May Your Blood Scream Part II

Posted on Mon Nov 6th, 2023 @ 1:26pm by
Edited on on Mon Nov 6th, 2023 @ 1:28pm

2,756 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Klingon Settlement.
Timeline: After part one BACKPOST

Kas moved slowly out of the clinic was stiff and still felt quite weak, but put a bold face on it. Vorok was on one side of him and Kendri was on the other. Another of Vorok's warriors was walking a few steps behind them. Kas looked at Kendri, "You don't need to follow me all night, Commander. This is a party, enjoy yourself."

"Don't worry about me, Kas. This isn't my first one of these," Kendri said as she scanned the grounds and took note of the different groups of people gathered together.

Vorok pointed to the warrior behind them, "Orak will tend to your needs."

Orak handed a metal goblet to Kendri and flashed a crooked smile, "Let's see how the off-worlders handle their liquor."

"Oh, I know better than to try to out drink any of you," Kendri spoke loud enough to be heard over the growing crowd. "But a drink for all that was one today," she said raising her goblet.

Brok'tan walked into the middle of the square and began to clap, the Klingons began tapping their goblets on the tables, clapping or stumping in time the Brok'tan clapping. As Kas approached the edge of the square. Then they all began to sing;

Bagh Da tuHmoh. ChojaH Duh rHo. ylja'Qo' ylja'Qo' ylja'Qo

Kas walked up boldly to a large barrel of bloodwine and scooped his goblet full of wine while singing with the others.

Kendri knew her pronunciation with Klingon was never quite right, so she didn't try to sing along. She smiled as they joined together in song. The singing, it always fascinated her about the Klingons.

Madaq, 'o Du' jlDaq, maDu' pa'Daq, pa'Daq, cha'ba' pu'Daq chu'qo'

The singing continued as Kas embraced his fellow warriors, it had been a long time since he'd been with Klingons. There were things he missed about his honorable friends.

Van'aj javDlch Qong Dlr Sa'Vlch ghlH yot quell'Pa qevas HoH Qa

Sar watched Kas embrace the other Klingons. His hand lifted the mug, eyes scanning the room as he sipped. The bloodwine had a unique taste, but did not seem to interest him. He lifted the mug into a deeper drink as others sang around him.

Kendri saw the other officers gathered nearby, so she made her way over to them to see how they were faring.

Sava was on her second cup of bloodwine. "Oh, hello, Commander! Enjoying the party?" She smiled and waved. The intoxicant didn't seem to have worn off yet, at least.

"Sure," Kendri responded. "It's nice to be able to experience how other cultures celebrate every now and then." Kendri paused as her attention was drawn to Kormak approaching Kas. "That's who Commander Razka fought with earlier," she pointed out for Lissa and Zeke, who had not been present during the battle.

Kas looked up to see Kormak walking toward him, the warrior had a significant limp. Kormak scooped a goblet of wine and raised his cup high. "I salute you Kas, son of Toq! May you die with honor!"

"And I salute you Kormak son of Dorg!" Kas looked the warrior in the eye. "Dorg the brother of Toq, may you die with honor, cousin!"

There was a murmur in the crowd, some of the warriors were suspicious of Kas so his connection to a Klingon house was surprising.

A group of Klingon travelers who'd been keeping a suspicious eye on Kas now carried a mix of expressions on their faces. Some looked angered. One person even looked hurt. The group finally moved towards the others, grunting and murmuring to each other. The small group disbursed into the crowd. A young Klingon woman walked past Kas and offered a smile, her gaze locked upon him.

Governor Melor stood on a platform and the crowd quieted, the man gave a toast to the warriors and Federation officers who'd saved them from the fire. Goblets were raised and a cheer went up from the crowd. Then Brok'tan took the platform he was a renowned Warrior Poet, so the crowd looked to him with reverence as he began to speak;

In the arena, under the crimson sky,
Kormak and Kas, their destinies to try.
Cousins they were, bound by blood and steel,
In the honorable duel, their fates would reveal.

Kormak, the fire in his young Klingon heart,
Challenged his cousin, ready to depart.
With valor and courage, they clashed with might,
In the dance of the warriors, under the warrior's light.

But Kas, seasoned and wise, a path of his own,
In battle's cruel rhythm, his skills had grown.
He defeated Kormak, but with honor, he chose,
To spare his young cousin, where respect still flows.

Brok'tan, the poet, his words now declare,
The bond of their blood, the strength they both share.
In the honorable duel, where honor was high,
Kormak and Kas, beneath the warrior's sky.

Roars erupted from the crowd, goblets were raised as a toast to the tale. The Klingons milled about one another, roughly patting each other on the backs. The people were wrapping their arms around one another's shoulders and roughing one another up - another show of Klingon affection.

