Lieutenant E'riQ: Klingon allies? Ha!

[Renos]

((Bridge, USS Apollo-A))

 

:: The Klingon was inspecting his new station. People walked all around him. A huge bridge also meant a very busy one. Meanwhile, he reflected on the Klingon language and on how it affected cultural differences. That's why, when he noticed an officer was next to him, apparently awaiting for something, his Klingon upbringing took over. ::

 

E'riQ: nuqneH? :: Pause. :: Oh, sorry. I meant, hello. I'm E'riQ.

 

:: Only then did E'riQ realize the human was standing at attention. He realized he was the HCO officer he had been waiting to meet. And the man visibly relaxed seeing how E'riQ was not saluting with any formality. Klingon ships were less prone to etiquette. Klingon civilian ships, where he had spent most of his life, much less so. For him, ran was useful to know who gave the orders, but not to replace names.  ::

 

Termine: uhh… Hello sir! Lieutenant Junior Grade Dante Termine reporting for duty. 

 

E'riQ: A pleasure to meet you. I think we will be sharing these two seats quite often, so I was looking forward to this encounter. 

 

:: He said that with his more polite smile. Which required some effort. He had tried his more sincere smile in the past, and he had learned that it made most federation citizens a bit uneasy, with his marked fangs and all. So he smiled with his lips closed this time. Usually, once he got to know people and they shared his contagious loud laugh, they were more eager to see him smile openly. ::

 

:: The human responded with a similar smile, and a slap in the arm, which surprised E'riQ in a good way. Had him been around Klingons? Or was he naturally Klingon-y in his reactions? In any case, good signs! ::

 

Termine: Buy’ ngop! <<literally: the plates are full!>> I am honoured to server under you Lieutenant! I’m sure they will sing songs about out adventures! 

 

E'riQ: oO He even speaks Klingon? How many people aboard do? Oo

 

:: He was pleasantly surprised, but also intrigued. It's not as if his people had become trendy, was it? They were allies, but the relations were not as close as they had been. :: 

 

E'riQ: Do you speak Klingon?

 

Termine: Uh, yes sir, a little. 

 

:: E'riQ wondered how that came to be, athough he knew Starfleet Academy offered several courses for those interested in his culture. ::

 

E'riQ: Great! Where were you before the Apollo?

 

Termine: I was the alpha-shift OPS officer on the Atlantis until about four hours ago.  Before that the academy. 

 

E'riQ: Oh, I see. Are you a pilot?

 

:: E'riQ was. Or, more accurately, it's what he enjoyed most in his Starfleet role. Having his own civilian ship, he had been in basically any role, and in HCO he needed a lot of those skills. But now that there were people covering every role, the helm is what he enjoyed. ::

 

Termine: To be honest sir I joined Starfleet to lead, and that’s where I’m going to work my way to. Until then I’m here to do my job and make you proud. If you need someone wined and dined, a com-channel cleared or a relay replaced I’m your guy. 

 

:: Termine seemed eager to serve. E'riQ wondered if he was really, or these were steps in his dream to lead. E'riQ was not in a hurry to the central chair. And Kahless said real leaders have leadership thrust upon them against their will. But he understood the ambition. ::

 

E'riQ: Have you seen the size of this ship? We won't ever run out of things to do.

 

:: An air of solemnity fell upon the room as the Stratigo entered. E'riQ motioned towards the station monitors and for his HCO mate to just listen. They observed the exchange of command. E'riQ got tense a few times. He knew the Zakdorn were famously seen as the most brilliant strategic minds in the quadrant. But, as most Klingon, he doubted a reputation that was not proved regularly. ::

 

Renos: Thank you Stratigo Bokzadeshti, we are most grateful to you and all of Zakdorn for all your hard work and effort. We’ll put this marvellous ship to good use.

 

Bokzadeshti: That remains to be seen. Permission to disembark, captain?

 

:: E'riQ clenched his fist. He could not believe the KDC had at some point considered an alliance with Zakdorn (although the position of the planet had something to do with it). ::

 

E'riQ: oO Klingon allied with them? Ha! If they are all that arrogant, the first Klingon captain they had to work with would stab them and test their famous defense system! Oo

 

Renos: Permission granted. Please feel free to disembark at your leisure. With heavy shipping around Zakdorn at the moment, we’re not cleared for departure until 0700 tomorrow.

 

:: What? With a heavy sigh, E'riQ looked at the human he'd be working with, his face showin both disappointment and surprise. He was eager to take this gorgeous whale out of dock. That would have to wait. ::

 

:: Thinking on where to pass the time until next morning, other than dinner with the captain, he looked around the room, until his eyes locked on something special: a black collar. Due to his background and species, there were two kinds of people he always had rough starts with: counselors and Intel officers. This time in, he decided to work proactively to solve that. ::

 

E'riQ: Excuse me. Could we have a word?

 

McLaren: response

 

E'riQ: Either an office or a drink. As official or unofficial as you want it to be.

 

McLaren: response

 

Lieutenant E'riQ, son of Lo'PeH

Chief of HCO- USS Apollo-A

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