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for several minutes and then did breathing exercises for a few
more. When she jogged in place and shook her arms out, Mikael was appreciative
of the sight of her lithe body. But when Mahoney began to move, her arms
snapping and feet lifting to kick above her head, he was mesmerized. Her
movements were fluid, controlled, and deadly. She seemed to have disappeared
into a world of her own as she changed styles to a new one that was similar,
but different to the snake fighting he had watched earlier.
    “Which one is this?” he asked Jessica, who was still
standing at his side watching with him.
    Jessica studied her for a few more moments, before she
answered, “This one is called white crane Kung Fu. It’s similar to the snake,
but if you watch closely, you can tell the difference. Look at her hands when
she punches. Do you see how her five fingers come together at a point? That is
to simulate a bird’s beak. When she is doing the snake, her thumb nestles
between her middle finger and ring finger to form a snake’s head.” She showed
him her own hand as an example. “I’ve been to a few of her matches, so I’ve
gotten pretty good at telling them apart,” she added to her explanation.
    He nodded thoughtfully, too absorbed in her graceful
movements to take his eyes away from her. He wasn’t the only one, either.
Slowly, one by one, the warriors dropped all pretense of ignoring her and
instead crowded closer to watch her curiously. Mahoney didn’t even notice. She
was so focused on her training that she didn’t realize she had become the
center of attention.
    Their murmurs and hushed questions started out as a low
background music to the sounds of Mahoney’s breathy exhales and the sounds of
her feet hitting the floor. The chatter soon swelled until Mikael could hear
their exclamations. “What new training is this?” and “How does she move so
quickly?” and still others watched her movements with lust in their eyes.
    Finally, one brave warrior raised his voice above the
others. “Commander, what is this woman doing on the training floor?”
    Mahoney executed one last roundhouse kick before she came to
rest to face the crowd. Mikael answered, “Katsuko Mahoney is a trained warrior
on her home world. I have invited her to participate in our exercises. If you
watch her closely, you may even learn something.” His tone was light, but not
teasing.
    The brave warrior stepped forward, his skin coated with
sweat and veins pulsing on his arms. “What could we learn from a female this
small? Her odd dancing would be no match against the strength of a T’Kalan
warrior.”
    Mahoney rounded her body to face the speaker. He was big,
maybe 6’3”, and full of the confident swagger that made her itch for a fight.
“I think I just found my first sparring partner,” she announced, a feral smile
tipping up her lips. Looking to Mikael, she asked, “Do you have any boxing tape
or fist wraps?”
    Mikael couldn’t hide his excitement and pride as he directed
Jessica over to the replicator with whispered instructions. A few moments
later, she raced across the floor to place a small bundle in Mahoney’s hands.
With practiced efficiency, she wound the flexible material around her hands
until she was satisfied with the results and then tossed the roll back over to
her friend.
    The warrior appealed to his superior. “Commander, I do not
wish to harm your female. You know how we train. If I were to inadvertently
hurt her, it could go badly for both of us.”
    Mikael’s jaw clenched, but he replied, “Katsuko will not
pull her punches, so I do not expect you to do so, either. If she gets hurt,
there will be no disciplinary repercussions. Do not hold back. That is an
order, warrior.”
    Mahoney flashed him a dazzling smile full of gratitude. She
was humbled by his faith in her fighting skills. Turning back to the hulking
warrior, she promised, “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll go easy on you.”
    As they began to face off with