Gym Talk

Posted on 24 Jul 2023 @ 1:47pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Lucy Armitage & Lieutenant JG Thex sh'Zoarhi

1,827 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: S3 Episode 5: Diplomatic Incident/Hydaransz Again (Incidentals)
Location: Tomcat gym.
Timeline: 20:00 hundred hours MD:25

[ON]

Thex had a smile on her face as she punched the punching bag. It felt good to get some time to herself in the gym and with the last person having left she had it all to herself. Plenty of time for the sapphire girl to get in her workout. Her taped fist gave a satisfying thunk as she punched again feeling the adrenaline rush flowing through her veins.

Her mind was wandering on the rumours and talk of this mirror universe. Did another her exist out there? If so what was she doing? Was she somewhere safe or fighting for her life against a bunch of murderous Terrans?

The door opening brought her out of her thoughts and she used her free hand to steady the bag as her head and her attena looked around. She didn't recognise the footsteps or the appearance of the woman who had stepped through the doors. " Hello there." She said calmly a polite smile on her face. " Nice night for a workout."

As Lucy was currently off duty she decided to visit the ship's gym, dressed in an exercise outfit, with long blonde hair in a ponytail, towel and water bottle in hand she enters, her Bajoran earring was visible with her current hairstyle, and she looked up as someone spoke to her. as the door closed behind her "hello there yourself, I would think so, but in all my years serving on this ship this is the first time I have ever been in here, my name is Armitage, Lucy Armitage Captain's Yeoman, you?" Lucy asked as she walked up to a treadmill set in the workout session and stepped onto the machine she started off at a slow pace to allow her limbs to loosen up.

" Lieutenant JG Thex sh'Zoarhi deputy chief engineering officer. Though Thex will do just fine. " Thex replied with a smile on her blue face. Walking over to her bag she withdrew her water bottle and took a long sip. " So how many years have you been on this girl?" She inquired.

As the treadmill began to move at a walking pace she looked over "Pleased to meet you Thex, I am Master Chief Petty Officer Lucy Armitage despite the human name I am half Bajoran, and I am also the Captain's Yeoman. As for time served on this old girl, I have been here for as long as Fleet Captain Jasmine Somers has been in command, fifteen years give or take a few months, there are very few still serving on this ship from those days. So Thex, how are you finding it on an Akira Class where the Marines outnumber Fleet personnel? And you know this ship was modified to carry a larger number of assault troops and such but at the cost of the emergency evac capacity, plus some cushy quarters, why do you think Enlisted are in bunk rooms like they used to have on the NX class from the 2150s this is also why Lt Jgs get small decent quarters which get bigger the higher in rank ones to go or if two if the crew of the ship get married the next quarter's upgrade, would be Lieutenant Commander depending on availability and Ensigns join the enlisted in bunk style room" Lucy said as the treadmill picked up speed.

Thex let out a chuckle as she stepped onto one of the treadmills and started it up. " I can handle the jarheads Master Chief and believe me I can handle the small quarters. Compared to what I had growing up this is a palace."

*Smiles and looks over to Thex* "Call me Lucy" she said as the treadmill was at the speed where Lucy had to jog, by now her limbs were loosened up "You know Thex I have only been to Earth once in my life and that was after the Cardassian's killed my mother when I was a kid, that was when my father took me to earth and up until I signed up to the Tomcat I was living on earth" she said as she had to concentrate on her breathing.

" Okay, Lucy. I've only been to earth once myself that was during my days at the academy." The sapphire girl replied with a smile of her own as she started to increase her treadmill speed. " Feels like a lifetime ago since I was at the academy."

*nods* the treadmill, picks up speed, now Lucy was running as a steady pa e *puff* "You are the new DCEO, yes? Not met you before now, have you met the Lieutenant Colonel, yet? Or the Captain who is on sb 51 even when you have done your orientation?" Lucy asked.

" Yup I'm the new DCEO and no I've not had a chance to meet them. Smithson handled my orientation when I arrived at the station." The blue girl responded as she felt her own treadmill speeding up.

*Mind drifts off* "Ah, yes Samantha shame I am not her type" This moment of inattention made her stumble on the treadmill which began to slow down as she reached her goal "Never get distracted when on a treadmill," she said feeling her cheeks flush at her mishap. She wiped some sweat off took a drink of water and walked over to the weights, she changed the weights to the Kg she could manage and began to lift changing arms occasionally.

