Re-born – Quidance
by HoD Ro' Matlh & Sogh Thor'nan Mal'Kor

Post Details

Title		Quidance
Mission		Re-born
Author(s)		HoD Ro' Matlh & Sogh Thor'nan Mal'Kor
Posted		Thu Nov 17, 2011 @ 11:06am
Location		FHew's new training room.
Timeline		During the rebuild

It had been Jason's suggestion to add an area for training into the rear of the ship. There were a number of redundant compartments that could be reclaimed and opened up enough for a small corridor in which simple sparing fights could be held. Normally these would happen in the hold, but with Marie finding more and more things to transport this was proving ever more difficult to do. So a training room had been added.

Ro' stood in the centre going through the practice forms with his Bat'leth. He was moving at half speed, focusing on precision and control over power. As he swung back for a rear parry, he notice Thor'nan in the doorway observing.

"Come!" He called, not breaking his stride.

Thor'nan did as he was told. He still felt unworthy; he HAD been almost ready to betray the crew who had taken him in.

Ro' continued his set of moves then turned to face Thor'nan, "Did you wish to spar, or are you here for another matter?"

"Do we talk or spar first? " Thor'nan asked.

Ro' indicated the rack of weapons on the wall rack behind the human, "Talk and fight. I believe you prefer paired mek'leth?"

Ro' went and replaced the larger blade on the stand nearest him and retrieve a pair of similar swords for himself. He dropped into an easy crouch, but held his swords in a manner Thor'nan was not familiar with. His left arm was held in front of him with the blade reversed and running the length of his arm, while the second was held back and down. The normal method was to have at least one up ready to strike and the second to hit if the first was parried, or to parry a sneak attack from the opponent.

Thor'nan grabbed two of the mek'leth off the rack, and took up a fighting stance, the mek'leth in his right hand held like a normal weapon, while the one in his left was held like Ro', the blade reversed and running down the length of his forearm. He nodded to Ro'. He was ready.

Ro' waited. He didn't need to make the first move. Let's see what the human had. Never the less he began to circle the other. He swung an under arm strike just to keep the other on their toes.

"You should know; I was swayed by CoQ. He had me convinced that you were ready for honorable retirement. " said Thor'nan, blocking the blow from Ro'.

"I am," Ro' grunted. The Human was on the defensive, mentally as well as tactically. He began to close the gap between them.

"Still, it was a betrayal. By all rights you should have given me your blade. " said Thor'nan.

Ro' stepped in suddenly, forcing Thor'nan to take a quick step back, but didn't follow it with an attack, "Who did you betray? You placed this crew in a position where we could all have died with honour. You staid with us to die as one of us. I see no dishonour there."

He stepped forward again, using the curved blade like a ram forcing the other to either catch and block his weight or retreat again. Thor'nan opted for retreat.

"That was the least I could do; once I realized my error in judgement. " said Thor'nan.

Ro' stepped back, "Besides, it is not my job to kill you. Marie and May'bel vouched for you to be on the crew. If you have acted against it, then it is they you have dishonoured and they will kill you if necessary."

Ro' swung a punch with his left arm. The swipe was wide and easy to avoid, but at the last minute he unfolded the blade to extension, forcing Thor'nan to block as well as dodge, placing him slightly off balance. Now Ro' second blade swung up from underneath. Thor'nan caught the blow in a block but the force of it lifted him slightly causing him to stagger back. If Ro' had decided to press the advantage Thor'nan would have been hard pressed to recover, but Ro' was not sparring only.

Thor'nan regained his feet quickly.

"Is this place the new home of your House?" asked Thor'nan.

Ro' grunted, "I hope not. My House holds thirteen systems, and has a large estate on Q'onoS. If YIghegh decides to set up in this remote dust ball he is stupider than CoQ. Come on, Sogh! You aren't trying."

Thor'nan grinned and counter attacked. He blocked an aggressive swing from Ro', and brought his other mek'leth up as Ro' stepped back, swinging for his commander's head.

Ro' used his front arm to slide the attacks aside, but Thor'nan was too practised to over extend himself and Ro' began to find it harder to get an opening for his own attacks.

"Good! Don't lead with your right so much, push your left side forward so you can attack with either."

