Climbing the Wall
Posted on Fri May 12th, 2023 @ 3:01pm by Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna & Petty Officer 1st Class Kaylara Loran
Edited on on Sun May 14th, 2023 @ 12:33am
1,685 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Gym - Deck 7 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1400 hrs
Since it was shore leave and they had a little free time, Jayna and Kaylara decided to challenge each other in a wall climb. Both enjoyed walls and ropes as exercise, but they'd never done it together.
They finished their warm-ups and were ascending the wall when someone else entered.
Paisley had decided to come to the gym to get a bit of exercise-to take her mind off things. What particular things, she didn't know, but she had a LOT of things to think about. A lifetime, if you will.
"OH! I am sorry," she said, as she found out that the rock climbing and yoga area wasn't empty. "I was going to do a bit of yoga and stretch out my muscles. If you don't mind...I will try not to interrupt." She watched them climb, though. "Though this looks like way more fun!"
"You're not interrupting," Jayna assured her. "In fact, you're welcome to join in. Have you climbed the rock wall before?"
Paisley shook her head. "No. I haven't. But it looks fun." She was always interested in new things. "Is it really hard? It looks easy but then I always say that and end up upside down, juggling oranges with my feet." She replied.
"Yes," Kaylara said.
"No," Jayna countered. "It's how hard you want it to be. There's a safety rope you use as well, in case you fall. If you use a harness, you're not likely to go upside down."
Jayna descended, followed a moment later by Kaylara. "We can help, if you want to try," Jayna said.
Paisley considered a moment. She shrugged. "Why not?" It seemed safe enough. "What do I need to do?" She asked. She hoped she was dressed ok; her yoga pants and tank-top getup wasn't exactly the most protective gear.
Jayna looked her over. "You just need good shoes, which you have, a helmet, which is on the rack over there," she pointed to a rack of helmets, "and a safety rope and harness, which is also by the wall. Then you just look for good foot and hand holds."
She nodded. "Ok." Good thing she used to be a very active child and climbed just about every tree on Cardassia Prime she came across. She got suited up, and after a momentary wonder if she'd lost her damn mind, she approached the wall. Finding a foothold close to her, she pulled herself a few feet higher. It really was much like climbing a tree, only with more hand-holds. She scaled another foot or so of rocks.
Kaylara climbed up beside her. "You're doing great."
A moment later, Jayna was on her other side. "Let's see how you do getting to the top."
Paisley puffed out a breath, but nodded. "OK!!" Thankfully, she was surprisingly strong-mostly because she spent her days climbing through Jeffries tubes and hauling pieces of paneled wood around, but she LOOKED much less muscular than she was. She pulled herself up a few more feet. "What is the point of this exercise, anyway?" She asked the women.
"It strengthens your arms and legs as well as your core," Jayna said. "Especially when you move up to the advanced wall. Plus, it can be a challenge to find the right holds."
"The holodeck has more advanced climbs," Kaylara said. "It has a large selection of famous locations. You get the scenery as well as the thrill of the climb."
Paisley nodded. "I see. This is a good workout for me; I am an Engineer. Need the upper body strength." She replied. She tried to pull herself up again, but slipped a little before finding her grip. "Oops. Good thing we have the harnesses." She looked up; the wall went about twenty feet up-it'd be a good climb. She was in shape but she didn't do this kind of upper-body work often outside of her daily work.
"Most of us don't. We're in intel. There isn't much call for upper body strength on the ship, but if we don't make time here, we won't have it if we need it when we're on assignment," Kaylara said. She leaned back on her rope for a moment to plan out her next two moves.
"This works your muscles in ways that weightlifting can't," Jayna added. "This also helps with hand strength." She focused on finding the right foothold and moving herself up several inches, then reaching for another hand hold.
Paisley nodded. "I see!! That must be a fun job. I could never do it. I talk too much." She said. "Yes, that's definitely an important thing for me, as well." She firmly grabbed a handhold, and pulled herself further. Dang, she was heavy
Jayna chuckled. "No, we are generally not a talkative group. Not if it's just us, anyway. But we have to be able to talk if it's necessary." She grabbed on to a hand hold and looked for a better place for her foot before adding. "Sometimes it's good to be able to talk. I don't think I'd do well if I had to spend all day working on power relays, either."
