chal'cheyon puvghach Qav
(IKS chalche'yon - Cargo Bay - beq leqSI' and ra'wI' vernaQ)
The IKS chalche'yon, a heavily-converted bird-of-prey, was traveling at low warp and was less than a day out of Nequencia, a star system in Romulan space near the border between the two Empires. Crewwoman leqSI' had been very innovative in her use of available space aboard to store a very large shipment of the much-coveted blue ale. LeqSI' was the lowest ranking member of the crew, a beq, but she perhaps was the Klingon aboard who most enjoyed her work.
In addition to being essentially quartermaster, she was the Transporter and Communications Specialist. Fitting too many things in not enough space was a challenge - even though the Chalche'yon was had a much larger cargo bay than an normal B'rel-Class bird-of-prey - and challenging work was rewarding work. Serving as ship's linguist was figuratively the same thing - expressing too many concepts in too few words. LeqSI' spoke no language well - not even Klingon - but she did speak several languages poorly. It was the severalness of her expertise that made her qualified to be the communications specialist; everyone else aboard spoke far fewer tongues than she did.
Commander vernaQ was inspecting LeqSI's work and he was smiling.
"You have outdone yourself, beq," the ship's XO said. "Again." VernaQ turned abruptly on his heel and exited the cargo bay without further comment.
LeqSI' had no additional duties unless the subspace radio or transporter needed to be operated until the ship reached its destination - Risa. This meant her time was her own until she was called to perform some task. She went to her bunk to resume studying the standard language of the Federazhon. The text she had was old, but it was an heirloom. Even if there were better books to work from, LeqSI' honored her ancestors by using this one.
(IKS chalche'yon - Captain's War-Room - HoD QolloH and pIn'a' DI'al)
"This shipment will earn us enough darseks to afford that plasma regulator we've been needing," old DI'al said to his son and captain, QolloH.
"Plasma regulator… I wonder how much it would cost to bribe Starfleet to give us back tlha'nISta'," QolloH mused aloud. Tlha'nISta' was QolloH's daughter, and the best engineer he'd ever had, but she had left the Chalche'yon when her mother was killed. Tlha'nISta's engineer's mate, wIjetlh, had been promoted to engineer those eight years ago but he had never demonstrated quite as much talent as QolloH's only child.
"I do not think it is Starfleet you would need to bribe, Captain," said DI'al. "Tlha'nISta' has not recovered from the loss of her mother. Nor have you, I suspect. Our House will die off if you do not. Take another mate, my son. It has been nearly a decade."
QolloH would have struck anyone else for suggesting this. But DI'al was not only the Captain's father, he was also the ship's Weapons Master, the pIn'a'. Striking the old man would very likely result in greater injury to QolloH. Though old, DI'al was still the best aboard with blade or beam weapon. Even barehanded, the pIn'a' was capable of doing things no one else could hope to achieve.
"That is your wish?" QolloH said, speaking to DI'al as his father, not as a subordinate.
"It is. You should have known that without my having to tell you. I know that you loved Ti'amah-"
"I love Ti'amah!" QolloH barked impulsively.
"Yes, and that is the problem. You do here no honor by crying every day into your warnog. You do Tlha'nISta' no honor. You dishonor me as well. You could live another hundred years - unless you are lucky enough to die in glorious battle. And with the DernItlh veS (Doenitz's War) over, that seems unlikely. Have you decided to spend that next century living as some khest'n Ferengi!? Or did you take Ti'amah's last words too much to heart? 'Live long and prosper,' she said. That is not the Klingon way, QolloH!"
QolloH rose swiftly from his chair, without a weapon in hand but with a snarl on his lips.
"Good! Your blood stills sings the anthems of our people even if your mind endlessly replays the dirges of the Vulcans."
It was then that the Second-in-Command, ra'wI' VernaQ entered the War-Room. "The cargo is secured," he said. "We are underway to Risa, as ordered." VernaQ could see the venom and blood in the eyes of the two others in the room. "Good," he said, "DI'al has finally said something."
"You spoke to him of this!?" QolloH demanded of DI'al.
"Everyone knows, even the beq," said VernaQ. "Bed her, Captain. LeqSI' is young - and unmarried - and she has a child-bearing Sa'Hut."
QolloH muttered about mutiny. DI'al and VernaQ both laughed at this.
"It is hardly mutiny to remind you to be Klingon, Captain," VernaQ said, being the first to recover his breath after heartily chuckling at QolloH's near-whispered protest.
This brought a momentary silence. Then it was QolloH who laughed, though he forced himself to do so. His acting must have been convincing enough, since his two officers joined in before departing the War-Room evidently content that they had got their point across.
Once alone, QolloH slumped back in his chair. He pulled on the chain at his neck and tugged the medallion suspended from it out of his uniform. He gazed on his dead wife's IDIC, and drank warnog.
(IKS chalche'yon - Bridge - VernaQ, DI'al, parlanS, patwaH, 'argho', and Qant)
VernaQ and DI'al exited the Captain's War-Room and stepped out onto the Bridge. Helmsman parlanS, Navigator patwaH, and 'Science-Boss' Sergeant 'argho' were present. VernaQ sat in the center seat, and DI'al took up a position to VernaQ's right. Qant, DI'al's apprentice, followed his Master's example and stood to the XO's left.
"Dotlh yIja'," VernaQ barked, ordering the bridge crew to report the ship's status.
"Steady on course," said the helmsman. The navigator simply echoed parlanS's statement with a simple "Yes."
"There is a sensor anomaly off our port quarter," reported the chameloid sciences specialist, Sergeant 'argho'.
Only Qant was silent. As an apprentice - the ship's junior weapons officer - he had nothing significant to tell.
