Star Trek: Starbase 777

Thol walked into the restaurant and looked around, taking the space in. He had visited the spot back when the concept had been a food cart but had not visited since. The blue Andorian Ensign in his blue science uniform stood out in the space as a whole although few people noticed. Thol's work focused on the Klingons so he figured it was a good idea to familiarize himself with their culture. At the very least it would be useful to read the menus in the local language, Thol's Klingon was rusty. He walked up to the counter, got a bowl of gagh broth, and sat down at an empty table. Thol slowly ate his soup, needing a moment to get used to the taste. Eventually he drew a PADD from his pocket and opened up his latest report on how recent trade agreements had improved agricultural commerce between some nearby Klingon and Federation colonies. It was an admittedly drab subject but someone needed to document it.

K'tehka strolled into Chatlh QoQ about ten minutes after Thol. His tall, wide form stood out even amongst Klingons and his heavy booted footsteps were hard to miss. He was wearing a dark grey tunic with a leather vest, dark pants, and traditional Klingon boots. His hair bounced behind him as he strode quickly to the counter to order. "nuqneH!" His voice boomed. He continued to speak to the cashier in Klingonese, asking how fresh their racht was. The cashier took offense, arguing that they had the freshest racht in the quadrant, disappearing for a moment and coming back with a large bowl of wriggling worms. A giant smile broke out on K'tehka's face and he cackled. "majQa'!" He said, complimenting them on a job welldone. "I'll take a double serving of racht and a raktajino!" He finished his order in Klingonese, waited a few minutes at the end of the counter, and made his way into the sitting area to find somewhere to settle in. Which is where he found the young Andorian. "Greetings!" He essentially shouted at the man, staring down at him intensely. "You look lonely. How would you like company for your meal?" His eyes glittered mischieviously as he waited for the Andorian to either allow him to sit down or not.

Thol looked up from his PADD to see the Klingon, surprised by the new arrival. He placed it down on the table. The Andorian was used to random Starfleet officers saying hello but could not say the same about random senior citizens on the station. A chat seemed move fun than proofreading so he decided to say yes. Perhaps the Klingon could even give some pointers on his report about Klingons. "Please, go ahead." By now the Ensign had done this song and dace enough times to know how these sorts of pleasantries went. "I figure I should probably introduce myself." He paused for a moment to decide exactly what to say. In theory this was just a social chat but he loved the sound of his technical title. It was exciting to be Starfleet. "I am Ensign Thol Ch'eckivil, one of the station's political scientists." The Andorian decided to see why exactly the Klingon was at the table at the first place. It was possible that they were a station resident, but it was also possible they were part of a freighter crew. The station was right on the Klingon border after all. "So, what brings you to the Chatlh-qoq?"

K'tehka nodded and grunted at the same time, a type of affirmative noise. He was a man of many words and also many sounds, very emotive and expressive. As he fell into his chair and got comfortable, he raised a curious eyebrow at the younger Andorian. "Ah, I am here for dinner of course! I have recently settled on the station as a civilian occupant." He smiled mischieviously. So the young officer had questions for him. Well! Good thing loved answering questions, especially when they were about himself. "I am K'tehka, son of Th'omon. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ensign Thol Ch'eckivil. Would you like me to call you Ensign Ch'eckivil or Thol?" He held out a giant, burly brown hand clad in fingerless leather gloves. (edited)

Thol smiled slightly, midly surprised. He extended his own arm and shook the Klingon's hand, figuring that was their intention. The young Andorian had been ready for a plethora of responses but a dad joke was not one of them. Clearly K'tehka was very friendly and sociable. They seemed a little boisterous but then that was nothing unique. In the end everyone seemed comfortable and that was what mattered the most. "Oh please call me Thol. Can I call you K'tehka?" The Ensign knew of people who simply spent their time on board doing recreation activities but found said group to be a minority. Most people wanted to work to both stay busy and feel like they were contributing. He assumed that K’tehka did something but had no clue what. "And what do you do daily while you occupy this station? Anything specific?"

