Heart to heart 1: About the Klingons......

Posted on 01 May 2012 @ 6:27am by

749 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: M8-A: Kzinti War - Recon from Hell
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: After the arrest

This was exactly where Ciara did NOT want to be. She wished she could run and hide or bash the Klingon Captain's head into a wall... not that
she could, but it would have been so lovely were if possible.... But here she was, XO of the USS Achilles. Ciara didn't even notice that she had ended up in the queue in the Achilles mess hall. It must have been an instinctual response to grab coffee, she thought wryly. Her nose wrinkled at the smell the Klingons on the ship were leaving everywhere. She hadn't had breakfast, either. Turning, she nearly knocked a tray right out of the hands of a dark haired young woman. "My apologies," Ciara said, rather embarrassed, but grateful to see she was also Starfleet. "Did I dump anything on you?"

"No no," Zaria replied with a small smile as she checked her tray and saw that all was steady and fine, "completely fine here. Could have
just as easily been me bumping into you. Still have a bit of vertigo from the blood loss during the battle..." she explained pleasantly
before adding, "I'm Zaria Creighton. And you are...?"

It was so refreshing to see someone this friendly and Ciara relaxed, smiling, something she hadn't done for a while. "I am Ciara Brannagh... " she responded, while moving forward in the queue. "Ran out of replicator rations very quickly," she said above the noise, obviously not particularly enjoying the constant talking and bickering of the Klingons and whoever else they irritated. "No! You billigerent oaf! It is MY turn, move up!!" Ciara said and shouldered her way in between two Klingons who laughed, but respected the small red haired woman. When she got her tray and coffee she stepped out of the line, seeing Zaria was still close. "Table?" she asked, realizing she would love to have some normal female company.

"Sure," Zaria nodded, the corners of her lips twitching with amusement as her eyes sparkled with humor. She followed the other woman, her own tray held close as to not have anything spilled on her as it nearly was just moments ago and she sat, waving at Jin and the twins seated a few tables away.

Ciara noticed the movements and saw the threesome digging into breakfast as they found a table and sat down. "Yours?" she asked uncertainly. "If you'd rathe.... "

"No, it's fine," Zaria said in a hurry, explaining quickly, "This is Jin's morning to have them. We're not together anymore so we split time with the twins as much as we can."

"Oh ok," Ciara smiled politely. She just lost her husband of twenty years... She mentally shook her head to force those thoughts to the back of her mind. "She decided to rather change the subject. "I must say... I don't think I would do well on a Klingon ship. I wonder how the Starfleet officers endure being in such close quarters with them..." she commented with a chuckle.

A slight blush tinged Zaria's cheeks as she responded somewhat shyly, "Well...it does get difficult at times, but mostly it's manageable..."

Ciara's expression said a huge "oh no!" She knew she did not only put her foot in her mouth, but probably the other one as well and her
hands for good measure. "You are D'ama crew...." she said flatly. "I didn't mean to offend..."

"You didn't," Zaria assured in kind. She grinned and shrugged at how uncomfortable the other woman had become, saying, "One of my greatest tasks on the D'ama is to keep the peace between Starfleet and Klingon crew."

"Oh.. I see.... how do you manage?" It was clear that Ciara was astounded. She studied the sweet looking woman with curiosity and gaining respect, while she ate her breakfast.

Zaria's lips pursed as she tried to keep her grin from broadening but her gleaming eyes gave her away...at least to some extent, "It's not
always easy but being able to handle the Captain gains a girl a little respect."

Ciara could see that there was someting going on here, but was not sure what. "The Captain...." She remembered the Klingon Captain, he
was the one who ordered them to be contained in the cargo bay, She saw him the first time in the staff briefing, a large dark man, with an
even darker expression. "You mean the one who looked like he was sussing the lesser species to see who he was going to eat first?"

TBC

 

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