<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/32/OdedFehr.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Commander Kar'tak Timor Vanzell, First Officer (http://elliquiy.com/wiki/Kar%27tak_Timor_Vanzell)<br/><br/><strong>Location:</strong>Holodeck<br/><br/><strong>Time:</strong>Star date 41056, 0630 hrs<br/><br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Lieutenant Arden Beyett, Chief of Security<br/><br/><hr/><div style="text-align: justify;"><br/>Kar'tak inclined his head slightly towards Arden in response to the compliment as the half-klingon turned in place, watching Arden like a hawk. "That one I learned from my father," he said, his voice deep and steady. "He began teaching me at an early age. He rarely showed mercy, and never showed sympathy," he said, his arms moving slowly as he assumed another stance about the same time Arden set himself into a stance of his own.<br/><br/>Commander Kar'tak wore a black gi, while his sparring partner, Lieutenant Beyett, wore an off-white one. Kar'tak did not mind at all wearing the 'traditional bad guy' colors, and in fact relished it. And though this was not their first time sparring, Kar'tak was pleased that there always seemed to be something new to learn from the security chief. <br/><br/>Arden came in fast, using his superior speed to his advantage. Kar'tak blocked, counter-attacked, only to be countered by Arden, ending the block with a counter-attack of his own, landing a solid, flat-hand punch to Kar'tak's sternum with enough force to push him back a step - no easy feat, given Kar'tak's slight size and weight advantage.<br/><br/>"Excellent strike," Kar'tak said, coming out of his stance to pace off to one side - though never taking his eyes from his opponent. "I appreciate how you mix in standard Starfleet techniques with various maneuvers from the Vulcan <em>Suus Mahna</em> style. It's very unpredictable. When facing an unknown foe, they would likely never suspect it.... until it was too late," he said, paying the man a compliment of his own.<br/><br/>Kar'tak rolled his head in a few circles, loosening up his neck further as he contemplated Arden's question.<br/><br/>"So far, fifty six days into our mission, I find the ship and its crew to be exceptional," he said. "The ship of course, is one of Star Fleet's newest, and all the reports I've read from each department seem to praise its functionality and quality quite frequently."<br/><br/>Kar'tak stretched his arms to either side of his body for a moment, then returned to his spot on the mat facing Arden.<br/><br/>"The captain is quite efficient, and is quick to adapt. She's also very intelligent - though I do not think they -<em>make</em>- unintelligent vulcans," he said. He knew she was half-vulcan, but her manner seemed to slant more towards the vulcan mindset, so that was what Kar'tak considered her to be. <br/><br/>Kar'tak suddenly came in, two jabs in a row, one to the left side of Arden's face, the second to his other side - but Arden deftly dodged both, leaning first one way, then the next - Kar'tak's fist missing him by a scant inch or so. Sleeves snapped, bare feet slid with soft sounds across the mat. Arden countered, but Kar'tak was ready this time - and a moment later they were separated again, neither having scored a blow.<br/><br/>"Ashley... the Chief Engineer... concerns me at times," he continued, not using her rank. "I am not sure how durable a 'hologram' engineer will be, but I suppose only time will tell. She seems quite capable so far, though, and has made slight adjustments to increase warp core performance by almost two percent. I know many engineers at Starfleet who would likely enjoy a closer look at her programming," he said, circling slowly to the right, his eyes and Arden's never leaving one another.<br/><br/>"Lieutenant Loni is quite intriguing," he admitted, turning his body a one-eighty suddenly to face the other way as he also began to circle in the other direction, his hands still up in a defensive posture. "Trill are an interesting species. Two beings in one. All that knowledge passed down from generation to generation, but to be a host and to give yourself over... it is a very interesting dilemma. But the lieutenant is an excellent doctor, and has performed above expectations."<br/><br/>"Commander Rei is to plant life what Ashley is to engineering. She is incredibly intelligent, observant... and of course, she's betazoid. I believe she is working on some important botanical research, so she is kept fairly busy from what I understand," Kar'tak said. He paused for a moment before continuing. "She is also quite pleasing to the eye." Commander Rei was the same rank as him, so he did not feel uncomfortable paying her a personal compliment - even though she was not present. <br/><br/>"Lieutenant Calhoun comes highly recommended, and so far has surpassed all levels of expected efficiency. There were some... concerns... from her previous duty post as you probably know, but so far here on this ship, she has been a model officer, as far as I am aware, and the captain has spoken highly of her," he said. Kar'tak was not overly worried about speaking to Arden so openly - Arden was the chief of security and likely knew all of these details anyway.<br/><br/>Again Kar'tak moved in, and Arden was ready for him. Punch, block, elbow - block again, foot-sweep, leap, arm-bar to attempt a throw - but a quick escape maneuver had them parting again, each of them breathing a bit heavier now, neither of them scoring another blow.<br/><br/>"And then there is <em>you</em>, Lieutenant Beyett. A spotless record, your first leadership position, an impressive list of vessels you've served on, but none quite like the Artemis," Kar'tak said with a faint hint of a smile. "So, I have to wonder, since you are the chief of Security... can you handle the pressure?" he asked, and then immediately he relaxed for a moment, standing upright - then called out loud with his deep voice.<br/><br/>"<em>vIq jav muH De'wI'</em>!"<br/><br/>The dojo remained, but suddenly there materialized six new figures around them - each of them a sturdy-looking klingon warrior, complete with the death-glare that klingons are known for as they eyed Kar'tak and Arden respectively. Each of the klingons lowered their bodies into aggressive stances, forming a circle around the two Starfleet officers  in preparation for attack.<br/><br/>Kar'tak took a step closer to Arden, then turned his back to the security chief so that they might fight back-to-back as the six klingons roared their challenges - and charged.</div>