A handshake was indeed the intention of his reaching toward the Andorian. K'tehka's giant, burly hand clasped Thol's and gripped tightly, but not too tight, at least he hoped. He was quite strong, even for a man in his 60s, and he prided himself in that fact, though not at the expense of younger, smaller people's easily crushable hands. "Aha! Thol it is! And you may." K'tehka finally let go of Thol's hand and settled into his chair, wriggling a bit to maximize his comfort, and grabbed a handful of his wormy racht and dropping it into his mouth from above his upturned head. He raised an eyebrow at the Andorian's question, chewing vigorously. When he was done with that bite, a huge grin appeared on his face. Ah, so the young man was a curious one. He had hoped for a thrilling conversation over dinner, and it seemed he had picked just the right person to speak to. Someone who would listen to him! "Ha, well, not much so far!" He said loudly. "I have been here only a few days. So far I have eaten at another restaurant, gone to a few stores on the promenade, and slept away the aches and pains of an old body." K'tehka gestured at his torso, which was very bulky, clearly from muscle, with some white chest hairs peeking out from under his shirt's collar. "There is no particular reason I am here on this starbase, except RETIREMENT!" The Klingon cackled jovially and grabbed his flagon of Raktajino and raised it in the air, as if to toast, and then threw the cup back, chugging it all in one big gulp, before speaking again. "What about you, then, Thol?"

Thol could not help himself from grinning, K’tehka's enthusiasm for life was simply contagious. A smile stuck on his face but he was nowhere near as animates emotion wise. He managed to accept the handshake without too much issue. It was a strong grasp but nothing bone breaking. Clearly K’tehka was the type always looking for new friends and Thol appreciated that. He wondered if this would be their only conversation or if it was the start of a friendship of sorts. Even on a station of tens of thousands Thol found himself seeing the safe faces every day. Some of that was how schedules worked but some of that almost felt like fate. "Sounds good, K’tehka." He saw as K’tehka's loudness attracted glances but decided not to comment. It was nothing too out of place at Chatlh-Qoq and the Klingon didn't mind. While Thol's mild social anxiety made such attention irritating it was also important for him to adjust to how Klingon acted. The Andorian saw the irony in the situations of the two. Thol had arrived to begin a career and K’tehka had arrived to enjoy their retirement. They were on opposite ends of their lifetimes. Still that meant that K’tehka knew a lot more about life than Thol did. They also knew a lot more about Klingons, the subject of the poltical scientist's work. "And I have to say that the opposite brings me to the Starbase. This is my first placement. The location is perfect for my work"

K'tehka grinned right back at Thol earnestly, his jagged teeth poking out from behind his lips every which way. He didn't really notice that he was drawing attention to himself, as much as he reveled in it. If people were staring, he looked back, eyes glittering. If they were pointing, he would wave. He'd been alive far too long to care whether people perceived him as a spectacle or, really, in any way. He was simply here to have a good time. Though, had the ensign said he was uncomfortable, K'tehka would in fact try to tone it down. He'd probably fail, but he would try nonetheless. "Oh really?" He asked, curiousity dripping in his voice. "Mmmm, interesting. How are you liking this posting so far, then, Thol? What have you gotten yourself into, then, your work needing you to be sent all the way out here in deep space?" He tipped his head forward, his chin moving down and to his left, and he gazed at Thol over the bridge of his nose. It wasn't a patronizing look as much as it was one of someone who was very, very interested in what the young Andorian had to say.

Thol casually shrugged and his grin returned to a more standard smile. All things considered the station was a full city in the middle of space. It had everything that anyone could ever need and more. At the very least there were a lot more amenities than on any Starfleet ship. When Thol had first arrived he had not expected anywhere near the amount of gardens, promenades, and simply pleasant spaces around him. "I have it say, it's a great place to be." He realized that there was an expectation that everyone on the station wanted to be there for the melting pot but never really understood it. As far as Thol was concerned the majority of people were doing the same exact jobs as they would do anywhere else. For the average engineer this was just another placement, no? The political scientist paused for a moment, clearly hesitating. He was an Andorian surrounded by Klingons yet he was the scholar of Klingon politics. For all he knew there were Klingon politicians sitting at the next table over. "And something truly beyond the understanding of current scientific theory has brought me to this crossroads. Klingon politics. Well, studying them at least."

