Champions' Arena (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 02 May 2022 @ 7:58pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Lieutenant Aria Rice

5,275 words; about a 26 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD 08, 1730 hrs

[ON]

Aria Rice was on the holodeck. Around her were various people, holographic people, in clothes ranging from 20th century British Army Uniform because why not? to 23rd century causal wear in this case, a jumpsuit with a tunic over it in a dove grey. In all of this, Aria was wearing leggings and a tight top, her hair tied back, bare feet and her hands wrapped up. She was warming up, looking at the raised area where two holograms were currently fighting each other.

Apart from her dancing programme, this was her favourite. The crowd, however fake, felt good. The roar of it, the way it made her adrenaline flow.

The atmosphere inside the holodeck was suddenly interrupted by a familiar computer chime. Three soft chirps in short succession which - throughout all Federation starships - indicated a visitor's request to enter the room. There was a short pause before the sounds repeated again.

"Enter!" Aria called out, rolling her shoulders before she jumped lightly before she went up on her toes, stretching her arms above her head. She then did a plié before she went back to normal and shook her arms and legs.

The entrance door to the simulation opened and in strolled Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius. The conn officer slowed to observe the surroundings which - at first glace - appeared reminiscent of a fighting pit. Even complete with rowdy spectators. "...Whoa." He dropped his gym bag on the ground and briefly wondered if his white athletic shoes, black shorts and gray tanktop made him stand out more than he probably already did.

Aria smiled as she looked at him, giving him a shrug. "I got bored of the grey walls. This is...a mix-match I found on file. Well. I found the actual ring in a 1930s holoprogramme, then added in various holographic people from other programmes to make it a bit...more interesting. Standard Starfleet fighters though, if you want to spar against them. No weapons."

He had to admit, Rice looked pretty good in her tight pants and shirt. Sporty, with her dark hair pulled back. Kind of small in the body compared to some of the holographic fighters, however. If he didn't know her as the chief of security, he might have been worried. Her rules declaring no weapons was met by an eye roll from him. "What is this, karate class for kids? No weapons? Are we fighting, or killin'?" he teased.

"Well, sometimes, when a security officer gets attacked, the Captain doesn't want them to shoot the person in the head," Aria teased, shaking her head. "If you're good, we can do something with weapons later. The computer has a battle royale version with Klingons."

Lamar looked around the arena again, this time taking in the totality of the atmosphere, noise, smell and combatants. He tilted his head slightly to the side with a touch of trepidation. "You sure you're up for this, Aria? You're just..." his voice trailed off, hoping not to offend her, "...kinda small. For hand to hand, I mean. Not that small. But some of these guys are..." he motioned to a burly 6'3 fighter who was waiting in the queue for his turn.

Aria looked at the fighter, watching for a moment. "You know what they teach you when you do Aikido?" she asked softly, looking around. "That it doesn't matter. Also, what I learned is that never be too proud to punch someone in their privates if your life depends on it. I might not win against these types, but I won't go quietly." She met his eyes, holding them. "It's my job to fight."

Darius held up both of his hands in a surrendering motion. "Hey, I don't doubt that," he grinned. "Show me what you got then, Miss 'Aikido'." She was a tough gal, he could tell from her swagger. More than anything now, he wanted to see her in action. "I think one of them's calling your name..." One of the fighters in the distance was now pointing directly where the two of them were standing. He didn't appear very friendly.

Aria looked at him before she smiled, nodding before she got up and into the ring. Lamar's words bothered her, but they were bound to. Her size was her insecurity. She shook it off and took her stance as the hologram. The bell went and the man went towards her, trying to grab her. She followed the movement, shifting her feet and body before using the momentum of the hologram to throw him to the ground. She twisted the wrist she still held, her foot going to the neck, holding. She was starting slowly. By the end of this, she would have bruises. That would be when she switched from Aikido to let's punch and kick our way out of here. And she would lose here and there too, that was part of the learning curve for her.

"Let's go, L-T!" yelled Lamar over the crowd. He watched her initial moves, impressed with her dexterity and instinctive movements. "Watch his legs!"

