Dinner Party From Hell

Posted on Fri May 29th, 2015 @ 8:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Commander Patrick Leroy

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Diplomatic Offices

* * * Diplomatic Conference Room * * *

The arrangements were done and the large conference table was set for dinner, though not your usual polite political dinners that this room normally hosted. This was a table set for Klingons and the menu adjusted accordingly. Down the center of the table, several jugs of bloodwine stood in a row, within easy reach of every chair. Kh’ali checked the table one last time, then peeked into the large covered trays that held the food. It was all ready.

There was still a few minutes before everyone arrived and now, Kh’ali turned to Patrick. “I hope you’re ready for this. And I apologize now about the menu but if you can stomach this dinner, it will impress them.”

“Is it still moving on the plate?” Patrick asked eyeing warily the table and the trays from a distance.

“Umm...the gagh, yes.” She turned to rest her hands on his chest. “But they will be watching, especially that pain-in-the-ass cousin of mine. Do not let her talk down to you.”

“Okay, I’ll skip the gagh,” Patrick stated, looking around the other trays. “Where is Mr. Marcinko? Shouldn’t he be here to protect you… Us?”

“Nick and I agreed that it might be better if he’s around but not always visible. I cannot appear to be afraid, you see.” She smiled up at Patrick. ‘But never fear, he has an amazing ability to jump out of nowhere when needed.”

“Uhm… Well about that cousin of yours… How can I avoid having her talk me down? From what you told me she has a very dim view of you, me and everyone in general.” He shook his head then. “All of this thing seems like a nightmare…”

He stood silent then, a wave of discomfort taking over him. The situation seemed really absurd - still there was no way out of it.

He pulled slowly at his uniform collar, wincing slightly as the fabric detached itself from the partially fresh tooth-marks Kh’ali had left on his clavicle and also.. the nail rake on his back itched terribly. He dearly hoped all this would come to a solution before having to deal with a really tense half-Klingon female started to weigh heavily on his life expectancy…

“Will they have us wait any longer?” He asked in the end.

“Any minute now. As for Q’Vahn, if she starts to get high and mighty, put her in her place.” Kh’ali laughed for a moment. “I hear you do that in science quite often...well maybe not to this extent.”

“Yes, I do not have Klingon psychopaths in my staff…” He replied. “Well, sorry about that, I didn’t mean... “

The doors to the conference room opened to show the biggest Klingon Patrick had ever seen. Eyeing around, a mean look on his scarred face, he finally sauntered in followed by a Klingon woman that should have surely been Q’Vahn and an elder one who Patrick did not know.

“Here we go.” Patrick muttered to Kh’ali’s address.

“Welcome Roctan, cousin.” She looked at the other Klingon and simply gave him a nod. “This is Patrick. Patrick, Roctan and Q’Vahn, my cousin. She looked to the other man to introduce himself.

“I’m honoured.” Roctan said soberly with a nod.

The big Klingon moved to a side and posted himself near the door; the woman stepped forward looking at Patrick in evaluation. “I’m Q’Vahn of House Martok and that is my bodyguard Khang,” she ended gesturing to the Klingon.

“At least you show some taste in choosing your mate,” Q’Vahn told Kh’ali, resorting to Klingon language. “You should have considered sharing with family.” She grinned.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Kh’ali laughed aloud at the comment. She shot a glance at Patrick, then smiled at Q’Vahn. “He’s tough.”

“Perhaps he should try a full Klingon before being deemed tough… But I would give him back to you. At least what’s left of him,” Q’Vahn responded a smile lingering on her mouth as she regarded the human.

Kh’ali laughed once more. “He might surprise you, cousin, but he is loyal….and demanding. I am lucky in that regard.”

Patrick watched the two women exchanging words in that harsh language with a perplexed look on his face. The only thing evident was the scowl on the elder one’s face as he watched Q’Vahn.

“She has paid you a compliment, Patrick.” She touched his arm as she moved past him and began to fill the glasses.

“If you say so…” He muttered. He’d find unlikely to receive appreciation from that woman. Still something at the back of his skull made him feel like those cow meat charts of old under the appraising look of Q’Vahn.

“We are making poor guests,” Roctan intervened interrupting the impasse “We thank you Kh’ali daughter of Torin to make us welcome under your roof. May your honor shine bright forever,” he enunciated aloud as etiquette requested with a slight bow of the head.

“Yes. Just so.” Q’Vahn commented without enthusiasm “Should we start with the dinner now that formalities are satisfied?”

“Sit.” Kh’ali began to pass around the cups, then raised hers. “To family.”

“To honor.” Roctan said in response.

“To House of Martok,” Q’Vahn said, her cup high.

“To family.” Patrick followed suit, somewhat uncertain.

