CHAPTER SIX
T'Laera crawled
on her belly to the edge of the cliff. Below her, Cardassians were
dividing weapons into piles. As near as she could see it, Jenko's
was the distribution point for small rebel groups funded by the Cardassians.
But where were they getting the funding? The new Cardassian regime
was only a few decades old. There was no way they should have so
much money to throw around. Then, suddenly, she had her answer.
His forehead and lower face covered by scarves, a Klingon materialized.
He took a walking tour of the compound, all the while nodding and chatting
with the Cardassians. T'Laera debated the idea of tossing herself
off the cliff.
How could this
be? What could this mean? Could it be a trick, meant to snare
the Cardassians? She knew in her heart, that no one really cared
if Cardassians plotted to destroy Klingons; in fact, they assumed it.
But who was this Targ-meat who dealt with them? She wanted to kill
him! But, she recalled the words of her captain. Once he had
told her you can not use your own fear as a weapon. Whatever the
goal of this...to use her mother's phrase, "piece of dung", she could only
fight him with the strength of honor and truth behind her. Carefully,
taking great pains to leave all sand and rock undisturbed, she positioned
her tricorder. Others would witness what took place here. Something
would be done.
.....
"I don't understand,
sir." ghurpak looked bewildered. "If we release them into Federation
custody, we might as well let them go. They will never be brought
to justice!"
"The Federation
will deal with them fairly!" MayTa countered. "I support the
captain's decision. Don't you see? If the Federation finds
them guilty and punishes them, no one can say the judges were biased.
If we deal with them as they deserve, the Cardassians will simply deny
everything and claim we murdered them!"
"Who cares what
the Cardassians think?"
"It's not what
they think that matters, it's how others see-"
"Silence!"
DaQtIq roared. "Do some of you mistakenly believe we live in a..."
his lip curled in disgust, "democracy? Right or wrong, you will do
as I order because I am your captain. If you disagree with me, face
me with your blade in hand; like a Klingon! As for you," he
glared at MayTa, "the day I need your "support", I pray some reasonable
soul has enough mercy to part my head from my shoulders! Now; this
is the bridge of a Klingon ship, not an open forum for discussion.
Get back to your posts!"
Chastened, the
crew resumed their posts. "We are just under five minutes out from
the Federation border." MayTa announced, pride still stinging.
"The Federation ship "Dauntless" has hailed us."
"Answer their
hail,..." DaQtIq began, then added, "without being too chatty about
it."
"Aye, sir."
Ki-Boch couldn't
resist a grin. He'd never forgotten the time MayTa had stabbed his
hand in an argument. While watching the captain publicly ridicule
him wasn't exactly compensation, it would do for now. Of course,
once the captain's gaze moved in his direction, the grin evaporated into
thin air. Ki-Boch quickly busied himself with anything and everything
he could think of.
"The prisoners
have been taken to the transporter room." ghurpak announced.
"We have "Dauntless's
coordinates." MayTa added.
"Beam them over."
DaQtIq sat back.
"Wait-!"
ghurpak began frantically hitting buttons. "I've lost contact with
the transporter room!"
"Unidentified
ship decloaking off starboard!" Ki-Boch announced, feverishly trying
to get a lock.
"The "Dauntless"
Is hailing them."
"Intruders on
board!"
"I have a lock!
Ready to fire on your order!"
"Hold your fire."
DaQtIq said calmly.
The sudden silence
was deafening, as the crew (poised for combat) turned as one to look at
their captain.
"Sir?"
Ki-Boch choked, fairly quivering with restrained aggression.
"The intruders
and the prisoners have beamed onto the unidentified vessel." MayTa
announced, after glancing at his instruments.
"Let them go."
came the unbelievable command. "Set course for Jenko's."
"The "Dauntless"
is requesting an explanation." MayTa said.
DaQtIq cleared
his throat and sat up. "Take this down." he said, preparing
to speak. "In my exact words, tell them..."
"Yes, sir?"
MayTa sat waiting.
