Chapter 13
First officer's quarters, USS Endeavour
Removing her boots and socks, and placing them neatly in a corner, out of the way where she would not trip over them, Kehlan walked across the room a couple of times and then stopped to wiggle her toes, digging them into the thick pile for no other reason than to appreciate the feel of carpet under her bare feet. She liked it, she decided, before turning her attention back to the more practical matter of unpacking the few items she had brought with her and putting them away. There was very little to unpack – a change of uniform, some civilian clothing, toiletries and other feminine necessities, a few books, some of them real but mostly downloaded onto her padd, and of course, her weapons. Bat'leth, mek'leth, d'k tahg, and a boot knife. The disruptor was Defence Force issue and so she'd returned it to the stores, thinking its presence might not be appreciated on a Starfleet vessel.
Once everything was put away to her satisfaction, Kehlan glanced at the time, mildly surprised to find that it was only 16:00, mid-afternoon. It felt much later, and of course, it was on Hegh'Ta. Timekeeping was something she would need to be very careful about, she realised.
She was not due to begin her new duties until the following morning which meant she had the rest of the day with nothing to do. Her tour of the ship had been very informative, but there was still a lot to learn about the Endeavour and deciding to put her spare time to good use, she sat down at the computer console and activated it.
"Computer, display internal schematics of the USS Endeavour," she requested.
"Access denied."
Kehlan scowled. "Computer, display ship's operations manual."
"Access denied."
The furrow in her brow deepened and she let out an annoyed growl. How was she supposed to do her job if even the most basic computer files were denied her? Suppressing the urge to kick the computer, or better still, putting her d'k tahg through the screen, she decided that the best course of action was to ask the captain for authorisation. She touched the combadge she had been given earlier that day.
"Kehlan to Captain Mackenzie."
"Captain Mackenzie here. What can I do for you, Commander?"
"I require access to the computer system. I wish to study the ship's systems before I begin my duties, but I do not yet have the necessary clearance."
"No problem," the reply came back immediately, "For now you can use one of my codes. I'll get your own clearance sorted out by the start of your shift tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Captain."
Cutting the connection, she turned back to the computer console and tried again. "Computer, display internal schematics of the USS Endeavour." Swiftly, before the computer could object, she added the clearance code she'd been given.
"Working." The computer made a chirping noise and the required information appeared on her screen. Was it her imagination or had the computer sounded disappointed? Satisfied with the outcome, Kehlan settled herself down and began to read. She had finished with the schematics and operations manual and was studying the personnel files when her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and that she was hungry. Checking the time again, she was surprised to find that it was now 20:30 and that she had been engrossed in her reading for several hours. She considered her options and decided to go and get something to eat from Ten Forward. Some of her new colleagues were bound to be in there at this time and she might as well start getting to know them.
About to go out the door, she stopped, remembering that she was still wearing her Klingon armour. It might be a good idea to change into something that wouldn't stand out so much, but other than a single pair of jeans, which were now almost as popular on Qo'noS as they were on Earth, what little civilian clothing she had was all Klingon in style. Many of the people she'd seen in Ten Forward during her brief visit there earlier had been wearing their uniforms.
The yeoman who had dropped off her belongings had also sorted out her uniforms for her, helping her to replicate the right size and advising her to put them in the fresher in the bathroom, because newly replicated fabric always had a funny smell and texture and would probably make her skin itch. The woman had been friendly and helpful, and also very curious about Kehlan, although she'd tried to hide that, but it was natural, Kehlan supposed, that she'd wanted to find out as much as she could about the new executive officer.
The yeoman been right, Kehlan discovered when she went into the bathroom; the material did feel softer, and the chemical odour had gone. After a quick sonic shower to freshen up – she'd been tempted to try out the water shower but didn't want to take the time to dry her hair – she had donned the new uniform and was staring at herself critically in the full-length mirror in her bedroom.
The woman staring back at Kehlan was someone she did not recognise. Certainly the long and slightly unruly chestnut-brown hair was hers, as were the dark brown eyes, but the grey/black top with burgundy undershirt and black trousers, made her look completely different. Unlike the tight-fitting leather armour she was accustomed to wearing, the fabric was soft and comfortable and whilst it did not quite hide her lean, lightly toned muscles and feminine curves, neither did it make a show of them. She grimaced, thinking of Ch'vok and decided that wasn't a bad thing.
Ten Forward lounge, USS Endeavour
Ten Forward was at least easy to find and was not too far away from deck eight. Rather obviously, it was on deck ten in the forward part of the ship. It didn't seem worth taking the turbolift just to go down two decks, so she used the stairs. It took only a minute for her to reach the lounge. As she approached the doors, they swished open and a pair of junior officers, dressed in yellow engineering uniforms, stepped through and headed towards the turbolift, giving Kehlan friendly nods as they passed her.
Kehlan stood for a moment in the open doorway, taking a good look around her before going inside. She hesitated, a little unsure of the procedure for ordering food.
The man standing behind the bar must have seen her hesitation because he came over and gave her a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Bart," the man said, "I'm the holographic bartender, and I run this place. What can I get you?"
A holographic bartender? Kehlan had heard of the Federation's use of Emergency Medical Holograms, but this was something new. Deciding not to query it for the moment, Kehlan considered the more important issue – what did she want to eat? They would probably have at least some Klingon foods, but it would be replicated and wouldn't taste very good. Anyway, she could probably get the real thing sent across from the Hegh'Ta. She had got used to Terran ideas about cooking during her year on Earth although she hoped that the Endeavour's replicators were better than the ones at the university she had attended. The food there had been truly awful and even the Terran students had complained about it. Luckily, there had been a good selection of cafés and restaurants, and they had eaten out whenever possible.
