Praxis (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 30 Aug 2022 @ 6:53pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Ensign Mimi
Edited on on 30 Aug 2022 @ 6:55pm

3,614 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: IKS Praxis - Conference Room
Timeline: MD 10, 1410 hrs

Previously, on The Price of Latinum (Part 3)...

One level below the bridge, the door to Transporter Room 1 swished open. Inside was Petty Officer Goldie Brown, the young blond operations officer who'd made her way to her new station moments after the ship-to-ship transporter cycle was approved. "Sirs," she said to the small cadre of officers - both Starfleet and Klingon. Standing behind the primary console, the woman tapped at the interface then reported the latest status update. "Praxis is standing by to receive you. Ready on your signal."

Aria nodded, moving onto the transporter pad, her hands straightening her uniform jacket with a quick tug. She looked at Mimi for a moment before giving her a small but reassuring smile.

Passing Aria, Mimi noticed the small smile. She returned it but it wasn't a pleasant one, she was tense and nervous and it definitely showed. She deliberately stood behind Kuran ready to make him the first to go if anything happened.

Commander Kuran stepped up into the bright hue of overhead lights within the transporter pad. Being a veteran warrior, he knew exactly how to interpret the felinoid's body language. The Operations ensign was remarkably easy to read. So, when Mimi took her place on her designated circle, he covertly spoke to her while keeping his eyes straight ahead. "...Your phaser will not save you on a Klingon starship..." was his simple warning.

"Energize," Aria said, her vision changing at the transporter beams. Some people closed their eyes. Aria liked to see the world change, that brief second when everything was just shiny, pretty sparks.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Three red transporter signatures materialized within the battlecruiser Praxis. Shimmering orange and crimson hues sparkled into existence atop a series of Klingon transporter pads, each one separated by equal distance. A final lateral sweep of the annular confinement beams deposited the new personnel at their destination -- an unfamiliar sight for any unaccustomed to the unique architecture of KDF vessels. For those in Starfleet, the dim ambient lighting of Klingon vessels was a noticeable difference. Sun-colored running lights along the lower bulkheads provided most of the coloration to the rooms and corridors and were accompanied by red and yellow console hues. Then there was the smell. The noticeable scent of Klingon and targ musk permeated the immediate area of the ship and was one of the greatest offenders to the uninitiated. And yet, none of the initial shock could compare to the sight of a cadre of large Klingon warriors entering the transporter room.

The chamber's entrance hissed open mere seconds following Rice and Mimi's arrival. The transporter operator stepped back from his console then stood at attention as the sound of heavy boots thumped closer. Captain KehG, accompanied by his escorts, walked with purpose into the small room and slowed as he approached the new arrivals. He was tall...even for a Klingon; robust and muscular, even for an older captain whose duties demanded more administrative work than hand-to-hand combat. He wore a decorative silver and gold sash across his chest which adorned his traditional grey armor plates. One of his escorts was almost equally as tall but much younger and sported a shaved head with an aft ponytail to accompany his Fu Manchu facial hair. The other on the opposite side was a slightly shorter warrior, this one female. Her long curly brown hair flowed across her shoulders, and the veracity of her demeanor was apparent within her facial features.

Commander Kuran took in the familiar surroundings of his ship and was the first to step down from the transporter pad. "Captain. I," he looked back to Rice and Mimi with indignant eyes, "present to you, the acting captain of the Federation vessel, Rice. And this...operations officer as her second in command."

Mimi tried her hardest not to heave when the strong scent of Klingons, testosterone, wet targ and countless other smells that permeated the Klingon ship hit her sensitive nasal passages.

If the smell bothered Aria, she didn't show it. She stepped down, looking at the Klingon Captain. "I am honoured to set foot on a ship like the Praxis," she said, walking to stand beside Kuran. She was establishing her position. "This is Ensign Mimi, my Operations officer." The introduction was necessary. The Klingon Captain was massive, and Aria had to tilt her head to meet his eyes. Somehow, it didn't bother her. It was her default position most of her life anyway.

Captain KehG physically looked down upon the new Starfleet visitors. His dark and discerning irises betrayed no initial emotion beneath his prominent ridged forehead. In place of a verbal response, he simply stared at Rice. Seconds of unnerving silence transpired during which he looked her up and down, mentally noting the candor of her gaze and the drying Ferengi blood adorning her appearance. Then he observed Mimi and performed the same initial inspection. His demeanor was mirrored by the rest of the assembled Klingon cadre who seemed to be deciding whether to kill the Federation officers or enslave them as targ handlers. Finally, the Klingon captain spoke.