K'tehka was eager to learn more about Starbase 777 and happy to be there. He'd lived in large cities in the times that he wasn't on a Starship, but he'd spent most of his life manning a station on a Bird of Prey in open space. That's where he'd been most comfortable. He was happy now, though, to be stationary and maybe becoming a member of a community. "Mmm, yes it does! A friend of mine told me about this Station and it piqued my interested, so I decided to move here. I've lived most of my rather long life in space, on a starship, so I thought maybe a Station would not be too unkind to me!" K'tehka watched as Thol's expression changed, the hesitation in his demeanor and voice. He gazed at him intensely and with a very level expression when he spoke of Klingon politics. So the young Andorian was interested in the political machinations of the Klingon Empire? It was an interesting topic, afterall, but K'tehka had left Q'onoS to escape all of what he considered to be nonsense. At least now. "Current scientific theory, eh?" He raised an amused eyebrow and smirked, his moustache wrinkling, and brought and hand to rub his beard thoughtfully. "So what are you trying to figure out about Klingon politics, then?" He asked.

Thol nodded along, the same smile on his face. So far he had found the Starbase to be an amazing place to live and work. It had far more resources and amenities than any ship in the fleet. For all intents and purposes it was a floating city. "I don't blame you, this really is a unique place. It may be in the middle of nowhere but it is also in the middle of everything." He wondered what sort of ship that K'tehka had spent their life on. It was a fifty fifty chance that they were on a freighter or military ship. The Klingons as a whole would likely see the latter as more honorable if that meant anything. "If you don't mind me asking what ship or ships were you on?" The political scientist then remember the question that he had been asked. His focused had drifted to other subjects but that was okay. K'tehka did not seem the type to be impatient or in any sort of rush. It was just a casual layed back chat. "Oh, and I am studying local Klingon-Federation relations."

K'tehka had not spent much time on the Starbase yet, so he was simply happy to be here with Thol, sharing a meal and making friends. At least he hoped he could find a friend in the young Andorian! Time would tell. K'tehka had grown up on Q'onoS, but had spent much time on many ships! All Thol had to do to find out more was ask! K'tehka was mostly an open book. Like many older Klingon men, he enjoyed a good story time and regaling people with tales of his heroics in battle. K'tehka was not impatient at all. He sat comfortably in front of Thol, gnoshing on his racht, waiting for the younger man to speak. He was fully content to simply be in the company of another person. "Klingon-Federation relations. Interesting subject choice." He raised a curious eyebrow at Thol, and dropped some more worms into his mouth. After he was done chewing them, he leaned forward and gazed deeply in to the Ensign's eyes. "So, what made you interested in the relationship between my world and yours?" He meant world generally, Klingon Empire to the Federation.

Thol smiled slightly as K'tehka praised his choice. He knew there was likely some bias there but really did not care. If a Klingon supported his study of Klingons that was a very good sign. It meant that the young Ensign could get help from the other side of the field, at least to an extent. At the very least he could ask questions about the Klingons to K'tehka. "Thanks." The Andorian paused for a moment when the question was asked. He sat in silent contemplation for a few seconds, nodding and shifting his head side to side. Clearly he did not have a simple answer to the question. Thol also worried about how to describe Klingons to a Klingon. Luckily K'tehka did not seem like the sensetive. "Klingon-Federation history and diplomacy is very unique and very messy. In general there is a lot of fascinating events and people on both sides. A lot has happened there to say the least." The Ensign knew that he could go into more details but decided to keep things high level. It was better to let the specifics be asked about later if needed.

If K'tehka seemed supportive of Thol's choice to study Federation-Klingon relations, it's because he was. But he was also highly curious. It wasn't usually the young ones that were interested in the Klingon Empire, but the stuffy war-obsessed nerds or politicians in suits trying to smooth things over. K'tehka was sometimes wary of those smooth talkers, but seeing this young man with the whole world in front of him, brimming with curiosity? It made his heart swell with pride. Ah, so Thol was not going to give much away, eh? K'tehka hummed thoughtfully as he tossed some more racht into his mouth and chomped happily. At this point, he was happy he'd ordered a large portion. "Indeed!" He bellowed. "What is your specific area of study? Time period? Or are you interested in the relationship between our factions overall? Hmm?" Maybe Thol would answer if K'tehka was persistent.

