Star Trek: Starbase 777 - lt-cdr-rexus﹢lt-cdr-so

[D]It felt strange, having to get used to new quarters. Lokath could barely remember the last time he had to move, having spent more than a decade on his previous posting. There sure were some advantages however, as those newfangled quarters sure were a lot more spacious and comfortable than the one he had shared with so many roommates on the Triumphant. Despite how long he had lived in his previous quarters, the Klingon still kept a very small amount of personal possessions, a habit he had developped thanks to his surrogate father. It certainly made the move easier at least. With all of his clothes and meager possessions now in place, he stepped out into the common area. He had been surprised to learn that no one had been assigned to the other quarters sharing it just yet, but then again, there were so many quarters in space stations of this size, maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. He walked to the replicator, made some coffee, and sat down at his desk to catch up on some reports.

[D] The door slid open not ten minutes after he began going through his reports, and a tall spotted young woman entered, hauling an assembly of three bags with her into the common area of the room. Mila was used to constant movement here and there over the years, but rarely did she ever move from her main abode. So, while she usually had a small bag packed for quick trips to an archeological site, she had collected a good deal of things from her travels which she had to all accumulate into one of her three bags. Of course, she had a few other things, but those were sent to her home on Vulcan that she technically still owned. Along with a myriad of other interesting things. But the most important had come along with her to the station. "Oh, hi, do y..." The woman trailed off quietly when she realized the species of her new roommate and then hesitantly flashed him a weak smile. "Which, uh, room isn't taken yet?" She inquired, nodding to the two sides of the common room. "I'm...Mila, I guess we're roommates. Unless either you and I are in the wrong room..." She said this uncertainly and tucked one of her large bags underneath one of her arms awkwardly to check with her PADD. "I could have sworn it was this one but mistakes could have been made." She fumbled around with her PADD in an attempt to see the room assignments again.

The sound of the door hissing opened caught Lokath's attention, just as he was about to take a sip of his coffee. He looked up from his screen, only to see a woman walking in, the sides of her neck covered with Trill-like spottings, although they were just different enough. A Kriosian. Well that might certainly make things slightly awkward. The Klingon put his mug back down on a coaster so as to not leave a mark on his desk, before getting up and smiling politely. "Hi. I'm Lokath." He said, his voice deep, but surprisingly quiet for a Klingon. "We might very well be, but I think I still have an old version of the crew manifest, I had no assigned crewmates when it was sent to me, but it might have changed since I got here." He extended a hand towards the door to the free quarters on the other side of the room. "Of course, if you prefer the other side, I'll happily accomodate you. I don't have a lot of stuff to move around. Speaking of, need any help? You seem to have your hands full."

"Oh, no - I'm in the right place. Nice to meet you...Roomie." She winced at her attempt at being friendly and shook her head. "I'll take the empty side. There isn't any reason to move things that are already there, oh, and... no, thank you. I think I've got it." Mila shuffled over to her side of the room, clearly struggling, but doing her best. The Kriosian then placed the bags onto the bed with a sigh. She began sorting her things quietly before turning back through the open door as she did so. "So...have you been here very long?" Rooming with a Klingon was certainly one of the harder things she was sure she had done in her life. And considering her dislike of Klingons in general made her a likely candidate for attempted murder in her last post... she decided it probably would be best to at least try and be social with the man. "My last post only lasted a few years, really. But I was glad to take this post. Even after three years, I suppose I needed a change of scenery. Plus, I've never really been stationed on a...station before."

Lokath quickly retracted his hand and nodded. There was no sense in pushing his help if it was not needed or required after all. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like some coffee? I have a pot, freshly brewed." He asked, trying to make idle conversation despite the obvious tension in the air. There was a lot of history between his people and hers, most of it terrible on his side of course. "Only a few hours actually." Lokath answered. "I've just recently transferred." He said, and nodded as he listened to Aumila. "It's definitely a different experience. My very first posting was on a space station, albeit a much smaller one than this one. You'll see, it's a very different experience compared to being on a ship." He said as he walked back to refill his mug of coffee, still waiting to see if the Kriosian wanted some.

