Guess Who's Coming To Dinner... (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on 13 Feb 2023 @ 6:34pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Chief Petty Officer Afthinam Naime & Petty Officer 1st Class T'Lin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeysa Zeror & Laeon Wylde & Nesh Saalm
Edited on on 13 Feb 2023 @ 6:38pm

3,926 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 5, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 10, 2101 hrs

Previously, on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Part 3)...

Commander Tarin stepped forward and straight into the Klingon woman's chest. She clenched a fist then brought it up to the taller woman's chin. She'd watched the brutality Mimi and KehG had engaged in. Watched one of her own miscalculate while not being able to help her, then saw her become impaled on the blade of an old warrior with too much pride. Morgan had taken a gamble and had lost. And she wasn't happy. Her fist raised to the Klingon security officer's chin then remained there for several long moments. Inches from touching her. "You are the coward, Brin't'a. Standing in the distance and waiting for your chance. Like a small person. A house cat," she rebuked, using Klingon phraseology.

The shove had caught Naime off guard with how forceful it had been but she was back on balance in a moment and popped up right next to Tarin "If honour isn't satisfied..." she mumbled, rolling her shoulders "Then we can rectify that situation right here." There was blood on the carpet where Mimi had briefly laid before dematerialising. The thought of the blood, of the ensign now fighting for her life down in sickbay, made Naime feel like maybe honour really hadn't been satisfied, maybe a little more blood needed to flow.

Commander Kuran stepped forward and finally uncrossed his long arms. The tall first officer had, too, witnessed the combat between the one called 'Mimi' and his captain. He'd seen his commander fight her the way he'd responded to dozens of challenges throughout the time they'd served together. Always, KehG had been victorious. Always he was the supreme persona aboard Praxis. But now...a new opportunity presented itself.

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

"Brin't'a! Torn! ...It is over," declared Kuran as he stepped forward toward Rice and Tarin, pulling both of them back by their shoulders. His dark brown eyes were strangely bright and optimistic in nature when he looked to Galileo's XO. "Your respect of Klingon tradition is...admirable. You and your crew have proven yourselves. Here, today."

Aria looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Oh yes, she could see how this was going. He was now first. Until his Captain opened his eyes, Kuran was in charge. And more, depending on the Captain's injuries...he could claim his spot. But she gave a nod, because despite it all she liked Kuran. "I hope that you understand that there are limits as to what we can allow of...Klingon traditions on this ship," she said, lightly. A fight to the death was the Klingon way. But it wasn't Starfleet's way. "We should finish the meal and talk." She took a slight step back, to let Tarin be in front...deferring to her to continue. As the Commanding Officer, Tarin was in charge of this. Even if Aria was wondering if the woman wouldn't have been happier being with the Klingons than following Starfleet regulations.

Begrudgingly, Tarin glanced across the wet blood stains on the deck's carpet then to her officers and the Klingons. The Galileans who still remained were all on their feet. In their eyes was a combination of shock, contempt and ambivalence. Even Rice, who she'd come to know over the past week, appeared disturbed despite her best efforts to mask her feelings in front of Kuran. Tarin herself was still in a state of mild shock. She'd vetted Mimi and seen her speed and agility in their daily exercises. This shouldn't have happened like it did.

Reality was unforgiving, however. Here, Tarin stood in front of Rice and Kuran and the rest of their combined crews. The Galileo crew waited on her orders and deferred to her command, unlike the Klingons. She walked from her position in front of Torn and Brin't'a and stopped next to her XO in front of Kuran. "We can finish our meal...and discuss the future," she approved in a quieter-than usual voice. Her hazel eyes glanced back to the blood splatters before looking back to Kuran. "Let me make myself clear: on my word, commander, none of your people will ever attack or injure another Starfleet officer again under my watch. Do you understand?" she demanded.

Commander Kuran's dark eyes narrowed while the skin pulled at the edged of his lips. He smiled with his mouth then grunted in simple acknowledgement. "As you wish..." He turned from her with satisfaction at the new agreement struck, then motioned for the Brin't'a and Torn to take their places again at the table.

"You can't be serious." Naime glanced around the faces of the other Galileo officers, from the looks they displayed it seemed like they really were. "We would just sit back down and break bread while the blood of one of our officers is still soaking into the carpet of the very same room?" The tone of her raised voice was outraged, she really couldn't believe it. The idea of going back to drinking bloodwine as it mingled with the scent of actual blood... The very suggestion was abhorrent.

