Moonshine Mix

Posted on Wed 2nd Nov, 2016 @ 10:20pm by Warrant Officer Moklor of the House Karn

1,585 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Cloak & Dagger
Location: Deck 600: Orchids & Jazz
Timeline: MD 3, 1322

The Cymbidiums were doing their regular afternoon music, jazz for a 3-piece combo, and Jade had one ear on the music and a smile on her face as she walked through the end of the Alpha Shift lunch crowd. There was actually a short very short gap between that and the Beta Shift people who stopped for coffee and a quick meal before work.

Stopping at one table, she asked, "How was your meal?"

The female security officer, of at least partial Bajoran origin, smiled at her and said, "Fine, thank you. It's always so nice to come in and listen to the music. My daughter," she nodded toward a girl of perhaps twelve, "and I like to come once a week to talk about girl things ... you know?"

Although she didn't really, Jade nodded and said, "This is definitely the place for that. Did you like the lemon Coke?" she asked the girl.

"Oh, yes, but I don't want to get too attached to it, in case it isn't available at our next transfer," the girl responded seriously.

"Very wise," Lantz agreed. "I'll make you a special offer. If you promise never to share it, when you leave Vanguard, I'll give you the replicator formula so you can program it wherever you go."

The girl's face list up. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course, for you, if you promise. I expect you are quite trustworthy if your mother is in security."

"Oh, yes, Ma'am!" the girl said. "I promise never to tell even my mother!"

Jade laughed. "Then before you transfer out, come see me. I won't forget."

She moved on and ran her eyes over the crowd which was thinning out. Time to go behind the bar and restock a few things. She rounded the end of her beautifully polished oak top and came face to face with a frowning Klingon seated three seats down.

"Oh, is something not to your liking?" she asked, seeing only a half-empty glass in front of him.

The Klingon could not help but scowl. It was his natural expression. He did look antsy though. "I am", he paused for a few seconds. "Comfortable." There was a hint of disgust in his voice as if comfort was a bad thing.

Comfortable. That struck Jade as a different way of expressing his state of being. She nodded to the bartender to indicate she would take care of this customer, and he moved down to the other end of the bar.

A glass mug filled with raktajino sat in front of him. He had ordered it without the extra frivolities humans liked to add like the nut flavor, cream and sugar. He had also had the bartender add a synthehol ra'taj liquer. This was coffee the way Klingons liked it.

Moklor could not complain. It wasn't as good as Qo'noS coffee, but it was tastier than anything he could find on his parents' B'rel.

There was one thing on his mind. "I must ask. Do you have bloodwine? Real... Bloodwine?"

His eyes gazed up at hers. His scowl slowly started to fade as she distracted him from his self-consciousness.

"The year of a bloodwine is very important. It loses sweetness as it ages. I like it strong. Well aged."

The Klingon took a sip of his ra'taj coffee. It was bitter and left a sharp aftertaste. It was delicious. He scolded himself mentally once again for being too comfortable.

The El Aurian turned and looked along the second shelf in front of the mirror. "Bloodwine is not something there is a large demand for here in Orchids & Jazz," she said, turning back to him, "but I do have a fairly recent year ... 2388. Would you like to try it? First glass is on the house ... in case it doesn't meet your expectations. But ... this is the real thing, not synthehol, and not replicated, so ... I must ask. Are you going on duty or coming off?"

Moklor opened his mouth revealing a wide grin. "I just got in today. I checked in at muster. I have a meeting in a few hours, but I won't be on duty until later this afternoon." He had time for one real drink. The synthehol in his coffee wouldn't be much of a bother.

His frown had turned into a scowl but now his face was surprisingly warm. He looked less uptight, with more relaxed shoulders and posture. He extended his hand to the woman for a handshake. "I am Moklor of the House Karn." He paused. " You seem to take care of this establishment."

"I own it. If I don't, who will?" Jade said with a shrug.

