REP: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile (OCC - TNG era) 37 - The Klingons and The Deep Blue Sea, [PG] 1/1
Jay P Hailey
Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPH...@hotmail.com)
Series: ST-OM, OCC - TNG era [37/56?]
Rating:[PG]
Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Star Trek. I claim Original Characters
and Situations for me.
Webpage HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com
Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile
Episode 37 - The Klingons and The Deep Blue Sea
(Stardate 49378)
By
Jay P. Hailey
and
Dennnis Washburn
Alien cuisine really isn't my thing. I like history, languages and
literature from other races, but food? No. I am a picky eater.
General Kalak had his yeoman place a nice full bowl of gahk in front of me.
They are sometimes called serpent worms. They are eaten alive. Some Human
xenophiles take great pride in enjoying gahk and other disgusting alien
dishes. I tried gahk once before when I was younger and it made me want to
gag.
"Enjoy." Kalak said. Far from being stingy or greedy with his supplies and
wealth, Kalak was often extravagant and generous. It was part of the Klingon
mindset. What good was fighting, bleeding and struggling to win these things
if you didn't share them with everyone after? He was being sincere.
I wasn't. "Ah. Nice." I picked up a bit of gahk and slurped it down. Then I
sternly ordered my stomach to shut up and stand to.
"You are near the end of your journey across the Klingon Empire, Captain
Hailey." He said.
"Uh huh." I fought with my stomach.
"There is great danger ahead of us." Kalak grinned.
I had to get up and use the General's rest room. Klingon rest rooms are
durable and basic. I could see my green complexion in the shiny metal. When
I returned, the gahk was gone. There was some strange meat with a delicious
smelling sauce. My nausea disappeared.
"Um, I'm sorry." I said bashfully. I didn't know if I had committed some
offense against the General's honor.
"Nothing wrong with fighting a battle and losing. This food should be more
to your taste." He said.
"Thank you. What danger lies ahead of us?" I asked.
"The last starbase in Klingon space." Kalak said. "It is owned by a family
that is essentially hostile."
"Hostile to what? Humans?"
"Yes. Humans, Gowron, certain concepts of honor." He thought for a few
moments. "Everything."
"Hmmm..." I thought. "Will he fire on us? Will we have to fight our way
through?"
"If we give him an excuse and he feels he can get away with it, you may
count on a battle." Kalak said. Seeing my expression he continued. "Gowron
spent a certain amount of what you Humans would call his political capital
to arrange our safe passage through House Takon's territory."
"That means he knows that Gowron's backing the Discovery's mission through
the Empire." I said unhappily. "Gowron's secret is out."
"It has been for some time. Remind your crew that at Takon's base they will
face prejudiced Klingons. They will be spoiling for a fight. Get your leave
rotation set up and let me know in advance. I will have crews from my ship
and our escorts on leave there at the same time." Kalak said. "We'll try to
avoid any fatal mistakes."
"Yes, Sir." I said.
"There are many ships operating out of Takon's base." Kalak said. "Mostly
they are the poor houses, the out of favor houses and younger sons who do
not stand to inherit great wealth from their house. They all hope to find
glorious battles and rich spoils. In this way they can enhance the fortunes
of a ruined or mismanaged house, or perhaps even begin a new house of their
own."
"That's the Klingon way." I said.
"Indeed. Nevertheless, your starship represents advanced technology and
weaponry that any young Klingon could make his fortune with. You are a fat
prize. Remember that." Kalak warned.
"We are a fat prize armed with advanced weapons and technology." I said. "I
believe we can discourage fortune hunters."
"Perhaps you can, but beware the knife in your back. It may strike before
you are ready."
"Yes, Sir." I said. I dug into the delicious smelling food. It was
wonderful. I couldn't resist the question. "What is this? It's good!"
"It's Cashew Chicken. Very popular in the Empire." Kalak dug in too.
Then the spices hit me. It was hotter than antimatter. My eyes teared up and
I could feel my face flush. "Yummy!" I managed.
-*-
We arrived at the Starbase owned by House Takon. It was a large sturdy ball
with various pods and modules sticking out of it. Power systems, weapons and
life support would be inside the ball. Cargo, science instruments and
anything else deemed secondary would be mounted outside.
The were many Klingon ships at the starbase. They moved singly and in
groups. I noticed many K'Vort class battle cruisers and quite a few K't'inga
class ships. There were only two Vor'Cha class attack cruisers. One belonged
to general Kalak. The other was doubtless the flagship of Takon himself.
I even noticed a couple of ships whose identity beacons proclaimed them
members of house Duras. I didn't understand that. House Duras had been
destroyed in the Klingon civil war. They were discredited when it was
revealed that they fought the war with Romulan backing. Then the Enterprise
had blown up the last two heirs to the house over Veridian Three. If there
had ever been a lost cause in the Empire, House Duras was about it.
The starbase itself was even farther out into the frontier than the Klingons
had been two years ago when I traveled through with the Harrier. They were
only ninety light years away from the Zantree Alliance. The Klingons seemed
to be launching a large expansion effort into the area.
We slid onto a parking orbit at the starbase. General Kalak's escort covered
us. Several of the other Klingon ships took up a position conveniently near
our formation.
Along with sizable portions of Kalak's crew a few officers from the
Discovery started their shore leave rotations.
Like many others on the Discovery, I wasn't going to visit the Klingon
starbase. It seemed like a larger risk than I felt comfortable taking.
Then Takon invited General Kalak and me to a formal dinner. It still seemed
like a large risk, except now I didn't have any choice.
-*-
General Takon was a large Klingon. He was not quite as tall as Kalak, but he
was wider. A lot of it was fat, but enough of it was muscle to make the
Klingon General appear very threatening.
He only sat Kalak and I for the dinner. He served traditional Klingon
dishes. I did my best to sample them and keep my stomach under control.
"Has your expansion into this sector been met with resistance?" Kalak asked.
"Not much. A few planets on the edge of space travel were subdued with
little problem." Takon said.
"Those must have been worthy battles." Kalak said. Now that I knew him
better, I could hear the subtle undertone of derision in his voice. General
Kalak thought picking on defenseless targets beneath a Klingon's dignity.
"They died by the hundreds of thousands. You should have heard their wails
over real space channels. 'You are you?' They cried. 'We only wish peace!'
