CHAPTER TWELVE

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Kirk walked into the Officer's Lounge and nodded as he was greeted by several calls of, "Good afternoon, Captain." He looked around and noticed the Klingon Ambassador and his security escorts in the back of the room. This might be a good time to try talking to Kaphil about Ramsey, he thought. Although he knew it was a good idea, it was definitely something he wasn't looking forward to.

Kirk had never been very trusting of Klingons. True, he had some respect for officers like Kang and Kor. However, respect was not the same as trust. There was something too smooth about the way the Ambassador had acted when he arrived.

"Good afternoon, Ambassador," Kirk said, as he approached the table.

Kaphil looked up and nodded. "Good afternoon, Captain. Please join me." Kaphil motioned to the chair across from him.

Kirk glanced at the food on the table and had to fight back his gag reflex. The bowl in front of the Ambassador was filled with something resembling worms, and they were moving.

Kaphil seemed to notice his discomfort and smiled slightly. "ghargh is always best when served live, Captain. Would you care to try some?" the Ambassador asked, indicating the bowl of wiggling worms.

"No; thank you. I've already had lunch," he said.

"In that case, what can I do for you?" Kaphil asked.

"I was curious about your reasons for requesting to travel with Commodore Ramsey," Kirk asked.

"I wanted the chance to meet the person Lord K'Lyion has called The Terran born daughter of Kahless. Another, more important reason—her family asked me to check on her while I was in the Federation," Kaphil said.

"Her family?" Kirk stared at Kaphil. "So the Empire knows Commodore Ramsey has Klingon ancestry?"

"Klingon ancestry, Captain? Commodore Ramsey is half Klingon. Her mother is Klingon and her father was Terran. Her name in the Empire is K'Lyssia and she is the eldest child of House Lynsia. An ancient house, which can claim descent from Kahless himself."

Ramsey's related to that maniac? Kirk thought. "If that's true, how did she come to live in the Federation?" he asked, after a moment.

"Be careful how you phrase questions like that, Kirk. Many Klingons would believe you were trying to imply they were lying. You risk much when you insult a Klingon's honor in that manner. Because you are Terran and do not understand us I will forgive the insult."

Kirk gritted his teeth for a moment, then nodded politely. "I did not mean to imply any insult. I would be interested in learning how K'Lyssia came to live in the Federation as Kelli Ramsey."

"That is a tale which begins almost thirty of your Terran years ago. K'Lyssia had completed the training required to be recognized as a warrior. All that was left was the Rite of Ascension in which a Klingon faces the final test of a warrior. She faced the ritual proudly and brought honor to her house and herself. Some time that night she vanished." Kaphil paused and picked up several of the worms and placed them in his mouth.

Kirk watched the Klingon and hoped he managed to keep the revulsion off his face. "Then what happened?" he asked.

"An investigation revealed she had been kidnapped by a rival house. Since K'Lyssia was an initiated warrior who allowed herself to be captured, her family was disgraced. After she showed up in the Federation with no apparent memory of her true self, it was assumed a mind probe, what you Terrans call a mind sifter, had been used to wipe her memories. When K'Lyssia entered Starfleet, it added to House Lynsia's dishonor."

Kirk's irritation with Kaphil's attitude grew at his emphasis on true self. The brief flash of anger he had seen in the Ambassador's eyes when he first asked how Ramsey came to the Federation had been buried quickly.

"When K'Lyssia rescued Lord K'Lyion nine years ago, he knew who she was. He restored her and her family's honor. It was at this time he first called her The Terran born daughter of Kahless.

"This was to honor her heritage as both a Klingon and a Terran. It also recognized her family's ancestral ties to Emperor Kahless. Over the years, she has earned her name many times. She fights with skill, passion and most importantly—honor."

"Ambassador, do you think there's a chance Commodore Ramsey has recovered her memory?" Kirk watched the Klingon closely waiting for his reaction.

Kaphil closed his eyes for several seconds, apparently thinking, then opened them and shook his head. "No, Captain, I don't. Lady K'Lyssia was very close to her uncle, the head of House Lynsia; in fact, he had named her as his heir. If she regained her memory, she would contact him. She is Klingon, and as the eldest child and heir she has duties to fulfill to her house."

"But, she would know allowing herself to be captured was a disgrace. Would a Klingon who had dishonored her family in such a manner want to return? Moreover, here she has a life not touched by her dishonor. Why would she want to live in disgrace?"

"Because, honor would require it, Kirk," Kaphil snapped.

"Again, I mean no offense," Kirk said.

"I will overlook your ignorance," Kaphil said. The anger again quickly hidden beneath a calm appearance. "As I just said, honor would require that she return, and it is possible she could restore her honor, by presenting her case to Lord K'Lyion. If he agreed she showed no cowardice in her capture, he could restore her position directly or have her face a trial of honor. This, however, would not be necessary as Lord K'Lyion has already restored her and her family's honor."

"Would she know this?" Kirk asked.

"When K'Lyssia rescued Lord K'Lyion he offered her a place in his personal guard. When she refused, he told her the offer would remain open for as long as she might want to consider accepting. In recognition of her courage, he presented her with The Order of the BatleH. This award is given only to those warriors who are initiated into the Imperial Guard. It is one of the highest awards given in the Empire.

"He also gave her a warrior's sash. That sash holds her family seal and her awards from the Empire. If she had regained her memory, K'Lyssia would have recognized the meaning of that sash and would have known her family's honor was restored."

"Could there be any reasons why she wouldn't have contacted her family?" Kirk asked.

"I can only think of one. Whoever used the mind probe on her could have implanted a subconscious command for her not to, even if her memory returned."

