Topic: The Empress of the Empire

[KBF-Kapact]

This is an early work, needed a bit of polishing, but here it is.... (I haven't gone through and corrected all of the little bbs tags for italics..... forgive me for being lazy)


Remember the Amar


"After due consideration, the High Council has determined that the device known as 'V'Ger', admittedly a device sent from earth, encroached upon Klingon space in clear violation of the Organian Peace Treaty. It attacked and destroyed three of our cruisers without provocation before returning to Earth to transmit illegally obtained intelligence from the Empire. Starfleet admits all of this, and refuses to accept responsibility. Even now, they have begun construction of a spy outpost to replace the one destroyed by their device. This blatant disregard for interstellar law cannot be tolerated. Our only alternative to war is a surgical strike against the new spy outpost. All ships near the vicinity of the destruction of the cruiser Amar and it's strike force are authorized to cross the border and remove the station. Qapla' ."

Commander DaKleS turned his fiery gaze to Captain Kroto. "The message contain's Chancellor Lorak's personal code prefix, Captain."

Kroto could hear the lust for vengeance and blood in DaKleS' voice. He felt it as well. "We are less than a day away from the coordinates, DaKleS. The Fek'lhr is as hungry for Federation blood as we are. Set course for the border." Kroto paused briefly to watch his men tense themselves around the dark bridge. He could feel it in himself. It was alive. Hungry. Bracing himself against a support beam, he let out a deep breath. "We sail for blood!" The quote, a favorite amongt Klingon ship captains, had been passed down since the first days of Klingon wooden sailing vessels. "Execute!" The K'Vort class Bird of Prey IKV Fek'lhr brought it's wings up into cruise mode and disappeared in an explosion of warp energy.

Smoke curled from around the edges of the Fek'lhr's viewscreen. Federation battlecruisers and Romulan warbirds could be seen through the haze and interference. they were regrouping and coming around for another coordinated assault. Kroto peered through the smoke and darkness to DaKleS' station. All he saw was a darkened form lit from behind by a small fire. "DaKleS, my old friend. Do you hear me? DaKleS!" But DaKleS couldn't answer. He had been the last to stand with is captain against the treachery. He had been the last to die.

The whine of a Federation transporter interrupted his thoughts, as it always did at this point. And, as always, it was Kahless who appeared. He swung his bat'telh in a wide arc that decapitated the form of DaKleS. "Son of Vavdich! You are without honor. Your ship has been taken intact by the enemy, your crew has died, and you allowed yourself to be taken prisoner. You are no warrior. No Klingon."

Kroto wanted to respond. To defend himself. But there were no words that could defend him. "I would ask you to kill me, Kahless, so that I might die with honor."

Kahless bellowed. The sound of every Klingon in Sto'vo'kor howling at the words of this dishonorable Ha'dibaH. "Acts of dishonor will not save you, Kroto. And neither will I. As the humans say, you have made your bed. Lie in it. The house of BortaS will be remembered as a house of cowardice, treason, and death." "But my Lord, I am of the House of Vavdich. Not BortaS."

Kahless pounded his fist into a console, and screamed his anger. "Meaningless!" He disappeared in the explosion, and, thankfully, the dream was over.

Kroto's head jerked up to slam against the bulkhead just over his bed. "Kahless!" His scream seemed to shake the weapons that hung from the walls of his cabin. He sat up quickly and poured a cup of tea from a carafe next to his bed. Then he tapped an intercom switch. "Comnmander DaKleS to the captain's quarters." The tea was cold and bitter, but the toral root from which it was rendered created a mild fire in his stomach. The Romulan tea was poisonous to lesser species, but acted as a strong stimulant to Klingons. He was downing his second cup when a chime announced his first officer's arrival. "Enter."

DaKleS stepped through the door and stopped in his tracks. "We are two hours from the battle site."

Kroto was about to pour himself a third cup of tea when he lookeed into his friend's eyes. He put the carafe downand walked over to examine his display of weapons. He pulled his bat'telh from the wall, but replaced it after a few seconds. "You look concerned, DaKleS. Do you fear a response from Starfleet?"

DaKleS made a frustrated noise. "I am eager for their response. But I see ghosts in your eyes. Old ghosts?"

Kroto laughed out loud. "You watch over me like an old griSta' cat watches over her young. Yes, I have been visited by some old ghosts. Kahless warns of cowardice and dishonor. And the house of BortaS. The same dream I have known since the destruction of the Amar. It is disquieting."

"Is it true you knew her commander?"

"More than that. Ab'Qoff was captain on my first deep space flight. He taught me to kill humans and their ships. These humans now allow their own creation to destroy him, and there is no acknowledgement of responsibility. No apology. No compensation. And they will view our response as a criminal act."

"What do we care of their response? When you kill a mad targh, do you worry about the reaction of his family?"

"No, and yet Kahless calls me a coward. An animal without honor. I do not understand." Normally, Kroto would never reveal his doubts to another Klingon, but DaKleS was his first officer. His QimtaR. His trusted friend. "And I do not understand why he referred to my house as the house of BortaS."

DaKleaS smiled without humor. "The house of revenge. Certainly he would not deny your right of vengeance."

"And yet, how many of our comrades have we lost to revenge? Too many, I think."

"Then it is our way to lose too many comrades. We will see them again in Sto'Vo'Kor. Is it not a small price to pay for what is ours?"

"You are correct. It simply falls to us to ensure that the humans pay a higher price than we do. You say we are two hours from the battle site?"

DaKleS suddenly felt his blood pumping faster. "Yes. Perhaps they will send that devil Kirk to respond."

