Bloodwine

Posted on 02 Jun 2012 @ 3:52pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman & Lieutenant JG Kestra Orexil & Captain (HoD) K'nara of the House of Torath (KIA)

1,636 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD 04 - 1415 hrs

[ON]

As Lirha left the bridge and stepped into the turbolift, she turned to face Kestra and Evelyn, studying their faces for any signs of their thoughts. It had been prudent thinking by Evelyn to bring a supply of bloodwine aboard Galileo at their last resupply, and Lirha wondered if she had any other tricks up her sleeve. It was also a welcome addition to have a Betazoid with them, someone who could give a little insight into the Klingon captain's thoughts.

Kestra tapped her com badge, =^=Orexil to Security Personnel. Davis and Ruktah, report to Shuttlebay. Pawlak, take point on the Bridge. T'Paaru, ten thirty-four. All others, remain ten ninety-eight. Orexil out.=^= She smiled at the two women in the turbo lift placidly, "Have either of you drunk bloodwine with Klingons before?"

A memory flashed in Evelyn's mind forcing her to hold back a chuckle, "Several times." she answered.

"I've drunk plenty of it before...but never with a Klingon captain." she answered with a sideways smirk. "What about yourself?" she asked Kestra.

"Far too much, with lounges full of Klingons and fighter pilots," Kestra nodded. "Just as long as we all know what we're getting into."

"Oh, it won't be that bad." Lirha reassured her, "I'm sure Captain K'Nara is a very sweet woman once you get to know her." she replied, her voice full of witty sarcasm. The turbolift stopped on Deck 4 and the three women stepped out and moved down the corridor at a brisk pace, finally arriving at the large double-doors to the shuttlebay. Lirha tapped a button on the door's keypad and the grey doors parted with a loud hiss as the safety locks disengaged and they stepped inside.


Five Minutes Later...

The captain waited patiently at the end of the shuttlebay with her two senior officers next to her. Across the large gray tarmac, the open bay doors revealed the blackness of space. Only a blue-hued force field separated the pressurized landing bay from the external vacuum. As she watched, the Klingon shuttlecraft came into view and started on its approach, lining up between the large nacelles. The shuttlebay's tractor beam emitter same online and grabbed hold of the small craft then pulled it slowly inside of Galileo. Lirha and her entourage walked around to the back of the craft and waited for the door to open.

The door did open and a tall warrior with a grim expression stepped out first, suspicioun written all over his face, his disruptor in his hand.

K'nara came out, tall, proud, a formidable air around her. Instinctively she sniffed the air, pulling her nose slightly at the scents, as it reminded her of another female captain that died by her hand not so long ago. Her hand motioned for the "guard" to put his weapon away. "Where is the bloodwine, Captain?" she asked, her face seemingly fairly amicable, but her eyes gaurded. Klingons didn't bother to greet, neither were they known for their ability to chit chat, so her question was quite normal. However, K'nara was well aware of human customs, adopted by much of Starfleet protocols, but she chose not to use it.

Another tall Klingon, with an equally dangerous edge stepped out of the transport, quickly making an assessment of their surrounding. He was clearly her Executive Officer.

Lirha cleared her throat as she took sight of the three large Klingons, suddenly having last-second regrets about inviting them aboard. She wasn't concerned about her safety during their visit, but more so the headache they might cause her over the duration of their visit. Hopefully, they would be off the ship sooner rather than later. Looking at the Klingon captain, Lirha nodded her head politely. "Captain K'Nara, welcome aboard Galileo." she said, glancing between the two other Klingon officers yet to be identified. "The bloodwine is on its way to the shuttlebay as we speak." she finally answered to the impatient captain. "In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to my Chief of Security, Lieutenant Orexil, and my Chief of Intelligence, Lieutenant Coleman." she said.

Kestra rested her hands on top of her thighs and bent at the waist, her eyes down. Hopefully the show of trust in taking her gaze away for a moment would help to ease the tension. She straightened again, shoulders back and chin forward and said nothing. Klask had always told her that silence was better than extraneous chatter.

