Commander Ava Munro - A Purple Haze
Ava Munro
((Kerrit Dromos - City One - Rylor))
Word had gotten out and a small cluster of the crew were gathered. She had heard rumours that there had been bets placed. Ensign Garlanak had wagered their entire collection of vintage Captain Proton action figurines.
The stakes were high.
Stood across from her was her opponent. The doctor who was gradually becoming a friend. Someone she was glad to see had survived Callis and it's torment.
Munro: :: deadpan :: Bancroft.
Bancroft: ::steely eyes:: Commander.
Did the sun catch his eye or was he trying to stare her out? She placed her hands on her hips and shifted to convey how unbothered she was.
Bancroft: Issuing the challenge months ago and collecting on it without warning is an exceptionally effective strategy. I’m very impressed.
Looks to the crew. She could hear whispered chatter behind her. Some cheers and calls of support.
Munro: You can forfeit if you like? I'm not sure your dignity would remain intact but it's an option. If you're not ready?
Bancroft: I appreciate the concern, Commander. ::beat:: I assure you my dignity has survived far worse than five kilometers.
Munro: We’ll see, Roy. :: emphasis on each word :: We shall see.
A voice from the small crowd called out: “Alright – runners ready!”
They both stepped to the starting baseline, Ava got some last minute stretches in and shook out her arms and then her legs. Roy stepped beside her, she gave him a confident smile that told him:
I won't take it easy on you.
Dont let me down.
As she looked forwards towards the track, her mind drifted back through the years to her days in the academy track team. The heart began to beat, just like it did then, and the desire to win settled on her as she began to get into her starting position. Her body moved automatically, years of fine tuning. She knew her strategy, and most of all she thought she knew Roy’s weakness.
Pressure. And she would apply lots of it, right out of the gate. He had no idea that the race had started from the moment she hit her combadge. After all, an officer should always be prepared and hadnt she made that clear to him after all these months.
“Three!”
She was focused. Her breathing controlled.
“Two!”
Munro shifted her runner’s stance slightly, adjusting her weight..
“One!”
A beat of perfect stillness.
“Go!”
She burst, accelerating her pace at a breakneck speed. It was a strategic movement to catch Roy off-guard and apply pressure. It appeared to work.
Munro: Come on, Roy! I expect a challenge!
She wanted him to fight to catch up, exert energy and tap into the reserves. Except he slowed down, she glanced backwards at the 500 meter mark and he looked heavy. Like his legs were giving out on him. She kept on going, not foregoing her own pace, incase it was some kind of strange tactic. If so, the doctor had misjudged her.
She went smoothly around the curve of the track, her breathing in line with her pace. She felt comfortable. She allowed herself to stay in a comfortable pace as she neared the 1km marker, several crewmen called out support for her and Roy.
She looked backwards and Roy was picking up some pace again, the gap between them narrowed somewhat and then …
A purple haze leapt over a fence. A furred animal, she recognised instantly. A Rylorian sabrecat. It was the native species, incredibly playful and adorable. It leapt towards Roy, bounding along with joyful leaps. It must have thought he was playing along with it. It cries of playful joy filled the entire arena.
Ava let out a laugh as she turned the next corner and began to come up on the 2km marker.
Any: Response
Tags/TBC
