Armor Arguments
800*600



This is the Academy of the IKV Melota.
This is where you will find useful information on HOW TO to many of the things that we assume are regular processes for our ship.





Originally written June 1998.


The Facts of Life:
Risky pastimes manafest that risk eventually.
I ride bicycles. Therefore I get sunburn, roadrash, and bugs in my teeth...

I acquired my Bat'Leth about the first of May. During the time prior to my introduction to the ship, Whitney and I would spar regularly. The usual was to spar until the first debilitating injury or the Picante Sauce started to come up, whichever was first. This is not to say that we fought to hurt each other, but that if you practice, you will eventually take a hit that gets your attention. Blistered toes (breaking in feet to the new dance), blistered fingers, bloodied fingers, cuts/bruises over my left eye, bruises down my arm. These are the usual items. The problems have been smacked fingers of which I still have not recovered after 3 months, a hit in the right knee that caused me to limp for 7 weeks until the knee burst and relieved the pressure, a bloody hit/cut on my left knee that left me limping for 4 days. I just took a hit in both elbows last practice. One interferes with bicycling and the other was a nerve hit that has made my hand sluggish for a bit.

Point being:
If you practice combat moves, you will eventually get hurt just like my simplistic waiver says.

Point to be made:
Please armor your body and head as best as possible.
It appears that I am the only person trying to armor myself. I am buying some armor. I am trying to conspire with Whitney and our Father to make cheap armor. I am perfectly aware that armor is money. Every person from Knight to Secretary of an Armed Force knows that fact. Plus there is the weight argument, "It's too heavy...". But seriously, consider what you have available as a "best possible" attempt at armoring yourself.

Specific example:
I am concerned that there is no effective effort at wearing headgear. That simple lightweight sun helmet did a great job of deflecting the occasional head/face shot and it weighed nothing. That sun helmet would have probably prevented the "black eye" of recent note. There are $20 copies of it available from where I got my real sun helmet. Bike helmets? Hockey helmets? Baseball helmets? Martial Arts headgear? No current cash outlay is required if you use an asset with a sunk cost. Somewhere there is something in your closet that would help. I am sure that between all of us we can produce a pool of at least 5-7 helmets of varying types and weight just from raiding the closets.
What about gloves? Everybody should have some gloves. Dig out your winter gloves. Sure, they are hot. But the padding could protect against smashes and wood cuts. Who has kneepads/elbowpads from gardening or other tasks? (political appointments?)
The Klingon armor has bracers. But I don't see them worn.

Summary:
We could really cut down on the ouches and injuries by utilizing what we have already as armor, by simply wearing it.

So wear it!

Lt. Salek, Section 31, Starfleet Command          







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