The Flickering of Kor'tova Candles

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 5:00am by Lieutenant K'Laus & Lieutenant JG Vecon Fick
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:29pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: USS Pandora | Deck | Crew Quarters

ON:

With his quarters aboard the Pandora dimly lit, illuminated only by the flickering of a candle, Lieutenant K'Laus walked around. He was pacing back and forth contemplating what he had read over the course of the past several weeks. He was not, however, too swept up in his Klingon thoughts and reflection to forget to inform ship security of his plans to use sacred Klingon candles made of blood wax in his quarters this evening. They had to manually disable the fire suppression system in his quarters so that a force field would not be quickly erected around the flames and the oxygen absorbed, snuffing out the flame.

The Klingon warrior's baldric, symbolic of a Klingon warrior was on display in the quarters. It was a gift from his boyfriend who always seemed to know way more about Klingon culture and customs that even K'Laus did, which somehow managed to be like rubbing a mixture of sugar and salt into a wound. Neither of them felt that great, but at least the sugar was supposed to be sweet. The gift was sweet. The gesture was sweet. However, the feeling afterward was frustrating at best. Fick had given him a gorgeous baldric with an ornament to symbolize a house. K'Laus obliged by trying it on a few times and would wear it if he knew Fick would be coming, but more often than not, K'Laus did not wear it. He had not yet put in a formal request with the personnel department about wearing it over his Starfleet uniform.

It just does not feel right thought the Klingon raised by Talarians who was more foreign to the Klingon culture than a Bajoran Risan helmsmen. To wear the baldric and an ornament of a house meant to be Klingon. It meant to be a warrior, to be an adult. Though he most certainly was an adult, he did not feel like he brought enough honor to be seen as a warrior in a Klingon's eyes. There were things... rites and rituals that he had never undergone. These were what made a Klingon boy become seen as a man, as a true warrior amongst his people. All K'Laus felt like was an extra strong Talarian with the face of a Klingon and the heart of a coward.

The door slid open and Fick entered, normally on alpha shift he was often up early and home early as well. He wrinkled his nose a little bit and looked at K'Laus. He could feel the struggle in the room. "It smells like Klingons in here..." he said with a little bit of a smirk. "Are you really burning blood candles?" Fick stepped further into the room and set his PADD down on the computer table. "How was your day?" he asked curiously.

It does smell like Klingon in here thought K'Laus as he lifted his arm and sniffed his pits, catching the alluring musk. "That would be me that you are smelling, Fick," he said almost as though proud of his stank. "I have not used the sonic shower nor bathed in water in approximately fourteen days," again almost boasting with pride. "I have been trying to find my Klingon roots. Though Talarians are known for living on the land, they do bathe rather often. Klingons, however, do not see the need to do so," he added.

K'Laus gestured towards the candles "I am. They are kor'tova candles, or at least a close approximation. I acquired them from a Ferengi who made bloated promises of their authenticity... something about coming from one of the monasteries on Boreth, but I can smell the difference. These are not made with the blood of slain Klingons. They are a knock off, a mere imitation, but that's alright. I will make do with them," he said without hesitation. "My day has been most illuminating," teased the Klingon with a smirk of his own.

Fick snorted in humor. "In more ways than one." Then he cocked his head to one side. "Kor'tova candles?" Fick's eyes were on K'Laus. "What are you doing? First Rites of Ascension?" Even though K'Laus looked Klingon, for all intensive purposes Klingon was not his culture. Fick was surprised. Truly surprised. He blinked at K'Laus for several moments. "They smell more like they were made from the blood of Targs..."

"You have the nose of a warrior," replied K'Laus. "It is Targ's blood," he added with a bit of a huff. Took me several minutes to figure that out and he gets it immediately, thought the Klingon. "Uh... the Rite of Ascension... no. I mean not right now... not here," he said shaking his head quickly. "The candles are used for a lot of things, but are featured heavily in that rite. I admit... I have been reading up on it. I've read up on all of it that I can get my hands on to be exact. I'm interested in going through it, Fick."