DaQtIq stared
in the distance, as if searching for just the right words. "Ah yes.
Tell them...Ooops."
"Sir?"
MayTa fairly squeaked.
"Ooops."
DaQtIq repeated. "Shall I spell it for you?"
"Ooops?"
"Ooops."
Across the border,
an echo of the discussion took place aboard the "Dauntless", as the mysterious
ship disappeared in the neutral zone.
"Ooops?"
the captain asked in disbelief.
"Ooops."
the communications officer confirmed.
Hand on forehead,
the captain sighed. "God, I'll be glad when we rotate off border
patrol! Send an acknowledgment of the message, and set course for
DS9."
.....
"Set course for
Jenko's planet." DaQtIq repeated.
"Course set.
ETA two hours." MayTa responded.
"mara,"
the captain went on, "feed all planetary scan information into the targeting
computer. I want it to be able to instantly lock on any sentient
life form, and anything not native to the planet."
An un-voiced
collective sigh of relief ran through the crew. Their captain was
not losing his mind, after all. There was a plan.
"Downloading
data now." mara said with new-found enthusiasm.
CHAPTER SEVEN
T'Laera got as
close as she dared, then urged herself a little closer. Hidden by
stark desert shadows, she gathered what evidence she could. The shrouded
Klingon was gone, but there was still a nice sized collection of weaponry
to catalogue. Then, she saw something really interesting.
Sand covered tarps were pulled up, revealing rails that lead right into
some small caves under the cliffs. A cold sweat broke out on her
back, as she realized what those rails meant.
....
"What do you mean,
you can't find her?!" DaQtIq demanded.
"She must be
very close to, or inside the compound." mara explained. "I
can't pick her out."
He sat back,
considering this. "For now, target equipment only."
"Yes, sir."
Ki-Boch replied, making the adjustment.
"Commence firing."
......
Bolts from the
sky impacted only a few meters away. The Cardassian compound was
under attack, and T'Laera could guess from whom. To remain where
she was, would be suicide. Grabbing her tricorder, she started to
move away; then stopped. Movement in the corner of her eye proved
to be deployment of inter-extra atmospheric fighters. With a roar
that rivaled the explosions of equipment, a squadron of fighters launched.
Individually or in small groups, the single seater fighters were no match
for a ship the size of the komerex. However, in a swarm, and supported
by Surface to Space missiles,...
....
"Sir!" mara
didn't know what to make of what her instruments were telling her.
"Large holes are opening up on the surface, but they are not near where
we are firing."
"Confirmed."
MayTa answered. "Large holes appearing in a roughly circular pattern
around the compound."
"Fighters approaching."
mara added.
"ghurpak!"
DaQtIq barked. "Unless I miss my guess, those holes are missile silos.
Trace, isolate, and jam their targeting signals!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Ki-Boch, engage
to fighters. Should a missile get through, do not fire upon it!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Full shields,
MayTa."
"Yes. sir."
DaQtIq settled
back. It was going to be an...interesting battle. All there
was left to do, was wait for the battle to come to them.
......
T'Laera ducked
into the pre-fab Quonset hut some of the pilots had come from. There,
as she had hoped, were pressurized flightsuits and helmets. She found
one that nearly fit, and wriggled into it. In a matter of moments,
she was trundling toward the hangers, recessed in the natural caves.
Just as she entered, she heard the screams of the first missiles being
launched.
........
"Launch detected!"
mara shouted.
"Jamming."
ghurpak fit an earpiece inside his ear, listening intently for the tell-tale
missile lock. "Initiating imagery
scatter and Doppler echo."
Ki-Boch had nothing
to say, as he finished off the first wave of fighters. All the while,
as he configured it to, the ship's computer targeted and fired upon all
man-made structures and equipment on the surface. "Two phaser ports
near over-heating." he reported.
"Shut them down
and go to torpedoes." DaQtIq replied. "Send them
in a scatter pattern."
"Yes, sir.
Launching torpedoes."
"Shields down
thirteen percent!" mara reported.
