Ghosts of Occupations Past

Posted on Tue Mar 7th, 2023 @ 12:08am by Lieutenant Commander Zodrac Kosh & Lieutenant Kosh Elra

2,012 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Return
Location: Space Station

ON:

Zodrac sat on the stool in front of the bar, tucked away in a dark corner, away from prying eyes. He had just received the request to take the position as Chief of Security and Tactical Officer on the Endeavour and, after a thorough debate/argument with his wife, he agreed. It was time to dawn the uniform of a Starfleet. No doubt it was going to be a very unfamiliar sight. Especially since he was, in fact, Cardassian.

He picked up his drink and brought it to his lips before stopping as he heard a small commotion coming from the behind him.

"No... NO!" The man said, a slight slur to his words, as he continued to speak. "I'm not going to sit here and keep it down!"

"Gregory... it's not the time."

"When?! When is the time?" Gregory, the first and obviously drunk man, said as he got closer. "That spoon head is the reason my wife can't sleep at night."

The man's friend grabbed his arm and tugged him away. "Stop it, Greg. You're making an ass of yourself."

"You're not welcomed here, spoon head! Go back to your planet and stay there with all the voles." Gregory said as he shoved his friends arm away. "Do you hear me?!! Put down your kanar and get out of this place. We don't want you here."

Zodrac looked up to the bartender, who gave him a look, before walking away. The Cardassian let out a sigh, unsure if that was his way of telling him it wasn't his problem or that he agreed, but it didn't stop Zodrac from holding up his glass and replying. "Voodai."

The man looked at him confused, leaning forward slightly, as he friend struggled to grab his arm. "What?"

"It's Voodai, not Kanar." Zodrac replied softly, pointing to the glass, before taking a sip. "It's a Bajoran synthale. Don't worry. It's a common stereotype. I don't blame you."

"I don't care what you're drinking! Get out of my bar!." Gregory shouted.

"I thought it was his bar." He gestured to the bartender.

"You think this is funny!" Gregory shouted as he put his hand on Zodrac's shoulder.

The Cardassian immediately got up and turned around, raising his shoulder, escaping the mans aggressive hold. "Don't touch me." Zodrac shouted quickly before letting out a deep breath. He ran his hand through his hair, combing it back slightly with his fingers, before saying calmly. "Listen to me very carefully, my drunk friend."

"I'm not your friend."

"Clearly, at least we agree on something." He replied before continuing on. "I'm sorry about your wife, truly I am, but you need to understand something while in your drunken state." Zodrac smiled slightly before shouting. "It wasn't me! While some Cardassian's may all look alike to you, chances are I'm not the one who traumatized your wife so badly that she can't rest without thinking of what she went through, so whatever you feel you are accomplishing right now is only going to further prove that, when intoxicated, you are as logical as a Klingon."

Gregory looked around at everyone before shouting back. "You spoon heads are all the same!"

"Obviously not, because if I was just another spoon head, I would have broken your nose and come up with some convoluted way to justify it while praising my people and society." He fired back before taking a hold of his drink. He finished it off before clearing his throat. The Cardassian held his hands up as he took a step toward the drunk. "Why don't I buy you one last drink and we can settle this like gentlemen?"

"I'd rather be as logical as a Klingon!" The man shouted before slamming his fist across the Cardassian's face.

Zodrac leaned against the counter, placing a hand on the side of his face, before smiling slightly. "Have it your way. Just remember, you started it, so I'm gonna end it." He balled up his fist and punched the man in return which only incited the others to shout and some to join in.

=====Station's Brig=====

Hours later, the Cardassian, sat alone in the cell. His face was slightly scuffled and hair a bit of a mess as he looked down toward the floor. All the other men had gone, even the man who started the fight, while Zodrac was conveniently left as the last one. He had the sense that it had to do with his people's history and less to do with the fight itself.

The doors opened as a man walked in, leading a Bajoran woman in a Starfleet Uniform. As her eyes met with the Cardassian's her stern expression did not waver.

"Here he is, Lieutenant. The Cardy in the barfight." The security officer said as he looked to the woman. "If you ask me, he got off lite. If it were up to me he would have ended up on a biobed and not a cell."

Zodrac couldn't help but let out a quick chuckle.

"What was that?" The security officer shouted before approaching the cell. "You find something funny, Cardassian?"

"Yes..." Zodrac replied with a smile as he raised his head up to answer, but when he met the harsh gaze of the Bajoran woman, he looked down. "But I choose to hold my tongue."

"Any proof he started the fight?" The Bajoran woman asked, her eyes never looking away.

"He's a Cardassian. What further proof do we need?" The security officer replied.

"More than you obviously have." The woman said just before adding. "Leave, please."

"Yes, Ma'am." The security officer said as he looked to Zodrac before whispering. "If you need some time with him I can send the officer at the door away for a while. Maybe he feel down a few times."

