STAR TREK: FOUR YEARS WAR BLOODSPORT Oberoi Outpost 2242 Gorkon, son of Toq, made his way to the challenge floor. He parted his men, shedding his armor and leaving his weapons with his warriors. By the time the brigadier made it to the makeshift qaDrav he was shirtless and weaponless. He was wearing only his scars, breeches, and boots. Within the circle stood his foe. Beyond the circle was the ruin created by his ships’ disruptors and his warriors’ hands. Commodore Raul Delgado was the commanding officer of the outpost. He had shamefully survived the orbital bombardment and the initial attack from Klingon troops. The short, powerfully built human was crouched low, his deep set eyes black and impossible to read. He moved from side to side, anticipating an attack. His hands looked ready to strangle the Klingon. Gorkon smiled. Perhaps the human would be more of a challenge than he thought, or than the other Starfleet forces they had encountered thus far. He had had his doubts about this campaign, he had disagreed with those on the High Council and among the Thought Admirals who had hungered for this war, had demanded it. He had not been as troubled by Federation expansion. He hadn’t seen their gradual growth as something cancerous. The humans hadn’t seemed as much of a threat to him as the Kreel or the Kinshaya. But perhaps his superiors had been right all along. If the Federation was this weak and allowed to expand its rot might seep into the Empire. Maybe they were right to see a sinister hand behind the peaceful gestures of the Federation. If they could not win outright they could beguile and bribe their way to dominance. Gorkon snorted at the thought. It made humans no better than Ferengi. And perhaps it was time for the Empire to make them see that fact. Stepping into the circle, nearly pushed by his eager men, Gorkon raised his voice. “Raul, son of Hector, do you accept this challenge?” The warriors growled and shouted, the anticipation in their eyes was searing. “Do I have a choice?” Delgado asked. The warriors hooted at the weak response. “Let me gut him Brigadier!” More than one of them shouted. “He’s unworthy of you!” Bellowed another. “Pathetic PetaQ!” Screamed one more. “You do not have to accept this challenge,” Gorkon offered. “And face summary execution.” He let the words sink in a second before adding, “Or if you do accept the challenge, I promise on my word as a warrior that no other Federation survivors will be harmed.” “They’ll still be your prisoners though,” the human was skeptical. “Yes,” Gorkon nodded. “That could be worse than death,” the man surmised. Gorkon smiled. Rura Penthe certainly was. “But they will be alive Commodore, isn’t that the most important thing to humans?” He shouldn’t have been so condescending, but the human’s vacillating was starting to annoy him. He wanted to be done with this. To give his warriors their sport before he got down to securing the Oberoi sector. It had been his prize and he intended to keep it for the Empire. The human stood upright and lowered his head. Gorkon could tell he was weighing his options. The warriors began stomping and beating on whatever they could find, even their chests, until the din was nearly unbearable. To his credit the commodore didn’t let that rattle him. After a few moments he looked Gorkon in the eye. “I accept,” he said, his words nearly swallowed by the cacophony. Gorkon smiled again. He held up both hands in a silencing gesture. The noise stopped instantly. “He accepts,” Gorkon declared and a collective howl ripped from around the qaDrav. “If you defeat me, you will live and join your compatriots. If you lose…” “I die,” Delgado said solemnly. Gorkon nodded. “This is a fight to death I take it,” the commodore added. Gorkon nodded again. The human sighed and squared his shoulders. A blank expression fell over his face. “Let’s do it,” he said. “Begin!” Gorkon roared before charging. **************************************************************** Captain Chang was enraptured as everyone else as the two men hurtled toward each other. But unlike many of his brethren he didn’t discount or disdain Commodore Delgado. He disagreed with the policy of least respect that the Defense Force was supposed to show to the Federation. The Starfleeters at Oberoi had fought well for being taken by surprise. Facing Klingon warriors was sure to terrify anyone and yet few had left their posts. They had fought valiantly, trying to buy time for the civilians to escape. However there was no escape. The Brigadier ensured that. Civilian vessels were captured and those that resisted were destroyed. Now the civilians waited in the holds of Klingon warships, ready to be taken back to the Empire, to be displayed as prizes of war. The taking of the Oberoi Sector so effortlessly would one day be regaled in the Hall of Warriors and Brigadier Gorkon might one day have his name mentioned beside men like General Korrd. The two men embraced, each struggling for advantage, to knock the other