Khat Wants to be Khat

Posted on Fri 2nd May, 2025 @ 5:00pm by Commander Heriah Rex

1,344 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: Garden Sector Nightclub
Timeline: Current

It had been one of the better days. Work was not at all demanding, reports were on time and formatted adequately, requests were fulfilled and followed up upon in a timely manner and, most of all, there was little back talk...back-thought more like...from the ever rebellious Rex.

Stepping into her quarters, Heriah felt good, simply good, and full of life. Though it was the end of the day and she had already eaten after finishing her shift in Ops, she felt the need to head out and enjoy the remaining hours of the day and maybe even some of the hours on into the night.

Heriah wasted no time in stripping off her uniform and knew exactly what to pick from her closet. She wanted to wear casual civilian wear of course. She did not anyone she would be around to know that she was the executive officer of the entire station. On this night, Commander Heriah Khatain Rex simply wanted to be Heriah Khatain Rex. Or, as some in her past would call her...Khat.

"Like a cat," she meowed and made claws with her fingers as she eyed her wear for the night.

She stepped into an establishment, obviously a nightclub of sorts. The music was booming but not too loudly. The lights were aplenty but dim, causing the whole place to appear a bit somber. The vast majority of the patrons were wearing dark clothes and Heriah looked upon the poster by the door as she was entering. "Emo Night," she read.

She had not any idea that was going to be the theme of this place this night. Looking at herself in the mirror wall of the entrance, Heriah saw herself in her own dark styled clothing. Black cargo pants, black boots, and a Clan of Xymox top that exposed her navel and was clearly half a size too small as it illustrated her features and curves. Her hair was a bit in chaos and she barely remembered putting on the black eyeliner.

Then she thought about her subconscience. Clearly Rex had seen the signs and possibly influenced her to dress thus, to be out thus, to be in such a place. Of course, not all of Rex's ideas were ill-willed or violent. They were, oftentimes, splendid ideas and...with a fiendish smile...Heriah ventured on in.

To her astonishment, the music playing was among her favorites; Loneliness by Clan of Xymox, the band whose emblem was emblazoned on her shirt. Sure, it was a somber and something of a depressive song, but this was Emo Night. That sort of thing was a given. Despite all that, the people were clearly having a good time. And Heriah, deciding to also have a good time, stepped in and onto the dance floor. Drinks and conversation and whatnot could wait until later. Right now, Heriah wanted only to move to the music.

Most on the floor were dancing, if one could call it that, moving about really, upon the floor. Most were in pairs with but a few dancing solo. That was how Heriah started; solo.

A song later and she had a dancing partner. He was taller than she. Heriah really could not decide if he was handsome or not under a pile of gothic makeup. It really did not matter as long as Khat was able to be Khat.

She found herself with a female dancing partner a song or two later. They held hands and moved about to whatever song was playing. Heriah stopping listening really and was simply letting the rhythm move her about. That, and her partner wanted to lead. She allowed that too. Her partner pulled her close to her; Heriah's back pressed to the other woman's torso. With a gentle arm wrapped around her waist, Heriah moved slowly as allowed and decided on a few twerks. Her partner gave her a gentle bite on her neck. Heriah could feel the gentle pressings of what she could only surmise to be vampiric tooth implants. It was that kind of night after all.

She found herself with a male partner again some time later. The song that was playing was more of a slow dance kind and Heriah was contained in his arms. Those arms were strong and held on tight. They did not share any words. Just two people enjoying the music and the company of a stranger.

It was getting on into the night and Heriah thought about heading back and going on to bed here soon. However, having a good time at the nightclub, she was unsure if she wanted to wake up alone or not.

The thought came to her. It was a face really; her face but not her face at the same time. It was the face of another Rex, Davmorda Rex, she had made it almost a profession out of courting men and then dumping them. Davmorda was almost famous for leading men on, and sometimes women, inviting them to her bed, getting a relationship going no less, and then ending it all abruptly, sometimes even ghosting whatever lover she had that month.

Dav quite enjoyed seeing the aftermath and the heartbreak; enjoyed taking what she had and leaving with it. Rex was almost always the enabler, though Davmorda was already something of the sort even before her joining with Rex. Rex only allowed her to expand her enterprises exponentially.

Heriah snapped her eyes open and stepped back as her partner let her go. The song had just ended. They parted just as many others did and, while many were selecting new dance partners, Heriah stepped away. Perhaps now was a good time for a drink. There was nothing like a good tallboy of Rivals Talanack to conclude a day.

Heriah pressed herself past a dancing duo. The male of the two had gone a bit overboard on the makeup. His face even appeared a little necrotic; almost unattractive, even on an emo/gothic level. Another had a bit too much costuming on his arm, nearly mechanical. The music whirred once and Heriah took that in nearly as a whir of a drill. The flashing lights and the mist wafting about the place and the sounds and the crowd and the noise and Heriah unable to get away from it all without bumping into a few...it all took on the feels of a crowded corridor on a Borg vessel. Heriah's started feeling hot but cold on her skin. Her palms started sweating and her heart pounded within her chest. Her spots started to feel as though on fire.

Borg drones were all around her, bumping into her, almost herding her this way and that. The need to scream nearly boiled into her mouth when...she stepped off of the dance floor.

Looking back and attempting to catch her breath, Heriah saw there were no Borg drones, just people slow dancing and having a good time. She stepped back and nearly bumped into someone. Composing herself, Heriah sought out and found a vacant table in a dark corner. She made her way there and sat. Using the small PADD upon the table, she saw a menu displayed. Without orienting it more in her direction, Heriah swiped at it and removed the menu from the screen, replacing it with the drink list. She altered the selection to display only the list of beers and found her Rivals Talanack. Ordering a glass of it, Heriah pushed the PADD away and sat back, allowing herself to calm down more. She reminded herself that the incident with the Borg was a long time and three hosts ago. This was a safe place filled with no one who wanted to do her harm.

'Save for me...sometimes.'

Heriah smirked and found a small bit of humor in that.

Her beverage arrived and Heriah decided that maybe another turn on the dance floor would be in order before turning in the for the night. But first, her glass of Rivals Talanack.

 

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