In Command

Chapter 11 : Bat'leths at the Ready

September 2282

The planet they were headed for had been surveyed the year before and was rich with minerals, some of them quite rare. And there was no sentient race at all. However, it was in the sector which was hotly contested by the Klingons, and the Federation foresaw trouble there. The mining camps would need to be well guarded. Therefore they had been dispatched to stand watch until the buildings were all set up, and the scanners and defense systems were all in place. They would guard the planet during this set-up time, to be sure that the defenses were all in place and working correctly before leaving the miners there alone.

And it turned out to be a good plan, for before they had been in orbit for two days, there was a warbird there, challenging them. Spock wasted no time in debate, giving them a firm order to depart. And he sent several teams of security guards to the surface, to augment those already there. He would not leave the planet undefended and give the Klingons a chance to sabotage the equipment or capture the miners. He gave orders to keep the area around the camps well guarded and well surveyed.

His precautions turned out to be extremely beneficial. When the party of Klingons beamed down, they were detected immediately. Bat'leths were not much use against phasers, and these had come without disruptors, seeking battle glory, which they definitely did not get. They were swiftly disarmed, and transported straight to the brig, where they were held, pending talks with the captain of the Klingon ship.

Spock presented a cool, calm front, and did not respond at all to the Klingon's braggart stance. He simply sat, with one eyebrow raised, and outwaited the long string of curses and threats. "And what shall I do with your men that I have in my brig?"

"Return them immediately, and you shall not be harmed."

"I shall not be harmed in any case. Why should I return your men with no concession from you?"

"Klingons do not make concessions! We are the conquerors! We are strong warriors and conquerors."

"And yet you have conquered nothing here, and have no rights to this planet at all, for it is well within Federation territory. You are the interloper, and will have to leave. And unless you can prove to me that you will leave peacefully, your men will remain in my brig, as well as any others you are short-sighted enough to send below." And with that, he cut off the transmission, leaving the Klingon captain screaming at him in outrage.

Another team of invaders appeared below, and was just as quickly rounded up and beamed aboard, to be hastened down the corridors and into the brig, in a cell beside the first ones. If the Klingon captain kept this up, his entire crew would be languishing in the Enterprise's brig, without nothing to show for his efforts. He did not seem to learn very quickly. However, Spock had no wish to spend the effort to contain these barbarians, nor to use his ship's resources to feed and house them. Something would have to be done to convince his opponent that this was a losing proposition. But what could he do to ensure this?

He was seated on his floor pillow, deep in thought, when Nyota slipped into his quarters. "Come, you have spent enough time today on this problem. It is time to eat and rest." And she filled his table up with steaming hot food, and drew him up off the floor to join her. He ate what she had provided, and talked with her, and took his ka'athyra and played, soothing the both of them. And then he followed her quite willingly into the sleeping alcove, and let her remove his clothing and arouse him until he spent himself completely, and fell into a deep sleep with her nestled against him.

When he awoke the next morning, his plan was clear in his mind, and he thanked Nyota for giving him the clarity to see what he must do. When he explained his plan, she clapped her hands and smiled, and then laughed aloud. It was perfect. And he got much the same reaction from the senior staff when he told them what must be done. And so they set their plan in action, and waited for the Klingons to fall for it. And so they did.

They had prepared a dueling ground, and laid out the captured weapons, and the Klingons could not resist, feeling challenged, and certain that they would prevail. What they had not counted on was the ability of a certain StarFleet captain, with the strength and swiftness of a Vulcan. Even a Klingon's strength was no match for him. The captain of the Klingon ship was dispatched quickly, ending up on the ground with his own bat'leth at his neck. From there, the terms were dictated to him, and he was forced to accept them, going in defeat back to his ship, where he would almost certainly be eliminated by his own men in very short order. It was the way of that race, to handle defeat in such a manner. And the new captain would be more cautious, for a while, giving this planet a chance to set its defenses up and have them well in place before another attempt was made to invade.

And when Spock returned to his quarters, Nyota was waiting there, and took him to the shower, and examined every inch of his body, to be sure that he had come to no harm in that encounter, even though he assured her that he was uninjured.