Hi, my dear readers,
As I already warned you the action begins to take full place now. Kirk and Koloth will face each other again in this chapter, McFurthon's plan is partly successful what leads to a starting catastrophe, and our heroes have all hands full to do.
Have fun,
Yours Starflight
Chapter 29 – Kirk vs. Koloth
"Here we go," McFurthon grumbled pointing toward the platform of the official transporter. Koloth and his four men followed him – wary and cautious. Seeing their contact man in uniform was strange, to say the least. He made no secret of his hatred of Starfleet. But stranger still was the sight of five Klingons clad in Starfleet affects. The clothes didn't fit all that well; after all they belonged to McFurthon. Their ownership, however, was irrelevant. All that counted was that the uniforms were part of the masquerade that would bring them to their destiny – the orbital space harbor from where they would launch their attacks.
They didn't have to pay at the official transporter station as was usual for this kind of transport system. And they didn't even need to check in – standard procedure if someone wanted to enter the orbital space harbor via transporter. McFurthon's Starfleet ID card let them use the equipment without hindrance; they could beam directly into the orbit-station in the security area. Even the attaché cases they carried aroused no suspicion. The two Klingons wore Starfleet's Administration insignia on their shirts.
Koloth had warned the Terran. After the assault, Starfleet wouldn't need much time figuring that it had been one of their own who beamed to the station shortly before the attacks. Any idiot could put two and two together and discover the conspirator. McFurthon's history told it all.
The former officer didn't care. He had put his past behind him and only lived to fulfill his revenge against those who had let him fall. He was going to fall again; he knew that. He would not survive his revenge, but neither would many others. He had nothing to live for anymore and wanted to cause as much damage to the fleet as possible – to the fleet, the Federation, whoever in his opinion, had betrayed him.
They materialized behind the security checkpoint at the arrival terminal in the space harbor. McFurthon greeted the two personnel who looked at them wide-eyed before they saluted and then let them alone.
"This way," the former officer said quietly. "The cargo drop will start soon and then the cargo area shields will be down." He looked around, "No one'll notice when the tanks and a few uninvited guests beam down before it's too late."
Koloth, who held his injured arm close to his body, nodded. "Right! Noras, Koghan – you will come with me down to the spaceport! We will catch Kirk and his Augment pet by surprise. Kurhan, ready to beam back to the Starfleet base. Let them feel Klingon fire! You, Korax and you, MacWulson will stay here, ready to 'warm up' this place."
McFurthon rolled his eyes. This damn Klingon would never learn to speak his name correctly!
Koloth glanced at his chronometer. "Our fleet will reach us in approximately three hours, and then the defenses of this planet will be – up in flames." He looked at his comrades. "Heghlu'meH QaQ jajavim – this is a good day to die! Qapla! (Success)"
ST***ST***ST
Khan lifted both brows at Ritek's message and glanced at Jim. He had a notion of why the Commodore was on the other end of the line; Ritek must have called him after he couldn't contact the Enterprise. Clever, he had to give that to the alien man. "Hold the line a second," the super-human whispered and offered the communicator to Kirk. "Ritek has someone for you," he said, and caught the hopeful look of his beloved and shook his head. "It's not your ship," he added softly; he hated that the hope died in Jim's eyes.
"Kirk here," the young captain said quietly, trying to hide his disappointment and his increasing worry.
"It's Ritek. Captain, I'm patching someone through who urgently needs to speak with you."
"Right," Kirk murmured, asking himself who could be on the other end; he hadn't anticipated the voice sounding through the little speaker of the communicator.
"Jim? It's good to hear you."
"Bob?!" It was evident how thunderstruck the younger one of the two officers was.
"Yeah, it's me. One of your Shadow friends, Mr. Ritek, was intelligent enough to contact me after he couldn't reach the Enterprise."
Jim felt an icy knot tightening in his belly. "What's wrong with my ship?!" he demanded. He felt Nien's gaze on him, but ignored it this time.
"Your ship's near the former Neutral Zone. They're fine, Kirk. They spotted a Klingon strike group on its way to Aldebaran – where you are and, as Mr. Ritek has informed me, our 'friend' Captain Koloth is, too."
That was it; that is what Ritek meant when he said they were all 'in deep, deep water'. "Dammit, I knew it! I knew those bastards were planning something big!" Jim snarled; his outburst persuaded Khan to lay a calming hand on his shoulder. Then the Augment took the tricorder from Kirk and watched its display, listening intently to the talk about the incoming Klingon fleet; his brilliant mind already considering their options.
"That's not all," Wesley continued. "Your communicator's been intercepted, Jim. Lieutenant Taylor – there is no Lieutenant Taylor. He was transferred a week ago. You spoke to an imposter so…"
"Koloth isn't here alone," Kirk interrupted him. "I had a bit of an encounter with him, his first officer Korax, and three other Klingons…"
"That much I got from Mr. Ritek," Bob commented wryly.
"…and they were accompanied by a human; they knew where he was going too. He helped them get away and hid them somewhere. He's probably the one I talked to."
"You used a Starfleet frequency. Whoever he is, he's familiar with Starfleet frequencies and protocol, but not as such with the post because he did not know that the real Taylor has been transferred. Maybe this man is a deserter or perhaps dishonorably discharged and bitter," Khan whispered meeting Jim's widening eyes.
"You could be right," he mused. But the side conversation was not lost on Bob, "Who is with you?"
Kirk grimaced. Sometimes he wished Wesley wasn't so smart! "Sunrise is with me," he replied. The commodore sighed. "As far as I can gather, he isn't willing to speak with me. Please give him my regards. I haven't forgotten that my crew and I owe him our lives."
Khan only nodded and caught Jim's warm smile before the young captain answered back, "He sends his too, Bob." He steered back to the topic at hand. "When will the Klingon fleet be here?"
