Crumbling Stones and Sliding Sands

Chapter 21

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot,

will be victorious."

Sun Tzu 500 B.C.

Jim closed his communicator and looked across to the other bed, scowling. "Klingons." Bones shook his head in disgust. "Cain't say it's a huge surprise, Jim. Guess it was too much to ask that they'd stay on their side of the border."

Jim nodded. "Too much temptation," he said. "Klingons are always swift to see an opportunity, and Krell must have thought we'd be long gone by now; he was surprised to see Enterprise in this sector, and he probably decided to see what it was we were doing around here."

"What are you gonna' do, Jim?"

"I'll have to recall everyone back to the ship; Rual will have to finish the rescue operations with only Sansorans. Do you think Chapel and the techs can handle the field hospital so M'Benga can go back to Sick Bay?"

"M'Benga? Hell, no, Jim. He and Chapel need to stay here. Too many patients injured here. I'll be the one going back to the ship with you. I'll be fine for light duty by tomorrow and I'll make do with some of the other nurses and techs on board if need be. Don't you worry 'bout that. We can handle things in sick Bay." McCoy looked anxiously at Jim, willing him to agree.

"Bones…" Jim opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the stubborn anxious look on McCoy's face, closed it again. He had to have a doctor on board and hopefully there would be no need for more than light duty for Bones for the next couple of days. He knew that Bones was right, Chapel and M'Benga still had a lot of patients to see, and Bones was still not well enough for that kind of intensive work. So for now the ship was the best place for him.

"All right. That's what we'll do. Let me talk to Spock, and we'll start getting the crew back on board. Get your stuff packed while I talk with him." He flipped open his communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise"

"Enterprise here, Captain."

"Palmer, have Lt. DeSalle stand by; we have to start beaming the crew back to the ship as quickly as possible. We'll have to use all the transporters again, so tell him to get some help. Mr. Scott will coordinate the crew down here and will let him know when to start transporting them."

"Aye, Sir."

"Let me speak with Mr. Spock"

"Spock here, Captain."

"How far away are the Klingons, Mr. Spock?"

"Best estimate, is they are 14 hours from Sansora, Captain. They appear to be traveling at minimum warp speed."

"Can you tell if it's Krell's ship?"

Negative, Sir. They are still too far away"

"Well, they're not in a hurry then. That's good for us. Spock, notify Lt. Uhura and Lt. Commander Giotto to get back here to pick up their belongings and then coordinate with Mr. Scott to round up the crew and get them back on board. Go to yellow alert. Bones will beam up now, and I'll beam up later with the rest of the crew after I speak with Rual. I owe him the courtesy of explaining why we have to pull our people out."

McCoy, duffle bag in hand, came to stand by Jim ready for beam out. "I said goodbye to Selia, Jenny, and the child, Jim. Told them we'd come back as soon as we can"

Jim nodded. "I'll beam up later, Bones. You go ahead without me. I'm going to the rescue site for a few minutes."

"One to beam up, Mr. Spock," Jim said, and watched Bones disappear. "Spock, keep an eye on Bones. He's not cleared for duty until tomorrow."

"Yes Sir. I'll see to it, even though I am sure the good doctor will raise his voice to the detriment of my ears."

Spock heard Jim chortle before he closed the communicator.

McCoy materialized in the transporter bay to see Spock waiting for him. "Spock, how are you? Gotta say I'm almost happy to see you."

"Dr. McCoy, I too am almost gratified to see you looking in much better health."

McCoy grinned. "Spock, you 'ole so and so. It's good to be back on board. If I haven't said it before, let me say it now. Thanks for all you did in findin' me."

"You are most welcome, Doctor." McCoy thought he saw a gleam of amusement in the dark eyes. "The Captain, the crew, and I could not operate at maximum efficiency if you were absent from your position as Chief Medical Officer."

"Huh," huffed McCoy, unable to think of a good comeback. He glared at Spock and took himself off to his quarters now that both southern honor and southern grumpiness were satisfied. Although he'd never admit it, he was very tired.

Spock's eyes followed the slightly bent figure in blue and reminded himself to check on the doctor before Jim came on board. He definitely was not his usual irascible self yet.