"I'll keep that in mind. You can go." The Bajoran woman said firmly.

When the security officer left, the silence continued for a few seconds longer, before Zodrac stood up and walked slowly to the cell border. "I didn't start it."

"But you ended it." The Bajoran woman replied as she stepped to the cell.

"You heard about that, did you?" Zodrac smiled slightly, laughing a bit, before adding. "You had to be there. It was the right thing to say at the time."

"I saw the recording the bartender was generous enough to show." She stopped at the borders of the cell and let out a sigh. "He won't be pressing charges, but he has asked you not return."

"Fair exchange." He replied. "Place seemed to full of bigots anyway. Not the kind of place I want to be caught in anyway."

"Why didn't you tell them you were a Starfleet Officer?"

"For the same reason you failed to mention you were my wife." Zodrac said before crossing his arms over his chest. "If it was relevant to the situation it would have been the first thing out of our mouths."

"You could have ended the fight before it started." The Bajoran woman shouted back.

"Sweetie... that fight was going to happen regardless of whether I revealed I was in Starfleet or not. That guy already made up his mind the moment he saw me what he was going to do." He said softly, as a sigh escaped his lips.

"You didn't help the matter by not trying to pull the situation back and offer a peaceful solution."

"I offered to buy him a drink. Seeing as how he was drunk it felt like something he would be opened for." Zodrac replied with a smile.

The Bajoran woman smiled briefly before shaking her head. "After you compared him to a Klingon."

"He was acting like one."

"So were you." She fired back.

"Only after he hit me." He said before letting out a sigh.

The Bajoran woman laughed before covering her mouth. "Stop it. You don't get to be funny to stop me from being mad at you."

"It seems to be the best strategy so far." Zodrac said as he smiled. He let out a sigh before clearing his throat and looking down. "He had every right to want to hit me, Elra."

"Zodrac... it's not your duty to take the punishment for every Cardassian who wronged someone in this universe." Elra replied before letting out a deep breath. "I don't care if he had a legitimate grievance. Let him pick a fight with some other Cardassian who isn't my husband and who hasn't done everything he can to prove he is not like the rest of his race."

Zodrac looked down and nodded his head. "You're right. I should stop. It's not my job to take the punishment for something my people did, but you didn't see the look in his eyes, Elra." He said as he looked back to her with soft eyes. "If it was you my reaction would have been no different. I may have been more sober, but I would have wanted to hurt someone too."

"I can fight my own fights, Zod." Elra shouted back.

"Oh, I know you can. My lovely freedom fighter." Zodrac replied with a smile. "But it wouldn't make me any less angry." He looked down for a moment before looking back to her and asking in a soft tone. "Forgive me."

Elra looked at him firmly before nodding her head. "You know I do." She reached over and tapped on the small console by the cell to lower the force field. "If I were there I would have hit him first. Right now I want to hit these security officers."

"Don't, El. Let's just go." He said as he walked closer to her and took her hands in his. "Let's go back home to our daughter and finish packing. Let's get out of this place and up to the ship. I want to put this behind us and forget it even happened."

Elra looked at him and eased closer, taking him in his arms, before giving Zodrac a quick kiss on the lips. With a smile, she nodded her head, and took her hand in his. "Let's go home."

Zodrac nodded his head before putting his arm around her and walking toward the door. As the door to the cell area opened, the two walked out, met with odd looks from the few security officers there. Before any of them had anything to say to the sight of the Cardassian holding the Bajoran woman lovingly he only smiled and quickly said.

"Oh... yeah... She's my wife." Zodrac leaned down and kissed Elra on the side of her head before adding. "My Starfleet Officer, Bajoran, wife. I'm also a Starfleet Officer, actually, and I am on my way to my new ship to be the Chief Security Officer. With my Bajoran wife and half Bajoran and Cardassian daughter. Yes, we have a lovely daughter."

"Don't over due it, Dear." Elra said with a smile. "They can read about it all in my report to Starfleet security about their conduct."

Zodrac covered his mouth, impishly, before saying. "Sound's like you guys are in a lot of trouble." He shook his head and added. "Naughty, naughty."

Elra nodded her head as she continued to walk with her to the exit.

Before they walked out, Zodrac turned to face the officers again, smirking as he said. "You guys are so lucky it was me in that bar and not my wife... because she would have taken the whole group on... and still walked out in time to make dinner."

"Oh, that reminds me... I made Bajoran Shrimp." Elra said, looking up to her husband.

"My favorite." He said with a big smile before gesturing to her. "Isn't she amazing?" Zodrac asked before walking out with her leaving the officers inside dumbfounded and without any words.

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Zodrac Kosh
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
U.S.S. Endeavour

&

Lieutenant Elra Kosh
Security Officer
U.S.S. Endeavour

&

Bar Patrons
NPC

&

Security Officers
NPC

 

RSS Feed