"I only received a short message from the Enterprise and… Hold on, Jim, your ship is calling me again."
Jim's heartbeat quickened as he listened to the short conversation in the background and heard Spock's deep voice. Then Wesley addressed him again. "Your ship is on its the way to Aldebaran as is every available Starfleet vessel within four parsecs. The Enterprise is at Warp 6 now, still watching the enemy. She should reach you in two hours and thirty-four minutes. We'll be there about twenty minutes sooner. The Klingons were traveling at Warp 6 too when they activated their cloaking devices. You can expect them a little bit after the Enterprise and me."
Kirk pursed his lips. "We need a full scan of the town, the spaceport, and the space harbor. Can you arrange that the outpost here…"
"We let them know and you have their full support. Commander Capricio will contact you soon. I'll let him know this frequency. It's encrypted; Mr. Ritek has assured me."
"Right. Some members of The Shadow are already guarding the outpost; others are in the spaceport, where I am too, in the cargo-area to be precise. They are expecting a delivery of liquid plastic here that…"
"The explosion would take more than the building with it, and the fumes could sicken even more," Bob groaned. "Perfect!" he added with some sarcasm. Then he turned serious again. "Jim, you have to stop Koloth at any cost. The planned assault is a distraction from the genuine danger, and a way to weaken Aldebaran. I'll inform the governor when we're done here, but I doubt that his police will be able to prevent Koloth from anything. It's up to you and the outpost to stop this, Kirk."
"I know. I didn't inform the authorities or Security. We need to avoid public mass. If the Klingons get wind that we know they're here – and evacuating half the town will do just that – Koloth may do something rash. We need him to stick to his plan because we know, for the most part, what it is. If he deviates, it'll leave us in the dark. The Shadow, Starfleet's outpost and I will do everything in our power to keep them from their goal. You make sure the Klingons don't take this planet."
"You can be sure of it, Jim," Wesley replied, sounding grim.
Kirk sighed. "Right! Please, keep me updated, Bob."
"Of course. Lexington out!"
Khan looked at him. "The situation is exactly the one we imagined," he said, and Jim nodded with another heavy sigh while he closed the communicator.
"Yeah – and worse. Eighteen Klingon ships are on their way to Aldebaran." He shook his head. "I hate war!" He rubbed his neck; another worry stirred in him. "As soon as this Commander Capricio contacts me and shows up with his men, you should beam up to…"
"We already had that talk, James. I will stay here at your side!" Khan interrupted him; his baritone firm.
Jim groaned. "Nien, if they recognize you, then…"
The Augment bent forwards. "The chance is minimal as I told you!" His blue-green eyes hooded from the shadow the baseball cap became piercing; that expression has made lesser men cower, but Kirk was no lesser man. Defiantly, he lifted his chin.
"But still, there is the possibility that someone will figure out who you are. They will arrest you, lock you away. The chance that you're – mistreated again is... Well, it's fucking likely! I can't and won't stand by for it. The risk is…" He was interrupted again as Khan's communicator vibrated in Jim's hand. Rolling his eyes, the young captain answered the call. "Kirk here!"
"Commander Capricio from the Starfleet outpost on Aldebaran. Captain Kirk, it's a pleasure to hear from you," an unknown voice with an Italian accent replied.
"Thank you, Commander!" Jim said businesslike. "Commodore Wesley informed you about the current situation?"
"Yes, Captain, I already ordered a full scan of New Aberdeen and I'll have the data in no more than fifteen minutes. I also informed the spaceport's security about the danger and twenty of my men are on their way to your position."
Jim sighed, half with relief, half with worry; the latter concerned the damned stubborn, gorgeous man beside him. "Alright, Commander. I have two friends of mine near the outpost observing. They're looking for the Klingons who are likely planning to attack the building. It would be nice if you could get them to safety. You'll identify them easily. It's a young Caitian woman and a young man – Caviw and Jeff."
"Understood. I instructed two from the security team to find them and get them somewhere safe. I will order an evacuation of the area around the spaceport and our outpost."
"I'd advise you to wait on this, Commander. I know the Klingon captain who is on the planet. If he thinks that he and his men are about to get cut off from their goal, he'll overreact and do something - possibly worse. I don't want to have Klingons running amok near our base or the spaceport. An ignorant Klingon is easiest to beat."
For a moment there was silence, then Capricio answered, "If you know this Klingon then I suppose you could be right, Captain. Still, the civilians around our outpost are my responsibility, and I am also bound to the contract between Starfleet, Aldebaran Security, and the governor that states we will support them during times of need or crisis. If we are not able to stop the Klingons, there will be a body count and Starfleet may be blamed."
"There will be more victims if you force Koloth's hand, Commander Capricio," Jim retorted. "May I suggest that we try to find and to catch him and his people, as well as the traitor who is with them, and if we don't locate them soon, we… We could force an evacuation of the spaceport by setting off the fire alarms – maybe some smoke bombs to make it more real?"
"Hmm, Koloth could think that the ensuing melee' would be the best moment to enter the spaceport in secret; we can catch him then," Khan whispered.
Jim grinned at him. "A good plan, 'Commander'!" He had winked at him before he turned back to the communicator. "Commander Capricio, I think we can lure Koloth into a trap."
There was a moment of silence before Capricio answered, "Where you are exactly, Captain?"
"I'm in the cargo area," Kirk told him. "A friend is with me, and I've got another man and a port guard watching another section of the spaceport."
"Excellent, Captain. What about the space harbor in orbit?"
Kirk pondered this suggestion for a moment. "Can civilians access the orbital station transporters?"
"You have to identify yourself and anyone arriving there without a shuttle, is checked," the Italian answered. "We introduced that security measure several years back after several instances of theft."
Jim nodded slowly. "So Koloth and his comrades shouldn't be able to beam up without someone seeing them." He pursed his lips shortly. "Give the alert in the harbor, Commander, but make sure your people handle the shipment per your standard protocol. Koloth has to believe that everything is cool."
