Two men walk into a gym (Cole/Jettis)

[Cole Shepard]

[Gymnasium - Deck Three]

Cole was loving life aboard the Challenger. He hadn't been aboard long but life was good. He worked on Deck One, lived on Deck Two and had discovered the gymnasium on Deck Three. He found himself spending quite a bit of his down time there practicing his martial arts. Today however, he was rather distracted. There was another officer in the gym. Cole had seen him around but hadn't had a chance to interact with him. And the guy was practicing his fencing. Cole had never tried it himself but he found it sort of mesmerizing. The way the guy moved and worked the foil was like a dance. Cole halted his own workout and walked over to watch.

[Jettis Jyur]

 [ USS Challenger - Gymnasium - Deck Three ]

One, two, three, four, one, two, one, one...

Jettis' mind absently rolled through the numbers as he practiced his drills. Advances, crossovers, lunges, as he wielded his foil. Typically he would hop into a holodeck to practice against the AI - or he would practice with his daughter, Theresa. But today, he was simply running through the motions. He was far out of practice - moving ship every few months and being swamped with paperwork tended to do that. Most of his training had fallen to the wayside, martial arts and sports alike, so this was an effort to get himself back into some semblance of workability.

A few lunges had him at the limit of his mat, as he swung the foil quickly for a mock attack. His balestra sent him slightly out of bounds - perhaps imperceptible to someone inexperienced, but enough for him to straighten with a growl, pulling his mask up. Turning, he realized that the man who had been working out had stopped and was now watching him. Blowing out a short breath, Jettis hoped he was not a fencer as well.

"Hello!" he called out first, he annoyance at himself giving away to a welcoming grin. "Sorry, I hope I'm not distracting you." Setting down his mask and foil, he approached the man. "Jettis Jyur, science division, I don't believe we've met." His eyes scanned the man for a moment. Human, he assumed, so he stuck his hand out for a shake. "You fence?"

[Cole Shepard]

Cole pushed himself off the wall as the other man approached and introduced himself with his hand outstretched.

Science. That's where he knew him from. Seen him on the Bridge several times.

"Cole Shepard. Helm." Cole replied as he accepted the other guys hand. "And no. You didn't distract me. And I hope I didn't distract you. Oh. And also a no, I don't fence myself. Just dated a girl once back at the Academy that was on the Fencing Team. I'd go to her tournaments and such but hey, the things you do to be with a girl, right?"

Cole realized he was rambling and tried to catch himself.

"I have to tell you though, no one I ever watched had your skills. How long have you been doing it?" he asked.

[Jettis Jyur]

[ USS Challenger - Gymnasium, Floor 3 ]

"Ah, no, you didn't distract me," he assured the man with a laugh. "I'm just a tad out of practice. Been mainly traveling for a couple of years, so I haven't had the time to keep up with many if my arts." He explained ruefully, brows knitting together.

At Cole's explanation on his introduction to fencing, Jettis laughed. " Don't I know it. But if going to a couple of fencing tournaments is the craziest thing you did, I think you're alright. Did the dates end up going well at least?" He snickered at the thought. It sounded like something he would have done, so he couldn't laugh too hard.

"I began with fencing when I was a child, but dropped it for quite some time after getting into Starfleet. I only picked it back up for my daughter's sake. I did compete for about twenty years or so, though?"  He ran a hand through his fingers, mulling over the question. " Gods only know how long it's been since I started learning, though. 220 years?"

[Cole Shepard]

[Gymnasium - Deck Three]

Cole allowed a grin to spread across his face as he thought back to his time with Alissa and he was about to answer the question he had been asked but suddenly he was stumped by the number he had heard.

"Did you say 220?" he asked in disbelief. He took a closer look at the man before him and would swear he was Human. "Not fully Human?" he inquired.