"Drink Vulcan!" A scowling warrior slapped Sar on the back. The sting of her leather-wrapped hand caused Sar to tense up. "Tonight we celebrate." She grinned wildly.

"As I have been told", Sar responded dryly. He lifted his glass and nodded in his direction. He took the opportunity to imbibe one of his long, rehearsed sips. The Klingon woman laughed, shouting to his friends in guttural Klingon dialect from the Qo'nos city known as Tong Vey. They moved towards the crowd surrounding Kas.

Once again Sava failed to find herself disappointed by the storytelling prowess of the Klingon. She'd been to Qo'nos only once and heard their loresingers belt their tales of grandeur with just as much passion and vigor as Brok'tan did. Maybe he'd been one before coming here, she reckoned. Sava clapped and cheered along with the crowd, who met their elder's words with cheering and more bloodwine drinking.

The Starfleet officers standing near T'Lura and the medical team raised their cups along with the others, and drank to the toasts being made. Lissa slipped out of the circle of Klingons and stood next to Zeke. She'd been tossed around enough for one evening, and was grateful her colleagues had shown up.

Kendri kept her eye on Kas, watching the interactions between him and the colony's leaders.

After making his way through the crowd, Sar approached Commander Chalan. He offered and held the split fingered salute while he spoke. "Greetings Commander. The ceremonial performance of the Klingons is quite fascinating. My observations suggest you have a level of familiarity with Klingon culture. I should aspire to become as experienced some day." His words seemed to hint at a strong interest underneath the blankness of his expression.

"One of my old assignments was frequently assigned to areas near Klingon airspace. We were sent there to work together and continue to build diplomatic relationships," Kendri explained. "Klingon culture demands a certain acquiescence to their way of doing things if they are to respect you."

"It would appear that way, Commander. This immersion in Klingon culture is overwhelming, to say the least." Sar's analytical mind constantly calculated the variables surrounding him.

Kas nodded to Brok'tan and moved back to the wine, a group of female warriors stepped in front of him. A tall woman stepped in close and extended her arms "B'aht Qul!"

Kas put his arms against the side inside of hers, then easily pushed her arms away. "I am Commander L'naan! You have the strength of a warrior, how's your stamina?"

Vorok stood by watching the women behind Kas' 'challenger.' Her motivations were obvious, but he couldn't take any chances with the other two.

"The warrior's blood grows cold" Kas said, turning away from the woman.

T'Lura turned to Kendri, "Commander Chalan, we need to distract those women from LtCr Razka."

"I recognize one of them from a mission several years ago. I can remind her of the glorious battle we won on that day," Kendri said the words dryly as it was just T'Lura and Sar nearby. She did not care for the violence, not to mention the subsequent celebrating of violence, but she knew how to play a role in these situations.

Sar spoke quickly. "I do not believe interfering with Commander Razka's personal life is appropriate," Sar cautioned as he lowered the mug of bloodwine. His pale eyes looked towards T'Lura with discomfort as she moved towards Kas.

"It will be okay, Ensign," Kendri assured him. "I know it seems like a fight could break out at any moment, but they really are celebrating. If you do see a few punches thrown, it is likely a friendly fight, believe it or not. Remember, you and T'Lura are stronger and faster than they are."

As Kendri spoke to him, Sar's eyes followed the female Vulcan. "Indeed. The Klingons do appear to be in an amicable..." He froze as he watched what transpired.

L'naan grabbed Kas's shoulder, Kas turned and looked the woman in the eye. T'Lura stepped up and stiff-armed the woman away from Kas.

T'Lura turned and caressed the back of Kas' neck before kissing him. The Vulcan turned to L'naan, "Lt. Commander Razka has other plans tonight, do not proposition him again."

L'naan snared at the Vulcan woman's interference, "Your blood must be cold indeed to prefer such a creature!"

One of the other Klingon women stepped forward, "his blood was running all over the arena last night. Give him time. He's not completely Klingon, he needs time to mend."

Sar's eyelids lowered as he contemplated T'Lura's actions. He could only conclude that T'Lura had underlying feelings for Kas. Surely the situation would have resolved itself. Although Klingon women were persistent, they typically understood rejection. A clear lack of interest from Kas would have likely sent them away. Sar wondered if subtle feelings had crept into T'Lura's decision. He thought about his own warm sensations towards Sarah. A befuddled look crept over his features as he calculated the complex social dynamics.

"Vurla!" Kendri shouted. "My old friend, don't tell me you did not recognize this face among the crowd," she continued speaking loudly as she walked toward the taller of the Klingon women in the crowd.

"Chalan!" Vurla said as stepped forward. She looked at L'naan, Move off, there are other options!"

Vurla gave Kas a wicked smile, "It seems Starfleet goes out of its way to recruit halfbreeds!"