"And you did not report this earlier, why?" demanded VernaQ.
'Argho' grinned, and without a word of explanation, shifted form to perfectly match that of the Captain's former mate.
"It would appear he knew what was being discussed in the War-Room," DI'al observed - laughing his words out. Everyone on the bridge was laughing, 'Argho' included - though he sounded exactly like Ti'amah in so doing. Ti'amah had be a V'tosh ka'tur - an emotional Vulcan, one who did not sacrifice emotion on the altar of logic. As such, Ti'amah had giggled frequently.
Still looking and sounding like the Vulcan woman, 'Argho' reported further on the anomaly. "It exhibits characteristics consistent with a cloaked Romulan vessel. I had assumed it to be our escort out of the Star Empire's claimed sphere of influence."
"Very good, Ti'amah," VernaQ said with a smile. "Nevertheless, keep monitoring it. Keep reporting on it. And I suggest you shift back before the Captain sees you."
VernaQ had wondered what 'Argho's real gender was, of if gender was even really an issue with chameloids. He did know that 'Argho' seemed to prefer being male, and that he had be Tlha'nISta's parmaqqay when the Captain's daughter was aboard. That would explain the former engineer's fascination with shape-changers, and if 'Argho' were non-male it would also explain why Tlha'nISta' had never gotten pregnant. But, VernaQ had decided long ago that whatever the answer was, it did not matter. VernaQ liked 'Argho' but despised Changelings in general. A pleasing shape could too easily hide a malignant heart.
"Of course, sir," said Ti'amah-'Argho', and the chameloid shifted back to its male Klingon form.
(IKS chalche'yon - Engine Room - Sogh wijetlh and lagh jorghan)
wijetlh, the ship's engineer, and his son-and-assistant jorghan worked to keep the ship's power systems online and (marginally) functional despite the fault with the plasma regulator. Wijetlh was swearing himself hoarse, something he did as a general habit. Jorghan, for his part, kept silent - just in case there were orders or questions mixed in with the cursing.
"If we make it to a starport, it will be only by the Hand of Kahless," Wijetlh said.
Jorghan responded that he was not anxious to see Sto-vo-Kor today. "It is NOT a good day to die - of plasma burns," he added.
"The Captain's hybrid monster-child could have fixed this easily," Wijetlh observed.
"She was a witch, Father," said the superstitious Jorghan, "just like her ko-krelsh mother." Ko-krelsh was a Vulcan word, meaning 'witch.' Jorghan was not a linguist, and had not aspiration of becoming one. But he was fascinated by tales of magic and the preternatural. He had listened intently to Ti'amah's stories during the feasts aboard ship. And he was convinced that the Vulcan's ghost haunted the Chalche'yon. The deceased ko-krelsh might even be to blame for the faulty regulator - indicating her displeasure with QolloH still mourning her after all these years by tampering with the equipment.
"Witches are like gods, Jorghan," Wijetlh said, "an inconvenience to be put down as quickly as possible." Engineer Wijetlh did not like non-Klingons. He was happy Ti'amah was dead, glad Tlha'nISta' was gone away to Starfleet, and would cheerfully hand that shifter 'Argho' over to the ship's butcher-surgeon Sulang. Though he had never voiced the opinion, Wijetlh believed Sulang had killed Ti'amah eight years ago. In the event, Sulang had not saved her life, and Wijetlh was thankful for at least that much.
(IKS chalche'yon - One Deck above Engineering, Improvised Cargo Hold - No one present)
Above the marginally functional plasma regulator, there was a casket of something not alcoholic, despite what the labeling said. In this one container, of all the others marked as Romulan ale, there was a explosive device placed by the Chalche'yon's Nequencian business contact, Dhivael.
Dhivael had not intended to use the device against the Klingons. The bomb was merchandise, meant for a different trader to intercept once the ale was delivered. But Dhivael did not know where the bomb would be placed, and was not aware of the malfunctioning plasma regulator. He could not have known the radioactive emissions from the Chalche'yon's engine would activate the device…
(IKS chalche'yon - Captain's Quarters - QolloH)
QolloH had moved from his War-Room to his private chamber. With a bottle of warnog still in one hand, he reached for his communicator with the other. "beq LeqSI', report to my quarters," he ordered, deliberately using the shipwide channel.
On the bridge, VernaQ, DI'al, Parlans, Patwah, 'Argho', and Qant all laughed loud and long, with Qant doing so only after he saw Master DI'al so doing. In engineering, Wijetlh and Jorghan both said, "It's about time" while they continued to work. In the Enlisted Barracks chamber, LeqSI' yelped "Finally!" as she leapt from her bunk. She took off toward the Captain's quarters at a run, her Federazhon text still in hand.
When LeqSI' reached the Captain's cabin, he was standing in the threshold - holding the doors open. LeqSI' leapt up and wrapped her arms around him as she sunk her formidable teeth into the right side of his neck. She did not have true fangs, but she did have very prominent canines. Ti'amah had always called the young Klingoness ' khaf-monsu' - or vampire. QolloH tried to force the nickname from his mind as he pulled LeqSI' into his quarters and let the doors close.
(IKS chalche'yon - Sickbay - Sogh Sulang)
With no one aboard in need of medical attention or torture, Lieutenant Sulang, who served as both ship's surgeon and interrogation officer, was busying himself with playing tlhInja (or klin zha) by himself - moving a piece first on one side then on the other, playing both attacker and defender. TlhInja was Sulang's favorite diversion - but it was more than that too. He was a titled competitor and had won several trophies at the game. He spent whatever free time he had improving his play. He was thus distracted when the Captain summoned LeqSI' to him, and was thus the only member of the crew who missed the news.
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