"I looked over your drink list. Is there something you would recommend for an old bitter Klingon? Perhaps we will save the bloodwine for a more glorious day. I want to explore your drink list." All the drinks had names, fancy ones. It made him want to try them all. He didn't seem bothered by the music. In fact one could argue that he enjoyed it. Occasionally he'd tap to the beat.

Lantz half smiled. She didn't think Moklor was all that old or all that bitter, but he was definitely a Klingon. She studied him for a moment and then said, "You know, I think I have just the thing. This is from the 1930s." She bent down and picked out a shaker and a tall glass, then popped back up and continued talking.

"For some reason, one of the governments of Old Earth decided to ban alcohol entirely. Of course, you know Terrans. They came up with a number of alcoholic drinks processed in questionable ways, and had a running business supplying alcohol to those who wanted it. They called it 'moonshine' because ... well, I guess because they made it at night. The article I was reading didn't really say."

As she spoke, Jade deftly combined 2 measure of a clear liquid from a cut-glass container, the juice from half a lemon, a dollop of something from an unlabeled squeeze container, and filled the shaker with a brown liquid. Reflecting on how much this mix was like the population of Vanguard, she explained the last ingredient. "Unsweetened white tea from Earth."

Shaking it only enough to mix it, Jade asked the Klingon, "Ice or no ice? It isn't chilled at this point."

"Moon? Shine..." He had never heard of such a drink. "No ice." This would be the one real drink he'd allow himself.

He took the glass, sniffing the drink. His first sip was a cautious one. But he warmed up to it quickly. "Strong", he mused. He quickly sipped again. Moklor had learned that restaurants like this were a good place for what humans called 'gossip'.

"Tell me, what's new? Anything interesting happening on the station?"

Jade thought about the mess in her kitchen this morning, but she didn't think that's what the Klingon was after. She wasn't telling anyone about the possibility of alien life on board, so what did that leave? "It's been a pretty quiet day, so far," she said, half smiling. "The base commander has gone adventuring, leaving us in the capable hands of his second." No need to start any rumors, since no doubt plenty were already flying around the base.

"I did hear there was a dust-up in a bar on deck 635 last night. A place frequented by Marines." That was entirely true on both counts, no doubt. Hardly a night went by that there wasn't a fight in Harold's Pub. "Enlisted men, no doubt."

Glancing around the restaurant, Jade saw that Serena, Jenna and her other servers had things running smoothly, so she leaned against the highly polished natural wood and asked, with real interest, "What exotic and exciting places have you been stationed in your career?"

The Klingon took a quick gulp from his drink before continuing.

"Washington spent most of its time in the Beta Quadrant. We crept outside the neutral zone. We also patrolled the Raeyan Transit Corridor. But I grew up on a B'rel. Again, mostly in the Beta Quadrant. I went back to Qo'noS to train in the ways of the warrior. It felt good to be on the planet of my people." He took another drink and paused.

"That sounds like quite a lot of roaming," Lantz observed. "Apparently, Starfleet meets the requirements of being a warrior, because I see an increasing number of Klingons joining."

"Starfleet has been okay to me. The pilots I have served with have been brave. These pilots are warriors."

He made eye contact with his hostess, the club owner.

"What brought you here, to Vanguard?"

"Hmmm, I could say profit," Jade smiled. "The truth is, I enjoyed being a part of the creation of Tivoli Gardens, and bringing the jazz club here was a way to meet a cross-section of the galaxy. You, for instance." Seeing a signal from a customer several seats down, she added. "Enjoy your drink. Stay for lunch, if you like, or come back for dinner. Either way, my treat, as a welcome to Vanguard." She moved down the bar to serve another.

The Klingon nodded. He would definitely be back. He threw back the glass and took a long drink, finishing his moonshine. It left a burning sensation in his throat. He put down the empty glass, wiped his brow ridges and stood and walked towards the door. He figured he'd do some unpacking before his meeting.

 

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