Paisley shrugged. "That's true, it's not for everyone. I've always been pretty kinetic and liked to take stuff apart. I technically do damage control, but there's not a big call for that in peacetime," she explained. She took a breath and pulled herself up higher. "What happens when you reach the top?"
"You slide down the rope," Jayna replied, keeping her eyes on the wall above her. "Or you can climb down, if you prefer. I like to use the rope myself." It was a bit trickier here as you had to choose if you were going over an outcropping or around it.
Paisley nodded. "I see," she said. She'd almost failed the PT course at the Academy because she didn't like that. So, she might choose to climb down. She was also a little afraid of heights-yes, she knew that was weird, being an Engineer. But she couldn't help it-it was unnatural! This was a good workout, though, and she was sweating a little bit.
Kaylara laughed softly. "I know. It's a bit intimidating until you get used to it. The first few times are the worst, then it gets easier." At least it had for her. "It's a great overall workout, though."
She nodded. "For sure!! My arms are going to be screaming at me tonight!" She laughed. "Alright! I can handle it!" She pulled herself up to the last step. "Man. This is definitely much harder than my Yoga I was going to do."
Jayna nodded and touched the ceiling. "You'll feel it tomorrow, but it gets easier if you keep at it."
"Make sure you stretch out when you get down," Kaylara added. "It'll help." She jumped back and slid down the rope to the ground.
Paisley nodded. "I'll probably need an ice bath," she said, wryly. She might be half-Cardassian, but she was kind of a weenie about pain sometimes. "That's good to know." She touched the ceiling and then took a deep breath and slid down the rope, her eyes closed. It was SO dumb that she was afraid of heights, but here she was. She landed softly, and jumped off, leaving it for Kaylara.
"That was fun!! When do we do it again?"
"Whenever you want," Jayna replied, grinning. "Kaylara and I are going up again to time ourselves. You can join us, or cool down."
"When we get back, we can go somewhere for a drink," Kaylara added.
Paisley nodded. "Ok. Do you want me to time you while I stretch? I think I will skip a second round." She was ALREADY feeling the tightness in her muscles. She tapped the face of her chronometer. "I don't mind."
"Sure." Jayna checked her harness and looked at the wall. "Ready."
Kaylara also took her position four feet away. "Tell us when to go."
Paisley nodded and set the timer. "On your mark. GO!" She said.
Kaylara and Jayna set off, both focused on the wall in front of them. Each had a preferred technique. Kaylara powered her way up, choosing the most convenient hand and footholds while Jayna was more calculating about her path, looking several moves ahead. Both were a match as they climbed. They reached the top within seconds of each other. Jayna touched the ceiling first, then slid down the rope, followed by the Romulan
"Time?" Jayna asked when they both reached the mat again.
"Two minutes, three seconds for you. Two minutes, four seconds for Kaylara. Good job!" She said. "It was close and she had you beat for a moment!" Wow, playing referee was a hard job!! She stretched her long, lizard-like legs out. Thank the Gods she didn't have a tail-she didn't know how much that would've inhibited her climbing. "I'd like to do this again sometime soon!" She said.
"Let us know when and we'll be happy to join you," Jayna replied. She was bent over, stretching. "We try to do this at least once a week."
"Sure," Kaylara added. "Before long, you'll give us a run for our money." She stretched out on the floor, reaching for her toes. "Give us a couple of minutes and we can go somewhere for a drink."
"I have time for one drink," Jayna said, checking the chronometer on the wall. A juice after their workout would be nice.
Paisley just nodded. "Thank you. And so do I," she said, glancing at her chronometer. "I don't have duty today. Tomorrow, though-overnight." She made a face. Fire watch was the worst.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Intelligence Liaison, The Cure
Petty Officer First Class Kaylara Loran
Data Systems Analyst, USS Pioneer
Ensign Paisley F'rar
Damage Control Specialist, USS Pioneer
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