Aria jumped back and let him get back on his feet. When he attached again, she shifted her body and her feet, grabbing his shirt and throwing him over her hip. He grabbed her foot and she narrowed her eyes, throwing herself and rolling, getting on her feet again. It changed then, from Aikido to something else, a mix match as she brought her hands up. He swung at her, she ducked, blocked and kicked, turning on her feet but never turning her back at her opponent.

She's got skills, Lamar nodded to himself. This was the first real opportunity he'd had to get a good look at her hand-to-hand combat skills. Sure, some of it was a little sloppy, but Starfleet Security had always been the red-headed stepchild of the Marine Corps. Or was it the other way around?

When the hologram came charging at her, Aria shifted her weight again and this time, she went for it. She moved her body to the side, grabbing him and the throw she managed meant that the hologram went head-first down at such an angle, the neck looked wrong before the hologram disappeared. She exhaled, sweat on her body, smiling as she bent forward to catch her breath. "There we go..." she said and looked at Lamar. "You going to go a round?"

"Damn," he muttered to himself after watching the lieutenant break the man's neck. Hologram or not, it had been an impressive display. He scratched his goatee then grinned at her. "I guess we are killin' today," he laughed.

Aria looked at him before she shook her head. "I may or may not have been showing off to you. I don't actually think it would work against a real person," she said and moved to the side, reaching for some water. "A person would have tried to twist to avoid landing like that. Holograms are more predictable." She paused, considering it. "Not that I would ever want it to work for real, you know?"

He shook his head and frowned in an attempt to dismiss her humbleness. "Nah, Aria. You got to train like you fight. In the real world. That was a good throw. You didn't match power with power, you used it against the guy. Physics and momentum, right?" He gave her a squeeze on her shoulder.

Aria nodded, holding his eyes for a long moment. "I don't have the strength to take on in a straight fight, but I am fast...either tire them out, or...make them run at me," she touched his arm and gave a squeeze. "You though, I bet you can match power with power."

"There's always a bigger guy out there. Or a Klingon. Or Nausicaan." He felt a little flattered by her compliment. "In the Corps they taught us to fight smarter, not harder. Basically, know your strengths and limits. Do what you're good at to control the fight. Take the initiative. All that good shit," he winked.

"Never be too proud to punch them in the balls," Aria said thoughtfully, pulling away before she smiled. "Okay, you want a go? Or I could do another one, or we could spar. Up to you."

He thought about the different offers for a microsecond then shrugged. "Wouldn't be fair if we fought right now. You're already warmed up." He pulled the bottom of his black tank-top over his head and discarded his shirt, then started to perform a few stretches. "I'm getting old, you know. Not fresh like you still are. I'll do one round then we can spar..."

"Go for it," Aria said and moved to sit down, a small smile coming to her. "Besides, we all get older, day by day. Better than the alternative. So who are you taking on, and are you using weapons?"

Lamar regard the holodeck landscape once more. The jubilant crowd; the various fighters; the sexy Aria. He hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself. "My ma always taught me 'ladies' wishes first'. Your choice," he humbly deferred. "It's your program."

Aria looked at him, a small smile coming to her. "Hey Christopher! You're up!" she called out, looking at the hologram.

The hologram was male and looked like a human, with curly brown hair and a light beard. He was muscled as well, and when he walked he almost stalked. He gave an easy smile though and a friendly wave. "Hello..."

"I may or may not have known someone who looked like that when I was at the Academy," Aria said playfully, shaking her head. "Although this hologram has a better fighting score than the real one."

Lamar finished his stretches then looked at the champion she'd selected for him. The hologram's cocky walking posture almost make him cringe. "...More like Bitchstopher..." he mumbled to himself before walking into the arena, unimpressed.

Aria chuckled, shaking her head as she took a seat. "Don't worry, he doesn't have superstrength or anything that naf," she called out, smiling as she just studied him.