They didn't last long against real warriors." Takon snickered at his
glorious victories.
I felt sick. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the gahk. General Kalak looked sick,
too.
"Well, Captain Hailey. You are pretty brave to sail through the Klingon
Empire. Tell me why I should let you live." He said it like it was routine
dinner conversation.
I opened my mouth to reply but General Kalak beat me to it. "Because I tell
you to. Because Gowron tells you to. Because if you do attack the Discovery,
then you'll find out what a real battle is all about." Kalak's eyes flashed
with the challenge
Takon held the gaze for a long while. "Well, if you're hiding behind
Gowron's apron strings, then I suppose I have no choice but to let you pass
and bid you good journey."
"I'm glad you're willing to be reasonable." I said.
"Oh, I'm always reasonable, Captain." Takon said sweetly.
"That's very nice to hear." I said.
Takon switched tracks. "I heard your address to Kahless two years ago."
"Really?" I tried to sound blase. I had ad-libbed my way through a meeting
with a clone of the greatest Klingon ever. I wasn't happy that other people
had seen my speech there.
"Yes. ' The unknown is our enemy.' Well said." Takon was baiting a trap. I
could feel it.
"Thank you." I said.
"You are wrong of course." Takon said. "The unknown is not your enemy. We
are. The Klingon race will feast upon the bones of yours."
"Perhaps." I said. "Maybe you're wrong."
"Not at all. In fact..." Takon turned and bellowed a summons. "I have all
the proof I need right here."
The General's Yeoman brought in an animal. She cowered appropriately for a
tame primate. The yeoman handed the General the leash around her neck. He
hauled his pet in close and made her sit docilely by the dinner table.
She looked about twelve years old. She might have been a human being at one
time. She had blue eyes and matted hair. She was filthy.
"You see? We know how to treat humans around here." General Takon grinned a
hearty grin.
The worst part of it was that there was nothing I could to about it. General
Takon knew this and was rubbing it in.
The girl tried to sneak a bite of food off the General's plate. He caught
her at it and back handed her to the ground. She fell in a heap and
whimpered. He gestured and she tried to scramble away tugging at the collar.
"She is like all of your people. She is weak. She knows strength, though."
Takon said. "She knows her place."
I could feel my head throb. I stood up.
"Leaving so soon? Could it be something I said?" Sneered Takon.
As I walked out of the room, I could hear General Kalak say "We will speak
of this later."
-*-
I recalled the crew of the Discovery off the Klingon starbase. Then I sat by
myself in my quarters and cried for a while.
"You did the right thing." Kalak said as we left Takon's chamber. "A fight
just now will only serve Takon's purposes."
I didn't feel right. I felt useless and weak.
-*-
I could report to Starfleet Command now. Now that the Anti-Humanist faction
among the Klingons knew that I was there, there was no reason to hide. I
compressed all log entries and scientific data acquired, and coded them in a
high level code. The existence of the human colony inside the Empire as well
as a couple of other things that had happened on the trip out were not for
outside ears.
Then I added one more log entry:
Captain's log, Stardate 49378.1
The USS Discovery has arrived on the edge of Klingon space. The Klingons
seem to be advancing in this sector quite aggressively. The Discovery is in
good condition and the crew is performing well.
Soon we'll move out into unknown space en route to our planned rendezvous
with the Zantree Alliance.
Hailey out.
The I added the most recent logs to the file and triggered the Discovery's
communications system.
The Discovery sent the huge file by subspace to the starbase where it would
be routed through the empire to The Federation.
As it finished transmitting, yellow alert was declared. "Bridge this is the
Captain. What's the reason for the alert?"
Stephanie Anderson, my Chief of Security answered. "Captain, there has been
a security breach. We're trying to localize it and track it down."
"I'll be right there." I hurried up to the bridge.
-*-
"Report." Stephanie ordered.
"This is section seven. No contact at airlock twelve. It's been cycled
recently, though."
"Damn. Identify who's been through there." Stephanie said.
I said. "Computer list all members of Discovery crew who are not aboard.
"Three Crewmen are not aboard." The Computer informed me. "Lt. Kamaline
Darvon Ahk. Lt. Arthur Hendrickson. Communications Technician Edward Brown."
"Where are they?" I asked.
"Lt. Kamaline Darvon Ahk beamed to the Klothos at sixteen hundred hours. Lt.
Arthur Hendrickson beamed to the Starbase at sixteen thirty hours.
Communications Technician Edward Brown exited airlock twelve at twenty two
thirty seven hours."
I looked at the chronometer. That was less than five minutes ago. "Scan the
exterior of the Discovery. Notify of any life forms."
The Computer replied "Scanning. Two hundred fifteen life forms noted at five
thousand three hundred and seven meters. All Klingon. Two hundred and
thirty..."
"Exclude any Klingon ships." I said.
"Excluding Klingon ships and units, no life forms noted exterior to the USS
Discovery." The Computer said.
"Damn!" I said. "Get to work on the computer. I want to know what was taken
and what might have been left. Hail General Kalak."
Kalak appeared with Kamaline in the picture with him. I told General Kalak
of the security breach. When that happy discussion was finished, I got the
report on what had been taken.
"Your message and the codes for it." Stephanie said. "Who ever took it now
has access to high level Starfleet strategic codes."
"Damn!" I shouted.
-*-
In a couple of hours a body floated by. It was Edward Brown. We recovered
his body only to find that he was Klingon surgically altered to appear
human. Stephanie was upset, Dr. Burlington was upset and I was especially
upset.
I ordered the Discovery to move away from the Klingon Starbase. Then we
began heating up the subspace cannon. This was our long-range communications
system. We harnessed the entire power of the ship through the navigational
deflector. It spit out a beam that could carry data ten thousand light
years. We'd report the security breach direct to Starfleet Command. The
powerful subspace carrier wave would probably cause interference for several
hundred light years, but I wasn't too worried about causing the Klingons
problems at that point.
I recorded a second new log entry that detailed the security breach and then
sent the file directly by subspace cannon to Starfleet.
I almost wondered what else could go wrong at the Klingon Starbase, but I
found that I really didn't want to know.
-*-
"Security Alert!" The call came over the intercom. "Captain to the Bridge!
