Chapter 2
The Challenge

Sowl stormed onto the Bridge, "Kabor, set a course for Deferi."

The big muscular male Klingon nodded silently and entered the coordinates in the computer. The ship entered warp swiftly.

"How long until we get there?" The Captain asked impatiently.

"About four days."

Sowl acknowledged with a slight movement of her head and then turned to her First Officer. "Lunos get the crew ready for a fight. They must be prepared for the Breen. I will be in my quarters."

Still limping, the blonde Klingon woman walked towards the turbo lift, passing near the engineering station. Kless, the Chief Engineer, stepped closer to her Captain ready to help her to the turbolift. She could feel two blue eyes fixing on her and turned her head towards them. Lunos shook her head slowly and Kless returned to her duty. After a few moments however, the First Officer decided to leap into the turbolift just before the doors closed.

"What is it, Lunos?" Asked the Captain with some irritation caused by the pain.

"I'll have Pathlat come to your quarters and have a look at you," responded the other woman.

"Don't be ridiculous! He saw me when we came back a few hours ago," thundered Sowl. "I don't need babysitting."

"Sowl, you need to be at full strength for the mission ahead. We will face the Breen again and you need to be at your best to fight them. Not to mention the cold..."

The turbolift halted and the doors opened. The Captain gasped a little as she attempted to walk out and the ache became a little stronger.

"If you are going to start to tuck me in bed, I am going to find a new First Officer," she stated before leaving.

"You wouldn't want to be too weak for your Bat'leth sparring," Lunos retorted.

Sowl stopped walking and slowly turned towards her subordinate with a fiery and intense gaze. "Oh?"

"Well, what would the crew think if they heard their Captain declined a match against her First Officer because she was too weak?"

Sowl smirked. She knew exactly what game Lunos was playing, but she also knew that her First Officer was right. The Breen are challenging opponents and she couldn't allow herself to be at less than her best. "Fine, have someone bring some medication to my quarters. But it had better be a brief visit."

"In three days then?" Lunos' eyes were inspecting the body of the blonde.

"You had better not take back the challenge," Sowl nodded. "What would the crew think if their First Officer declined a Bat'leth match because she thought she had no chance?" Still with a smirk on her face, the Captain turned around once more and headed to her quarters.

Sowl's quarters didn't have much decoration. Her Bat'leth hung on the wall with a small trophy underneath that she earned from a tournament on Qo'nos. Her name was inscribed on a gold plaque: Sowl of Xarath. Her House was a small one, but it was always loyal to the Empire. The trophy reminded her of her duty as a warrior and what she stood for as a Klingon. Yet... that war with the Federation...

On another wall two tajtiq were also hanging in the form of a cross. The blades were shining in the dim light of the room―Sowl took great care of them, like any Klingon warrior would.

The woman lay on her bed, her hands crossed behind her head. This was usually the time around which Pathlat came with his medication. She closed her eyes for a bit of rest waiting for the Nausicaan to pay her visit. She felt much better after the treatments of the last couple of days.

The door chimed as expected. "Yes, get in here." Sowl responded, still with her eyes closed, "Just put the hypospray on the table, I have already exercised."

The new arrival walked towards the Captain instead with surefooted but almost silent steps. Sowl instinctively sat up on the bed and assumed a battle stance, ready to take down the intruder.

To her surprise, Lunos was standing right in front of her with the hypospray.

"What are you doing here?" Questioned the Commanding Officer.

Lunos grinned, "Well you kept saying you didn't like to have Pathlat in your quarters every day..."

"What makes you think I want you in here?" Sowl's toned body relaxed as she leant back on her hands.

"Just making sure you are fit enough for tomorrow." Lunos smiled impishly as she sat on the bed to the right side of her Captain, edging closer to administer the hypospray on her neck.

Sowl laughed. "Oh don't you worry about that. You will be sore at the end of it and will regret having challenged me." Lunos laughed as well in response to the remark.

As silence took over the two made eye contact like they had in the mess hall a few days back. Again, Lunos felt awkward, her unspoken thoughts were assaulting her mind. Her blue eyes broke contact with the green ones of her Captain whilst her hand ran behind the blonde's neck, and then slid down her shoulders in a caress.

Sowl stretched her neck at the touch and closed her eyes, trying to feel whether the pain was totally gone. Lunos shuffled on the bedsheets behind her Captain and proceeded with a sensual and slow massage. Her deft fingers found each sore point and took care of them, while her palms relaxed and caressed the blonde's back. Sowl wasn't hiding her gasps at the touch of her First Officer's intent hands.

She wasn't wearing her shoulderpads nor her gauntlets or sash. She only had her skin-tight leather top and pants, and the decorative leather strips that hung from her belt. Lunos's body shuffled closer until it made contact with Sowl's, breasts touching her back through the leather. The First Officer's hands began to explore her commander's body, starting from her sides until they locked in front of the blonde's taut stomach. The Captain gasped lightly when she felt two eager lips and a sensual tongue were tasting her ear. She relaxed her body into the embrace and inclined her head when she felt those warm lips travelling down her neck.

Small nibbles and bites soon ensued on that neck's silky skin, and Sowl began to feel her body become warm – maybe due to the closeness with the other woman, or perhaps because of the excitement that was running through her blood. She reached to Lunos' hands and clasped one of them as they began a journey of exploration.

"Lunos..." she said in a low cry, "I want your lips Lunos. I want them. Now."

Lunos shifted her body to the side, and looked intently at those green eyes, her lips getting closer to those burgundy, inviting ones that were just waiting to be kissed. Sowl cut the wait short by sliding her hands through those white threads and guiding her subordinate's head so that their lips met.

The kiss was passionate and warm, Sowl lightly bit Lunos' lower lip and a soft moan followed in response. Tongues were dancing and fighting at the same time, their lips met hungrily. When the two women broke the kiss, they gazed at each other again for long moments, waiting for who was going to explode first.

After a few moments the First Officer run her finger over Sowl's lips. The blonde frowned, then smiled. Lunos whispered huskily, "Remember what you said about the 'special treatment' for people getting past your Bat'leth?"

Curious, the other woman nodded and nibbled the very tip of the finger that was caressing her lips before responding, "Yes?"

"I am holding you to that," Lunos smirked and stood up. Sowl followed her with her gaze while she walked towards the door. The First Officer glanced at her impishly, "I wonder who will win tomorrow."

With those words, Lunos walked away and disappeared behind the doors.