Kroto gave an amused grunt. "Send a devil to fight the Fek'lhr ? One devil against another? We can only hope. I want three combat drills completed and analyzed before we arrive. And program the simulators with sensor intelligence on the latest Federation tactics."

"It will be done." DaKleS left without another word.

When he was alone, Kroto pulled his bat'telh from the wall. His eyes narrowed, and he thought of catching Kirk's neck in the curve of the blade. The two hours went by too slowly for Kroto, but finally the drills were over. The anticipation had given him more fire than a hundred cups of toral root tea. A computer padd revealed an acceptable performance by his crew during the battle drills. By human standards, they would no doubt be considered legendary, but he judged nothing by human standards. "Status."

The tactical officer, a powerfully built bare armed woman turned to him. "We are cloaked. The spy outpost is five thousand kellicams directly ahead. Long range sensors reveal no other ships in the area, but accuracy is limited by our cloaking shiled."

"Good enough." He turned to DaKleS. "Have any other Klingon ships arrived?"

"No. We are alone. The prize is ours."

"Excellent. Bring all weapons to satndby. Target the outpost's reactor core. I don't want to watse any time or weaponry on this piece of pluQta'."

"Do you think they will respond that quickly?"

"I do. There are ghosts nearby." He turned back to his tactical officer. "Bring us to point blank, SuHo. Five hundred kellicams. Stand by to decloak. You will control this. Shields go up and weapons fire as soon as you decloak."

"Battle sequence one, aye sir."

Kroto grunted and smiled. SuHo was hunched over her consloe, obviously tense. "Yes, lieutenant, battle sequence one. Relax. This is good hunting." The ugly bulk of the new Federation outpost grew in the Fek'lhr's viewscreen until it seemed close enough to touch. Kroto's eyes locked onto his personal display. It centered on an image of the outpost's reactor while a range indicator counted down. Closer....closer........."Now!"

The Fek'lhr appeared, and after a delay of less than five seconds, four photon torpedoes shot towards the outpost. It's shields flared briefly, then died. Kroto barked an order to SuHo. "Sequence two!" Four more torpedoes spat at the outpost, this time smashing through it's hull. It glowed briefly from within before exploding. SuHo gazed at Kroto expectantly, like a child looking for approval. He granted it. "Glorious." SuHo thrust her fist into the air. "We are Klingons!" Kroto, DaKleS, and the rest of the crew joined in the traditional vocal celebration. "We are Klingons! We are Klingons! We are Klingons!" They were interruped by a harsh beeping from SuHo's console. "Report!" "Federation destroyer just entering sensor range."

Kroto himself slapped at the panel, cloaking the ship. He then examined the sensor reading. "It is an Akula class destroyer. Science officer. What is their sensor capability? Have they scanned us?"

An aged Klingon looked at the screen for a second before answering Kroto. "Equivalent to ours. They may have scanned us before we cloaked."

Kroto returned to his command chair and watched the screen. "Navigation, move us into the debris field. We will wait for the Ha'dibaHmey to investigate, then we will send them after their dead friends." The Fek'lhr moved silently and invisibly into the glowing remnants of the outpost, turning to face the oncoming destroyer. "Let them charge to their destruction. DaKleS, identify that ship."

DaKleS consulted his personal station for a moment. Then he turned to Kroto and spoke with relish. "Federation destroyer USS Larson. Registry NCC-327. Captain Edward Phillips last known to be in command."

"What do we know about that ship?"

DaKleS spent a few seconds studying his computer. "Intelligence has detected the Larson along our border several times over the past few months. It then returns to starbase before coming back to the border. It is, no doubt, attached to Starfleet Intelligence."

Kroto was silent for a moment. Then he let out a great sigh. "A pity. It would have pleased me to destroy it. Now we must attempt to take it intact."

SuHo straightened a bit. "I do not relish the idea of having to drag humans back to the Empire. Disgusting, greasy creatures."

DaKleS laughed and slapped her on the back. "Do not concern yourself. There will be no humans to return to the Empire."

Kroto winked at his friend. "The teachings of Kahless. Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not. And anyway, who wants to feed them?" They laughed together. "SuHo, how close are they?"

"One thousand kellicams. They have been at defensive posture since coming into sensor range. Shields at full. Weapons powered." DaKleS turned to Kroto, his eyes full of humor. "We may be forced to destroy her, Captain."

"Perhaps. But not unless we have to. SuHo, you must bring down her shields quickly. DaKleS, when they are down, two boarding parties of ten each will transport over. I will lead the force that takes the bridge while you lead the force that takes engineering. Notify me when you have control of their warp core."

SuHo's gravelly voice intruded on his planning. Had duty permitted it, she would have been on her feet. "Captain, permit me the glory of
accompanying you."

"Seek not glory, SuHo" Kroto was quoting Chang. He gave DaKleS an amused glance. "Lt. Commander RoDen still has Saurian fever, doesn't he?"

"Yes. He is not at his prime. Perhaps another day of recovery. I suggest he command the ship during the operation."

Kroto walked to SuHo's station, his eyes locked onto hers. "SuHo, you must be prepared to beam over as soon as the Larson's shields are down." He tapped an intercom switch and spoke grimly. "Transporter control, beam Lt. SuHo's bat'telh to the bridge now!" Kroto saw SuHo's bat'telh materialize next to her chair. "What is the range to the Larson?"

To her credit, she did not waste a second looking at her bat'telh. "Five hundred kellicams. Point blank."

"Wait for it." The Larson was now huge on the screen. "Any indication they have scanned us?"

"No. Her posture has not changed since we detected her. The interference from the outpost's destruction must be hiding us effectively. SuHo paused, waiting for Kroto to react. Then she spoke urgently. "Two hundred kellicams. One fifty. One hundred. They will detect us at fifty."

