[Backsim] K'Turk - Let Us Begin

[Jona ch'Ranni]

((Spacedock 44, Palanon))

K'Turk stood to his full height with his muscular arms crossed in front of his equally massive chest. He looked at the diminutive Andorian woman, or rather looked down at her. To be fair, he had to look down at most sentient species on account of his height. His height advantage was something he'd come to enjoy - it gave him a sense of superiority. Superiority was a quality that he often found lacking in other areas of life. Who ever heard of a non-warrior Klingon who wasted away his life running supplies between colonial worlds? The name of the son of Bevag would never be shouted gloriously in the Great Hall.

At this point in his life, he'd be happy just to get off the surface of Palanon and back into space. He still had suspicions about why the tiny one-eyed blue-skin would offer her services as a mechanic for his broken transport. He wasn't one to look a gift grishnar in the mouth, though.

K'Turk: Very well. But, first, you must tell me why you are doing this. Have you lost a bet?

Her head dipped, antenna following the same downward trajectory, her face flushing dark cyan. She bought her heels together and rubbed her upper right forearm with her left hand, a nervous gesture that shifted her body language, betraying her nervousness at the question.

sh'Shar: I am an addict. I lost my commission in Starfleet, I lost custody of my daughter, I lost control of my life. So now I'm trying to demonstrate, through a work program on Iana Station, that I can be trusted, be reliable, and that I've overcome my problems. To make restitution to the people I have hurt.

He continued to stare at the woman for several seconds.

K'Turk: That is not a reason.

sh'Shar: ::She blew out a long sigh.:: I... know what it's like to be stuck in a place, with no friends and no allies and no clear way out, having to rely on the charity of strangers. Nobody came to help me when I was at my lowest. Back then I was alone. Now I have help, and that help is doing enormous work in repairing the damage that I did to myself. ::She looked up, managing a little smile.:: I've never asked for a handout in my life, and I'm not giving you one either. I'm giving you a hand-up. Because I know what it's like to be where you are, and I know that a little help goes a long way.

His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath, letting it out in a long huff with a quiet growl in the back of his throat. She seemed genuine, though K'Turk wasn't great at reading people. Still, he had little to lose. He was already without honor.

K'Turk: Very well. I will allow you to assist me.

Mikali turned to the broken ship, wires spilling out from the open component. Like the ship was a wounded beast, its guts hanging out in the air.

sh'Shar: I think we can ignore that for now. If it wouldn't power on before, and it won't power on now, it's likely unrelated.

K'Turk: Where will you begin?

She walked with him around the ship, inspecting the outer panels. She meticulously waved a tricorder over every section of the hull plating while he waited impatiently. He found that tapping his spiked boot on the hanger deck helped alleviate some of his pent up frustration. After what seemed like an hour, she finally spoke up.

sh'Shar: The good news is that it's nothing basic, which means you clearly know how to take care of a ship, I'm impressed. The bad news is that it's nothing basic, which means I'm going to have to partially disassemble the port nacelle to really take a look at it. That's going to take a couple of hours and reassembly twice that. 

He started to protest but she held up a hand.

sh'Shar: I know, I know, you're impatient. But you've been here for weeks now, least we can do is waste a day really taking a look, right?

K'Turk: ::through clenched teeth:: Fine. What do you need from me?

Here was where he was waiting for her to spring her trap and demand payment. Just like that insufferable Ferengi, Mir, who'd completed half the repairs to his ship and ran away. Why couldn't that big-lobed squirrel stomach a little yelling?

sh'Shar: If you help me, it will go faster. My depth perception isn't what it used to be. Maybe we'll find nothing, maybe we'll be a bit closer to figuring out how we can fix the Horey'So. Don't worry, I'll put her back together.

Interesting. No mention of payment. Perhaps that would come later.

K'Turk: That would be ... agreeable. Let us begin.

((Timeskip))

After hours of intense manual labor, the port nacelle lay in pieces strewn about the floor. The Klingon sincerely hoped the Andorian girl knew what she was doing. There was no chance that he could reassemble all the pieces on his own. He grunted as he lay the heavy section of hull plating on the floor with a thud. His lower back was protesting, though, he'd never let the woman know. It was unbecoming of a Klingon to admit such things.

sh'Shar: Response

K'Turk: Have you found something?

sh'Shar: Response

He hated to let her know that her explanation was far beyond his technical comprehension but he had little choice. He took consolation in the thought that if she made fun of him he still had the option to gut her like a targ.

K'Turk: Is that bad?

sh'Shar: Response

-- 

K'Turk

Stranded Cargo Runner

as simmed by

Lt. Jona ch'Ranni
Chief of Operations
USS Gorkon (NCC-82293)
C239510JC0