Civilized Savages
By Didi
Disclaimers: Star Trek is owned by the late and great Gene Roddenberry. I own nothing within this story except the improbable idea behind it. Paramount owns the rights to the show and I do wish they would run of the wonderful reruns of the older series. Please don't sue me cause I have no money and will have to pay you in lint.
Summery: When one of their own goes missing, Enterprise crew goes on a search as to why.
Acknowledgement: To my darling Julie who loves Star Trek and is always willing to listen to me either rag or rave about episodes. Always know that you're opinion is more important than the stupid producers.
RATING: Rated R for content.
Note: I know that Enterprise hasn't been on television for long and the characterizing of the characters on the show may not be accurate but it's the way I see them. Bear me with here as I attempt to give some life to this.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Nine
~~~~~~~~~~
Klingon Warbird Kollarg
"From what I can make out, there was an exchange of weapons for quite a bit of information. Something about the Celebration of Kain, security details to be exact." Hoshi frowned as she small recorder continued to play in her ear. The more she listened to it, the more she could make out but the less she understood. "What's the Celebration of Kain?"
Klaang grunted a non-answer then sat there for a long moment with his elbows on the table and his face set in a deep frown. "It is a day of feast on our home world."
P'Mai nodded his head; his much scarred faced deeply disturbed by this news. "All of Kronos rest of eight days to observe the passing of our great leader." Pouring himself some bloodwine, he handed a goblet to human female without thought.
Hoshi nodded her thanks but did not so much as glance at the wine. "Is there to be some kind of ceremony that would involve lighting something?"
"Yes," Klaang shook his head. The treachery burned his insides with anger. "The Chalice of T'Karona."
Hoshi groaned inwardly. The conversation was ridiculously difficult. It was like pulling teeth from some very badly behaved lions, always careful to pull one's hand back as quickly as possible so as not to get it bitten off. It was a slow and painful process. "And the Chalice is a representation of what?"
The six warriors sitting at the round table looked at her as if she was a complete idiot.
"Okay, look," losing her patience pretty damn fast for someone who was still in immediate danger. "I'm not from Kronos, I don't know your history, your culture or your habits. You want me help you, you're going to have to be a little more forthcoming with your side of the information."
Five of the six faces turned toward her dropped into deep frowns that made Hoshi want to rip her own tongue out. Her mother always said her wayward tongue was going to get her in trouble someday. Looks like that day has finally come.
"Polika," Klaang's gruff voice almost made the young ensign jump again. "Give the woman a copy of The Toctra."
"What's the..."
"A book of your history," P'Mai explained. He was the only one that appeared amused by her never-ending questions. "You will find all you need on our people in that book."
Hoshi forced herself to smile at him gratefully. But inwardly she was dreading the amount of reading it was going to take to go through lord knows how many centuries of Klingon history.
~~~~~~~~~~
Enterprise - Bridge
Macolm Reed has always pride himself in being one of the most patient men that ever had the good fortunes of working in Starfleet. But at the moment, he would give all the torpedoes in the storage bay to make the ship go faster than it's 4.1 warp. The waiting was incredibly nerve wrecking.
"Eat something," Dr. Phlox suggested as he took a seat across from the tired looking tactical officer. "A little nourishment will help keep your strength up since you refuse to rest."
"With all due respect, doctor, sleep is the last thing I want to be doing right now." Reed did not bother to add that his short nap not two hours before had been filled with horrible scenes of slave auctions and screams of horror that resembled a certain young ensign he lost to some violent aliens.
"Having trouble sleeping?" the wide-eyed doctor was looking at the Englishman with much fascination. "Perhaps I can suggest some warm milk and cookies. I believe you human's find it very helpful. Must be the melentonin in the milk that causes one to..."
"Malcolm, I.... Oh sorry." Cdr. Tucker inclined his head apologetically at the doctor. "Didn't meant o interrupt but I need the Reed for a minute or two."
