Star Trek: DS9 Narendra

by ThunderChyld

Join Worf, Geordi and Miles O'Brien on a very unique mission. One that will be eye-opening. First after an extensive refit of the Enterprise--Worf and Geordi are reassigned. Where will that take them? Read on to find out more!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Narendra"This story was based directly on the events that took place after Star Trek Nemesis in the year 2379.
The beginning of this story starts over a year removed from the battle of the Enterprise Vs. the Scimitar in the Bassen Rift.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard was working with his officers aboard the Enterprise after the refit.

They continue the stories that began…boldly going where no one has gone before…

Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Deep Space Nine was created by Michael Piller and Rick Berman

"Narendra" concept created by

R.K. Savage (ThunderChyld) and M.D. Bishop (ruahforever)

"Transition" | Narendra Part I of III By R. K. Savage (ThunderChyld)

Author's Note:

This story is set in the year 2380, over a year removed from the battle with Shinzon and the Scimitar. In this time, the Enterprise under the command of Jean-Luc Picard has undergone an extensive refit. During the refit process a number of his senior staff and other crewmembers have either been reassigned or promoted. Christine Vale, Christina Ryan, William Riker, Deanna Troi, and Beverly Crusher have been transferred.

At this time, Commander Worf and Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge still remain aboard as Picard's last remaining senior officers. They both have served the Enterprise with distinction during their tenure aboard. Both of them could be considered to be living legends. Even with Worf being aboard part-time, they both are considered to be part of an elite list of officers who have not only served under Picard, but to have served the Federation throughout the Dominion War, the Borg incursions, and most recently with the Battle of the Bassen Rift and the Scimitar.

With all of the changes going on, where will this end?

USS Garrett
Stardate 57985.9 (December, 2380)

"Commander Worf?" The female voice asked in concern on his viewscreen.

"Yes," the man said to her on the view screen.

"It says here in his service record, that he is not to be considered for a starship command…"

"I know."

"What makes him special enough for this assignment? This came from Starfleet Command itself that he is not to have a starship command, due to his actions in the single incident when he was to bring back the Cardassian…"

"Admiral Janeway--Kathryn…" the tall man asked of her by name, "I am using your example-you brought together two crews, both Starfleet and Maquis officers worked together toward a common goal-returning home. You also promoted several Maquis officers during your time in the Delta Quadrant. Why can't this one incident be overlooked? Look at his service record."

"And then his previous CO-Captain Ben Sisko…then Jean-Luc Picard…"

"Their faith in him was unwavering."

After several long silences, Kathryn looked over the padd she had in front of her once more. She looked back into the screen, and said, "After looking at everything from his time on the Enterprise and then his stint on DS9, and finally his ambassadorship role on Qo'Nos, I can't promote him directly as a Captain."

"But admiral…"

She waved a hand and said, "Let me finish…"

"Very well…"

"I have come to realize that some of Starfleet's finest officers didn't always follow the letter of the law to become successful. This is a trait I hold dear, so I will say this, like in the Dominion War, he can have a field command-and still command a vessel with his present rank of Lieutenant Commander."

Satisfied with this exchange, the other admiral looked back at his screen and replied, "I think that this is acceptable then."

"Very well. When do you want me to tell him?"

"You assigned this mission to me admiral; I will take care of it."

"Now--I do have one more question…"

"What's that Admiral?"

"What ship did you have in mind?" Kathryn picked up the padd once more and looked over the primary profile. "Your mission information did not have a particular ship listed."

"Since the nature of this mission is as listed, I think that the faster the ship, the better. There is only one ship that comes to mind."

Kathryn looked at a second pad and looked back at her screen again to her colleague. "An Intrepid-class?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Puzzled, she looked again at the fleet inventory, "There is one ship at Starbase 234 that fits the parameters--one that I think that you will find very useful. Direct Commander Worf to that location. If Worf can complete the mission ahead of him, I will allow him to remain at the rank of Captain. Keep me in touch with your progress will you?"
"I sure will-Castillo out."

USS Garrett was entering visual range of Deep Space Nine. This Ambassador-class starship was closing in on the large Starbase. USS Garrett was the same design as the Enterprise-C and thus was kept as his own flagship. It has been upgraded and heavily modified to keep this ship with the times.

She was more than a match for most of her opponents. While Richard was in his ready room, he had tapped his combadge, "Castillo to bridge: signal Deep Space Nine-put me in touch with Captain Kira Nerys."

Enterprise-E | Deck 7
Stardate 57987.3

Tactical Officer's Personal Log, Stardate 57987.3:

"I have just received word from Starfleet Command that I have been reassigned. Captain Picard didn't take the news lightly. I have come to realize that after Captain Riker left to take command of the USS Titan, his senior officer base has changed more than ever. He also knows that I will do my duty as a Starfleet Officer, whatever that may be. One way or another, I will find out shortly."

Worf had shut off the display on his monitor in his temporary quarters aboard the Enterprise. He had stood up, straightened his baldric and walked to the replicator and ordered a chilled prune juice. Once he had a sip, he felt a little better about this reassignment, although he hasn't received word about what the mission is about or where it is to be carried out.

Simply, it was a reassignment.

For the first time in a while, things were going well. He had been in contact with his son Alexander, and as his role has changed, Martok is taking him under his wing. It is all working out. He had spoken with Kira and Ezri a few weeks prior and was warmed that on that end of space, things were going well, there too.

Surprisingly enough, he received a communiqué from Miles O'Brien. Of most every other officer Worf had ever served with, he served the longest with Miles, both with the stint aboard the Enterprise D and finally aboard Deep Space Nine. He always respected Miles-as Miles had respected Worf. He was also gratified to know that the O'Brien family was doing very well. That brought a grin to his face after everything they had all been through.

He had sat down to review the crew status reports. For an instant he had remembered how it was during the Dominion War. It was more give and take than anything else. Worf had his share of victories and losses. Of all of those losses, the one that was the most painful-was that of his late wife Jadzia.

He had put the report down on the table and sipped his prune juice once more. He went back to the day that he got married to her on DS9. He remembered the trials they all had to deal with just to get to that point, with both the retaking of DS9, the firefight to get there after the Defiant left the battle, and finally the ceremony.

For a moment he glowered at the picture of both him and Jadzia in their warrior's garb during their wedding. He also remembered how painful it was to see her hurt or injured. He remembered how much it took for him to keep her alive during the mission to Soukara to rescue the Cardassian agent, when they were attacked by a group of Jem'Hadar.

--And how much he was willing to sacrifice.

Worf had a permanent mark on his record because of this incident. He was to never command a ship as its captain. It has remained on his record for a number of years, which prompted him to resume his ambassadorship duties on Qo'Nos with Martok, and then returning to the Enterprise before the battle with Shinzon and the Scimitar.

Now, he has been reassigned.

Normally, Starfleet Command would voice their reasons why such a reassignment would take place-but not this time. Only simply take a runabout to the designated coordinates and await further orders. Most orders are pretty straightforward. As a result, he was a bit apprehensive. He would know soon enough what this was all about.

There was a chime coming from the door.

First a mission to whom I have no idea what is going on-and now-someone wants to bother me… Uch… How much can a warrior endure?

"Enter." Worf snapped.

It was Geordi, another officer with whom he has served with off and on for fifteen years. They both came aboard the Enterprise-D together as junior officers. Now-over fifteen years later, they both rose through the ranks both as senior officers and two of the most trusted with the ship's survival, himself at tactical/weapons and Geordi at the heart of the ship in engineering. They cover their backs more often than they would care to admit. During the mission to save the rest of the senior officers on planet Minos, Geordi led the bridge and led the crew to victory. Worf has never forgotten that battle.

"Worf, can I come in?"

"Of course," Worf not showing that he was actually happy to see him.