"Count down by the tens." Then as if nothing important were going on, he turned to DaKleS. "How far do the Larson's shields extend from her hull?"

SuHo raised an eyebrow, but did not look from her console. DaKleS replied calmly. "Two kellicams."

"So we would impact with them--"

"Ninety....eighty....seventy.....six--"

Kroto's voice suddenly thundered through the bridge. "Now! Sequence one!".

The Fek'lhr seemed to shudder with excitement as it appeared, looming in front of the Larson. Seconds later, three photon torpedoes spat at the destroyer. At the same time, the bird of prey's wing tip disruptors seemed to glow as they loosed two shots each in tandem. SuHo's accuracy was uncanny. All seven shots impacted on the same spot on the Larson's shields, creating a glow that remained for perhaps thirty seconds. SuHo cursed. "Ghuy'cha'. Inertial dampers off line. Shields down to twenty percent."

Kroto was still calm. "Then they cannot go to warp. Lock all weapons on that spot. If she has a chance to escape, even on impulse-." The Larson did exactly as Kroto had feared, ducking underneath the Fek'lhr with amazing speed. "Come about. As soon as she comes to bear, fire."

DaKleS himself performed the manuever, swinging the Fek'lhr on its axis and anglingthe ship 'down' to catch the destroyer before it could turn. But the captain of the Larson was not about to take another shot unanswered. A spread of photon torpedoes shot from the destroyer's bow and flew underneath her to strike the Fek'lhr's underbelly. The bird of prey rocked from the assault. "Our shields are down to sixty percent."

And still Kroto was calm. "Bypass all safeties. Continuous fire until I say to stop."

SuHo replied by slapping at her console. "Aye. Safeties off, firing all weapons." While photon torpedoes began to belch from the Fek'lhr, its disruptors fired continuously to create nearly solid streams of destructive energy that assaulted the Larson's weakened shields. They didn't last long.

"Cease fire." As Kroto gave the order, SuHo's console seemed to explode from within, belching smoke and throwing the lieutenant across the bridge. "SuHo!" DaKleS moved to her and was about to examine her when she jumped to her feet. "That human is dead!"

Kroto laughed. "No doubt. What is the damage?"

"All weapon systems are disabled. No other systems affected." SuHo sounded disgusted. "Captain, we have to take that ship now. If she attempts to escape we will be unable to stop her."

Kroto didn't waste time answering her. "Transporter chief, energize!" HIs hand was still on the comm panel when he dematerialized. He found himself aboard the darkened, smoking bridge of the Larson. His bat'telh, which had been transported into his hands, seemed to take on a life of its own. Without realizing it, Kroto had gone for the killing stroke at Captain Phillips. But the captain's chair was unoccupied. "Where is your captain?"

A burly human launched himself at Kroto in response. Kroto stopped him with with another stroke of his bat'telh. He picked up the bloodied form easily and examined the rank insignia. "Not the captain. He is a commander."

SuHo looked at the piece of metal. "He dies rather than betray his captain. Almost noble."

"Yet futile." Kroto looked about the smoking bridge. His troops already had control. he also noted that the only corpses wore Starfleet uniforms. But not all the humans were dead. "Science officer, you will assist me!"

An aging red haired woman eyed him defiantly. "Go to hell."

Kroto drew his d'k tagh and snapped the blades open. "I come from the devil. Is that close enough?" The officer spat an unimaginative curse at him and folded her arms across her chest defiantly. Kroto laughed. "You would not survive it." He ended the conversation with a thrust of his dagger. Then he replaced the dagger and withdrew his communicator. "Fek'lhr, this is Kroto. We have the bridge, but the captain has fled. Do we have the capability to link with their computer?"

RoDen's scratchy voice answered promptly. "Commander DaKleS provided the Larson's command codes just before you contacted us. We have already linked with its computer."

"Where is the captain?"

"Approaching transporter room two. That is three decks down. Follow the corridor for 100 feet. The transporter is in room 4-A."

Kroto was already heading for the turbolift, followed by SuHo and two other warriors. "Excellent!" He changed frequencies on the communicator as the doors slid shut. "DaKleS! Status."

"We have taken engineering. We can fly this scow home from down here." Kroto could hear the sounds of a human struggling in the background. A struggle that was cut short. "The chief engineer did not survive."

"You downloaded the computer banks?"

"Yes. There was a great deal of information, and one protected file."

"Protected?" Kroto looked around at his troops. "You could not access it?"

"No. The file did not exist as such in the computer. There was simply a reference to a protected file for eyes of the captain only. We found no such separate file or evidence in any log that it had been destroyed."



(to be continued...)

[KBF-Kapact]

"Va! Maintain control of engineering. Prepare for any resistance. I will remove the protected file from the captain." He replaced the communicator on his belt and waited for the turbolift doors to open. When the doors opened, Kroto was greeted by two Starfleet security men with phasers drawn. Before he could react, SuHo swung her bat'telh over his head to decapitate one of them. Kroto killed the other one with a thrust of his d'k tagh. "Charming. To the transporter room!"

They entered the transporter room as Captain Phillips was running from the pad to the control panel. His voice seemed on the edge of panic. "Computer, override. Authorization Phillips, zeta-zeta-zeta-delta."

The computer's voice rebuked him immediately. "Unable to comply."

"Emergency invasion protocol. Code cochrane alpha two. Verify voice print. Override all command functions. Terminate computer core in thirty-"

"Thank you for the codes, Captain." Kroto put his arm around Phillips' neck. "Please do not resist. I had hoped to take you alive."

"Never. You won't take me or my ship."

"It is my ship. There is no escape. Cooperate with me, and you will be well treated."