Jim spent an additional hour at the main rescue site. His conversation with Rual had not been easy. He'd had to call on all his formidable diplomatic skills and repeat soothing reassurances that Enterprise was not abandoning them. Telling Rual and the others that they had to leave the earthquake rescue work in order to confront the Klingons had been met with dismay. Jim assured Rual they would return as quickly as possible and that M'Benga, Chapel and the med techs and nurses would stay on Sansora at the field hospital to continue to assist the injured. Jim did his best to explain the rapacious character of Klingon Warriors to a peaceful race that didn't really understand the psychology of the Klingon culture, and also make them understand that Enterprise was on Sansora by order of Star Fleet to assist their new Federation member as well as to protect them from hostiles. Scotty assured Rual and the other Sansorans that most of the rescue work had been completed and that the rest could be accomplished by the Sansoran volunteers.

Jim and Scotty stood by and within the hour DeSalle and his crew had managed to beam all the crew back on board. The Captain and CE were the last to leave the planet. They beamed out looking at the sorrowful faces of Matarras, Rual, and Aadi watching them disappear.

Scotty went on to engineering and Jim took the lift to the bridge. "Keptin on the bridge," announced Chekov. "Good to have you back in the chair, Sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Chekov." Jim looked around. He was happy to see that his entire Alpha bridge crew was back on duty.

"Report, Mr. Spock." Jim pulled down on his gold tunic as he sat in the Captain's chair. Spock handed him the padd with his report and his yeoman handed him a hot cup of coffee. He nodded his thanks and looked at Spock's comprehensive report. "Still pretty far out, I see."

"Yes, Sir, and still traveling at minimum warp," Spock told him. "It really is only cruising speed."

A faint frown furrowed Jim's forehead. "Hmm, maybe taking a metaphorical stroll in the neighborhood and having a look around," he said. "We'll let's give them something to see."

"Mr. Chekov set course to intercept with the Klingon Battle cruiser. We really need to stop and say hello."

"Aye, Sir"

"Mr. Sulu, ahead warp factor 4," Jim ordered. "Go to red alert." The red alert klaxon began blaring and red lights began flashing all through the ship. You could almost hear the crew scurrying throughout the ship reporting for their designated battle stations.

"Warp factor 4, Sir."

Jim toggled his chair comm. "Scotty, how are our engines?"

"Purring like baby kittens,

"Keep them hot, Scotty. We may need more speed at a moment's notice."

"They'll be ready, Captain."

"Mr. Spock, are all weapons online and hot?"

"Yes, Sir. All phasers and photon torpedoes are online and ready."

Jim turned to Sulu at the helm weapons station. "Do you have phaser lock, Mr. Sulu?"

"All phasers locked, Sir."

"Very good. Guess we're as ready as we'll ever be for a drive by. "Mr. Chekov turn off the Klaxon on the bridge and let me know as soon as we can identify the ship. I'm hoping it's Krell's ship and that we don't have to deal with a different Klingon commander."

Jim handed the report padd back to Spock. "Have you seen Dr. McCoy since he came on board, Spock?"

"Yes, Captain. I spoke with him in the transporter room. He is presently resting in his cabin. I must admit, that he was unusually subdued and he appeared tired. I was somewhat surprised that he did not decide to go to Sick Bay and check in with his staff."

"I think his back injury and that fever took a lot out of him. He was probably pretty tired, but didn't want to admit it. I'll go check on him in a few minutes. I hope he's resting," Jim nibbled at his bottom lip worriedly.

"Keptin, I have a visual of the Klingon ship now."

"Put it on the screen, Mr. Chekov."

And there it was. Krell's mighty battle cruiser, easily recognizable and looking just as formidable as the last time they'd confronted it. It was not a pretty ship, not like his own beautiful silver lady; it was too massive and bulky for beauty, but for all that, it was a formidable and intimidating presence because of its size, its huge and obvious 6 disrupter canons, and the two photon tubes on either side.

"Distance to intercept, Mr. Spock?"

"Still far out, Sir. Nine million kilometers, and they're still at minimum cruising speed."

"We'll intercept. Let's keep the ship on red alert. They are in Federation space after all, so they're trespassing. We can't have that, now can we?" The red alert Klaxon began whooping again and the red lights flashed on the bridge. Jim's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he aligned his metaphorical ducks all in a row and prepared to confront the battle cruiser.

The lift door whooshed and McCoy stepped onto the bridge and took his usual spot behind Jim. "What's goin' on, Jim?"

"Bones! Good to see you back on the bridge? Feeling ok?" The hazel eyes looked keenly at McCoy. "Did you get some rest? Doctor M'Benga's orders, Bones."