The crowd clapped and cheered when Lamar and his opponent stepped to their respective positions inside the combat arena. It felt weird. The former Marine had never fought for glory or entertainment. As a commodity. Yet here were thousands of holograms watching and indulging the most brutal of combat sports. Whatever. They weren't real. And If they wanted a long drawn out show, they'd be disappointed.

The arbiter rang his bell and the curly haired opponent moved towards Darius with methodical stalking motions. Lamar held his position while waiting for the man to approach. As a right-handed person, he slowly circled to the left until they both came within striking range of each other. The other fighter, slightly taller than him, extended a snap jab which he moved his head to avoid. A second then third jab followed, accompanied by a right hook. Lamar parried one with his forearm then ducked under the power strike. He counter-punched with a straight right hand to the jaw of Christopher which squarely landed.

His opponent was stunned and Lamar wasted no time in pushing the initiative. He sprinted forward to close the distance then speared the other man into the ground with his lead shoulder. A loud wheeze from Christopher escaped his lungs while Lamar straddled the man's waist to pin him down. Their arms both grappled and slapped each others' away for several moments until Darius gained control by pinning one of his opponents hands down to the ground by his wrist.

Using his free arm and leverage, Lamar started to pound the man's face with fast, hard and forceful strikes. A couple were occasionally blocked, but the repetition and veracity of his fists turned the pretty boy's face into a bloody mess within 30 seconds. "Tap out!" Lamar demanded, not wanting to take it to the next level.

Aria watched before she let out a low whistle, cutting through the noise. It made the hologram stop and tap out, following Lamar's request. "How's those knuckles, Lamar?" she called out, smiling as she shook her head. "Because wow, you move fast when you want to."

Darius' opponent gave him a few firm taps on his thigh, an indication of surrender. The raucous crowd booed. Lamar smirked then leaned back and rose to his feet. He extended a courtesy hand to Christopher to help him up then walked back over to where Rice was. He looked down at the back of his hands. "Gonna feel it tomorrow if we keep this up. Guy's jaw was made of dilithium or something."

Aria pushed herself up to the ring, climbing in and watching him for a long moment. "Well, I remember him having heavy bones. Think he grew up somewhere heavy," she said and rolled her shoulders. "Want to do some sparring?"

He shrugged, not opposed to the idea. "Yeah. If you think you can take me," Lamar teased. Then his eyes narrowed a bit with latent thought. He scrutinized her more closely. "Don't hit me in the balls, okay?"

"I won't," she promised and held her hands up, palms facing her. "I don't think I can take you, but I need the exercise." She shifted her weight, her arms coming down slowly as she focused on him, blocking out everything else.

"I'm serious," he looked at her with skepticism disguised behind a nervous laugh, "DON'T hit me in the balls." He was somehow more afraid of her testicular tactical prowess than the brute force of the larger hologram he'd just battled. He didn't want to experience that type of pain today. Getting drilled in the face was fine. A broken rib was fine. Groin woes were the first circle of Hell.

"I promise," Aria said, her voice quiet as she kept her eyes on his shoulders. "Besides, neither of us are planning to go to sickbay today, so we're...not hitting that hard, right?"

Lamar felt a relief then winked and took his position in front of her. Once again, the holographic crowd roared. And once again, his footwork slowly circled his new smaller opponent to the left in order to cut off any striking angles. He raised his hands up to his chin then trained his full attention on her. "Whatever you say, L-T..."

She watched him, moving with him as she kept an eye on him. He wasn't likely to drop a shoulder to warn her of a strike, not the way he was holding his hands. "But don't hold back either, I am here to learn...not to dance," she said teasingly, taking a deeper breath. Her hands were relaxed now, and she would let him hit first. To measure his speed, to see just how fast she had to be.

Slowly he kept circling. Slowly he kept shrinking the distance between them until he was within his striking range and outside of hers. He let loose a snap jab towards her head.

Aria's left arm came up, blocking and deflecting it with her forearm. She shifted and aimed a hit at his face with her right, shifting her weight to the side to make herself a smaller target. He had reach, but the height difference might be new to him, so she hoped it would balance it out.

