Chapter Text
Hoshi was sitting on the edge of her bed in the royal quarters aboard the ISS Ishtar, pulling on the white leather armor she wore when making a show of her strengths and abilities. Shran was sitting up on the bed behind her, trying to distract her for a few more minutes. His blue fingers made their way up her pale-skinned spine, eventually moving up into her hairline. He knew that after their rougher interlude last night, that this softer approach was what she craved. She responded to the slight tickling at the base of her neck, rolling her head backward and letting out a sighing moan. “You really should stop that.”
Shran’s antennae wriggled as he smirked and moved up behind her, wrapping his legs around her waist. “You’re not acting like you want me to stop.” He started to walk the fingers of one hand down her shoulder, while the other one lingered around her ears and hairline. Hoshi chuckled. “You’re right of course. I don’t want you to stop.” She stood suddenly, turning and pushing him back flat on the bed. Crawling on top of him, she stopped as she straddled his form, staring down at him. “But duty calls, so you will have to wait.” Giving a wicked smile, she gave him a firm and passionate kiss before rising back off the bed and walking over to the stand mirror to adjust her armor, pulling on a few seams to straighten things out. Her image was important to her, and the small details are what left such an impression on the masses. The populace loved her, and honestly, she loved them, too. They were like toddlers to her. They worshipped her without question, not really understanding much about what it took to take care of them. Nor did they need to know. The less they knew, the easier it was to rule them. She grabbed the red cloak off the nearby chaise, and turned to look at Shran. “I assume you’ll put on some clothes before we go down to Q'onos?” He looked back at her. “As you command, Empress.”
When Hoshi left the antechamber after reading her morning briefings, General Shran was standing at the door in full regalia, waiting to escort her to the shuttle bay. His armor was almost as impressive as hers, if more muted in style. The almost-black olive tone leathers were fitted closely enough to show his muscular form, and the general had several insignia and bars on his chest to announce his experience and expertise to others at a glance. He gave a bow in Hoshi’s direction, “Empress Sato, may I escort you to your shuttle?” He offered his arm to her, and she took it as they proceeded down the corridor. “General, what are the risks we need to be aware of as we tour the capital?” Shran tried to assure her that they had cleared the parade route, and there was little concern, but he also didn’t lie to her. “They are an agressive people, the Klingons. But I wouldn’t allow this visit to occur if I thought for one moment that you would be in danger, my love.” Hoshi stopped dead in their tracks, squeezing his arm hard enough that Shran winced. “Allow it? Watch yourself, general. You grow comfortable in your position, but it is not your say on what is or is not allowed.” She glared into his eyes until she saw his antennae droop just the slightest bit. It was unlikely that anyone else would notice, but it was enough that she knew her point had been made. She dropped his arm and continued on to the shuttle bay, staying a step ahead of him.
Shran understood that it was his time to follow and take orders, and adjusted his gait so that he was always a step behind. He chuckled inwardly, believing that she was, indeed, almost always a step ahead of him. It was part of what made working with, and living with her so exciting. As she entered the shuttle bay, the guards were already lined up in parallel rows, lining the path to the shuttle door, but they all stood a little taller when she crossed the threshold. She lingered for a few moments, doing a quick visual inspection of the room before fully entering it. Although she trusted the officers on this ship, she also knew that there were a number of folk who would delight in trying to take her place. Seeing nothing amiss, she walked forward. She paused in front of one of the guards, smacking his belly with the back of her hand. “You need to work harder at maintaining your fitness.” The guard knew better than to answer aloud, and merely bowed his head in acquiescence. She stopped a few more times to call out slight mistakes in uniform readiness, but boarded the shuttle with minimal interference, for which General Shran was grateful. He thought she must be in a good mood today, since she didn’t call for replacements. Once she finished her impromptu inspection, he made haste to enter the shuttle with her, and the guards coming with them filed in behind him.
An advance guard had already been sent down to the Klingon home planet, and Shran expected that they would be waiting on the surface in a similar formation to what they had just experienced in the shuttle bay. When the shuttle set down at the approved coordinates, and the door opened onto a pavilion, the Terran guards were lined up as expected. What wasn’t expected was the show of force on display from their hosts. There were probably ten Klingon warriors on the street for every Terran one. Shran did not like this at all, but as he looked over to Hoshi, he could see the steel in her eyes, and knew she was not going to be scared. She nodded to Shran. “General, it looks like they have sent us quite the welcoming party. Let’s not disappoint them.”