choi Ji-hu From: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen Cadet Choi: Your TAC101 instructor has asked me to provide you with private lessons in the curriculum, so that you might pass his class. Would you please send me your current schedule, so that we may figure out when best to train? Sincerely, Cadet Colleen Bancroft // ((Starfleet Academy - Choi Ji-hu’s Dorm Room - 239105.10 11:20 Hours)) ::Ji-hu was sprawled out on his unmade bed, halfway through reading a paper on Denobulan nanotechnology in the treatment of degenerative neurological disease for his end of term course paper when a ping came from his wrist-mounted PADD. He keyed in a command, summoning his VI assistant.:: Choi: Turing, put the message on screen. ::He flopped off the bed and into the chair in front of his console. The private message was from a fellow cadet, a third year, which was odd until he read the body of the message with mounting horror. He had fumbled through the basic combat courses as best as he could. His shooting was dismal, but he’d had managed a C- in small weapons, miraculously. Unarmed combat was another matter, he was failing, dismally, in terms of both grades and skill.:: Choi: ::sweating slightly:: Crap, crap, crap… Turing, crap. Send my schedule… and answer in the affirmative… Send message. CRAP! ::He tossed himself on his bed, chest heaving, trying to get a breath. It was one thing to embarrass himself in front of a cohort of 30 first and second years and Instructor Logan, now he was going to have to take remedial combat with an upper year! Why couldn’t he just stick to tech and science?! Nanotechnology, math and systems architecture made sense. His flailing limbs did not.:: // To: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen From: Cadet Second Class Choi Ji-hu Cadet Bancroft: Affirmative. I am attaching my course schedule. Sincerely, Cadet Choi Ji-hu (Message prepared by a VI Assistant) // ::Colleen received the message and quickly glanced through it -- a VI Assistant? Huh -- and then looked over the schedule. The way she figured it, if she was going to get this guy into shape to pass this course, they’d need to practice a minimum of two to three times a week, every week. Based on the schedule, and compared against her own, she figured lessons on Wednesday and Friday nights, and Sunday afternoons, would be best. She attached the schedule and a map to the dojo before composing the message.:: // To: Cadet Second Class Choi Ji-hu From: Cadet Third Class Bancroft, Colleen Cadet Choi: I have attached a schedule of when I think would be best to practice. I have secured space on a dojo off campus, where we will be able to practice without any interference from others, including your classmates. Please respond as soon as possible as to whether the attached schedule will work for you. Thanks, Cadet Bancroft // ::The response came back shortly after Ji-hu had calmed himself enough that he was considering a trip to the dorm’s cadet mess hall for some noodles, but the message sent him into fresh terror. A dojo?! Was he going to be fighting a ninja or something?! Ji-hu responded in the affirmative, dread mounting. He had hoped the instructor would let him squeak by and keep what little dignity the cadet had left, but that was not to be the case. This would mean a couple of months of extra lessons before the end of semester. A couple of months of endless embarrassment. He found he wasn’t hungry anymore.:: ((Mike’s Dojo, San Francisco - 239105.10 18:27 Hours)) ::Colleen brought the push broom down the last section of mats before shaking it out the window. It was a beautiful spring evening outside, and the skylights in the ceiling cast brilliant beams in from the west, giving the large room more than enough light without turning on the internal lights. She had already dressed out in her gi, but had hesitated before tying her black belt around her waist. Instead, she had placed it back in her bag and pulled on her old white belt, which had so much use that it fell completely limply at her waist - and stayed tied easily - and was more a dark grey than white at this point. Putting up the broom, she glanced at the clock. She expected her new student here momentarily. But first…:: ::Colleen sat down in seiza, facing towards the north wall of the dojo, and bowed to the Shomen before going