Her right hand counter was a surprise. Lamar dodged his head to the left then re-countered with another strike. He ducked his torso down and across to the right then shuffled his feet. He let loose and 2-2-1 combo with multiple fist strikes aiming at Rice's head, two to her abdomen, then one back to her head again.

There was the sound of flesh on flesh with hits and counters. Aria managed to deflect most of them, but the back of the head one still had his knuckles brushing across her scalp. She narrowed her eyes, ducking quickly and aimed her own combination of hits, aimed at his torso mostly...before suddenly her left knee came up to try and get him in the side.

Lamar's abdomen vibrated when her leg strike hit. Instinctively he winced, then quickly grabbed her thigh before she could retract it and pulled her closer. His arms wrapped around waist then he spun the both of them into the ground to begin grappling in order to establish dominance.

Aria moved her arms above her head and swung her legs, twisting to get out of his grasp. If he pinned her, she was doomed. He had all the advantages. So she twisted and ducked, to try and slide from his grasp as they rolled, grimacing as an elbow caught her ribs. But she didn't even react to it, not really, her eyes narrowed with focus at what she was doing. It was a taught calm that seemed at odds with how she was most of the time. There was no panic in her movements, just cold focus.

The two of them frantically maneuvered on the ground for position. Their feet and hands kicked up dirt while the crowd once again yelled with anticipation. He did his best to use his hands to grasp her arms, but she was evasive. And small. Her quickness worked to her advantage. He tried a different method after several failed attempts and body rolls. He hooked one of his calves beneath her knee to keep the leg from moving, then tried for the second.

Aria groaned, feeling her leg pinned. She let out a breath, swinging her free leg and using an arm to change positions. The muscles in her pinned leg complained but she ignored it, trying to get some space between them, in the hopes to wriggle out of it.

"Stop squirming!" he huffed at her with half-jest. Mild frustration was starting to manifest. He reached for her torso and managed to get a firm grip her shoulder. The muscles in his arm and chest flexed while he rolled them both over until he was on top of her.

Aria's eyes narrowed and she brought her arms up, more to be able to protect if he decided to strangle her. Having her forearms by her neck gave her options. She shifted under him, before she stopped. "I can't get out of this," she stated, rolling her eyes. "You weigh a tonne."

"Only 200 last time I was in for a physical." Lamar feigned offense then let go of his grip on her. "You saying I'm getting fat?" Pushing himself up and off of her, he extended one of his large hands to help her back up.

"No, that is...muscle..." Aria shook her head, taking his hand to pull herself up. "Pure muscle." She rolled her shoulders, touching her side for a moment. "Mm...rehydrate, def rehydrate."

He slowly walked with her over to the water bottles. The holographic mob was booing them and throwing all manner of food stores into the outer edges of the arena. Tough crowd, he sarcastically lamented. "That was a pretty good knee strike," he complimented Aria. "Got me good in the ribs. Want some advice?"

"Always," she said, walking to get her water bottle, sighing as she drank almost greedily.

Lamar wiped some perspiration from his forehead then reached for his own bottle. "You were moving good at first. Then you slowed down when you started blocking my punches. That slows your feet. Natural instinct and all that good stuff." He squirted H2O into his mouth and across his face from his bottle. "...You're fast enough to not have to block my strikes. Just dodge and weave, laterally. Side to side - circle around me. And that knee strike was good but that made you commit. So I got a hold of you." He winked. "Next time, aim for the side of my knees and take out my legs. Then you'll have control of the fight using your quickness. Just...don't blow out my ACL. Already had three reconstructive surgeries."

"At the Academy, my instructors pretty much drummed into me to always block, not dance around like an idiot, Rice," she said, putting her impersonation of one of her instructors in her voice. "But..." she added, meeting his eyes with a small shrug. "I like blocking as well. It's...what I am practicing at the moment. I want to be able to do it and still not slow down. Sometimes though, it isn't about..." she stopped and looked down. "It isn't about moving, it's about anticipating."