Coleman couldn't hide the smile she had as Kestra introduced herself to our guests. Evelyn circled them, sizing each one up with her eyes, taking as much information as she can. As she returned to Lirha's side, she finally spoke. "I admit, Captain K'Nara I thought you'd be a little taller."

K'nara turned to size up the one who dared to speak to her, her eyes aloof and guarded. "If you can confuse physical size with power, then you can confuse many things," she said, a warning under her seemingly polite demeanor. She then turned to the Captain. "I suppose I should reciprocate and "introduce" the warriors that came with me," she said obviously trying to be polite. "This is my executive officer, la' or Commander Kra'HoS, of the House of Merej' and that is our guard, warrior n'IH," K'nara said.

Evelyn did an acknowledging gesture to her other warriors, but kept her attention to the Klingon Captain. "I would take your comment under advisement."

Kestra rose from the increasingly smaller bows to the captain's subordinates, her black eyes trained on the captain, her senses fully open.

As the officers from both crews introduced themselves, the service door to the shuttlebay swished open and two gold-collared operations personnel entered, each carrying several silver cases with white Starfleet emblems on them. Lirha glanced at them and waved them over with a motion of her green hand, and they moved swiftly to her and placed the cases on the ground. "Ma'am.", "Captain." they said with a nod as they turned on their heels and walked back out through the service door.

Lirha bent down on one knee next to the first case and un-clipped the latches on either side. She carefully opened it and pulled out one of the gray bottles, holding it up and inspecting it as she read the label, then handed the bottle to K'nara. "As promised, four crates of 2309." she said. "You can thank Lieutenant Coleman, as they come from her personal supply." she added as she flicked her eyes back towards the blond El-Aurian.

Kinarra raised a brow in the direction of the said officer and dipped her head and then addressed the Captain again. "And who do we have to thank for the problem that stranded you here?" she asked.

The Orion captain cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest. "Our engineers are working on that as we speak." she replied in a casual manner, "Galileo is a new ship, you see, and this is her maiden voyage. There's always a few problems the first time out." she added.

"Of course," K'narra said, sounding more reasonable. She stood looking around, as if wondering where they would go next. It was clear she expected some form of entertainment.

Clearing her throat, Lirha did her best to avoid the inevitible awkward silence, to no avail. "Well, um, I suppose I should show you to our lounge," she finally said, guessing that the Klingon captain would not want to stand in the shuttlebay the entire time. It would be rude of Lirha to dismiss them back to their ship, so she quickly improvised.

Leaning back down, Lirha retrieved two more bottle and passed one of them to Evelyn. With a mischievous look in her eyes, Lirha removed the cap and took a long chug, feeling the thick and spicy wine flowing down her throat. Finally pulling the bottle from her lips, she took a couple quick breaths then passed it to Kestra. She retrieved the final ones and passed them to K'nara and her officers. "Let us drink while we walk." she said, "Please follow me." she added as she turned towards and headed out of the main door with the entourage in tow.

Kestra accepted the bottle, toasted Captain K'Nara in silence, and drank one swig in salute. She knew her limits with bloodwine very well and was intent on not overstepping them. As they stepped into the corridor, she caught the gaze of the two officers she'd requested wait there. Hang back and stay alert, she touched their minds with the instruction and stayed a step behind the captains.

Evelyn took the bottle and looking down at the label. Her fingers traced the Klingon script that was indented into the bottle. She hasn't even opened the bottle when Lirah lead the way out of the shuttlebay. As she walked behind them she noticed the two security officers, and when they began to follow them she smirked. Very clever Kestra, Evelyn thought, knowing she would hear.

The captain glanced back at her two senior officers, giving each of them a knowing look to stay vigilant. She had the utmost confidence in them both, but having the Klingon captain and her officers aboard was sure to test each one of them in the upcoming hours. It's going to be a long evening, she thought, as the group entered the turbolift and ascended on their way to the observation lounge, bloodwine in hand.

[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CAPT K'Nara
Commanding Officer
IKS Na'vi

LTJG Kestra Orexil
Chief Tactical/Security Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. JG Evelyn Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

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