All Security teams get ready for action! This is not a drill!" Then the
alert siren went off. I looked for my cat. She was one of a batch of kittens
born to the colonists. She was a cute little black and white long hair with
big green eyes. I figured that she had me wrapped around her paw, but I
didn't figure it would hurt anything. Now I discovered differently.
I was on the Holodeck under a simulated tree. It was a simulated warm
summer's day, with a small stream, a grassy field and a copse of trees to
explore. The kitten loved the program, and I found it very relaxing to read
my reports there under the shady tree. Of course the kitten resented it when
I focused my attention anywhere but on her, so we spent more time fighting
over the PADD than doing anything useful.
Now I looked for my little roommate only to find that she had an appropriate
reaction to an alert. She hid. I couldn't find her and I had to get to the
bridge. I left the Holodeck program running and ran to the bridge.
-*-
"There's some sort of riot happening on the Klingon Starbase, Captain."
Stephanie Anderson reported.
"Why does that mean an alert for us?" I asked.
Stephanie cued up a communications broadcast from the Klingon base and put
it on the main screen. I could see dozens of Klingons engaged in fierce hand
to hand combat. There were swords, knives and Bat'leth flying all over the
place. The decks were nearly awash in pink Klingon blood.
"Oh Ghod." I said as the carnage came through. Then I saw the cause for the
alert. In the middle of the fighting there were the Starfleet Marines that
were assigned to the Discovery. They had their bayonets on their rifles and
were laying about with all the skill and enthusiasm of any Klingon.
"Can we lock onto the Marines and beam them out of there?" I asked
Stephanie.
"No Sir. One of Kalak's ships blanketed the base in a tetryon field, and
then the base put it's shields up. Between the interference and the shields
we can't beam them back." Stephanie sounded upset.
A tetryon field? That would have a bad effect on most powered equipment
inside the base. Phasers and disruptors would misfire. That explained the
hand to hand combat.
"Hail the Klothos! Get me Admiral Kalak!" I yelled.
"Hailing." Stephanie said.
Kalak's second in command came on the screen. "This is Lagos. Go ahead."
"Commander Lagos, where's General Kalak?" I asked.
"He is taking part in the honorable combat on the station. By our count your
Marines are doing well." Lagos said. He sounded excited and happy.
"What about General Takon? Is he going to start shooting at us?"
Lagos blinked. He hadn't really thought about it. "If he does, then we all
get to take part in the battle."
"Can we get those people out of there?"
"Why would you want to?"
I squeezed the bridge of my nose. "What started this?"
"Just a moment. We recorded it. I think you will be proud, Captain." Lagos
said gravely.
My head was pounding as the recorded playback came through. I kept the main
battle on the forward view screen, while I watched it start on my own
smaller command screen.
General Takon was walking along his base's promenade with a crowd of
retainers. Then I recognized some of the crowd milling around in the
background. They were crewmen from General Kalak's flotilla. General Takon
either didn't notice that he was walking into a hostile crowd or he didn't
care.
Then four Starfleet Marines came out of the crowd. They approached General
Takon. Sergeant Powell spoke directly to the General. The crowd encircled
them. I couldn't hear what they were saying. The General took out his Bat'leth
and flipped a casual pattern in the air.
Sergeant Powell unslung his weapon and the attached his bayonet. They two
combatants struck a ready position. It looked like standard Klingon honor
duel. Just as the two men looked ready to complete a pass one of General
Takon's supporters whipped out a disruptor and shot Sergeant Powell in the
back.
I was just thinking of how I was going to punish Sergeant Powell for the
breach in discipline. I leaned forward and must have said something. Several
other people reacted, too. I wasn't the only person watching the start of
the battle. Takon and his crew laughed derisively at the foolish human who
thought that he might be worth an honor duel.
Then the rest of the Marines beamed in with General Kalak and several
Klingons. Something didn't look quite right, but I didn't get a chance to
figure out what it was before bloody combat broke out all over the Klingon's
promenade.
"Several Klingon ships are maneuvering for position, Sir." Stephanie
reported.
"Shields and weapons on stand by." I said. I wanted them ready for action on
a moment's notice. "Sound yellow alert."
"Aye, Sir." Stephanie said.
"Would you look at that?" Lucas McCoy said.
We looked at the main view screen to see General Kalak and General Takon
locked in combat. They were being screened by marines and Klingon warriors
who prevented any of Takon's retainers from coming to his aid.
Kalak made fairly short work of Takon after that.
"House Takon is now House Kalak!" Kalak shouted, stepping up on Takon's
twitching body as he said it.
The fighting ended quickly. Many Klingons simply turned and fled. Others
stood their ground and proclaimed themselves for General Kalak.
"The Klingon Starbase has dropped their shields. Transporter activity
noted." Lucas said.
"Some of Takon's ship are assuming firing positions on the starbase."
Stephanie noted.
"Raise shields." I said.
Commander Lagos appeared on my screen. "Takon's remaining loyal ships will
fire on the starbase to deny it to Kalak. We will move into a protective
position around the base."
I thought about it quickly. "Discovery declares for Kalak!" I said. I could
hear several other ships answer the same way. "Arm weapon and move into the
base." I ordered
The Discovery joined Kalak's fleet in securing the base. There was some
shooting, but no one shot at the Discovery. The base was soon solidly in
Kalak's hands.
-*-
We lost four of ten Marines in the battle. I didn't say anything to them.
Not only was I too upset to trust myself, but I figured that losing marines
in combat like that was enough of a consequence.
I was going to have a long talk with Sergeant Major Hendricks my Marine
commander, but I didn't get the chance. Too much was happening.
Eventually I was able to rescue my kitten. I shut off the holodeck program
and there she was, wet and lonely and miserable in the holodeck. Squeaking
fearfully, she climbed me and begged me not to leave her alone again. After
I got her back into our quarters she got mad and deliberately ignored me for
the whole rest of the day. That's a long time for a kitten.
The switch of the starbase into Kalak's hands altered the balance of power
in the Klingon Empire. There was an interstellar incident, and a threatened
civil war.
The recording of Takon laughing while his arms man back shot a human was
played widely and polarized the situation badly.
-*-
"I'm sorry to see you go, Captain Hailey. Traveling with you and the
Discovery is very entertaining." General Kalak said.
The Discovery was at the edge of what the Klingons were calling their
territory that day. We were within real time communications with Kalak's new
starbase and he was seeing us out of Klingon territory.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be able to come up with entertainment of your own,
Sir." I said.