off his feet. It was a foolish move by the human. There was no way he could hope to overpower the bigger, stronger Gorkon. As a high-ranking Starfleet officer, Delgado should’ve known that Klingons were naturally stronger than humans. To go toe to toe was suicide. Perhaps the human just wanted to get it over with, Chang surmised. At that moment, Gorkon roughly pushed the man away. The Brigadier didn’t want it to be over that easy, Chang realized. He knew the warriors needed their sport. Delgado nearly fell down, but he caught himself. He began crouching again and circling Gorkon. He would feint and then pull away, seeking to draw the Klingon in, but Gorkon would not fall for the bait. Instead he likewise crouched and imitated the human. Feinting left; he reached out with his right hand and grabbed the human’s sleeve. He yanked the human towards him and into a punch. Delgado’s cheek caved in and Gorkon let the man fall. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Gorkon slowly turned, allowing the man to get back on his feet. The man’s legs were wobbly. His cheek was purpling and blood ran down it. Gorkon was in complete control. The man crouched again, engaging in the same maneuver. Hadn’t he realized it would not work? Chang found himself a bit exasperated. How could an alliance that had defeated the Romulans produce officers like this? The two men continued circling each other, the human seeking some sort of advantage and Gorkon denying it to him. Chang began hearing grumbles among some of the warriors. They wanted blood. And he couldn’t disagree. The fight had grown stale. “Kill,” the chant began, increasing in volume until it shook the heavens, “Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!” It spooked the human. He rushed the brigadier. Gorkon easily sidestepped him while drawing up a knee that slammed into Delgado’s midsection. The human crumpled. The call for blood had become deafening. Gorkon resisted his warriors. How he must be at war with the stirring of his own blood, Chang surmised; such a sweet agony. The brigadier allowed Delgado to get back on his feet. The human held his stomach with one hand. Gorkon charged at him, and the human straightened. Gorkon threw a punch, and the human blocked it, lashing his boot at the Klingon’s knee and connecting. The knee buckled. On the way down, Delgado’s palm struck Gorkon’s chin, throwing the man’s head back. The noise died down immediately. The brigadier had been knocked to the ground, by a lowly human. Chang was surprised as everyone else, but also intrigued. There was more to Commodore Delgado than he had realized. He had been fooling Gorkon all along. Most interesting…. **************************************************************** Gorkon found himself down on his hands and knees. He couldn’t believe it. He had been lured into a false sense of superiority by this human. “Get up,” Delgado said above him. What other tricks did the human have up his sleeve? Slowly standing back up, Gorkon looked at the human with new respect. It took a lot to knock a Klingon warrior off his feet. Now Delgado stood before him, his knees slightly bent, his left foot in front of the other, both hands on guard. The posture reminded him of a mok’bara position. Gorkon was tempted to fall into a mok’bara stance, but he felt to do so would lessen him in the eyes of his soldiers. Mok’bara was meant for warriors and a Klingon should not have to use it to dispatch a human. However, maybe the humans were tougher than the High Command would have them believe. Delgado’s eyes were hard and focused on him. “Very good,” Gorkon nodded. “Let’s see if you do that again.” “Bring it,” the commodore challenged. So Gorkon did. The man blocked his first punch, a quick hand striking at his throat, with another aiming for the space between his shoulder and neck, followed by a hard punch to his nose. It stunned Gorkon, but it didn’t fell him. If Delgado had been fighting a human or another soft species these moves would’ve have knocked them back to the ground. But he was fighting a Klingon warrior. Gorkon grabbed the man in a strong embrace, attempting to crack his spine. The man unleashed a flurry of blows against Gorkon’s face and head, but the Klingon held on, the vise growing tighter. The human groaned as he felt the pain, but still he didn’t relent. Two thick fingers poked Gorkon in the eyes and the Klingon let go as he staggered back. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, trying to get his sight back, he saw a flash of silver and then felt a stinging pain along his bicep. In his stuttered vision, he saw the man now wielded a knife. *****************************************************************
Mortal Kombat, Klingon style. And yet this human is clearly no pushover. Perhaps it is here that Gorkon is beginning to respect humans and Starfleet leading him to a path of peace in his later years. Chang on the other hand will likely take away something very different. Interesting stuff.
