round 13 Lt. Cmdr. Katy Orman - ...Guh?

[Lt. Cmdr. Katy Orman]

((Celes II, Ruin of Abandoned Machinery Storage Warehouse))

::Consciousness came slowly, and with some reluctance. She swam in and out of it without being sure she was doing so. The sensation of the biobed, the odd tingling in her extremities, snatches of speech--these were all she caught of the waking world before drifting under again. Small wonder, perhaps, that she felt no urgency to surface.::

::Eventually, though, her mind moored itself more firmly to the docks of consciousness. She took in the sensations, and after a few blurry moments of reaching for the memory trail to connect them to, she placed herself.::

oO Biobed. Yeah. I was injured... oh wow, by the Thousand Gods, I was injured a *lot*, wasn't I? ...I was really in the zone in there. How the cruk did I get to that state? ...He still beat me, though. I was as good as I've ever imagined being, and he still beat me. Oo

::She ran through the bout in her mind, several times, going over it analytically. She hadn't exactly been doing a lot of thinking at the time; now, she caught up on that.::

oO Sakkath, you clever, clever [...]. Barely had to fight, didn't you? Just hid until the right moment, then sprang your trap. Bet it was you who led Hard Hat Guy my way... still. Well played. Oo

::Opening her eyes was a bit painful, but she took her time at it, and eventually she was squinting steadily up at the dim overhead lighting. She risked a glance about, and was pleased to find her head did not throb or fall off. She gingerly tested out moving her various extremities, and found that both hands were immobilised by her sides, and both legs as well. She couldn't feel her legs, so she figured some sort of nerve block going on there, but her hands felt fine.::

::She lifted her head a bit to get a better look. She was in a smallish alcove, made with the same prefab room dividers that had delineated her 'bedroom' before. Low tables lined the walls, many of them full of medical equipment. To one side there was a single chair.::

::In that chair sat Sakkath.::

::Katy blinked several times, as though reassuring herself that she wasn't seeing things. The Vulcan continued to not be an artifact of her recently-conscious brain, however. As she stared, a decidedly moronic look on her face, he stood and gracefully walked to her bedside.::

Sakkath: Hello, Katherine. Your vital signs are good. Some of your bone injuries have yet to heal fully, but according to the doctors they will heal perfectly.

::Katy's mind was full of several ideas, each competing to befuddle her the most. Would it be the fact he'd been sitting by her bed? That he'd addressed her by name? Or that he appeared to be concerned with her health?::

Orman: ...buh?

oO Well, that was smooth. Oo

Sakkath: I am here to congratulate you.

::All the previous competitors surrendered to the strength of the new challenger.::

Orman: ...Guh?

oO Oh, yeah. Nice save, there, Katy. Oo

::The Vulcan glanced over at a readout for several seconds, then looked back.::

Sakkath: Your speech seems impeded, yet your neurological readings appear normal. Are you experiencing psychosomatic distress?

::She blinked some more, attempting to herd her thoughts into some semblance of verbiage.::

::He appeared to reach a decision.::

Sakkath: I will summon a doctor.

::He turned to walk out.::

Orman: Gah... uh. No!

::He stopped where he was, turned his head back to regard her.::

Orman: I, umm, can speak. I... I just wasn't sure how to respond.

::He turned back towards her. He appeared to consider the idea for a moment, then nodded.::

Sakkath: Understandable. You have been unconscious for some hours, and my behaviour is no doubt puzzling given your point of view.

::She thought that over for a moment.::

Orman: Yeah.

::It seemed a safe response.::

Sakkath: Very well, I will elucidate. You have--

::She held up her hand--or, tried to before remembering she couldn't move them.::

Orman: Stop. Umm. I think this may be easier if I ask questions. How long have you been sitting there?

Sakkath: Discounting breaks for biological necessities, approximately nine and a quarter hours.

::She blinked, again. Twice.::

oO Somehow the dispassionate voice just makes it all the more surreal. OO

::But in the interest of keeping a handle on the conversation, she pushed past that and continued her questions.::

Orman: OK. You've been waiting here for me to wake up. Why?

Sakkath: I was curious. And I wished to congratulate you. ::he paused for a moment:: And there was very little else to do.

::She narrowed her eyes::

Orman: Did... did you just make a joke, Sakkath?

::He raised an eyebrow::

Orman: ...Alright, never mind. What's this about congratulations?

Sakkath: ::tilting his head to one side:: Congratulations are appropriate for a victory, are they not?

::Katy spoke slowly; this conversation was already going too fast for her liking, so slowing any part of it down was a comfort.::

Orman: Umm. Now you *have* to be making a joke. I know I've been knocked on the head a bit, but I'm pretty sure I remember *you* winning, back there. I present your general lack of bruising juxtaposed with my being unable to move my legs as my first piece of evidence.

::He nodded. His motions, she noticed, always seemed very bold, even dramatic. She assumed it was because he was so still most of the time; very few unnecessary movements.::

Sakkath: I won the game.

::She felt like there was a trace of contempt in his voice on that last word, but she was probably imagining it.::

Sakkath: However, I made a mistake. I wrongly thought that the best attitude would be to focus on winning. As such, I won with tactics, but I won no fights. You, on the other hand, won all of your fights. You surrendered because you recognised that your situation made further action pointless. And you also made the greatest impression. I am told that holograms of your fighting are already selling for very large sums.

Orman: ::wryly:: The leotard they put us in might have something to do with that.

::He continued as though she had not spoken.::

Sakkath: As such, it seemed only reasonable to abdicate my position in favour of you.

Orman: ....guh?

::That eyebrow again.::

Sakkath: I refused the honour. It belonged to you, so now it is yours. I believe the organisers are enthusiastic about this. Since no one has ever done it before, it will add to both of our reputations. I chose poorly, and fought no one. I gained nothing. ::pausing:: except...

Orman: ...umm. Except?

Sakkath: I saw you take a leap in ability far in excess of what I thought to be possible.

::Then the Vulcan did something that threw Katy more than the rest of the conversation combined. He smiled.::

Sakkath: I look forward to learning how you did that. ::quick as a flash, the smile was gone as though it had never been:: Now I must go prepare for my flight. Goodbye, Katherine.

::He walked off without waiting for a response, leaving her lying there completely confounded.::

Orman: ::quietly:: Bye... I... if I figure it out myself, I'll let you know...

::She resolved to go back to sleep for a bit. The waking world was just too much to handle, right now.::

TBC

Lieutenant Commander Katy Orman
Chief of Security
Starbase 118
On Leave And Very Overwhelmed