By now, it was well-known that the Captain liked to frequent Valhalla whenever she had the bandwidth for it. It had become a subject of discussion and anticipation – some hoped to meet and talk to her, others hoped that she wouldn’t show up. Today, the latter would be sorely disappointed.

With a few new additions to her crew, Saffiya had occupied with supporting her Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer (who were one and the same person) by greeting the new officers and showing them around the ship. It was something she enjoyed immensely, and it meant that she had cleared her schedule facilitate those social engagement.

Now, she was starving.

As she entered Valhalla, a few heads turned. The Captain offered a warm smile to those she already knew, and a polite nod to those she had yet to meet. It was fairly crowded today, meaning she would have to join a group rather than following her usual strategy of sitting down and allowing those who wanted to, to join her.

She approached a red-collared Klingon Ensign who was sat somewhat solitarily at one of the tables. “Do you mind if I join you?”, she asked, her tone soft as to not to startle the woman. It was one of the members of her crew she didn’t know yet, but now that she thought about it, she was fairly sure that she had seen her face in one of the transfer orders that were stacking on her desk.

The Klingon Ensign, already observing the Valhallan crowd like a sailor watching the waves of the ocean, was aware of the turning heads. The attention of a few was being drawn to the latest soul guided into Valhalla; a human, or a member of a species that was human-adjacent, was approaching Chigorra’s table. Clues slotted into place in Chigorra’s mind: this approaching officer was recognized by a few crewmembers, was perhaps a bit short, had hair darker in color than Chigorra’s own… Closer now, Chigorra could be certain that this was the woman at the very top of the Valkyrie’s hierarchy, recognizing her from briefing images shown during the on-boarding process.

“Captain.” Chigorra replied, her own voice firm but not too loud. The Ensign rose from her seat, her lips spreading in a sharp-toothed smile of welcome. “Not at all, please.” As the Captain, presumably, sat, Chigorra swept her head toward the Norse-style bar, ready to hunt down an employee of the Lounge… But she saw that a Pelian who worked at Valhalla was already on his way over to take the Saffiya’s order, if she had one.

The Klingon sat back down, realizing that if she sat up straight, she might be nearly a head taller than the Captain. If she leaned forward, there was quite a lot of her to lean with, and she’d end up looming over her superior officer. Chigorra elected to try to meet someone in the middle, half-straight, half-looming. She also elected to remain silent, allowing the Captain the chart the course of this conversation as the Pelian waiter arrived, ready to work the replicator if the Captain desired anything.

“I’ll take the usual, please.”, Saffiya told the waiter, who gave a nod and noted someone down on the PADD he was carrying, before making his way over to the bar to retrieve it. Then, Saffiya turned her attention back to the Klingon.

“I don’t think I know you yet, I am fairly sure I would have noticed you before.”, she said, deciding that she didn’t exactly need to introduce herself since she was in uniform.

Chigorra herself asked the waiter for sixteen ounces of water with a lemon squeezed into it, including the seeds and pulp. “Ensign Chigorra. Pleased to be in your service, Captain.” she replied. She chose the word ‘pleased’ instead of ‘honored’ quite deliberately. Even non-Klingon newcomers to the ship might’ve said they were honored to be assigned to the Valkyrie, and though Chigorra was, there were some complex feelings tied to that concept. “I’m your new Diplomatic Officer, graduated from the Academy on Earth last month.” Chigorra offered this as well, though Saffiya may have already placed Chigorra by this point.

“Oh! So I was right after all – I thought I saw your paperwork come through, but there have been several transfers recently, so I wasn’t entirely certain you were one of the new arrivals.” She offered an appreciative smile, then continued. “And I see you already found one of the best spots on the ship.”