Thol's smile widened slightly as K'tehka responded. They clearly supported hsi work, and that was all that he could ask for. "For now just in general, although that is for a couple of reasons." "First off I only arrived pretty recently so I haven't had time to make any major decisions on projects. He paused for a second and shrugged before continuing. "Secondly I only arrived pretty recently so I am doing the routine reports that need to be done but nobody really wants to do." Thol paused for another moment, clearly a bit nervous. He wanted to ask a question but was worried about being insulting. "Say, bit of a random question for you." He chuckled for a second, trying to stall and calm his nerves. This felt important but somewhat wrong. "Um, uh. So, would you mind if some in the future I ask you about some events that you lived through that occurred my lifetime."

K'tehka was not necessarily a supporter of Starfleet studies of Klingon-Starfleet relations, though he knew that must exist both because Thol sat here in front of him telling him it did and also because Starfleet seemed to be simply like that. They - meaning the Federation - were always politicking, really but even so, the powers that be in the Klingon Empire were the same way, which he felt was... well his thoughts about that were complicated. "Well, I hope you have so far enjoyed your stay. I have similarly moved to this Starbase only a short time ago. Do not let those Starfleet higher ups drown you in tiresome paperwork! Go after your dreams, you have so much of your life left to live and to waste it on paperwork would be a shame." K'tehka chuckled and grabbed his drink and chugged at least half of it quickly, then wiped his lips with the back of his arm. "I would not mind answering your questions. I only wish there were more youths in my life with which to share the stories of the past! And how glorious those times were, of course." He said, with a bit of an eyebrow raise. "Ask me whatever you want to know, though I can only promise an account biased in my favor." And with that he cackled loudly and slammed his flagon back on the table. (edited)

Thol nodded and smiled, knowing there was nothing that he could do. Starfleet was a bureaucracy like any other and that meant that there were reports to do and documents to look at. Someone needed to spend hours making a report so someone important could use it later if needed. That was just how things were. "Sadly there is only so much I can do. The only two definites in life now a days is death and paperwork." The Andorian was thankful that he was a scientist though. He had no issue with proper academic research and knew that those in OPS had it far worse. Entire professions were devoted to the maintenance of the bureaucracy. "Still it's not so bad, plenty of people do a lot more than I do." He knew that Klingons could often be boastful and found that most of their writings were equally dramatic. Even primary sources were often written by warriors bragging about their deeds. At least K'tehka was honest about it. "And that is all I can also for, no? In the end only a fool would try to understand the present without first understanding the past." While Thol was not a historian by trade he still understood the importance of understanding relatively recent events.

K'tehka let out a rumbling chuckle when Thol made the comment about death and paperwork. As a former KDF captain he'd avoided a lot of paperwork by pushing it off on his subordinates. The only thing that had been certain in his life was death, of his enemies mostly. So far he'd evaded his mortal ending, though he thought often about what it would be like to face it and join his family in the ranks of Sto-vo-kor. He grunted and his eyes focused steadily on Thol. "Well, when it is your time, I hope that you meet death with the honor it deserves, befitting such a man as yourself. Dedicated, it seems." He raised a curious eyebrow and smiled, sharp teeth poking from behind his lips. K'tehka was waiting for the young man to ask him a question, and when he didn't, the Klingon grunted and brought his flagon to his lips, drinking the dregs, savoring the flavor of the drink as it sloshed in his mouth. "Well, what questions have you got?" He asked, almost a growl. He wasn't angry, simply intense.

The two sat for quite a while, discussing politics and culture to their hearts’ content. Much laughter could be heard even outside of the restaurant coming from their table. They, despite being from very different backgrounds and times, got along quite well and maybe even made a new friend in each other! At least K’tehka thought so! (edited)