Ring of Fire

Posted on Thu Oct 31st, 2024 @ 9:59pm by Lieutenant Fang Lee & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,975 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: USS Arcadia |Rec Area Boxing ring

ON:

The metallic sound of a chain clinking and crinkling against itself was followed by a loud snap as the punching bag swung back and ripped off its tedder flying into the wall.

The surrounding crew stopped and stared. Some with open mouths as their soon to be XO, the Chief Engineer, punched the bag so hard that it broke. Fang leaned against the wall breathing hard. It had been a lousy, day, week, month! The stop at Starbase two had not only brought with it personal chaos but also he'd just had to resist braking a crewmember in half. Boxing seemed like the right thing only he'd now broken the bag. He leaded his forehead against the wall panting. The necklace that was now against his chest burned cold.

Deciding he needed water he walked to the bench, the crew naturally parting for him as if they were the red sea. Each of them too stunned at the sheer power behind the man's punch. He grabbed the water bottle and sat down. "Issue?" He asked aloud noticing the stares.

He watched as everyone hopped back to their exercise.

Adrianna had witnessed the act and raised a brow. Her body was already glistening with a light casing of swear. She'd been running on the treadmill, trying to rid her mind of the negativity in her mind. She needed to get on track in preparation for the mission ahead. Slowing to a stop, she grabbed her bottle taking a drink. Removing her headphones she walked over and sat next to Fang, "I hope you're going to apologise to the bag, fratello," she playfully but sternly commented.

He puffed out air. "I wasn't nearly as done with venting my frustrations. Now I have to figure something out. May run off to the base gym."

"Why don't I grab some focus pads and you can have someone that hits back, hm?" She asked, "at the least, you can wear them whilst I beat the merde out of you and you can tell me what's going on."

He sighed. "Right now sparing with someone may not be a good idea. Honestly...right now all I can see is stomping Jason and Sabastian to bits."

"Perfetto per me," she smiled, "you can wear the pads then, and I can get some stress out before you go and beat up another innocent and defenseless punch bag."

He sighed. "Fine, you punch. I'll stew in my frustration and think up ways to transport Jason into bits in space." He sighed. "I should then get his transfer papers in order."

Adrianna walked off and grabbed some pads. She tossed them to Fang before ducking into the ring, wrapping her hands and loosening up. She thought for a moment as she looked around at who was in the gym. The majority were security. She wanted to keep the ordeal quiet for Jason's sanity. She stood up on one of the ropes, balancing with a slight bounce. She whistled loudly, "everyone out."

She watched people grumble and quickly punctuated it with, "anyone in my department, or security not out of here in the next 2 minutes will be doing drills, anyone in engineering not out in two minutes-- I'm sure the merde shoots need cleaning again."

That caused people to shift a bit quicker. Once the last person exited she looked back to Fang, "come on."

He sighed as he slipped the padding on. "Alright." He took a stance to allow her to hit the pads. "Let's see what you got."

Adrianna nodded and started a barrage of punches. The woman was remarkably strong for such a small human. Not Vulcan, Capellan or Klingon strong-- far from it-- but it was clear that she could certainly hold her own and that many would underestimate her in the ring. Each punch came with a bit of a grunt as she threw them at full force. She then purposely missed, but pulled her punch to not actually hurt him, "talk."

He sighed. "About what?"

"What's going on in your head that has you on edge," she replied, pacing a moment, catching her breath.

"Oh you mean besides wanting to stomp a certain TactSec officer but promising you and well the being an XO thing that's stopping me?"

"I asked you to promise me because I knew that you would over react," Adrianna threw a punches to punctuate her point, "he was not in is right frame of mind. No-one got hurt. Well-- not true, I did slap him. But still."

"I'll have him transferred off soon."

"Fang--" she held back, and looked at him, "don't. It was one moment. He's not pursuing vengeance or anything. What is the harm?"

"The harm is I don't care if he was drunk or not." He shook his hands out admitting her punch was rather strong. "He is a Starfleet officer and he needs to know better. I'm in the same boat as him but you don't see me taking it out on Zai."

"Equally, with how you acted on base, off duty or not, you were about to kill someone," she hit again, this time missing the pads and going straight for his abdomen to prove a point, growling a little as she went back to hitting the pads, "yet you don't get removed from duty. You're a first officer and about to be XO. You-- you, fratello, should know better."

He sighed. "Yeah but that's different. I'm not like a sister to me."