"I agree Captain. I will be with you soon. Capricio out!"
Jim closed his communicator. "Here we go," he whispered reaching for Khan's hand. Khan squeezed back soothingly, telling him wordlessly that everything was going to be fine even if this conviction was truly only hope.
ST***ST***ST
Koloth's dark eyes watched the transporter Athena. She hung like a fat animal in the large hangar in the inner part of the orbital space harbor. Several smaller ships were stationed here, too. Two of them belonged to Starfleet; they were small and built for speed. Two security scout vessels and three civilian spacecraft docked at the other side of the hangar. The zero gravity and vacuum left each ship looking as though suspended by unseen strings.
The Klingon captain cocked his head and looked down at his arms covered by Starfleet red. One golden stripe indicated the rank of lieutenant and he traded his Administration insignia for one of Security.
Not one of the so-called 'red-shirts' had stopped him or the others as they walked through the harbor following McFurthon. No one hindered them as they entered the observation deck. From there they could watch the progress of the soon-to-be discharged cargo.
All of sudden the alert sounded and yellow lights flashed – the lowest of alerts. Cautious, Koloth turned around and glared at McFurthon who frowned before he headed to the door and left observation deck. The Klingons followed him.
Outside the situation was still calm, but two security members walked towards them. Disguised, McFurthon demanded, "Report!"
One of the two men answered, "Commander Capricio ordered the alert, sir! He said that enemy spies may be targeting the station."
Inwardly, McFurthon cursed. Kirk! He would bet his last shirt that the damn boy-captain was responsible for this! Outwardly, he remained calm as he asked, "What about the schedule for unloading Athena's cargo?"
The man who had just spoken replied, "There's been no change in the schedule so far, sir!"
McFurthon suppressed a sigh of relief. "Right, you two watch the area around the observation deck. Lieutenant?" he addressed Koloth, who stayed true to his role.
"Aye, sir?"
"Come with me! We will secure the arrival area and the transporter rooms." He glanced back at the two security personnel he'd fooled. "As you were!"
Both red-shirts saluted. "Aye, aye, sir!" They walked down the corridor while McFurthon hurried in the other direction; Koloth and his comrades were on his heels.
"Small change in our plans if you agree, Captain," he said quietly to the Klingon leader. "You and your men beam down with the second tank. Mr. Korax and I will start the distraction maneuver two minutes after you've beamed down. This will give you enough time to orient yourselves to the area. Act as soon as you can. I am almost sure that they're scanning the area, so they will be aware of your presence relatively quickly. The same goes for Mr. Kurhan. Act the moment you're down on the planet." He glanced at Kurhan; his face in a twisted sneer of satisfaction with his task of destroying the Starfleet outpost in New Aldebaran. He looked back to the other four Klingons. "Any questions?"
Koloth shook his head, answering for all of them.
"Right. Then let's begin!"
They headed for the cargo transporter room and again it was McFurthon's ranking security officer's uniform that opened every door to them. They reached their intended destination without trouble; only to two guards stood in front of the door to the transporter room.
Korax looked at his captain who nodded. A moment later, the Klingon first officer and Kurhan pulled out their phasers, stepped around the corner, and shot before the two Terrans could comprehend the unfolding events. The Klingons merely stunned both humans; a full-blast phaser shot would have been recognized by the station internal sensors setting off a red alert. As it was, the stun blast incited no reaction for the system.
Without hesitation, McFurthon stepped over the two unconscious men and entered the transporter room facing the transporter chief and a technician who had just overseen the unloading.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he greeted politely. "Just a little security check; seeing if everything is all right." Behind him, Koloth and Noras stepped in using their phasers without hesitation as Korax and Kurhan had before; they pulled the stunned red-shirts into the room with them. The Klingon first officer and Noras quickly began to mount the different parts together, adding the explosive bins to them. In just over a minute, they had built four bombs – two for the spaceport, one for the Starfleet outpost, and one for the orbital station; each placed for maximum impact.
"All clear," McFurthon murmured, and stepped to the transporter controls. "Ready, gentlemen? I'll beam you down with the second transport."
They answered only in dark glares making the former officer smile.
ST***ST***ST
Jim and Khan hid; they saw several Starfleet members stepping out from the large depot hall into the outside area of the cargo bay where the container was expected. Realizing that Diego, Jeff, and Caviw were with them, gesturing and chattering, he knew that support from the Starfleet outpost had finally arrived. Signaling Khan to stand back, he left the small hide-out and walked towards the small group. He saw a light in the corner of his eyes, and it caught his attention; the Augment must have noticed if Kirk read the man's reaction correctly. He pulled the collar of his parka higher; there were observation cameras installed. Jim cursed inwardly; hoping that the silly cap Khan was wearing would stay on his head; otherwise Starfleet Command would soon know about the super-human's whereabouts and of Jim's involvement with the former dictator.
Bringing his attention back to the main problem, his gaze wandered to the insignias on the station-uniforms the men wore. He addressed one of them directly as they had closed the distance towards him. "Commander Capricio?"
"Si, Elias Capricio." He extended his hand to the younger officer. "It's a pleasure, Captain Kirk," he said; his accent fluid and silky.
Jim shook the other man's hand, and then he gestured back to the Augment. "My tactical officer, Commander Lavi."
Holding himself in the shadows the late afternoon sun created, Khan nodded towards the strangers. "Commander Capricio," he greeted neutrally, and Capricio returned the greeting.
"Commander Lavi!" Then the Italian turned his attention back to Kirk. "Our sensors are almost done with scanning the town. We paid special attention to the quarters around the spaceport and our outpost. We detected no Klingon bio-signals."
"Maybe they ran," Diego mumbled. "They knew we found them out and, of course, knew Jim's next step would be to stop them."