DarKush, I'm loving your work with the Klingons. You're taking a race who I sometimes find to be quite a caricature and looking at them in a very interesting way. Especially love seeing Gorkon and Chang in their prime. More please.
Plus as an added bonus..being from such an old era....the TOS combat music is quite appropriate, and I've been running it through my head as I read. On the serious side, I really like how you've taken a combat which could be just a series of kicks/punches/dirty tricks and added so much internal thought process. Instead of detracting from the action, it adds an element of character richness that makes the story more compelling.
Just re-read it with (duh duh DA DA DA DA duh da duh DA DA) going through my head, it totally works! Makes me like it even more than before.
Paging Dr. McCoy . . . We could really use some Tri-Ox about now. Fine work, DK! I really like the Klingon perspective you bring to the 4YW stories. Looks like they may have underestimated Human perseverance.
Thanks again for reading and commenting guys. I hadn't thought about the Trek fight music, but it seems appropriate. CeJay you were right on the money about where I wanted Gorkon and Chang to go, but I'm not sure I really got there, for Chang at least. ***************************************************************** Chang couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Gorkon staggering backward, Gorkon bleeding. Delgado advancing, with a knife he had pulled from his boot. The soldiers who had initially captured him would have to be punished for the oversight he supposed, but he was too enraptured by what was occurring to give that much thought. Warriors rushed forward, but Gorkon ordered them back. Others sought to give him weapons, but the brigadier refused them. Chang had always been impressed with Gorkon’s acumen. He knew that if the man had taken a weapon and slew the human he would win the battle but lose the war. His men would never respect him afterwards and he would never advance within the Imperial Fleet. For Gorkon and the House of Makok it would be far better for the man to die here, in combat, than for him to defeat an inferior opponent with a weapon, when his bare hands should suffice. But Chang had to rethink whether humans were truly inferior after all. They had defeated the Romulans, made both the Vulcans and Andorians junior partners in their Federation, and had expanded steadily across the stars. Perhaps they were a foe even to be emulated. He made a promise to study the humans more, their history, and cultures. Perhaps they were more Klingon than he had been told. And maybe that’s what truly frightened the High Council and the admirals? It was definitely something to ponder. *************************************************************** Gorkon blinked and used one hand to rub his stinging eyes. Delgado ran at him, swinging his blade like a mek’leth. There was determination in the man’s hardened eyes, a spark of hatred even. This quickened Gorkon’s blood. He ran towards the man, surprising the human. Delgado stopped his advance, not quite sure what to do. Certainly the human wasn’t used to anyone running towards a weapon. And the brigadier was just as certain that this human had never faced a Klingon warrior before. The hesitation was just long enough for Gorkon to barrel into the man, right shoulder first, knocking the human off the ground. He flew through the air, the knife going in the opposite direction. Delgado landed hard, the air gushing from his lungs, followed by groans. Gorkon quickly found the knife. He picked it up and stalked back to where Delgado was slowly getting up. The crowd had gone quiet. The assembled were burgeoning with anticipation. The brigadier grabbed the human and pulled him roughly to his feet. He held up the knife. It glinted in the sunlight. He gave it back to the stunned Delgado before he announced, “If you slay me, on my word as a warrior, you and all the prisoners will be released!” At that he heard some grumbling among his brethren, but he paid it no mind. He knew he had to show them his complete mastery of the situation, which the human had just thrown into doubt. The human turned the knife over in his hand, a perplexed look on his face. “This is no ruse Commodore, I assure you.” Gorkon smiled, “I’m even making it easier for you.” He pointed towards the blade. “Kill me and win your freedom.” Taking the brigadier by surprise, Delgado swung straight at his throat. The tip of the blade nicked him, drawing a few beads before he threw his head back in time. Gorkon laughed. “That’s the spirit!” The commodore lunged at him, attacking with the ferocity of a saber bear. Gorkon’s laughter increased