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jim, I rested for a while and I'm fine." He looked at the screen. "Is that the Klingon ship you encountered last time?"

"Yes, that's Krell's battle cruiser. We're on an intercept course. They've ventured into Federation space again; this time it was no accident, no ion storm to blame it on, and we can't have that now can we."

"Guess not," McCoy said. "Someone has to protect all this damn valuable empty space, so it might as well be us," he muttered. "Stupid Klingons."

Enterprise advanced rapidly toward the battle cruiser. Jim stared at the view screen, thinking. It was odd that the Klingon ship had not increased speed to meet them, although they were close enough now so that Krell couldn't doubt the identity of Jim's ship. It was also odd that the Klingon ship was not cloaked even though they knew they were encroaching in Federation space. And it was passing strange that they were traveling alone and not accompanied by another Klingon vessel.

Jim felt tension in his shoulder and stomach and took note of it. He was very familiar with the feeling; he'd come to rely on it throughout his command. He always appreciated Spock's logic, and always listened to what he had to say, but he remained firmly convinced that all the logic in the world was not as good as solid gut instinct. Something was off here. Klingon commanders invariably behaved in very predictable ways and the Klingon battle cruiser was not behaving as it should. Krell was not commanding as a Klingon commander usually did. He was not posturing, he was not threatening, and he was not being aggressive; in fact, quite the opposite. It was as if he wanted to be sure that Jim knew he was holding back; as if he was trying to get Jim's attention, but at the same time, making sure that Jim knew he was not going to engage in any type of conflict.

"Jim, doesn't it seem that the ship is behavin' kind of weird?"

Jim suppressed a smile. Bingo! Trust Bones to figure it out at the same time as Jim. Bones, who lived by his instincts and his guts nine times out of ten, Bones the behavioral psychologist saw the difference in the Klingon battle parameters, the change in patterned behavior right away. "Yeah, Bones. I agree with you, it's not the normal behavior of a Klingon commander."

He turned to his First Officer. "Spock?"

"I agree it is unusual behavior, Captain. We will approach the Klingon ship in 6 minutes. Perhaps we will have some answers at that time."

They watched the screen as they got closer and closer to the battle cruiser, Jim barely restraining his impatience.

"Distance, Mr. Chekov?"

"Nine thousand kilometers, Captain."

"Full stop, Mr. Sulu."

"Yes Sir, full stop."

"Lt. Uhura, hail the Klingon cruiser, please."

"Yes Sir."

Jim waited until Uhura said, "Commander Krell for you, Captain."

"Put it on the screen please, Lieutenant."

"Commander Krell. This is a surprise. I certainly didn't expect to see you back in Federation space so soon as after we left you on your side of the border?" Jim smiled, the same smile that had gotten him out of many iffy situations with angry Star Fleet Admirals as well as many alien potentates and high priestesses.

"Captain Kirk. It is indeed a pleasure to see you once again. I confess that I hoped you would not be gone from this sector and that it would be you and your Enterprise that we would run into on this side of the Federation Border." Commander Krell bared his teeth in the traditional Klingon smile. "I counted on the fact you would still be on patrol."

McCoy shuddered. If that was a Klingon smile, he hated to think what a scowl looked like. "Jim," McCoy murmured bending a little to Jim's ear. "That bridge looks mighty empty to me."

The Klingon bridge view showed Krell in his commander's chair, but the only other Klingon in sight was a very young Klingon sitting at the helm control.

Jim frowned. He switched off the voice toggle and swiveled his chair as he turned to Spock. "What do you make of this, Spock?"

"I do not know, Captain. Most unusual. Perhaps we should see what the commander has to say. I confess to some curiosity," Spock said, raising one eyebrow.

Jim turned back to the screen. "Commander, why did you hope it would be Enterprise that you ran into out here? I thought we had said a fond farewell at the Klingon Federation border?"

"It was so, Captain, but events are always subject to change, are they not? If I may, I would like to explain. Would it be possible to speak with you in a more secure and private place?"

"One moment please, Commander Krell." Jim swiveled his chair and faced Spock and Bones. "What do you think is going on here?"

"I'm not sure, Jim, but I think it would behoove us to listen to what Krell has to say."

"I concur with the doctor, Captain," said Spock.

Jim turned back to the screen. "Commander, I'll have this transmission piped to my briefing room. Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy will accompany me. The comm there is on a secure channel. Is that agreeable to you?"

