The Bellerophon’s gym was a large room that was currently alive and buzzing with the quiet discipline of Starfleet officers maintaining their peak physical fitness. Though some of the workout equipment was holographic-based, it still had the same faint smell of disinfectant from the ship’s environmental control systems mixed in with the crew’s hard effort. Bright overhead lighting illuminated the polished deck, bouncing off the metallic machines and rubberised flooring. 

Chief Flight Control Officer, Lieutenant Ryan Chambers, was a daily visitor to the ship’s gym. Once, in the morning, before breakfast, and once when he came off duty. The pilot was dedicated to staying in shape. Hailing from Terra Nova, he and his brothers motivated each other to excel in fitness through various hikes and climbs in the many hilly ranges surrounding their parents’ home. Even when he was at the academy, Chambers was at the top of his class for any fitness or physical activity.

Grunting as he pressed a pair of heavy dumbbells into the air, beads of sweat dripping down his temples and neck, Chambers was working hard to push past any discomfort. His sleeveless black Starfleet tank top clung tightly to his broad chest and defined shoulders, the delta insignia barely visible through the damp fabric. Black training shorts fell just above the knee, showing off muscular legs hardened by years of physical training. A set of matte-grey running shoes completed the look, their soles thudding softly against the padded floor as he exhaled through another rep.

Every muscle in his arms and chest flexed with precision, his jaw clenched with concentration. This was his sanctuary. His time to reset, to focus on something instead of astronavigation problems. But even in the corner of his eye, he couldn’t help but notice that one particular presence in the room wasn’t following the program.

“Jonny,” Chambers called, voice raised over the clatter of dropped weights nearby, “are you planning to actually train today, or just sit there burning calories with your brain again?”

Sitting on a nearby bench, completely unbothered by the room’s purpose, was Lieutenant Jonarom. The younger Ardanan officer looked far more relaxed than his companion, dressed in a snug Starfleet-issue navy-blue compression shirt and matching workout tights beneath a pair of grey athletic shorts. A towel was draped over his shoulders, untouched, and his black running shoes rested on the edge of the bench. His tousled hair, ever slightly messy no matter what, stuck up in places as if he’d run a hand through it one too many times out of frustration. In his hands, not a dumbbell or resistance band, but a well-worn PADD, its screen aglow with indecipherable alien glyphs and rows of encrypted code.

Jonarom’s eyes were locked on the device, his thumbs dancing across the screen, oblivious to the physical world around him. His lips moved faintly as he muttered to himself, entirely consumed.

Chambers sat up from his bench with a heavy breath, wiping his brow with the bottom of his shirt, revealing more of his sweat-glistened torso in the process. “Jonny!” he called again, louder this time. “You know you’re in the gym, right? Not the computer lab?”

Jonarom blinked and finally glanced up, almost startled. “Huh? Oh, sorry, Ry. Just give me a second. I think I’m close.” His voice was distracted, but the excitement behind it buzzed like an electric current. “I had an idea overnight about the structural compression layers in the Vaadwaur encryption, and I’ve been trying it all morning.”

Chambers stared at him, incredulous. “You’ve been obsessed with that thing since we got back from the underground base.” He grabbed his water bottle and took a sip, pointing the nozzle toward his friend. “At breakfast, you were more focused on that PADD than the scrambled eggs. I’m pretty sure you tried to fork your coffee.”

Jonarom chuckled under his breath, still not taking his eyes off the PADD. “It’s important. If I can crack this final data block, we might be able to reverse-map their subspace relay routes or understand their original intentions here in the Nacene Reach. That could give us advanced warning of Vaadwaur fleet activity, base locations, or even understand their long-term goals. Maybe even how they’re coordinating in this region.”

This data wasn’t just code, it was a glimpse into the past—a mystery Jonarom needed to solve. Since finding the hidden database at the abandoned Vaadwaur base, Jonarom had barely slept, driven by a need to understand. Maybe it was foolish, perhaps it was obsession, but something in that encryption had whispered to him. And he had to listen. Though the captain had supported his effort, after a few days, she had told him to give up. Even she thought it was a lost cause, but he could not drop the matter at all. 

Chambers rolled his eyes and stood, grabbing a towel from the nearby bench and rubbing it across his face. “Jonny, the only thing that database is going to tell us is how deep you’re digging your own brain into a burnout.”

Without another word, he marched over and snatched the PADD right out of Jonarom’s hands.

“Hey! Ry, come on!” Jonarom shot up, arms raised like a goalie trying to catch a ball. “Give it back!”

Ryan lifted the device high above his head, smirking as he dangled it just out of reach. “Nope. Not until you agree actually to do something in here. Like, I don’t know, move?”

Jonarom narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips. His lean but wiry frame, built more for endurance and mental agility than brute strength, shifted as he took a cautious step forward. “Ry, I swear, I have zero issue climbing you like a ladder if I have to. Just because I’m smaller, doesn’t mean I’m not faster than you!”

Chambers grinned, amused. “You wouldn’t get halfway up me before slipping on the sweat.” He waved the PADD threateningly, his other hand resting cockily on his hip. “Seriously, Jonny, you need a break. One hour. That’s all I’m asking. One hour of focus on this,” he gestured broadly to the gym, “and I’ll stop threatening to stick this down my shorts.”

“Don’t you dare—” Jonarom started, but Chambers raised his brows, daring him right back.

“Dare accepted,” Ryan said casually.

Jonarom let out a soft growl, half-exasperation, half-laughter, then burst forward. “Fine! You asked for it!”

With a swift leap, he launched himself at his taller friend, reaching for the PADD with both hands. Chambers stumbled back, laughing as Jonarom clung to his shoulders like a determined monkey, trying to pry the device free. The two of them toppled to the floor in a heap of limbs, the PADD bouncing harmlessly nearby.