"Not at all," the cheerful doctor grinned and waved them off. "Just babbling on about the wonders that you human find in the simplest things in the galaxy. My, it must be so fascinating to be human."
Tucker frowned as he led Reed away with a firm grip on the slighter man's arm. "I don't care how many times he looks at me with those funny eyes, I still get the feeling like I'm a bug in a jar."
"Is there any particular reason you're dragging me down the corridor like a dog on a leash for it is just for the sheer enjoyment of it?" Reed asked rather irritated by the fact that Commander Tucker appeared to have forgotten his entire existence.
"Oh sorry." Tucker gave him a small grin in apology. "Mind somewhere else all together.
"I can see that." Reed rubbed his elbow as if Trip's grip really had hurt him. "Now what can I do for you?"
The chief engineer led them through the corridor in silence until they came to an empty junction. "Listen, I wanted to apologize my behavior lately. Ain't doing anyone good me blaming you, you blaming me, least of all Ensign Hoshi."
"Ensign Sato." Reed corrected.
"Yeah yeah," Trip waved it away easily. "Looks, I'm just saying that I didn't mean to take my anger out on you or anyone else, just... I've got sisters of my own and..."
"Say no more," Reed nodded his head in complete understanding. "I apologize as well. Neither of us did a very good job but to be fair, we couldn't possibly have known or guessed that something like this was going to happen."
"Absolutely," Trip agreed enthusiastically. "The Klingons ain't the most social people we've met so far. How would we to know that they'd try something like this?"
"Yes and fighting amongst ourselves is hardly productive."
"Damn straight."
Reed held out his hand. "Friends?"
"You bet your knickers that we are."
"Knickers?"
"Never you mind." Tucker made a face. "Something my grandma used to say."
~~~~~~~~~~
Klingon Warbird Kollarg
Hoshi swallow hard and tried to push down the nauseating feeling at the pit of her stomach. If she thought the Klingons were savages before, the description of their mating ritual only sealed the deal. Shaking her head, she scrolled further along the achieves, thankful for their digital copy rather than what she had imagined would be a dozen books bound by the hide of their enemies.
The swishing of the doors opening gave her forewarning to keep her composure this time around. Polite little things like knocking on doors and bathing seemed to be a foreign thing to the rough and gruff Klingons. Though it was interesting for her to see little touches of softest behind some of the iron hard armor. For instances, she found out that that young Lucudur had been the one to decorate the door so as not to appear so harsh. And P'Mai had a rather bizarre sense of humor, but having a humor was a great improvement to the stoic faced Klaang.
"Klaang commands that you not be disturbed." It was more of an announcement than anything and the young Klingon, Frukra she believed his name was, appeared rather uncomfortable in giving it. "We feed you. Nothing alive." He made a face of distaste.
"Thank you." She said with a sigh, her back aching from the many hours hunched over a table with data pads and computer screens. "I really do appreciate your chef killing it before serving it to me."
"You are weak." Frukra said as he continued to study the young woman before him as if she was some exotic fish in a tank. "Why have you been chosen?"
"Because I'm good at what I do," she replied calmly hoping he would go away and leave her to her work. "Who else do you know can translate a language in less than three days?"
"But he need not marry you to gain your skills."
Hoshi's head whipped around so fast that for a moment she was afraid she may have given herself whiplash. "WHAT?"
Frukra frowned then leaned forward slightly. "I SAID, HE NEED NOT...."
Hoshi winced painfully and backed away from the bellowing voice. "You don't have to yelled."
Confusion was written all over the man's face, a rather strange expression on the warrior's face. "But you said..."
"It was a rhetorical question," she explained exasperated by the cultural difference in general. "I mean was why did you mean by that?"
Frukra wore an expression that could be construed as confusion on any other species but Klingon. "P'Mai said..."
"Gossiping as women do?" P'Mai asked from the open doorway.
Hoshi wasn't sure if she should take offense the gossiping women comment but considering both men were a good foot and a half taller than she, she chose to be wise silently. "P'Mai, Frukra..." She looked expected at the younger man as if to confirm his name, when he nodded, she smiled thanks in return. "Frukra said that Klaang was going to... to..."