"I didn't realize you could do that with one of those devices. My understanding of the mind probe was that it was used to gather information. I believe the term I heard it described with was—mind ripper," Kirk said, thinking of his conversation with Kor on Organia.

"Yes, in its most basic usage, it can rip the mind apart. However, in the hands of an expert the mind probe can be used to create false memories and plant subconscious commands as well as gather information."

"Thank you for your time, Mister Ambassador. What you've told me gives me an interesting perspective on our new commander." Kirk stood, nodded to Kaphil then left.

#

"You're welcome, Captain." Kaphil watched Kirk leave the room.

"Lord Kaphil," one of his aides said, approaching the table.

"Koreth, sit down and tell me what you observed this morning." Kaphil glanced at the security officers, standing several feet away, and lowered his voice.

Koreth glanced at the officers also and followed the ambassador's example. "It is difficult to properly observe K'Lyssia because of the guard. However, I was able to watch her for some time in this ship's gymnasium as she practiced with the bat'leth. She has not let her blade rust while living in the Federation. She demonstrated both skill and passion in her practice. However, I also observed anger and worry in her movements. She feels the fire of her blood, but she is bound by the rules of Starfleet. She also has to protect her secret." Koreth picked a couple of the ghargh worms out of the bowl and looked at them carefully. "Not very fresh are they," he said, in a louder voice.

"What do you expect on a Terran ship? I was surprised they were live," Kaphil said.

"Not so surprising, Lord. Commodore Ramsey probably made sure the galley knew how to prepare Klingon food," Koreth said.

"Perhaps," Kaphil agreed then lowered his voice again. "We will have to proceed carefully with this assignment, my friend. Judging by K'Lyssia's reactions, she has received some kind of warning about my mission."

"Fear is power, Lord. A seed of fear has been planted in K'Lyssia by someone, perhaps you can exploit it."

"Perhaps," Kaphil said, with a nod. "I want you to continue observing her, being careful not to arouse suspicion. I also want you to have Morag and Diryion observe this crew. I need more information before we can act."

#

"Come," Kirk called as his door chime rang.

"Jim, I heard you were spotted in the Officer's Lounge earlier today. Did Ramsey lift your confinement, or did you just choose to ignore orders?" McCoy said, as he came into the room.

Kirk sat up on the bunk and glared at his friend. "Did anyone ever tell you—you have a lousy bedside manner?"

"Yes. In fact, I think it was you. So what did you find out from the Ambassador?"

"Not much, other than Ramsey is half Klingon, her Klingon name is K'Lyssia and she's a descendant of Kahless." Kirk walked over and opened a door in the wainscot cabinet. After taking out a decanter and two glasses, he turned to McCoy. "Brandy?" he asked, filling a glass.

"Don't mind if I do." McCoy took the filled glass then sat in one of the available chairs.

"Bones have you had a chance to complete Ramsey's psych exam yet?" Kirk asked.

"No, I was going to try and get her down to Sickbay today or tomorrow. Why?"

"Ambassador Kaphil said there was a chance a mind sifter had been used to wipe her memories. If she was trying to hide the fact she had recovered her memories, would it show up on the exam?"

"Possibly. It's also possible part of what she learned while on Vulcan included how to shield parts of her mind. I'll try some of the techniques I used on Spock. Of course, I don't think he was ever trying to actually hide anything on his exams."

"One other thing, Bones. Kaphil also mentioned that a mind shifter could be used to implant subconscious commands in a person. Is it possible Ramsey is being used by the Klingons? Could she have been planted here thirty years ago and have no idea of what's going on? And, if that's possible, could she be passing information and not even know about it?" Kirk asked.

"There's quite a bit about the mind we don't know, Jim. I'll see what I can find out on the exam. By the way, if you're going to continue going around ignoring her orders, be careful. I hear she's got one hell of a temper." McCoy glanced at the hole in Kirk's desk.

"So I've noticed. Admiral Cartwright gave me an assignment and I can't do it if I'm stuck in here. Besides, if Ramsey asks about my being in the Officer's Lounge, I'll tell her I was having lunch with the Klingon Ambassador. That should count as an official function. If she doesn't like that explanation, tough."

"Have you considered that preventing you from completing your assignment may be the real reason she ordered you confined to quarters?"

Kirk raised his head and stared at his friend, without commenting.

"See, you later, Jim. I'll see if I can convince her to stop by Sickbay after her watch." McCoy put his glass on Kirk's desk and stood up.

"See you later, Bones," Kirk said.

#

Ramsey was glad when she got back to her quarters. The crew had performed their jobs in a cool, brisk manner during her shift, but she could feel their eyes on her constantly. A few had even radiated an open hostility. She was willing to bet if she checked their files, she would find they had lost family to attacks by Klingons.

Then at the end of her watch, McCoy had called insisting she come to Sickbay for her psych exams. His attitude had told her he wasn't going to accept no for an answer, so she had gone. She had to admit McCoy was one of the subtlest psychologists to ever give her a psych exam. However, she had been through enough of them since Warren's death to know what he was after. The questions he asked indicated he suspected she knew more about her past than she was willing to share with Starfleet and it worried her.

She flung herself onto her bed. As she lay there, she looked at the picture of the Excalibur hanging on the wall. "By the Fek'lhr, I can't handle much more of this!" Ramsey said, sitting up suddenly and grabbing a small knife off the wall. She threw the weapon away from her and frowned as it embedded itself in the wardrobe. Great! How many holes is that now? I can imagine the rumors that are going to start when Maintenance finally gets around to repairing them.