The View From the Other Side (Part Two)

Posted on Thu Oct 29th, 2009 @ 12:50am by Lieutenant JG Drew O'Connell

602 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: Arboretum, Deck Four
Timeline: Current

Ian gritted his teeth as he ran across his field of play. Using his ion mallet as a plow before him, he changed the other player's squares to those of his own team. Reaching mid-field on the opposition's side, Ian felt a moment of triumph until Tolin slammed into him, knocking him to the edge of his square and nearly into the empty field below. Grabbing the edge, Ian held fast to the three by three square while trying to regain his senses. The taste of his own blood erupted from a wound in his mouth and he glared at the Vulcan as he continued on to Ian's team's squares.

Gathering his wits, Markus screaming in the background about defending their property, Ian thrust himself up. With a clear field before him, all his opposition team's players underestimating his skills, Ian decided to help defend his team rather than press forward. Retreating along his previous steps, his ion mallet used as a plow, Ian turned his squares back for his team. Nearing Tolin, the Vulcan spun and plowed him with his mallet, sending Ian sprawling again.

Now Ian had grown angry. Sitting upright, he shook his head and locked his eyes on the Vulcan. Standing in his place, Ian wound the mallet around him, coming in closer and closer circles before heaving it off. The mallet struck its mark, sending the Vulcan off the game board and onto the ground below. Ian had effectively taken out his nemesis.

With four short hops across the other team's squares, Ian came to the place where his mallet hit Tolin and retrieved the device. With the mallet before him again, Ian pushed forward, dodging other players and making impressive headway into their territory. As he reached the goal line, he realized he was missing the only thing he needed to win. Turning, he spotted the ion ball in Markus' hands. Raising his mallet in the air, Ian screamed, "Over here."

Markus turned at the sound and smiled as he saw Ian standing there, open. He hefted his mallet and heaved the ball at the younger boy. It soared through the air and would have made its mark except that Davis plowed into him before the ball reached its mark, sending the sixteen year old skidding across the field. When he hit the last square, one of his opponent's, he slipped through, falling. He could have saved himself from greater damages except that his momentum carried him farther beyond the field and he hit the next square.

Like a flame alight in his leg, pain burned through his lower right leg and he was certain he heard a snap. Hitting the ground with a heavy thud, Ian rolled himself over, catching his breath as he examined his leg. Rolling up the pant leg of his suit, a painful task in and of itself due to the fact that the uniform cling to him tightly. On either side of his leg, Ian could see an unusual swelling start to develop and realized he had broken something. Balling up his fist, he hit the ground beside him.

Markus stopped the game, having seen the hit and fall. Running down the ramp, he asked, "You okay?"

Tolin, his Parrises nemesis, also came across to him. Kneeling beside Ian, he looked over the leg and announced, "He's broken his leg. Fortunately, he is otherwise undamaged."

With a heavy sigh, Markus grabbed his commbadge off the sidelines bench. Tapping it, he announced, "Medical emergency in the arboretum."

'Great,' Ian thought. Drew is going to kill me.

 

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