She glanced at the brewed coffee skeptically and shook her head. Not because she detected any mal intent, but simply because she actually did prefer another type of drink. Well, she did also feel a little strange accepting anything from a Klingon, but she really did prefer tea. "I prefer tea, actually. But thank you for the offer." said Mila with a nervous smile, and continued to sort her things into drawers and what not. "Oh, same...er, obviously. My shuttle docked maybe an hour and a half ago." She recounted. "My first posting was on a planet's research station: Earth, actually. Whenever I study at a school, I always tend to stay longer even after I've finished. Curious, really. I worked at the Daystrom Institute for at least half a decade after graduation. I can tell, though, that this place is much larger than my previous post." Mila was quite nimble with her things and was swift in putting her clothes away. She moved onto her next bag, which contained various books, a small black box she shoved in the closet, a couple of rolled up anatomical diagrams, and a few trinkets. "Are you science or medical?" She asked curiously when she remembered he was, in fact, Starfleet and had some sort of blue uniform on. Honestly, she couldn't really imagine a Klingon in either division, but she recognized that really was on herself. To be fair, most of the Klingons she had encountered in her past had been neither.

Lokath nodded, and set the pot of coffee back down before walking back to his desk and sitting down to continue the conversation. "Well that would certainly explain the confusion with the quarters then. I must have arrived in the shuttle just before yours, maybe four or five hours ago at most." He sat back comfortably into the plush chair, and turned his attention to his dimly lit screen, so as to not make his new roommate uncomfortable. Or at least less so. "Daystrom Institute, really? That's impressive, especially as a first posting. What's your specialty?" The Klingon could not help but smile a bit at her question. It was not the first time he had been asked these kind of things, and he was more than aware that Klingons in blue were rare. "Science. I'm a geophyicist. Spent most of my early years working on Class Y "demon" planets. This space station has a much nicer view, I can tell you that much."

"I was already an established scientist before I joined Starfleet. I guess that's why they wanted me there." She explained with a small shrug and finished up setting everything up from her second bag. Mila stuffed the empty bags into one of the bottom drawers and worked on her third and last piece of luggage. "I'm a bioanthropologist, but I dabble in forensics every now and again. Usually, forensic anthropology, but that's to be expected considering my main field of study." Mila adjusted a picture frame on her nightstand that consisted of a few unknown individuals. There were two more noticeable pictures, with one being filled with three Trill and herself and the other with a pair of Vulcans. "Oh, so you're a scientist then as well?" She looked up curiously. "Geophyicist...I've worked with a few. There was one in particular who had a wonderful discovery on how an ancient race in the Kalandra sector managed to change their geography to a large extent with very crude means."

[Lo]The Klingon nodded. "That is an interesting career choice. Very Vulcan-like, if you don't mind the expression. I take it Starfleet offered you some opportunities that you just couldn't refuse?" Lokath chuckled, taking a quick sip of his coffee, swiping his screen to another page of the report he was half-paying attention to during their discussion. "That must be quite interesting. You've been working with the Archeological department at Daystrom I take it? It must have been quite fascinating. I've only visited the institute once, they have an amazing collections of geodes from all over the quadrants, quite extraordinary..." From his position, he could not see the pictures very well, not that he was trying to look at them either way. He nodded, still reading the report on his screen. "Certainly am, although I almost didn't make it. I was not the greatest student at the Academy, I'm sure you could have guessed. If you remember their name, I would love to read those articles, I'm sure it must have been quite an interesting discovery to write about! Terraforming is no easy feat.." (edited)

"I've worked with a decent amount of Vulcans over the years, but I was really propelled into it because of my parents." She admitted and finished her unpacking, smoothing her uniform briefly before journeying over to the replicator. "Tarkalean tea, warm - yes, that's right. They do have a pretty impressive selection on a variety of things. And it's true that Starfleet resources are one of the major reasons I enlisted." She confessed and sat down quietly in one of the nearby armchairs. All throughout the conversation, her voice remained quiet and passive with a hint of uncomfortable uncertainty laced within it. The same could be said with her body language; tense, nervous, and not yet at home. "I believe Jokan's article was...I'll send you the link. It was some time ago. My second post was in thr Kalandra sector and while it may be closer to the em, core planets of the Federation, there are still some fascinating discoveries being made there." She took a sip of her tea silently. "So you're from Qo'noS? Or one of the surrounding Klingon...colonies?" She inquired, and realized the question was a little uncomfortable for herself. No matter, more than half the time the place of birth was Qo'noS or even a Federation colony.

