Nova Visitors (Part 1 of 5)

Posted on 23 Apr 2015 @ 7:50pm by General ('aj) JataQ & Commander Norvi Stace & Commander Luke Wyatt & Petty Officer 1st Class Rebecca Williams & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D. & Ambassador Solene von Lanthen & Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert Jameson

2,736 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: USS Galileo - Bridge, Transporter Room 1
Timeline: MD 01 - 1000 hrs

[ON]

Watching his navigation sensors, Wintrow saw the large Klingon vessel put up on a vectored approach, coming along side them. "Ma'am?" the boy piped up without turning in his seat. "Klingons are coming awfully close ma'am, shall I adjust course so they won't ever bump into us?"

"Maintain position, Cadet," Stace said defiantly as she shot Allyndra a loaded glance. "They'll be testing us from the off and I sure as Hell don't want to give them any indication that we're frightened off easily. Let them scratch the paintwork if needs be. I just hope I can cover up the damage before Captain Holliday returns." She raised a piqued and knowing eyebrow to her XO before standing up and brushing down the front of her uniform.

Wintrow nodded, focusing on his controls. "Yes ma'am," he replied softly. While the captain thought they might be tested and weren't to be intimidated, Wintrow's first instinct was to move away, and keep the paint from being scratched. "Can't we locally enforce shields?" he asked, obviously serious about what was no doubt a stupid question. "Just to keep them from bumping into us and use as a buffer? I mean...just on the side where their ship is..."

Luke listened as the Cadet gave his suggestion, despite wanting to act as 'cool as a cumber' an expression his daughter would use he did like the idea of at least increasing the shield strength facing the Klingon ship but also felt that it was an over precautions. "We're at Conditions Green Cadet, so we would have to raise shields. How would our guest get aboard then?" He asked, trying not to sound demeaning as the suggestion was appropriate however the decision was ultimately the Captains.

"I don't know sir," the boy replied timidly, "but if we only use partial shields, we could direct the transporter couldn't we? Or send a shuttle?" He didn't notice their course was drifting slightly as he offered his suggestion to the security chief.

"As you were, Cadet," Stace reinforced, staring straight at the viewscreen. "I'm not going to move the ship for fear of appearing on edge, so I'm certainly not going to raise shields. Let them get as close as they want. Just grip the side of your seat if you're nervous."

Over her lifetimes Stace had amassed a wealth of behavioural traits designed to mask an uneasiness in her belly. She'd lived through the Borg twice, so a high ranking Klingon was not going to get the better of her... or her crew. She stayed her apprehension with a stoic yet familiar expression and waited on the Klingon greeting.

Rebecca found it difficult to not raise an eyebrow. On one hand she could understand the unease which people were expressing but on the other hand they were all on neutral ground; that was part of the condition for these games. To show hostility towards a race which thrived on it would be an extremely bad mood, probable ending with disastrous results.

An incoming communique sounded across the bridge, and the operation officer forwarded it to Stace by relaying the message that the Klingon delegation was now ready to transport aboard the Nova-class.

Stace nodded to the commander and asked, "are we ready for this?" before setting off to the turbolift. "Mr. Wyatt. Would you care to accompany us? You can leave your phaser here, though. I wouldn't to start off completely on the wrong foot!"

"As much as we will ever be, shall we Captain?" Allyndra responded.

"Of course" Luke obliged with a light nod before reaching down and unholstering his phaser, disarming it and then handing it to one of the other bridge security officer's "Lieutenant Benice if you'd please man the security and tactical station," Tapping his comm's badge and continuing his sentence =^=Petty Officer Stark make your way to the transporter room to greet our guest, unarmed please.=^=

=^= On my way, Lieutenant,=^= Stark replied quickly, the catch in his breath making it clear he was already on the move.

=^= Understood, Lieutenant. Benice out, =^= came Gyce's voice.

The doors to the transporter room breathed open as the three officers casually walked in. Stace nodded to the Petty Officer Jameson as they entered. "All set?" she asked.

Luke walked behind Stace defensively ready to dive in the way of danger and bite the bullet for the Captain as any good Security Officer would however he felt relaxed and his facial expressions matched as he glanced around the room smiling, still looking for any danger points.

Rebecca followed in on the tail of the three officers. Her PADD has held loosely by her side as she stood slightly back. She was just here for observation purposes, but would interact if called to do so.

Solene strode gracefully into the transporter room, regrettably, but fashionably, late to the gathering. Looking at the light assemblage of officers though, perhaps not late enough. Hopefully her flowing, nebulous outfit and full, voluminous white hair would make up for it. "Oh I do hope I'm not too late." She said with a bit of a sly tone and look in her eyes. "There's nothing more important than a first impression." She said, with a slightly ambiguously playful tone.