" If you don't mind me asking what is your type?" Thex said as she increased her speed on her treadmill.

*Pauses* Looks at Thex her head tilted to the left slightly "I have no exact type, I swing both ways!" She said deadpan and returned to her weights "Currently though after my last relationship went south I have been concentrating on my job, I am putting career before love for the moment" she added.

" A wise decision," Thex replied from the treadmill. " Had no luck with forming a quad myself. Been a playmate for a few none Andorians, but no luck with my own."

Looking up "How does an Andorian Family Unit work anyway, I heard that there is a man and wife and a third to bear the child, but you just mentioned quad, I am intrigued on this?" Lucy asked.

Thex grinned slightly as she let out a slight chuckle. " Always willing to explain given how often it confuses people. We have four genders. Thaan and Chan, roughly correspond to males and Zhen and Shen, roughly correspond to females. Thaans are bigger than Chans and usually have a more muscular body type. The Zhen and Shen's are mostly the same other than the pouch the Zhen has. " She explained

"Interesting, Andorians are usually so clandestine about their mating and family units, but it is nice to find out a little about such things, how does a species manage with four genders? Must be plenty of heated discussions that happen!" Lucy said.

" Very badly considering the population crisis. " Thex replied with a sigh. "Several hundred years ago a faulty gene became the dominant one in the Andorian population. Births have fallen from six being the average to one. The fertility window has dropped to only ten years as well. Did you ever wonder why the Andorian independence groups have genetic engineering as one of their leading issues? To start a relationship, we must first clear it with the central DNA database. So far I've not had any luck forming a quad though I've been several people's playmates." she added a grin at the last bit.

*Looking concerned* "Has any Andorian sought out interspecies relationships with such events? There must have been some over the decades and I thought the two sexes' relationships were complicated, the Andorians win hands down! What about the Aenar population, there is fresh DNA in that group?" Lucy asked.

" It's harder for Andorians to conceive with non-Andorians even with federation medical tech," Thex explained. " The Aenar are in the same boat as us. Same as the Thallassan, Thalish and Bishee. All falling numbers and less being born every year." The blue girl's antenna dropped clearly showing this weight heavily upon her shoulders. " Sorry, I must really be as the humans say bumming you out."

*tilts her head to the side* "Not really, I am finding this quite fascinating, did not know half of this, but it sounds like if something is not done soon then the Andorian species would be classed as a dying race!" Lucy said.

Thex simply nodded a look saying I know on her face. " Seven to ten generations going by the current math unless the boffins figure something out."

"Have they tried just male and female pairings like non-Andorian species?" Lucy asked, "I mean since the first rise of the sentient Andorian on Andor I assume the mating rituals have been that way, perhaps they might try a simple pairing unless that has already been tried?" She asked.

" It's slightly more complicated than that. Thaan and Chan each have half the needed chromosomes needed for reproduction. The Zhen creates the egg and holds the child for the first month before it's transferred to the Shen who carries it for the remaining period." Thex explained.

Lucy was bewildered at the complex involvement of Andorian Family Units "Wow, just wow so that would be a no then, damn and I thought we as in non-Andorians had family unit issues, compared to the Andorian Species were are Rosey!" Lucy exclaimed as she put the weights down stood up and stretched her limbs and twisted her upper torso left and right to loosen her limbs after the exercise, then she picked up her towel and bottle of water "Well Thex, I have duties to attend to, it has been a pleasure chatting with you and learning things about your people, perhaps we can do this again at some point?" She asked.

" Sounds good. I'll see you around the ship."Thex said as she turned back to her exercise. All the talk of her people's troubles reminded her that she had to remain in the best shape she could manage.

With a final smile, Lucy left the gym and headed straight for the sonic shower she had in her small quarters, as the position of Captain's Yeoman was, what it was it entitled the one with the job a luxury to an enlisted crewmember on the Tomcat, she always considered herself lucky and also aware that should she step down as Yeoman or be replaced that nice little quarters she was afforded would be gone and she would have to move into a bunk area like the rest of the enlisted crew on the Tomcat.

 

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