"Did you get a strange message from Starfleet?"

Worf screwed his face into a grimace. "I got a message that I was reassigned."

"I did too…" Geordi showed him the padd with the information about their reassignment.

"I am…confused."

"So is the captain… He apparently had no knowledge of this. But his orders were to meet up with a runabout and head to the intended destination."

"What is this all about?" Worf finally demanded…

"No idea…" Geordi shook his head.

"But what about the captain? His senior officer base is down a lot…most of the new crew haven't been in Starfleet as long as we have," citing a bit of pride because of their collective experience.

"Yeah, but I think they will be okay."

Just then the intercom sounded. "Picard to Worf."

"Worf here, sir."

"I want you and Geordi to come to my ready room."

Worf looked up at Geordi and said, "We're on our way."

"Excellent, Picard out."

A few moments later, the officers arrived to Picard's ready room. Picard was unusually calm, considering what just happened. Here he was about to lose two of his most valued officers. After Riker, Troi and Crusher left, Picard found himself needing to build a new group of senior staff. For nearly two years, he had done just that. He had a good crew that he could mold into a crew that he could count on for everything. But he knew that would take time.

He had to be patient.

Picard remembered how he said once, that 'Patience like diplomacy is a very exacting occupation.' This was right before their first meeting with the Scimitar and Shinzon. Patience was one thing that Picard had in the cards…

But he had none when he was kept in the dark-especially when it came to a mission or his crew. Picard had been sitting at his desk in his ready room. He had put the padd down that had the information about the ordered reassignment.

"Worf, Geordi-please come in."

Both officers had a seat in front of Picard's desk.

"I asked you both here for two reasons-first I wanted to let you both know that in the last seventeen years, I have come to rely on you both for your technical skills both at tactical and in engineering. While you are both away, those skills will be missed greatly as you both have done exemplary service to this ship-and to me as its commander."
Both Worf and Geordi exchanged glances and then said to Picard, "Thank you, sir."

"The other reason I asked you both here was to ask this one question: Did either one of you get any more additional information about this mission of yours?"

"None, sir-and to make matters worse the only thing that was provided was the coordinates of our drop off, and where we are to take the runabout. That's it," Geordi said as he had the padd in his hand.

"This strikes me as odd."

"What's that Mister Worf?"

"That Starfleet would reassign us-Geordi and I, I mean why us especially now that you are in need of good officers?"

Picard regarded the Klingon with silence for a moment. "Honestly, I have no idea, but I can tell you this…" Picard stood up, straightened his vest and stood behind both of the officers, "Whatever it is, with you both being on this mission, whatever the mission is--it will be a success."

It was at this moment that the Enterprise slowed to impulse power. They all felt their ship decelerate and knew that their time together was short. The intercom interrupted their conversation, "Commander Edison to Captain Picard…"

"Picard here…" Came the crisp response.

"We've arrived to the designated coordinates-and the Runabout USS Trinity is standing by, sir."

"Very well…We are on our way-Picard out."

Moments later, when they arrived to transporter room three, the ensign was working the console. Captain Picard looked over and said, "I relieve you ensign."

The young ensign complied and left the room.

Jean-Luc had stood there for a moment regarding his officers once more before transport. "You two are some of the best that Starfleet's made of. I have been grateful to have you both as colleagues and friends for the last seventeen years. In whatever your mission will become, good luck."

Geordi shook hands with Jean-Luc, "Thank you, captain."

"Mister Worf…"

Worf turned.

"Qua'Pla!"

Worf actually smiled. "Permission to disembark, sir…"

"Permission granted…" Picard smiled.

"Energize…"

The transporter began to wash them both over with energy and light until they emerged aboard the runabout. Once in the cockpit, they took a look around.

"It would appear that most everything is in order for us," Worf observed.

"Looks like an automatic course correction is in progress…we are accelerating to warp seven," Geordi noted as he took the helm control seat.

As the Enterprise was still stopped in space, the runabout turned away and finally jumped to warp speed. No sooner than that, Worf was still bothered by this transfer. "Why us?" He asked Geordi.

"Who knows?"

"I mean you and I--have had our share of missions together and apart."

"True. I wonder what lies before us now. We are in a runabout that appears to be bound for Starbase 234. According to this we should be there within the next hour or so."

"I hope that when we arrive, we will both get some answers…"

Starbase 234
Stardate 57988.1

As the runabout closed in on their destination, Worf noticed that the Starbase was familiar. There were a number of ships in the area. It appeared that the Starbase was busy and bustling with activity. As they closed in, the runabout automatically slowed to impulse speed and continued into the defensive perimeter.

The runabout headed to a staging area on the far side of the planet. Once there they were lead to a docking port. When they arrived, the door opened on the port side of the cockpit. Worf and Geordi stepped through it. Finally they reached another door with markings on it denoting that it was Starbase 234's office of the Admiralty.

They exchanged glances. As the door opened, they headed through the office. Soon, an officer who appeared to be in his early fifties headed to meet them. "Commanders Worf and LaForge…"

"Sir?" Worf looked over.

"I am Rear Admiral Richard Castillo…"

"I know of you-you were aboard the Enterprise-C…"

"The same…"

"Sir, I am honored. You and your ship sacrificed itself to protect the Klingon outpost at Narendra III…" Worf paused for a moment, "My people have a great respect for you and your crew."

"History will never, ever forget the name Enterprise…"

"No," Worf added, "They will not."

"Admiral Castillo, we were sent here…as we both were aboard another ship named Enterprise."

"Yes, Mister LaForge. You were…until now."

Castillo walked over to the large console on the wall. "Gentlemen, I have chosen you two for a mission that will be extremely vital for the Federation. The implications of which are very far reaching, and I needed the best people possible for this mission, and I have chosen you. Starfleet has put me in charge of certain aspects of Starfleet Intelligence, and I have to have good officers under me to implement missions directly related to it."

Both officers agreed and nodded, then they sat down at the table in front of the display. "I believe that one of the first things we need to make this mission a success is a ship."

"Forgive me Admiral Castillo, but, wouldn't the Enterprise and her crew be more suited for this mission?"

"Unfortunately, no…which is the reason I chose both of you."

"May we ask why?" Geordi asked as Worf was looking on.

"Because this will deal with the Klingon Empire directly and since you still hold Ambassadorial rank, I need you, Worf." Castillo walked over to his desk and picked up a pair of padds and gave it to them both. "Further, the only way that our forays are going to work is if you have a base to work from and ship under you to accomplish our goals."

"Admiral, at last report, I was not to have a starship command due to the mission on Soukara." Worf stated flatly as he restated his only reason he could not have a starship command.

"Mister Worf, your assignment will require us to make this work. Because of your experience and your performance record, I hereby grant you a field commission of Captain, effective immediately."

For the first time in his life, Worf was speechless…

"I am...grateful, sir…thank you."

Castillo then turned to LaForge and stated, "Without an executive officer, Worf, you will not be able to complete your mission ahead of you. Therefore, it is to you Geordi that I also promote to Commander and first officer."

"Thank you, Admiral…" Geordi looked over at Worf and back to Castillo, "But there is just one thing…you said we needed a ship…"

"Indeed…you do need a ship…gentlemen, please follow me.

Starbase Spacelane | Drydock 34
Stardate 57988.2

As they left Castillo's office the trio got aboard the runabout and took a trip to a drydock facility on the far side of the planet. As the runabout rounded the space lane, they were in silence. Castillo looked over and said, "When this mission came into existence, I felt that it was necessary that we not only address the mission with the best that Starfleet had to offer, but to do this in a very covert, and at times, quick fashion."

Worf nodded, now sporting his new shiny gold pip, and LaForge doing the same in command red and his solid gold pip denoting their promotions.

