In the Ready Room

Posted on Mon Apr 26th, 2021 @ 9:50pm by Lieutenant Frederick Carlow

Mission: Heroes of the Hov'hurgh
Location: HoD's Ready Room, IKS Hov'HurgH
Timeline: 2409

The thrum of power vibrated through the deck plates of the mighty Klingon battle carrier, Hov’Hurgh. After traveling twenty-six years into the future and immediately entering battle to defend a helpless hospital station the ship took on many many survivors and injuries. Now the Federation dreadnought Infinite Diversity hung nearby in space, its senior staff preparing to join the heroes of Hov’Hurgh for dinner. HoD VaQ’taj, the heart and soul of this mighty vessel entered her ready room, having called the irascible Orion, Tenas Tecorin to join her. The door whooshed shut behind the youthful green freebooter as VaQ’taj assumed her place behind her desk.

Tenas sat and propped his boots on the corner of the desk, holding out his hand where a long, armored serpent slithered from under his black hooded poncho. He played with the snake idly, cocking a hopeful smile toward his adopted sister, “A drink to celebrate homecomings?”

At first, she didn’t speak, simply moved towards the high backed chair as she shrugged off her command cloak and it was obvious that she was deep in thought. She draped the sleeveless, physical representation of her command over the plush desk seat before opening one of the panels on her rather large desk. Producing an ornately decorated bottle of bloodwine and two stylized silver mugs emblazoned with an image of the Hov’HurgH, VaQ’taj pushed some data devices to the side and expertly poured a full helping into both.

“Welcome home, Brat,” She said plopping down into the chair that nearly engulfed the small Klingon woman. She took up her mug and eyed Tenas, “What do you really know about this Vulcan that is coming to my ship? You did not exactly seem pleased to see her.”

He grew solemn as he took a long drag from his drink. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and leaned back to think. “I know the Admiral,” he began. “I smuggle supplies back and forth between friends who want to see the Khitomer Alliance restored. Since the Federation supports the Alliance we help each other. Occasionally,” he hedged his words carefully, “I’ll take a job from Starfleet as a courier or covert personnel transport. In return they give me free access to their space and fill my supply orders.”

Downing the rest of his blood wine, he then plunked the mug down on the desk for more. “I do business with Admiral T’Vyn but because of the war she usually contacts me through intermediaries. She just blew my cover so yeah, I wasn’t too happy to see her. Anyway,” he leaned forward showing level intensity in his green eyes. “I can’t say that you can trust her implicitly but you have common ground with the Alliance. That and she’s risking her life and crew in coming here. She wants something bad enough to risk facing down against half the Klingon Imperial Fleet.”

Pouring another mug of wine for her adopted brother, VaQ’taj then leaned back in her chair, watching him as he drank and played with his serpent. A good number of years had passed since the last time that he had seen her and she briefly wondered if that time could have changed things in his eyes. It had been only a couple of months since she had seen him last according to her memory. But she knew quite well how time and wars changed people, and her beloved friend and cohort had nearly three decades of both in his mind, as well as all of the covert activity that required a level of secrecy that the Klingon battle matron had always been uncomfortable with.

The Hov’HurgH’s HoD was a cunning little bat since long before she had ever donned the Defense Force uniform and after a long draught from her mug, she leveled her dark gaze at him again, “You do not think that this Admiral is here simply because they were the closest vessel, do you? I cannot help but to feel the same. Most of their large vessels could have retrieved the survivors, but to risk a well known diplomat to answer a hail from a long lost ship that could well have been a trap? I am having a difficult time finding the... logic, in that decision.”

The emerald merc stared into the distance considering her question. “Before I did any business with the admiral I wanted to know more about her. You’ve probably run into her data lockout but there is something if you go back far enough in the historical record.” He set down his mug and laced his fingers in his lap, staring at the ceiling as he told his tale.

