Stone's Throw

Posted on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 @ 3:57am by Lieutenant Danica True & Captain Björn Kodak

Mission: In the Aftermath
Location: USS Sojourner, Workout Room
Timeline: Mission Day 6 at 1330

[Gymnasium 2]
[USS Sojo]
[MD 6: 1330 Hours]

They sat in a circle, cross-legged, on the floor; four enlisted and not all of them security, and Danni, newly arrived and already gaining a reputation for the most hours logged in the gym. In front of her was a smooth round stone, a metal rod about ten inches in length, and a combat knife.

"It is called Sho'nei. We sit in a circle, like this one, and we chant. For each beat of the chant we throw and we receive. You begin with a stone."

"How many usually sit in a circle?" Hernandez asked as he picked up the black stone in front of him. He was one of the security enlisted, always interested in a challenge or a new way to train, and his brow furrowed slightly as he began tossing the stone up and catching it again while he spoke.

"It can be as few as two," Danni said as she moved the rod and knife to one side, "or as many as ten. You remember the chant?"

They all nodded, some slower than others, and Danni nodded in return. "This is good," she said. "We begin. For each word in the chant, you throw the stone and catch the one that is tossed to you. For now, this will be the one sitting opposite you."

The chant was rhythmic, melodic, in the low speech which meant that anyone would be permitted to learn; and it was, though she didn't say it outright, the way the youngest of the children learned. Even the gentle Amrazi, caretakes and artisans, knew how to play with stones and some of their chants were as complicated as the ones Danni had learned among the Azhadi. She left that unsaid. For now, it was enough to remember to throw and catch to the slowest beat. She led, the words familiar to her, a comfort and an ache at the same time. A world she loved, a world she would never see again.

There were mistakes but they learned and bit by bit, the frowns dissolved, even hers, and they were all smiling. Throw and catch. Throw and catch. Not hard and yet, one of the most difficult things to truly master. Cast your fate with each throw of your knife and receive it back with the answering throw. She could hear Niahl's voice in her mind. Dead now on the sands outside the spaceport but when he threw, it was a thing of beauty to watch.

Perhaps disrupting the throw-and-catch exchange was the opening of the large, double doors of the gymnasium. Moaning open, the doors parted to admit a tall, barrel-chested man in Command red. With eyes startlingly yellow-gold -- and pupiled in slits, like a cat's -- the Chameloid made his way into the gym and looked around, spying the gathering seated on the floor. Though he'd specifically come to call on the Assistant Security Chief, Kodak didn't want to interrupt what was taking place. As such, he hung back at a respectful distance, watching the exchange take place with both curiosity and a half-smile.

One of the younger security enlisted, with a direct line of sight to the door, fumbled his catch when he saw the captain enter, a bright red flush spreading out across his freckled cheekbones, as the game came to a halt. "Sorry about that," he muttered. "Lost my concentration."

Danni nodded. "One day, we will switch to metal rods and such mistakes will hurt," she said as she thumped her own chest and laughed. "I myself carried many such bruises because our First liked to start the game as the evening meal was being served. He knew my weaknesses. But for now, there is no shame in losing focus. You are new to this type of training, but you have done well for the first time. Same time tomorrow?"

There was a chorus of enthusiastic nods and the group broke up quickly; she took the time to return gather the equipment before rising in a single move, from sitting cross-legged on the floor to standing with a sort of fluid grace that was typical of her caste. She turned to see the captain nearby and nodded. "Captain," she said with a slight nod. "The first session went well but we are finished if you want the room."

"I didn't mean to break up the party," Kodak said, holding up his hands in a staying gesture. The Captain offered smiles and nods to the security personnel gathering their stuff and heading out before turning back to True. "I really just wanted to stop by to talk for a few minutes. I've a bit of a proposition for you but," he smiled, "before I get to that, can you tell me a bit about what you were all just doing? I won't lie, my curiosity is getting the better of me." Kodak seemed a little crestfallen that the exercise had ended just because he showed up -- clearly, he would have been content to watch more of it unfold.

"It is called Sho'nei," Danni said. "The game of the people. Children play with stones, warriors in training with metal rods, and Azhadi, like me, with knives." She shrugged lightly as she sought for the words to express what she knew. "It is many things, both game and philosophy, but in my caste, it is what we do in training. A way to begin to anticipate each other's moves."

"Catching a knife thrown at you would definitely be a challenge," Kodak smirked in response. "I can see how the exercise would help you to anticipate what an opponent might be planning to do. Guessing you watch for body language?" The Captain seemed pretty fascinated by the game, his questions a clear indicator of interest. His eyes drifted to the stone that had been used; Kodak wondered how heavy it was.

"What they were doing, what I was teaching them to do, is the simplest form," Danni said. "A simple chant, a simple throwing pattern. It only gets harder. As they throw, so do you. Matching their move with your own. Everyone throws at once, for each beat. If you can read body language in that split second ..." She watched him for a bare second and asked. "Is it something you would like to learn how to do, Captain?"

Kodak listened intently, drinking in the words and finally nodding. "I very much would...if you're willing to teach me, of course," the Chameloid smirked, his iridescent eyes sparkling. He eyed the area where True and the others had been sitting and nodded to it with his chin. "Do we just...sit across from each other then?" the Captain asked, moving to stand in the general area.

