5

Chapter Nine: A Dishonorable Criminal

K'Eihdan and Kabrech had been working on Jorry's building project for the past twelve hours. They had refused all offers of food or "taking a break", as the Humans called it. They had accepted water, but only in order to keep from becoming dehydrated. Jorry's granddaughter Marita stared up at them irritably as she held an empty water jug.

"Can't you guys take a little longer to drink your water?" she protested, "I mean, you come down here, gulp it down, and go right back up to build. If you don't slow down, you'll have the whole addition finished in one day! Then what will you do?"

"Your grandfather says that he has some more work for us—bushes to clear, in certain areas around the property," K'Eihdan explained dutifully, "We've been ordered by our commander to obey Kettsen's every whim. If we run out of work, the next duty will entail dressing up like clowns and putting on a show for you and your mother."

"That's silly," Marita scoffed, "I don't want you to do that, and neither does Mom. I thought you guys wanted to have a wild adventure?"

"We should never have come up here to Jorry's cabin in the first place, Marita," Kabrech explained as he set a beam of wood in place, "the fault is mine for allowing K'Eihdan to talk me into it. Now I have failed in my first command position, and I will likely be reaping the consequences of that mistake for years."

"Oh, why don't you leave the Klingon army, or whatever it is you call it?" Marita asked him, "It sounds joyless and boring."

"I must serve my world," Kabrech informed her briskly, "I have duties..."

"Oh, duty-schmooty," Marita murmured as she left the industrious pair.

"...and besides," Kabrech muttered, more to himself than to anyone else, "with my latest disgrace, it seems I will never have the chance to prove myself a true warrior and marry K'aabra."

K'Eihdan smiled to himself. The elusive K'aabra remained out of Kabrech's reach back on Qo'nos, but the Human girl Marita no doubt constantly reminded the young male of her. She had been trying to coax Kabrech into coming down and spending time with her for the past few hours. He could tell that Kabrech was weakening, but he knew that he must not push the youngster into any more disobedience than that with which he had already been tempted. As simple mountain people, he and Kabrech were hardly strangers to long hours of toil; but he wished that the young man could experience something other than the dullness of duty before he grew old.

As the sun descended beneath the hills, Jorry finally ambled out to order a halt to their work.

"Okay, guys, that's enough," Jorry told them, "You're better than a whole team of Human workers...and skilled in building, too. We'll have this thing done in no time, and you can go exploring at last."

"No, Jorry," Kabrech told him, jumping down from the as-yet-unfinished frame, "We'll get into trouble if we do that."

"No, you won't," Jorry explained, "because I'm ordering you to go exploring. I thought it would be more beneficial than dressing you up like clowns...and Marita and Lira have both said they don't want to see you do that."

"Blast!" K'Eihdan exclaimed, "I was hoping to perform my classic clown act for them...the one I do for my family back in the Kahless Mountains territory."

"Well, of course you can if you want to," Jorry agreed, "we're honored if you consider us as your family."

"Don't include me in your act," Kabrech grumbled as they followed Jorry back to the main cabin.

The two Klingon laborers were given the meat of some unknown Earth animal, this time with no extra herbs or spices. Jorry called the meat "venison" and it tasted vaguely like the meat of a Five-Horned Mountain Buck native to Qo'nos. Regardless of the meat's taste K'Eihdan and Kabrech shoveled it into their mouths hungrily, using their hands as was the Klingon custom. They had not eaten since breakfast at the crack of dawn and they were both ravenous. The Kettsen family supplied them with several slabs of meat, a hearty helping of some green and orange vegetables, and endless slices of Earth bread. It was not really what they were used to, but at the moment they cared little.

Jorry, Lira, and Marita ate more slowly than their guests. As Kabrech and K'Eihdan sat licking their fingers, Marita decided that she was going to throw down her utensils and emulate them. She took a piece of meat with her fingers and began to chew on it, glancing slyly at Kabrech.

Kabrech frowned.

"You should not be using your fingers like us, Marita," he chided her, "Human females must be dainty and proper."

"Dainty and proper!" Marita exploded amidst laughter, "What do you think this is, the nineteenth century? You have a lot to learn about Humans, Kab!"

"My name is Kabrech," the boy corrected her, "Klingons do not shorten their names...and I think you have a lot to learn about being a proper Human."

"Oh, so now I have a Klingon boy lecturing me on the importance of Human propriety?" Marita scoffed, "Give me a break...Kabrech!"

"I am not a boy...I am a man!" Kabrech protested.