"Take you as his mate," P'Mai finished for her when he finally noticed that her face was as bright red as bloodwine. "Yes, I shall convince him that it would be wise."
"Excuse me?" Her eyes bulged on her face. "Convince him it would be wise? Have you gone completely...." In her agitated state, she lost her gasp on the Klingon language. Shaking her head quickly, she reverted to English for a moment. "Mad?"
Both warriors looked at her funny.
"I'm not mating with anyone!" She shook her head as if to emphasize her point. "Not even going anywhere near him without a good ten foot pole. No way, no how!"
"You are upset?" Frukra asked as if unsure of the reaction they were witnessing.
"Upset?" She shouted, her fear gone with the wind now that her angry has been prodded. "You think that just because you say so that it's going to happen? Hello? What century are you people living on here? I'm not going to marry, much less mate, with anyone in this universe or the next. I still have my career to think about and life to get back to. And if you think for a second that I'm going to give up my career for the 'honor' of mating with some....some pain in the butt stubborn Klingon, you're out of your collective minds!"
It was a good thing that Hoshi had switched into six different languages, including Vulcan, Japanese and Russian, during her torrid speech or she may have gotten her head bashed in for irritating the heck out of the two Klingon warrior who exchanged expression of exasperation and disbelief.
"Problem?" Klaang asked for his position propped against the open doorway.
Hoshi glared at him with extreme irritation. "You promised to take me back to my ship once I've completed the translation."
"That is correct." Klaang stated, eyeing his comrades with a great deal of sharpness.
"You promise?" She asked, ignoring the two in the room. "You swear on your honor that I'm going to get to go home without a scratch."
From the expression on Klaang's face, he was not too thrilled with her phrasing of words, calling his honor into question. But apparently her cooperation was important enough for him to give a reluctant grunt of acceptance. "Yes."
"Good," she sighed and smiled suddenly. "Cause I think I've got it."
To be Continued.....
By Didi
Disclaimers: Star Trek is owned by the late and great Gene Roddenberry. I own nothing within this story except the improbable idea behind it. Paramount owns the rights to the show and I do wish they would run of the wonderful reruns of the older series. Please don't sue me cause I have no money and will have to pay you in lint.
Summery: When one of their own goes missing, Enterprise crew goes on a search as to why.
Acknowledgement: To my darling Julie who loves Star Trek and is always willing to listen to me either rag or rave about episodes. Always know that you're opinion is more important than the stupid producers.
RATING: Rated R for content.
Note: I know that Enterprise hasn't been on television for long and the characterizing of the characters on the show may not be accurate but it's the way I see them. Bear me with here as I attempt to give some life to this.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Nine
~~~~~~~~~~
Klingon Warbird Kollarg
"From what I can make out, there was an exchange of weapons for quite a bit of information. Something about the Celebration of Kain, security details to be exact." Hoshi frowned as she small recorder continued to play in her ear. The more she listened to it, the more she could make out but the less she understood. "What's the Celebration of Kain?"
Klaang grunted a non-answer then sat there for a long moment with his elbows on the table and his face set in a deep frown. "It is a day of feast on our home world."
P'Mai nodded his head; his much scarred faced deeply disturbed by this news. "All of Kronos rest of eight days to observe the passing of our great leader." Pouring himself some bloodwine, he handed a goblet to human female without thought.
Hoshi nodded her thanks but did not so much as glance at the wine. "Is there to be some kind of ceremony that would involve lighting something?"
"Yes," Klaang shook his head. The treachery burned his insides with anger. "The Chalice of T'Karona."
Hoshi groaned inwardly. The conversation was ridiculously difficult. It was like pulling teeth from some very badly behaved lions, always careful to pull one's hand back as quickly as possible so as not to get it bitten off. It was a slow and painful process. "And the Chalice is a representation of what?"
The six warriors sitting at the round table looked at her as if she was a complete idiot.
