Station: Wrong Foot; Right Foot

Posted on Thu Aug 28th, 2025 @ 7:55pm by Commander Kehlani & Lieutenant JG Rockmond "Devlin" Dunbar

Mission: The Inner Flame
Location: M-69
Timeline: Current

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After speaking to Lasso in the FC's office, Commander Kehlani went out to the FC main station, seeing this Lieutenant Dunbar fellow at the console. She knew all about the Irish from Earth, having spent her formative years on the planet while her father had been on the diplomatic staff for the Klingon ambassador. They had lived on the island of Jamaica while her father served, and Kehlani had met many Irish tourists on the island. As she got older, old enough to travel alone, she often visited the UK and the British Isles, and Ireland. Even after World War III, Ireland had remained green and healthy, not being a part of the main nuclear attacks that other nations had faced. She had come to share her Strategic Operations duties here on this large console, a section dedicated to see to her own department. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant."

Lt. JG Devlin Dunbar glanced over at her, saw who it was, and then gave her a longer look, his eyes going up and down. He gave a grin before a finger came up to ask her to hold on a moment as he spoke into an earpiece she had not seen in his left ear, opposite the side she faced. "Aye, get it done. All Deltas, every-single-one, run diagnostics." His brogue could be heard, and he did trill his R's with certain words. He got a response that it would be done so he tapped his earpiece to standby. "Good afternoon, Commander. I know who ye'are, but we've never been properly introduced. Devlin, Ma'am. Devlin Dunbar." He did not give his rank since she had already called him lieutenant and it was plain to see on his collar. He extended his hand.

Kehlani gave a grin and clasped his arm in the warrior's handshake at the forearm before releasing. "Lieutenant Lasso seems to hold you in high regard. We shall see if his trust in you is warranted." Testing time, she thought.

Dunbar rolled his eyes at her abruptness and continued to look at several monitors, choosing to ignore her barb as Klingon curiosity.

"What? No rebuttal?" Kehlani asked.

"Beggin' yer pardon, Commander, but I dinna see the point," Dunbar replied. "Yer not me direct supervisor and that means I dinna give a sheit what ye think of me. I respect yer rank, that's abou' it." His gaze once more looked over into her eyes. "Beyond that, yer approach is brash and rude. Now, can ye kindly be quiet so's I can work?"

Kehlani gave a chuckle. "Well done, Mister Dunbar. You passed. However, talk to me like that again and we will have an issue."

"Are ye always like this?" Devlin asked, giving a sigh and letting his shoulders drop as he looked over.

"Like what?" The way Kehlani asked the question was fraught with caution.

Using both hands, Dunbar gave a motion towards her, the hands going up and down once, the frustration in his movements apparent. "Ye walk in here, get sassy, and then when I respond in kind ye get all pissy. I am respondin' the way I was approached, nuttin more, Commander. If this is all it takes to get ye all twisted up, then perhaps yer in the wrong lone O'work." He had turned to face her head on, any threat to his well being be damned.

Kehlani wanted to be angry with him for his observations, but also realized he was right. She had approached him in a way that could be taken as an offense. However, being Klingon, she would not apologize for it. "Fine. I stand corrected. Truce?"

Dunbar gave her a wry, somewhat sidelong glance, debating his trust in this truce. "Alright. Truce. I respect Klingons so ye dinna have to approach like yer ready for a challenge, Commander. I recognize ye as a Klingon, but ye dinna have the ridges. I take it yer family suffers from the affliction?"

"Aye, they do," Kehlani said, grinning in a far friendlier manner now. "It's genetic, thanks to Earth science and our own scientific folly. You should visit Kor'Kang. I think you would like it. Lasso is R'uustai, or my brother-in-law, according to Klingon law. My husband is the Patriarch of House Kehlani."

"Ahhh," Dunbar responded, his eyes showing more understanding. "Now I know why ye approached me as ye did. Yer a Matriarch."

Kehlani grinned. "I am. IKS Foes Bane is my command, so M-69 has an allied vessel among their own. The first few months here were none too friendly."

"So I've heard," Devlin said. His brogue was now casual but noticeable, with him cutting back on pouring it out thick. Tended to happen when he got upset or irritated. "I'm workin' me arse off tryin' ta offset any further surprise attacks. Some kinda defensive tactics to protect the station and provide fire support fer the bigguns."

"Well," said Kehlani, stepping over next to him. "As the Strategic Operations Chief, let's find a way to make that happen and be effective, shall we?"

"Grand idea, M'lady. I'm glad ye thought o'that." Dunbar quipped as he gave a smile. It was his idea, but to make up for his earlier twinge of anger he decided to play it cool and be inclusive with her input. She was the Strat. Ops. boss, after all, and a Klingon. Masters of cloak tactics and fearless would come in handy in a pinch.

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