"Bwaaa haa haaa! If I can't, it won't be because Takon's people aren't
willing to help! Well, enjoy the rest of your trip. I hope you find glory
out there. Kalak out."
"Thank you, Sir. See you on the way back." I said. "Hailey out."
The channel closed and the Discovery was on her own.
"Commander Mendez, take us to Zantree Territory. Best speed." I said.
"Aye, Sir." Mendez said, and we were on our way.
A couple of Klingon ships decloaked and tried to fire on us as we passed,
but the Discovery was equipped with the newest Federation engines. We were
three times as fast as any Klingons ships of that time. We were able to just
go around them.
-*-
Two weeks later I was again reading on the holodeck with my kitten. I
couldn't use the shady tree program any more. The Kitten would just try to
hide under me and beg me not to run off again.
So we went to a beach or to an old Victorian mansion or other places
designed to amuse a kitten.
We were walking off the holodeck when I heard a commotion down the corridor.
Kitten in hand I went to see what it was.
Several Security people were there. They were seemed to be milling about
someone's quarters. I thought about just where I was in the ship. It was
easily possible to get lost if you didn't pay attention. I was on deck
twelve, near the section the Marines inhabited.
"What's going on?" I asked a random passerby. It was Snoopy. He turned, saw
me and looked shocked.
"Oh, Ah, CAPTAIN!" He yelled. Many of the people milling around in the
corridor turned and snapped to attention. A few moved as if trying to screen
me off from the corridor.
"What's going on here?" I said more sternly. What could be happening that my
crew felt it necessary to keep me from? I handed my kitten to Snoopy. He
took my roommate in hand reluctantly.
"Well, it's really nothing, Captain, you see..." Snoopy tried to head me
off. "Everything's under control.
I pushed through the crowd and towards the open quarters. They were Marine
quarters, with the bunks stacked three deep. Several people made very
passable attempts to distract me from the quarters, but by now I wasn't
going to be delayed.
"Attention!" I barked. Everyone snapped to attention and I walked into the
quarters.
There were two Marines at attention. One of them had a wicked cut down his
left arm. There was a little girl. She wasn't at attention. She was piling
into a plate of replicated gahk and waving a Marine issue bayonet
threateningly.
"What's the meaning of this?!" I yelled. I didn't recognize the girl. She
was blonde haired and had blue eyes. She looked wild.
"Ahm, well, Ah Sir, if you please..." One of the Marines said.
The other Marine didn't say anything. He looked pale and was bleeding
freely.
"Corporal, take the Marine to sick bay." I ordered. "MacNeil, call Lt.
Commander Anderson and tell her I said to place these Marines in custody."
They began to move. I turned to the girl. "Are you all right? Did they hurt
you?"
"[The food is mine!]" The girl hissed in Klingonese.
With a shock I recognized her. She was General Takon's pet.
"[What is your name?]" I said. An angry, demanding tone wasn't too
difficult.
"[I am Marda! This food machine is mine! This room is mine! If you try to
take it away, I'll cut you to pieces and go to bed with a full belly!]"
Marda yelled. Her Klingon was very good.
I held up my hands. How had the Marines managed to convince her to bathe?
"[No one wants to hurt you here. You are among your own people, now. We only
wish what is good for you.]" A calm, reassuring tone was difficult to put
into Klingon.
"[Weirdo. Just leave me alone.]" Marda growled.
"[You can't have this room. It belongs to the Marines. I'll get you a better
room.]" I said.
"[Liar.]" Marda was matter of factly derisive.
I took a deep breath. Marda was thinking more like a Klingon than a human.
How should I play it? I took a deep breath, drew myself up to my full height
and bellowed "[I hope you didn't just insult my HONOR!]"
Marda cringed and ducked a little and then looked at me with big eyes. For
her to insult my honor implied that she was a person rather than an animal.
People can give insult, animals only act from instinct. There is no honor
there.
"[I...I meant no offense, Honored Sir.]" Marda had to grope for the proper
form.
"[I am the Captain of this ship! My word is law here. Do you understand!?]"
I bellowed.
Marda dropped here eyes to the floor. That wasn't the reaction I wanted.
"[You can either be cargo, or you can be one of my crew.]" I said.
Marda looked at me in shock "[You want me to be one of your people?]" She
used the form that implied a member of our community. A real person, not a
pet or property.
"[You already are. I simply want to know if you intend to act like it.]" I
said gruffly.
Marda thought about it. "[Why me?]" She asked suspiciously.
"[Feel your forehead.]" I said. I rubbed mine at her. "[We're the same kind
of people. When you're on a spaceship you help other people in trouble.
That's just the way it's done. Next time it might be you.]"
Marda rubbed her forehead thoughtfully.
"[Come.]" I said. I lead the girl out into the hallway where the crowd was
watching us.
"Lieutenant Hendrickson." I growled. English can work well for growling,
too. "I expect a complete report about how this girl got on my ship. Come
with me."
My kitten made a complaining noise. Why wasn't I carrying her? I retrieved
her and asked the computer. "Computer, please specify the open single
quarters nearest to the Captain's quarter's." The computer told me where
they were and I allocated them to Marda.
When we got there I led the way. Single quarters were a single room divided
into two parts. One side was a sort of sleeping nook and the other was a
sort of general purpose nook. The room was done over in the usual Starfleet
pastel neutral scheme.
"[This is now your room.]" I told Marda. "[The food machine is yours, all
the furniture and the things are yours until I say different. Do you
understand?]"
Marda looked around wonderingly. She nodded.
"[Good. My room is right over there.]" I pointed to my quarters. "[Now give
me the knife.]"
Several expressions raced across Marda's face in an instant. She was scared,
then shocked, then angry, then stubborn. She snarled. "[No. Come and take
it.]"
I turned to the replicator. "Computer, give me a d'k'tagh."
"Specify family crest design." The computer said.
"None." I said.
The knife sparkled into existence. I took it and showed it to Marda. She was
across the room in a crouch. "[That knife isn't yours. If you take it, you
will be a thief. This knife can be yours if you want it. Then you will have
a knife of your own.]"
Marda looked shocked again. The d'k'tagh was a mark of honor among Klingons.
