Gym Gains, Ground Lost

Posted on Fri Dec 20th, 2024 @ 2:28am by Commander Onofron Zuir & Lieutenant Colonel Savannah Sorrel

1,639 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: New Crew, New Mission
Location: Gymnasium
Timeline: Current

As not all the crew was on board the ship's gym was nicely empty that evening. Sav liked to train here away from marine country. Of course she did some of her training there but it was nice to work out away from prying eyes sometime as well. Especially when she did her routine of Tai Chi. Some marines thought that was a bit soft and useless. To be honest it relaxed Sav. When she was on her own like now she went through the routine with her eyes closed making the movements flow into some kind of dance. Because she was a warrior she had included some attack and defence movements in as well making her work out very personal.

To her left, Commander Ono was seated on a mat in an awkwardly contorted pose that made her back ache just looking at it. Being entirely nude was not escaped on her. The Zelonite’s bare, flabby torso was glistening slightly under the soft lighting, and a holographic display floated in front of his face, scrolling endless streams of numbers, schematics, and data that had no clear meaning at face value. It was almost like he was reading while folding himself into pretzel-like configurations.

Ono noticed her gaze, his midnight-blue eyes briefly flicking toward her without turning his head. He unfolded from his current pose with a fluidity that was startling for someone of his build, then adjusted himself into a position that looked even more uncomfortable.

“Colonel Sorrel,” he said curtly, his tone neutral but unmistakably dismissive, as though acknowledging her presence was an inconvenience he had chosen to tolerate.

He returned his focus to the holographic display, his fingers interlaced and resting against his abdomen as his legs contorted into yet another impossible shape. The text feed continued to stream in front of him, numbers and equations blending seamlessly with snippets of engineering jargon and what appeared to be historical annotations.

Sav's eyes widened for a minute as she had not heard him come in. "Commander, I do not find it proper to exercise naked in a communal area like the gym. It is not respectful to the opposite sex and it certainly not common practice on any vessel I have served on before." She said in a cold tone of voice.

Ono’s midnight-blue eyes flicked toward Savannah again, his expression impassive, though there was a faint edge of irritation in the way he shifted into yet another contorted position. His hands clasped neatly against his abdomen as the scrolling holographic display continued to stream in front of him.

"Colonel Sorrel," he began, his tone as crisp and neutral as ever, "perhaps you are unfamiliar with the Vulcan principle of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. It is a cornerstone of Starfleet’s ethos and a guiding principle for cultural understanding. What you see before you is a culturally sacred practice of my people: intellectual yoga. It integrates the enhancement of the body and the mind, yielding unparalleled clarity of thought and physical precision." He arched an eyebrow as if challenging her to dispute the sacredness of his activity. "As such, it is protected under Starfleet protocols for cultural expression. I have every right to engage in this practice here, just as you have the right to indulge in what I assume is a form of interpretive dance."

Ono’s gaze returned to his holographic display, his tone growing drier. "If you find my attire—or lack thereof—discomforting, I might suggest you make use of a personal entertainment device to divert your attention. I assure you, I take no particular pleasure in watching your glacially slow gyrations, which, while undoubtedly meaningful to you, are of no utility to me."

With that, he rotated into another improbable pose, his face remaining entirely neutral as his torso twisted in ways that should have been anatomically impossible. The holographic display shifted smoothly to follow his gaze.

"So you get off on women watching you do you. You sick pervert. You can do this in your own quarters. The way you display yourself is offensive to women and I could file a harrasment suit against you, cultural principle or not. Oh and if you are so high and mighty about one cultural belief, I would not like you just did make fun of someone else's beliefs." The man was sinking even lower in her opinion.

Ono’s torso twisted further, his pose shifting seamlessly into another baffling configuration as he continued to read the scrolling holographic text. His midnight-blue eyes flickered toward Savannah, narrowing slightly as she launched into her tirade. When she finished, he tilted his head ever so slightly, his expression one of detached curiosity, as though examining an anomalous sensor reading.

