Book 1 – Chapter 13

When she woke from her nap, she opened both eyes. They were not itchy or inflamed. At Amy's request, Kari batted her lashes. Her eyelids worked just fine, so the patient was released from sickbay to go about her business. Before she departed for Holodeck-One, she informed her friend, "Don't worry about Ray. He has a secret admirer. She has stayed in the shadows out of respect for you."

Amy wondered, "She'll make him happy?"

Kari explained to her friend, "You make is sound like he is unhappy with you. That is not so. He adores you, but the truth is, you and he are not a good fit. You need to 'hear' his heart and soul, and Ray has not the words to express himself. But with Lucy Bennett, a telepath, he doesn't have to 'say' a thing. He will find peace and acceptance with her, in a way he cannot with anyone else." She said with greater emphasis, "Don't worry about Ray."

*** BREAK ***

As she exited sickbay, she kissed her husband's cheek and ordered K'hux to move the ship closer to the larger of Betazed two moons. After leaving sickbay, she went to the 'War Room,' which sat at the base of the Titan-Warbird's goose neck. K'hux described it as a sophisticated stellar cartography chamber. Thanks to cameras and sub-routines Aujin slipped into Oberon Rixx's satellites, the War Room Controller could view the entire universe. The Controller could zoom in to get a better look at a sector, a solar system, or a planet's surface. Because the Triumvirate could be controlled from the room, space battles could be seen, coordinated, and fought from a third-person perspective.

"The zombie gnomes," K'hux said with a grin, "They were the scariest, most vicious looking things young Lady Kos'Kari had known. So, when she designed her Triumvirate crew, she imagined them as cannibal gnomes." It seemed a silly idea, but it proved valuable in application. These 6- to 18- inch-tall crewmen, with tiny hands, could get into tight spaces to make repairs. As Lord Von observed them at work, he realized they would make excellent ground forces. Being low to the ground, they were difficult to see. Because they were small, they were difficult targets to hit. They were also fast, so they could strike lightening quick. And at first glance, they are so ridiculous looking, an enemy might laugh himself into inaction. If not, their gruesomely painted face and razor-sharp teeth would scare their foe shitless.

Jack tried not to snicker aloud, "Are you telling me the Triumvirate is packed with zombie gnome legionnaires?"

"Yes," the Klingon answered, "And more are under construction on Olympus's assembly line." The troops would be housed in the Olympian fleet. The vessels named Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were like Titan. They would have living-crews and a 'War Room' where the ship commander would control a triumvirate of their own. Zeus's triplets were Ares, Artemis, and Athena. Poseidon's sub-vessels were name after Harpies: Aello, Ocypete, and Podarge. Hades's trio were Tartarus inmates: Ixion, Sisyphus, and Tantalus. In decades to come, there would be more ships, more robotic troops, and better weapons.

Jack felt uneasy, "Is the Empire planning an invasion?"

K'hux reassured him, "This is Lord Von's fleet. He is, at heart, a scientist, not a conqueror."

Jack didn't feel better about this, "Then why ramp up?"

K'hux stated, "Just because Lord Von does not seek to rule others, it does not mean others will not seek to destroy us."

That put Jack's mind at ease, but this project totlh assigned him was bothersome. As sickbay's computers ran simulations, he asked K'hux, "What is the High Council's interest in this virus?"

He knew, but would not say, "I am not at liberty to discuss their agenda; and I ask that you not pry into my mind for answers."

"I would not violate you, Brother," Jack swore. "I just want to know if Kari is the only person who can handle this, and does she have to do it from here?"

K'hux replied, "Betazed is the center of the bio-weapon-problem. Thus, she is in the best location to resolve the issue quickly. As a high-ranking Starfleet agent, no one will question her nosing around."

"Except for Monty, who thinks we have left orbit," Jack said.

K'hux patted his friend's shoulder and smiled, "Odush left orbit with Titan's beacon. Your Chairman already thinks we are gone."

That was a smart play, but… "Alyssa and Lwaxana's sensors are more difficult to evade."

K'hux replied, "Betazed's alpha moon has a strong electromagnetic field. In Oberon's day, he hid Olympus inside it. We head to it now, because the field will mask Lady Kos'Kari's presence."

Jack said aloud with pride and admiration, "Our totlh thought of everything." Then he said to himself, "My wife is so hot!"

"Bridge to HoD K'hux."