and so did that of his fellow warriors. Delgado was providing good sport! The human jabbed mostly air, though he nicked Gorkon several times, each sting stirring his blood. He spent most of his time swatting and evading the man to the laughter of his soldiers. The human let out a yell of frustration and began pressing more fiercely. He wanted his freedom and that of the people in his charge, enough to take on a superior opponent. Gorkon was impressed. He hadn’t thought humans capable of impressing him before. He had encountered none that were as fearsome as the Balduk or as honorable as the Romulans. This man, his desperation driving his courage, refused to relent. Delgado switched the position of the knife in his hand, now stabbing downward. Gorkon stepped towards the blade. It arced down with force, slicing his skin, embedding in his chest. The Klingon grunted. Delgado attempted to pull the knife out, to attack again. But this time Gorkon pushed him away. The human yelped and fell away. He was always sensitive to the mood of his men and he knew that while they enjoyed their entertainments, they also wanted a display of Klingon superiority. Delgado stumbled backward. Gorkon stalked after him, the knife still in his chest. Delgado quickly righted himself. He went into another combat stance. The Klingon threw a punch, which the commodore blocked. His other hand lashed out, clipping Gorkon’s eye socket and connecting with his ridged brow. The man shrieked, shaking his cracked hand. Gorkon blinked at the pain from the blow. The human regrouped, sidestepping Gorkon and whipping his arm around to bisect him. Gorkon was unmoved. With both hands clasped together he brought them down on the back of the human’s neck. Delgado dropped. The human clung to Gorkon’s legs, attempting to stand back up. The Klingon helped him. Lifting him up, both meaty hands on the sides of his face, Gorkon looked the human in the eyes. Delgado kicked and punched at him but the blows meant nothing. He wanted to look Delgado in the eyes and show him the proper respect. He had earned it. With a quick twist he snapped the human’s neck. The light in his eyes blanked out. Gorkon threw the husk to the ground. The crowd cheered and soon the qaDrav was filled with song. But Gorkon didn’t join in. His eyes were still on the crumpled corpse of the human. If Delgado could knock him down he wondered if the Federation could do the same to the Empire. It was a sobering thought. **************************************************************** Gorkon sat on Commodore Delgado’s desk. He bit back a grunt as the bone mender poked along his chest before running a scanner across it. “It’s a punctured lung,” the one-eyed medic said. “Thank Kahless I have three of them,” Gorkon joked. Brak’lul, the redundancy in Klingon physiology made his people hardy, though it was their minds and hearts that made them true warriors. He sealed the wound. The brigadier did allow himself a grimace this time. It felt as if the bone mender was causing him more damage than the human did. A warrior stepped into the room and saluted. The man wore his black helmet which covered his face and obscured his ridges. It was a trend accelerating across the Imperial Fleet and one Gorkon encouraged. He believed that both HemQuch and QuchHa’ were equal and anything that obscured the minor differences between them was crucial to ensuring solidarity. Long, thick black hair fell from beneath the mask and across the man’s broad shoulders. Dressed in a heavy, black trench coat, the only way Gorkon could identify him was his house crest on his baldric. Gorkon dismissed the doctor. Once they were alone, the man spoke. “It appears the human left a mark Brigadier,” Captain Chang said with a smile in his voice. He was one of the brighter warriors under Gorkon’s command and one Gorkon considered an ally. Gorkon looked down at the proud scar. It would have a place of honor on his flesh. The first wound he had received in this war. He was hopeful it wouldn’t be the last. “What do you want?” The Brigadier greeted Chang. At that moment he noticed the PADD in one of the man’s gloved hands. Chang held up the display device. “This is the pertinent information we gleaned from this outpost’s databanks.” “It is certain Starfleet has already invalidated this data,” Gorkon assured him. “But it is worth studying if for no other reason to better understand our foe.” “Is it really Brigadier?” Chang asked, pulling off his helmet. The older man’s eyes were alert and brimming with the fire of debate. Gorkon enjoyed verbal sparring as much as physical contests sometimes. His mate often said he should seek a position on the High Council once his military