"I am Captain KehG of the House of M'Tor, commander of this vessel," was his curt reply. He gestured to the two unidentified officers along his flanks, his eyes first flicking to the female Klingon. "My chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Brin't'a of the House of Lor'am." His attention then shifted to the bald male officer with the glorious ponytail, "and my weapons master, Commander Torn, of the House of Martok." He finally locked eyes with his second-in-command standing next to Rice. "And of course...you require no introduction to Commander Kuran, my first officer." Somewhat unwieldy yet diplomatically, KehG extended a long stiff arm to Rice with an open palm and his fingers spread wide.

Aria looked at the hand, giving a nod before she took it. It was awkward, the handshake, her hand small in his. And also, it felt strange. Not like a warrior's greeting. No wonder Klingons thought they were weak. She let go of the hand. "Commander Kuran fought with honour with us. You have a crew I'd fight beside any time, Captain KehG." Somehow, she got the pronunciation right.

The Klingon chief of security interrupted the pleasantries with her own greeting. "You are short and small. Even for a Human," declared Brin't'a. Her body language was not subtle and revealed contempt for the Starfleet greeting.

Aria looked at her Klingon counterpart on a good day, easily seeing what she thought of Starfleet. "And yet I stand in command of my ship," she said firmly. She knew her place, and right now it was above the Klingon Chief of Security. So, Aria held the confidence of that. "Size is not everything." She looked back at KehG. "You honoured us with a Human greeting. I am sad to confess, I do not know a Klingon one to return, but I would like to learn before we leave the ship. Once we have talked about what has brought us together today in glorious battle."

"Ha!" the youthful Klingon weapons master scowled, crossing his arms across his broad chest with confidence. "You speak of 'glorious battle' yet your starship was nothing more than a glob fly to a single Ferengi marauder. If it were not for us, your entire crew would be on its way to an Orion slave auction!"

Aria turned to face the male Klingon, before she walked over to him, so they were standing close. "As if I would have let them take the ship, and the rest of the crew, alive. That is my ship, and people. They deserve better," she said, finding herself meaning every word. She stepped back, looking at all the Klingons. As she started to speak, she pitched her voice to be heard better. "I will not say that we did not need your help to finish the fight, that without it we would most likely be dead. Who would ever want to turn down Klingon warriors? We are not fools, to turn away such company. And Commander Kuran is a great warrior. Until you came, we were fighting on every deck, every crew member with the weapons they had...or their very hands, when there were nothing else. I saw many Klingons come, and fight along side us..." she paused, looking thoughtful, still watching the Klingon weapon's master. "But I don't remember seeing you fight shoulder to shoulder with us. I suppose you may have been busy, pressing a button to fire your ship's weapons, rather than picking up a bat'leth."

Mimi's tail twitched nervously, the back and forth between Aria and the Klingons was extremely boisterous and seemed more likely to start another fight. She held one hand in the other to stop it fingering the handle of her phaser.

Torn's eyes grew wide at Rice's questioning of his honor. He started to open his mouth for a verbal assault, but suddenly the transporter room's door hissed open. In stepped a tall Human woman of Caucasian descent, her curly dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail to highlight her discerning hazel eyes. Her face was lightly covered in grime and splatters of blood, and she wore an equally disheveled Starfleet uniform. One side of its sleeve and shoulder materials had been torn away, revealing her bare toned arm and a prominent pink scar several inches above her heart. She walked into the room escorted by two Klingon guards then stopped next to Klingon officers. Her gaze traveled between Rice and Mimi then back to KehG, Brin't'a and Torn.

"I see you're already making friends, lieutenant," spoke Commander Morgan Tarin to her acting first officer. Her dry tone of voice was instantly recognizable and she acknowledged her security chief a subtle nod.

Aria looked towards Tarin, taking a deeper breath. She had expected her to be brought in soonish, but she hadn't expected quite this dramatic reveal. Even so, here they were. And the power would need to be transferred. But Aria had talked to the Klingon Captain about the prisoners, so she suspected she wouldn't be dismissed that quick. "A fine crew to make friends with, and it looks like you have been treated well by them," she said. She looked at KehG, giving him a nod. "We should take the time to discuss our situation, Captain. And the prisoners."

