Chap 12
Bor'teth snuck the lock box back into its place in the gallery and began packing his items into a sack when the High Priest Koreth appeared at the door of his room. "Bor'teth, I am told by some that you left the temple last night."
Bor'teth turned around and bowed his head to Koreth. "Yes, that is true."
"Now I see you packing. Where are you going?"
Bor'teth paused for a moment. "I have received a vision from Kahless. He has instructed me to pack my things and join a quest with two others."
Koreth smiled. "A bad dream perhaps. Have you been drinking? You are very young to be called to such a cause."
"He told me Gre'thor awaits me if I fail. He is my lord and I dare not refuse."
"You should feel a sense of glorious honour if such were true. Why do you show such distress?"
"I doubt my worthyness. And my own inner strength."
"You should sleep on this vision a few days. Maybe it will become clear that…"
Bor'teth looked sharply up at Koreth. "Rac'chuq, that's the name of the star. The heart of the warrior constellation. That is why we are here. This is the star Kahless pointed to. The heart of the warrior fitting for the greatest of the great."
Koreth's eyes opened wide. "That is only known by the high priests. It is a …"
"Secret, like many others I have no doubt."
"You have received a most powerful vision. Your calling is most perplexing."
Bor'teth slumped his sack down on the floor.
"I know …I know…why me? I don't know. I am not the best warrior. Not even a very good priest. Clumsy and foolish at times. I may not be worthy but I have been summonsed."
"Should I meet with these other two?"
"No. I would say yes. But ….i do not want to offend the vision."
"Will you keep a chronicle of this quest?"
"Yes…I will."
"You will keep me apprised."
"Of course. I am either going to the glorious adventure of a lifetime or a terrible demise. A prayer to Kahless for the former."
Koreth placed his hand on Bor'teth's shoulder. "Have faith, Kahless will guide and protect you."
Bor'tath patted the hand then picked up his sack. "Kapla."
Kahless looked over Alexander's shoulder as he sat at a console looking through lists of data.
"What are you doing with this magic box?" He asked.
"For a quest, we need a ship. This place is where ship owners seek crews. If we get employment on these ships we can get our way about in our search. It would help if there was a starting point. Do you remember the name of the ship that found you."
"I did not even know I was on a ship then. It was a building with no windows. The one window it did have I tried to smash through but failed."
"What was the name of the klingon that gave you the book?"
"Do Tok, an old klingon maybe my age….well my age as I was."
Alexander began keying into the consol then sat back with a grin. "Ko Vo Tek"
Alexander contacted the Ko Vo Tek only to learn that the cabinet that Kahless had been found in was sold to a Ferengi trader named Glom. Alexander then spent another half hour trying to track down Glom. Bor'tath arrived carrying his sack and went to bow to Kahless again. A quick snarl from Kahless rectified the situation and he sat quietly at the back.
Finding the Ferengi trader proved a difficult task and then haggling a deal proved even more so. Buying from Klingons was fine to him but selling was fraught with dangers. Alexander assured him he was part human and the deal would be safe.
"Now we need 15 strips of gold pressed latinum." Alexander mumbled.
"Currency. What wrong with gold?" Kahless replied.
"Gold can be faked using…the magic wall device."
"Really? What about gems?"
"Diamonds are no good unless they are huge and perfect. Same with many others."
"There may be a stash of such items in a vault if it has not been discovered."
"A vault?"
"Yes, in the Citadel at Qam-Chee, there was a keep. When lords of the house would come they would occasionally present gifts. I had no need for such trinkets but some considered it an offence to their honour if I refused. In times of famines, the trinkets proved useful."
"OK, so all we need do is get to the keep of Qam-Chee, hope it's not empty, get enough to satisfy Glom and meet him in the Naimada system in 5 days." Alexander laughed at this seemingly impossible task.
Bor'tath meekly raised his hand. Kahless looked at him. "What?"
"There…there is a commute ship that takes pilgrims back and forth between here and Qam-Chee. It leaves daily at noon and we could be there in a day and a bit."
"Book passage immediately Bor'tath, for three." Alexander grinned.
Alexander and Kahless packed their items and were joined by Bor'tath as they began for the door of the tavern. A young drunken klingon suddenly stood before them with a d'h tahg. "I have seen Kahless and my place among the honoured dead is assured. Now prepare for battle." Kahless laughed and with a deft step he leapt onto a stool and from there, a table, scattering the klingons sitting there and onwards to the wall of the tavern where two display swords hung. In a moment he had them in his hands and leapt back. The drunken klingon was startled but advanced with the d'k tahg. In a flash, Kahless formed the two swords like a pair of scissors about the klingon's neck.
"So when you appear at the gates of Sto Vo Kor, what shall you say? That you died in glorious battle against the enemies of the empire, against the very armies of Feh'lhr himself? Or that you perished while drunk in a bar fight?"
The klingon breathed out slowly then with a grimace he put his d'k tahg away in its pouch. Kahless smiled.
"Good choice." Bor'tath said as all three walked past.
