Lt. Commander Anath G'Renn - Klingon to Klingon

[Anath G'Renn]

((Verdant Galaxy Gardens - Entertainment Section, Starbase 104))

 

Klingon officers weren’t the most common sight in Starfleet. Naturally most Klingons lived in the Empire and were more likely to serve in the KDF. But more and more Klingons were living in the Federation and joining Starfleet. Still, Anath took note whenever she encountered another Klingon officer wherever she was assigned. The Klingon operations officer on her first ship had been a very good friend during the earliest part of her career.

 

Kvash: I haven't seen you around yet. Lt jg Kvash, I'm one of the Constitution's science officers. Specialty anthropology.

 

It almost felt rude to ask a stranger if she could tag along with them and get a tour of the station from them. New assignments didn’t just become less awkward if there were no attempts to make new friends. Some of her best friends in Starfleet were people she connected with after meeting at random and striking up a conversation. It wouldn’t hurt to try.

 

G’Renn: Would you object to my joining you? It would be nice to get an idea of the best sights to see on the station from someone familiar with the area.

 

Kvash: Of course! I was only people watching.

 

G’Renn: Have you eaten lunch yet? I’ve been told there are several dining options on the station’s promenade.

 

Consulting the deck layout was the very first thing she did after arriving on the station, and she’d briefly spoken with a few people who had offered some suggestions of places to visit on the starbase. But nobody had been able to talk long so she was left with names of places and brief two or three word descriptions. Most of the dining options on the station sounded interesting, with the exception of Garkon's Meatatorium. It was one of the first suggestions she’d received. Probably the fact that she wasn’t wearing her Vulcan robes and her pointed ears weren’t visible. She might have inherited her father’s forehead ridges but her appetite was all from her mother’s side of the family. She wondered if her new Klingon acquaintance had a more traditional taste in food or was like her.

 

Kvash: I haven't. What sort of food do you like?

 

For a moment, she hesitated out of instinct. There wasn’t any reason for her to fear sharing her tastes in food. But the topic of her being a vegetarian was a sore subject with the Klingon side of the family that always made her instinctively nervous to share that detail with fellow Klingons. Even if there was no evidence that they would care.

 

G'Renn: I grew up on Vulcan and that’s where a lot of my taste in food comes from. Although I do enjoy a much wider variety of foods as long as it is vegetarian. Replicated meats if it’s unavoidable. Definitely not the kind of preferences a lot of people first assume when they see me.

 

Kvash: :: laughing :: I absolutely wasn't going to assume. There is a Vulcan restaurant, T'Keck's, but another thought would be the Fruits Bowls Cafe, which I haven't tried yet, but I'm told it sells amazing salads.

 

Both options sounded appetizing. She was tempted to suggest the Fruits Bowls Cafe, but the appeal of comforting and familiar foods from home was too much to turn down.

 

G'Renn: We could go to T’Keck’s. I know some of the more flavorful options of Vulcan cuisine. Not all of it is as bland as people think.

 

Some of the stereotypes around Vulcan cuisine existed for a very good reason. Flavor was not exactly logical, after all. Even she needed to liberally season some dishes from her homeworld to make them at least decent. But there were also a few dishes prepared in the traditional way that she enjoyed very much.

 

Kvash: Response

 

Anath tucked the rolled-up meditation mat under her arm and started to make her way through the gardens to the nearest turbolift. She talked as she walked, hoping to get to know Kvash a bit better.

 

G'Renn: Well, you know that I was born and raised on Vulcan. What about you? Did you grow up in the Federation, the Empire, or somewhere else entirely? ::Beat:: If you’re comfortable sharing, that is.

 

Kvash: Response

 

The Klingon Empire wasn’t exactly her home. She could count on her two hands the number of times she had actually been within the borders of the empire. And many of those visits had not ended in the most harmonious of circumstances. But still she felt a bit of a connection to Qo’noS. Especially the family winery where they usually stayed. Even after all of her negative experiences she still looked forward to chances to visit the Klingon homeworld again.

 

G'Renn: A few times. My dad had already moved to the Federation by the time I was born so Qo’noS was never really home, per se. But we took semi-regular family trips to Qo’noS to visit family. Our house owns a pretty large winery in the Mekro’vak region. Visits were fun, but… being a vegetarian hybrid who acts more Vulcan than Klingon doesn’t make you the most popular member of the family with some Klingons. ::Anath paused for a moment when they entered a turbolift.:: Promenade-07.

 

The doors slid closed with a hiss and the turbolift started to ascend to the promenade level.

 

Kvash: Response

Lieutenant Commander Anath G'Renn, M.D.

Medical Officer

USS Constitution-B

A239402AG0