It's all about the Muscle Memory
Posted on Sun Jul 21st, 2019 @ 2:24pm by Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Sun Jul 21st, 2019 @ 2:25pm
1,485 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 7 - Home Again
Location: Sparring room 3, Deck 5
Timeline: MD006 2000 hrs
Neil led the runners down a corridor, pausing only briefly to duck through the hatch into the mat room. He turned, jogging backwards as the runners, each dressed in black t-shirts with the Marine logo in gold, utility cargos and running shoes.
“And stop,” he called out. “Catch your breath, grab some water and take five. Then we’ll transition to some actual hand to hand.”
They’d did two laps of Deck 5 just to get loosened up. With the early hour, the Pioneer’s corridors had been empty. Prior to the run, they’d went through some basic katas to warm up as he watched and guided the basic strikes and kicking drills, helping to perfect their form.
Neil helped himself to a canteen, then after five minutes called out. "Alright, today we're working on basic striking drills and building stamina amidst the chaos of a fight. To that end..." Neil made a few adjustments to a control panel. Five striking posts arose from the floor. Each wrapped in black padding approximately three meters across and a meter and a half apart.
Enya was catching her breath, marines could really run. She was struggling to keep up with them. But some how she was able too. she looked to Neil, but remained quiet for the moment. Enya wondered what the Gunny, was going to have them to do?
Ameri knew it was going to be work, but she had a new respect for the marines. She took a moment to catch her breath, grateful that Quinn had suggested she up her exercise program. She wondered how long it took for this to be a walk in the park.
Neil stepped into the middle of the sparring star and said, "We will run the following drill, striking dummies as they become threats and we will do this for a minute, with a minute break between." He took up a ready stance and gestured them in near the dummies.
"Like this. Computer, Sparring exercise Marine Foxtrot One. The enemy is blue. Random strobe pattern." The lights around the sparring star dimmed, leaving the circle bathed in light and abruptly a blue halo appeared around the top of the dummy to Neil's left. He ran at it, striking with an elbow and knee, the halo dropped and reappeared on the dummy behind him.
Over the next minute, Neil sprinted between the dummies like a pinball until a buzzer sounded. Neil stopped as the lights came up, his t-shirt sweat marked and he grinned. "So, who's next?"
“You make it look so easy,” Ameri replied. “What happens if I miss, a jolt of electricity?”
"That looks dangerous!" Enya said, in fear. She knew Marines were tough. But that was impressive.
Neil's smile spread wide at Ameri's question, "That's not a bad idea, but no. Nothing like that if you miss. The thing is you have to keep moving. You can't stop."
Then to Enya he said, "It shouldn't be overly dangerous, Enya. The worst is you could trip and the deck is padded. Fighting is dangerous. This drill is to show you how tiring it can be. There are different mad minutes and this is an example of that. You run as hard as you can at your opponents, deliver a strike however you want and then chase the color to the next opponent."
He chuckled finally, "I don't know about impressive, but we run these drills fairly often. it's a good reminder to stay in shape. Plus it's fun!"
“I’ll go first,” Ameri said. She walked into the sparring star and waited for Tremble to start the program. When the first blue dummy appeared she had attacked it, thinking this waan’t so hard. From there it went down hill. She didn’t completlely fail but she missed some and it left her feeling disappointed. She looked at Tremble when it was done. “I’m not giving up, I will be better next time.”
Neil nodded. "Not bad for a first go. However, focus on your strikes. Not the race. You shouldn't be missing the strike. I want solid blows on those dummies, then chase the light. If you don't hit with a solid strike, you're leaving an enemy behind you." He patted her on the shoulder then turned to Enya. "Alright recruit. You're on deck."
"Aye sir." Enya said, she did not like being called a recruit. Enya moved to the center of the floor, standing really close to Neil. She was not sure what to expect from this. But she was ready as she was going to be. She looked to Neil, to see what to do next.
"Alright, Three. As the dummy's light up, you run to them and strike as hard as you can.Two. Then, as the light moves to another, you chase it and repeat. One...GO! Neil barked, the lights fading around the training star once again, leaving Enya center stage.
Enya wondered how to strike the target. "Where do I strike sir?" She asked, a little confused. She was not a marine, a veteran combat warrior. She was a little girl.
Neil closed his eyes for a moment then said, "Computer, freeze program."
Then he opened his eyes and looked at Enya, "Weren't you watching me or your mother, Enya? Or listening as I went through the instructions? When the timer goes off, you're in the center of the star. As each of the striking dummies light up with the halo, you run and hit that one. The halo will jump to another and you run after and hit that one. You're going to have to pay attention."
He gave that a moment to sink in, then asked "Have you got that? Or would you like me to go through it again?"
"Got it sir, lets do this." She said, as she started to strike the dummy. The intensity, was more than she thought it was going to be. That surprised her a lot. She liked it.
"Right, on your mark," Neil said, giving her a bit of a starter push into the center of the ring and then said, "GO! Get em!"
Again the lights dimmed and a dummy to her left highlighted with a halo."
Enya swung again, and and again. The adrenaline was starting to get to her. This was not so bad, she thought to herself. After a short time though, it was getting physically tiring.
Neil saw Enya starting to slow and he yelled out, "Don't slow down. Forty five seconds left!" The timer only showed thirty, but...no use having the kid think this was almost over.
Enya kept pushing her way through the fatigue, she was starting to feel. She did not realize that she was suffering a little from fatigue. She just assumed she was tired. She used Neil's motivation, to push herself through.
The buzzer went off, catching Enya mid stride as she turned away from the last strike. "Good job, Enya," he called out, beckoning her to join him.
Then he turned and smiled to Ameri, "You're all rested now? Good, your turn again!"
“I’m ready this time,” she declared, remembering what he said. This wasn’t about a race but to be accurate. She stepped in and this time concentrated on the dummies only. Ameri picked up one to the right and nailed it. One appeared to her left. She continued to go after them, at one point feeling like she was too tired to go on but at the end, she had missed only one. She frowned. “That was one too many.”
"You know Ameri, I really like your shocking idea...." Neil said thoughtfully.
"That was awesome Mommy." Enya said, thinking her mom was a natural at this. She hoped Uncle was impressed with her as well. Enya was so proud of her.
Ameri smiled back. “I thought I was going to collapse but then I realized this is about pushing myself. “ She was so excited, she couldn’t wait to tell Quinn.
Neil nodded approvingly to them both. "It's your call. You've both done well with the run and now the Star drill. We can pack it in or you can each take another turn."
“I am good, Sir,” Ameri replies. She looked over to Enya.
Enya just smiled, a little tired and a little sore she said. "Me too sir, I am good." She was ready to soak in a holographic hot tube.
A joint post by;
First Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ameri Ó Flannagáin
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Enya Ó Flannagáin
Child, USS Pioneer
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