Chigorra grinned at this; her teeth were clean of debris, but Klingon teeth were sharp and rather messy in their arrangement, and a bit of brown staining was natural coloration. “A warrior’s afterlife.” she commented, referring to the place’s mythological name. “Though I’m thankful I don’t have to die to come here.” She leaned back as the Pelian waiter returned, bearing Saffiya’s ‘usual’ and Chigorra’s drink, lemon seeds dancing inside the glass. Chigorra was curious about what comprised the Captain’s usual order, and the Klingon observed it briefly before speaking further.”The Captain’s usual…” she muttered, hoping to prompt Saffiya to explain what it was, if it wasn’t immediately recognizable.

Saffiya laughed. “It’s coffee. It’s always coffee.”

It occurred to Chigorra to clarify something she’d wanted to ask a fellow crewmember, but given that Saffiya  herself was right in front of her… “If I may ask, Captain… Do you prefer to be referred to as Sir, or ma’am? Or neither? I’m aware that some Captains have their own desires when it comes to… nautical honorifics.”

“I don’t mind either, but I prefer Sir.”, Saffiya explained. She had never really paid attention to how people addressed her, as long as it was somewhat polite. This hadn’t changed in the time she had been Captain.

“Sir. So it shall be.” Chigorra replied.

“We will be working together closely. Politics are still a mystery to me, sometimes.” She paused “On the last mission aboard my last vessel, I accidentally insulted a Cardassian Gul. It wasn’t a big deal because it’s not like they were friendly to begin with, but I would certainly appreciate the guidance.”

The Klingon’s eyebrows danced upward with amusement at the Captain’s revelation about an accidental insult. One the most challenging courses Chigorra had taken at Starfleet Academy featured Cardassians. The course had included a short series of holo-interactions authored by experts in negotiation with the pre-Dominion Cardassian Union. Hologram recreations of those Starfleet officers had been demanding teachers, and the Cardassian Guls themselves had been infuriating in their demeanor. Odd, wasn’t it, that some of her most memorable professors at the Academy had been constructs of light and computer algorithms?

Chigorra sipped her lemon water as the Captain spoke further, the Klingon taking the time to chew down a lemon seed, enjoying the burst of bitter flavor. “I am at your service.” she said at the end, perhaps a bit of Tellarite pride invading her tone as she set her glass down. Humility tried to follow. “Though I’ll surely have my own share of accidents from time to time. I think the road to success is paved with mistakes… Learned-from mistakes, hopefully.”

The Captain’s request for guidance inspired a new topic of conversation. Given her high position in her chair, Chigorra scanned Valhalla, seeing that other customers were far enough away out of earshot. She hunched her shoulders a little, conspiratorially, her voice hushed. “How do you prefer to receive guidance, Sir? That is, if we are in a situation on the bridge and I have thoughts to share, should I wait until called upon? Confer with the First Officer? We were taught that each Captain has their own preferences for such things.”

Saffiya considered this for a moment. “It depends on the situation. If I am doing something stupid, by all means, let me know. I trust that you can decide when it’s better to interrupt me, or when it makes more sense to wait. But there is no need to wait until you are called upon.”

The Ensign accepted this, though she recognized there were proper ways and improper ways to interrupt a Starfleet Captain. “I understand. I felt that it would be… wise to ask, rather than guess at what you prefer on your Bridge or in briefings.”

“Very true.”, Saffiya confirmed, and at that moment, her badge chirped.

“Security to Captain Nassar.”

“Nassar here.”

“Captain, we have a situation. I think it is best you come to the Bridge.” 

“Understood.”

Saffiya got up at once. “I am sorry we have to cut this short.” She paused, considered something, then asked “Would you like to accompany me?”

Chigorra rose on instinct, matching Saffiya’s movements. Perhaps there was something Klingon in the act, for a warrior to rise with their General and rush into the fight. “Of course!” she said with a grin, immediately forgetting her drink. Security calling the Captain to the Bridge could mean anything; an invader demanding to speak to the ship’s leader, an encrypted message meant for the Captain’s eyes only… Chigorra would fall into step to Saffiya’s right and slightly behind her as they moved, the Klingon’s own stomping footsteps sure to warn other crewmembers out of their path. Chigorra’s first visit to the Bridge, in tow with her Captain, to witness a ‘situation’… exciting!