“Way back before Praxis exploded a threesome of Starfleet officers jumped forward in time. The Deltans were sitting on the exact spot where that crew appeared in the future. They never told Starfleet how they knew where those officers might appear. Nobody else in Starfleet knew at the time that their officers had time jumped. There was a huge stink about the Deltans keeping secrets but then the whole thing just went away. No more press inquiries, no charges or investigations, nothing. Those officers later went on to command a shiny new starship and guess who was assigned as first officer fresh out of the academy?” His eyes flicked to VaQ’taj, “Nothing is ever ‘coincidence’ with Admiral T’vyn.”

A ridged eyebrow arched upwards and VaQ’taj chuckled, “Then she is far older than I would have thought.” Long ago, the destruction of Praxis had forced her people into their first steps towards peace. Which meant that the Vulcan admiral had lived long enough to see war with the Klingon Empire, then the peace that had lead to the cooperation of the Alliance, and now war again.

A million questions raged in the red-tressed Klingon’s mind and she sipped slowly at her drink trying to figure out exactly where this Admiral fit in, “In truth, she could simply be a diplomatic gesture from a war torn government hoping to cement some good will with a faction of the old Alliance. One not tainted by the present war,” she growled a bit, obviously still stewing over the loss of old allies, “That would be a diplomat’s mission and would make sense, especially if she still supports the old Alliance.”

She paused to drink down more of the bloodwine then set the mug on the desk in front of her, standing again to pace her office floor. “But I have known very few of her people that did not hide something behind those passionless faces. And she sounds like just the type to have her own little databank of secrets if she was entrusted with that much responsibility straight out of Starfleet Academy. Though, Vulcans do tend to attend their own Science Academy for a good number of years, so perhaps she had the experience to warrant it? She certainly does not look old enough, or worn enough, to have witnessed all that she supposedly has.”

“Her original education is part of the public record.” Tenas downed a gulp of his blood wine. “She attended the science academy a full four years. She then took a year off and applied to Starfleet Academy. From everything I saw in her record she was good, and deserved an officer posting but first officer fresh out of the academy?” He snorted rudely. “Either she was planted as a spy or she got steamy blackmail material on an admiral or three.”

Chuckling softly, VaQ’taj turned to look at her green skinned brother, “I must admit that I do not always understand the minds of the Federation. As wonderful as their technology tends to be, their moves often make no sense. At least not immediately.”

Sprawling back into her oversized chair, the Klingon smiled toothily at her old Kolari friend, “You have proven your loyalty on a number of occasions and I see no reason to doubt you. If you tell me that this Vulcan T’Vyn is a good ally to have, then I trust your word.”

“Yeah…” He rapped the desk with a gloved finger, growing thoughtful until a raucous burp tore past his lips. He glared at his oath-sister’s mirthful reaction, “So it’s been a while since I’ve had blood wine!”

At that a long, slender serpent with glossy black spines folded smoothly against its body slid sinuously from under the privateer’s black poncho. Tenas held his wrist up toward VaQ’taj, allowing the snake-like creature to slither across his arm to sniff her. Clear, sapphire blue eyes peered from beneath a bony, armored brow resembling some kind of exotic Klingon beast.

“Szah misses you too.” Tenas smiled.

“By Kahless, you have grown big!” VaQ’taj said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the desk, giving the deadly predator that was moving towards her a bright smile, and a few moments to re-acclimate to her. Being a predator herself, she knew that approaching quickly with an outstretched hand could often get you bitten, and the Klingon battle matron had a very healthy respect for her friend’s armored familiar. When Szah bared fangs that could pass as twenty-one gauge syringes, and could also pass through armor to deliver its deadly poison, she laughed and extended her hand out towards the serpent, palm up.

“You have always been a beautiful, dark creature,” the short statured woman said with a grin as Szah slid over to drape himself around her own armored shoulders, and she almost thought that she heard a small voice whispering ~warm... good... ~ as she watched his coils settle into place. “I remember being caught off guard by you curled up in my bed during Tenas’ visits.” She snorted softly, looking back to the green skinned man across from her, “That was often how I knew that you were home, Brat.”

Tenas laughed, “That and the damage reports.”

TBC