"MayTa,-"
"Taking evasive
manuvers." MayTa anticipated the command.
DaQtIq nodded,
watching the screen. Several lights flared, as Cardassian fighters
were introduced to Klingon torpedoes.
....
A Cardassian crew
chief tapped T'Laera's helmet. As she'd seen the others do, she gave
him the hand signal indicating everything was fine. Cool and confident,
she waited until the canopy was sealed in place and the fighter was taxied
to the launch area. Then she panicked.
Shoving up the
tinted lens on her helmet, she frantically tried to make sense of the controls
The stick between her knees and the pedals on either side were pretty obvious,
but the array of lights, switches, and buttons in front of her were truly
baffling. For the first time but not the last, she began to think
she might be about to kill herself.
"Get a grip."
she breathed. "It can't be too much different from a Gasser (Gamma
class Atmospheric Search and Rescue, a Cardassian craft frequently used
to search but not rescue)." Except Gassers were not meant
to fly in space, and they didn't have a weapons array.
The switches
were an easy call. Unless they had a guard over them, they probably
were meant to be up. Reaching forward, she flicked them on.
As a result, some of the lights went from red to green. "That's a
good sign." she said, trying not to hyperventilate. Outside,
the taxi disengaged and drove away. A metallic voice in her ear told
her she was cleared for take off. Wincing and praying, she reached
and slowly pushed a lever forward. The vessel began to roar and vibrate.
Over to her left, was a handle with a hinged grip. She grabbed it,
and flipped the release. The handle opened, and the vessel lurched
up. Clutching the joystick, she angled it forward just in time to
miss the top of the mouth of the cave as she flew out. "I'm screwed!"
she screamed, as she pulled back, shot up, and followed the contrails of
the other fighters.
......
"Where are they
going?" MayTa switched to broad scan.
"Tighten your
sensor net, and watch for missiles!" DaQtIq leaned in. "Whatever
you do, do not detonate one of them. We will assume the worst, insofar
as guessing what they're armed with."
"I see one!"
mara said, feeding the coordinates to the other consoles.
"ghurpak?"
DaQtIq asked without looking at the intelligence officer.
"Still jamming,
but..."
"Yes?"
"Damn!"
MayTa shouted and the ship lurched.
"What was that?!"
DaQtIq demanded.
"A near miss."
mara explained, nodding at MayTa.
"ghurpak!"
"Sir, I-"
"Fighters coming
back in." Ki-Boch announced.
"The missiles
must be out of range." DaQtIq concluded. "Resume firing."
"Reactivating
phasers." Ki-Boch announced. "Sir, there are too many of them.
I can't target them fast enough!"
DaQtIq left his
seat, and sat at the first officer's post. "You take forward and
twelve high, I will cover aft and six low."
"Yes, sir."
Ki-Boch re-routed the appropriate controls.
"MayTa, evasive
maneuvers."
"Yes, sir."
"ghurpak?
Status." DaQtIq listened, while furiously firing.
"Three of the
missiles have passed us and gone out of range. Four are still searching."
"And the last
three?"
"Not yet launched."
"I suspect they
will not, while their fighters are engaging."
"However, I will
continue jamming."
"Of course."
DaQtIg growled. "mara, any luck in locating our first officer?"
"No, sir.
Still searching."
With a grimace,
DaQtIq sent two more Cardassian fighters to their eternal rest.
.....
Her mouth so dry
her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, T'Laera reached for the switches
with the covers on them. More lights went green, and nothing blew
up. Two more good signs. "OK," she sighed. "Time
to see what I can do." Carefully angling the joystick, she came up
behind some fighters still in formation. Now, before they broke up
and engaged the komerex, was the time. Closing her eyes, she squeezed
the trigger on the joystick.
......
"Sir!" MayTa
stared at his screen. "The fighters are being fired upon by one of
their own!"
"Interesting."
DaQtIq looked up. "Do you know, I have reviewed T'Laera ra'wI's records
most closely, and never have I seen that she had any flight experience."