Thor'nan took his commander's advice, and squared himself off.

"I was curious about the house relocating; My wife hasn't shared my bed in over a year. " he said, lunging towards Ro'. When Ro' took the bait, he pivoted on his right foot and swung his mek'heth in an arc, aiming to take Ro's head off. Ro', in a move that belied his age, ducked.

As Ro' came up he brought both his blades into a cross and thrust forward with a step, again, using the blades as a ramming wall. Thor'nan had not encountered the move before and found he instinctively tried to block. Ro' had counted on this and slid his own blade out in a fan spreading both his and Thor'nan's weapons open. This left a nice gap for a forehead butt. It was a controlled blow that left Thor'nan's eyes sting but did not impair his sight.

Ro' stepped back and waited for the other to recover, "I have never married, so I doubt there is much of your curiosity I could answer. Are you asking for leave to visit your wife?"

"When we are near Qo'nos," answered Thor'nan.

"Done," said Ro' easily. He felt Thornan had earned a little time, and understood a married man needed to be with his family. He had very few married people on his ship for just that reason, but he held no bias against them.

"I also have two sons; one of them is nearing the Age of Ascension. I must begin preparing him for the trials; Perhaps I could do so aboard FHew. " said Thor'nan.

This gave Ro' a moment's pause, which nearly cost him an ear. There were dozens of extended members of House Matlh fighting for the chance to come aboard the FHew and serve with him. Many were seasoned warriors with long histories to their name. He heard the desire in the words of the father in front of him, though.

He asked, "You were brought up by Klingons. Your boy is half Klingon? You married a Klingon?"

"No, she is Orion. But the boy has her strength and my father has supervised his training in my absence. And all fathers should ship out with their sons at one point. " said Thor'nan.

Ro' saw the logic in that. A boy wanted to make his father proud and would often excel under his fathers eye where he would not under another. Still, half Human and half Orion. Yet another alien crewman.

Ro' spun out of the reach of a sudden and unexpected triple swipe from Thor'nan.

Still, the crew he had were exceptional, and he did have an opening right now. Thor'nan's adopted father, Mal'kor, was a good and honourable man, and if Thor'nan was any example of the kind of warrior his tutoring produced, he would be an asset to the crew.

"When does he Reach the Age?" he asked.

"Next month. " said Thor'nan.

"ToH! We will arrange to be on Qo'nos then. You may stay with your family and I will meet the boy. We will talk after that."

Ro's eyes narrowed as a new notion hit him, "Is he promised to a wife yet?"

"Not many Klingon women will have an alien half breed as a mate, even one raised as a Klingon. I was 'given' my wife when I finished my training and went out into the fleet. " said Thor'nan.

"Given?" Ro' queried as the pair circled each other.

"She was a slave; but we had feelings for each other. When I reached the age, we mated for the first time. I was fifteen in human years; still a boy. She was found to be with child, so we married. I freed her, and when I left to serve my House, she remained with my family. We had another son seven years ago. " said Thor'nan. The fight in both men had waned; they were now just two warriors speaking of family.

Ro' Straightened, putting up his blades as a show that the fight had stopped. He walked to replace this blades on the far wall, "I ask because I know of a house, allied to Matlh, that has recently lost all male heirs. There is a female warrior, Half human herself, who now hold its fate in her hands. To save it, she must marry a man who is willing to run the house in the name of her father. That will need to be someone who has no hope of forging their own house."

He turned back to the Human, "Forgive my bluntness, but your boy is not likely to lead House Mal'kor, nor will many Klingons recognise House Thor'nan. However, if it were linked in marriage to House Varquis, perhaps there is honour for you both."

"Naturally, I cannot make you any offer on their behalf, but I think Marla will see this as a good thing. You should talk to her."

"I will to that, sir. " said Thor'nan. He had often wondered how he would explain to the boy when the time came why he could never lead the house. Mal'kor was an honourable man, and a caring father. Well, caring as far as Klingons could. But he had four sons of his own, and Thor'nan was not in contention, which is why he had been hired out, instead of being in command of one of Mal'kor's ships.

He replaced his mek'leth on the rack, nodded to his commanding officer respectfully, and walked out of the room, to look for Marla.