Fick's eyes widened. "You're serious!" he said like he suddenly got what was happening in front of him. "You really want to?" He grinned and couldn't resist a little bounce of excitement. "That's great, love! I wanna help! Of course... not in here... I mean there's not really enough space in here..." Fick was looking around as if he was picturing what they might need for the ritual. "We might be able to use the holodeck. At least then we could have real Klingons... or we could try and find real Klingons... I don't really know any." He looked at K'Laus again. "And you don't know any either..." Fick laughed softly and went to his Klingon, stood up on his tiptoes and kissed him on the chin. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you... and I'll be sure to inform my mother that she is not a real Klingon," teased K'Laus with a deep chuckle. "I advise against saying that when you meet her," added K'Laus. He knew that Fick meant nothing by it nor did the younger man mean anything offensive by not counting his boyfriend as a 'real Klingon,' but it stung nevertheless. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Fick. I really do. It's amazing to find a boyfriend who acts like a kid in a candy shop over his boyfriend being brutally jabbed in the chest and sides by Klingon pain sticks," quipped K'Laus. "Some may say that's true love," he added.

The Klingon contemplated everything and let his boyfriend's suggestions wash over him... slowly sinking in. "Holograms would be suitable for standing in for 'real Klingons,' but I have studied the rite significantly. Of course it made no mention of hologram Klingons, but it must be performed by Klingons through the interpretation is loose in regards to what humans would consider 'honored guests," said K'Laus. "I found of one situation where a Klingon did not have a Rite of Ascension on a Klingon station, vessel, or world. It was aboard the Enterprise and it was Worf, Son of Mogh during a time when he was dishonored. His was a Second Rite of Ascension was conducted on the holodeck with holographic Klingons and humans in attendance. He could not set foot on a Klingon world without being disgraceful. So, it made sense for him to pursue holographic means," explained K'Laus

K'Laus then looked into Fick's eyes, gazing gently. "I'm not dishonored," he said confidently. "At least not as far as I am aware," he added.

Fick was staring back at him. "I love you. You'd really let me meet your mother? And no way you're dishonored. You're too handsome. If I know anything, being handsome is everything," he was joking and serious at the same time and took one of K'Laus' hands in his own. "I don't know what I would do without my Klingon..." he said softly, squeezing K'Laus' hand. "Do you think your mother will like me? Klingons don't really do these kinds of relationships do they?" He was concerned that if K'Laus tried to get in touch with his family or go to his homeworld that Fick would hold him back or that he would somehow be disgraced for his relationship with the Risian/Bajoran.

"My mother was a widow who left the Klingon Empire and ended up remarrying with a new bondmate, a Talarian man," replied K'Laus. "There are similarities to their cultures, but also a lot of differences. Talarians are far more human like than Klingon like. So, she will not have any difficulties with me being with a someone who isn't Klingon... or Talarian for that matter," explained K'Laus.

He grunted. "You know I do know some Klingons... right? I mean they may not be speaking to me any more, but I do know Klingons. I fought a war with the Federation, Fick. I sided with the Klingons and was a terribly rebellious teenager who as soon as I could, joined the Klingon Defense Force after serving the Talarian Republic. I've lived on Birds of Prey. This is why it was so difficult and unsettling being on a Federation starship and now in a Starfleet uniform with a rank and everything."

"You never talk about them. How was I supposed to know that?" Fick admonished. He wrapped his arms around K'Laus' waist and looked up at the taller man. "You know I'm not a telepath, right?" he joked. "I'm glad you know Klingons. You just never act like any of that interests you. I know you're not one for sharing feelings like that. So I just let you tell me when you want to tell me." He ran a hand over the Klingon's chest. "I feel like maybe I've insulted you, but I still love you. So there." He grinned up at K'Laus.

K'Laus looked baffled at his boyfriend's small yet significant confession. "You never looked through my personnel file? You weren't curious about my past... you just let me tell you everything about me when I was ready to?" This was most perplexing to the Klingon. "It interests me a lot Fick, but we were in the middle of a war when I was serving with them. They were more interested in firing at anything that was Federation, and frankly I got too caught up in their blood lusts to stop what I was doing for a moment, pull up a chair, and ask them 'So, what's it like to be Klingon?' while dining on Targ heart and drowning ourselves in bloodwine," explained Lieutenant K'Laus.

He then proceeded further with a small grunt. "Actually, to be quite honest with you, I was so afraid to show the least bit indication that I wasn't very Klingon. I HATED the food. It was disgusting and would give me stomach cramps if I ate most of it. Fortunately for me, they were often so damned intoxicated when it came to feasting that they failed to notice I lowered my plate below the table for the ship's targs to eat."

"Awww and I've done some snooping into your background, but not like that. I mean, I didn't look up your service record or anything like that. I just looked at your mother's flight history... trying to find your background so I could get your house sigil right. I didn't have much luck, but yeah... it's more exciting to me to let you tell me. I can read all that boring stuff all day and it still wouldn't give me any insight to who you are as a person. It doesn't really tell me anything... what's important is your memory of events." Fick put his chin against K'Laus' chest, tipping his face up towards him.

