[V-BR] Jilor: “Where are they?"

[Cameron O.]

​​

(( Brig, Deck 6, USS Veritas ))

Jilor: I doubt the Klingon colonies would care enough to extradite me. Am I to be a prisoner of the Federation then?

:: It wouldn’t be his first time in a Federation prison facility. The last one had been a soft, boring place where there had been almost as many counselors as armed guards. That had been a humiliation of sorts. An insult to his honor. But compared to the time he’d spent on Rura Penthe, where abuse, pain, and death waited around every corner, he found the prospect of such a facility less objectionable than he would have believed a few weeks earlier. It wasn’t as if he had any honor left to insult. ::

Rahman: For now. You will face trial for your crimes on Antor and beyond. And after the Federation is done with you, we’ll see what the Klingons say.

Rahman/Any: Responses

Blake/Wrader: Response

Tuk: In the meantime, you will be kept under extra guard.

:: Jilor offered the Bolian a toothy kind of smile - the kind he once used to intimidate his rivals at bat’leth tournaments so many years ago. It lacked the fire it once had, and the expression died on the Klingon’s lips after a few seconds. ::

:: Some part of him was flattered at the idea of “extra guard.” It felt like a challenge. One he might even be able to overcome. Or die trying. That would certainly be more honorable than whatever the coming months had in store for him. ::

:: Of course, even full-throated resistance wasn’t likely to give him that release. Federation security were trained to use non-lethal force whenever possible. And, as stubborn as Jilor could be, his current predicament was proof enough that a phaser on stun would end any serious resistance before he could even

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finish the first steps.

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::

Jilor: Your security precautions are… understandable, but unnecessary. My own crew betrayed me. By now, anyone loyal to me would have been purged from whatever’s left of the Kos’karii. Even if I managed to escape, I have nowhere to go.

Rahman/Any: Responses

Blake/Wrader:

​Responses

Tuk: Nonetheless, we are not taking *any* chances. ::beat:: There are too many unknown ‘variables’ to consider.

Mei’konda: And thus, you haave nothiing to liive for, Jilor.  Other than an attempt to regaain what honor you can through death.  And that is why we’re waatching you so closely.

:: Jilor had known a number of Caitians over the years - the Shoal’s proximity to Cait made them a relatively common site in the region. This one was young, and his victory in combat was impressive, if… unfortunate for Jilor. That said, he doubted the furred officer would be so bold were he not flanked by armed security. ::

:: He thought about Ekruss, and his other sons and daughters scattered through the Shoals. He wondered how many of them still lived. And if so, how well they bore the burden of their father’s further dishonor. ::

Jilor: For now, Caitian. But if honor were all that I lived for, I would have sought Mauk-to ‘Vor long ago.

Rahman: Frankly, I have little interest in entertaining a discussion about your misguided notions of honor and glory. Nor do I suspect you really care to hear me lecture you on Federation ideals.

Jilor: Your candor and insight does you credit, Captain.

Rahman: I came down to see you for one reason only: to find out if you could be of any use to us or if you were nothing more than a captured, rabid dog.

:: Now Jilor laughed. The insult was very close to one of his favorite Klingon curses, and something about the Captain’s tone reminded him of the way he’d spoken to his own prisoners a lifetime ago. ::

Jilor: Forgive me, Captain Rahman. Your insult was well-delivered, as I’d expect from such an
accomplished

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Kriosian. Your kind always did have a way of knowing just what to say and how to say it. But I’ve been called far worse by far deadlier enemies than yourself. :: beat :: I may yet be of some use to you. I have no great desire to protect those who betrayed me from your wrath, such as it is.

Tuk/Wrader/Blake: Responses

Rahman: That’s the problem with men like you. You take our principles as signs of weakness. That we spare your life as a sign of our inability to stomach such brutality as you unleash yourself. But if you truly studied your enemy, you would have known our collective histories and a common thread throughout many worlds of the Federation. Andoria, Earth… even Vulcan. All have bloody pasts that would make your war look like a schoolyard brawl. We know men like you, and we have always known men like you.

:: She stopped long enough to take a breath. The mirth in Jilor’s expression had faded. ::

Rahman: Any “petaQ” can shoot a gun, like a dog told to bark. That we spare your life now and put you forward to face our justice system is a choice we make, one that takes real strength and courage to see through.

:: There was a moment of silence, and the captain’s words hung in the air. ::

Jilor: Of the Federation’s underlying strength and conviction, I have no doubt. The downfall of my house came at your people’s hands, and I have never forgotten the taste of that defeat. I find
that strength

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an admirable trait

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- it's made you both a stalwart ally and a worthy adversary of my people through the centuries

​

. :: he paused:: But if the Federation is so resolute in its quest to bring enlightenment to every dark corner of the galaxy…

:: He spread his arms wide and gestured around him. ::

Jilor: ...where is it? Beyond this single ship, and a handful of transports

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and runabouts, the Federation has abandoned its people here. Why do you think so many of the

​K​

os’karii

​and the other pirate factions ​

were born on your Colonies? As the Galaxy grows smaller, and you and my Klingon brethren fly to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, you’ve passed the Shoals by. You’re happy to exploit their resources for your slipstream drives

​ ​

and dilithium chambers, but where is the relief mission for Antor II? When will the fleet arrive to sweep the pirates and terrorists out of the Shadows? Why hasn’t Starfleet seen fit to build its own starbase

​ in the region​

? And why, dare I ask, is your 15-year-old starship alone out here?

Tuk/Mei’konda: Responses

Wrader/Blake: Responses

Rahman: As I said, I’m not here to engage in a philosophical conversation with you over tea. So I will only ask once, and after I step out of this room, I do not plan on ever meeting you in person again.

::She looked him straight into his eyes.::

Rahman: Are you of any value to us—to me—outside of this cell?

Jilor: Besides serving as a vaunted symbol of Federation mercy and justice…

:: The Klingon considered, his hands now folded

​in front of him​

. ::

Jilor: As I said, I have no reason to protect my former

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allies. Nor do I see any pressing need to leave this cell before we arrive at… wherever we’re going.

​I can give you information on what's left of the Kos'karii, and our activities over the last year. ​

I can

​also ​

tell you the locations of half a dozen pirate bases within the Shadows, and a few more strongholds hidden elsewhere in the region.

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I'll even give you a 

list of prominent members of each faction

​, or at least the ones I'm familiar with. N

ames, descriptions, last know locations.

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Coupled with whatever you dig out of the Mas-to-Gal's computers, I have no doubt

​you and your Colonial allies will find plenty of that useful. 

​

Tuk/Mei’konda: Responses

Wrader/Blake: Responses

Jilor: I care not for my own comfort, or for the mercy of your judges. The only thing I can think to ask for in return is a degree of leniency for my daughter and my other children. Should they come into your custody. They’ve been born into a sour birthright of exile and dishonor through no fault of their own. Most are loyal to me more than my cause. In the terms of your justice system, they may be “rehabilitated.”

Rahman/Mei’konda: Response

Wrader/Blake/Tuk: Response

Jilor: This is not some... legal maneuver. I don’t expect signed documents or pardons. I only ask for your word, Captain, that they be given some chance at a new life, in as much as your power allows you to make that promise. Punish them for their crimes, if you must, but don’t throw them away into

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some

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high security penal colony for the rest of their lives.

Wrader/Blake/Tuk: Response

Rahman/Mei’konda: Response

===

Jilor
Prisoner
USS Veritas

T239007ED0