Capricio looked at him. "You could be right, Mr. de la Vega-Martinez." He caught Kirk's amused gaze and explained, "Mr. de la Vega-Martinez and I already know each other. He is an excellent ship technician; he helped us with some repairs three months back." A communicator buzzed, and the commander opened his. "Capricio here," he said.
A voice reported, "Lieutenant Svenson. Sir, the space station is on yellow alert; all security measures initiated. The freighter unload can begin if you still want to…"
Capricio glanced at Kirk, still uncertain if he should continue the charade and act as if nothing was about to happen. At the young captain's encouraging nod, he sighed soundlessly and added, "Beam down the first three tanks and then the next three in two minutes." He opened another frequency. "Ensign Haver? Set off the spaceport fire alert! We want to make it easy for Koloth."
Khan took his communicator from Jim and hailed Galven, telling him 'the dance' would begin now. An oinked "Keep your neck out of the mud, buddy!" came back to him. Then the sirens began to howl while several Starfleet members at another part of the spaceport unpacked little devices. A moment later, smoke filled the air at the rarely visited traveler check-in in the large building complex. Almost instantly, chaos let loose and the staff members, as well as the few visitors, hurried to the exits. It was certainly an uncommon way to evacuate a spaceport, but it was effective, and they could kill two birds with one stone. Koloth would think his task easy.
Capricio closed the communicator and gestured for the others to withdraw with him back into the large hall. Jim saw Caviw and Jeff looking from the Starfleet member to Khan. They seemed to be worried about him, as if they knew his freedom was at stake. Caviw and Jeff only followed Capricio as Diego, Kirk, and the Augment did the same.
Behind them, the air began to glimmer as the first tanks were beamed down. None of them knew that a traitor, one of Starfleet's own, took the transport order from Lieutenant Svenson to pull the strings of fate.
ST***ST***ST
"General!" The Klingon science officer aboard the flagship ReghQIS, the 'bleeding knife', turned around and looked straight at his superior. "Our sensors are registering the warp signatures of about fifteen vessels which are on a direct intercept course to our fleet."
General K'taH went rigid. "Starfleet?"
"Obviously," the younger man nodded.
K'taH frowned. "Fifteen Starfleet vessels… They are outnumbered. But even if their numbers were even, they stand no chance! Not against us!" He bent forwards. "What about the ship that sent the transmission burst?"
The science officer shook his head. "No trace of them, Milord. I caught the emissions of a warp drive that had to be somewhere in the area, but it's impossible to track it down or to get information. The ship is as good as non-existent to our sensors."
"Like at Turkana," the general murmured. "But the other ships are not invisible." His dark eyes were directed at the science officer again. "Have you identified them?"
"Only one, sir. The USS Lexington. Her warp signature is well known by now. Regarding the other ships, our computer is still working on it."
K'taH bared his teeth. "So, Kor's Starfleet commodore is one of our adversaries. Very good!" He stared at the screen. "I only hope the Enterprise is there somewhere too, maybe with Kirk and his Augment friend. It would be a real pleasure to atomize them!"
ST***ST***ST
Caviw had crossed her arms in front of her chest and watched Kirk and Khan discussing something quietly while Jeff stood beside her in the large hall. Deep frown lines lined his face. Still the sirens continued to blare, but the firemen were quickly informed about the exact nature of the incident; they pretended to work.
"Something isn't right here. We missed something," Jeff mumbled, and the Caitian woman rolled her eyes.
"Yes, we missed telling Kirk not to sic his Starfleet boys on us."
The young man sighed, while outside the next three tanks were beamed down. "He only wanted us out of danger. I think it's nice of him and…"
"In the case you don't get it, Jeff, we are still in danger. If something is going to happen, then it will happen here and…" She stopped, and her tail tensed. "There was something," she said glancing towards the large door that led outside. "There was a movement." Without waiting for Jeff's reply, she walked to Khan.
He acknowledged her approach even before she had closed the distance to him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, and then he looked down at his tricorder again. "Captain, they are here!" he reported quietly, just before Caviw reached him. "I am reading three Klingon bio-signals directly between the three containers which were beamed down.
Kirk's eyes narrowed. "I knew it!" Then he hesitated. "The Klingons and the containers came together?" he asked perplexed. "But the tanks are from the Athena in the orbital station and the Klingons…"
"… had to come from there too," Khan completed Jim's thought. Both men's eyes widened in alert; then Kirk whirled around, stopping Capricio, who was about to send the red-shirts out to capture the enemies.
"Commander, the Klingons came from the space harbor! And they're three, not five! Two must still be up there."
The Italian stared at him, shocked, but only for a moment. Then he activated his communicator. "Lieutenant Svenson!" he barked into the little device. "The enemy is in the orbital station! Two Klingons and a human ally."
"I'll check the internal sensors, sir!" Svenson said. "I'll give the red alert and…" He didn't get further because all of sudden a deafening explosion sounded through the communicator's speaker followed by screams and shouts. Static hummed for a moment, sounding over the sirens of the space harbor.
"Svenson!" Capricio called; he was pale as ash. "Svenson, are you hurt? Status report!"
For a long moment there was no answer, then the lieutenant panted, "The explosion was somewhere in the cargo section near the Athena. I just got the call; the center of the blast has to be at dock 12 where the Athena is berthed."
"The remaining tanks aboard the freighter!" Jim gasped. "If they explode, then it could tear apart the space harbor and…"
"Lieutenant Svenson," Capricio acted without letting Jim finish. "Evacuate the area. And, for God's sake, take care that the damn freighter leaves the station before it catches fire, too! I'll be up there in a few minutes." He glanced at Kirk. "This is a disturbing! They are refocusing our attention from our 'friends' outside to the shit that's happening over our heads!"
