Federation Starship U.S.S. Discovery (NCC-91301), 1830 hours, Gymnasium #2

Lt. Karalle M'Rerra let out a loud huff from exertion, unleashing one last high kick before leaving her heavy bag behind and striding over to the bench. Her parched mouth sang in relief as she took in a cooling swig of water from her bottle before sitting down on the bench. The immense heat from her workout escaped in short, staccato spurts through her open mouth, her mind heightened by the endorphins that now swam freely throughout her bloodstream. A feeling of contentment began to seep through her being as she basked in the glow of a workout gone right.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted and her attention drawn back ahead of her as a cry of effort followed by the pop of a fist against a heavy bag rang out throughout the gymnasium. M'Rerra's ears pricked up to attention as she looked up and her eyes went wide in suprise at the sight before her. A lanky, thin human, tall for his species at 6'0", yet still nearly a foot shorter than her, let out a flurry of jabs against the bag before delivering a powerful kick directly in the middle of the Starfleet logo that adorned the middle of the vinyl training apparatus. M'Rerra's eyes narrowed and a grin formed on her face as she marveled at the ferocity of the assault. The human poured more and more effort and raw fury into his attack, shifting back to a jab before shouting a the top of his lungs with a high kick to the top of the bag.

M'Rerra's heart began to swell and her eyes became transfixed at the sight of her mate giving his all to the workout. Though she had never doubted his committment to his position as Captain of a federation starship, she knew well that at heart, he was a scientist, an instrument of intellect, not necessarily brawn. He lacked the sheer muscle mass, raw power and brute strength she had worked so hard to build, yet his agility and precision seemed to make up for it. Though she was loathe to admit it, their relationship was not without its pitfalls due in no small part to her sometimes pushy and aggressive personality.

Still, it made her heart feel full to see how right she had been in letting him into her world and she into his. He had shown her the benefits of slowing the pace of her life down every once in a while, and had been surprised and delighted in how it had only made her stronger as a person. Mark, for his part, had put in a great deal more time into his physical development and had truly begun to look and act the part of a confident, Starfleet Captain, a fact that aroused her to no end. Though she had never regretted taking him as her mate, and she would have accepted him regardless of his choices, she could not help but beam with pride at how he had taken the initiative to become the kind of man he wanted to be.

"Hmrrrrrgghh, pretty impressive, skipper," M'Rerra growled from across the room, catching Mark's attention as he delivered a final kick.

"Care for a sparring partner?" She asked, standing up off the bench and motioning towards the boxing ring that lay at the other end of the gym.

"You're kidding, right?" Mark asked in mock-annoyance.

"You want to get better, right? Sometimes you've gotta punch above your weight. Don't worry, I'll go easy."

Mark rolled his eyes, steading the bag with his hands and striding down to meet the tall Caitian.

"Well-well, you sound confident. You don't think I can take you?" Mark teased.

"Uh...no." M'Rerra said flatly.

"But, I am proud of the work you've been putting in lately. You're setting a perfect example for the crew, skipper."

The tall Caitian leaned down, craning her neck over to the side of Mark's head as she shivered against the puffs of hot breath that assaulted his ear.

"It's turning me on..." she growled just loud enough that only he could hear.

M'Rerra began to feel a flash of warmth building between her thighs as she took a whiff of the pheromones that were radiating from mark's sweat-drenched body.

Mark seemed to hesitate for a moment before a confident grin formed on his face and he brought his hand to M'Rerra's back, steering her towards the ring.

"Ok, but if I wind up in sick bay again, it's your turn to explain to Dr. Ngeny..."

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Fantastic rendering of my Caitian security lady by the wonderful  Heathenfang Had been meaning to commission this artist for a long time and the result is absolutely spectacular.

M'Rerra:  Sunstreak091
Art:  Heathenfang