"I'll die first." Phillips sprang into action, ramming his elbow into Kroto's stomach. Kroto's breath wheezed out of him, and Phillips pulled free of his grasp. Before Kroto or the others could react, Phillips was out of the room.

"Kill him!" Kroto spat the words. SuHo and the others followed him from the room in pursuit of Phillips.

In engineering, DaKleS had been studying an internal scanner. He spoke urgently into his communicator. "Scanners are off line. We cannot locate the protected file or Phillips."

Kroto's voice was filled with hatred and hunger."He has retaken control of the computer. He may try to retake engineering."

"I hope he tries."

"If he does, we will fight together. I am on my way to engineering." Kroto shut off his communicator and looked at his team. "SuHo will accompany me to engineering. You two return to the bridge and remove what secrets you can from the computer, And the crew." SuHo and Kroto watched as they headed back to the bridge. "I believe the file is in engineering, and Phillips is on his way there."

In engineering, DaKleS happened to look away from main hatch just as it seemed to explode in a terrific flash. "Phillips!" DaKleS whipped his communicator open. "RoDen! Transport the captain to these coordinates immediately!"

SuHo was shocked to find her captain begin to dematerialize, and grabbed at him instinctively. She vanished with him. They appeared in engineering just as six Federation officers stepped through the remains of the main hatch. Three Klingons were cut down by phaser fire that erupted from the smoke and haze. Kroto felt a body slam into him, and the deck rushed up at him. He stood up just as a human was aiming a kick at his head. He grabbed the foot and twisted violently. He was rewarded witha crack of bone and a yelp of pain. He yanked downward, and the human was on the deck. "ToDSaH! You fight like a coward!"

DaKleS ran to Kroto. "Captain! Phillips has entered the computer core. He must be trying to extract the protected file."

"Excellent. Now we will know why he so stubbornly refuses to die." Kroto followed DaKleS through the battle toward the core chamber.

They forced the door open just in time to see Phillips pull a small plastic file from the computer. Then he tapped an intercom switch. "Computer, lock on these coordin-!" Kroto drove his bat'telh into the intercom switch. Sparks exploded from the control panel. Phillips slammed his fist into Kroto's chin, and the Klingon staggered for a moment. Then Phillips was gone in the confusion.

In engineering's main chamber, DaKleS and his team was disposing of the remains of the Starfleet team that had attacked them. "He knows that his ship is lost."

Kroto had just finished butting foreheads with the warriors standing triumphantly over their dead enemies. "So what will he do? Will he die with honor, or will he try to escape?"

"He is a coward. He will flee."

"Remember that he fought to recover that file. If it is that important, he may try to escape with it." Kroto looked to the hatch, smelling the air as if he were hunting. "Escape pod, or shuttlecraft?"

DaKleS thought for a moment. "The shuttle is armed, and warp capable."

"The shuttlebay it is." Kroto slung his bat'telh across his back and withdrew his communiactor. "Fek'lhr, transport three to the Larson's main shuttlebay." Kroto looked at SuHo and DaKleS as they dematerialized.

DaKleS looked at the neat line of shuttles."He could transport here any second."

SuHo started countingthe doors leading to the hangerbay. "And what of the crew? Will they try to escape with him?"

"Not likely." DaKleS had been through tjis many times. "When I took control of the computer, I locked most of them behind bulkheads and sent override signals into the computer mechanisms. It will take hours to free the crew."

Kroto unslung his bat'telh, and watched as SuHo and DaKleS did the same. "Come to us, coward!" His voice echoed off of bulkheads and shuttle hulls.

As if in response, the whine of a Federation transporter seemed to fill the air. It reminded Kroto of his horrible dream. It was joined by a sparkling column that appeared next to one of the largest of teh shuttles."Finally!" DaKleS lunged towards the column, which quickly became Captain Phillips. He let out a fierce yell, and levelled his bat'telh for the kill. Without warning, they all heard the scream of a phaser. In seconds, DaKleS' midsection burned away as the phaser beam cut through him. It spread quickly, until there was nothing left of DaKleS. Kroto and SuHo let out death screams and lunged at Phillips.

He was adjusting the phaser's setting when Kroto threw his d'k tagh at him. The knife buried itself in Phillips' arm. He dropped the phaser, and turned to the shuttle. Then he pulled out his communicator. "Computer! Disable safeties and lower containment field around the warp core in one minute."

SuHO stopped short. "He's destroying the ship!" She turned her fierce gaze to Kroto. "Let me kill him!"

Kroto wanted to, but something stopped him. "No. This is not the time for the House of BortaS." His words seemed to trail off for a moment.

"What are you talking about?"

Phillips was in the shuttle now, and seconds later, its engines were starting up. Kroto looked to where his friend had died. "Revenge will wait. Let Phillips explain why his crew is dead, and remind his superiors why they fear the Empire." Kroto's communicator appeared in his hand. "RoDen, transport all boarding parties to the Fek'lhr. And move the ship away." Kroto and SuHo found themselves on the bridge of the Fek'lhr. She moved to her station without speaking while Kroto moved to his chair. On the screen, they watched as a small object fled the scene.

Seconds later, the Larson destroyed herself in an explosion that Kroto found disappointing. He spoke loudly, but with gravity. "The Amar and its crew will always be remembered, as will my friend Commander DaKleS." He looked at DaKleS' vacant station. "And we will not allow Captain Phillips to forget us." He found his thoughts pulled to SuHo, who had performed with such honor. "Lt Commander SuHo, assume the first officer's station." She stood up, and with brief hesitation, moved to DaKleS' station. "Good. Now, my fellow Klingons, let us sing of the death of comrades. And enemies!" He led them into a passage from "AktuH and Melota". The inspiring sounds of the well known Klingon opera lifted his heart, and those of his crew....