Kh’ali moved to the serving table and removed the covers from the food. A waiter appeared and began to fill the plates and pass them around as Kh’ali took her seat. The plates were set, brimming with the usual Klingon favorites. Kh’ali smiled at Patrick as his appeared and then took a drink of her bloodwine.

“Patrick looked into his plate his appetite vanishing, and more… it seemed to him that both his morning breakfast and lunch threatened to come back.

“Ah.. Gagh,” Q’Vahn exclaimed in delight. “One of the best dishes in the Empire and beyond,” she added taking a handful and gobbling down the writhing mass.

“You should get used to it, mate of Kh’ali. You’ll come to know the difference between various types of this dish. Torgud gagh wiggles. Filden gagh squirms. Meshta gagh jumps. Bithool gagh has feet. Wistan gagh is packed in targ blood…” Q’Vahn smiled to him mischievously clicking her tongue.

Patrick took one of the live worms bringing it before his eyes “These things should stay in Galileo center and not in a plate,” he muttered to himself in discomfort.

“The real warrior always relish his gagh,” Roctan encouraged him.

There are worse things… Patrick frantically repeated himself. Then with a gesture borne more of desperation than rational thought he gulped down the single gagh quickly reaching for his cup of bloodwine draining it dry. Perhaps a mistake worse than tasting that weird dish.

His reaction seemed to bring good humour to the Klingons as they laughed loudly.

“He’s got some guts,” Q’Vahn commented addressing Kh’ali. “But I do not see here the little one. Where is he?” she asked with a gleam in her eyes.

“Already in bed asleep,” Kh’ali answered. “We have some friends in for the evening to stay with him.” She left it at that and dug into her dinner with gusto, helped along by healthy doses of bloodwine. “What do you have planned for tomorrow? I have sent some information to Roctan on Z’eldagar IV that you might want to see so you will be familiar enough with it to present it to the Council once we get to Qo’nos.”

“We’ll review all the information. And then I think Roctan will want to make a survey of the place. A shuttle from the K’nahr will be all that is needed. He can go by himself with a pair of guards,” Q’Vahn responded to Kh’ali, ignoring the look that the elder one reserved for her.

“We should talk of more pleasant issues instead, like your coming to Qo’nos to celebrate your wedding. I took the liberty to inform Mistress Sirella of your coming, she is interested in this case albeit she’s a trifle suspicious of the human,” she ended nodding in Patrick’s direction.

“You know his name, use it.” Kh’ali refilled Q’Vahn’s cup and set the bottle aside. “As for Mistress Sirella, she will give him the same consideration she would anyone, don’t you think Roctan?”

“Of course she will. She is a demanding mistress though and protective of our tradition and customs. I remember the wedding of Worf and that one… Jadzia Dax. It will be a tough path to tread and a great honor for Patrick here.”

Patrick blinked once, the effect of bloodwine pulling at him strongly. The more he heard the more he felt uneasy but before he could come up with a rational response Q’Vahn addressed him directly:

“Have you already thought of a Tawi’Yan?” She asked bluntly

“A Tawi’Yan?” he repeated numbly.

“Yes. The one who’s going to bring you the bat’leths during the ceremony, you should choose between your best friends…”

Bat’leths? What I’m getting myself into?? he thought his head swimming in bloodwine and starting to ache too.

“No… But I’ll come up with a good Tawi’Yan,” he replied to Q’Vahn to placate her as that seemed the utmost priority in that moment. later he would have thought about this darn Tawi’Yan.

“He’s bold,” Q’Vahn commented. Standing from her seat, she drained the last of her glass and moved closer to Patrick putting a hand on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t you go with Roctan to Z’eldagar Kh’ali? To best counsel him in this affair.”

Kh’ali’s eyes narrowed slightly at Q’Vahn’s touch. “Perhaps. He and I will discuss it more tomorrow, once he’s had time to look at what I sent. Another round anyone?” One look at Patrick told her it was about time to wrap up this little party.

“I’ll take it.” Q’Vahn said eagerly slightly rubbing Patrick’s shoulder. “Really Kh’ali you should help this operation to it’s fulfillment, think of the advantages for the Klingon empire and the renown for you. It would help all to forget about other things… I can let you and Roctan have a shuttle from my ship. This thing should be seen through at once.”

“I agree that it’s a good move. But business tomorrow.” Kh’ali refilled Q’Vahn’s cup once more.

“I’ll take one too,” Patrick said shifting on his seat to get out of Q’Vahn’s grasp. She narrowed her eyes at this move but returned to her place to get the cup Kh’ali was offering.

“Well, to the wedding then.” She raised the cup in a toast “And to the bonding of the hearts.”

***********************
Lt. Commander Kh’ali
Actually Enjoying Her Evening

Commander Patrick Leroy
Actually Suffering Through His Evening

Q’Vahn
Evaluating Beef Cuts

Roctan
Being A Nice Guest