Jonarom tried to scramble for it, but Chambers was quicker. With a triumphant laugh, he rolled over and snatched the device, wiping it deliberately across his bare, sweat-slicked chest.

“Gross! Gross!” Jonarom shouted, recoiling.

Chambers raised an eyebrow with mock innocence. “You want it back now? Go ahead. But just know, if you touch it, your fingers are basically licking my moist abs.”

“Moist abs?” Jonarom said in further disgust. “You’re use of adjectives is just as bad as your threats. You’re the worst.”

“And yet, I’m right. You need a break.”

Jonarom huffed and sat back on the mat, arms crossed. “You’re lucky I’m not one of those gravity surfers from the lower cities,” he muttered, brushing his tousled brown hair from his face. “I’d have climbed you like a cliff wall.”

Chambers grinned and held the PADD out again. “One hour. One actual hour of weights, cardio, whatever. You do that, and tonight, I’ll help you sift through your little puzzle over dinner.”

Jonarom narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but after a beat, nodded. “Fine. One hour. But if I find the key to the database because you interrupted my train of thought, I’m blaming you in the report.”

“Deal.” Chambers tossed the PADD onto a bench, towel-dried his hands, and offered Jonarom a hand up.

They made it through fifteen minutes of stretching and light circuit work before Jonarom, true to form, got twitchy. As Chambers spotted another set of lifts, Jonarom gave a sideways glance at the PADD, then casually meandered toward it. He stretched a bit, looked innocent, and in a smooth snatch-and-dash, grabbed the device and sprinted for the exit.

“Jonny!” Chambers shouted, dropping his weights with a thud. “We had a deal!”

“Ten more minutes!” Jonarom called over his shoulder, laughing as he darted through the adjoining corridor that connected the gym to the Bellerophon’s recreation deck, which included the swimming pool beyond.

Chambers was on him in seconds.

The chase was loud, chaotic, and anything but stealthy. Officers in exercise gear, swimmers, and lounging crewmembers all turned their heads as the two lieutenants barrelled across the deck.

Jonarom tried to cut around the edge of the pool, skidding slightly on the damp surface, but Ryan was too fast. With a flying leap, he tackled his friend, and both men crashed into the water with a loud splash!

The PADD flew from Jonarom’s hand and landed with a quiet plop nearby, bobbing gently on the surface thanks to its water-resistant casing.

They came up coughing and laughing, soaked to the bone, their workout gear clinging uncomfortably to their skin. 

As Jonarom surfaced, sputtering and swiping hair from his eyes, Chambers emerged with a triumphant roar, holding the PADD aloft like a prize. “Still got it!” he declared before it slipped out of his hands. 

A few nearby officers were now laughing at the whole scene before them, though some just looked confused or unimpressed. A couple of lounging officers clapped mockingly while someone called out, “Ten out of ten for the dive, two for the dismount!”

And then a new voice, cool and unmistakably unimpressed, cut through the moment.

“Lieutenants.”

Both men turned in the water to see Doctor Corben standing at the edge of the pool, arms folded, dark eyes narrowed but amused. The Betazoid physician’s serene features barely masked the stern note in her voice. 

“Is there a medical emergency I wasn’t informed about,” she asked dryly, “or have you both decided to attempt aquatic stunt training without clearance?”

Chambers straightened in the water, pushing his soaked hair out of his face. “No emergency, Doctor. Just helping Jonny with a new workout regimen. Something with a bit more physical action in it.”

Jonarom snorted and splashed him. “Yeah, one that involves assault, thievery, and waterboarding my PADD.”

Sarella raised a brow. “Do I want to know?”

“No, ma’am,” Jonarom muttered sheepishly like a little boy being told off by his strict mother. 

Chambers looked at her with a charming grin, trying to defuse the situation with their superior. “Apologies for the disruption, Doctor. I’ll get him back to the gym, I promise.”

Sarella sighed, shaking her head with mild amusement. “Just don’t break anything or each other. I’ve been looking forward to an afternoon relaxing and not being called back to duty for two silly Starfleet officers.”

With that, she walked off, her pristine composure unshaken.

Chambers turned to Jonarom as they drifted toward the edge of the pool, water lapping around them. “So, how about that one-hour break now?”

Jonarom gave him a playful glare but nodded. “Fine. One hour. But I’m holding you to that dinner and decryption offer.”

Chambers clambered out of the pool, then reached for the PADD as it floated nearby. “Deal. But next time you try to sneak it mid-workout, I will stick it where no PADD has boldly gone before…down my shorts.”

“You’re disgusting,” Jonarom grumbled, accepting his hand up with a grin. “I wonder why I’m friends with you sometimes.”

The two lieutenants, dripping and laughing, made their way out of the pool area, comrades in sweat, chaos, and just enough mischief to keep the Bellerophon interesting.

After completing their workout, the two friends eventually left the gym. Towels wrapped around their shoulders and gym bags slung over their backs, the two lieutenants walked side by side down the corridor, still dripping faintly as they went.

“You know,” Chambers said, rubbing at a spot behind his neck, “I think I pulled something.”

“Serves you right for acting like a sweaty acrobat, Ry, ” Jonarom replied without any concern and a smirk across his face.

“Still beat you to the PADD.”

Jonarom gave him a sidelong look. “You always have to win, don’t you?”

“Not always,” Chamber said with a grin. “But winning is more fun with a smug Ardanan trying to stop me.”

Jonarom rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched. “Dinner tonight. You promised.”

Chambers nodded and put his arm over Jonarom’s shoulder. “And I promise to the deal! First, we feast, my friend, and then we decode the deep, dark secrets of the Vaadwaur’s dirty past!”