"Do you think
it is she?"
"No, I think
one of their own has had a change of heart. Of course it is she!"
"Sir,"
mara stifled a laugh as she watched the trajectory on her screen, "her
records were not remiss. She truly can not fly."
"Whoa!"
Ki-Boch concurred. "She very nearly shot herself!"
"Lock on and
beam her aboard!" DaQtIq snapped, "Before she does manage
to kill herself!"
.......
"What? What?"
T'Laera frantically punched buttons. At least three different alarms
were screaming in her ears, and she had no idea how to silence them.
Suddenly, the alarms went dead; and so did the engines. "Oh, great."
she groused. "*Now* what?"
As if in answer,
the computer's voice announced "Self destruct in ten seconds..."
.....
"Lock achieved."
MayTa announced. "Beaming now."
DaQtIq quietly
recited a thorough and colorful list of expletives, complete with punctuating
sprays of spit.
Suddenly, the
fighter craft MayTa had locked on exploded violently.
"Do you have
her?" DaQtIq demanded.
"Yes, just!"
MayTa answered, eyes wide. "It was close, sir!"
"Fighters breaking
off again." Ki-Boch announced.
"Take us out
of scanner range!" DaQtIq ordered. "They are preparing to launch!"
"Sir!"
ghurpak smiled. "I have broken their command codes!"
DaQtIq almost
laughed with glee. "Command the missiles to detonate! Now!"
The roar as the
missiles began to emerge from their silos was obliterated as the Cardassians
experienced a new kind of hell.
The compound
ceased to exist; literally. Nothing was left, save a crater that
shone darkly. The sand in the soil had been melted and fused into
glass.
CHAPTER EIGHT
T'Laera was furious.
Not only had whoever beamed her aboard neglected to include her tricorder,
but all the evidence she'd carefully gathered was impossible to duplicate.
The compound and it's inhabitants no longer existed. Pacing, she
waited to receive her debriefing.
"You take too
many chances, wa'DIch." DaQtIq said, entering the briefing room and
coding the door locked. "What ever possessed you to do something
so crazy?"
"I suppose it's
just as well I did. I would be nothing but vapor by now, had I stayed
on the planet."
"I would not
have given the order to detonate the missiles, had I thought it might endanger
you."
"Oh?" she
raised one eyebrow. "You would have settled for a less stunning victory
for the sake of one life?"
"Not at all."
he turned his back and poured himself a drink. "You are a valuable
eye-witness. You carry the evidence we need to justify future acts
against the Cardassians."
"And what about
that evidence? My tricorder was left behind to be destroyed in the
fighter, and the compound itself is gone. All that is left are my
say so, and the prisoners."
DaQtIq cleared
his throat.
T'Laera sat down,
slumping slightly. "Oh, no." she said quietly. "You didn't...kill
the prisoners, did you?"
"No."
"Then?"
"They escaped."
She looked up
at him in disbelief. "Escaped? How?"
He shrugged.
"It is a matter of record. Look it up for yourself, when you have
the time."
"Records!"
she scoffed. "Do you think I don't know you can make the records
reflect whatever you wish?"
"That is an unfounded
accusation, and I resent it." he grinned a little. "Now; I
believe we have more important matters to discuss."
"Such as?"
"Whether or not
the two of us will leave this room, or just one."
T'Laera sat up.
"I would prefer not to fight you." she said quietly, but he could
sense a gathering tension in her voice.
"Nor I, you;
but I will, if you choose to abandon your post."
"How can I stay?"
she asked. "How can I serve a sham of an Empire?"
DaQtIq's hand
instinctively went to his knife. "Choose your words a bit more carefully,
wa'DIch."
"You did not
see what I saw!" she stood. "Before the attack, there was a
Klingon making deals with the Cardassians! He was shrouded, so I
could not see who he was, but why would he use a disguise unless he were
highly placed and easily recognized?"
"That could have
been anything. He could have been a KAG special agent, or perhaps
a well known criminal."