"Does that mean I have to leave my grenade launcher behind," Gabriel Stark replied lightly with a small, playful smile as he moved up beside them...not carrying any weapons. Despite the fact he had been a natural linguist in his teens, Klingon wasn't one of the languages he had learnt. When they'd been briefed on the mission ahead, he'd learnt a few phrases though, just in case.

Rebecca coughed softly as she hid the smile behind her hand before looking at the security officer with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps that would be a good idea Mister Stark. We don't want to initiate war before the same have even started."

Once everyone had arrived, Stace kindly greeted everyone with a smile and then turned to glance at Jameson as she nodded with a curt, sharp indication to proceed with the transport. "Ready yourselves, crew," she remarked with a wistful tone as she checked the condition of her uniform once again before training her eye onto the padd.

"Energizing." Robert watched as the transporter systems between the Klingon ship and the Galileo interfaced. It never ceased to impress him how unrefined the Klingon system was, and yet how well it interfaced with Federation systems. Looking up her could see the telltale shimmer as the Klingon party began to materialize on the pad.

The familiar blue and white shimmer of transporter particles signaled the arrival of the Klingon delegation. Well, perhaps not a delegation as it was only the general with one of his crew, but it was qualified as such considering the aging Klingon's prestige.

Standing over six-and-a-half feet tall, JataQ was a large and physically imposing man. He looked all the bit as Klingon as any other warrior, and his broad shoulders were accented by a luxury of elaborate gray armor and sashes which criss-crossed his chest beneath the wavy red cloak pinned to the tops of his shoulders. On the back of the dark maroon cloak was the black logo of the Klingon Empire, complete with several additional inscriptions in Klingon script. JataQ's wavy salt and pepper-colored hair was quite long and flowed freely down past the tops of his shoulders, an entitlement not offered to any Klingon except the most revered.

By comparison, the warrior standing next to him was shorter yet equally as bulky, and his own armor was not as well-decorated nor did his strong features reveal the age and experience of JataQ. Both men's cranial ridges, however, had striking similarities within the pattern, a subtle revelation that they were related by blood.

Standing on the transporter pad, JataQ said nothing for the first several moments, and instead glanced around the room and the Starfleet crew who were present. The distinctive smell of Starfleet vessels permeated his nostrils and elicited a grunt of disapproval. Such an unpleasant odor, he silently grumbled in his head. And then the lights. Why Starfleet preferred every area of their starships to be bathed in overly-bright luminescence was beyond him.

"I am General JataQ," he boldly announced in a deep and booming voice, "commander of the Hghach assault group and captain of the CharghwI' flagship. This," he turned towards the Klingon next to him, "is my son, Commander Ko'daQ, my first officer."

Allyndra waited for Stace to speak first. She took the time to study the two. His son, he had said, well it seemed that nepotism was still working well within the Empire. Commander Ko'daQ seemed to be much more subdued than his father but maybe it was just because the general expected to be the center of attention. Well she would have to check on her cooking and would try to slip away. She had been making various dishes to take over as a friendly gesture.

It had been awhile since Stace had enjoyed the company of such a proud and statuesque Klingon, and she was excited that the general of the assault group had been assigned to her and her crew's care. There was always an edge of aggressive playfulness when it came to their race and Norvi enjoyed the challenge, despite how much work it was to stay on their good side. But one thing that the Trill possessed in her favour was a confident air that suffered no fools... or disrespect.

"On behalf of Starfleet Command, I welcome you both to the Galileo. I am Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace, captain of this vessel." She paused and then took a curt, disciplined bow and then with an open hand indicated to her gaggle of officers. "This is my first officer, Lieutenant Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim; my chief of Tactical and Security , Lieutenant Luke Wyatt; his security officer Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark; and my yeoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Rebecca Williams."

Another grunt emanated from the general, this one a bit more lighthearted and an attempt to acknowledge those Federation crewmen whom the acting captain had introduced.

Stepping off the elevated transporter pad and down to the main floor level, JataQ and his son slowly walked down the assembled line of Starfleeters while scrutinizing each of them with features akin to disapproving of a small child's behavior. Neither of the Klingons thought much of Starfleet; afterall, they were not a faction bred for war nor were they the proud commanders of the galaxy's finest warships. Starfleet was Starfleet...good at talking and creating treaties, but not much else. "Yes. An admirable crew," JataQ commented dryly.