Nesh looked at Naime and then down at the blood. Mimi was a friend. But she had done that to herself. With the help of Tarin, that was. To be honest, she was more concerned about the fact Laeon, who was really just a kid, had witnessed it all. But hey, she had seen some pretty weird things when she was young and here she was, still alive and relatively sane. "I did spend ages cooking all of this food before everyone decided that fighting was more important than eating and drinking," she said, pointedly. "And it would be a shame to let the food go to waste. And the drink." She walked around the blood, since it was still wet and it was a nightmare to get off the soft woven shoes she wore. And with the grace of a ballerina and the smile of an angel she reached to put the knocked over glasses right, and clear up spilled food. But she did not go to clean up the blood.

"The food was wonderful Nesh." A little of the fire had left the chief's tone as she watched Nesh begin the clean up while the Galileo and Klingons officers moved to sit down. They really were just going to get on with it, pretend this hadn't happened. Naime stood there, unsure what to do. Part of her was still itching to take out all these feelings on the Klingons but the moment had passed, things were carrying on.

Jeysa was still in shock from the last few minutes events, never in her entire career as a diplomatic aide had she seen a diplomatic event go like this, a Starfleet officer, a friend had been gravely injured and everyone else was just going to carry on as if it didn't happen. She desperately wanted to dash to sickbay to check on Mimi but knew Tarin wouldn't let her leave even if she asked.

Glancing between the remaining Galileo officer and NCOs, it was clear from the engineer's comments that her decision wasn't a popular one. Could Tarin blame the chief, really, for speaking her mind at such an unorthodox decision? Morgan certainly would have done the same if the circumstances were reversed and she didn't have the burdens of starship command, regional strategic operations and the cold station investigation dominating her decision-making. She understood the opposition and knew many of the crew would now look at her differently. "Naime, T'Lin...you're both dismissed," she ordered, then glanced to Nesh and her man-child companion. "You too, Mister Wylde. Go join your father in sickbay." That would leave Rice and Tarin alone together with the Klingons to discuss practicalities of their current respective missions with more candor and less diplomacy.

"Aye sir." Maybe one of the easiest affirmatives Chief Naime had given in her Starfleet career. She wasn't an idiot and it was obvious here that her presence was not going to be useful. It was a relief, and it wasn't like engineering didn't need her right now. She exited the room promptly and without another word.

Without another word T'Lin turned and walked out. There was a report to make was her only thought.

Laeon Wylde looked to Nesh with dark violet eyes...he had come to help her out, so he sought her approval on instinct. When she gave him a nod he cleared his throat, moving awkwardly past her. "It really was a feast fit for kings, maybe the bloodwine was a little too good..." he whispered, squeezing her arm before moving hurriedly to leave, in case they changed their mind and tried to call him back.

When the door hissed shut behind Laeon, the only Galileans remaining in the room were Tarin, Rice, Zeror and young Saalm; and their Klingon counterparts Kuran, Torn and Brin't'a. Morgan shifted her eyes to her security chief then expressed a curt, discreet nod for her to take her place back at the table. She pulled her chair out then sat down with little appetite left for whatever food remained. Praxis' officers, however, appeared more than happy to continue their feast and partake in more drink. Kuran motioned with two fingers toward the Orion. "More bloodwine!" "And gagh!" demanded Torn.

"Like my gagh, do you?" Nesh asked, looking over at Jeysa before she smiled. "You serve the bloodwine, I'll get more." She touched her shoulder on her way past.

"Alright." Jeysa said after a few moments, she picked up the bloodwine pitcher and went around the table filling up the glasses of the remaining participant's refusing to look at them as she passed only meeting Aria's gaze for a moment giving her a looked that hoped to show just what she was feeling right now.

Aria took a seat, her back straight before she reached for her glass. She took a large sip of the bloodwine before placing the glass down. "We still have quite a few things to discuss."

Declining to drink from her refilled goblet at the present moment, Tarin concurred with her XO. "What I've just allowed to happen on my ship will get me court-martialed when I return to my command." Her hazel irises were sharp and her brow was terse with solemnity as she declared her position to the Klingons. She wasn't under any misconceptions about her recent actions and the peril her operations deputy was now experiencing. If Mimi was still alive.

"Don't mistake my acceptance of your ways for my approval." Tarin continued, fiddling with one of her forks which Nesh had diligently re-placed on the table. A long moment passed then she raised her chin to Kuran. "If a single Ferengi perishes under your detention -- I will find Praxis and prosecute your entire crew with all the resources available to me." It was a bold statement coming from a Nova-class CO. "And...you will accept my first officer," she flicked her eyes to Rice, "as an official Starfleet-Klingon Defense Force exchange officer. Her assignment will begin immediately...as soon as you depart this ship." KehG could have been trusted. Starfleet Intelligence had an entire file built upon the captain's exploits which included a full personality matrix and action projections. But Kuran? He was an unknown. Morgan was many things but not a fool. She'd observed the discreet way in which the Klingon first officer looked at her own Number One. Another opportunity had presented itself.