"Go, I'll take over from here," Jim said, addressing several red-shirts. "Spread out and surround the Klingons outside. Don't take any risks; stun them at sight!" He pulled out his phaser and hurried towards the large door; Khan at his side, followed by Diego, Caviw, and Jeff.
Capricio cursed. He thought they had foreseen every circumstance; the space harbor should be secure against invasions of this kind. But they had been wrong. The traitor, whoever it was, and two Klingons were up there and about to blow up the orbital station. The fallout would be a catastrophe. Like meteors, pieces of the station would fall to the planet bringing death and destruction over a large portion of New Aberdeen that lay directly beneath the space harbor. And this was only the beginning!
He couldn't know that one of their enemies wasn't in the space harbor anymore; he only kept on his mission – weakening Aldebaran.
ST***ST***ST
Kurhan had materialized only a minute ago in a small street near the Starfleet outpost and to his surprise, passersby were still around. From the workshop of a nearby business, noises sounded. A few cafés were open and at the edge of the street young men stood together discussing sports. 'Drivel and trivial human banter', the Klingon thought to himself as he passed them.
His right hand closed around the handle of the attaché case holding the bomb. No one took notice of a 'red-shirt' as he walked down the street, took the corner, and headed towards the Starfleet station. From beneath lowered lashes, he looked around him over and again, but he saw nothing unusual. A young woman and a middle-aged man in an ice cream shop flirted with each other; another couple were necking hidden behind a tree. An Andorian studied his PADD and sipped a drink and women walked down the lane, chattering as only females can do. At the entrance of the Starfleet outpost, two guards were on duty and looked cautiously at everyone who passed them by, but they only wore standard phasers as their weapon without phaser resistant uniforms or helmets.
Kurhan frowned. The commanding officer of Starfleet on this planet had given yellow alert for the space harbor in the orbit because he assumed spies were there, but he didn't secure his own building? Did he feel safe?
'Idiots!' Kurhan thought. 'Starfleet's arrogance will be her downfall as well as the damn Federation!' He walked to the two guards; his left hand fingered for his hidden phaser. Something had to be done quickly. He would shoot them, and then activate the bomb, throw it inside and wait for Kahless' Black Fleet to take him. He had settled his affairs and felt only pride to be the one who would weaken the enemy enough to let the glorious Klingon fleet annex this system.
All of sudden a young woman stood before him and addressed him. "Excuse me, sir, can you please tell me what time it is?"
Kurhan stared at her; for a moment he felt a hint of panic, but there was nothing noticeable about the Terran female. She was small with slender curves beneath her dress. Bright large eyes were made brighter by her friendly face. A shame that she maybe wouldn't live to see another evening.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't have a chronometer with me," he answered politely and tried to step around her.
"Odd – don't you need one for your duties?" the woman replied, and a moment later he felt her grip his wrist. Whirling around, he pulled out his phaser; then a blue light enveloped him. Everything around him began to sway and blur. Darkness crept over him, and he fell.
The young woman stepped back, glaring at the approaching couple the Klingon had watched kissing only moments ago. "What took you so long?"
"Well, we…" The young man blushed while his companion scanned the area. "Only one of them is here," she said. The guards, the elder man and his young coquette, as well as the young men talking sports, came running with their phasers drawn. Others also scanned the area, but no one found the other Klingons.
"Is he alone?" the elder man asked, and the young woman nodded.
"Yes, sir! I watched him as he turned onto the street. He was alone."
"He materialized just twenty meters away from us, sir!" one said. "There was no one else with him."
The two guards had searched the stunned Klingon's pocket, and one of them was able to open the attaché case. "Shit!" he cursed. "The bastard put a bomb in it. It's activated; the countdown is set to ten seconds." He glared down at the unconscious enemy. "This was a suicide mission."
The elder man nodded. "Cuff him. Get him into custody." He took a deep breath. "At least one of these bastards can't do any more damage. I hope the commander and Captain Kirk are successful too!" His communicator buzzed and quickly he opened it.
"Rickman," he answered; he listened for a moment and paled drastically. "I understand, sir. We got one of the Klingons. He was about to blow up our outpost. He was stunned, and the bomb is in a safe place, deactivated. Any orders regarding the orbital station?" He waited for Capricio's answer and nodded grimly. "Aye, aye, sir!" Then he deactivated the communicator and looked at his comrades. "Someone blew up a part of the cargo section of the space harbor. We have to be ready to help the evacuation effort."
ST***ST***ST
"They know we are here!" Noras said quietly while he hurried beside Koloth and Koghan. The area was sun drenched, and the only shelter was the space between the tanks.
"Of course. Kirk is not stupid," Koloth answered and peeked around a tank. He gestured toward the smoke that came from one of the buildings in the spaceport. Sirens were blaring, and he watched firemen running everywhere – some toward the smoke and some to a fire that broke out in another part of the spaceport. "How handy that someone forgot to switch off the oven," Koloth said. "Fire is exactly what we need." He pulled the first bomb out from his bag, passing it to Noras. "Go over there." He pointed towards the parked ships, "and mount it to one of the vessels; then run if you don't want to join the Black Fleet today!" He took the second bomb. "I will take care that these tanks explode in celebratory fire." He heard steps approaching quickly. He didn't need to look; he knew who it had to be. "Koghan, cover our backs." With those words, he sped off. Koghan went for cover beside a tank knowing that Kirk and the others wouldn't dare shoot at him as long as he was beside the large container full of liquid plastic.
Baring his teeth, he saw Kirk rushing out of the hall with a slender man donned in a ball cap. Despite this 'masquerade', the Klingon recognized the male at Kirk's right hand. It was the Augment.
ST***ST
"They split up," Khan called; his attuned hearing had already caught the steps running in opposite directions. "One of them must be still…"
"DOWN!" Jim shouted as phaser blasts were suddenly shot in their direction. One of the security personnel screamed in pain while the others dropped to the ground. Another red-shirt was hit and disintegrated in the deadly blast. His comrades shot back, and Jim yelled, "Cease fire! If you hit the tank, it'll all be over!"
