"So you're the FNS reporter? I'm Sylvie Hindorf, 2nd Alternate of Earth's Womens Olympic Gymnastics Team. Let's sit in this corner booth. I'm really not supposed to be here. I left the dorm as soon as I knew that Caris had left. I knew it was safe because that's where Svet meets her contact to get Gevalian Fudge."
"So why are you here?"
"Dunno...it seemed your interview premise was interesting." Sylvie's eyes were darting around the room and to the entrance.
"Let's establish some ground rules here, Miss Hindorf. First of all nothing is off the record. You're also not the only team member that I'm interviewing. Where appropriate, you'll be cited as an inside source. Got it?"
"Uh-huh..oh yes ma'am."
"I'm not Caris your Team Coordinator. So, you can relax. It's interesting that you were 6th All Around at these Earth Olympic Team Trials but you're 2nd Alternate. What logic was Caris using when assigning you to that position?"
"Beam and Vault are my weakest events and I didn't even make Galactic Finals last year in any event."
"You get along with Caris?"
"That's a tough question. Caris, she doesn't play any obvious favorites. When we're doing the group warm ups if one of us fluffs or whiffs we all have to pay for it. I've never gotten any special attention. For a Vulcan she seems a little , I don't know, disdainful. I heard a rumor that she was a Romulan orphan raised by the Vulcans. It's only a rumor."
" You like your teammates? What about Neoli Visi? She sounds too good to be true."
"I wish I could agree with you. They have those corny stories about how she and her family came here from Cardassia with nothing. They show her grandmother and relatives in the stands watching her compete.."Sylvie rolled her eyes, "the Japanese Empress, saying how she's an example for all young people...blah, blah, blah you know. The President saying how we need more immigrants like her family. I really wanted to dislike her when I met her last year. I couldn't though. I almost got cut from the team but, Neoli even worked with me to get my Beam and Vault good enough. I thought she would be some mealy mouth phony. She seems to always be concerned how we all do and I know she's not faking it. I know not being Human has something to do with it."
"Platinum All Around Galactic Medalist 3 years in a row, Uneven Bars Galactic Latinum Medalist."
"She has the toughest routine in the Universe! Well at least the most consistent."
"So, Sylvie what was your happiest moment in your Gymnastics career?"
"Last year when our team won the Women's Team Title. Remember, this wasn't on Earth so no one could say we had the home advantage. It was on Bajor. We also went Lat/Plat/Gold in the Womens All Around. I REALLY was happy for that. Of course, I wasn't one of the three winners.."
"That being Marianne Lennox, Neoli Visi, and Svetlana Kuchinskaya. Svetlana didn't do so well this year she finished behind you at the Trials."
"She's very artistic." Sylvie was expressionless.
"You said that at the Official Team interview yesterday. You have anything to add? You mentioned she had a source for Gevalian Fudge. That's not exactly on a gymnast's meal plan or what Earth's Gymnastic Federation considers an ideal team member."
"Svet has a different set of rules." Sylvie said carefully, "Since she fills arenas AND wins Galactic Medals the Earth Gymnastics Feds look the other way when she's caught in an adult club or something like that."
"You sound jealous, Sylvie."
"I guess I better win some individual medals."
"Getting back to the Galactics..Marianne Lennox, the first Human All Around Galactic Women's Champion. There weren't just Vulcans and Trill, our fellow Feds, but the Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians as well. What's your take on Marianne?"
"What can I say? She doesn't have a weak event. There's a Munny move on every event."
"Munny move?"
"That's a Can't Miss move that gets a lot of bonus points."
"What's your take on the current scene, Sylvie?"
"The Romulan Women's Team is pretty strong. They've only been competing for a couple of years. The conditions they work out in are super primitive. It reminds me of those pictures they showed of gymnastics training in Earth's late 20th and early 21st Century. I was expecting them to have those ugly haircuts. They don't now, not after that Shinzon guy was overthrown."
"What about the Vulcans?"
"They're going to be motivated. It wasn't until last year that I saw an astonished Vulcan. In fact they finished off the Team podium last year behind us, the Romulans, and Bajorans."
"Not a good year especially after the Vulcan men lost to the Romulan men in the Team event."
"The Vulcans are sooo stuck up. It was great to see them brought down a few notches. But, yeah they're going to be ready."
"So, is Marianne trying anything new? Caris has put an embargo on us reporters. There's talk of putting last years World Jr. Champion, B'Korat on the Olympic Team any truth to that?"
Sylvie's face took on a sudden wary neutrality. "I dunno. Why do want to know that?"
"B'Korat hasn't even been to an interplanetary competition let alone Galactic..just curious. Marianne Lennox doesn't seem to have upgraded her routines."
"I'm not in the main training sessions."
"All right fair enough. They announced the other two, a Bin Xu Huang and Nadia Petrescu...."
"Xu-Xu, that's what we call her, had that Floor routine last year. It clinched our team Gold."
"Kalinka? A Chinese gymnast doing a Russian Folk song, is this a great universe or what?"