Aria looked at Tarin, not with shock or surprise, but with an almost calculated glance. She wondered briefly if it was because she had disobeyed and broken up the fight and this was Tarin's way of getting rid of her as an obstacle. But that was illogical, because T'Lin was more determined to report this than Aria was at the moment and that was saying a lot. Or...maybe it was just that the situation was so messed up that this was where they were, and from Aria's point of view it would help secure the lives of the Ferengi prisoners. It did mean that the ship's current Security compliment was going to go down from two to one. Hell, leaving Gabriel and Lily to go on a Klingon ship was a blow. But she looked calmly over at Kuran, meeting his eyes and holding them before she gave a small smile. "Qapla'," she simply said and raised her glass at him. Stay cool as a cucumber in the black, Aria, and you may survive this. Not the first time you've been in a dodgy situation, you spent long enough on the 'Toga out in the borderlands dealing with people outside of the Federation. Klingons aren't an unknown. They just respond to the things you don't have, she thought, but kept her inner monologue from her face.

Nesh came back with the gagh and just stared before she put it down on the table. She looked at Jeysa with some confusion as well before giving Aria a pitying look. No way she could take her clothes with her. Not to that ship.

Jeysa caught the confused look from Nesh, it matched her own. Exchanges like this were usually planned weeks or even months in advance, they were definitely not spur of the moment decisions like this was. Whatever Tarin was planning it certainly wasn't in the universal diplomacy playback

Brin't'a suddenly stood when she realized the inferior Starfleet woman was possibly becoming a crew member on her own vessel. A possible equal to a true warrior. The thought disgusted her. Torn scowled along side her and also discarded his bloodwine in favor of scorn. "Kuran, this proposal is an abomination!" was his loud protest.

Aria looked at Brin't'a for a moment and then Torn. She kept a small smile on her face even as she raised an eyebrow. "They still seem to speak to you as if you are not in charge of them," she commented to Kuran. "You are the Captain now, at least until KehG has recovered enough." And the unsaid bit was the if rather than the when. She did expect the Klingons to...kick up a fuss. She was human. And smaller. They would not respect her easily, if ever.

The newly-refilled goblet of bloodwiine next to the acting Klingon commander was suddenly swiped aside with a firm backhand from Kuran's right hand. The tasty beverage cup clattered then spilled its contents on the nearby carpet several meters from the large blood stains. Kuran stood and looked down at his two officers while one of his hands discreetly positioned itself along his waist, near his own concealed d'k tahg. Just in case. "I am in command of Praxis now," he declared to his tactical and security chiefs. He slowly walked along their side of the table then moved behind them with a tall and intimidating presence. "...Unless you wish to challenge me?" he offered, his teeth half-bared.

Aria glanced at Tarin, leaning closer to the other woman. "Am I officially part of Kuran's crew now?" she asked, in a hushed whisper, her eyes on the other woman. "And no longer under the general regulations of a Starfleet vessel?"

Brin't'a and Torn both looked up from their uncomfortable chairs and craned their necks to observe Kuran and his methodical, threatening pacing. The Klingon first officer had earned each of their trust and respect during the eight months it'd taken to hunt down the Ferengi criminal who'd stolen one of their cloaking devices. He -- and KehG had delivered them to the bounty. But now, with their captain in a Federation sickbay... Torn averted Kuran's gaze and instead thumped a fist to his chest. He shuffled his eyes to Brin't'a who accepted his demeanor and performed the same expression of respect. "The Starfleet officer can come with us...if you keep her in line!" was the tactical chief's concedence.

"Good. Then it's settled?" interjected Tarin without any desire for Klingon interpersonal politics. That was now her acting XO's purview. Navigating the cold world of honor and glory was difficult in the best of circumstances and now she'd just willingly thrust her most trusted officer into the fold. Rice would either sink or swim. Tarin had misjudged one of her people before, Mimi; yet now she doubled down on her bet. The young Lunan would make or break the New Yorker's career. And be responsible for the fates of all those in the local space. It was a tall order.

Morgan finally leaned to the side to reciprocate Rice's subtle movements and discreetness. "Your transfer is approved," came the whispered confirmation. Tarin suddenly grabbed a hold of one of Rice's barely-existent love handles then squeezed the muscular fat. "You are still a Starfleet officer and you will always be. Remember our general orders. I regret I can't brief you more but you will have to improvise."