"Colonel Sorrel," he began, his tone as even and calm as ever, "your... outburst is fascinating, though I must confess I do not understand its basis. Zelonites do not experience libido, so whatever hormonal misunderstanding you are currently projecting onto this situation is profoundly misplaced. Rest assured, I derive no pleasure—sexual or otherwise—from your presence, your comments, or your activities."

He raised an eyebrow, folding his hands in his lap as he paused to let his words sink in. "However, I find your accusations very, very troubling." He punctuated his emphatic tone with a roll of his head on his neck. "Should you wish to file a harassment charge against me, I welcome you to do so—though I would advise caution. Between the two of us, Colonel, I am not the one disparaging the cultural norms of another world. I have been nothing but polite in this exchange, while you have chosen to launch into what I can only describe as a sexually charged diatribe entirely of your own making."

Ono closed his eyes, exhaling slowly as he returned to his pose. "If you find my presence here to be sexual, I suggest you redirect this line of conversation to someone more suited to your... preoccupations. I, unfortunately, am neither interested in nor capable of participating in such dialogue."

With that, he resumed his intellectual yoga, the holographic display scrolling uninterrupted as if the entire exchange had already been logged and dismissed in his mind.

"If you do not leave on your own accord, commander, I am going to log a complaint about your state of undress. It is a common curtesy to women to appear here clothed. You are showing once more that you don't give a damn about anybody than yourself. it will create an nasty atmosphere amongst the crew. There is nothing wrong with being hard on your people, but you have to be fair. You sir, seem to be lacking in the latter department." Sav got ready to leave. The fun had gone out of the workout.

Ono’s eyes snapped open, his midnight-blue gaze sharp and unyielding as he twisted smoothly out of his pose and sat upright, his back ramrod straight. For a moment, his expression was utterly unreadable, but when he spoke, there was no mistaking the controlled anger simmering beneath his calm tone.

"Colonel Sorrel," he began, his voice colder than the vacuum of space, "your insinuations are both offensive and misguided. My present state is not inherently indecent, nor is it offensive in many Federation cultures—including my own. Your fixation on my state of undress is not a reflection of my conduct but of your own perversion."

He rose fluidly to his feet, the holographic display hovering obediently at his side as he continued. "You are, of course, welcome to file your complaint—though I would advise you to consider carefully the implications of accusing a fellow officer of impropriety when they are engaging in a culturally protected practice. Such an accusation would not only be baseless but would also expose a certain... intolerance unbecoming of a Starfleet officer."

Ono folded his arms, his tone softening slightly, though it retained its icy edge. "Fairness, Colonel, dictates that we both have an equal right to utilize this shared space. I have respected that right by avoiding looking at you or commenting on your activities. You, however, have chosen to fixate on mine, to disparage my cultural norms, and to escalate a situation that requires no escalation."

He gestured toward the door with a deliberate flick of his hand. "If you believe that your actions today reflect fairness or professionalism, then by all means, report them alongside your accusations against me. As for me, I will return to my intellectual yoga in the privacy of my quarters, where I will not be subjected to such... anti-Zelonite bigotry." He sniffed with righteous indignation. "Expect a letter of reprimand to be sent to your commanding general."

Without waiting for a response, Ono gathered his holographic display with a snap of his fingers and turned toward the door, his posture as rigid and dignified as ever. "Good day, Colonel," he said curtly as he exited, leaving Savannah alone in the gym to process his parting words. Only once did he return to retrieve his silken robe.

"Well if you are taking action you leave me no other option than to do the same." Savannah said. "One of my fathers is a therapist and the other is a doctor. I have seen too many scarred women who have been abused by men. And for a woman like that seeing you like this would trigger trauma. It's not fair on your cultural heritage, I get that. But for me the fear you may cause a woman if they walked in on you like this outways your sensibilities or a reprimand on my record. The care of the crew always comes before my own record. So I will be writing a note to the captain about this, commander."

 

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