(updated.... I cleaned up the paragraph breaks a bit)

[KBF-Kapact]

"The Winter of Our Discontent"

Capt Kroto hung onto the bridge pylons. The Fek'lhr was moving faster, in a tighter turning radius than it had ever had to before. Shields were on the verge of collapsing, and the inertial dampers were failing. His K'Vort Class Bird of Prey was nearly the equal to
the Ber'taa that hung closely on his tail. But nearly being equal had sent many a warrior to Sto'Vo'Kor prematurely. "Maximum impulse! Set course 179 mark 000!"

SuHo was manning the navigation station, to replace the officer who had been nearly decapitated in an explosion when they had first been attacked. "179 mark 000. Aye!"

The Fek'lhr leapt forward and upwards from their position relative to the center of the galactic plane. The Ber'taa struggled to follow the smaller ship...and listed. It was momentarily drifting as it's impulse engines overloaded it's comparatively weak structural
integrity field. Safeties cut in, stopping the huge ship.

SuHo didn't wait for Kroto to issue the order. She threw warp power into an emergency reverse motion, spinning the Fek'lhr around on its axis. Then she fired full disruptors at the helpless Ber'taa. The bigger ship rocked under the assault. Then the Fek'lhr was gone,
heading back towards Klingon space.

Kroto knew the voice would come first. A craggy voice on the speaker. "Ha! Damn near caught you that time, you son of a targh!" Then the face appeared. Lt Commander Kruge. "You know, Captain, one of these days I'm going to graduate from this duty. And you are going to miss me."

Kroto considered engaging Kruge in a bit of curse warfare, but thought better of it. Kruge saw humor only in what he could do to others. And while he was still just a Lt Commander, he was powerful enough to have a chance at the Fleet Lord status that had opened with the death Lord Korok. "Perhaps. But not today." The Fek'lhr was out
of Kruge's sector and on course for the VIacHI system.

"Commander SuHo, you have the bridge. Repair all combat systems, then run three combat drills. I'll be in my quarters." SuHo acknowledged his orders with a glance, and began to pace the bridge.

Kroto grinned and went below. He never went directly to his quarters though. Even today, in an age that saw no subject races serving on Klingon warships, there were still potential assassins at every corner of a Klingon ship. Every warrior waiting and watching for a
superior to make a mistake or show weakness. Then death, and power. Kroto was too familiar with mortality to welcome the blade that comes in the night like that. He made his way to the cramped engineering deck.

KroQwI' was directing his officers with an iron hand. He saw Kroto and stopped. "Why are you here? To survey your damage? Who has been in command, your pet targh?" This was his way of telling Kroto that he was annoyed at what he had put the ship through. He was also greeting him in the only way he knew how.

"Perhaps I should bring on some humans to teach you damage control." Kroto scowled at the crusty old engineer. Then he left him to his work.

Finally in his quarters, Kroto activated the secure comlink to the VIacHI system. "VIacHI. Alert status CHa'maHwa'."

Chang himself responded. "Verified Kroto. What did you encounter?"

"There was no listening post. That must have been a deception. I found Kruge, though, in a Ber'taa."

"So the House of gI'HaR has a Ber'taa. And Lt Commander Kruge. Did you destroy him?"

"No, General. We got past the petaQ, though. No signs of pursuit."

"Good. Join up with the Tolan Strike Force at Galorndan Core. Our new Romulan 'allies' have an interest in that area. I want to discourage them."

"HIja'. Kroto out." The comlink was severed. Kroto thought that in all probability the alliance with the Romulans was nearing an end now that there had been a shift in power in the Romulan Empire. The honorable Rhihannsu were gone. But the Empire had obtained cloaking technology, and the Romulans had obtained a few old D7's. Whether or not the sect now in control would honor the treaty of nojpu' or not was anyone's guess. Kroto thought that the Romulans would not be satisfied with the current borders.

Kroto activated the bridge monitor. SuHo was in the command chair, holding on for dear life and looking happy and alive as she always did there. Kroto saw her teeth bared and her nostrils flaring. What a sight, he saw. Young and full of anger and fire. She seemed to glare at the screen, then give orders to the secondary tactical officer. They were taking the ship through a combat drill. He switched the display to a tactical view. Three warbirds coming at them in a pinwheel attack. Good. She probably anticipated fighting the Romulans as he did. As Chang seemed to.

SuHo glared at the screen, waiting for the first simulated enemy to appear. The narrow, silver profile of a Romulan "Snipe" Warbird coming from overhead. It closed to 10,000 kellicams and the nose flashed. A plasma torpedo burst into space, and the Romulan
disappeared. "Emergency reverse! Apply warp power!" The Fek'lhr slammed itself into reverse, now running from the plasma torpedo that would easily shatter its shields.

"Disruptor fire on the aft shields." The tactical officer, a short, light colored warrior with slightly bugged eyes shouted. "They're targeting the impulse engines!"

SuHo didn't seem concerned. Of course, she had learned that from Kroto, as she had learned everything else. And these were only simulated enemies. "Attitude thrusters! Rotate us 180 degrees, then full impulse!"

The Fek'lhr flipped end over end as it retreated from the closing torpedo. "Emergency maneuvers! Course 000 mark 000." That course took the Bird of Prey straight down, just as the aft warbird accelerated.

The plasma torpedo began to turn in pursuit of the Fek'lhr when it found itself turning away unexpected Romulan disruptor fire, and collided with the attacking Snipe warbird.

The third warbird had been waiting for the resolution of this combat. It executed a two second warp burst that brought it underneath the Fek'lhr, just 20 kellicams from the ship's underside. A plasma torpedo launched and almost immediately slammed into the Fek'lhr.

