New Vulcan. The giant red planet below them was surrounded by huge docking stations. Countless ships of many shapes and sizes buzzed back and forth like a host of worker bees taking cargo to and from the planet. The colony had been set up for a few years now but by the look of it, there was still a lot of work going on. The Vulcan ships were not the problem; the Star Fleet vessels on the other hand, if they got a sniff they were here, there would be major trouble, trouble that would create an incident with the Klingon High Council, something she was very keen to avoid. Alhana knew they had neither the fire power nor the warp power to take on a Federation vessel so subterfuge would have to serve instead of brute strength.
"We'll be fine." Tig said.
"I have no doubt." Alhana replied refusing to voice her fears.
Tig was to lead the party, Kang, Tavana and Maeill, the Romulan, were going with him. She could only hope that the presence of the Klingon's wouldn't cause enough raised eyebrows to be a problem. The hand over was to take place in an hour. T'Kir had remained silent throughout the rest of the journey, refusing to engage in any conversation or interaction with the crew. He'd remained sat on the floor of his cell ignoring everything around him. He had drunk only water and refused any form of food they had bothered to offer. The most troubling point of the whole affair was who he could be working for. He's threatened them with retribution of some sort but had refused to elaborate when questioned and nothing had been forthcoming either. She'd left strict instructions about leaving no mark on him either so physical techniques were useless. Maybe it was nothing, just idle threats, somehow she didn't think so.
"We're ready." Tig said snapping her out of her thoughts.
"The prisoner is in the transporter room." Kang's disembodied voice said through the crackling comm system.
"We're on our way." Alhana said. She nodded at Akhil before following Tig to the transporter. Khan was in there, keeping the prisoner restrained. T'Kir's arm was twisted behind his back but his face remained a non expressive mask. Although this was not unusual for a Vulcan, it didn't make it any less frustrating. Tig stepped onto the transport pad and gave a curt nod.
"Ready."
"Be in touch." Alhana said. Khan released T'Kir into Kang's capable hands and moved to stand beside Alhana. He was just a tiny bit too close, she could smell him and the scent did odd things to her insides, a lump rose in her throat that she couldn't quite swallow yet she did not step forward. She forced herself to remain in this close proximity, not letting him know he got to her on some level. She was not going to let a small distraction like this intimidate her.
"We will be back within two hours." Tig said.
"Go." Alhana said. The swirling pattern of the transporter kicked in and her friends disappeared in a warm glow. She took a deep breath, "Now for the worst part."
"Waiting?"
"Yes."
"What would you normally do in this situation?"
"Fight someone."
"Do you wish to fight?" Khan said. He pushed black hair back from his face and raised a black eyebrow.
"I don't know. I should do, I don't want to get out of practice." Alhana said.
"It doesn't have to be for long."
"And you might even learn something new." Alhana said. Khan raised both eyebrows at that, she laughed. "Well? Are you versed in the use of a D'k tagh?" she said beginning to walk away. Khan followed.
"I have fought with blades before," he said with a nod.
"Go and fetch a pair from the weapons room. I will inform the bridge of our actions and meet you in the cargo bay." Alhana said. Khan nodded and they parted for the moment
Sweat ran into Alhana's eyes and she brushed it away with the back of her hand. Her lungs sucked in air; they felt more like deflated balloons than organs used for breathing. She tossed a glare at her sparring partner; he wasn't having half as much trouble as she was, probably something to do with his genetic breeding. His breathing was normal and the light sweat on his brow hardly touched his hairline. Her own locks were plastered to the back of her neck and scratched when she moved. Her skin was slick and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this up for that much longer, they'd been doing this for nearly an hour now. Not just a mild bout here and there but full on fighting for an hour. And he wasn't even winded!
Her hand tightened on her D'k tagh and she darted forward. She feinted left before darting to the right. Khan caught her right hand and applied pressure on her wrist. She used her own momentum to twist away, this time; she kept the grip on her blade as she broke free. "Better!" Khan shouted. He followed her round; she brought the blade up and blocked the blow to her face. His knuckles grazed the blade and a trickle of blood began to seep through. Alhana had an equal number of wounds on her own body. The sting was easy to ignore however, even when the sweat seeped into it, making them scream. His next move sent her sprawling across the floor. She landed with a thud; the air driven from her lungs once again. She coughed and struggled to her knees. Heavy footsteps pounded towards her. She gripped her knife and waited for her opponent to arrive beside her. As he stopped she brought the hilt down onto the bridge of his foot. A surprised yelp made her smile.
"How's that?" she said pulling herself upright.
"Not what I expected."
"Good." She took a deep breath and flicked wet hair out her face. "Are you hurt?" The flat look he gave her spoke more than any word could have done.
"Are you?" She shook her head, "Do you want to carry on?"
"Why not?"
Khan smiled and moved to the other end of the cargo bay, putting his knife down. "Just hands this time," he said. Alhana threw her dagger to the side and jumped up and down a couple of times, trying to sum up some more energy for the next round. This time, he came for her. She was ready for the blow he aimed at her head. She ducked under it and sprang left, avoiding the follow up blow from his other hand. She kicked his calf but the aim was off, causing nothing more than an inconvenience rather than sending him to the floor. She danced back, dodging another swing and brought her arm round to block a sharp jab. The force was more than she anticipated and she reeled backwards. Damn it! How could he remain so calm and unfazed by it? His leg caught hers and she tottered backwards. Flailing, she grabbed at air before falling. She landed on her butt with a thud.
"Good dodging." Khan said. Alhana clambered up once more and nodded.
"I am going to have more than a few bruises tomorrow. You have blood on you too; I didn't think I cut you so much." Khan looked at his hands and forearms.
"It will heal. Are we done?" he asked.
"I need a shower," she said nodding.
"It's been an hour and a half, Tig will be back soon." Khan said.
"True that, we need to get out of here as soon as we can," Alhana said as she walked to the door, "Too many Star Fleet vessels in this neighbourhood."
Khan nodded, "I agree."
As they left the cargo bay, a horrendous clatter sounded deep inside the ship. It was followed by a dying whir as something powered down. Alhana looked at Khan, "That was the plasma coil," she said. As she broke into a run, the comm system hailed her.
"Captain. The plasma coil has overloaded… the cloaking device. We're visible." It was Ranka who spoke.
"Have we been spotted Akhil?" she said. "Khan; engineering." He nodded and she turned to the bridge.
"It's only a matter of time."
She catapulted onto the bridge and into her chair. "Tig?"
"Captain," he answered instantly and she let out a small sigh.
"We need to go, the plasma coil has overloaded. We're visible. We shall return for you as soon as we can."
"Go!" he barked.
"Mindor, take us to the nearest planet in the next system." The Orion punched the console and the ship began to move. The next question on her mind was had they been spotted?