"Not yet, Kabrech," K'Eihdan replied, amused.

"Go dress like a clown and entertain the Humans, K'Eihdan!" Kabrech retorted.

Before K'Eihdan could consider what it was that he would do for an act, there was a rapping at the door. Jorry left the table and went to see who it was that was calling in on them so late.

To K'Eihdan's surprise, the Human returned with a blue Andorian. The being's antennae were writhing around on his head anxiously as he took in the sight of the two Klingons.

"This guy says that he has business with you, K'Eihdan," Jorry announced, puzzled, "His name is An'Kel Th'Zaak. Do you know him?"

K'Eihdan stared at the creature in surprise. He had never even met an Andorian up close before, let alone having business with one.

"What do you want with us, Blue One?" K'Eihdan asked good-naturedly, "I know that I have nothing that I wish to buy from you."

"I am called Kel," the Andorian reported, "and I am not here to sell you anything. I am here to receive my orders from you."

"Orders?" K'Eihdan echoed, confused, "I have no orders for you, unless you are planning on joining our crew. I must warn you, though, we are all ship-less at present. The Empire sent us to Earth on a passenger vessel...probably as an insult to us because we are poor rugbahs."

"Yes," Kel replied, "I know. You are the fur traders, and I have been sent here to aid you so that certain people on Andoria can receive a portion of your bounty."

Jorry stared at Kel in shock; but K'Eihdan could not believe their luck. Had the would-be killer of Gyalaar and Kav actually stumbled upon them thinking that they were traders of Triarian fur? He decided to play along, giving Jorry a furtive glance that he hoped would communicate his intention to fool Kel into continuing in his false belief about them.

"Oh, yes, the bounty!" K'Eihdan responded knowingly, "So you are the one that we are supposed to meet in order to...sell you a portion of our bounty?"

Marita's mother Lira was staring at the pair, obviously horrified.

"K'Eihdan!" she exclaimed, "Surely you aren't involved in that...shamefully murderous fur trade?"

"Oh...no, no, of course not," K'Eihdan told her truthfully, trying to pretend that he was lying in order to convince Kel, "I just...uh...well, I'm just going to sell Kel some bear fur...from a bear, that is, not from a sentient Triar at all."

Kel stared at the Klingons, and his eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion.

"You are the people who went to the hospital the other day to finish the job on Gyalaar and Kav?" he asked, "Because if you're not, I might have to kill you."

Jorry hastily decided to get in on the act.

"You better believe we're the people!" he crowed, "We almost succeeded in getting to them, but not quite. We've escaped here in order to come up with a better plan."

"Dad..." Lira interjected anxiously, "don't tell me that you're involved in this?!"

"Why, sure, Honey," Jorry told her, blinking one of his eyes up and down in order to signal to her what they were attempting to do, "Why don't you and Marita go upstairs and read your novels? This is strictly boring fur business."

Marita understood perfectly well what they were trying to do and seemed to want to be a part of the ruse as well.

"Novels?" she scoffed, "I want in on the action if we're going to go kill some bears!"

"Nobody's killing anyone!" Lira shouted angrily, "Mr. Kel, I will ask you to kindly get out of our home."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that, Madam," Kel told her, bringing out a phaser and pointing it at them, "If I have erred in my assumption that these three are the traders, then unfortunately all of you must meet your demise tonight."

"You do that and I'll have my fellow fur traders skin you alive," Kettsen growled at the now-unwelcome visitor, "You have not erred in your assumptions, but my daughter and granddaughter are to be left out of this. Do you understand? Because if you do not, you must know that I have already contacted my group. They will have you slaughtered if you kill any of my family members."

If Kel was bothered by Kettsen's threat, he did not show it.

"Hmm," the Andorian responded, "I have my reservations about this, but I suppose it is my own fault for making the assumption in the first place. Very well, I will not kill any of you, but I require you to prove yourselves. You will all aid me in disrupting Gyalaar's attempts to discredit the fur trade, and the two women will accompany us. I do not want to let them out of my sight now that I know that the older one does not agree with our stance. You should know, Madam, that I will drop your father and his associates in the blink of an eye if you do anything to alert the authorities as to our intentions...and please remember, Andorian phasers have only a 'kill' setting."

"Don't worry," Lira replied gruffly, "I won't do anything to jeopardize 'the mission'."

Kel gestured towards the door with his fully loaded phaser. K'Eihdan led the other four outside, pretending with all his might to inhabit the role of a dishonorable criminal.