"You two will get to take this ship out for a spin…"

When the runabout banked to port, the ship that was in drydock was the third in the line; a Prometheus-class starship. This ship was one of the fastest in the fleet, state of the art, and perfect for the mission profile… This ship is able to separate into three semi-autonomous parts. Each are heavily armed and extremely well defended.

Worf smiled greatly as LaForge smiled as well.

"Admiral--would you mind coming aboard and celebrating this?"

"What do you mean by celebration?"

"A bottle of 2309; Klingon blood wine?"

"I, captain--would be honored…"

Once they got to the bridge of this brand new ship, Worf noticed that it was laid out very closely to the Enterprise, although it would be just a little different. The walls were a darker shade of grey with dark blue accents. The chairs for each station matched the rest of the bridge. From the turbolift at the back of the bridge on the portside, there immediately three stations on the upper level to the left. To the immediate right was one large screen for the Master Systems Display, then behind the captain's chair was the tactical station. The same layout was retained on the opposite side of the bridge.

The front of the bridge had a wide viewscreen, and doors on both sides. The door on the starboard side leads to the ready room. The door on the portside leads to the turbolift.

The trio crossed the bridge while other officers were working and headed directly to the ready room.

There would be time to become acquainted with the ship later.

Once in the ready room, Castillo stood in the doorway as Worf and LaForge took a look around. Although, it was laid out much like Picard's, Worf knew that he could probably add his touch to it and make it his own. Castillo while still observing for the moment, stepped forward and said, "There is only a few other matters we need to speak about, and then I believe it's time you become acquainted with the Narendra."

"Very well, Admiral…"

"Please Captain, have a seat…"

For the first time, Worf sat down his chair, he never knew until now how important it was to be a starship commander. Now although he has served in separate instances as a field commander, he has never had a command of his own until now. Worf sat there for a moment and he then finally said, "Ah… This feels good…"

With LaForge and Castillo sitting across from him, Castillo began once more. Castillo pulled out a padd and began to explain. "Starfleet intelligence has been receiving reports from the Klingon Empire stating that a power struggle is brewing with opponents of the Martok regime. Intelligence feels that an uprising is coming, and an assassination attempt may be planned. If this occurs, we could have another civil war on our hands, and if Martok dies…"

"The Klingon Empire may break away from the Federation." LaForge concluded, remembering how Klingon politics was working during the civil war of 2367.

"Do you have any information on the opposing factions? I know there are some that want to assert their power and try to oust Martok. There are only a handful that want to try."

"Could this be a relic from the house of Duras?" LaForge asked.

"It's possible. The only member of that house still alive is Toral." Worf concluded.

"For all we know that could very well be the tip of the iceberg. The Romulans who also were a part of the civil war almost fifteen years ago, could also be a part of this as well. If not the entire Romulan fleet, only a splinter cell of them. Working to dismantle the relationship that we have with them."

"What's our first mission?"

"Your first mission is to take the Narendra into Klingon Space and head to Terix Seven. You and Intelligence will work in concert to prevent the assassination from happening."

"Very well…does Chancellor Martok know about this?"

"No, and we want to keep it that way. We must let this play out. If word gets out that there is an assassination attempt, Martok will take steps from preventing it and our mission is a failure-the mission is to apprehend the guilty party in this and prevent his death. Once that happens we can then act on who is behind this conspiracy."

"Understood, sir."

"I picked some good officers to assist you in your mission. Once everyone is aboard, take the Narendra and head to Terix."

"Aye, sir…"

Geordi looked over and asked, "Sir, where will you be?"

"I will take the USS Garrett and a couple other ships to a section of space near Terix. There is a nebula that resides there that can mask almost all types of incoming scans. Once the mission is complete we will set up a rendezvous later on." Castillo handed Worf a black isolinear chip, and then passed it to LaForge.

"Oh and one more thing…" Castillo pulled out another padd as he and Worf stood up. "Computer, transfer command from me to Captain Worf, authorization Castillo-Beta-two-seven-omega…"

"USS Narendra is now under the command of Captain Worf," the computer noted dutifully.

"I relieve you, sir…" Worf said as he stood up, remembering what Captain Sisko said when he was to take command of USS Sao Paulo (Defiant) before the end of the Dominion War.

"I stand relieved…" Castillo shook Worf's hand and smiled. "Worf, Geordi--I think you will both do very well."

"Captain…" LaForge pulled out the bottle from his duffel… "I think it's time for this…"

Castillo smiled…

Worf walked to the replicator and got three glasses.

LaForge poured out three glasses full of Klingon Bloodwine. 2309, there is no better vintage. They stood together in the ready room and Worf began, "I would like to have a…toast?"

LaForge nodded, "That's right a toast…"

"I would like to toast the fact that we have a grand mission ahead of us, and that we have a great ship that will help us succeed, and that we will prevail. Songs will be sung about this day…"

Castillo chimed in, "To our mission, no matter who it takes us up against, or where…"

Their glasses clinked together and each one downed their drink.

Worf, "Very smooth…"

"I never had bloodwine before…." Geordi said as he drank his down, noticing how sweet, it was. Although it had a bit of a bite to it, it still was sweet going down.

"This is a very good vintage…" Castillo said to Worf's surprise.

"So you've had this before?"

"Sure have, when Martok and I met last year."

Worf smiled, and poured another glass.

USS Narendra, NCC-74915
Stardate 57988.3

Once Castillo left the Narendra, Worf and LaForge were working in the ready room. They needed time to look at their roster.

LaForge was looking over the roster from top to bottom and noticed a few items of interest. "Well Captain…"

"Geordi…you can still address me as Worf. You've known me the longest of anyone here."

"Very well…Worf, after looking at our staff aboard, I can tell you that you will see some familiar faces here soon…"

Worf turned the monitor towards him and viewed the roster, "Lets see, science officer, Zandra Taitt… I remember her, she was aboard the Enterprise-D wasn't she?"

"Sure was," LaForge continued, "She served under Beverly when she was in command against that rogue Borg ship. Taitt has made it to Lieutenant Commander…due in no small part to her stint aboard the Enterprise."

"Very true…" Worf reflected.
"Lieutenant Commander Deborah Fredericks…tactical and second officer…" LaForge was reading her dossier, "She graduated in 2367, at the top of her class, she excelled at tactical operations, command and advanced tactical training. She also had participated in a cross training program with the Imperial Klingon forces…she is also the daughter of former Enterprise crewman Tate Fredericks."

"Indeed. She has an impressive record so far, she served at both Utopia Planitia, then served aboard USS Venture and finally USS Thunderchild with distinction. She comes highly recommended." Worf concluded.

LaForge continued, "Since our ship has holographic surfaces throughout the hull, we don't necessarily need a chief medical officer, however one was given to us, Lieutenant Commander Skye Patel. She worked extensively with Dr. Pulaski aboard the Repulse several years back. She then took a stint at Starfleet Medical. She is considered to be one of the best that has ever turned out. Her last posting was aboard the Galaxy."

"We have an impressive group already…"

"Indeed, however we haven't even cracked the surface. Intelligence has given us one of their officers. Lieutenant Commander Rellin Alban. He is a Bajoran national who has been working under Admiral Castillo for the last four years. He previously served aboard USS Caprice as tactical officer. He served that ship with distinction."

"There is a mark on his record, can you tell what that is from?"

"Looks like there was an altercation when Section 31 attempted to draft him in. Apparently, the officer got physical and Rellin almost killed the S31 operative aboard."

"Section 31…all of their motives…always secretive… It's dishonorable," Worf glowered.

"Apparently, when he struck the operative, he was posing as a Starfleet Captain. He was exonerated, and the charges were dropped."

"Interesting. I think he will make a fine addition."

"Agreed…"

"Apparently, the admiral managed to cover most of our bases except one…we need a chief engineer."

"Yeah--we do…" LaForge nodded.

