(Backlog) Cost of hesitation

Posted on 27 Mar 2026 @ 1:55pm by Lieutenant JG Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant Aev Flammia

866 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Arawyn’s Itchy Trigger Finger
Timeline: Before the attack

///Holodeck Three////

Ryan and Aev found an acceptable time that worked for their schedules, and booked the holodeck for defensive training. Ryan arrived with a bit of anticipation, but kept his emotions well in check. He rarely used the holodeck before. To him, it just didn't seem real enough. Even though the holodeck did an impressive job of appearing real, there was always some part of his brain that knew it wasn't.

When the holodeck doors parted with a soft hiss, Aev was already inside. He stood waiting in a suit of light Starfleet defensive armor, motionless beneath a flickering neon sign that read Get Pho’kd. The letters buzzed and crackled intermittently, casting uneven light across the slick pavement at his feet. A thin drizzle fell, beading against his armor, while a low fog rolled through the street, muting the vibrant chaos of M’Talas Prime into something quieter, more ominous.

The city, usually alive with noise and movement, felt subdued in the late gloom. Aev turned toward the entrance as the engineer stepped in, offering a small, acknowledging nod. Without a word, he gestured to a light combat suit laid out on a damp wooden bench nearby. Then he looked back out into the haze, as if already anticipating what would come next.

Ryan touched the unfamiliar garment before putting it on. There was a tension in the manufactured city, as though something was going to attack them at any time. "What are we waiting for?" he decided to risk asking quietly.

“Are you familiar with M’Talas Prime?” Aev asked, eyes moving through the glowing haze as he started down the street. The air carried a faint chemical tang—unsettling in how real it felt. “The planet is known as a haven for criminal activity. It will serve as an effective training environment.”

He stopped and glanced back at Ryan.

“The most important aspect of practical self-defense is application under stress. Forms have value, but they are secondary. In a real encounter, your opponent will not allow for precision or grace. What matters is efficiency, breaking movement down to its simplest, most functional components.”

“You do like to talk.”

Aev turned.

Two Nausicaans emerged from the fog, first as silhouettes, then resolving into armored gang members as they drew closer. One held a dagger, raised loosely, something like a grin tugging at his features. “When facing a blade,” Aev continued calmly, ignoring them as they advanced, “use the structure of your body to your advantage.” He tapped his forearms lightly. “The bone shields the softer tissue.”

He raised his hands into a defensive posture, palms angled inward. As the first Nausicaan lunged, Aev pivoted just off the line of attack. The knife flashed past as he struck the attacker’s wrist with the back of his own, redirecting the blade. “Movement is your primary defense. Small actions, small steps, small strikes, are sufficient.”

The Nausicaan stumbled forward, off balance. Aev stepped in, hooking his leg behind the attacker’s and driving his weight forward. His left hand seized the weapon arm, pinning it tight against his chest, while his right arm slipped behind the Nausicaan’s neck. With a sharp, controlled motion, he leveraged the body over his leg, forcing the opponent down while twisting the dagger free.

The Nausicaan hit the pavement hard.

Aev straightened, the weapon now in his hand. “As you can see.”

As the Nausicaan lunged towards Ryan, it occurred to the young engineer that he had no idea if Aev had program the safety on or off. He moved back as the Nausicaan lunged at him once, then twice. Ryan was quicker, but not stronger. But according to Aev, he didn't need to be.

"Stand still!" the Nausiccan snarled, this time lunging clumsily.

Ryan ducked under the blow, and saw a clear opening. But suddenly doubt entered his head as he gripped the Nausicaan's arm, and he hesitated as he didn't know what to do next. The Nausicaan quickly recovered, flipping the knife to his other hand. He twisted around, stabbing Ryan in the shoulderblade. Ryan cringed, anticipating pain.

Snap.

The sound cracked through the dim street.

The Nausicaan’s smug expression, caught in the moment of triumph after driving the blade into the engineer, froze, then slowly unraveled as its muscles slackened and its body went limp. Aev released his grip and stepped back. The body collapsed to the pavement with a heavy, convincing thud, the knife slipping from its grasp and clattering against the wet asphalt. He glanced down at the fallen hologram, its neck bent at an unnatural angle, then lifted his gaze to Ryan.

“That was a good attempt, Lieutenant,” Aev said evenly. A brief pause. “But remember one thing…hesitation is death.”

Ryan nodded. Despite the CSO's words of encouragement, he was still disappointed in himself. "I suppose you've had far more experience with this than I have," he said. "Getting out of my own headspace is something I'm trying to work on."

"Let's try it again," he said after recovering his breath

A JL by
Lieutenant Aev Flammia
Chief Secuerity Officer
USS Arawyn

And

Lieutenant (JG) Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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