"Agreed," said Tarin who turned to address her Klingon counterpart. "Time is short. If you don't object to moving to a place of--"

Captain KehG held up his large hand for silence then gave a single motion of two fingers for his officers and the Starfleet personnel to follow him. Turning on his heels, his armored boots clicked on the metal deck plating as he walked out of the beaming chamber and into the corridor. Behind him, Torn and Brin't'a waited for the Federation delegation to proceed before shadowing them from behind.

Tarin fell in step behind the Klingon captain and gestured for Rice and Mimi to join her in close formation. There was much to discuss.

Aria fell into step, but looked over at Mimi, her eyes gentle. "You okay?" she whispered, keeping her voice quiet to avoid the Klingons behind them to hear. She had noticed how tense Mimi was, and to be honest she didn't blame her. I mean, seriously, I think I was one challenge away from being ripped in half by those Klingons, she thought, but truthfully she felt oddly good about all this. She wasn't expected to be liked, but maybe she had a chance of being respected for what they had done.

Mimi joined the others, it was nice to see Tarin was alive and well but that was the last thing on her mind right now, she could feel the eyes of both Klingons behind her glaring at her.. "I will be," she told Aria. "when we get off this ship."

Aria gave a small nod of acknowledgment. She understood Mimi's reluctance. Aria was feeling more confident though, but it was that confidence she felt from accepting where she was, and this moment. Regardless what happened, she at least knew Kuran had respected her on the bridge of the Galileo. And Tarin, she suspected, had made firm allies with the Klingons here. Besides, there was the powershift, so she suspected that Tarin would take charge and Aria would be lucky to be asked for any input.

One of Tarin's hands lightly touched the small of Rice's back. "How is the crew?" she asked. She then looked over Rice's head to Mimi. "And the ship?" It was a relief to see both of her senior officers seemingly unharmed. Her memory of events on the bridge following the initial boarding combat was hazy at best and mostly nonexistent.

Aria gritted her teeth at the touch on her lower back, narrowing her eyes and focusing on not pulling away. "You were the only one taken, Commander. We had wounded, but I couldn't see anyone killed. All departments reported in, and of the bridge crew Sylver was the only one who needed medical attention."

"The ship has taken some major damage Sir." Mimi began, she paused as she thought just how much to tell her given the Klingons all around. "We have several hull breaches, the warp core is offline as is the starboard nacelle, it took a direct hit from the Ferengi's weapons."

"Hm," Tarin muttered to no one in particular. According to the two officers' accounts, Galileo appeared to be in a similar state to that just prior to her 'relocation' from the starship. It was a relief to hear she'd been the only captured crew member and that none of the ship's personnel had lost their lives during the intense hand-to-hand combat. "And the remaining Ferengi?"

"Those left alive on our ship are our prisoners," Aria said, looking at her for a moment. "And I have asked for the lives of the Ferengi on the ship, from the Klingons."

The red-collared commander nodded subtly at Rice's revelation. "Captain KehG told me you'd be arriving for negotiations. But not the specifics." She contemplated the complexity of the political request then leaned her head down and spoke under her breath to the security chief. "Bartering for their well-being will be hard. We technically have legal jurisdiction but this is frontier territory and that could be challenged." Tarin cast a wary glance behind them to Brin't'a and Torn, then back to Rice. "...Even if they did spare their lives right now, many of those Ferengi won't survive the journey back to Qo'noS. And those who do will probably die freezing on the surface of Rura Penthe." It was a somber prospect which the acting captain took no joy in explaining.

"Or we take them on," Aria breathed, looking at her before she shrugged. "Depending on the numbers, we could take custody of them, if the Klingons would let us, and charge them under Federation law. If that is impossible, at least as prisoners they have a chance of survival. And a chance is better than no chance." She considered it, her voice at the same level as the Captain's. "We may have to sweeten the pot with rations for the prisoners, if it comes to that. Klingons will only have the supplies they think they need, and emergency rations for prisoners is not high on the list."

"Rice, Galileo can't accommodate four hundred Ferengi prisoners...that's well beyond our evacuation emergency capacity." Tarin sighed. The Lunan had a good heart and meant well, but the practicality of such an endeavor simply wasn't possible. "Look, when we get in there, present your case and I will support you. But don't ask for a moon if only an asteroid is possible. Understood?"