"Yes, Captain, that is agreeable."

Jim got up from his chair, "Mr. Sulu, you have the comm. Uhura, please pipe this transmission to my briefing room, secure channel."

"Yes, Captain."

The three men went to the briefing room and Jim turned on his comm. "Go ahead, Uhura."

Commander Krell's face came on the screen and Jim, McCoy and Spock drew closer to the comm screen. "We're listening, Krell."

Krell seemed to draw into himself as he stood from his chair. They saw him beckon to someone out of camera view. A young Klingon male, a Klingon toddler female child, and a tall Klingon woman came to stand beside him.

"Captain Kirk. This is my family…my mate Sarella, my son Koth, and my daughter Duras. Also with us is my sub commander Kithas. Before I continue with my explanation, I believe it would be helpful to give you some background information about our Klingon culture, our warrior traditions, and our family structure. You already know that Klingons are a proud and tradition bound people. We value honor, combat, and our family lineage above all else. Our nature is highly aggressive and warlike. Like most Klingon males, I followed in the footsteps of my warrior father and my grandparents and entered the military. My family and I served my Emperor proudly for many years. My mate, Sarella, also followed her family warrior tradition and served on board a battle cruiser. She served with great distinction and honor as did I. However, after she became pregnant for a second time, she elected to return to our home on Qo'nos to raise our two children. This was considered eccentric among our people. Most of our women do not do this; they too, are formidable warriors and fully equal in status to male Klingons, and they continue to serve in the military after having their children. They usually hire a surrogate mother or nanny to raise the children. However, Sarella is highly educated and very progressive in her thinking, so she elected to raise our children herself.

It is in the nature of Klingon children to be fierce and aggressive. At a very young age, we begin their training and instruction in hunting and combat skills so as to strengthen their physical prowess and agility. Soon after Koth was born, Sarella began this type of instruction, but it soon became clear to her and to me as well, that Koth was unwilling to be trained in these skills. He voiced his displeasure loudly and often; and was quite vocal about it, even at a very young age. Koth is also highly intelligent and he was quite articulate in his desire to do something other than become a warrior and Sarella soon discovered that he was a prodigy, a true genius as an artist. I do not say this lightly, Captain, although he is my son. I was very disappointed in his decision, so I doubted. I doubted so strongly that I sought opinions about his work from many renowned artists and art dealers on many worlds across the quadrant. I showed Koth's work and asked about its artistic merits as if I had purchased the paintings and did not know the artist. All were astonished at the incomparable beauty and maturity of his art, and they all wanted to purchase what I showed them. I have some of his art here with us, to show you Captain, should you doubt my word."

Jim nodded, still puzzled about where all this was going. "I have no reason to doubt your word, Krell, but I would like to see your son's art work." He looked at Krell, noting the extreme tension in the man, in the set of his shoulders, in the tightness of his jaw. Jim was an expert at body language; how a person moved, held himself, responded to an impulse or a threat. He'd honed this skill, not just experimentally, or theoretically, but through his years of fight training and actual combat. Something momentous is going on here, he thought, and brought his full attention back to the Klingon.

"Thank you, Captain. To continue, it soon became apparent that as the son of two highly esteemed warriors of the Empire, the Generals and the Emperor would not allow Koth to pursue his desire to become an artist, no matter how much of an artistic genius he might be. Sarella and I discussed this many many times for several months. We were torn about what to do with this genius child of ours. After many sleepless nights we concluded that a gift such as Koth's, a one in a million artistic gift such as his, should be nurtured and developed for the enjoyment and edification of millions no matter what the cost to us personally. You must understand that this thinking is highly aberrant in our culture, so we have kept it a secret for the protection of all of us. We decided that he should be allowed to flourish and grow in his artistic genius, no matter what the Emperor or the Empire might dictate. Thus we arrived at a very difficult decision; we would do something no Klingon has ever done before."

At last, Jim thought, we come to the heart of the matter. "What is the difficult decision you arrived at Commander Krell?"

"Captain…" Something in the Klingon's rough voice made Jim's hazel eyes come up to meet the deep hooded black eyes. Across the wide expanse of space between their two ships, Jim read a fierce yet veiled entreaty. "I know you are a man of honor, a true warrior whose word once given can be trusted. Therefore, my family, my sub commander, and I, have come to you to ask for political asylum. We wish to defect from the Klingon Empire and take refuge within your Federation."