There was a chime at the door.

"Enter…"

An older man walked into the ready room. His speech had Irish all through it. His hair was still curly, a little boyish, but it still fits him well.

"Chief Miles Edward O'Brien…reporting for duty, sir."

"Miles?" Worf responded in disbelief.

"What? Don't act like you've not seen me before…" It would appear that his Irish tongue is still there…

"Miles…it has been a long time. I didn't know that you would be a member of my crew…" Worf smiled inwardly.

"Mister Worf--I mean, Captain Worf, I didn't know either until a runabout pulled up and picked me up. I was only told a couple days ago that I would be reassigned."

"How's the family? My god, it's been nearly thirteen years since I last served with you?"

"My god, Geordi, it's been that long… You know about Kirayoshi?"

"I do…"

"Well at least, I didn't have to deliver him…" Worf said.

Everyone laughed as they all remembered Worf delivering Molly in Ten Forward aboard the Enterprise D, while the ship's systems were crippled.

"Yeah, well Kirayoshi is almost eight years old. He still remembers you Worf." Miles took a moment to recollect, "Now, Molly is growing up so fast…she is almost a teenager…"

LaForge was in shock. "That's what I get for remaining grounded aboard the Enterprise…"

"No, Geordi… It's been a long time…since we all served together."

"Very true…" Geordi smiled.

Worf had to do something, something that he has wanted to do for a long while… "Chief… you have been a respected member of the crew of the Enterprise, the Defiant, Deep Space Nine, and finally the Academy. Would you serve as my chief engineer aboard the Narendra?"

Without a second thought, "Sure, I would. This is the first Prometheus-class ship I have ever been aboard. This should be fun!"

"Very well… I will install you as chief engineer…but there is just one thing that I must do…"

"What's that?"

"By order of Starfleet Command, I hereby promote you to the field commission of Lieutenant Commander, with all of the responsibilities and rights thereto. Congratulations and welcome aboard."

"Thank you, sir…"

"Bloodwine?" Worf offered

"2309?" O'Brien asked.

"Of course…" Worf added.

"There is no finer vintage…" O'Brien quoted Martok.

LaForge looked over and said, "Why does everyone say that?"

"Geordi…trust us…there is none better…" O'Brien said as he took a large gulp. "Damn, you can't get a vintage this good on Earth."

LaForge looked over at them both and took another drink. "Well I guess that you're right…"

After finishing the bottle, Worf stood up and said finally, "I think that a staff meeting is in order. Geordi, assemble the senior staff in the conference room at sixteen-hundred hours."

"Yes, sir."

"Mister O'Brien, I want you to check out the engine room and make sure that the Narendra is up to spec. I want your best opinion on this."

"Yes, captain."

"I will join you in the meeting at that point. Lastly at fifteen hundred, I will address the crew in the shuttle bay. Dismissed."

As LaForge and O'Brien left the ready room, they entered the bridge and O'Brien said, "You know, it's about time…"

LaForge looked back dumbfounded.

"It's about time that they promoted the both of ya. You two deserve it."

"Well--this is my first time in years that I have been in command red. This will make for a very interesting experience."

"Right…we have some of the Enterprise's finest aboard…You can't go wrong there…"

Narendra | Ready Room
Stardate 57988.5

Begin Captain's Log, Stardate 57988.5

It has been an interesting day. It is almost a reunion of sorts. With Geordi and Miles with me on this ship, I have never felt so at ease. I have a crew of one hundred and forty seven that will be along with me for this assignment. I look forward to completing our mission, and finally address the threat that Admiral Castillo brought up during the mission briefing. Meanwhile, before we get underway, it's time that I first take a tour of this ship, and meet the crew. Then once that is complete I will have a meeting with the senior staff and discuss the mission ahead of us.

When Worf completed his log entry, he headed out the back door to his ready room. This lead to a corridor to the turbolift near the front of deck one. As he got on, he decided that it was time to take a tour of this ship. "Deck fourteen." Worf spoke aloud to the turbolift computer. As it whisked him from his previous location, he walked most every deck aboard.

As his staff was working on mission preparations, he introduced himself to his crew. Some would stop and ask him questions, others would simply say hello and nod, then go back to work.

He had remembered what Ben Sisko said to him once, "These men and women are your troops. It's you that they draw strength from."

After serving with both Captain Sisko and Captain Picard, although their commanding style differs, both are considered to be legendary commanders. He only hoped that he could at some point measure up and take what he has learned from them both and mold them into his style.

Each moment is a new chance to learn more. When he finally returned to the bridge, his presence was announced before he stepped off the turbolift.

At tactical, the tall, slender and rather beautiful red-haired Lieutenant Commander announced, "Captain on the bridge."

Every officer stood at attention for a moment, and for a second, Worf felt a little uncomfortable. "Carry on…"

The crew returned to their tasks. He then looked around his bridge and walked up to the tactical position, and the Lieutenant Commander introduced herself, "I am Lieutenant Commander Deborah Fredericks, it's nice to meet you, captain."

"Agreed." Worf said as he shook her hand. "What kind of armaments does the Narendra possess?"

Worf decided to test her knowledge. Fredericks began. "Aboard the Narendra, we have a total of eighteen Type-XII phaser arrays and five rapid fire quantum torpedo launchers with a total of three hundred casings aboard. Additionally, when in Multi-Vector Assault mode, that number is spread out between the three parts."

Worf was easily impressed by this, "Go on…'

"Defensively, the Narendra carries regenerative shielding, double layer ablative armor, just like aboard the Defiant, and an experimental prototype for this class of ship--a high yield structural integrity field."

"It appears that you know your ship pretty well. Good. Now, tell me this Commander… where are the primary torpedo launchers?"

"They are located near the saucer module deflector on either side of it on deck five. They can fire up to twelve torpedoes at a time."

"Well done…you did all of that by memory?"

"Yes, sir." Fredericks smiled. "I had studied the Narendra and it's layout when I was assigned to be your tactical officer."

"Commander Fredericks, you actually remind me of an officer I used to know. Who did the same for Captain Picard when he first took command of the Enterprise-D."

She was silent for a moment.

"You have impressed me with your knowledge of the ship and its tactical capabilities." Worf looked down at the tactical station then continued, "I have read your service record. I can tell you are one of the best that the academy has turned out in many years. I also remember reading that your father was also at the battle of Narendra III, of which this ship was named, was he not?"

She nodded, "Yes, sir. When the battle was over he along with a small group managed to get back to Federation space…"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he die at Wolf 359?"

"No, sir. He died on Earth after the incident."

"I'm sorry, commander."

"Don't be. My father died, doing what he loved to do, and that was wear the uniform. I only hope that when my time comes, that I will meet my end, like he did…"

Worf smiled. "Then I think we will make a good team. I think your father would be proud of you right now. Welcome aboard."

Fredericks looked up at him and said quietly, "Thank you, sir."

In that moment, he felt that he had another recollection from his past. Another officer that he had a great respect for, who worked tactical was Tasha Yar. While she was killed in action, he never forgot her. She was a true warrior and he treated her in that same respect. He had always tried to live up to her standard.

Tasha Yar would applaud his efforts on that.

Worf then continued past the tactical station and seen that a mature woman, of African-American descent was working the science station. She greeted him as he approached. "Captain Worf, it's been over ten years, how have you been?" Taitt walked up and shook his hand.

"I have been well. How have you been?" Noticing that her shyness has gone as she has become a more seasoned officer since she was first posted to the Enterprise-D.

"I'm surviving, living, and learning. I am trying to learn more every day, sir."

"Good. That is exactly what I am looking for in a good officer. Give me a sciences overview."

"Although the Narendra is essentially a battleship, she comes with the best sensor package available. Her systems have been refined to a point where some of the new hardware are prototypes. Most of them tie directly into the tactical sub processors."