Adrianna packed a punch directly to somewhere manly and sensitive. She took a step back, cocking her head to the side, "I covered for you and Sabastian. I didn't have to. I could have reported you. Honestly, maybe I still should. You should show a little mercy to Jason and leave him be. One mistake like this should not dictate his future."

He took a moment to collect himself from her punch. When he was able to stand again, which took some time, he said, "fine, I won't transfer him but I will airlock him repeatedly in my mind."

Adrianna nodded, "if I, as victim to his stupidity, can still work alongside him, so can you." She put her hands on his arms as if helping to steady him. "Now-- is that all that's bothering you, fratello, or are you mad that Zai seems to have found something special that isn't you-- a person not willing to be with him in that way?"

"Zai's situation and mine are complicated. He's too reckless. He's forgotten the rules of his own people and Sabastian is not for him!" He looked at the bench. "Need to sit down, that last hit ... was a winner."

Adrianna chuckled at the hit being a winner. She then sat next to him, softening, "you don't have a right to call him out, on either front, fratello. He needs to make his own mistakes. Without making our own mistakes, we cannot learn."

"Tell me what if his mistake can kill him?" He looked at her.

"Can it, though?" She chuckled.

"I just mean that." He sighed. "So, Zai's people are Capellan but... we've long suspected that they came from...another place. They are the same as us in many ways but they are gifted, that's why my people fear them. Have you ever heard of a soul reader?"

"Something I have been told I do not possess-- a soul," she shrugged, "I am sure that you may be exaggerating how his life is affecting his ability to live. You cannot mother him, fratello. Let him live; let him make mistakes."

"Okay, this stays between us okay. This is not something that Capellan's talk about." He looked at her. "Deal?"

She nodded, silently.

He waited for her confirmation and then went on. "So Zai's people, nobody ever marries without consulting a Soul Reader. I mean nobody. The soul reader will scan the two people, their cores and see if they are....compatible. And this happens no matter who they wish to marry. My uncle married a woman from Zai's tribe. The Soul reader approved. Now then. If the soul reader approves you marry no problem. If the soul reader doesn't approve there can be a problem."

He sighed. "So let's use Zai and myself. Let's say we go through soul reading and we're approved. We marry no problem. We um... have our wedding night something happens, Zai's people change. Their lavender eyes turn deep purple and their hair turns white as snow, overnight. The partner changes to. No matter what their hair turns black as night and their eyes develop a deeper colour. Some even change features. Hell my uncle's nose, the one he hated all his life shrank and his features became more defined. That's why a post wedding ceremony is held."

"And if you are not approved?" She asked curiously.

"Good question. If the soul reader says no and you still marry and have the um... wedding night. The clock begins to tick. The person from Zai's tribe would die, within a year of the consummation of the marriage. His tribe have people who are married for over 60 years but have never gotten physical because they are not matched. So let me put it hypothetical again. Zai and I are not a match and we um... you know he's done in a year. That will hold true if he is with me or with Sabastian."

"He knows this?" She asked but then stopped herself, "in one sense, it does not matter. There was a play write-- I learned about him in school-- his name was Shakespeare, he once wrote that it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." She paused, "if Zai truly believes Sabastian is his person, no soul reader, no man nor woman, not even you, will get in the way of his decision. You need to respect his choice, fratello. No matter how hard. You do not have a right to tell him to stop. You lost that right the second you put someone before him."

He sighed. "The thing is I don't know if he knows. The only reason I know is because I'm... well the son of a Tier we learn all about the other tribes and their traditions and customs. Usually regular people are told when they reach a certain age." He leaned back. "He needs to know, I need to talk to him."

"You need to move on," she almost whispered, feeling the hypocrisy of her words, reflection on her own situation."

He said nothing. Just stared into space for a moment. "It's alright. The ship is leaving soon, they won't see one another for gods know how long and I can...sway him away from Sabastian like I did at the Academy."

Adrianna punched him hard in the arm, "you do not have a right. Leave him be."

"Damn it woman. Why are you so strong!"

"Because I was undercover in a smuggling ring for years and, I have a tonne of older brothers," she chuckled, "I know how to hit, and I know how to take a hit. Now-- you are going to leave Zai alone, aren't you?" She stood up, going to grab her water and headphones.

"I don't know if I can." he sighed. "No, I'll set him straight once he's away from Walker."

Adrianna froze at his word, a flash of rage going through her eyes. She punched his male area once more at full force. As he doubled over in pain, she moved her lips close to his ear, her voice low, even and cold, "You have no right. Leave him be, fratello."

With that she stood up, grabbing her things and leaving, "alright, gym is all yours. Thank you for your patience."

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