Demi, a Starfleet Klingon stepped up onto the transporter pad and indicated to the operator that he was ready and moments later he materialised in the transporter room of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B.
Enterprise-B, the third ship to bear the name Enterprise. The ship's captain, Noire D. Roger, was waiting for him.
"Security Officer!" Noire said with a grin, approaching Demi and clapping him on the shoulder, "It's good to see you. Welcome on board."
"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Demi said, frowning, "I'm just a commander – and a Starfleet one at that." Then, returning Noire's grin, he continued, "But it's good to see you too!"
Hitting her combadge, Noire snapped an order to the bridge crew, telling them to get the ship under way, before saying to Demi, "Come on, I'll show you to your quarters – you can dump your bags there." And with a sly glance at her old friend, said, "Then, if you haven't gone soft, I have a barrel of blood-wine waiting in the mess hall."
"If you haven't drunk it all yet," Demi replied, laughing. "Come on then, lead the way."
Turning into another corridor, they came to a halt outside an open door. The guards nearby, came stiffly to attention. "At ease!" Noire said, but otherwise ignored them. "Well, this is it" the captain said, standing back to allow Demi to enter his sleeping quarters and then followed him inside.
Demi dumped his kit bag on the floor and surveyed the room. It was bare of furnishings other than a clothes locker, a desk containing a computer console, a chair and a hard metal slab for sleeping on. There was no insult here though; this room was no different to those used by the senior officers of the ship. Only the captain's room would be bigger, and even that would be sparsely furnished.
"Well?" The captain couldn't resist another dig at her old friend, "Think you can handle it? Or shall I order a feather mattress and some soft cushions?"
"That would be nice," Demi said, carefully keeping a straight face. He pulled out his d'k'tahg and inspected it before growling, "But if you insult me again, I'll kill you where you stand."
"You probably could at that!" Noire said with a burst of laughter, waving back the concerned security guards, who had just come rushing in, believing their captain to be in danger. "I don't kid myself I could beat you in a fight. Now, how about we go and get that blood-wine!" And arm in arm the two headed off towards the mess hall, bickering all the way.
The senior crew were already in the hall, and from the look of things, the captain's barrel of blood-wine was already half empty. Demi looked around the hall, hoping to see Saavok the science officer there. Seeing her, he gave a broad smile and rushed over to her, enveloping her in a bear-hug and swinging her off her feet, before kissing her cheek and putting her down again. It was a distinctly un-Klingon greeting but he knew she would understand. His arm draped companionably across her shoulders, he turned to greet the other officers, most of whom he had met before, although he didn't know them well.
As they returned his greeting, he became aware of someone who could only be the new first officer, and sure enough she was drinking the blood-wine. Mariner was staring at Demi and Noire in a way that Demi found slightly offensive. "I can see that you two at least, know each other," Mariner said, a note of enjoyment in her voice.
"Pleased to meet you Commander, let me get you some blood-wine."