Diving into the Ocean - Part One

Posted on Fri Mar 6th, 2020 @ 7:58pm by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen
Edited on on Fri May 28th, 2021 @ 1:18am

Mission: Mission 63: Second Nature
Location: Various Locations - USS Tranquility
Timeline: 1800Hrs - Feburary 28th, 2392

Saki Yamaguchi smiled as she stood in the ring alongside a dozen holograms and seven others, the number of students made twenty in all from all over the battlegroup for the Martial Arts tournament for those who were destined to get their yellow belts and advance.

The instructor stood before his charges as they stood before him. "Are you ready?" he inquired.

"Yes sensai!" the twenty students all announced.

Rachael watched along with several others. Sarah and Daniel sitting next to her, both watching this alongisde their mother who wasn't their mother. "Now you guys can watch Saki in what she now considers her native turf." Rachael said with a smile.

"You almost sopund liker you don't beleive it."

"Actually I'm not sure.. Saki has only been at this for just under a month and she's ready for her yellow belt... I mean she had you calling out her drills and had me training her while she did laps around deck six for two hours at a time.." Rachael added. "Or she had Zara making her run laps of the outer ring of deck ten over on the Roanoke... or Elizabeth on the outer ring of deck eighteen.... Also Saki apparently inspired Elizabeth to return to the martial arts too... Which is shocking."

Sarah paused as another figure slid her body into a chair next to Sarah. "Hey, sorry I'm late.. have they started yet?" Captain Torilla Yamaguchi inquired. "Grandma Torilla" Sarah greeted her.

Daniel gently gave Torilla a hug as she gently picked up the young child and let him sit on her lap before she gave Sarah a hug. "Hey sweetie." Torilla smiled.

"No, they are about to start." Rachael greeted her mother.

"So.. did Saki's dedication pay off?"

"No idea... yet." and with that they watched Saki along with the other students go through The White Belt Martial Arts Challenge.

Saki easily kept up with everyone else as she went through the series of kicks, punches and combos as the instructor led his charges through the various strikes.

Soon the challenge was finished as she judges deliberated among themselves, moments later they began calling out names and Saki was called third from the first. Saki went up to the judge before she bowed to him. "You are advanced to yellow belt. Your instructor has trained you well." as he handed her the new belt she would wear.

Rachael smiled. "See... I knew she'd pass.."

"It gets easier?"

"Nope... It gets harder..." Rachael explained. "I got my blue belt a month ago.. and mom here is training for her third level black belt."

Sarah paused. "You guys make it look easy."

"Oh its anything but." Rachael explained. "Saki enjoys it but she has to keep her focus on the ball... Does she want to spend thousands of hours at this...?"

Torilla interrupted Sarah's retort. "Does Saki wish to attain mastery over her chosen art form?" she inquired. "Soon she'll be doing open handed strikes and using weapons. Soon she will need to decide on her specialty."

Rachael regarded her mother. "She did... She wants to learn a mixture of classical and modern styles.."

"Bold." Torilla smiled. "Elizabeth wanted classical and Gabe wanted modern, you were the only real exception as you two wanted both...Your dad was teaching Elizabeth and I was teaching Gabe."

Sarah smiled. "I don't think I've met your brother mom."

"Gabe will not insist you call him anything other then by name. She doesn't feel her has the right to insist you refer to him as uncle as he's never met you." Rachael explained gently to her daughter who wasn't her daughter.

"Gabe is is a third level black belt in the marital sciences now." Torilla explained. "He honestly is my finest student as he took what we had to teach him most seriously, spending time with Talon was also a great help to him as she taught a class on starbase forty five and he learned at her feet. Elizabeth... never showed the same level of dedication.. and she topped out at a blue belt.."

"Guys here comes Saki.." Sarah mentioned. Rachael stood up before she stepped out onto the large exercise area, followed by Torilla.

Saki came over. "Sensai." she addressed Torilla first before she bowed to her.

"Saki. You advanced. Congratulations on winning your Yellow belt." as she gently hugged the child before her. "You did well during the challenges..."

Rachael gave her daughter a hug. "I'm so proud of you Saki."

Saki's grin widened. "I'm ready for begin for my yellow belt training."

Torilla smiled. "We'll start tomorrow night.. You need to keep good grades at school too Saki, keeping the mind sharp as just as valuable as keeping your body sharp.. use both to outwit and outfight your enemies..."

Saki nodded. "Yes sensai."

"Do you need to do anything else here??" Rachael inquired of her daughter.

"No mom." Saki responded.

"Good." Rachael suddenly grinned. "Then we're going for lunch.. and you can decide how best to start your training for the yellow belt."

"I can't wait." Saki responded with a grin as Rachael gently picked up Daniel. "Time to go home little guy." and with that the small group departed the holodeck together.