"HoD here. Speak!"

"There is an incoming hail for joH Tucker."

Jack asked K'hux, "Since when does the crew call me as 'Lord' Tucker?"

"Since Emissary Kamarag referred to you as such," K'hux answered Jack and then snapped at the bridge officer, "Who is hailing and why are you telling me instead of Lord Tucker?"

The bridge officer replied, "The identification code belongs to Ileybra of the House of Vroh, but the male speaking calls himself 'Ray.'"

K'hux asked Jack, angrily, "Would this be my Amy's 'Ray'?"

*** BREAK ***

A few months ago, when Rico and H'tav visited Terra, Kari had a long talk with Brack Woodside, "Jack and I are two steps closer to our wedding. Here soon, I'm going to want time off for my honeymoon. Two to three years out, I'll be pregnant. I may not be able to work full time. When the children arrive, I might leave the job all together. Getting my replacement in now, while I'm here to walk him through what I do and how I do it, will make the transition seamless."

She recommended Ray Donald for the job because the team knew him. In a social setting, he made them laugh. He often quoted from epic novels, which inspired the team to pick up the classics, like 'Great Expectations, Moby Dick, and The Iliad.' When Kari found herself ill-equipped to handle her team's personal or professional issues, she brought Ray into their discussions to get his advice.

Kari had summed it up for Brack, "They respect him as a person and an officer. They will follow him. As the Academy Commandant, he has already passed the vetting process, and his security clearance is equal to mine. Transferring him over from the school to SI will be a snap. The hardest part will be selling him on the job."

The sales pitch occurred the day before the quartet left for Boston. Ray was given the weekend to think about it. After hearing about her uncle's death, Kari accessed SI's Emergency Transport System and had the foursome back in San Francisco in five minutes. While Kari and Jack waited for Lord Von's ship to pick them up, Ray called Brack to accept the job. Thirty-six hours later, the Tuckers and Amy left for Betazed, and Ray stepped onto Umgodi not as DD Tucker's guest, but as Deputy Director 'pro tem' (DDpt).

The team welcomed him aboard and inquired of Kari's situation, "General Woodside said she had to go to a funeral. Who died? Was it Rico? Was it H'tav?" Nervously, they wondered, "It wasn't her patriarch, was it?"

Ray eased their minds, "Prince Regent Ezra Rixx of Betazed died in a shuttle craft explosion. Kari's patriarch is expected to go to the funeral, but he is a recluse. He asked her to stand in as his proxy."

The team huddled like American football players. Lt. Colonel Clark, the senior-most officer among them, was apparently the quarterback. He said to DDpt, "Only world leaders are 'expected' at royal funerals. We don't mean to overstep, Sir, but who is her qorDu' ta' that he would fall into that category? If you need to double check our security clearances before you answer, we understand."

"I already checked," Ray was restless the night before, so he read Umgodi's personnel files. "Lord Von is not a politician. He is a scientist. His invention cleaned Qo'noS' atmosphere after Praxis exploded."

T'Paan, Ben Posey's fiancée and a member of Jack's medical staff, was astonished. She uncharacteristically showed emotion, "Lord Von! Are you kidding me?"

The team clamored, "What-what-what? Who? The 'Von' from the history books?"

T'Paan explained that when Chancellor Kaarg took power from Azetbur, he wanted to realign the Klingon Houses. He believed too many had been declared 'Great' when they were not even 'so-so.' Others held the prestige of 'Ancient House,' even though their blood had been diluted from breeding with peasants.

"He wasn't sure Klingon scientists would be honest because their House could lose prominence," T'Paan said. "So, Kaarg sought alien geneticists, who would have no vested interest in the test results. My grandfather fit the bill, and his being Vulcan was a bonus because it is not our nature to lie. Lord Von has 11 chromosomes in common with Kotar, the first Klingon; and shares exactly half with Kahless, the Unforgettable. Because of his contribution to the Empire and his close genetic ties to the Klingon legends, Lord Von is considered a hero and living god!"

"Holy shit!" Hamilton exclaimed, "That's mighty freaking important. Why didn't she tell us?"

Ray replied, "Knowing Kari, she wanted your respect based on who she is, rather than the achievements of her family members. When I hear something, I will give you an update on her. In the meantime, let's hit the grind."