"Excellent. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, sir…"

As he rounded the front of the bridge, he noticed that there was a Bajoran at the operations console. He appeared to be a bit older, almost grizzled with stubble on his face. He was a blond haired man. The ridges on his nose gave him away immediately.

"Captain Worf…" He said.

"Lieutenant Commander Rellin Alban…intelligence and operations?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's our status?"

"Engineering has completed all preparations and the engineering crews are working to finish loading the supplies we will need for our mission, sir."

"Very good. What else can you tell me about the Narendra?"

"The Narendra is state of the art. The computer system is a hybrid of isolinear and bio-neural technology. With all of the new systems in place, she is truly a marvel in engineering. Further, with the new systems aboard, it makes it harder for this ship to be disabled in combat."

Rellin brought up a schematic on the main viewscreen. "Within each portion of the ship, there are several redundant power sources aboard. This makes this ship more durable, and more flexible in combat or on missions that could be covert in nature."

Worf looked on proudly. My ship…tough as nails…

"Thank you Mister Rellin."

"Aye, sir."

Now walking up the portside of the bridge, was the three tiered engineering station. He had noticed that O'Brien returned to the bridge and started to look over the Narendra's layout.

"This ship is a tough nut to crack."

"Mister O'Brien…"

"I am just amazed at what this ship can do…I already looked at the reports about the Prometheus when she was hijacked."

"She is a very impressive weapon."

"No doubt about it." O'Brien continued, "I have never seen a ship do what this is capable of doing. This is definitely something Captain Sisko would have wanted."

"Maybe, but you know he did have a hand in building the Defiant…"

"True, sir, true…" O'Brien then said, "But you got to admit, she is a beauty isn't she?"

"I must agree. I am thoroughly impressed."

"I am going to check out sickbay. I will be there if I am needed."

Worf left the bridge feeling like he could take on the entire galaxy. With the Narendra, he could put up a very good fight against most opponents. Only time will tell if this is what will take place.

Narendra | Sickbay, Deck Six
Stardate 57988.6

Worf walked into sickbay where he noticed that two officers were being looked over. As nurses were working with them, he rounded the corner and looked in the office.

"Dr. Patel?"

Skye Patel was a slender east-Indian woman who was working on a padd in her office. She was the ship's Chief Medical Officer. She looked up with a smile. "Captain…its good to meet you, sir."

She stood up and shook his hand. Worf noticed the grip and noticed that it was rather tight, yet sincere. He remembered what an old friend, Wesley Crusher once said, "You can tell the sincerity of a person by their handshake alone. If it's firm and tight, you can tell that they are on the level."

So far, every one of his senior officers have had the same kind of handshake.

"It is good to meet you. It appears that you and I have something in common already."

"What's that, sir?"

"We both served with Katherine Pulaski."

"Indeed. You know she retired after the Dominion War, right?"

"As a matter of fact, I did not."

"Yes she did. She had been in Starfleet for many years. She felt that it was time to retire. Although before she did, Captain Taggart of the Repulse actually gave her a runabout to tool around in if she needed it."

This was making reference to the fact that Pulaski hated transporters. This made Worf smile, as it took him back to a time when he shared some Klingon Tea with her.

He never forgot that.

"Well, Doctor… I read in your personnel file that you have been through a number of certifications at Starfleet Medical?"

"Yes sir. I am certified to work on a variety of species, Human, Andorian, Vulcan, Klingon, and Romulan. I am also certified to work with Bolian, Ferengi and Tholian physiology."

"Excellent."

"Is that all you needed, sir?"

"No. I actually wanted you to run a physical before the staff meeting."

"Oh-well…" Patel smiled. "Why didn't you say so?" Patel walked him in one of the private offices and pulled out a medical tricorder and began to run her scans.

"I must say, sir," when she was done fifteen minutes later, "You are in excellent shape."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Do you do any of the Klingon Calisthenics on the holodeck?"

"I actually do."

"Don't stop doing that. It helps your entire body with motion, stretching and stress relief."

Feeling a little proud, Worf looked over, "Aboard the Enterprise, I used to have a class I used to teach. I had a group of ten do some light stretches, and more of the calisthenics moves. It proved to be a good exercise for all who attended."

"One of these days, when we are not so busy, I would like to try it."

"I would be happy to teach you."

"Then, captain-it's a date."

"Good." Worf headed out the door and returned to his tour.

Narendra | Deck Three, First officer's Quarters
Stardate 57988.6

Geordi LaForge had to be the luckiest officer in the fleet right now. For the first time in fourteen years he has been promoted, received a great assignment, and finally he has something to add to his impressive service record. No longer just the chief engineer of Starfleet's Flagship, he is now second in command of a state of the art vessel.

Things are looking good.

Further, with O'Brien and Worf aboard, anything's possible.

One could argue that it was time for a change. As important a position of the chief engineer, actually is, there are other responsibilities that could prove to be even more important and more vital.

For a long time, LaForge had admired the chemistry between Riker and Picard. They seemed to mesh so well. Although their individual styles were different, their styles complimented each other so well. The duo would also be known as one of the best Captain/XO pairs since Kirk and Spock.

He had been thinking about how his life in the fleet has been, and how important that it was to keep an open mind towards change.

It's been a while since he was last an XO, but since the battle with the Scimitar-and the loss of Commander Data, there was a part of him that was empty. LaForge needed something more.

During the refit of the Enterprise, Geordi applied for the vacant XO position aboard. When he was turned down, Picard sat him down in his ready room and said, "Geordi, you were one of the youngest to come aboard as a senior officer when the Enterprise-D was commissioned. I had always thought that you would do extraordinary things while you were a member of my crew. Over and over you have done just that.

"I keep looking at your personnel file and as much as I would like to grant you the promotion to Executive officer, I would need to fill your position with someone who is as qualified as you are. To be able to do both is impossible, right now."

Picard went on, "However, you have been an asset to me and to this ship throughout it's illustrious career. I would say that if it weren't for having to train a brand new officer to your level of expertise, I would promote you on the spot."

"Thank you, sir."

"Commander, know that I seriously considered you as being my first officer. When the time comes, I know you will be a good one, that I know is for certain."

When Commander Cora Edison was named the new XO aboard, LaForge took her by the hand and gave her all of the ins and outs about the Enterprise. LaForge was instrumental in making sure that she not only became Picard's right arm, but a good one. Thus as a result, Edison has continued to serve on board and she has a great respect for LaForge and his experiences..

Further, they became good friends. LaForge had helped her also become familiar with the crew. Once that happened and her personality blended in well--almost like Riker's had; she became a worthy successor.

Now, LaForge had to do the same. Not altogether a problem, but the position takes some getting used to. But at least, along the way he had a great teacher to work from.

Narendra | Deck Nine, Shuttle Bay
Stardate 57988.6, 1500 hours

The time came for the entire crew to gather.

They all gathered in the shuttle bay. Since the room was more open than the rest of the ship, if the officers were not on the floor level, they were gathered in the balcony areas overlooking the deck.

The senior staff gathered next to one of the scout ships and in the middle was a podium with the Starfleet logo on the front of it was empty. LaForge was standing next to O'Brien when he tapped his combadge.

"LaForge to Worf…"

"Go ahead…"

"The gang's all here."

"Good… I will be there in two minutes…"

"Understood, LaForge out…"

With that O'Brien and Fredericks exchanged glances and they spoke quietly. Soon, the door to the shuttle bay opened. As the personnel hatch opened, Worf stood at the door. LaForge looked over and stood next to the podium and shouted, "Captain on deck! Attention!"

Everyone stood at attention, and awaited Worf's address. Once he reached the podium, Worf addressed his crew finally, "At ease…"

Everyone relaxed for a moment.