Aria met her eyes, holding them for a long moment before she reached to grip her hand, pulling it away from her with cold eyes. She didn't like being grabbed at the best of days, having the other woman grab her like that when she was already under stress and trying to disguise it made her. "I seem to remember it more than you, Commander," she breathed as she held her eyes, eyebrow raised before she let go of her hand and stood. "Captain Kuran," she directed her words towards the Klingon. "With your permission, I will go and get my gear. Do you wish for me to wear one of your uniforms on your ship? The commbadge will stay, I'm afraid, as it marks me as a member of Starfleet. I hope it will not distract too much." It was a polite response. Aria might prefer the Starfleet uniform she had worked so hard to wear, but if she was going to be on a Klingon ship she needed to respect his wishes.

The Klingon security officer almost spit out her drink. Instead, it dribbled down her chin while her lips curled into a satisfactory and devious smile. "She does not even know how to dress herself!" Brin't'a sneered, holding the Lunan's eyes with latent intent and amusement at her small, pathetic nature.

Aria looked at her, then ran her eyes over her before giving a small shrug, looking back at Kuran. "Sir?" she asked, ignoring the Klingon woman's remark. High school bullies were, if nothing else, annoying. And she was finding a lot of that in Brin't'a.

"Enough!," replied Commander Kuran in Klingon to his provocative security chief. He paid Brin't'a little mind while instead focusing on the details of the new arrangement he'd just brokered with Starfleet. An arrangement not offered to KehG...but he, the new captain of the Imperial Fleet's finest warship. He remained stoic while suppressing the urge to smile at his good fortunes. "All of your accommodations will be provided for. As for your uniform...that is your choice as my new first officer." He locked eyes with Rice and only half-explained himself. The rest was obvious. "Do you think you can prove yourself as a commander of a Klingon warship, wearing," he flicked his fingers to her chest, "that?"

Aria met his eyes before she gave a small smile. "It does lack pockets," she said, almost playfully. "If you would excuse me, I will go and change and pack some clothes." And it would allow Tarin to cover any other terms that Aria didn't need to hear. She suspected the woman had some things up her sleeve.

Holding up a large hand, Kuran gestured to the Human who seemed eager to join his warship. "We will provide all of your clothing for you. As well as food and weapons. Everything a warrior requires. Your uniform will be earned when you step foot aboard my vessel," he spoke in plain truths, his chin rising ever-so-slightly.

Aria nodded, holding his eyes at that before she smiled. "Yes Captain," she said, giving him the title she suspected he craved somewhat.

"Go and prepare yourself. Meet me in your transporter room on my command," Kuran ordered. His tone of voice wasn't overly aggressive, but forceful enough for a Klingon commander who expected to elicit respect from those around him. He then gave a cursory glance to Tarin who was keenly observing the interaction between the two. "With your permission...captain?" he finally asked.

Morgan was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. A combination of too-spicy and repulsive delicacies alongside makeshift bloodwine made for a poor intestinal digestion. "Temporary transfer approved," she agreed. "You're dismissed, Rice."

Taking up her PADD Jeysa made a note about Tarin transferring Aria to the Klingon ship, alongside her note saying Tarin made her stand down and let the fight between Mimi and KehG happen rather than try and stop them just in case any investigation into the incident happened to happen.

Aria nodded, looking at Tarin for a moment before she walked out. She had to let Stark know. He'd be in charge of Security now as far as she was concerned. And she would have to let Verity and Lily know too. She frowned, raising her chin a little as she considered it. Well. She might as well go native as much as she could within the Starfleet code of conduct. Why not. She had nothing left to lose.

"Godspeed," was what Tarin wanted to say to Rice as she watched the young lieutenant leave the observation lounge. The door hissed shut behind her. The acting commander subtly grit her teeth, grinding away the small remains of enamel still present on her molars. Her hazel eyes snapped up to Mimi and Nesh, then to the Klingons. "Your officers can return to Praxis now and stop drinking all of our bloodwine. Maybe being sober will help you, for once," she chastised.

Sneers from Brin't'a and Torn accompanied the more discreet one from Kuran. It was clear, now, that their welcome had become worn out. There was nothing more for them to take from the Starfleet science vessel. The Klingon tactical officer threw down the replicated gagh in his hand then pushed himself away from the table alongside his fellow department head. More glasses and cutlery clanged as they rose from the table and moved away from diplomacy.

[OFF]

--

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

LT Aria Rice
Chief Security Officer/Acting First Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO1 T'Lin
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

CPO Afthinam Naime
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Ullswater]

PO3 Jeysa Zeror
Yeoman
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

Nesh Saalm
Sous Chef
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

Laeon Wylde
Child
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

Captain KehG
Commanding Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

Commander Kuran
First Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

Commander Torn
Chief Tactical Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

Lieutenant Commander Brin't'a
Chief Security Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

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