For his and the team's peace of mind, Ray programmed his computer to ping the PA system whenever the Chairman updated ship's log. When the chime echoed throughout Umgodi, the team knew to assemble in Ray's office at the end of their shift to hear Heracles's audio reports.

The first report of relevance was the Titan warbird. The Chairman said of the vessel's illusion, "It is the Klingon answer to Terra's mythical Kraken. The visual was awesome and realistic; I damn near pissed myself!"

When the Chairman described Titan-Commander, the team recognized her as their Deputy Director. They cheered when they heard she got the cranial ridges she had longed for. When they heard Queen-Regent Alyssa had a terminal neurological disorder, they groaned sympathetically. She would be the fifth Rixx to die by the end of the current year – it was as if the family was cursed.

As the team understood it, it was common for Klingon commanders to backhand subordinates to keep them in line. However, hearing Kari had struck Amy, her closest friend, was shocking. Pays reacted with panic, "Special K (his nickname for Kari) needs to be sedated. Why isn't Tucker medicating her? Why, Admiral, WHY!?"

"Dude, calm down!" Ray demanded. "Monty has a foul mouth. If the situation was out of his control, every sentence in his report would have the word 'motherfucker' in it! Do you hear him cussing?"

Selvah only taught graduate-level science courses; so, the doctors on the team had endured her for several semesters. Though she was knowledgeable, none of her students liked her. T'Paan, a fellow Vulcaness, thought her insufferable! She had said to her course counselor, "I would 'enjoy' a case of scabies, contaminated with flesh eating bacteria, more than being in a lecture hall with that female!"

Hamilton muttered, "I thought Pon Farr was strictly a Vulcan male thing."

Ken stated, "It is extremely rare for females to suffer from it. This Selvah willing her episodes to coincide with Tucker's is creepy obsessive."

Ileybra wondered, "Isn't Selvah a little old for Jack?"

Ray countered with a grin, "Isn't Jack way too old for Kari?"

Ileybra stated, "A 75-year-old Vulcan is still considered a spring chicken."

"Seventy-five?" Ray laughed, "Jack will be 136 tomorrow. Selvah is 134."

Ileybra looked dumbfounded, "I thought you were older than Jack."

Ray confirmed, "I am, by three months."

It didn't sound right to Clark, "You and Tucker were born in 2212? But you two look younger than Ambassador Spock, and he was born in 2230."

"Thanks," Ray said of the compliment, "Jack and I met at the Academy in 2231. We were roommates until 2236."

Lucy muttered, "You guys aged well. Clean living?"

Ray laughed, "Not even close!" He said no more before continuing the report.

Rahim did not find Selvah as curious as 'Rexx,' "What do they mean 'expose' Titan Commander as 'rex'? 'Rex,' the king of what? I didn't know she was a man and I never would have pegged Tucker as a homosexual. Pays, you rotten son of a bitch!" he punched the team medic, "Why didn't you tell me I was pining for a guy?"

"Settle down, Homey," Pays reassured his buddy, "Special K is a dame."

Rahim needed him to be more specific, "Transgender or 'real deal' female?"

Ileybra and T'paan confirmed, "Real deal."

"O my god!" Lucy was suddenly not confused, "Not rex, R-E-X, but R-E-X-X." She stared at Ray, "DD Tucker is Trajan Rexx Sator'Roc?"

Hamilton stammered, "Who?"

Lucy explained, "Trajan Rexx is the daughter of Alyssa Rixx, the Queen Regent of Betazed, and Sator'Roc, the Vulcan Ambassador to Qo'noS. Almost eight years ago, Betazed's medical institute diagnosed the Princess with tele-psychosis. The medical community wanted to lobotomize her. Another group petitioned to have her committed to an insane asylum. Religious fanatics regarded her as the Betazoid version of the Anti-Christ. Her parents took her to Vulcan for her safety and 'objective' study and treatment. As far as anyone knows, the Princess is still on Vulcan. If it is discovered she isn't locked up, Betazoid zealots, the Council of 13, and her pureblood relatives would hunt her down like a rabid animal." She eyed the three medical troops here, "Is she ridge-less from the Klingon Augment Virus or is she a Vulcan-Betazoid hybrid?"

The trio answered, "Classified."

The rest of the team was not entirely surprised about DD's heritage because…Ken remarked to Lucy, "Four days a week, she is in the gym. You should have sparred with her. You might have landed a few hits, and seen that DD bleeds green."