Sar stared coolly at the Klingon woman. He felt she carried truth behind her thinly veiled insults. His body tensed up as he took a step closer to Kendri. Hollow, expressionless eyes studied the woman protective thought surrounding the Executive Officer fresh in his mind.

The Klingon let out a laugh, and her crew laughed as well. L'naan had moved to another group of warriors. Kas did not respond to the jab, refilled his goblet and returned to drinking.

"That halfbreed just defeated a pure Klingon in combat, and did it his own way." Sava muttered under her breath, through a sip of bloodwine.

Kendri still stood with Vurla as she made the comment. At 5'10" most of the Klingons did not tower over her, which was helpful when standing her ground. "And has not Starfleet's motley crew of differing races - including half-breeds like my - been a good ally to the Klingons for many years now!" Kendri raised her glass slightly suggesting a toast to Vurla.

Vurla leaned forward slightly, her eyes staring deep into Kendri's for a brief moment before she laughed and raised her goblet to Kendri. "Indeed, when the Tal Shiar petaQs tried to take one of our colony worlds, this one and many others fought like warriors to defeat them!" Vurla pushed her goblet of bloodwine into Kendri's in a toast and they each took a drink.

"The Tal Shiar have no honor," Kendri agreed. "The Klingons fought well that day."

Sava let the women talk. Maybe they knew each other from previous missions or collaborative efforts. She turned to the nearest Klingon to her and grinned. "Great party, eh? Been a while since we've been able to do this, especially with Klingons!"

The Klingon male stood shorter than Sava at 6'2. His dark features were clad in black clothing with a red sash. "And where are you from, tall one? I have never seen one of your kind."

"Kaminar. You've probably never been there." Sava replied cheerfully. "It's further into the Alpha quadrant than plenty of planets. Plus. Most of us don't leave the homeworld anyway. We usually like to settle." She sipped from her bloodwine slowly. "You? Born and raised here? Or did you spend your childhood on Qo'nos?"

"Qo'nos? Ah, if only", the Klingon said after a quick sip from an ornate tankard. "My House hails from the moon of Praxis. Our role is but to serve. Many of us battle other Klingons for the chance to serve the Empire... Searching for a stout, grand vessel to serve on a great mission. Such a fortune is not to be mine today," the haggard man said with a snarling smirk.

Part of Sava was a little jealous of this guy's tankard. Did he have that commissioned or something? She could've sworn that one metal cup he held had taken days to etch, and here it was being used to toss back heavy liquor. "Such fortunes will come! They always do!" She said, trying to encourage him a little bit. "Not tonight, maybe, but some day in future! In the meantime I'm quite sure you can find some other fortunes to claim if you look around..."

The Klingon grunted, smiled and took a step closer to Sava, lifting his mug in acknowledgment before taking a hearty drink.

"What?" The Kelpien raised an eyebrow and giggled. "Was it something I said?"

"I am sure there are great battles ahead as you say," the warrior said as he nodded to her. "Excuse me, I must join my comrades. It is nice to have met you. One I shall not forget."

The Vulcan ensign lifted his glass of bloodwine into a long swig. His attention had turned from Vurla to the glass. His pale eyes studied the liquid as it pooled within the mug. He was almost finished with it.

Lissa came up and stood next to Sar. "I don't even think we've been here very long, but I'm already exhausted. This is my first Klingon 'party.' How about you?"

"I cannot say that I have much experience with Klingon culture", Sar said to Lissa, inwardly connecting to her presence. "Simply trying to blend in has required a great deal of effort on my behalf. I am grateful for the chance to again immerse myself within a dynamic social situation." He paused for a moment, eyes scanning the crowd. There was almost a hint of some fire within momentarily rising to the surface, something which perplexed him. "Do you ever find it difficult to interact with others?" Sar felt Lissa seemed more comfortable in social situations than many, based on his observations. He hoped to learn from her.

"Sometimes," Lissa responded. "You have to remember, I grew up on starships, so I'm pretty accustomed to other cultures. This was a lot though - I can't say I was exposed to anything like this as a kid." She decided to keep quiet about her incident with the Orion doctors a few months ago.

"I find it difficult to focus on the celebration's festive elements when the apparent levels of risk appear so high. Almost as if on queue, two Klingon warriors greet each other by aggressively smashing their foreheads together. After slapping each other on the back, they break out into raucous laughter. Sar eyes them curiously before returning his attention to Lissa. "I am grateful for your familiar presence in the midst of this frenetic situation." His eyelids remained comfortably half lowered, eyes unrevealing of the thoughts within.

"I think they mean well," Lissa responded. "I think they know to take it easy on us, I wouldn't worry, Sar."

"Perhaps you are correct." Sar trusted Lissa's advice. "I believe I am placing external expectations upon behaviors which are intrinsically Klingon."

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