"What do you recommend?"
The bartender thought for a moment. "How about roast chicken?"
Kehlan shook her head. Klingon food was eaten very fresh, and in some cases, live. The thought of eating overcooked replicated meat did not appeal at all. "There was something I tried on Earth once," she said thoughtfully. "I can't remember what it was called. It had layers of meat or vegetable with pasta and a sort of white sauce on top."
"Oh… um… I think you mean lasagne," Bart said. "Would you like the meat or vegetable version?"
"Vegetable," Kehlan said, knowing she had surprised him with that decision. Everyone expected Klingons to be carnivorous. But at least vegetables were meant to be cooked. "And a glass of chilled prune juice… Please," she added, belatedly remembering her manners.
"No problem," Bart said cheerfully. "Find yourself a table and I'll bring it over in a minute."
Kehlan acknowledged and moved away from the bar, trying to decide where to go. While the lounge was not over-full and there were plenty of empty tables, most of those occupied were full and she did not want to eat alone.
Sitting at a crowded table with other senior officers, Major Speares caught sight of Kehlan and waved to her, inviting her to join them. She hesitated as there did not seem to be any space, but he nudged his colleagues, and they obligingly shuffled their chairs over a bit to make room for the newcomer, one of them moving over to an empty table to grab an extra chair.
Accepting the invitation, Kehlan went over to the group and took the offered chair. As she did so, Bart arrived with her food and placed it in front of her. Tasting it cautiously she was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually very good. Endeavour's replicators were definitely better than those at her old university.
The Vulcan healer, T'Lia, was engaged in a game of tri-dimensional chess with the head of engineering, Chief Argyle. It was a game that Kehlan enjoyed, and she studied the board with interest. As she watched, Argyle picked up the gold bishop and moved it to the upper level. T'Lia frowned, just the faintest drawing together of her eyebrows, and Kehlan thought she understood why. In moving the bishop, Argyle had left his queen dangerously exposed to attack from T'Lia's rook. Sure enough, T'Lia had seen the opportunity but as the Vulcan prepared to make her move, Kehlan realised what Argyle was planning. His move had been risky, but clever. The outcome of the game would be determined by what T'Lia did next. If she took the bait, she would lose the game but if she was able to avoid the carefully laid trap it would be disastrous for Argyle.
"That was not a logical move," the Vulcan woman accused, picking up the gold queen and replacing it with her silver rook. "Check."
"Maybe not logical," Kehlan said, unable to resist butting in. "But it was a damn good move all the same."
Argyle looked up then. "Do ye play, lass?" At her nod, he gestured to the board, "What do ye think?"
Kehlan took a good look at the board. "Gold to checkmate in three moves," she said confidently.
T'Lia's frown was noticeable now. "I admit that I am not an expert at this game, but I cannot envision the result you are predicting."
Argyle grinned at Kehlan. "Do ye want to show her?"
Kehlan did so, and a moment later, the Vulcan stared in consternation at the trap she had fallen into. "I maintain that it was a highly illogical move," T'Lia said ruefully. "Nevertheless, it was a very effective one." She sighed. "As you can see, there is a good reason why I do not often play this game."
"She's the only one who's crazy enough to take him on," Major Speares said, grinning. "The rest of us gave up long ago."
Putting back the pieces she had altered, Kehlan said, "Now, if you had ignored the trap and tried this…" Picking up the silver bishop, she moved it diagonally two spaces to the left and waited expectantly for the engineer's reaction.
"Dammit!" Argyle cursed, finding that he had no choice but to move his king backwards out of danger.
About to continue the attack, Kehlan stiffened as an almost subliminal shudder seemed to run through the ship. She glanced at the other officers, but they seemed unaware of it. "Did anyone else feel that?" Kehlan enquired.
"Feel what?" the communications officer asked, a little puzzled.
Argyle gestured back towards the board. "Get on wi' it and stop trying to distract me."
Kehlan gave a low growl. "I do not need to resort to such tactics," she told him, bringing in the knight to further the attack on the gold king. "I felt a shudder."
It was the engineer's turn to stare at the board in consternation. "Damn!" he cursed again, forced to retreat a second time."
Bringing the silver queen sweeping down the board, Kehlan made the final killing move. "I believe that is checkmate."
Leaving the two combatants to mull over the game, Kehlan returned to her now rapidly cooling lasagne. She had barely taken a bite when she felt another slight shudder.
"Can't anyone else feel that?" she demanded.
T'Lia nodded. "I felt it. I believe we may be approaching an ion storm." The Vulcan woman offered Argyle an innocent glance before adding, "Either that or there is an engine malfunction."
"There's nae malfunction in my engines." Argyle's growl was almost Klingon in his indignation.
The ship shook again and this time it was strong enough for the other officers to feel. Pushing back his chair, Argyle got to his feet. "I'm going down to engineering."
The ship's comm system shrilled as another shudder racked the ship and Captain Mackenzie's voice called, "Senior officers to the bridge."
Kehlan hesitated not quite sure what to do. Technically, she was not due to begin her duties until the following morning and she did not know if the summons included her. But she was to be Endeavour's first officer and she could not sit around and do nothing while the ship went into possible danger. Putting down her fork, Kehlan joined the other officers heading towards the turbolift.
Apologies, Ive had to delete a load of chapters and repost due to a screwup with the chapter numbers. Chapter 13 was missing. I'm not removing the story, it is now completely finished, all I have to do is fix the chapter numbers and upload them all.