Then Worf began by reading his padd, "Attention to Orders… From Starfleet Command, office of the Admiralty, to me, Captain Worf, I have been hereby ordered and required to take command of USS Narendra, as of Stardate 57988.6, signed Rear Admiral Richard Castillo, and Fleet Admiral William Ross."

The crew looked on.

"Many of you have been on various ships before gaining a posting here aboard the Narendra. There are many of you that I have never met before, but I wanted to first say to you…Welcome aboard."

Worf looked all over the room to make sure he got everyone's attention. Pleasingly, he knew that he did. "This ship and her crew will do great things in the coming days. I will depend on each one of you to do your best. The captain of a ship is merely a part of the ship's whole. Each one of you must be a part of Narendra's whole. If we are to succeed as a unit or as a crew, we must all support one another."

Worf looked over at his senior staff. "The officers that are the department heads are here to support you. This is not a normal posting. Then again, the Narendra is not your normal starship. I believe that this vessel is destined for greatness, but it must always start from within…"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Senior officers will report to the conference lounge at 1600 hours. Remaining staff, your job is simple. Prepare this ship for departure, Dismissed."

Narendra | Conference Room, Deck One
1600 hours

Worf was alone for a time, preparing for this meeting. Today has marked a lot of firsts, however he has done pretty well thus far.

From the door at the far end of the room the senior officers, led by LaForge filed into the room. On one side was LaForge, Fredericks, O'Brien and Patel. On the other side, left Taitt, and Rellin, to Worf's left as he sat at the head of the table.

Worf found his voice and began.

"Welcome… Since this our first mission together as a crew, I wanted to let you know what my expectations are of all of you before I begin."

LaForge and Fredericks exchanged glances.

"Since you are the senior staff, you are primarily charged with working with your groups in your departments. You all lead a department and they all must work in concert with the rest of the crew aboard. For any mission to succeed, everyone must work together. Commander LaForge is the Executive officer aboard and you can go to him if you need to--or you can come to me. If you have any questions, ask."

Everyone nodded or looked on.

"Very well. Our first mission is to take the Narendra into Klingon space and meet up with Martok's task force. We will escort them to a summit on Terix Seven. While there we are to observe what goes on."

LaForge began, "Starfleet Intelligence has found out that there are certain cells in the empire that are trying to oust the Martok regime. There is a possibility that there are outside influences at work on this. Further if there are, we need to find the source and eliminate it."

"Captain, isn't this by definition a Klingon affair?" Rellin asked.

"Under normal circumstances it would be, except that I was invited as Ambassador, before I took command, and before I found out what I am about to share with you now…"

"Understood sir."

LaForge continued as he headed to the viewscreen mounted in the center wall of the room. "We were recently made aware that one of the possible people involved in this is Toral--the son of Duras."

Fredericks, "I remember him. He was used as a pawn by Lursa and B'Etor to seize power over fifteen years ago."

"Intelligence believes that there may be an attempt on Martok's life, and we must prevent that from happening." Worf concluded.

Patel spoke up, "Does the chancellor know about his yet?"

"No," Worf then drew in a breath and continued. "He does not. If he was made aware of this, we will lose the chance to apprehend the agent involved. We must let this play out for now."

Patel nodded in understanding.

Rellin then said, "Captain, if Toral is behind it, he could be a very dangerous adversary."

"I wouldn't put too much stake into Toral. I have watched him over the last few years. He still doesn't have the power base that his sisters once had. While he could be a part of this, he could also still be a pawn."

O'Brien looked over, "You think that in some way the Romulans are involved, sir?"

Worf glowered, "If they are involved, they will not be for much longer. Although the war is over and most of the Romulan fleet has sided with the Federation, there may be some splinter groups that still want the Klingon/Federation alliance to fall."

LaForge then walked back over and said, "Our goal is to prevent this assassination from being carried out. Taitt, you have the best chance of getting good sensor readings. You will need to scan for anything--and I mean anything out of the ordinary. Scan each life sign aboard the fleet if you have to."

Taitt nodded.

"Rellin, we may need some of your skills, as we have been invited to attend this summit with Martok's squadron commanders. I want your eyes on this one, we can't expect too much, but as you are the Intel specialist, this may be an opportunity we can use."

"Understood, sir."

"Fredericks, you served aboard a Klingon Battlecruiser before?"

"I have, sir…"

"Since you have that experience, your focus will be with us when we head to Terix. We could use any insight you could provide."

"Understood, sir."

Worf stood up, "Is there anything else?"

The crew was silent.

"Prepare this ship for departure, we will leave at oh-eight hundred tomorrow. Dismissed."

Narendra | Bridge
Stardate 57889.3, 0758 hours

The Narendra's bridge was fully manned and ready for departure. At the helm was LaForge. At his side was Rellin at ops. The engineering station was manned by two crewmen and O'Brien. Behind the captain's chair Fredericks working at the tactical console.

At the science station, Taitt was programming some commands into her panel. Patel was also working one of the slots behind her's, updating some files she brought aboard.

From the portside turbolift at the back of the bridge, the door hissed open. Fredericks looked over and said quietly, "Captain on the bridge."

As Worf entered the bridge, he felt that he was at ease. Even though the mission ahead would be strenuous, this felt good. Taking a page from Sisko's book, he stood at the center of the bridge and said, "Prepare to get underway…"

LaForge, "Helm ready."

Rellin, "Operations standing by, all decks show ready."

O'Brien, "Engines ready at your command, captain…"

Fredericks, "Tactical systems are ready, and I am as ready as I will ever be."

Patel, "Sickbay and medical systems are standing by."

And finally, Taitt, "Sensors and other science systems are ready, sir."

Worf looked ahead, "Mister LaForge, get me the dockmaster and clear all moorings…"

"Aye," LaForge picked at his console for a moment. "Moorings are clear, and the dockmaster has cleared us."

"Very well, take us out…one third impulse power."

As Narendra cleared the dock and entered the spacelane, her graceful lines showed through. As the starship cleared the defensive perimeter, LaForge was alerted. "Captain, we are clear and free to navigate…."

"Change course to heading zero-three-six mark two-three-two…"

"Course plotted and laid in, sir…"

Worf looked behind him and seen that Fredericks nodded, as he turned he noticed that O'Brien also nodded. Worf took a step back and for the first time, he sat down in his chair… For a moment, he reveled in this, he was finally here, captain of his own vessel. He almost caressed his arm rests. They were the same as the Enterprise-E's, except his chair was grey and blue like the rest of the chairs on the bridge. It was very comfortable. With readouts on both arms, he was ready.

"Mahk-cha!" Worf for a second forgot that he used the Klingon version of the term 'Engage'.

LaForge looked back in askance…

Worf then realized that he was on a Federation starship--not the Rotarran… "I'm sorry, Geordi…I meant to say…Engage!"

LaForge smiled and entered in the commands, and as he did, the Narendra turned and with almost athletic speed, she leapt into warp, not looking back.

(End of Part I. Part two is continued in Narendra | Honorbound)

"Honorbound" | Narendra Part II of III

Last time on Star Trek Deep Space Nine:

As Narendra cleared the dock and entered the spacelane, her graceful lines showed through. As the starship cleared the defensive perimeter, LaForge was alerted. "Captain, we are clear and free to navigate…."

"Change course to heading zero-three-six mark two-three-two…"

"Course plotted and laid in, sir…"

Worf looked behind him and seen that Fredericks nodded, as he turned he noticed that O'Brien also nodded. Worf took a step back and for the first time, he sat down in his chair… For a moment, he reveled in this, he was finally here, captain of his own vessel. He almost caressed his arm rests. They were the same as the Enterprise-E's, except his chair was grey and blue like the rest of the chairs on the bridge. It was very comfortable. With readouts on both arms, he was ready.

"Mahk-cha!" Worf for a second forgot that he used the Klingon version of the term 'Engage'.