SuHo was thrown out of her seat. She looked up just as Kroto walked onto the bridge. He held up a hand. "I'm not here. Continue."

The ship had completely stopped. Attitude control was out, and the ship was slowly rolling. It would be upside down soon. Artificial gravity held everyone in their seats, but it was still uncomfortable. Even Kroto felt his blood rushing to his head.

SuHo gave Kroto a hard look to hide her embarrassment and pulled herself to the tactical station. "Prepare two space mines. Take us away from the warbird. Course 135 mark 72. Warp two."

The Fek'lhr took off, with the Warbird in pursuit. It didn't try to dodge or weave. This was a time to recharge and try to beat the beast across the river of blood.

SuHo looked back to see Kroto watching appreciatively. But she worried that she would appear hesitant to act. That would be fatal, simulation or not. She watched on the tactical display the charge that had returned to the ventral shields where the plasma torpedo had
hit. It was at 43 percent. There was also the aft shield to be concerned with. It had been down to 50 percent when they dodged that ship. It was up to 75 percent. SuHo tapped the intership communicator. "All hands, prepare for emergency maneuvers." Then she braced herself against the support pylons. "Helm, emergency reverse. Warp power. Three second burst at warp two. Stand by to eject space mines."

She held her hand up, and looked at the reverse aspect scanner, where the warbird was starting to close. "Stand by. Stand by." She looked at Kroto from the corner of his eye. He grinned at her. "Stand by...DaH!" Her hand dropped, and the Fek'lhr suddenly stopped, and was traveling in the opposite direction at warp speed. The two space mines were ejected through a shielded port as the ship passed the warbird. The warbird tore itself apart before it could drop out of warp. SuHo sat back fully in her chair and exhaled. "Stand down from alert status."

Kroto almost got out of his seat and said something. But he stopped himself. He knew that it was coming, and he readied himself for it. The second warbird, the one that had fired the plasma torpedo and vanished.

It decloaked underneath the Fek'lhr, where the plasma torpedo had brought down the shield and hit the underbelly. Then it let loose its own plasma torpedo on the weakened ventral shields. The shields collapsed again, and the hull went with it. The bridge rocked
violently, and the lights went out. Kroto smelled the hull burning away and heard the rush of escaping atmosphere.

Then the lights came back up. Kroto stood and walked to the front of the bridge. "You have failed the tactical exercise, Commander SuHo."

"It was a foolish mistake." SuHo removed her dk'tagh and offered it Kroto. "I have failed you and this crew. I give you my life."

"And I return it to you. Never make that mistake again." Kroto retook his command chair. "Stations." Kroto was impressed by the speed with which the crew returned to duty after the shock of simulated destruction. Then he turned to the helm. "ETA to Galorndan Core."

"Twenty minutes."

"Stand by for combat sequences. Long range scan of the area."

SuHo looked to Kroto and kept herself busy. She had failed, she knew it. She felt as if she didn't belong here. Didn't deserve to be here. But Kroto trusted her, and she would not let him down.

The Fek'lhr arrived at the outskirts of the system and came to a halt. "Scan the area."

SuHo had configured her station for tactical functions. "Three Romulan ships. Configuration unknown at this distance. Three Klingon ships. Two B'Rel Class. One Ber'taa Class."

Kroto swore out loud. "Kruge." He turned to the comm officer. "Contact the strike force."

A moment later, there was a response from 'Lord' QroQ of the IKS Qor'etlh. "Kroto, where are you? You were ordered to report to me."

"I was ordered to meet the strike force at Galorndan Core. That is where I am."

QroQ glowered. "The House of QroQ IS the Tolan Strike Force. It has been for a hundred years. As for your orders, listen and do not speak. Do not engage until I approve. The strike force will arrive in ten minutes. Follow us in. QroQ out."

Kroto watched as the face of QroQ was replaced on the viewscreen by the Imperial symbol. "QroQ the weak." The reference to the final emperor was a frequent one for QroQ's detractors. QroQ denied that he was related, yet he was unquestionably powerful and well connected. The only question was from where his power originated. Kroto found himself hoping that someday QroQ's legendary luck on the battlefield would run out. The Fek'lhr sat, waiting for the arrival of the Tolan Strike Force.

[KBF-Kapact]

It arrived on scene on schedule, and Kroto watched angrily as it flew past him en masse. "Accelerate to attack speed! Follow the task force in." He saw on the screen as QroQ engaged the Romulan ships without hesitation. Disruptors and photon torpedoes all fired at once as QroQ's ship, the Qor'etlh, picked out the lead Romulan. It approached it with no regard to strategy or weapon arcs. Of course, the Ber'taa was usually strong enough to get away with that foolish tactic. But someday it would not.

The Romulan ship was of a design not seen outside the Star Empire until now. It followed the familiar design of a bird, but it was impossibly larger. Four massive warp nacelles underneath supported by twin pylons to port and starboard. The impulse deck extended out the rear like a tail. The beak was a massive disruptor, and, Kroto assumed, plasma torpedo launcher. The massive ship made no attempt to evade as the Qor'etlh's weapons impacted against its front shields.

"Scan the Romulan ship for damage." Kroto looked briefly at SuHo as he watched the battle.

SuHo watched the tactical display on her station. "Shields down only ten percent. Sensors recorded a strong EM pulse just as the Strike Force came into range. Electronic interference blanketed the area as the Qor'etlh launched its attack."


Kroto looked back at the screen in shock. The Qor'etlh seemed to be coming around slowly. "They hit."

"Yes. But the photon torpedoes had been rendered nearly inert by the pulse, and the disruptors were actually drained of most of their energy by the time they hit." SuHo continued to analyze the sensor readings as the Qor'etlh led the strike force in another full on attack. "I would recommend an oblique attack. The Romulan shields seem to turn aside the frontal attack most easily."

