Ow...

Posted on Sun Nov 23rd, 2025 @ 1:32am by Lieutenant Betaras K'ner

1,048 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Starbase 364
Location: SB364-ish
Timeline: Current

[ USS Conqueror ]

K'ner heard the scream and quickly leapt through the door in a tactical roll, coming up with the purple biff gun. "Where's the boy?!"

K'rath stood stock still, holding Kolar upside-down by one foot. He quickly swung the boy behind his back. "What boy? I don't see a boy!" Muffled snickers came from behind K'rath.

"The queen's child was here! He must be returned to the castle, at once!"

"NO! Don't let him take me." Came a small voice.

K'rath shook his head. "No. No boy-child around here. I'm just here admiring..." He paused, looking around. "The clouds. They are quite interesting this day." He waved a hand in an arc, as if to indicate the non-existent clouds, unfortunately it was also the hand with Kolar swinging in it, giggling as he was swung back behind the large Klingon.

"A-HA! You cad! Release the child or I will have to bring out the ultimate weapon!" K'ner sneered evilly... sort of.

A small voice came from behind K'rath again. "What's a cad?"

K'rath roared, shaking Kolar back and forth. "Never! The child is mine! He will one day lead my army, and crush all his enemies!"

K'ner took a deep breath. "Then you leave me no choice." She turned her head slightly, speaking over her shoulder to the other room. "Lady Zimia, bring forth the ultimate weapon."

Zimia's mouth was twisted as she struggled to keep from smiling. She stepped near K'ner, holding forth the gurgling weapon with bowed head.

K'ner gently scooped up the baby girl, amid her timid giggles, and swooped her up in the air. "Bow! Bow before the fifth element, the ultimate weapon!"

K'rath crossed his hands in front of him, of course swinging the dangling Kolar around as well. "No... not Princess Ashla." K'rath pulled out his war face, eliciting more burbling giggles from the pint-sized 'weapon'.

K'rath held up Kolar, "That's not very nice, laughing at my war face."

Kolar laughed. "You're not very scary Uncle K'rath. You need more teeth in it. Like this!" Kolar growled as bared his own teeth.

K'rath looked thoughtful as Shan'nara looked on. "That's not the way the story goes..." She crossed her arms and looked perplexed. This new family had many strange ways she was still trying to learn. She could just hear her nanny's 'harumph' as if she were here.

K'rath growled louder, gnashing his teeth at the squirmy bundle still held aloft in K'ner's hands. "Argghg are roarg gar!"

The baby was quiet for a second, then fell into another fit of giggles, reaching for the warrior.

K'rath sighed, hoping word of this didn't leak out to the rest of the ship.

Kolar reached out and gripped K'rath's cheeks. "It's okay, you looked scary to me. I bet another warrior would be wishing he was somewhere else if you did that. And Ashla doesn't know how to be scared yet."

K'rath gave a half-hearted growl with plenty of teeth, to Kolar's nod in satisfaction. "Think fierce, like my Mama!"

K'rath looked at his size, gargantuan compared to the child's mother. "She is quite a small package of fierce as you say."

He reached out to grab the boy by the head and let his legs swing below him to stand him on the floor. "Your sister may yet be fierce in her own right too. Miss Shan'nara as well," he added as the young girl's fists went to her hips.

Zimia shook her head. "You are all crazy brains and it's time for the meal. Everyone to the table!"

Amid the 'awwws' and 'aahhhhs', not just from the kids, they lined up back to the other room, the children sitting at the table as K'ner kept Ashla tucked in the crook of her arm and paced with her. K'rath looked at the chair and decided if he were to get down into it, it might be difficult to get back up and decided not to take another hit to his ego in so short a time. He assumed a guard position by the door instead.

Zimia entered in the meal selections and looked at Ashla's focus on the moving tendrils around K'ner's face. "I've never noticed them moving so much. Is that normal?" She really did have no filter.

K'ner smiled. "For nurturing, certainly. Flaxians have roles but we use the talents we have as needed. While mine have evolved more of a rugged, survival-centric purpose, they can also be used thusly." Her eye twitched as Ashla managed to grab one and see just how far it could stretch.

Zimia grimaced to commiserate but busied herself with serving the two children patiently waiting at the table. "Here are the warrior meals I promised. One for you, and one for you."

The two had been discussing the merits of a war face and Kolar was explaining the benefit of the exact opposite, like his father. "You won't even know he's killed you until he's done!" nomnomnom

Shan'nara munched her first bite. "That's not the Klingon way."

Kolar nodded and pointed out, "My Daddy's not a Klingon."

"But didn't he just fight a Klingon duel?"


[ Holodeck, Suite 14 ]

K'ner checked the fit on her harness as K'rath did the same with his.

"I'm going to guess, Klingon opera."

K'rath looked over at her. "What?"

"Klingon opera. It's much more guttural and such, but you had a much more elaborate vocabulary and cadence than I've ever heard from you before Shan'nara's play."

"I majored in the opera in school, before war college. It is an honor to rank thus, and every ship is honored to have one aboard. I am the highest rank here as well!" He slammed his fist on his chest with a deep growl.

"Easy... I believe you. Let me know when next you perform. That is something I'd like to see."

"I would be interested in your assessment. At least as soon as you become conscious after our, exercise as you call it." K'rath smiled broadly and K'ner though that that should be his war face, then had to duck and roll as his broad ham-hock fist sailed just barely over her head as he roared his advance...



OFF:

Lt Betaras K'ner
Hazard Team Combat Medic TL-B / CMO
USS Chuck Norris

:o)

 

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