To give her one was a physical sign that she was a free person and not a
slave. Worse, it marked her as a person who was on her way to being a
warrior. Marda came up to me and offered to trade. I took the unfortunate
Marine's bayonet and held out the d'k'tagh.
When she reached for it I moved it slightly away. "[Will you be worthy of
this?]" I asked.
Marda actually stopped and thought about it. Klingon honor could be a
demanding discipline and a major breach would get her dishonored and killed
in short order. Marda realized that she was taking a risk, but decided to go
ahead anyway. She took her d'k'tagh and held it up. "[I am a KLINGON!]" She
screeched.
"You sure are, aren't you?" I said. "[Make yourself comfortable. I'll be
right back.]"
I stepped outside Marda's room and summoned the Discovery's Counselor. Then
I turned to Snoopy.
"Report." I told him.
"General Takon tried to rub everyone's nose in the fact that he had Marda as
his pet, Sir. I spoke with General Kalak and with the Marines we came up
with the plan to stage the honor combat between Sergeant Powell and General
Takon, in order to distract him when we rescued Marda." Snoopy said quietly.
That was what had been out of place during the beam in. Not all the Marines
were present. "Sergeant Powell was killed trying to distract Takon." I
growled.
"Yes, Sir. General Kalak warned us that we might be killed. We went ahead
anyway." Snoopy sounded wistful.
"Why didn't you discuss it with me?" I asked. "Arthur I'm responsible for
this. Shouldn't you have let me in on it?"
"Sir, if we had, would you have allowed it? Maybe you would have, but then
you would have insisted on taking part in it. No offense, Sir, but you're
too valuable to risk that way." Snoopy said.
"So you went ahead on you own? There's a word for that, Lieutenant. It's
called insubordination. I could have you brigged for this." I said. I felt
tired.
"Well Sir. We did have General Kalak's written authorization to complete the
operation and not tell you until later." Arthur said.
My head throbbed. "General Kalak gave you PERMISSION to end run me?"
"Yes, Sir." Arthur said.
I just stared at Snoopy. He looked sheepish and sad. He didn't look remotely
sorry or afraid.
"Lieutenant Hendrickson, attention to orders. You will not conduct this sort
of operation again with directly informing me and getting my permission, is
that clear?" I said.
"Yes, Sir." Snoopy snapped to attention.
"Good. Note the order, date and time in your log. I'll counter sign it."
Mr. Whump-Wuist-Woo-Woo approached. "I see the cows have come home to roost,
Arthur." He smelled of oranges with a subtle undertone of strawberries.
"You knew about this?" I demanded.
"I had some inkling, Sir." The Rhondan officer allowed.
"Well, all right. Come with me." I said. My kitten had been riding patiently
in my arms the entire time. Now she struggled to get closer to
Whump-Wuist-Woo-Woo and smell him. He must have smelled fascinating to her.
We entered Marda's quarters and found her in her bathtub. She was happily
splashing around and washing her outer layer of skin off. She noticed us and
splashed at us. "[I have a bath tub of my own in here!]" She yelled.
"Oops!" I said "[Sorry. Get dressed and come here for a moment. There's
someone I'd like you to meet.]" We quickly left the girl's quarters.
"Maybe we should ring the door bell next time, Sir." Snoopy pointed out. I
shot him a dirty look.
In a few moments Marda came out of her quarters. She was dressed in her
standard civilian coverall and was soaking wet. She did not intend to delay
her bath any more than necessary. She spotted the Discovery's Counselor and
her knife appeared in her hand.
"[A demon!]" She squeaked.
"[No. This is Whump-Wuist-Woo-Woo. He is uh... our wise spirit.]" I
improvised. In some Klingon children's tales wise spirits would sometime
appear to guide the hero.
"Wise spirit?" Whump-Wuist-Woo-Woo's vocorder sounded bland, but he smelled
strongly of strawberries.
"[Whump-who-what?-what?]" Marda guessed.
"[I have asked him to teach you things.]" I said. "[I want you to learn what
he has to teach you well.]"
"[What sort of things?]" Marda hedged.
"[WHO IS THE CAPTAIN!?]" I bellowed.
Marda cringed and then remembered that she was real people now. "[You are,
Sir.]"
"Sir, do you wish me to teach Marda in the Klingon way or in the Earth-Human
way?" The Rhondan asked.
"Basics first. How not to kill herself or other people on the ship. Then
reading, writing and math. Then she can decide for herself just who she
wants to be." I said.
"Yes, Sir." Whump-Wuist-Woo-Woo said. "[Marda, we will start tomorrow. Until
then, if you need me. Call for me. The Computer will carry your words to
me.]"
Marda nodded. Then she slipped back into her room. A large warm bath was
waiting in there for her.
-*-
Later I was able to circulate the orders that no more "Captain free"
operations were to take place on the Discovery. Many of the senior officers
had been out of the loop and the idea that the junior officers and crewmen
would undertake such an action was a big surprise for us.
We resolved to act so that it wouldn't happen again. Commander Mendez was
especially tough on this.
-*-
Four weeks after bidding good-bye to General Kalak and the Klingon Empire,
we crossed into the Zantree Exploration Zone. We spotted marker buoys that
delineated Zantree territory. That was interesting. The Zantree Alliance had
never explored this side of their Exploration Zone. Since the war with the
Kliges'chee, they didn't have enough ships to spare. If they had enough
ships to put warning buoys around their territory that meant that the war
with the Kliges'chee was going well enough for some spare ships to become
available. On the other hand, maybe it had become desperately necessary.
I had the Discovery stop at the border and let the buoys scan us. They
scanned and sent a very powerful burst of subspace traffic to a point about
a sector away.
Then we waited to see if the Zantree Alliance would hail us.
-*-
The next day we spotted three ships heading for us, shielded by primitive
cloaking devices. They seemed to have been waiting for us. They slid up to
the Zantree side of the border and hailed us.
It was voice only hail. "Federation starship, who is your commander?"
"I am Captain Jay P. Hailey of the Federation starship Discovery. We are on
a peaceful mission." I said.
"If you're Captain Hailey, then tell me the names of the three Free
Kliges'chee who returned to the Federation with you." The voice demanded.
"There was only one. He preferred to be called Mike." I replied.
The screen lit up to show Poong, the representative of one of the worlds
that formed the Zantree Alliance. "A pleasure to see you again, Captain." he
smiled.