"Yes," Danni said as she sank gracefully to the floor, sitting cross-legged, and gestured for the captain to join her. "Among the people, this is the way that you sit. On the ground. To sit elevated is ... forbidden. And so we sit, facing each other, and we begin the way children do, with two stones, one is yours and one is mine." She passed one of the stones over to the captain and kept the other. "These came from a river on Earth. They are not special because the Azhadi have no possessions other than the weapons we make with our own hands. And while much has changed, this has not. On my world, a warrior does not carry anything; they must always be ready to do their duty." She smiled as she bounced the stone lightly on the palm of her hand. "The children collect these stones so that they can play Sho'nei and then return them to the river when they are done."

Kodak mirrored True's descent to the ground, crossing his legs beneath him. Her comment about sitting elevated drew his thoughts to the layout of the Sojo's Bridge, where the Captain and XO's chairs sat raised above the other stations. The Chameloid wondered what the Azhadi would say about that particular setup but True's further commentary pulled his thoughts back to the central reason they were sitting.

Taking the stone offered him, the Captain nodded as True continued her explanation. "We're a little short on rivers," Kodak smirked. "I'm guessing these are replicated?" he asked, holding up his stone to scrutinize it. "Or maybe you've brought them with you from home?" The stone itself was dark grey, cratered in some places like an old, forgotten moon somewhere. The surface alternated between smooth and textured as Kodak turned it in hand.

"These stones are from Earth," she said again. "I picked them up the last time I was there. I do not use the replicator any more than I have to. There is a chant, a simple one." She said it slowly, to allow him time to remember the few words, and then gestured for him to join her. Slow and easy, the chant was meant for a young child new to the game and the singing brought with it memories of home before it all fell apart. More than the fighting and the training, Sho'nei was there, at the heart of her life as an Azhadi.

Rocks from Earth? Kodak looked at the stone in his hand with eyes anew. There were times he missed the planet he'd grown up on. The stone was not unlike the kind he used to see at a local swimming hole outside of Frankfurt, Germany. He'd been about to admit such when True began instructing him around the chant. The Captain repeated it, softly at first but growing in volume and timbre until, finally, Kodak had matched True's demonstration of how to chant. He met her eyes with a questioning twinkle in his own: was he doing this right?

True nodded, satisfied, and said, "Now, we begin to throw ... simultaneously ... that is the word, yes? At the same time? We'll do the chant slowly at first and then pick up speed as you get the hang of it."

"Alright," Kodak nodded slowly, waiting for True to begin again. When she did, he fell into the chant with her, reciting the words in a mimic of the woman's tone, pitch, and pace. Lifting his stone, he prepared to toss it True's way but waited until her body language signaled she was ready to throw. Aiming centrally on her body, the Chameloid tossed his stone and caught True's in return. It seemed like such a simple thing but it was harder than it seemed to chant and throw at the same time.

She let him settle into the chant, into the rhythm of it, her gaze more on his face than on the stone though she caught it deftly each time it was thrown and sent his back, as gently as she could, to the same spot mid-chest each time. There was a part of her that wondered, as she sat, feeling the relaxed echoes of her people in this simple game, if this was his way, to come and do such things with his crew. If that were so, then she looked forward to teaching him the more complex chants, the progression and perhaps, the bit of philosophy that went along with each throw.

After a time, she held back her stone and caught his when he threw, signaling an end. "You are doing well, Captain," she said. "You are ready, maybe, to move up to a faster chant ... or was there another reason you came down her tonight?"

Kodak smiled, happy with his progress and the compliment from the assistant Chief of Security. "I think another session could do me wonders," he nodded to True, having enjoyed the experience. "But yes, there was another reason for my visit today." He didn't rise from his sitting position, choosing instead to remain with his feet tucked under him. "Lieutenant Blackstone has been reassigned and is soon leaving for Pathfinder Station. I'd like you to take her place as Chief Tactical and Security Officer, assuming you're willing? It's a big job," he admitted, "but something tells me you'd be able to rise to the challenge."

She smiled back, pleased that he was at least considering a second session. Starfleet captains had this way of building barricades between themselves and the crew which made them harder to know, harder to defend. She too stayed where she was and, having been raised without furniture, it felt comfortable. In a sense, the promotion would make her first among the security on board the ship. Azhadi did not value rank or position, but they understood the notion of "First" and the weight that went along with the title. "I am willing," she said quietly. "I will accept."

"Well then," Kodak smiled brightly, "it's officially official. Congratulations," the Captain rasped warmly before looking around and then nodding. "I suppose I should get out of your hair, Lieutenant. Thank you for your acceptance and the lesson. Looking forward to the next one," he said, sincerity in his eyes. Unlike some captains, he enjoyed a certain closeness with his senior staff. Personal connection made bonds tighter and more reliable in his eyes, and so these kinds of moments were vital to him. "We'll see you on the Bridge starting tomorrow," Kodak said, eyes glinting in the light. "Speaking of, I should probably get back there. Thank you again," he smiled.

"See you on the Bridge, Captain," Danni said. She smiled and there was a wealth of emotion contained in that single expression. For her, she had taken a real step toward building a new edun. A chance to play Sho'nei, to make friends, and to serve. There was nothing more an Azhadi could ask for in life. Course, as the Captain walked out of the room, her smile changed slightly for there was maybe a bit more. A possibility her own people could never have understood. And that also was a good thing.

=/\= Joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS Sojourner

and

Lieutenant Danica True
Chief Tactical and Security Officer
USS Sojourner