Allyndra watched and scrutinized back. She had an advantage in that she did not have to move her eyes to watch. She wondered if the General would even know what she was.

Watching the Klingon stepping off the transporter he studied him, he knew that the natural militaristic personality of Klingons would make him and the Captain number one targets for any provoking gestures and he planned on keeping his calm and not revealing any information on the Gal's latest technological advancements.

Rebecca held her place in line as she stood at attention. Her eyes betrayed her attentive nature as her eyes moved across the bodies of both Klingons officers. It was evident that weapons were hidden on their bodies but that was to be expected as no Klingon would wish to let their guard down. She only hoped that noone would give the aliens reason to feel they may need to defend themselves.

At they passed infront of her, the yeoman dipped her head in a mark of respect. "yI'el (welcome) General 'aj JataQ." Rebecca's voice was deep and even as she said the Klingon words, keeping her eyes on those of the General.

Gabriel remained silent, his head tilting a little as he ran his eyes over them. As security, he was pretty much sizing them up...even if their 'size' was pretty evident on first glance. Perhaps that grenade launcher would have been good after all. During his time in prison he'd run into a couple of Klingons. He had never minded them as much as the other inmates; he had known where he stood with the Klingons and it was obvious they would get violent at some point, but the other inmates were harder to read with too many loyalties and plots and lies to ever trust.

One of the Klingons was watching everyone with the same look that Gabriel was giving them. But Anaram was not very impressed by the Federation. He was a typical Klingon, although there was something narrower about him. Observant. He was clearly someone who was able to take a step back and watch, before attacking with the rage of a battle-hardened Klingon.

Stace waited for her diplomatic party to indicate their greetings and then, with a soft smile, turned to Solene. "And lastly, this is our Federation diplomat, Ambassador Solene von Lanthen.

Ko'daQ eyes the billowing and pearly white hair of Solene along with her unorthdox appearance with much disdain. "An ambassador...of what? Fashion? Ha!" he loudly barked. Typical Starfleet. A quick glare from his father terminated the insulting grin on the younger Klingon's features as he quickly realized that was not the most appropriate comment considering the circumstances.

It was a testament to the kind of woman Solene was that she smiled and gave a slight nod. "HIja," She said, displaying her knowledge of Klingonese. "among other things." She turned to the boy's father and bowed her head slightly. "Hello general, and guests." Solene said, looking around at the assemblage of officers and observers, one of whom she recognized and trained her eyes on for a while longer than the others. "We are honored to have you aboard." Solene said with a smile.

JataQ gave another of his signature grunts at the white-haired woman's greeting. Really, it was his way of expressing thanks. Albeit in a very unique manner.

"I wish to see your starship. This...Nova-class," he proceeded to say. "I understand this is a science vessel. And not a warship?" The idea of bringing anything less than Starfleet's most formidable battlecruisers to a tactical exercise was, quite frankly, a bit insulting to the general. Such blasphemy would never occur within the Klingon Empire.

Allyndra smiled broadly at the General's statement and thought to herself, "Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. Ah general if you but knew what we prepared with this little science ship.'

Robert kept his face neutral as he watched the exchange. He'd had his encounters before with Klingons, having fought with them in the closing phases of the war. He'd also picked up a smattering of Klingon here and there, a few phrases he'd learned.

"yIteb targh qaStaHvIS ghob, vI'elta'bogh ghob qaStaHvIS targh." Robert remarked. (OOC: rough translation is something about the size of fight in the targ, not the size of the targ)

Stace, at the assault of all the Klingonese, cleared her throat and not being quite adept at the language as the rest of her assembled team merely widened her eyes and smiled clearly. "Then without any further delay, let me introduce you to our science vessel. And a little of what it can do." She turned on her heel and led the party to the doors. "We'll start on the bridge, General, if you'll permit." The question was rhetorical as Stace flashed a smile and turned on her heel to exit the transporter room.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

General JataQ
Commanding Officer
IKS CharghwI'
[PNPC Saalm]

Commander Ko'daQ
First Officer
IKS CharghwI'
[PNPC Saalm]

Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy
Assistant Chief of Counselling
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 2nd Class Rebecca Williams
Commanding Officer's Yeoman
USS Galileo
[PNPC McCarthy]

Cadet Sr Wintrow Paragon
Helmsman
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Lieutenant Commander Norvi Stace
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Luke Wyatt
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

LCDR Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

LTJG Benice Gyce
Security Investigations Officer
USS Galileo

AMB Solene von Lanthen
Diplomat
USS Galileo
[PNPC Khanailminae)

PO3 Robert Jameson
Transporter Chief
USS Galileo
[PNPC Zhao]

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