K'Laus nodded entirely understanding. "She will not talk much about her past, about my father, any of our family if there's even any alive," he explained. "So, even I have no idea what that sigil would look like. My mother was furious when I left to join the Klingon Defense Force. She told me it was too dangerous and that I would be putting my life at risk, but I don't think it was me going off to a war zone that frightened her. I suspect it was me serving alongside Klingons. She wouldn't let me go anywhere without giving her the name of the commander and the ship, any information I could on the warriors aboard. It always seemed as though she was protecting me from something or someone... there's a reason she left the Klingon Empire, Fick, and I think it is more than simply my father's death."

Fick nodded. "I agree... you know I tried to follow her flight path from Qu'Vat colony. There's not even any record of what happened after that. There's not a record of her even going to the Talarian homeworld.... those people aren't very nice for the record... but there was nothing. I really wanted to find your house sigil... but I happen to agree with you. She left for a reason and with purpose to get away from there, but I'm not sure where she was going or why she ended up on the Talarian home world. I didn't get the impression from her flight plan that, that was where she intended to go."

"The ship was attacked," replied K'Laus reassuringly. "So, there really is not much for you to find and I am impressed with what you did. That ship was all but destroyed, the Klingons aboard were slaughtered aside from a few... my mother and myself of course being among those. Talarians won't kill children and mothers are not the sort of blood they want on their hands either," explained K'Laus.

"My father... my Talarian father was there. He was leading the attack on the ship and boarded it. He spared my mother's life and well it's a long story, but they ended up falling in love as strange as that sounds," he added. "The ship never made it to Talaria because it was never going to Talaria."

Fick nodded. "Well, that would explain why there was no record of it." He looked up at K'Laus, his brows furrowing. "I wonder what was so bad on that colony? Why did she leave when your father died?" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling up at his boyfriend. "She was fast... almost like someone was after her. Klingon houses do tend to get a little killy... like they feud often... I wonder if it was something like that? Maybe she had to leave... I don't know, but I do love a good mystery. You know that's why I couldn't just let things go with my own father. I had to know. Sure it was annoying to him, maybe embarrassing, but I felt like I had to know the truth."

"Mysteries are frustrating... my mother is frustrating," said K'Laus with more confidence in that statement that he had intended. "She was fleeing from someone or something. I fear my father's death was not as glorious as she would have want me to believe, and I dare say I do not for one moment think it was an accident either. Her actions and all this elusiveness over the years, avoiding my questions would seem to indicate that she was protecting me from a dangerous truth. Fick, I think someone murdered my father."

Fick's eyebrows shot up and he hissed a little in surprise and painful acknowledgement. "Yikes. Really? I mean it makes sense. With how abruptly she left, but that's terrifying. Of course, Klingons have a tendency to murder each other, especially if their houses are rivals, but I couldn't even find a house for your mother, so maybe that was a problem? I don't know, but you've definitely got me curious now. Funny, how we both have parents that have lied to us." He chuckled and hugged the taller man. "Mmm... I love you. We'll get to the bottom of this. I don't know how yet, but you and I are pretty resourceful."

"We are," replied K'Laus confidently. "I have not worked out the fine details of how, either. However, I do know we are only going to come up null here aboard the Pandora. There's only so far the digital trail leads, but records can be altered. Names can be changed, details can be unseen in the shroud of lies and misdirection. The one thing that is for certain is I LOOK Klingon. So, I suggest that's where we start. We need to go to the Empire."

"Oooh really?" Fick asked excitedly. "I'd love to go to the Empire with you." He paused. "Of course, that's assuming I'm invited..." he said the last part not really expecting to not be invited.

K'Laus snorted. "What part of WE did you not understand?" replied the man. "It will do me no good going to a Klingon world or few by myself, Fick. I would just knock over things and get frustrated with the brooding warriors. I need someone level headed and able to find things that I cannot. You have a way with people... as annoying as it can be, it does yield results."

Fick laughed. "Well, I'm glad I'm still annoying. I didn't think you were going to leave me behind, but I can't just assume I'm invited either, but you did say "we" so apparently I'm paranoid too. I love you... and yes. I totally want to go figure out your family mystery." He hugged the Klingon tightly.

"Then, together we will figure it out," K'Laus replied.

"Together," Fick repeated softly.

:END