"Do you even
believe what you are saying?" she scoffed.
"And what about
your humans?" he demanded. "Are they any better? They
were in on this, too!"
T'Laera's eyes
narrowed. "Did Leaping Wolf really escape?"
"Upon my honor,
he is alive; so far as I know."
"Honor?!"
she spat. "As near as I can see, both sides are without honor!"
"No!" he
stepped toward her, but held himself in check. "Every race has some
who are without honor; ours is no exception. Now, because of a few
petaQmey, you wish to dishonor yourself and your family by breaking your
vows?"
"Those vows were
made in good faith! The Empire I vowed to serve does not exist!"
"I tell you,
it does!" he shouted, pounding his chest. "It exists here!
And here!" he thumped her chest. "And in the hearts of true warriors
who live, die, and have not yet been born! Do you think you serve
a tangible and unchanging entity? No! You serve an ever changing
ideal. Our Empire is thousands of years old, but in many ways is
not the same Empire our ancestors served. The answer," he sat
down, trying to calm himself, "is not to abandon it when flaws appear.
If all good and honorable Klingons left the moment they discovered evil
within the Empire, there would be no Empire; there would beno
Klingons. wa'DIch, we need good and honorable warriors to
stand guard against evil; not surrender to it. It is a constant
battle, and there is no rest from it. Solemn are the vows a warrior
takes, and beholden he is to them for the rest of his life. You are
not a civilian, with the freedom to choose sides. You have chosen.
You must abide by that decision."
"Or?" she
asked.
He looked away.
"Some duties are harder to perform than others; but, nevertheless, I will
fulfill my obligation as captain."
"I see."
she nodded. "I have much to think about."
"No." he
said, still not looking at her. "You will decide now, before leaving
this room. I told you it would be this way, and I meant it.
I can not afford potential traitors on my ship."
"I-" she
stood suddenly. "would never-" emotion choked her voice.
"Do not profess
your loyalty to me." he muttered. "That is not at issue,
here."
"How can I serve
lies and liars?"
DaQtIq smiled.
"Once you quoted a song to me by a Terran artist. Dob D'illan, I
believe his name was?"
"Bob Dylan."
she corrected, smiling sadly. She remembered it well. "I recited
"Everything is Broken". How appropriate."
"I was thinking
of another song of his, that I found when researching his name."
DaQtIq looked up at her. "You're Gonna Hafta Serve Somebody." he
said.
If the issue
had not been so serious, she would have laughed at his attempt at Terran
colloquialism. Aside from that, his point was well made. Slowly,
she began to nod. It seemed like all her life, she had been avoiding
truly choosing sides; trying to even things up. Had she not really
intended to make this commitment? If not, then it was she
who was the liar. To preserve her own honor and integrity, she should
abide by the promises she made. She should live up to her vows.
"If the Empire
really is an ideal," she began, "would it serve the Empire to reveal
what we have found?"
"I do not see
how either side would be served, quite honestly." he rubbed his beard.
"Actually, it would destroy what small alliance we have now. But,
then again, was that not the Cardassians' plan? They are the
only ones such revelations would serve."
T'Laera nodded.
"Then this whole thing has been a waste of time."
"I wouldn't say
that. We destroyed a major smuggled weapons depot, defeated a plot
against the Empire," he smiled, "and liberated your old boy-friend
from imprisonment."
She smiled back,
then frowned. "I will re-take my vows, if you want."
"It is not necessary."
he answered. "Your word that you will uphold the existing ones, is
sufficient."
"Then," she stood
tall. "I do so give my word to honor and abide by the oaths I have
sworn."
"Good."
he breathed, slouching a little. "And now that that nonsense
is over, let me assure you; no one else in the known galaxy would put up
with you!"
"We have that
much in common, my lord." she grinned.
"Back to work,
with you!" he barked. "I have reports to write."
"Yes, sir!"
she snapped a salute, and left.
DaQtIq went to
the sideboard and poured himself a drink. It was a big one.
THE END