He sucked down more water and shrugged. "They're right...sort of. Don't dance. Block when you need to, but deflect and parry when you can. You might meet someone a lot bigger than me one of these days. A Klingon or a Nausicaan. If you think I weigh a lot, you're in for a surprise. Like you said, don't match power with power. Always keep moving." He smiled down at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Want to try again?"

"I am game," Aria said, and met his eyes for a long moment. "Let's do this again." She walked to step into the middle of the ring. She moved her hands to tie her hair back properly, smiling.

Lamar tossed his bottle back on the ground and followed her. Once again he postured into his standard fighting stance. Once again the crowd noise started to rise, adding that extra element of fun to the simulation. "Fight's on," he winked at her, then started to close the distance and circle to her weak-hand side.

Aria saw what he was doing and moved forward, so she could change the angle. This time, she attacked first, quick fists meant to connect in the places to disarm and disable.

He quickly locked his forearms vertically in front of his torso to absorb the incoming strikes. She'd surprised him with her initiative, suppressing any counter-strike he'd planned which also forced him to backpedal to a safer distance.

She stopped her advancement, now she had him a bit more cornered, her eyes shining as she pulled back. "That's better," she whispered, her voice soft.

The best laid plans went out the window in the first few seconds of combat. Those were the paraphrased words from almost every one of Lamar's Marine Academy instructors when he'd been younger; wise wisdom which had proven itself to be all-too accurate during his Dominion War deployments. Aria was a fast learner, and he wasn't surprised.

Repositioning himself, Darius started to circle around her and once more chip away at the distance. But this time, before she could take the initiative, he charged her with a hard, short sprint. He was getting older but still managed to close the gap between them in only three full strides. He lowered his shoulder to the height of her abdomen then launched himself forward to grab and spear her into the ground.

Aria grunted as Darius' body hit her, her hands going over his shoulders. She twisted her body, pushing herself to get out of his grip and avoid being pushed onto the ground.

There was a hard oomph accompanied by a cloud of dirt when both of them landed. Somehow she'd managed to avoid the brunt of his body weight; he hung on to her waist with just a single arm stretched out to the side. He scrambled his feet to crawl close enough to her so his other hand could grab a hold of one of her limbs.

Aria groaned as she hit the ground, twisting her body to try and get away from him. When she felt his arm around her waist, she moved her hand, hard, to press on the inside of his elbow. She twisted her waist at the same time, sucking in a breath to try and slide from his grip, even as her legs moved almost desperately. Her ponytail had come somewhat undone in the scuffle.

His arm quickly slipped away from her hip when she started to wiggle and push. Lamar's other hand came down for one of her legs which seemed to skirt away from him at the very last moment. She moves like a Cardassian vole, he complained to himself with amazement.

Aria rolled away quickly, to get some distance between them, pushing herself up. She exhaled before she started laughing, unable to stop it despite the pain in her side. "That was like being hit by a shuttle!" she complained, but she was still smiling.

Lamar quickly abandoned his grapple plan then side-tucked, coming out of his combat roll to get back to his feet. One side of his face and chest was covered in dirt and some of it had seeped down below his pants' waist line. He shook them out and kicked his legs a few times to relieve the uncomfortable sensation. "You sure you're not part-squirrel?"

"Couldn't say, never seen a squirrel," Aria countered, brushing herself down as well before she pushed her hair from her dirty face. "You're strong. Really strong."

It was hard to hear her over the crowd's loud and incessant chanting. They wanted blood, apparently. But he didn't want to make his friend bleed. Well, maybe just a little bit. A bloody nose, at the most. It wasn't a real fight until someone was wearing a bit of red on them. He started to move around her for a third time, now switching postures to southpaw and circling in the opposite direction. His fists went up to his chin while he methodically closed in on her with each shuffle step.

Aria lifted her hands to the level of her eyes, closing her hands to proper fists, eyes narrowed as she moved, quickly, getting some distance only to guide them to the centre. She wanted the opportunity to move, although his stance told her she would most likely have to duck some hits.

He approached her methodically until he entered max striking range then snapped a salvo of precise jabs towards her head. She was a smaller target than most and more nimble, but a target was a target.