"Kroto! Attack, or die like a coward!" That was QroQ.

Kroto didn't answer immediately. He turned to SuHo. "Transmit your analysis to the Qor'etlh. Just in case he actually pays attention. Set course 135 mark 117. Maximum impulse. Bring us in and around the fleet."

The Fek'lhr leapt forward to catch the strike force. "Are the others joining the assault yet?" Kroto looked to where Kruge and his accompanying ships were.

"No, They are just sitting there."

Kroto almost screamed into the comm panel. "Kruge! What are you waiting for?"

Kruge grunted. "Watch and learn, Kroto. You don't get to be a Fleet Lord by throwing yourself away like a mad targh!" Kruge was laughing as Kroto cut the channel.

The Fek'lhr was coming in behind the Qor'etlh. It accelerated and swung to port hard as the Strike Force loosed its weapons. The Romulan shield turned away the weapons again as the Fek'lhr came alongside the Romulan. Two photon torpedoes launched. They were
followed by a full load of disruptors. Kroto waited for a flash on the screen to show that they had done some damage. The flash came, but from aft. "Reverse aspect on viewer."

The picture was awful. Plasma torpedoes pushed through the last glowing embers of the Qor'etlh. They caught the trailing ship of the task force. Shields flared, but the Klingon ship survived. Then another torpedo launched at the retreating ships.

"Emergency warp!" Kroto shouted. "Intercept that torpedo. Target lock!" The Fek'lhr dove in between the plasma torpedo and the retreating taskforce. "Fire all weapons!"

Disruptors flared, and the torpedo blew up. But the explosion sent the Bird of Prey reeling away. "Attitude control!" Kroto shouted as the Fek'lhr struggled to right itself.

When it finally did, Kroto saw the remaining ships of the Tolan Strike Force regrouping. This time they were using the oblique attack. "Finally. Follow them in."

The Romulan ship began to move...slowly. Very slowly. Kroto thought they were fortunate in that at least the ship was as slow as it was big. The plasma torpedo launcher flashed twice. "Evasive!" Kroto knew that his ship would have difficulty turning aside that much destructive energy. He looked at a rear scanner to see Kruge sitting there with his ships. The Fek'lhr slammed itself to port, trying to evade the plasma torpedoes. "Maximum impulse!" The Bird of Prey flew away from the Romulan and its weapons. "Launch countermeasures." A probe was ejected from the Fek'lhr's aft port that simulated the ships warp signature. "Cloak and evade!" The Fek'lhr vanished and threw itself away from the area at maximum sublight speed.

As the countermeasure probe launched, the Romulan fired rapid fire disruptors. They struck the slow moving probe, allowing the plasma torpedoes to re-acquire their intended target. By this time, however, the Fek'lhr was gone. So the plasma torpedoes locked onto the next ship in the Tolan Strike Force, the Relentless Class IKV Batlh'etlh. That ship was struggling to evade three Snipe Class warbirds. The plasma torpedoes came in behind the Batlh'etlh and hit the rear shields. The shields shattered, and Batlh'etlh fled the area. But it was too late. The Snipes each launched plasma torpedoes at the ship, tearing it apart.

The Snipes then turned, blanketing the last known coordinates and trajectory of the Fek'lhr with disruptor fire. They found, instead, the two cloaked Birds of Prey that were the fleeing remains of the Tolan Strike Force.


Kroto looked at SuHo and swore. "That is why the Empire is in so much trouble. We maintain alliances with enemies for the sake of politics. And we put fools and politicians in command of warships." He looked as the huge Romulan turned to search the area.


"The area is being swept by high level radiation. They might be able to detect us." SuHo sounded as if she was doomed and knew it.

"There are times, my friend, when it is wise to ask for help. Sometimes survival is its own reward." Kroto turned to the comm officer. "Contact Chang. Secure channel."

A moment later, Chang's voice came through the speakers. "What is it, Kroto?"

"General, we are betrayed. The Romulans have some sort of battleship, at least the equal of the QeylIS BetleH. The Tolan Strike Force has been destroyed. Kruge is here, but he has no interest in fighting the Romulans. All he cares about is his own power. General, I have sensor logs of the Romulan Battleship, but we may not survive. If you have any forces in the area, I must request assistance."

Chang sounded furious. "What? Kruge is supposed to be the next Fleet Lord, and he refuses to fight as our forces are destroyed? Kroto, I am on my way to Galorndan Core, but it will take me thirty minutes at maximum warp. Try to stay alive, but you must ensure the survival of those sensor logs. Put them in a cloaked buoy if you need to." Chang cut the channel without another word.

Kroto watched as the Romulan battleship turned slowly to survey the area and sweep it with radiation. "Take us in the direction of Kruge and his ships. If Kruge doesn't want to fight, he can sit and watch as his ship is blown apart around him."

The Fek'lhr sped away from the radiation sweeps and towards Kruge's ship. He noticed that the Romulans were not following. But he knew they would find them eventually.

It didn't take long. As the Fek'lhr passed by Kruge's ship, alarms went off. Kroto had been waiting to hear proximity alarms, but this was different. SuHo said it for him. "We are detected." The Snipe Warbirds flew to intercept the Fek'lhr. Plasma torpedoes flashed away from the ships as the Fek'lhr dove around Kruge's Ber'taa. Kroto noted that the Romulans made no move against Kruge. "Launch countermeasures. One towards the warbirds, and one at Kruge's ship."

The Fek'lhr came around Kruge's ship and swept away from it suddenly, depositing a magnetized countermeasure probe on its hull. "Maximum impulse. Prepare all space mines." The aft scanner showed that the Romulan battleship was moving to intercept. It moved slowly, but Kroto knew that it wouldn't take long to get into position to attack. "Program an emergency buoy with the sensor logs of the new Romulan ship."

SuHo was programming the buoy herself when suddenly the ship lurched. Her panel exploded, and she was on the deck. She heard the tactical officer behind her. "Disruptors from the battleship. Ventral shields are down." The Battleship had hit them with disruptors from twice the normal range. The ship shuddered, and more sparks flew. There was an explosion, and several audio alarms went off.

"Take her about!" Kroto stubbornly clung to the command chair. "Protect the ventral hull. Course 187 mark 75." The Fek'lhr reversed itself and went down, to protect the ships underbelly as damage control teams worked to bring the shield back up. An explosion
rocked the ship again, and a bridge bulkhead blew out. There was a scream of escaping atmosphere that Kroto had to shout to be heard above. "Emergency forcefields! Scan for plasma launches!"

"Scanners are gone." SuHo announced. "That was a plasma torpedo launched from one of the snipes at point blank. It obliterated the sensor package."

Kroto looked to the viewscreen, and sure enough, it was blank. "SuHo, take over helm. I want you to head directly away from the last known direction of those ships. We need distance."

"Sir, I have no idea where they are, or if I am taking us away from them. We are blind!"


Kroto looked into her eyes. "And dead if we don't get moving. I am ready to die, but I want the Empire to have those sensor logs. And I want to kill more Romulans before I die. I trust myself to your hunter's instincts." He steeled himself in his chair. "Best speed...to Sto'Vo'Kor!"

The Fek'lhr turned about and began to move away. It accelerated to full impulse, with the three Romulans in pursuit. Gone was any thought of what Kruge was doing there. Kroto decided that if he survived he would kill Kruge. "Prepare to eject space mines"

"My lord, we have no idea where those ships are...if they are behind, or..."

"Eject all space mines." At Kroto's order, the six space mines were ejected through the shielded port. He waited for the shock waves of exploding Romulan ships. No such luck. The ship shuddered as disruptors bracketed it. "Calculate the direction that came from, and head away from it." Another explosion rocked the bridge. Plasma torpedoes again. There was another explosion, and the Fek'lhr rocked again. "SuHo! Emergency buoy!"

"Ready!" She was back up, at her station. But she was forced to push her hands into the shattered console. She pulled out a coil of wires and was sorting through them to find the buoy ejection system.

"Eject the buoy!"

She pulled two wires out and used her teeth to remove insulation. Then she twisted them together. There was a thunk, and power shot through her body. She fell to the deck. "SuHo!" Kroto stood, looking at the body on the deck. But suddenly the comm speakers came to life.

"Kroto, this is Chang."

Kroto stood and looked at the speaker. "Yes General. We are being pursued-."

"I've discouraged the Romulans, Captain. The Battleship survived a direct hit from my assault phaser on unshielded hull and went to warp. The two snipes have been destroyed. Where is Kruge?"

Kroto sat back in his command chair and tried to forget about his stricken first officer. "He was there."

"He has escaped then. Never mind him, Kroto, Kahless will catch up with him. Anyone else will be stopped by the high council. I see you're scanners are gone. If you'll shut down your drive systems, I can tow you to a repair dock."

"Thank you General. I have to see to my wounded." A noise behind him made him jump. SuHo was standing. "But we will survive to fight again."

"We all will, Kroto. The coming years will be critical. As critical as our Empire has ever faced. And the enemy lies within."

[FPF-SCM_TraceyG_XC]

Quite a tour de force! Sorry it took so long to make a reply post, there was quite a bit of reading to get through. Your knowledge of Klingons is quite impressive, and you write very well too!! Nice use of background material from some of the Star Trek movies too!

[KBF-Kapact]

Quite a tour de force! Sorry it took so long to make a reply post, there was quite a bit of reading to get through. Your knowledge of Klingons is quite impressive, and you write very well too!! Nice use of background material from some of the Star Trek movies too!

Thanks my writer's ego needed a little scratch. It feels much better now My original idea was to write a Klingon TOS.... oh, moved frorward to TMP, but basically a small ship and crew and a background of galactic politics. Kruge would be an occasional background special guest-villain, and Chang as the Klingon Patton in the background.



When do we get another Empress chapter?



Cheers

[KBF-Kapact]

just a little BUMP to let you know I cleaned up some paragraph breaks. Makes it a bit more readable....


(thanks Chutt)

[KBF-Kapact]

Folks, I have posted my second "episode".... have a looksee.....



http://startrekenterprisevirtualseasons.blogspot.com/

[Hondo_8]

Captain Hondo sat soaking in his hot tub on the bridge of his Ship....USS Love Machine.   He had been drifting in space, on a two year binge.  He had lost contact with the Federation for over a year and the 1AF fleet for just as long.

"Captain scans indicate a heavy cruiser off the port....Klingon....unknown house."  Hondo finished his beer can and added to the pile of empties. "Shields Up" Hondo leaned forward in his hottub and belched as the Klingon ship appeared on the viewer.


"Sir..they are requesting our surrender?"  Hondo polished off his last can of beer off and added to the large pile.  "Tell em I already captured this ship and to find another ship to surrender."  The communication officer looked quizzically at Hondo...but dutifully relayed the Message.

As the exchange was taking place Hondo reached to the pile of empties and began bashing his forehead with the cans.


"Captain Hondo....the Klingon Captain is requesting communication with you"  The crumpled cans of beer floated in the Hot tub with a Captain Hondo and a very ruffed up Forehead. "On screen cutie"




.................................................   


Comic relief