career was over. His love of debating was something he shared with Chang. The men would often argue, not caring which side they picked. It wasn’t so much about the rightness or wrongness it was about the skill in using words and intellect to disarm an opponent. Gorkon slid off the desk and pointed at the bottle of bloodwine on his desk. He had been using that to dull the pain from Delgado’s attack. Chang placed the helmet on the desk. He grabbed the bottle and took a long draught. Chang handed the bottle to Gorkon before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The brigadier took a swig before sitting down in Delgado’s chair. “So far we have defeated them at Archanis, Caleb IV, New Tokyo,” Chang rattled off the glorious list. “At this rate we’ll be planting our flag in Earth soil by the end of the month.” “It would seem that way,” Gorkon nodded, “But it will not be so easy.” “Our battles with the Federation thus far have proven otherwise,” The older man was spoiling for a fight. Gorkon chuckled. “It shouldn’t be so easy.” “Fair enough,” Chang nodded, “But so far even the Andorians have not proven their mettle against us.” “We haven’t truly threatened one of their worlds,” Gorkon pointed out, “And this Starfleet seems to be a human’s club.” “The Andorians were fools to entrust their security to the Earthers,” Chang declared. “They were a people who once had fight.” “So did the Vulcans,” Gorkon added, “despite their bloodless ways, their ring ships once dominated the space lanes. Now they are functionaries of the humans.” “Vassals even!” Chang spat. “No better than Arin’Sen!” “And that’s the thing Chang,” Gorkon replied, rubbing his bearded chin, “What power do the Earthers possess that make galactic powers like the Andorians and Vulcans join them?” “It was the threat of the Romulans,” Chang offered. “But what made them stay united after that war was over?” Gorkon asked. “Fear of us,” Chang laughed, striking the desk with a heavy hand. The brigadier joined in the laughter. “And they were right to fear us.” “It’s more than fear,” Gorkon surmised, “It’s something that is longer lasting, more sustaining, it is freedom from fear and that is what concerns me.” Memories of the fierce determination in Delgado’s eyes flashed through his mind. “I don’t think we have truly seen the humans yet or the full strength of their Federation.” “I hope that you are right,” Chang said, “I hope that there is more. I want to prove myself against a worthy opponent, not the old grishnar cats we have faced thus far.” “I have a feeling you’ll get your chance,” Gorkon promised, before taking another drink. “We all will.” THE END
I thought you did an excellent job of portraying the brutal hand-to-hand combat scene. Commodore Delgado displayed tremendous courage and skill but in the end it wasn't enough. Still, Gorkon gained a degree of respect for Humans so Delgado's efforts were not completely in vain. The philosophical debate between Chang and Gorkon was also well-done. I sense a hint of John Ford's Klingon culture ("The Final Reflection") in your portrayal of Klingons - a good thing in my opinion. I confess to being influenced by Ford also. Good stuff, DK! More, please.
Thanks TLR, With the fight scenes I tried to describe some Kempo moves since I'm taking lessons. I'm glad you liked them. I'm also glad you liked the debate between Chang and Gorkon. I was hoping to do a bit more with Chang and his conclusions about humanity, but it just felt like a good place to take it where I eventually did and to stop right there. Perhaps I will revisit at a later time. I had originally written that Chang was younger than Gorkon, but went back and changed it. I read only a bit of The Final Reflection. I didn't get far with it, so I can't say it's much of an conscious influence though I'm honored that you would think so since that book is revered by some Trek Lit. fans. Sidenotes: While checking out Gorkon's page on Memory Beta I saw he had something of an adversarial relationship with the Vanguard character Diego Reyes. He was an inspiration for Raul Delgado. I also decided to use the Into Darkness look for the Klingons not necessarily for any particular reason though I thought they looked cool and I didn't really think of a 2240s era Klingon uniform. The helmets also help mask the differences between ridges and smooth brow which could help 'smooth' things over (pun intended) between the two sub-races of Klingons.
Oh yes, they'll get their wish alright. Nicely done. A brutal battle followed by a poignant conversation about the war and their deceptively weak enemy. This whole episode seems to be a crucial moment in Gorkon's life, as no doubt, will be the lessons from this war.