"You, too Representative Poong." I lied. His appearance told me how the war
was going for the Zantree and that wasn't well. He looked tired and his hair
was shot through with gray. "The Discovery is on an exploration mission and
we'd like to meet with your leadership and update them on the progress of
your delegates to the Federation." I said.
"We have been warned to expect you. We will escort you back to base,
Discovery." Poong said.
On his order the Zantree Alliance ships decloaked. They were Federation
starships.
"What the...? Scan them, please." I said. There were three of them. A museum
piece Constitution class cruiser and two Miranda class light cruisers.
"The hulls appear to be consistent with Federation ship designs, but the
power systems and the weaponry are not the same. " Lt. Darvon Ahk reported.
"Hmmm..." I said. "Stephanie, please invite representative Poong over to the
Discovery for dinner tonight."
"Aye, Sir." Stephanie relayed the message.
-*-
Our dinner was a reasonably formal affair. We put on dress uniforms. I
commandeered a briefing room and had it decked out for the meal. Lt.
Commander McCoy dictated the menu and I was pleased by it.
"You would make someone a wonderful maitre'd, Lucas." I said.
"Maybe if I'd stayed in New Orleans a little longer, Captain." He grinned.
"This isn't a patch on them."
"Really?" My mouth watered at the thought.
"Here's something to make you really homesick. Most of the restaurants down
there won't use replicators. They buy their material fresh grown from the
area." He had a far away look in his eyes.
"We'll have to make the trip when we get back." I said. "It sounds like
Heaven."
-*-
Poong ate the cuisine heartily. He seemed to enjoy himself. His Officers
didn't seem too happy with it. I quickly summoned one of our service crewmen
and had him send back to Poong's task group for copies of their own
replicator patterns. After this we were able to serve the Zantree a decent
approximation of their own dishes.
"Mr. Representative, I couldn't help but notice how closely the ships in
your squadron resemble Federation starships." I said.
"Those ships belong to us, Captain. We paid dearly for them." Poong said. He
sounded defensive.
"Poong, you know that Starfleet is an exploration service, don't you?" I
asked quietly.
Poong nodded slowly, unsure of where I was going with this.
"We send ships out into unknown space all the time and sometimes those ships
simply never come back." I said.
"We have suffered heavy losses in our war against the Kliges'chee. I
understand how you feel..." Poong said.
"Well, the whole point and purpose in going out here where no one from the
Federation has ever been is to discover what is out there. If I must die,
then I assumed that risk when I put on this uniform and got into the ship.
That's okay. What would really bother me would be if my death meant nothing.
If the Federation gained nothing from it. The crews of those ships went out
and probably something happened to them, but we don't know what. Their fates
are a complete mystery to us. By telling me what you know of these ships,
you can transform a mystery into a very precious thing. Knowledge that was
probably bought with someone's life. The Federation might have some
objection to the way you got those ships, but now that you have them I don't
think that you have anything to worry about from the Federation." I said.
Poong thought about it for a minute and then said. "We bought these hulls
from a race of greedy trolls. They were despicable, but we needed all the
ships we could get."
"The Ferengi?" I asked.
"Yes. That is what they called themselves, the little bastards."
I sighed. "All right. May I have your permission to examine the hulls? There
might be some clues left over about their crews."
Poong snorted. "I doubt it. The Ferengi stripped the hulls thoroughly before
they sold them to us. Anything of possible use or profit was gone when we
took possession of them."
"Please. I think we can see a way clear to give you complete technical data
on these ships once our examination is complete." I said.
Poong grinned ruefully. "I should wait and see what else you'll offer, but I
have already decided to give you permission to search."
I chuckled. "You've been around the Ferengi for too long."
-*-
Federation starships have black boxes that record sensor readings just in
case the ship is too badly damaged for the crew or the computers to report
what happened. Nothing could withstand a warp core breach intact, but for
anything short of that we tried to make sure that some data would survive.
Hidden in random places in the hull there were molecular recorders. They
etched a digital record into the very fabric of the starship. A subtle twist
in each molecule represented binary data bits. Few people knew of them. They
were considered sensitive. Many pirates and raiders had been caught by
information left in the shattered hulk of a ship they swore would never bear
witness against them. My away teams were able to find and download the
records of these from all three ships. The fact that the hulls were intact
enough to be a salable commodity meant that the black boxes would survive,
too. I read the recordings from each ship.
The USS Essex was eighty years old. Her hull was in good shape for all that.
She had been doing a deep space exploration mission when she spotted an
alien artifact. They did everything by the book, running scans and hailing
to find if anyone was home. Then they approached the artifact. It was a
featureless 60-meter cylinder. It was radiating odd energy patterns. I
recognized the Rishan energy signature.
Then when they were good and close, artifacts energy signature spiked with a
huge power surge.
The Essex recorded her entire crew vanishing in a blaze of light. The
artifact vanished at the same time also. The sensor signature looked like
the Rishan long-range transporter. They didn't come back.
Then the starship obeyed her programming, shutting down and waiting
patiently for the search parties to arrive.
No body did for seven and a half decades. Space is huge and starships are
tiny. Then the Essex recorded the cautious approach of a Ferengi raider
vessel. As the Ferengi latched on the ship with a tractor beam, the black
box recording abruptly stopped. The Ferengi knew to jam the molecular black
box recorders, damn them.
The crew of the USS Cathedral caught a nasty virus and died. Their Captain
tried to self-destruct his ship during his last few moments of life. His log
said that he couldn't let the virus loose on an unsuspecting galaxy. He died
one word too soon to complete the self-destruct sequence. The Cathedral
became a death ship, adrift. Until the Ferengi came aboard. Several of them
died, but not before telling their ship what was killing them. The Ferengi
Daimon bombarded the Cathedral with baryon particles destroying anything
left alive on the ship. Then he took the sterilized hulk and neutralized the
black box.
The USS Jupiter sterilized herself. A faulty drive plate gave way and the
crew was instantly killed by a storm of hard radiation. They degraded into
little white piles of ash whereever they fell.
We had to do some work to clean up the recording. It was also damaged by the
radiation. The Ferengi had fun sweeping up the remains of the crew and
trying to decontaminate the hull before they sold it. The hull was still a
little radioactive when we went aboard her. Not enough to harm anyone, but
enough to mark the passing of her last Federation crew.
