Author's Note: It's been alluded to and anticipated, teased, and trained for. Now here it is:
The Annual Enterprise Sparring Competition.
Ever since the episode we despise (Skin of Evil) I've wondered what that event would look like.
Don't panic – this is *not* Skin of Evil.
This chapter is 100%, complete, unabashed fun. There isn't even any relationship drama – it's all fluff and fun here!
It's mostly Worf & Tasha friendship in this update. The next chapter Keep the Home Fires Burning feature a Data & Geordi buddy instalment.
-X-
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Tasha's palms were sweaty. In fact, she was intimately aware of how uncomfortably wet her hairline felt from the grime that had accumulated there.
The intensity of round after round had left her feeling numb. It was a strange sensation to be simultaneously so thrilled that she struggled to focus and yet utterly knackered.
Perspiration clung to every inch of her skin as she danced around the ring.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see.
Tasha dodged, ducking just in time to avoid a left jab.
Not that there had been much power behind such a strike.
These weren't blows meant to deal damage, they were probing, exploratory – testing the waters.
After ten gruelling hours of competition it boiled down to this. For most of the audience in attendance, this finale championship sparring match was a far cry from the excitement they had hoped for.
It was nearly a stalemate as the two flitted about the ring.
Tasha was too quick for her opponent. He couldn't land a powerful enough blow on her. Yet, Tasha's speed came at the cost of being in a much lighter weight class – not that such things mattered as much for this tournament.
She technically had the capability to land a blow. But her opponent was far to big for her efforts to have much of an impact.
No, she had to wear him down first. So Tasha was like a snake in the tall grass, just waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Lieutenant Di'oma had been the threat no one had seen coming.
Half-Orion, half-Vulcan, Di'oma's entry hadn't garnered much fanfare. He was a Science officer that occasionally served as a member of the Bridge crew during Night Watch.
Though Tasha had seen him at the fitness centre many times, Di'oma mostly kept to himself.
No one had known he was training for the competition. They had no inkling that he was an expert in Orion backhold wrestling and had spent several years on Earth studying Japanese swordsmanship and judo.
Lieutenant Hawk – widely regarded as one of the best competitors – had been flattened by Di'oma in the first two minutes of the opening round.
Most of the spectators had chalked this up to nothing more than a fluke.
Then Lieutenant Graham had gone down in an equally impressive manner followed by a quick KO against Ensign Francis.
Bets had begun to change hands after that.
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The Complication
Fanfiction"Am I the 'complication'?" Data asked. Following the events on Ligon II, Data struggles to reconcile the discrepancies between Tasha's verbal and nonverbal communication. Furthermore, his attempts to better understand what's happening lead to him fr...