"We're set to stun, Captain!" the security officer called back; then he was hurled back by a full blast. And the blast left no remains.
"Withdraw!" Jim shouted. "We're too exposed! Withdraw!" Rising and pulling Khan with him, unwilling to leave him behind, he ran back toward shelter, the others on his heels. Two more red-shirts had died before they all made it to safety; Jeff bled from a shot that grazed him and Caviw's eyes were dark and large with fear. Diego cursed from somewhere beside him while Jim gathered the others around him.
Time! They had no time to plan. The Klingon outside was only there to buy time for Koloth and the others to do what they came for.
"Give me your communicator," he said, looking at Khan, who immediately offered him the little device. Opening a frequency, Jim called, "Kirk to Flash!"
"Ritek here," came the reply instantly.
"Ritek, we need your help. Klingons are here, but they're covered. We can't reach them without getting shot ourselves. They're about twenty meters away. Locate me and beam me behind them."
"I could beam them up and…" The Rigelian's voice was cut off by the young captain.
"Too risky, they're well-armed, well-trained, and would overwhelm you in seconds. Locate me and beam me back behind them." Before he could continue, Khan gripped his wrist and said with a voice that brokered no backtalk, "Beam me with Jim, Ritek!"
Kirk groaned. "Nien, I…"
"No discussion!" the Augment snapped; his green-blue eyes glistened dangerously. "We go together or not at all!"
Jim caught some surprised gazes from the Securities and lowered his voice. "You're gonna blow your cover! None of my officers would dare…"
"They would keep you safe, too! Your Vulcan did; your doctor-friend would do the same," Khan hissed back, barely above a whisper. "We go together or we or not at all! Choose!"
Kirk pressed his lips into a thin line. They didn't have time for this! "Ritek, beam Nien and me over." He lowered the communicator and looked at the security team. "As soon as Commander Lavi and I leave, create a distraction." His looked to the two members of The Shadow and Diego. "Leave while you can. There's no guarantee that we can stop the Klingons."
"Just kick their asses, Captain!" Jeff said through clenched teeth while Caviw treated his injury. "Don't worry about us!"
Jim suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Ritek, energize!"
He and Khan felt the typical disorientation and prickling of the transporter beam. For just a moment, they found themselves in a small room only to re-materialized seconds later behind the six tanks of the liquid plastic, blinded for a moment by the sun. Directly in front of them, they saw a figure cowering behind one of the containers, firing at the large door of the cargo hall in quick bursts.
Jim didn't know this man; he had only seen him for a short time during the bar brawl. The man wore civilian clothes, and if it hadn't been for the gun in his hand and his obvious role in this evil game, Kirk would have mistaken him for any other human.
The Klingon heard the soft bell-like buzz of a transporter over the noise of the phaser blasts. He whirled around, phaser drawn. Khan's reactions were fast. He had barely materialized when he kicked the phaser from the Klingon's hands and stunned him with a blow to the back of the head. Like a falling tree, Koghan hit the ground, unconscious.
Jim smirked – never underestimate an Augment! He glanced quickly at his tricorder. "One is over by the parking pad, by those ships over there; the other one is by the third tank!" he whispered.
Khan nodded; his bright mind was already calculating the information. The man nearby could be Koloth. Injured as the Klingon captain was, he wasn't fit for quick movements and a fight; the other adversary went to the vessels. That would give the Klingon an unforeseen advantage. Without hesitation, Nien made the only logical decision he could in order to keep his mate safe. "I'll take the Klingon at the parking area; you catch the other one," he murmured and was on his way before Kirk could protest.
The young captain cursed. Of course, Khan had to choose the riskiest action, damn him! He headed in the direction of the Klingon in question. An inner voice whispered that it had to be Koloth. He clearly remembered hearing bones breaking as Nien fought the Klingon commander. It likely saved Jim's life. Koloth needed shelter to act. A part of Kirk hoped to face the menace of K7 again and pay him back. His throat still hurt where Koloth had brutally gripped him only half and an hour ago. That annoyed him. What infuriated him was that the Klingon was about to kill innocent civilians. Jim would find satisfaction in catching the bastard himself.
Looking at his tricorder, he watched the display that showed the location of the Klingon. Quickly and silently, Jim rushed forward; then he heard a gentle click and another sound to his right. Putting the tricorder on the ground, he gripped his phaser with both hands, crept forwards quietly and jumped out of his cover aiming at his adversary only to find himself facing the barrel of a phaser; Koloth's face smirked at him in triumph from behind the weapon.
"I knew we would come face-to-face again before this was over," the Klingon captain said in a low growl.
"Well, it's a small world," Jim shot back; his eyed a little device attached to the tank behind Koloth. The small display blinked and showed a rapidly declining countdown from forty-five seconds, then forty-four, forty-three… "Is this how the proud and honorable Klingons fight now? With assaults against innocent civilians like a common terrorist?" he asked angrily. Fury boiled in him while cold fear crept through his veins. If this bomb blew, there would be no escape for any of them, and Nien would die with him in the mighty fireball that would blow a crater where the spaceport stood.
No! He wouldn't allow it! Not if he had any chance to stop it.
Koloth watched the young Terran with a sneer on his face. "Thank the fire over there, most of the civilians have already left the spaceport. After our little encounter a short time ago, you had enough time to warn everyone, Kirk – ever the hero." He lifted his broken arm. "I regret that I can't kill your Augment pet with my bare hands, but it soothes me that he will die along with you!"
Thirty seconds…
And Jim heard several fast approaching steps. After body checking the gunman out of commission, there was nothing to hinder Security from reaching the source of danger. Still, they could come too late.