LaForge looked back in askance…

Worf then realized that he was on a Federation starship--not the Rotarran… "I'm sorry, Geordi…I meant to say…Engage!"

LaForge smiled and entered in the commands, and as he did, the Narendra turned and with almost athletic speed, she leapt into warp, not looking back.And now the continuation...Captain Worf was sitting in his ready room almost two full days later as his ship was closing in on the rendezvous point with Chancellor Martok and the Rotarran. As his ship was streaking past the stars, he took a moment to do the one thing he hadn't done since he took command.

"Captain's Log, Stardate 57990.4:
We will be at the rendezvous point in less than two hours. Although our mission will begin, I still cannot reveal our true purpose here. As I still have the Ambassadorial responsibilities, I will attend this conference and watch out for Martok. We will learn more about what's going on once the conference begins. For this mission to be a success--Martok must not know of our involvement until the right time...and that will be our biggest test."

Worf keyed in a command to end his log entry. He then stood up and headed to his replicator and ordered a Raktajino. This time he ordered it double strong and double sweet. Although, this brew was strong on DS9--for some reason aboard the Narendra, its more potent. He took a sip of it and sat back down.

"Ahh..." Worf sniffed the cup with the concoction. As he sipped it, he thought back once more to the past. He remembered when he first joined Deep Space Nine. Worf then remembered how he first met Jadzia.

That day in Quark's when Jadzia and Kira left the holosuite together and she had that costume on. Even though he would never--ever admit then, he definitely liked her smile. Later on, during Martok's visit before the Klingons invaded Cardassian space, he found that she wasn't just attractive--but she was able to fight very well. Then of course during his early days on Deep Space Nine, the battle in Ops when Gowron attacked the station, when she took on the cream of Gowron's forces in hand to hand combat...

Jadzia not only impressed him, but she managed to pique his interest.... so much to the point that after a while--they became closer as friends... As Worf sat back for a moment and reflected further on that, he knew that a time would come to finish those thoughts....but his mission ahead took precedence...

"LaForge to Worf...""Go ahead."

"Captain--we have entered the Terix Sector. The Rotarran is haling us.""Excellent. I'm on my way."

Soon Worf was greeted by Martok and Alexander, his son. After congratulating him on his new captaincy, they spent hours with Worf in his ready room. They went over everything regarding the state of the empire. Worf was pleased that Chancellor Martok had taken Alexander under his wing and has helped mold him further.

After some time, Martok and Alexander left the Narendra and once they got back to the Rotarran, two ships became twenty as eighteen other ships headed to Terix VII.

The conference was a three day long event. Ships had pulled in and out of orbit as needed throughout the entire time that the Narendra was there. LaForge and the crew kept a watchful eye of what was going on.

Stardate 57995.3Near the end of this conference, a Negh'Var class ship pulled into orbit. Normally this ship would be reserved for only the highest of ranking officers. Even though Martok never wanted to take the Negh'Var on his own, there were a few officers in the high command that did.

On the bridge of the Narendra, Commander Zandra Taitt was monitoring her sensors. She noticed an unusual subspace signature in orbit of Terix. It was a signature that she could not easily explain.

Commander O'Brien who was in command at this time, was sitting in the captain's chair while he was uneasily watching the flow of ships in and out of the system.

"Commander...I think I have something..."

"What's that?"

"Our sensors picked up this signature in orbit--it's taking a roughly elliptical course."

"Damn, I haven't seen anything like that in years...let me call up the specs and I will be right back to ya." O'Brien headed to his engineering console and brought up some rather interesting information.

Near the planet of Khitomer
Stardate 57994.2

Romulan General Movar had been working with Sela since her campaign began, but this was not the first time he had worked with her. Back in '67-68 he worked with her and the traitorous Duras sisters to assist them in conquering the Klingon Empire giving the Romulans what they wanted. A new ally and more territory. Something that made the Federation very uncomfortable.

After the efforts of Commander Data and the USS Sutherland stopped the Romulan involvement, Movar and Sela had to withdraw their forces out of Klingon space. For thirteen years he continued to work with Sela. Duras' son Toral had been gaining some power and Movar wanted to further destabilize the Klingon Empire. Toral had been in nearly constant communication for over a year now--preparing for a chance to strike.

Sela was watching as Movar spoke to Toral. She remarked, "He is still a child..."

Movar argued, "A child can't grow up without being able to make mistakes, and learn from them."

Sela argued in retort, "That may be true--but what makes you think that your mission will be a success?"

"Think about the panic it would cause if a Romulan warbird were in Klingon Space." Movar paused, "I must do this and this keeps you focused on the missions that lie ahead..."

"Very well--" Sela relented, "Take the Khozara..."

"Done..."

Once he took the ship, he had it cloaked and waited in orbit, knowing he could not get him caught. When the time was right he would strike -- for the glory of the empress....

IKS Rotarran
Stardate 57995.3Worf continued to meet with both Martok and Alexander and questions came up about how Toral was becoming more of an influence in Klingon Politics. Worf had pointed out that there may be a shift of power that may be a part of the reason that when Toral arrived that he was so well received.

In the back of Worf's mind, his job was to ensure he safety of Martok. But so far, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. He headed to the transporter room to beam back to the Narendra. When he arrived Commander Deborah Fredricks had briefed him on what O'Brien found.

The signature in orbit was a cloaked Romulan warbird. Back in '71 O'Brien had an incident where a Romulan ship had been cloaked and began to orbit the station during a conference. When the chronotons were thrown off, it time shifted O'Brien over and over again. Once the cause was found and eliminated, everything went back to normal.

Worf entered the bridge, "Report!"

"Captain, we picked up a signature and it's orbiting Terix."

All kinds of thoughts flashed through Worf's mind. But the one thing he was lacking in was proof. Will he find it for the glory of Kahless?

"Valkyerie's Fire" | Narendra Part III of III

Last time on Star Trek Deep Space Nine:Near the end of this conference, a Negh'Var class ship pulled into orbit. Normally this ship would be reserved for only the highest of ranking officers. Even though Martok never wanted to take the Negh'Var on his own, there were a few officers in the high command that did.

On the bridge of the Narendra, Commander Zandra Taitt was monitoring her sensors. She noticed an unusual subspace signature in orbit of Terix. It was a signature that she could not easily explain.

Commander O'Brien who was in command at this time, was sitting in the captain's chair while he was uneasily watching the flow of ships in and out of the system.

"Commander...I think I have something..."

"What's that?"

"Our sensors picked up this signature in orbit--it's taking a roughly elliptical course."

"Damn, I haven't seen anything like that in years...let me call up the specs and I will be right back to ya." O'Brien headed to his engineering console and brought up some rather interesting information.

Then...

Sela was watching as Movar spoke to Toral. She remarked, "He is still a child..."

Movar argued, "A child can't grow up without being able to make mistakes, and learn from them."

Sela argued in retort, "That may be true--but what makes you think that your mission will be a success?"

"Think about the panic it would cause if a Romulan warbird were in Klingon Space." Movar paused, "I must do this and this keeps you focused on the missions that lie ahead..."

"Very well--" Sela relented, "Take the Khozara..."

"Done..."

And then...

In the back of Worf's mind, his job was to ensure he safety of Martok. But so far, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. He headed to the transporter room to beam back to the Narendra. When he arrived Commander Deborah Fredricks had briefed him on what O'Brien found.

The signature in orbit was a cloaked Romulan warbird. Back in '71 O'Brien had an incident where a Romulan ship had been cloaked and began to orbit the station during a conference. When the chronotons were thrown off, it time shifted O'Brien over and over again. Once the cause was found, and eliminated everything went back to normal.

Worf entered the bridge, "Report!"

"Captain we picked up a signature and it's orbiting Terix."