"I was assuming you'd take charge, Commander," Aria breathed, glancing at her. The optimism that there were still four hundred Ferengi alive was touching, Aria would easily have put one fifth of that as the actual survival. But numbers would need to be discussed anyway.

Glancing at Rice from the corner of her eyes, Tarin shook her head with subtlety. "You started this parlay with KehG....it's yours to see through to the end. I'll help you where I can and represent the Federation's greater interests." They were approaching the end of a long corridor which Morgan assumed to be the Klingon captain's quarters or a conference room of some variety. "You did a good job to get this far with him. Keep your composure," were her curt words of encouragement.

Aria looked at her, giving a small nod. And she could. First things first. Get a number of survivors, then do the maths, then see what was the best thing to do. She considered it for a moment. If she could talk them into contacting Starfleet and transfer the prisoners once they got to more...civilised parts of space, maybe that would save the issue. Of course, then the Admiralty may have something to say about taking on Ferengi prisoners.

The combined footsteps of the Klingon-Federation cadre slowed from their quick pace when they approached the end of the corridor. Captain KehG tapped a short sequence into the small panel outside of the door then waited while it hissed open in mechanical tones. The large and robust Klingon commander stepped inside his war chamber. It was expansive and adorned by both strategic and tactical displays along most of the walls. A mid-sized polygonal table was near the center which accommodated ten of his most trusted warriors. The hue of Klingon LCARS displays and dim lighting cast shades of yellow, orange and crimson red across his elegant armored uniform. Behind the Starfleet delegation, a crude voice interrupted the spectacle. "Proceed!" barked Brin't'a with little patience.

Aria didn't glance back, or give any indication she had even heard Brin't'a. Instead she walked inside as well, following the Klingon Captain. She moved to be across from KehG, her face serious. Her eyes adjusted fast to the different lighting, and if circumstances had been different she would have allowed herself to notice the details of Klingon culture there.

The Starfleet commander followed her acting-XO into the briefing chamber. Her discerning hazel eyes glanced around at the plethora of tactical and strategic displays. Aside from their different colorations and graphical interfaces, the room felt surprisingly similar to the strategic operations centers she'd spent much of her time in over the past two years. Familiar and strangely comforting...all things considered. Tarin positioned herself next to Rice behind a vacant seat and remained standing until the Klingon delegation took their places.

Mimi followed the other officers inside the conference room, following Tarin's lead she waited until the Klingons had sat down before sitting down herself; her tail immediately wrapping itself around the back of her chair.

Captain KehG, Commander Kuran, and the two other senior Klingon officers took their places at the head of the table across from the three Starfleet officers. They followed their captain and sat down at the table in adjacent seats along his flanks. The decorative targ leather in their armor creaked from the change in their body posture. Each of them now kept their eyes locked on their so-called allies. Each set of Klingon eyes peered into the hearts of the Federation representatives. Observing. Judging. Looking for weakness. Almost a full minute of silence passed before the first words were uttered.

"Here we are..." KehG finally spoke in his gruff voice, leaning back against his seat. "Klingon, Human and..." he simply motioned to Mimi, having no idea what sort of half-breed Caitian she might be. Never in the history of his military service had he hosted guests from the Federation. Such duties were usually beneath him as a front-line warrior. Yet now, in the Pleiades Cluster far from Qo'noS, diplomacy was a valuable tool. "I invited you aboard to hear your proposal. In full. So tell me...what is it you want from me and why are you so concerned for these large-eared cretin?"

Finding herself unwanting to make eye contact with any of the Klingons clearly trying to drill a hole through her with their eyes, Mimi looked at everything but them, finding even the bloodwine stains on the wall a better thing to look at.

Aria looked at him, taking a deeper breath. "I want the lives of the Ferengi prisoners," she said, as simple as that. "For them to stay alive. My concern comes from my uniform, and the values that came with it. From Starfleet's point of view, in any battle, those who choose to surrender should be given their lives." She considered it, before putting a hand on the table. "I do not know how many of them are left, but I would see them live, to have a chance to earn their freedom and honour in the future."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT KehG
Commanding Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

CMDR Kuran
First Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

CMDR Torn
Chief Tactical Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

LCDR Brin't'a
Chief of Security
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Lieutenant Aria Rice
Previously default Commanding Officer, now Acting XO and Chief of Security
USS Galileo-A

Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

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