"Pet?" Jim mocked and stepped nearer ignoring the phaser that aimed at him. "You should know. After all you brought a whole shipload of cute, little pets home with you. Tell me, how much does a Tribble go for Qo'noS?"
Twenty-five seconds…
A snarl escaped Koloth. "For the shame you brought upon me, you should die slowly and painfully. Death by fire should achieve that end."
"And you'll still go down in Klingon history as the warrior who brought fussy, chirping furballs to the Klingon Empire rather than rule over Sherman's Planet!" Kirk taunted.
Twenty seconds…
Jim's last words had the reaction he hoped for. Pure rage showed on Koloth's face, and he hissed, "Ready to die like a warrior or do you want to stand there and wait for the end, human?"
"If that's an invitation to beat the shit out of you again, I'm all over it." He didn't play fair this time, he knew the Klingon wouldn't either – wouldn't sacrifice a win for honor. Jim threw his phaser at Koloth, hitting his weapon hand the moment a blast shot out from the barrel. It went high and missed the young captain and the container behind him by only a few centimeters. Without waiting a second, Kirk hurled himself against the Klingon who, despite his broken arm, clawed at Jim's throat. The Enterprise's captain dodged the grip at the last moment, and they went down to the ground. For a while they only grappled with each other, both determined to get the upper hand; then they were surrounded by Security. Someone shouted an order, feet hastily hurried to the bomb while hands gripped for the two fighters caught in combat.
"Captain, we got the explosive charge – the countdown is stopped!" someone called, but Kirk was far too busy holding the furious Klingon at bay.
"Jim, move aside!" a familiar baritone barked, but it was easier said than done because both men were still in a hand-to-hand struggle, neither was ready to quit.
Koloth grunted; hate near blinded him. He managed to grip his D'g tahg, the Klingon dagger, and pulled it out from his belt with his good arm, but the side of a pale hand collided with his neck and strength immediately left him. His muscles gave out, and he found himself lying on the ground; the dagger clattered down beside him. His whole body paralyzed.
"I already told you to let him alone, Klingon! You should be happy, I let you live!" Khan snarled, standing threateningly and proud above him. The wind blew open his parka and through his dark hair; he had lost the cap while wrestling the enemy. Two red-shirts bent over the fallen Koloth and cuffed him. The Augment gave the Klingon a last dangerous glare before he turned towards a tousled and breathless Kirk. "You really have a thing for fights, don't you?"
"Hey, he started it!" Jim protested, and Nien rolled his eyes. Sometimes his beloved sounded like a pubescent boy.
"Captain, that was close," the chief of Security said, handing the bomb to Kirk who looked at the display. Three seconds! Jim gulped. "Well, at least there was enough time to switch it off." He glanced at Khan, who only snorted in amusement. "What's with your Klingon?"
"My Klingon?" The Augment shook his head. "Let me put it this way. He didn't like the way the ships were parked and wanted to give them a hand back up in the air. I broke the hand, and then I broke his neck." He gestured towards a red-shirt, who held another identical blasting composition like the one Koloth had placed on the container. "By the way, I won our little competition." As Jim looked uncomprehending at him, he smirked, "There were only two seconds left after I convinced the detonator to stop where it was."
One of the red-shirts began to chuckle. "'Convinced' is a nice choice of words, Commander. I would rather call it 'tearing it apart'." He lifted the explosive device that looked… odd.
Curious, Jim stepped to the man and observed the bomb. "The detonator… You tore it out?" he gasped; comprehending how close he had come to lose the man he loved. Shocked, he glanced at the super-human. And then he noticed it: Khan's face was no longer hidden by the cap. Dammit! At least here, between the containers, were no cameras.
Khan shrugged. "I was not familiar with this type of bomb, but without a detonator there is no explosion – end of story," he explained nonchalantly.
Diego, Caviw and a pale Jeff, who had accompanied the security team ready to help Kirk and Khan, stared at him as if he had suddenly grown a second head. The red-shirts gasped or snickered, the chief's jaw fell open, and Kirk shook his head. This was so typical of Nien! He always chose the simplest solutions to a problem.
"End of story?" Jim groaned not knowing if he should be irritated or not. "That story could have had a much unhappier ending!"
"But it didn't," the Augment answered lazily, giving Kirk one of his slow, smug smiles. Then his communicator buzzed.
He answered the hail and recognized the Rigelian's voice, "Ritek here! If you answered, does that mean you caught the bastards?"
"Yes, they can't hurt anyone anymore," Nien replied, watching the security chief reporting their success to someone with Kirk beside him. Then his attention turned back to his to Ritek. "Is there any news on the station?"
"I left with the Flash from Diego's shipyard to help with the evacuation. I can see a fire at the space harbor, but I'm not certain which section is affected." He stopped and groaned, "And another attempt from the Enterprise to reach her captain. Is Kirk there? His first officer has been trying to get him for several minutes now and is, as it seems, quite upset – well, for a Vulcan."
Khan grimaced. The Vulcan grated on his nerves though the Augment could understand his concerns. They both worried constantly about the cocky, oversized boy talking with the security chief and someone else on the line; his face paled. Their eyes met, and the former dictator made a gesture. "Wait a sec, Ritek, I'll patch you through and…"
"Shit! The space harbor's sending a ton of SOSs!" Ritek interrupted him. "I have to answer!" His voice changed slightly. "Enterprise, I'll put you through!" Then the link switched to the Enterprise, and Khan heard the deep, calm voice of the first officer.
"Captain? Is this you?"
Khan growled – and dammit again! Then he whispered into the speaker, "Hold the line a moment, your captain is busy!" Not waiting for a response, he let the communicator drop to his side and stepped to Jim, who listened intensely to Capricio speaking from the orbital station, "The gravity is affected too. The evacuation has begun, but because of the faltering energy supply we can't use the transporters anymore. It's too dangerous. We're stuck using the escape capsules, and there are not enough of them to bring every one of the approx. 500 people to safety."