Lucy didn't want to speak ill of the DD she respected, so she thought to herself, "She hates me. She would have snapped my neck."

Ray was not sure how he heard Lucy's thoughts, but he took the chance that she would hear his response, "Later, you and I will have a long talk about that perception." When she turned her sights to him and nodded, he was sure he got through.

Clark commented, "Klingons do not run from threats. She will stand firm, fight until the cavalry arrives."

Pays countered, "You are forgetting that Tucker thinks like a Klingon. He will protect his woman. He will fight in her stead after throwing her towards cover, and the best cover is in the Empire."

Hamilton had an idea about how bad it could get, "Religious fanatics don't give up. If assassins from a Federation world go gunning for a run-of-the-mill Klingon in Klingon territory, it is a mere intergalactic incident that would blow over. But headhunting the daughter of a Klingon hero and living god, is a full-blown war with the Empire! If Titan is the type of battleship the Federation will be up against," he shook his head, "Do' tlhIngan jatlh jIHvaD chonayta' jIH (Lucky me, I already speak Klingon)!"

In unison, the team nodded, "HIja'!"

Ray said with authority, "What you have figured out about her is classified. So, we will never discuss Rexx ever again, and all we know about Lord Von is what we've read in Federation history books. We clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the team replied.

"Good! Now go home; grab your Go-Bags; kiss your spouses, kids and whomever; and meet back here in 30 minutes," Ray said. "Kari is a wreck because she is too close to this. For her health and sanity, she has got to withdraw. Once she is benched, the Chairman will need us to interrogate Selvah. Let's be in Betazed's orbit, or at least en-route, when he calls us in."

*** BREAK ***

In keeping with the Zulu theme of their base, the team re-christened their runabout 'Isikhova,' which meant 'owl' – a Terran bird-of-prey. During the trip, Ray showed the team a few tricks he had picked up early in his career, as a security and communication's officer. He hacked Heracles' internal cameras. The Umgodi team watched the holo-deck fight live! They cheered, they hissed, they applauded, and they were thrilled to learn of the pregnancy. They looked to Ileybra for a quick translation of the word 'totlh.'

She replied, "Commodore, but unlike Starfleet, it is not a rank between navy captain (O-6) and admiral of the lower half (O-7). It is third from the top – Vice Admiral."

Clark muttered quietly to Ray, "That kid and her fast promotions – she's giving me an inferiority complex."

Ray felt the same way, "No shit, right!"

Six long hours after the bout, the Chairman called Ray's office on Umgodi. The com-officer on the installation forwarded the feed to Isikhova. "I need your two telepaths and one of your doctors. A ship will pick them up in…"

Ray interrupted, "I got this. Donald out."

On June 13th, 0730 hours, the Chairman noted in his log that he was touched by Annabel's affection for her young half-sister. The matter with Aujin's cat enraged him! Adanya and Theseus's disappearance from Betazed made him think, "Annabel's idea of a summary execution turned out to be the right one."

He also wrote that Lord Von's proxy had expressed her condolences to the Queen Regent, and her business here was done. Heracles confirmed that Titan's beacon was last detected leaving the system, headed for the Empire, by way of Terra.

Lucy contradicted the report, "We are in Titan's path and DD's mind is not coming towards us. She is still in Betazed's solar system."

Ray thought this was weird, "We are still an hour away from Betazed. Have you ever sensed her this far out before?"

Lucy shook her head, "No, Sir." She closed her eyes and wiggled her right pinky finger in her ear. She hissed eerily, like a paranormal medium, "Whispering, whispering. 'pongwIj 'oH gnoah Gnome. nuq 'oH ponglIj'e'?'"

Ray grunted, "What the…!? It's Klingon for, 'My name is Gnoah Gnome. What's your name?' Are you on narcotics, or is she?"

She explained, "Those are the words I hear, but not what I see. Some of the text looks like computer code. The rest looks like scribbles on index cards. Neither is written in a language I understand. It's…it's…" Suddenly, she went pale and covered her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Lucy? Luce?" he held her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. When she did not open her eyes, he shook her a bit harder, "Lucy, can you hear me?" He slipped his left index and middle fingers into her right hand, "Squeeze my fingers if you can hear me." When he felt her grip, he said encouragingly, "Atta girl! Come to my voice. You don't want to get stuck. Come this way. You won't fall. I'm waiting for you – I'll catch you. Come to me."