"Yeah..look I better get back to the dorm."
"I understand."
The Human female left first. The Al Aurian had all the information she needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a revision of the first draft.
"So why are you here?"
"Dunno...it seemed your interview premise was interesting." Sylvie's eyes were darting around the room and to the entrance.
"Let's establish some ground rules here, Miss Hindorf. First of all nothing is off the record. You're also not the only team member that I'm interviewing. Where appropriate, you'll be cited as an inside source. Got it?"
"Uh-huh..oh yes ma'am."
"I'm not Caris your Team Coordinator. So, you can relax. It's interesting that you were 6th All Around at these Earth Olympic Team Trials but you're 2nd Alternate. What logic was Caris using when assigning you to that position?"
"Beam and Vault are my weakest events and I didn't even make Galactic Finals last year in any event."
"You get along with Caris?"
"That's a tough question. Caris, she doesn't play any obvious favorites. When we're doing the group warm ups if one of us fluffs or whiffs we all have to pay for it. I've never gotten any special attention. For a Vulcan she seems a little , I don't know, disdainful. I heard a rumor that she was a Romulan orphan raised by the Vulcans. It's only a rumor."
" You like your teammates? What about Neoli Visi? She sounds too good to be true."
"I wish I could agree with you. They have those corny stories about how she and her family came here from Cardassia with nothing. They show her grandmother and relatives in the stands watching her compete.."Sylvie rolled her eyes, "the Japanese Empress, saying how she's an example for all young people...blah, blah, blah you know. The President saying how we need more immigrants like her family. I really wanted to dislike her when I met her last year. I couldn't though. I almost got cut from the team but, Neoli even worked with me to get my Beam and Vault good enough. I thought she would be some mealy mouth phony. She seems to always be concerned how we all do and I know she's not faking it. I know not being Human has something to do with it."
"Platinum All Around Galactic Medalist 3 years in a row, Uneven Bars Galactic Latinum Medalist."
"She has the toughest routine in the Universe! Well at least the most consistent."
"So, Sylvie what was your happiest moment in your Gymnastics career?"
"Last year when our team won the Women's Team Title. Remember, this wasn't on Earth so no one could say we had the home advantage. It was on Bajor. We also went Lat/Plat/Gold in the Womens All Around. I REALLY was happy for that. Of course, I wasn't one of the three winners.."
"That being Marianne Lennox, Neoli Visi, and Svetlana Kuchinskaya. Svetlana didn't do so well this year she finished behind you at the Trials."
"She's very artistic." Sylvie was expressionless.
"You said that at the Official Team interview yesterday. You have anything to add? You mentioned she had a source for Gevalian Fudge. That's not exactly on a gymnast's meal plan or what Earth's Gymnastic Federation considers an ideal team member."
"Svet has a different set of rules." Sylvie said carefully, "Since she fills arenas AND wins Galactic Medals the Earth Gymnastics Feds look the other way when she's caught in an adult club or something like that."
"You sound jealous, Sylvie."
"I guess I better win some individual medals."
"Getting back to the Galactics..Marianne Lennox, the first Human All Around Galactic Women's Champion. There weren't just Vulcans and Trill, our fellow Feds, but the Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians as well. What's your take on Marianne?"
"What can I say? She doesn't have a weak event. There's a Munny move on every event."
"Munny move?"
"That's a Can't Miss move that gets a lot of bonus points."
"What's your take on the current scene, Sylvie?"
"The Romulan Women's Team is pretty strong. They've only been competing for a couple of years. The conditions they work out in are super primitive. It reminds me of those pictures they showed of gymnastics training in Earth's late 20th and early 21st Century. I was expecting them to have those ugly haircuts. They don't now, not after that Shinzon guy was overthrown."
"What about the Vulcans?"
"They're going to be motivated. It wasn't until last year that I saw an astonished Vulcan. In fact they finished off the Team podium last year behind us, the Romulans, and Bajorans."
"Not a good year especially after the Vulcan men lost to the Romulan men in the Team event."
"The Vulcans are sooo stuck up. It was great to see them brought down a few notches. But, yeah they're going to be ready."
"So, is Marianne trying anything new? Caris has put an embargo on us reporters. There's talk of putting last years World Jr. Champion, B'Korat on the Olympic Team any truth to that?"
Sylvie's face took on a sudden wary neutrality. "I dunno. Why do want to know that?"
"B'Korat hasn't even been to an interplanetary competition let alone Galactic..just curious. Marianne Lennox doesn't seem to have upgraded her routines."
"I'm not in the main training sessions."
"All right fair enough. They announced the other two, a Bin Xu Huang and Nadia Petrescu...."
"Xu-Xu, that's what we call her, had that Floor routine last year. It clinched our team Gold."
"Kalinka? A Chinese gymnast doing a Russian Folk song, is this a great universe or what?"
"Yeah..look I better get back to the dorm."
"I understand."
The Human female left first. The Al Aurian had all the information she needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a revision of the first draft.