over to the small desk against the south wall and resuming her seiza to review the dojo logs.:: ::Ji-hu had arrived half-an-hour early--he was always early, especially when it came to traversing the bewildering geometry of San Francisco’s layout--but dithered outside the dojo before finally taking the plunge. As instructed, he came in his school issue Academy tanktop and jogging shorts, which made him feel like a gangling mass of noodly limbs, unlike the majority of other students, more athletically inclined, who seemed to fill in their exercise outfits perfectly.:: ::To his intense relief the school seemed quiet, and he left his sneakers on a rack in the first room. He followed Bancroft’s instructions and soon entered a large room straight out of an old action flick, sun glancing through the windows above, casting dramatic shadows through the beams.:: ::A woman sat on her knees inside the room in the white dojo robes Ji-hu was sure had a fancy name, but which escaped him. He cleared his throat.:: Choi: Uh… C-C-Cadet Bancroft? I’m… uh… Cadet Choi. ::Colleen flicked off the PADD she’d been reviewing and turned towards the door, where a man in Academy standard issue workout clothes had just entered. He looked nervous as hell.:: Bancroft: Hey! Yeah, I’m Bancroft. Welcome, Cadet Choi. Hope you found your way here easily enough. ::Ji-hu nodded and placed his backpack down just inside the door and took a few steps in, feeling awkward.:: Choi: Th-thanks for… doing this. ::clearing his throat nervously:: Ma’am. ::Colleen smiled and rose to her feet to move towards the door, offering a hand to the other Cadet to shake.:: Bancroft: Yeesh. Ma’am? I’m only a year ahead of you. Call me Colleen. Please. Choi: ::feeling his face burning red hot as he shook her hand:: Okay. Ji-hu. You can. Call me. ::He kicked himself inwardly. As graceful an entrance as he could have expected walking into a dojo. At least there weren’t any other students to observe his fumbling, both athletic and social.:: Bancroft: Ji-hu it is then. Pleased to meet you. You can relax here. We’re the only ones here and the next class isn’t scheduled until tomorrow morning. ::Colleen flat ignored how red Choi’s face was getting. She understood social anxiety, although maybe not to the level it seemed the other Cadet had it at.:: Bancroft: So. First things first, we’ll run through the same warmup routine as they do at the Academy, yeah? Ah. Yeah. And another quick thing: I don’t expect you to have already known this. Before you get on the mat, please be sure to bow towards the front. ::She gestured towards the Shomen at the north end.:: ::Ji-hu nodded and pivoted on his heel, giving a respectful bow towards the shrine-looking setup at the far end of the room. As a polite Korean son he could at least manage that much.:: ::Once Choi had bowed on, Colleen ran them through the warmup routine with efficiency, but made sure not to run through it so fast she lost him or caused him to overheat or give up. Once they were finished with the warmup, Colleen began.:: Bancroft: Okay, so. First things first. Punch me. Choi: ::eyes going wide:: M-m-ma’am?! ::Colleen raised her eyebrow at him.:: Bancroft: No, seriously. Punch me; you’re not going to hurt me. ::For emphasis, she gestured sharply towards her stomach.:: Good punches and kicks are crucial to everything from here on out. Also, learning to fall, but we’ll get there. ::Ji-hu felt a sweat breaking out across his back, he was having trouble breathing. He attempted to channel his inner action hero, like a loose-cannon starship captain who doesn’t play by the rules from the vids he loved, tried to remember Instructor Logan’s lessons, and swung his fist back before bringing it out in front of him.:: ::He sort of missed her stomach and punched her in the left boob, but it was more like her chest deflected his fist entirely. Ji-hu took a couple of steps back, mortified.:: ::As Ji-hu flailed to hit her - and hit her lightly in the left boob, far enough off to the side that she barely felt it - she sighed inwardly.:: oO We have a lot of work to do. Oo A Joint Post By: Ensign Colleen Bancroft Security and Tactical Officer USS Gorkon G239404CB0 AND Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu Engineering Officer USS Constitution-B C239402CJ0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts