Tombstone Estate

[Doc Holliday]

On one particular day while John Henry was away on diplomatic business, Midori heard a knock at the front door. With a perplexed look, she walked to the front door and was shocked when she opened the door. Before her stood a very large........humanoid. He was dressed in clothing she had never seen, a suit of armor it appeared and a large robe hung over his shoulders, down his back and stopped just behind his knees. The ridges upon his head were menacing. Unsure of who he was or what his intentions were, she clutched her chest with one hand and with the other, was reaching for an object that wasn't there. Just as she opened her mouth to yell, he spoke.

"Greetings, Miss Sato," said the large humanoid, "I am Commander Matok of the Vor'cha."
"H...h....who?" she muttered, still in shock.
"Commander Matok," he repeated, "one of the Klingons that Doc rescued awhile back?"
She stood still, still lost for words or action, trying to make sense of what was going on. She had heard of his rescue but never heard the details.
"OK, Matok," she said nervously, "is there something I can do for you?" She still stood her distance, unsure of her guest.
"I was hoping the doctor was home," he replied with a smile, "I....take it he isn't."
Midori only shook her head.
"And please, Miss Saito, relax. I am not going to hurt you," continued Matok, "I am indebted to you both."
With a motion, she offered the great warrior a seat, which he accepted.
"A drink perhaps?" she asked, "I have many things."
"No, no," he replied, "I will not be here long."

The two sat and chatted. For Midori, it was morning tea for her. Now that she had access to it, she had developed a liking of Bretonian tea.
"Interesting," commented Matok, "a Kusari woman drinking Bretonian tea when the two houses are at war."
She took another sip of her tea and as she put the cup down replied, "I only read of the war living on Honshu, seeing passing warships on their way to the Tau systems. Now, I don't see any of it and that is fine."
She again sipped her tea.

The old warrior just looked at her and could sense her frustration for he himself had spent most of his life in war. Now, a non-human in a world where the only other aliens were Nomads, he found himself a spectator of war. It did have a different look from the sidelines. As he thought, Midori tried to read his face.

"You are.........saddened?" she inquired.
Matok sat up straight, "No!" he bellowed. "Klingons are never sad. For us it is a sign of fear and fear is to bring dishonor to oneself."
Then he sat again quietly, still thinking. Noticing Midori still looking at him, he quietly said to her, "Yes."

She came up beside him and put a forearm over his upper back, "there is no shame in sadness. It is new to you, yes?"
He could only nod.

"Tell me about her," she insisted, sipping on her tea. "I will listen."

After a brief silence, Matok began a walk through memory lane.
"Her name was Verell and she was to be my wife. She was powerful and came from a well known house and she was also a very good scientist as well as a warrior. Anyway, she was on one of the ships that were destroyed in the battle that got us here. I saw it explode, killing all aboard, even though she put up a good fight."

"It not your fault," a gentle Midori replied with her accent. She then pointed at the center of his chest, "She live there, with you."
"Yes," was all he replied. Then, without another word on the matter, he stood up.

"Do you know when he will be back," he asked.
"I don't know," she answered.
"Well, if you would, tell him my crew and I will be off training in the Omicron Delta sector," he asked.
"I will tell him," she answered with a smile. "Commander......"
She was trying to bid him a fairwell and good luck in his tongue. She had heard Doc say it but she was tongue tied.
"kaaay....kaaay..."
"qa'plAH!" shot Matok with a chuckle. "Is that what you were trying to say?"
"Yes," she smiled, "qa'plAH!" With that, he walked away, the whole time she watched finishing her tea.

*more to come*

---

[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises