Grim, I'm just happy I have someplace I can get feedback at all. Sure I send 'em to people to 'preview', but it ain't the same...
Looking forward to your thoughts.
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Chapter Two?Still sulking, I see.? The voice was loud, close and unmistakable even over the din of the bar.
La?ra growled. He was on his third stein of bloodwine and the pleasant warmth he was shooting for had yet to wash over him. His size was not always an advantage.
?I am not sulking.?
L?dar chuckled. It was a sharp, derisive noise. He sat down on the stool next to La?ra and ordered something.
?Oh, my apologies. Is pouting the correct term??
La?ra snarled and took a long drink. Must his brother always pick the worst moments to test his temper?
?Perhaps I should?ve send Leral to ask you. The sight of her breasts usually makes you more agreeable.?
?I do not feel like fighting you.?
The giant engineer narrowed his eyes.
?You are taking this seriously. Worrying about money.? Such was often considered unworthy of an honorable warrior and L?dar still bore hopes of turning his brother into his vision of one.
?I am not worried about money.?
?Your land then??
La?ra sighed. He did not feel like discussing it. Yet L?dar would insist, and La?ra could either talk or fight. The bar was peaceful for the moment, but it was filled with off-duty Klingons, and one fight would probably start a general melee. La?ra wasn?t feeling jolly enough for that.
?I had planned to retire there.? He revealed.
?Wasn?t it next to some stinking bog??
?Yes, but that stinking bog is on Qo?unos.? The Klingon homeworld had little space to go around. Property was a possession of the rich.
L?dar scoffed.
?Spare me, brother. You likely will not retire for another century and you have never been one to build a den. Are you betrothed and eager for children??
?No.? La?ra snarled. K?Sea demanding he give her a near-sister and a horde of nephews was bad enough. He hoped this wasn?t L?dar?s method of doing the same.
?Then why this nonsense??
La?ra sighed.
?I do not know.? He grumbled.
The bartender delivered L?dar?s bloodwine. The giant engineer took a long drink, said nothing. Both brothers concentrated on their alcohol for a while.
?They turned down two promotions.? La?ra muttered. ?Leral and Ran?jar. And Woram, but I'd expected that." The Petty Officer hadn't been a petty officer long. La'ra had suggested him only to put another bright mark on the young warrior's record.
L?dar nodded.
?Jark??
La?ra shook his head.
?Oversector Command."
?Why??
?Because Leral is a woman, and Ran?jar is loyal to me.?
L?dar nodded. La?ra continued.
?Oversector Command also made the decision regarding my property.? La?ra frowned at his stein. It was empty.
?You feel this is deliberate, don?t you?? L?dar asked.
La?ra nodded.
?I am not a popular man, brother, especially when I?m doing well.?
L?dar laughed. The noise was quiet, yet deep.
?We have been doing well, haven?t we?? The engineer chortled, slapped La?ra on the back. La?ra grinned slightly.
?I suppose so.?
?Then perhaps you should tell Oversector Command to choke on your miserable bottomland.?
?Perhaps.? The bartender was sensing the Commander?s mood; La?ra suddenly had more bloodwine. He took another drink.
?You know the
K?lestia is in dock?? L?dar asked.
?Oh?? The
K?lestia belonged to Lieutenant Commander Torax, who'd gotten his new frigate thanks to La?ra. He was one of the few outside of the
Hiv'laposh's crew who knew the full truth behind Jark?s ascension to Sector Command.
?Yes.? L?dar was grinning. The expression was much like his brother?s, though it saw less use. ?If you?d bother to check your own messages, you?d probably already know. Mar?sa is still his First, after all.?
La?ra?s mouth twitched. His brother was a simple soul in some ways. What problems couldn?t be solved with violence could be solved with sex or food.
?I knew that.? La?ra answered.
?They?ve been doing rather well, too. Perhaps we should join forces for a celebration.? L?dar offered. ?We still have our ship until the dockyard team invades. I believe there?s a
targh still living in stores.?
There would be no escape, La?ra decided.
?Arrange things then.?
L?dar raised an eyebrow.
?Do I look like your steward??
?You look like the man who came up with the idea.?
L?dar threw his head back and laughed. Half the bar?s inhabitants turned to look.
?Very well!? He slapped La?ra?s back. The Commander had braced himself; he held firm but some bloodwine still ended up on the bar. The massive engineer turned and strode for the door, threatened patrons scurrying out of his path.
La?ra chuckled.
?Commander La?ra?? Someone asked.
La?ra turned toward the voice. A lean Klingon in civilian clothes leaned on the bar. He was paler than many men. though his hair and eyes were quite dark. A slim disruptor was stuffed into his belt; it was a type favored by those who preferred easy concealment or perhaps comfort.
La?ra?s eyes narrowed. The fingers of his right hand drifted towards his sidearm.
?Yes.? He answered.
?If you have a moment, I?d like to speak with you.? The slim Klingon smiled. It was an oily expression.
?So speak.?
?I?d prefer to speak in private, Commander.? The man?s fingers moved slowly, plucking an identification disk from his pocket. He presented it to La?ra, who took it, gingerly, with his left hand.
?Imperial Intelligence.? He stated
?I have a booth reserved.? The man was still smiling. ?It?ll be worth your attention.?
La?ra frowned. The slim Klingon turned and walked away. La?ra paid for his drinks, then followed, his curiosity bubbling.
* * *
"Another drink, Commander?" The pale man asked as La'ra sat. The Commander shook his head.
"Say what you will." La'ra growled.
"All right then..." There were three buttons on their table. The slim Klingon pressed one and the booth's privacy partition slid into place.
"Jex Pryn is happy with you right now. I want you to develop that relationship and pass on what you discover from him to me. Do that, and I won't go to my friend in Internal Security and tell him you're on the Pryn's family payroll."
La'ra blinked. He stared at the slim Klingon for three or four seconds, digesting what the little man had said. Then his disruptor was in his hand, its snout hovering in the Intelligence man's face.
"I do not work for Jex Pryn." La'ra grinned viciously.
The intelligence man grew quite still. His eyes stared at the end of the disruptor.
"Yes, Commander, you can kill me. If you think intimidating me will get you out of this situation you're mistaken. If you shoot...well, I'll be dead, but don't you think there will be an investigation?" The agent's hands were on the table. He seemed careful not to move them, but he did not stammer when he spoke.
"I'm not trying to intimidate you." La'ra's mouth twitched. "I'm deciding whether or not to avenge the insult. I do not work for Jex Pryn."
"Truth shouldn't be insulting, Commander. You made every decision that brought you here."
"I do not work for Jex Pryn." La'ra watched the man carefully. Jex Pryn was a notorious pirate commodore, with extensive operations in Federation and Romulan territory. He mostly avoided conflict in Klingon space, but some prizes had been too juicy to ignore, which meant he was wanted by the KDF as badly as by Starfleet.
"I see." Despite the pistol in his face, the pale man smiled. "And you just happened upon the
Jukath? You just happened to know the
Sulakai was in Klingon territory? How did you even know what the
Jukath was up too, her ties to the Prime Cartel weren't documented. You had inside information."
La'ra's grin softened, slightly. He'd had inside information all right, but nothing the agent would have known about. The little spy's supposition was logical, if unflattering.. His disruptor remained pointed at the intelligence man's face, regardless.
"I do not work for Jex Pryn." He stated again. "I got my inside information from somewhere else."
The pale man's brows drew together. He waited, as if expecting the Commander to continue. La'ra was silent.
"I see." The Intelligence man said after half a minute. "And where exactly did you get this inside information?"
"I stole it from Eric Donovan." La'ra answered. He didn't like revealing his theft. Information was less valuable the more people that knew it, and this agent would want to see. Yet if Internal Security were called in, he would have to tell of his spoils, there would be more people involved, and he wouldn't have them at disruptor point.
The agent's dark eyes widened. "The raid on Melana..."
La'ra nodded once.
The pale Klingon leaned back slightly, the first time he'd moved since being threatened.
"You'll have to prove it."
"No." La'ra said.
"I suppose Internal Security will have to use a mind sifter then."
"I'd prove it to Internal Security." The Commander answered. "But not before I have too. I'm not foolish enough to think word would not travel."
"What difference would that..." The agent's brows lifted. "...it'd make all the difference if you had more information."
La'ra smiled.
"You have that kind of data and haven't turned it over to Imperial Intelligence?"
"Yes."
"Internal Security might find that as interesting as working for Jex Pryn."
La'ra shrugged. "I could be lying. I could be working for Jex Pryn."
The pale man stared at him a moment.
"I don't think so." He was no longer eyeing the disruptor; he looked La'ra in the eyes. "So...new arrangement. You let me see the data, and I don't notify Internal Security about your lapse."
La'ra laughed.
"I've put it into good use. I command a battlecruiser. They might frown, but my discretion is wide."
"Internal Security isn't fond of discretion."
"And yet I have it in sufficient amounts." La'ra chortled. "Besides, are you so eager to render the data useless?"
The Intelligence man smiled. It was restrained at first, but grew to impressive proportions.
"No." He admitted.
"Then why would you report it to Internal Security." La'ra asked. "And who are you?"
"I'm Dar'tel. Son of Su'chal. I'm Director of Intelligence in the Gas'kovan Sector."
"Colonel Klamek is the Director of Intelligence for the Gas'kovan sector."
"Colonel Klamek is dead." The pale man's eyes grew dark. "Some young upstart killed him in a duel."
La'ra's eyes narrowed.
"You?"
"Me."
"Bold. Why?"
"He insulted my family."
The Commander snorted.
"Why?"
Dar'tel waited a moment, considering.
"All right." He began. "I couldn't prove what I'd found out about him. I gave him an oppurtunity to display his cunning wit, then challenged him. He was a fat old man who hadn't fought in years."
La'ra nodded. Klamek had been good friends with General Tor...
"He was involved with the pirates that had operated in this system." He offered.
Dar'tel frowned.
"I guessed." La'ra shrugged.
"I'll bet you did. Didn't General Tor retire just after you took their base?"
"He was an old man."
Dar'tel continued to frown. "I believe I've misjudged you, Commander."
"That's obvious. Why else did you think I was working for Jex Pryn?" The agent had been entirely too confident of his knowledge.
"Mind taking your disruptor out of my face?"
La'ra smiled and holstered his weapon.
"Two of Pryn's underlings are on the station right now." The agent's hands sprung into motion, making wild movements as if trying to draw a picture of his point. "They have a case full of latinum and they're looking for you."
Topic: Strrange Harvest: Repost and New Stuff (Read 14273 times)