Even though he was looking away, the smile disappeared from Lokath's lips at the mention of Aumila's parents. While he did not know her personal story, he could tell just from the obvious discomfort that the history between their people had affected her, and he could not blame her for it. It took him a moment of silence before he'd turn in his chair to face his new roommate, although his mood was far somber than it had when she had first introduced herself. He nodded. "I am from Qo'noS, yes. But to the Klingon Empire, I have been considered dead for more than 27 years now, along with the rest of my family." He brought both hands together on his lap, looking down. "I think it's time to adress the elephant in the room if we're to co-habitate here for a while. I may only spent my childhood on Qo'noS, before being raised by Starfleet, but it does not blind me to the atrocities my people have comitted... And continue to commit. I'll do my best to show you that I am not my people, but I also understand if my presence makes you uncomfortable, and if it does, I will submit a request to change quarters immediately. No members of our crew should feel uncomfortable in their own home."

Mila paused, her cup hovering in the air for a matter of seconds before placing it down on the table with a small 'clink.' "I appreciate it, Lokath. Really, I do. I...I don't even know why it bothers me just...so much." She pursed her lips and looked down at her cup. "I haven't had much contact with my own people since...well, let's say it's complicated. The two major times I've interacted with Klingons haven't been pleasant, but you seem... nice. It'll take time to adjust, but don't feel like we need to switch quarters because of me. I'll be fine, but I really do appreciate the offer and...all the other things you've done to try and accommodate me."

Lokath shook his head. "I know it would bother me if our situations were reversed. I cannot blame you, as most interaction I've had with others of my kind were less than ideal." He took his mug back into his hand, and took a long sip of his coffee. He, sadly, could imagine the horror her family probably had to endure under the rule of the Klingon empire, having seen them firsthand. "I will not pry, I know the past can be painful. I'll do my best to help you adjust in any way I can, but as I've said, if things get too bad, please do not hesitate to raise your concerns. I know it won't be personal."

She nodded quietly. "It all seems so distant...and yet, well, I suppose the first ten years of my life really made an impact." Mila murmured wryly and took another deep sip of her drink. "It's been so many years... but yes, I'm honestly really thankful you're my roommate. Maybe not at first, but sometimes all you need is a little push. I know not everyone's the same but it can be hard to separate one thing from another. And again, thank you for understanding." She said warmly.

The Klingon nodded his approval. "Memories are a powerful thing, especially bad ones... But please, do say so if said push becomes a shove, as I would much rather go through a few forms to change quarters than to make my roommate uncomfortable in any ways." Lokath smiled and took another quick sip of his coffee. "But if it helps, know that I am a very private person, and I tend to either be in the labs, or in my quarters. You'll rarely see me in our shared space, at least." He set his now empty mug down on its coaster. "Now I can only hope that other Klingons on the station won't cause you any issues, but considering our proximity to Klingon and Romulan space... Well, should you have any issues with another member of my people, don't hesitate to call security, or myself if needed. I'd be more than happy to help, if I can."

"My post here on this specific station was actually purposeful," The Kriosian admitted. "If someone believes you uncomfortable enough to..." She trailed off and shook her head quietly. "Well, suffice it to say I thought it would be better to be stationed here than over there - among other reasons, of course. But that was one of them. I just never thought I'd become roommates with you." She chuckled and finished her tea before standing up from her seat. Aumila recycled her now empty cup into the replicator and smoothed out her uniform before making her way to the door. "I appreciate our conversation, Commander, and I'll keep your offer in mind. Despite what it may look like - it was nice meeting you," She bowed her head in a respectful nod farwell. "I think I'll head off to the promenade, but I suppose I'll see you later."