[Jettis Jyur]

"Not really human at all." came the equally baffling answer. "Well, I suppose a bit on my father's side. Mostly El-Aurian." He was unsure how familiar the average person was with his race, it wasn't very often a starfleet officer would encounter one after all. Or at least have it revealed to them that they weren't human. It often only came up when asking about ages and dates, that he ever mentioned it.

"I understand the confusion though, the German accent tends to throw people off." He shrugged a bit. "I mainly lived on earth for twenty or thirty years as a kid, and another ten or so later, so I still haven't shaken the accent."

[Cole Shepard]

"Ahh. That does explain it then." Cole answered with a nod.

He'd never met an El-Aurian before but he had heard about them. He and a few others had had a debate one night over the perks and downfall of the species.

"So if I may ask, with all that you've seen, what made you pick Starfleet?"

[Jettis Jyur]

Jettis paused, giving thought to the question. Though he was sure Cole only asked it flippantly, expecting a stereotypical response perhaps. I wanted to be a hero, I wanted to be a scientist that makes an impact, I wanted to help save lives. Truthfully, none of those were his motivation. And now, with so much time having passed since his he had started the Academy and joined Starfleet, he wasn't sure his motivation was truly relevant to him anymore.

Biting his lip, his brow furrowed for a moment. His cadence was a bit more hesitant, as if he was unsure of his own words. "I never really had plans to join Starfleet... My mother was an officer, so as a child I had been on Starships here and there, but spent most of my time on Earth. My mother never really wanted three children on a dangerous mission, understandably." He paused for a moment, considering how to continue from there. He didn't particularly want to delve into his deepest darkest secrets or talk for longer than was needed.  "I took off to space for quite some time, but came back for my daughter and girlfriend of the time. But, there was just something about travel - about space that I prefer. So, I figured that Starfleet might be a safer, more legal way to be a vagabond. Exploration and being able to help others." He chuckled, deciding to simply avoid the rest of that story for the moment.

"What of you? What made you think Starfleet was the way to go?"

[Cole Shepard]

Cole didn't hesitate. He had answered this question a hundred times over.

"Like you, I had a parent in Starfleet. My father would come home and tell us about all the adventures he had and it was just something I wanted to do. My mom was none to happy with it but she was supportive."

[Jettis Jyur]

Jettis nodded his head to the man, acknowledging his similar story. For him, it had been reversed- his mother was a thrillseeker and loved the adventure. His father wanted to settle and hated them being aboard the starship. "I don't blame you," he murmured. "Does your father still serve?"

[Cole Shepard]

"No. He retired after thirty five years and finally settled down with my mom." Cole said. "She said that there are some days that she just thankful and happy have him home and then there are some where she just wishes he was back out there." he added with a soft laugh as he imagined his father doing something on purpose to get on his wife's nerves.

[Jettis Jyur]

Jettis nodded absently at the man's words. "I'm sure, regardless of the relationship it's always an adjustment for someone to return after being gone so long." And so far, he added silently. The distance somehow made the loneliness greater. "But it is nice they decided to spend the rest of their lives together. Though I'm sure he misses the service, not many officers get the luxury of that."

It was a blessing Jettis no longer took for granted. He never so much as thought twice about the danger when he was younger. But since taking on the responsibility he should have accepted from the beginning - Theresa - his perception had shifted. His several brushes with death as a science officer completely rattled him to his core. Theresa's even moreso. Now, he took each and every day as it came, good or bad, and he genuinely felt happier because of it.

"Well, if ever you want to learn how to fence, or perhaps some sparring, you know where to find me. I saw you practicing, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what discipline you are? Karate? Kickboxing?"

[Cole Shepard]

Cole smiled at the memory of the last time he saw his parents together just before leaving for Starfleet Academy. They looked so happy together and it made him wish, not for the first time, that he could some day find that for himself.

"Boxing, Taekwondo and Jujutsu. I began training at a very early age." Cole said. "But that fencing looks pretty cool. I wouldn't mind giving it a try if you have the time."