Aria dodged, keeping her guard up. She felt his fist hit her hand, her eyes narrowing. He was bigger, so he had better reach. Her options were...

Well, when in space sparring on the holodeck...

She ducked, getting herself closer to him, this time aiming a hit at him. It was a dangerous place for her, but she would never be able to do a counter-strike at any other distance. Her arms weren't as long as his.

Lamar's eyes lit up with a vengeance and he capitalized on her mistake. Aria's counter landed solidly against his torso but he managed to ignore the pain. He counter-countered with a hard, straight left hand to her cheek.

Aria's head snapped to the side with it, the pain spreading across her cheek, making her stumble for a brief moment. She didn't stop moving though, although it was more autopilot as she recovered from it. She aimed a hit at his cheek, light on her feet, even if she breathed hard with it following with another hit to his torso.

The bells in his head chimed to alert status when she punched him. As lithe as she was, she could hit hard, and she followed up her combo with a second hit to his body. He winced then re-countered, throwing an opposite right hand to her face proceeded by a left hook to her rib cage. "C'mon Rice!" he half-taunted, half-motivated.

Aria ducked the face one, but it did mean she took the brunt of the hit to her ribs. She groaned, pushing herself up, not speaking as she aimed a hit again, to his body...specifically, his left shoulder. Downside of doing that, no pun intended, it meant she had to leave her face somewhat unprotected.

Her punch solidly hit him and knocked his aging torso to the side. He lashed out in return with a leg kick to the same portion of her rib cage he'd just previously struck.

Aria cried out, stumbling, before she turned to face him again. She sucked in a breath, and ran at him, aiming punches at him...still now down, even if her side hurt.

Lamar went defensive again and backpedaled with his hands tucked tight against his chest in a guard stance. Her strikes came fast and furious. He could feel the intensity of their sparring rising. Several of her punches made it through his defense before he finally countered. Bringing his left hand up to protect one side of his face, he unleashed a right uppercut to her chin at close range.

Aria had ducked her head, but what it meant was that rather than going to her chin, the fist went to her nose. Aria's head snapped back and she fell, blinking, not even catching herself properly until the last moment. She tasted blood and grimaced, bringing her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, tipping her head forward. "Time out," she managed to get out, tears in her eyes from the shock of it. Human bodies reacted like that and the way it all was tied together meant that the tears just came. She breathed through her mouth, slowly, not bothered by the blood. Around her, the crowd roared and cheered for Lamar.

Oh shit, he mouthed to himself. Seeing his friend go down from his hit was a bad feeling made worse when he saw blood flowing from her nostrils. He quickly walked over to her and knelt down next to her side. He put a worried hand on her shoulder then moved it to the back of her head to slowly lift it up. "Damn Aria, I'm sorry. You okay?" Shit.

She moved her free hand to gently push his away, keeping her head tipped forward so that any blood just ran out of her nose and onto the floor. She then made a thumbs-up sign, suddenly smiling. "Should...have ducked," she finally said before she let out a breath. "Don't think...it broke." She felt the bridge of her nose, not flinching away from the pain, feeling for breaks.

The cheering of the crowd was becoming disconcerting. "Computer, end program," barked Darius. The scenic combat arena and its thousands of holographic spectators suddenly shimmered then disappeared, leaving only Lamar and Aria still present. He reached for her hand to help her up. "Hope you don't hate sickbay. Need to get that nose of yours fixed."

Aria pulled herself up, keeping the grip on her nose. "Not the only thing, I suspect..." she said, her voice thick with it as she took a step forward. No dizziness, that was good. She could get there. "I'm okay, I'll go there."

He grabbed his gym bag and tank top then handed his shirt to her for temporary use to plug her nostrils. "Use this. The new cap'n probably won't like you dripping blood in the corridors."

"Doesn't matter..." Aria said, but put the shirt under her nose. The nosebleed had slowed down though, and she wished she had her tampons with her. Even so, here she was, walking with him.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CWO3 Lamar Darius
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Lt. Aria Rice
Chief of Security
USS Galileo-A

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