"Okay, look," losing her patience pretty damn fast for someone who was still in immediate danger. "I'm not from Kronos, I don't know your history, your culture or your habits. You want me help you, you're going to have to be a little more forthcoming with your side of the information."
Five of the six faces turned toward her dropped into deep frowns that made Hoshi want to rip her own tongue out. Her mother always said her wayward tongue was going to get her in trouble someday. Looks like that day has finally come.
"Polika," Klaang's gruff voice almost made the young ensign jump again. "Give the woman a copy of The Toctra."
"What's the..."
"A book of your history," P'Mai explained. He was the only one that appeared amused by her never-ending questions. "You will find all you need on our people in that book."
Hoshi forced herself to smile at him gratefully. But inwardly she was dreading the amount of reading it was going to take to go through lord knows how many centuries of Klingon history.
~~~~~~~~~~
Enterprise - Bridge
Macolm Reed has always pride himself in being one of the most patient men that ever had the good fortunes of working in Starfleet. But at the moment, he would give all the torpedoes in the storage bay to make the ship go faster than it's 4.1 warp. The waiting was incredibly nerve wrecking.
"Eat something," Dr. Phlox suggested as he took a seat across from the tired looking tactical officer. "A little nourishment will help keep your strength up since you refuse to rest."
"With all due respect, doctor, sleep is the last thing I want to be doing right now." Reed did not bother to add that his short nap not two hours before had been filled with horrible scenes of slave auctions and screams of horror that resembled a certain young ensign he lost to some violent aliens.
"Having trouble sleeping?" the wide-eyed doctor was looking at the Englishman with much fascination. "Perhaps I can suggest some warm milk and cookies. I believe you human's find it very helpful. Must be the melentonin in the milk that causes one to..."
"Malcolm, I.... Oh sorry." Cdr. Tucker inclined his head apologetically at the doctor. "Didn't meant o interrupt but I need the Reed for a minute or two."
"Not at all," the cheerful doctor grinned and waved them off. "Just babbling on about the wonders that you human find in the simplest things in the galaxy. My, it must be so fascinating to be human."
Tucker frowned as he led Reed away with a firm grip on the slighter man's arm. "I don't care how many times he looks at me with those funny eyes, I still get the feeling like I'm a bug in a jar."
"Is there any particular reason you're dragging me down the corridor like a dog on a leash for it is just for the sheer enjoyment of it?" Reed asked rather irritated by the fact that Commander Tucker appeared to have forgotten his entire existence.
"Oh sorry." Tucker gave him a small grin in apology. "Mind somewhere else all together.
"I can see that." Reed rubbed his elbow as if Trip's grip really had hurt him. "Now what can I do for you?"
The chief engineer led them through the corridor in silence until they came to an empty junction. "Listen, I wanted to apologize my behavior lately. Ain't doing anyone good me blaming you, you blaming me, least of all Ensign Hoshi."
"Ensign Sato." Reed corrected.
"Yeah yeah," Trip waved it away easily. "Looks, I'm just saying that I didn't mean to take my anger out on you or anyone else, just... I've got sisters of my own and..."
"Say no more," Reed nodded his head in complete understanding. "I apologize as well. Neither of us did a very good job but to be fair, we couldn't possibly have known or guessed that something like this was going to happen."
"Absolutely," Trip agreed enthusiastically. "The Klingons ain't the most social people we've met so far. How would we to know that they'd try something like this?"
"Yes and fighting amongst ourselves is hardly productive."
"Damn straight."
Reed held out his hand. "Friends?"
"You bet your knickers that we are."
"Knickers?"
"Never you mind." Tucker made a face. "Something my grandma used to say."
~~~~~~~~~~
Klingon Warbird Kollarg
Hoshi swallow hard and tried to push down the nauseating feeling at the pit of her stomach. If she thought the Klingons were savages before, the description of their mating ritual only sealed the deal. Shaking her head, she scrolled further along the achieves, thankful for their digital copy rather than what she had imagined would be a dozen books bound by the hide of their enemies.