We turned over the complete technical manuals to the ships as they had last
been seen. Much of the technology was obsolete by Federation standards, but
understanding the purpose of the various fittings inside the hulls helped
the Zantree engineers hang their own devices a little better inside the
hulls.
Then in a big ceremonial way, I declared the hulls official property of the
Zantree and proof of our tight friendship. Poong let me get away with it. I
had to have something saving face for the politicians back home.
Then we proceeded along to the Zantree starbase.
-*-
The Zantree star base was a temporary structure. It was simply a set of
pre-fabricated modules hanging together in space.
It was less than twenty light years away from the border. It had been
hurriedly packed out into the Zantree frontier and set up. Poong as it
turned out was no longer an elected official of his home world he was now
the starbase commander of the impromptu base.
While the Discovery was docked to the station, Commodore Poong gave me a
strategic update.
"It is thanks to you and the Harrier that we are here at all." Poong said.
"The Kliges'chee ship you defeated in the Exploration Zone was a scout on
the vanguard of a large Kliges'chee fleet that was trying to outflank us."
"Oh no." I said.
"We were able to turn them back, but at a very high cost." Poong said. "We
lost the core worlds of the Alliance about eight months ago."
I grimaced. The core worlds were the five worlds that founded the Zantree
Alliance. With them out of the picture, things looked grim indeed for the
Zantree Alliance.
"Is there anything we can do to help you, Poong?' I said. I knew it was
insufficient as I said it, but what else could I do?
"You have already done much for us. The photon torpedo and launcher
specifications you gave us helped turn the tide of battle. I'm told that the
technical manuals for the old Federation ships also have a wealth of new
treasures for us." Poong said.
"You will have to contact the Klingons now. They are your only hope." I
said.
"This matter has been discussed..." Poong said. His tone implied things that
I didn't want to hear.
"What do you mean discussed? This is the survival of your nation, possibly
your species, what could out weigh that?" I said.
"The point of discussion centered around whether it was better to die on our
feet as a free people or to submit to Klingon slavery." Poong said mildly.
"I don't think that the Klingons are that bad..." I said.
"There was a world called Elean. We had one contact with them. They were a
nice, peaceful people. They were technologically primitive, just on the edge
of starflight. We hoped that possibly we could shield them from the
Kliges'chee. When we sent another scout there, we saw their cities destroyed
and a Klingon occupation force ruling over them. And you tell me the
Klingons aren't that bad?" Poong was coldly angry.
"That was General Takon. General Kalak is in charge of the starbase nearest
the border now." I pointed out.
"And who will undo Kalak and put himself in charge there?" Poong asked. "One
way or another if we go to the Klingons for help, we feel that it will be
tantamount to submitting to Klingon domination."
"But you have a treaty with the Federation, now. We can use our influence to
ensure that the Klingons treat you fairly." I said.
"We don't think the Federation can wield that much influence over the
Klingons. Don't get me wrong. We are happy with our relationship with the
Federation, but you are still a distant power. All due respect Captain, this
discussion has already been resolved and you do not have the power to change
it."
"I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn, Poong. It's just that I'd hate to see the
end of the Zantree Alliance." I said miserably
"You and I both." Poong admitted.
-*-
The shore leave at the Starbase was fun. The Zantree starship crews and
soldiers were partying like there was no tomorrow. For them there wasn't. It
had a sort of exciting anything-might-happen air. It was classic. When the
end came either they'd break and fall apart or they'd fight like no one had
ever seen.
I didn't intend to be there for it. I had a large number of civilians that I
had to get out of the war zone. I decided that we wouldn't take any of their
material, although they offered it freely. We conducted some maintenance,
but soon we were ready to pull out.
Poong called me. "Captain Hailey, I have some bad news."
"What is it, Commodore?"
"We have gotten word that a force of Kliges'chee ships has broken through
our screen. They'll be here in a couple of hours." Poong said it matter of
factly. The weather was due to turn bad momentarily.
"How bad do you think it'll be?" I asked.
"We're out numbered slightly. We expect to take some damage. I wanted to
give
the Discovery time to get away before the shooting starts." Poong reported.
I thought about it. "What does it look like if we join your defense?" I
asked.
Poong peered at me carefully. "Somewhat better."
"Then I'll get the Discovery ready to fight, sir."
-*-
The Discovery was a Galaxy class starship. She could separate into two
different sections. The Saucer section was where most of the living
quarters, science labs and support equipment was. In our case it also held a
colonization mission. The second part was called the Battle section. It was
simply a large battle cruiser. Put the two together and you have a powerful
ship with long range and great exploring capability.
The Battle section alone represented less of a risk than taking our
passengers into battle.
The Battle Bridge of the Discovery was a small module, no bigger than the
bridge of my old ship, the Harrier. It looked angry to me. The structure was
thicker and everyone had a thickly padded seat.
We separated the Saucer section and left it docked to the Zantree base. Then
we moved out to join the ships that would defend against the Kliges'chee.
I didn't know what to expect really. It was my first set piece battle as a
Captain. I was staring holes in my main view screen trying like mad to think
through every variation and possibility. I was as scared as hell. I never
did very well in the battle simulations in Command school, but this time it
was for real. Lives depended on me winning the upcoming contest.
"May I offer a word of advice Captain?" Mendez asked. I was grateful to have
him beside me as my second in command. Carlos Mendez had once been a noted
starship Captain in his own right.
"Feel free, Carlos." I said.
"Relax. You have a good ship, and good crew. You won't be able to think of
everything before hand. Just take a deep breath and stay loose." He said.
I nodded bleakly and tried to relax.
"Contact." Stephanie said. "Bearing 345 mark 270. The Kliges'chee are using
their stealth suites. It's hard to pin point how many of them there are."
"Red alert." I said. "Weapons and shields to stand by. Kamaline, step up
scanning. See if you can locate those Kliges'chee."
"Working, Captain." Kamaline said.
"Enemy range now 120,000 kilometers." Stephanie reported. "The Zantree fleet
is moving to intercept."
"Hail the Kliges'chee." I ordered. "Tell them to stand down and withdraw or
we will fire upon them."
Stephanie sent the message and then listened to the reply. "The Kliges'chee
offer to make our deaths painless if we surrender now, Captain. They say any
attempt to defend the Zantree base will result in our painful destruction."