All kinds of thoughts flashed through Worf's mind. But the one thing he was lacking in was proof. Will he find it for the glory of Kahless?

And now the conclusion..."Captain, that is definitely a quantum singularity orbiting Terix," LaForge analyzed with O'Brien's keen eye watching.

Narendra | Bridge
Stardate 57995.3

"Sir," O'Brien called out. "That signature belongs to only one race...."

"The Romulans..." Worf sneered.

"Yes, sir..."

Worf headed back to his chair, "Taitt--has the Chancellor made it back to the Rotarran?"

Taitt scanned her board, she got a read on the Rotarran, "Yes, captain--Chancellor Martok is aboard."

"Has the signature shown any sign of us detecting him?" Worf asked.

"None, he is still in an orbital perimeter course," Rellin said as he worked his panel at operations.

"Captain, more ships are leaving the star system. Presently we have only 5 ships left," Fredericks reported from tactical, "Us, the Rotarran, the Duras and one other Bird of Prey which is now leaving orbit."

"No one seems to think that there is nothing wrong with this at all..." Rellin said as he turned to Worf.

"Since Terix is a system that is deep in Klingon space, a Romulan attack would seem highly unlikely, unless..." Worf paused.

"Unless they had help..." LaForge finished his thought.

"Right..."

Fredericks board chirped in confirmation, "Captain--the Rotarran signals ready to get underway...."

"We will play this out. This way no one can arouse any supposition. Have the Rotarran move up and ahead of us. Geordi--drop back and keep an eye on the Duras...." Worf sneered once more. The sheer mention of that Pah'Tok's name is a slap in the face of every single Klingon who has ever served the empire.

As the Rotarran pulled ahead, Narendra dropped back in protective formation. The Duras slowly began to follow them as they proceeded to leave the system.

"Captain, that signature is now moving out of orbit and is following closely behind the Duras..."

"Rellin--use secure channel Zeta-Delta Nine and contact Martok...tell him to change course to the coordinates I am feeding you now." Worf said as he keyed in a command into his panel on the armrest.

"Coded message sent..."

The Rotarran continued ahead without being harassed. When the Bird of Prey shot to warp speed, the Duras opened fire almost immediately on the Narendra. The shields took the blow.

The klaxons sounded for the first time aboard. "Report?"

"Direct hit on dorsal-aft shields...no damage," Fredericks said with a smile. "Captain, they hit us with a full blast from their disruptor cannon and her shields held completely firm!"

Worf smiled. "Outstanding."

The ship was repeatedly struck in the aft shields. Worf now wanted to see what his ship could do, "Geordi, attack pattern Beta-Two-Zero..."

Worf was planning to use the Narendra's maneuverability as an advantage over the larger ship. As Narendra swung out wide, their Type-XII phasers were trained on the Klingon battle cruiser's starboard side.

Fredericks called out as she had a solid lock on their opponent. "Captain--we are in position."

"Fire phasers!"

Narendra opened fire as they were on the Duras' weakest point, above and away from their heavy weapons. Fredericks fired her phasers with deadly precision. In the opening volley she managed to score twelve hits, and each one was to a vital area. As the Duras shields attempted to compensate, the Narendra was now directly ahead of them. The Duras attempted to return fire, but was stopped as the phaser fire continued as LaForge not only stayed ahead of the Duras, he swept the Narendra under the cruiser's underside and as he did, Fredericks continued firing phasers knocking out their weapons systems.

Once Narendra finally pulled back behind the Duras, Worf stood up and looked at his view screen and seen the multiple hull explosions erupting all over the larger ship. Duras managed to fire back once more with disruptors. This time it did rattle the Narendra a little.

"Our shields are at 95 percent..."

There was only one thought on his mind, if he didn't stop Toral, this situation would only escalate, Worf had a chance to save Toral's life--and he did, but now, there was no going back, He then stood up and sneered, "Finish them..."

The Duras continued to fire back at the Narendra, to no avail. The shields are simply way too strong. The Duras tried to angle away, but Narendra matched the ship move for move, and returned fire. Three spreads of quantum torpedo fire later, the Narendra pulled away at high speed as the Duras was destroyed by repeated explosions ending Toral's life.

As they neared the Terix star, the Khozara finally emerged from it's cloak. This time the Narendra had to contend with a ship that was almost three times her size. The Khozara opened fire with multiple disruptor beams. Narendra continued to return fire. For a moment the Khozara followed them into the star's corona.

Geordi LaForge then implemented the Metaphasic Shielding that further allowed the Narendra to dispatch their larger opponent the longer that they stay in the corona.

"Excellent job--report?"

There was another sharp shot across the aft shields. "The warbird is still trailing us," Taitt said as she watched her sensors.

"Geordi--any ideas?"

"I have one idea..."

LaForge knew that the opposing ship would be entirely too slow to maneuver. From the sitting position, he brought the Narendra up and over the warbird and Fredericks scored a number of hits on the enemy ship before the ship righted itself behind it.

"Captain...."

"Fire at will...."

The Narendra opened fire over and over on the warbird until it exploded. When it did, LaForge brought the ship back into normal space.

"Well done everyone--damage report?"

"Believe it or not, we sustained minimal damage, and we took on two of the strongest ships of both the Klingon Empire and the Romulan forces," O'Brien said in almost shock.

"And we beat them singlehandedly...What does that say about our usefulness?" Rellin said as he worked his panel.

"That tells me that we should never be overconfident..."

"True..." Rellin admitted.

LaForge then turned to him and said, "However Worf, that was one hell of a first date."

"Agreed."

Once their battle concluded, Martok and Worf had a meeting discussing his mission profile and the reasons why he couldn't divulge that immediately. Once Martok understood, he had a Klingon Cloaking device installed aboard the Narendra as a thank you for saving his life.

USS Garrett | Bridge
Stardate 58003.4

"Admiral Castillo--we have company..."

Castillo looked at his viewscreen and saw that three ships were decloaking--one of them being the Narendra.

Castillo smiled as he knew that he not only made the right choice in choosing Worf, but that the mission was a success. It was at that point that Castillo contacted Worf and informed him that he would remain as the permanent commander of the Narendra--as it's Captain.

At the Klingon Border
Stardate 58602.0For the last few months since the first mission in Klingon space, the Narendra has worked with the Klingon defense forces as well as Starfleet on numerous missions. However, as the Klingon fleet was sitting in a staging area, Worf who was now joined by Romulan Commander Donatra was waiting.

There would come a time that the Romulans will begin to move against the Federation. Martok had assigned Worf with enough ships to make an impact if needed. For three days the task force remained both under cloak and on radio silence--except in emergencies. Taitt and LaForge were working the sensors and communications channels with Rellin's help.

O'Brien and Fredericks were busy recalibrating the sensors further to assist them. Worf had simply been watching his view screen as his crew continued to work.

Silently he looked around and sat down finally.

Donatra had been working on the repeater console near the engineering station, she picked up something, "Captain Worf, we just intercepted a message from Romulan general command...."

"What was it?"

"One word--" Donatra looked into his eyes... "Begin..."

"Captain Worf--we just picked up something odd--Starbase 234 has just sent out a Priority One distress call....they are under attack."

"Geordi, open a channel to all ships...."

Geordi nodded.

"This is Captain Worf, may Kahless himself welcome all of us into the gates of Sto'vo'Kor! Lay in a course to Starbase 234--maximum warp!"

"All ships have responded and are changing course...."

"Engage!"

As the large school of Klingon warships and picket vessels change their heading--all of them leapt to warp.

As Worf remained sitting in his chair, he looked up at Donatra and she said, "Would today be a good day to die?"

Worf's staff looked at him, "Today--is indeed a great day to die!"

Just as she expected... Donatra thought, "So Klingon..."

The Narendra and her crew's story will continue…