The swishing of the doors opening gave her forewarning to keep her composure this time around. Polite little things like knocking on doors and bathing seemed to be a foreign thing to the rough and gruff Klingons. Though it was interesting for her to see little touches of softest behind some of the iron hard armor. For instances, she found out that that young Lucudur had been the one to decorate the door so as not to appear so harsh. And P'Mai had a rather bizarre sense of humor, but having a humor was a great improvement to the stoic faced Klaang.
"Klaang commands that you not be disturbed." It was more of an announcement than anything and the young Klingon, Frukra she believed his name was, appeared rather uncomfortable in giving it. "We feed you. Nothing alive." He made a face of distaste.
"Thank you." She said with a sigh, her back aching from the many hours hunched over a table with data pads and computer screens. "I really do appreciate your chef killing it before serving it to me."
"You are weak." Frukra said as he continued to study the young woman before him as if she was some exotic fish in a tank. "Why have you been chosen?"
"Because I'm good at what I do," she replied calmly hoping he would go away and leave her to her work. "Who else do you know can translate a language in less than three days?"
"But he need not marry you to gain your skills."
Hoshi's head whipped around so fast that for a moment she was afraid she may have given herself whiplash. "WHAT?"
Frukra frowned then leaned forward slightly. "I SAID, HE NEED NOT...."
Hoshi winced painfully and backed away from the bellowing voice. "You don't have to yelled."
Confusion was written all over the man's face, a rather strange expression on the warrior's face. "But you said..."
"It was a rhetorical question," she explained exasperated by the cultural difference in general. "I mean was why did you mean by that?"
Frukra wore an expression that could be construed as confusion on any other species but Klingon. "P'Mai said..."
"Gossiping as women do?" P'Mai asked from the open doorway.
Hoshi wasn't sure if she should take offense the gossiping women comment but considering both men were a good foot and a half taller than she, she chose to be wise silently. "P'Mai, Frukra..." She looked expected at the younger man as if to confirm his name, when he nodded, she smiled thanks in return. "Frukra said that Klaang was going to... to..."
"Take you as his mate," P'Mai finished for her when he finally noticed that her face was as bright red as bloodwine. "Yes, I shall convince him that it would be wise."
"Excuse me?" Her eyes bulged on her face. "Convince him it would be wise? Have you gone completely...." In her agitated state, she lost her gasp on the Klingon language. Shaking her head quickly, she reverted to English for a moment. "Mad?"
Both warriors looked at her funny.
"I'm not mating with anyone!" She shook her head as if to emphasize her point. "Not even going anywhere near him without a good ten foot pole. No way, no how!"
"You are upset?" Frukra asked as if unsure of the reaction they were witnessing.
"Upset?" She shouted, her fear gone with the wind now that her angry has been prodded. "You think that just because you say so that it's going to happen? Hello? What century are you people living on here? I'm not going to marry, much less mate, with anyone in this universe or the next. I still have my career to think about and life to get back to. And if you think for a second that I'm going to give up my career for the 'honor' of mating with some....some pain in the butt stubborn Klingon, you're out of your collective minds!"
It was a good thing that Hoshi had switched into six different languages, including Vulcan, Japanese and Russian, during her torrid speech or she may have gotten her head bashed in for irritating the heck out of the two Klingon warrior who exchanged expression of exasperation and disbelief.
"Problem?" Klaang asked for his position propped against the open doorway.
Hoshi glared at him with extreme irritation. "You promised to take me back to my ship once I've completed the translation."
"That is correct." Klaang stated, eyeing his comrades with a great deal of sharpness.
"You promise?" She asked, ignoring the two in the room. "You swear on your honor that I'm going to get to go home without a scratch."
From the expression on Klaang's face, he was not too thrilled with her phrasing of words, calling his honor into question. But apparently her cooperation was important enough for him to give a reluctant grunt of acceptance. "Yes."
"Good," she sighed and smiled suddenly. "Cause I think I've got it."
To be Continued.....