The Taste of Success

Posted on Fri Apr 28th, 2023 @ 7:05am by Lieutenant K’lar & Lieutenant JG Vashir
Edited on on Sat Apr 29th, 2023 @ 6:29am

977 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 115 - Planting for the Future
Location: Promenade - Section A1 - Deck 110
Timeline: MD2 1246 hours

Lt. JG K’lar rushed through the doors of wa'SuvwI, his stomach growling with hunger. He was in a rush to return to his duty on the ship, but he needed to fuel up before he went. He looked around the restaurant and spotted Mardon, the gruff Klingon chef behind the counter.

Mardon’s eyes lit up when he saw K’lar and he bellowed, "K’lar! You are back, my friend! Come, come, let me feed you!"

K’lar tried to explain that he was in a hurry, but Mardon wouldn’t hear of it. “I am here but for a moment, Mardon”.

He ushered K’lar to a seat at the counter and began preparing one of his favorites, fresh gagh stew. “Ah, you always eat in a hurry," Mardon said, shaking his head. "You never take the time to enjoy my food."

K’lar smiled sheepishly. "I know, I know, but I have a lot of work to do."

Mardon grunted. "Work, work, work. You Starfleet officers always work too hard. You need to take a break and enjoy life."

K’lar chuckled. "Maybe you're right, Mardon."

Mardon slapped a bowl of squirming gagh stew in front of K’lar. "Here, eat this. It will give you strength for your work."

K’lar reached in, took a bite of the living stew and savored the taste. "Mmm, as always, Mardon, this is exceptional."

“Of course! Fresh, live stock makes all of the difference”, Mardon added. “Would you like anything to go with it?”

K’lar hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how to approach his request. "Actually, I was hoping you could help me with something. I need to find some N’Gat seeds."

Mardon raised an eyebrow in surprise. "N’Gat seeds? I have some, but I usually use them to flavor the baghol soup you like so much."

K’lar nodded. "I remember. But these seeds are for an important mission. We need to replenish a seed bank that was damaged during a recent voyage. The USS Tikhov maintains a seed catalog, giving it the ability to repopulate and spread plants from across the quadrants."

Mardon considered K’lar's request for a moment before nodding. "I understand. Wait here for a moment. I shall gather your seeds." He disappeared into the back of the restaurant.

As K'lar waits alone, a nearby female Klingon warrior spots him and begins to tease him. She stands up loudly and approaches.

"Hey, look everyone, it's the science officer!" she shouts, drawing attention to K'lar.

K'lar recognizes her as Qorla, a warrior he met the first time he visited the restaurant. He tries to ignore her and stares ahead at the space behind the counter where Mardon had left to.

"Can't you see I'm busy, Qorla?" K'lar snapped back.

Qorla just laughed and continued to taunt him. "What's the matter, K'lar? Can't handle a little friendly banter from a Klingon woman?"

K'lar gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper in check. "I'm not in the mood, Qorla. Can't you go bother someone else?"

Qorla grinned and leaned closer to him. "Oh, come on. You know you secretly love it when I tease you." She licked her sharp Klingon teeth.

K'lar rolls his eyes and turned to her. “Qorla. I have important work to do. There is no time for your games.”

“What battle are you fighting today, K’lar? Which human are you rescuing today? Tell me the tales of your glorious Starfleet assignment.”

“We’ll if you must know”, K’lar said against his better judgement. “I am replenishing seeds for a repository vessel.”

The comment drew a round of raucous laughter from about five Klingons within earshot.

Qorla continued, “Oh wow! You truly are a hero of the Federation, Son of M’RaQ.”

K’lar growled before lifting his bowl of gagh and emptying it into his mouth. The worms slid out of the bowl and into K’lar open maw.

He knew Qorla was flirting with him by trying to make him angry. She had been constantly pushing at him like this since she’d first seen him.

Mardon returned with a small pouch in his hand. "I have twenty seeds here. Will that be enough?"

K’lar's face lit up in gratitude. "Yes, that's perfect. Thank you so much, Mardon. I really appreciate it."

Mardon waved a dismissive hand. "It's no trouble at all. Just be sure to let me know how your mission goes. And if you ever need more N’Gat seeds, you know where to find them."

“Yes, tell us about your mission”, Qorla said teasingly.

“Now if you will excuse me, Mardon… Qorla”, he shot the woman a somewhat flirtatious look of aggression. “I must go about my duties.”

Once outside of the bar and out of earshot from the other Klingons, K’lar tapped him commbadge. “K’lar to Vashir. I sourced the N’Gat seeds. A Ferengi named Nez is sourcing those of the Bajoran Vine. Crewman Alora is gathering Vulcan Desert Rose seeds from the arid botany bay. Any luck on the others?”

=/\= “They made some calls”, Vashir told him. “A ship is headed from Andoria. It will take a few days. The T’Sora should be here sooner.“=/\=

“Thanks a lot”, K’lar responded. He knew she didn’t want to reach out to her family about this. “We’ll talk soon.”

K’lar continued down the promenade. While he was here, he might as well see what other fruits or plants he might be able to gather seeds from. Maybe he could find a flower shop, or some restaurateur with a horticultural hobby.

He let himself get caught up in the sights and sounds of the station’s bustling commercial district. The mission was complete, once again.

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