While getting familiar with the job, Ray watched a few interrogation videos. When Kari got too wrapped up in her subject, this is how Jack coaxed her out. In the film, Kari indicated she heard Jack by squeezing his hand. She signaled her exit by resting her head upon Jack's shoulder. Somehow, Jack could tell when she did not break cleanly from a detainee. On those occasions, he took her to the installation's holodeck and surrounded her with a litter of puppies.

Lucy did not ease out of this. Her mind came running full speed at Ray. The mental tackle was followed by a physical one. It knocked him back a couple of feet into the bulkhead behind him. She shivered in his arms.

"It's okay," he whispered comfortingly, "I know Kari can be scary but I promise, if you are not out to screw her or her Empire over, she is not out to get you. Hush…" he rubbed his palms over her back, as if to warm her up from a chill, "Come on, let's get you to one of the doctors. Afterwards, we'll hit the holo-suite and play with some puppies."

*** BREAK ***

As Isikhova came along-side Heracles at 0830, the runabout crew saw two Klingon vessels. The Klingon markings read Emissary-One and Uj'alla. After Hamilton located Selvah, Ray called the Chairman, "We are here." Before the Chairman could tell them to park the ride in the main shuttle bay. Ray said, "And we just picked up our package. We'll call when we have something. Donald out."

As the Marines ensured the subject was properly restrained, the pilot disengaged their beacon and flew the runabout under Heracles. After it inverted, Isikhova attached itself to the larger ship's belly. And here they had been, for the last seven hours, interrogating Selvah. When Ray finally had something to report, he pulled Ileybra aside and asked her to contact Titan.

When Titan's sickbay appeared on Ray's view screen, Jack asked, "How did you know Ileybra could find me? And who is minding my cat and sehlat while you're space hopping!?"

"Relax, dude!" Ray snapped back. "Ben Posey is watching your pets. I figured out Ileybra's connection to Kari back in February when I overheard them talking about, 'our patriarch.' I took the chance she could get me in touch with you. Is that K'hux behind you?"

The Klingon crossed his arm over his chest and grunted, "Yes, I am K'hux!"

Ray smirked, "I like your style. I don't think anyone has ever hung up on the Chairman before, ha-ha!"

"What is your need, Human?" K'hux was intentionally hostile.

If Ray knew it, he did not let on. He called because he needed help. Ray reported that Selvah was a basket case. When they beamed her up, she had a pillow tucked under her tunic. She called it 'Little Jonathan.' She also asked when her husband would be back from Lake Yuron.

"Lucy answered the question," Ray said, "She said you were on Betazed, attending a funeral. Selvah's face lit up like a Christmas tree! She thinks you're attending Rexx-slash-Kari's funeral. Lucy and Ken agree that this is more than wishing her rival dead. Selvah expects Kari to inhale or ingest a poison and be dead before your birthday is over."

K'hux asked Jack, "When is your birthday?"

Jack answered, "Today."

"K'hux to Dr. Grey."

"Grey here, go ahead."

"Come to sickbay and double-check totlh's medical scans, NOW!"

She sounded panicked, "On the way!"

K'hux returned his attention to Ray, "Anything else?"

Ray answered the Klingon, "The telepaths have been at her for almost seven hours. They can't get further into Selvah's mind. They keep hitting an image of a blonde with blue rings around her pupils. They said this woman isn't real. Selvah's mind reinforces the idea that the blonde is small, but when the vision comes forward, Selvah lifts her chin to see the blonde's face. Ken and Lucy said the vision is a telepathic or hypnotic suggestion. They said Kari would know the difference, but there's no way we're bringing her aboard Isikhova! This wench could be the poison's delivery system. I got the two doctors checking the theory, but they are not sure they can make the determination by the end of the day. So, I need Jack to get over here and sweet talk Selvah out of her secrets."

Jack would rather Kari ride his lap and howl Von's name than… "What? Sweet talk Selvah?"

"Bitch, I know I don't stutter!" Ray snapped, "At this point, we will catch more flies with honey than vinegar, so get over here, and interrogate her."

Jack thought it a bad idea, "What if she turns me into an alternate delivery device!?"

Ray fired back, "What if Kari has already been poisoned? A second exposure from you does diddly squat! But you not coming over here will kill your wife. Get over here, NOW!"

K'hux demanded, "Send me your coordinates. We are on our way. Titan out!"