"Here we go." I breathed.
The Discovery was slightly behind the defending fleet. We would rush to
support any Zantree units that got into serious trouble. We would also
provide long-range fire support.
"The Kliges'chee are attempting to jam sensors and communications. They are
not succeeding." Spaat reported.
"Got 'em!" Kamaline called. "Correcting our tactical display now."
"Send the corrections to the rest of the fleet." I said. " Raise shields and
arm all weapons."
The Discovery hummed as her weaponry came on line. On our corrected display
I could see the Kliges'chee approaching in two waves. The first wave was
slightly smaller than the defending fleet. So was the second wave. I could
see that if the first wave tied up the defenders, then the starbase itself
would be vulnerable to the second wave.
Stephanie, Ensign Zuma and I all agreed that this was a likely Kliges'chee
action.
The leading elements of the first wave and the defending fleet began to
merge.
"Target a Kliges'chee ship in that first wave and fire all photon torpedoes
at it." I ordered.
The Discovery spat torpedoes. Our ship was an explorer, but she was also a
major Starfleet vessel and potentially a flagship for a fleet. If she was to
fight, then Starfleet wanted the battle to be seriously unbalanced in our
favor.
The Discovery's photon torpedo tubes were an expression of this thought
process. They could fire a volley of ten photon torpedoes. Ten photon
torpedoes were plenty for nearly any enemy.
Our torpedoes separated from the ship and then took a hand off of energy
from our warp drives. Warp two isn't terribly fast when discussing
interstellar travel, but it's very quick indeed when the subject is
sub-light combat within a few hundred thousand kilometers.
Our torpedoes zipped up to the Zantree fleet, picked their way through the
fleet and then slammed into a Kliges'chee ship. It just exploded. There was
no shuddering or spinning or outgassing, it simply detonated.
"Ready another salvo." I said. I was hoping to thin out the first wave
enough to give the Zantree defenders a decisive victory. When the torpedoes
were ready we fired again. Ensign Zuma took the liberty of allowing the
torpedoes to seek another target if their primary had already been
destroyed.
The Zantree were firing photon torpedoes of their own, now. They were not as
powerful, fast or intelligent as our torpedoes. However, they did the trick
all right. Kliges'chee ships had minor success trying to shoot the torpedoes
down with their small disruptor banks, but not enough.
The second wave came in and instead of pressing the attack on the base, they
tried to flank the defending fleet and catch it between the two.
We turned to face the new attackers. "Arm the shield disruptor." I said. It
had worked like a charm the only time previously that I had faced a
Kliges'chee ship in battle. The Discovery's hum took on a slightly different
tone and a coruscating blue globe appeared on the nose of our ship.
"Target the lead ship, take down his shields and then hit him with a couple
of torpedoes." I said.
Stephanie acknowledged and programmed the firing sequence. The blue globe
leapt off the front of the Discovery and sped towards its target. In a
couple of breaths it struck a dead center blow. Three photon torpedoes raced
after it and detonated against the intact shields of the Kliges'chee.
"They have shield defenders active, Captain." Kamaline reported. "I'm sorry
I couldn't recognize the signature until it was used."
"Oh, well, I guess we do this the old fashioned way. Arm more photon
torpedoes." I said. Then I noticed a loner. One Kliges'chee was hanging back
from the rest of the battle. I thought it might contain a comptroller. The
comptrollers were the telepathic rulers of the Kliges'chee. They supplied
all intelligence, motivation and direction to the common Kliges'chee. They
were the mental overlords of the race.
If we could destroy the comptroller who directed this battle, then it would
be an easy win for the Zantree.
"Target that ship. Set course to intercept, full impulse!" I said. As the
Discovery raced out after the lone Kliges'chee I explained my reasoning to
Mendez.
Just moments before we got into photon torpedo range of the loner, he jumped
to warp and tried to flee.
That was a mistake. The Discovery had better engines and more power to stuff
into them. The Kliges'chee ship was smaller and probably more maneuverable
on impulse drives. He had given up his main advantage and was playing to
ours.
It did take a while to overhaul the Kliges'chee. He had over strained his
engines badly and was irradiating his ship in an effort to stay ahead of us.
"Fire torpedoes." I said. At warp speed hitting anything is mostly luck. We
didn't need that much luck. The nearby detonation of a photon torpedo will
disrupt a warp field and force a starship to go sub-light. Then you can
fight for real.
The Kliges'chee ship started leaking radiation and went sub-light quickly.
The Discovery roared into the area hot on his heels. He began to twist and
dodge to the limit of his ship's structure and a little beyond. There was no
way for us to catch him or stay close. Fortunately, we didn't have to. The
Kliges'chee could have out run the Discovery all day, but he couldn't out
run a set of torpedoes. He died in a blinding flash. It was almost like it
wasn't real. Our sensors revealed that seventy five aliens were dead. We
couldn't tell if any of them was materially different from his fellows.
After killing what I hoped was the comptroller, we turned and sped back to
the base.
At the base we found them moping up the remaining Kliges'chee ships. They
hadn't stopped fighting when we destroyed the loner.
"An interesting idea, Captain, but I could have told you." Poong said. "The
Comptrollers never expose themselves to danger in this way. They are far
from the front in hidden ships that never see combat."
"I'm sorry. If I had asked instead of running off like that maybe I could
have helped more." I said. They were doing repairs on the base. A couple of
Kliges'chee ships had gotten close enough to strafe it before being
destroyed.
The Saucer section of the Discovery was even damaged. No one was hurt, but
one of the landing crafts that would carry the colony to the surface was
crippled. I was embarrassed. The tough Battle Section did not have a scratch
on it.
-*-
Once repairs were completed, the Discovery was reunited and we prepared to
head out on the rest of our mission.
"Good luck, Poong." I said. They were taking down the temporary base and
preparing to move it to another position. Zantree ships, including the
ex-Federation ships were towing the modules away.
"Thank you, Captain Hailey. Luck to you, too." Poong said.
We cut the channel and the Discovery set course out of Zantree territory and
away from the war.
-end-
--
Jay P Hailey ~Meow!~
MSNIM - jayphailey ;
AIM -jayphailey03;
ICQ - 37959005
HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com
Army Rule: May not challenge anyone in my chain of command to the field of
honor.