"Pity the universe still cannot build a decent ship. Don't tell me that the Titanic is up there!" Khan sneered, forgetting that his communicator frequency was open and that a keen-hearing Vulcan was on the other end.
"Titanic? What do you mean?" Capricio asked, confused.
Khan stared disbelievingly at Kirk. Was the most infamous ship catastrophe of Earth's past already forgotten?
Jim rolled his eyes. "A historic event – a luxury liner sank more than three hundred years ago in the Atlantic Ocean," he answered the commander's question quickly, displaying his penchant for history. "They didn't have enough lifeboats to save as many passengers as were aboard." Then he got back to the topic. "What's about the Athena? Can she leave?"
"The airlock and moorings are keeping her in place! The Athena can't move without tearing the dock apart; we'd lose all the air in the station. The explosion destroyed part of Engineering; the fire suppressant system and security bulkheads are out of commission. The fire is completely out of control, and if it reaches the central power units, the outcome will be catastrophic." Capricio's voice sounded harried. "The captain and his officers have sealed the Athena's bridge entrance. If the moorings fail, they'll lose the air. It'll be a vacuum in there except for the bridge. Yet as long as the mooring holds, Captain On'thara's hands are tied."
"Can we beam the rest of the freighter's cargo down here?" Jim asked. His attention focused on the upcoming disaster – the likely explosion of the orbital station.
"No, interference is too strong because of all the SOSs and the unpredictable power supply," Capricio answered through the communicator. "And the cargo transporter up here is destroyed. The only chance to prevent the tanks from being blown up is to make sure that the Athena leaves in time."
"And what about the two Klingons?" the super-human asked after their other problem.
"One was caught in front of our outpost and is in custody. Our scanners showed another here in the space harbor after we materialized, but the systems are down so we're not receiving any data," the Italian said.
"So, the bastard and the traitor are still alive!" Jim groused; then he, Khan, and the others heard another explosion in the background. "Commander?" Kirk called. When he didn't get an answer he yelled, "Capricio!"
"We're still here!" the Italian replied; his voice hoarse while coughed. "Dammit, that was one of the auxiliary power supplies. Santa Maria, it's only a matter of time before the main power fails completely and we're sitting in the dark. But what frightens more is the possibility that the next explosion will damage the Athena; her cargo will go up like a Christmas tree."
"Is it possible to unlock the mooring manually?" the Augment asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caviw, Jeff, and Diego stepping toward him, Jim, and the chief.
"The way in is cut off by the fire and we can't use the supply line because of the smoke. We tried to contact the control room but got no answer. Most times a technician is there, but he either abandoned the station or he's dead."
Jim and Nien exchanged a glance. "Commander, has the fire hit the dock's control room? Can we get in there?" Kirk wanted to know, and the former dictator sighed soundlessly, already knowing his beloved's thoughts.
"The fire is not there yet as far as I know, but it's only a matter of ti…"
"Right, then we beam in, unlock the mooring, try to close her airlock manually, and beam back to safety!"
"That could work, but it's very dangerous," Capricio answered hesitantly.
"Since death has been, so life has been always dangerous. Ain't stopped me yet," Jim deadpanned wryly. "We're on our way, Commander! Kirk out!" He looked at the chief. "Secure the area and be ready to receive evacuees."
The Lieutenant nodded and jogged over to his men. Jim turned back to Khan. "I would go alone, but…"
"I thought we discussed this topic thoroughly, Jim!" the super-human said impatiently. "I'll go with you!"
Kirk sighed. "I said, I would go alone, but I might need a hand up there."
"I'll accompany you too, Jim!" Diego cut in. "You're one of the Federation's best and brightest, I'm sure, but you're no engineer. Drythen is a hell of a good technician, but four hands can do more than two."
"I accept," Kirk said, and then he pointed at Caviw and Jeff. "You two, try to find Galven. Take care of your injuries and help with the evacuation. If Nien, Diego and I don't prevent the Athena from being blown, then the orbital station will crack like a walnut. The spread of the debris field will cause serious damage; we need all the help we can get. Stay with Ritek aboard the Flash or with Galven. We'll probably need you to beam us out before we end up fried."
Khan's eyes widened at Kirk's words.
Ritek!
The Rigelian had patched the Enterprise through minutes ago and…
… And he had joined the discussion openly without altering his voice!
Gritting his teeth, Nien lifted his communicator; knowing that there was no need to hide his identity now. The Vulcan's sensitive hearing picked up the conversation. He must have recognized Khan's voice. "Enterprise, I'll pass you to your Captain!" he said firmly.
Spock's stoic reply proved his surmise correct. "I would appreciate it, Mr. Singh!"
Kirk looked at his lover with questioning eyes as Khan offered him his communicator. "Your Vulcan officer, Jim," the Augment said quietly. Slowly, realization made its way across Kirk's features; his sky blue eyes widened. Nien nodded slowly. "He listened to us. He knows!"
Jim stared at his soul-mate, shocked and a little afraid. Khan's identity was now revealed to the bridge crew of the Enterprise. Gulping, Kirk took the small communication device and lifted it to his ear as they made their way to the next transporter room. "Spock?" he asked quietly realizing that the moment had come to let the cat out of the bag; and he would stay true to the choice he had already made.
TBC…
Oh yeah – well, at some time the senior officers of the Enterprise had to be confronted with 'Sunrise' and learn, who he is for real. And, of course, Khan reacts like it's typical for him and resembles Jim's reaction very much: Grip the bull at the horns.
In the next chapter there will not only be Jim's talk with his friends via communicator and Spock learns about the obvious bond of trust between the former two enemies, but Kirk and Khan will try to save the day aboard the space harbor. Diego comes to know, what 'Drythen' is, Korax and McFurthon pouncing once more and there will be a lot of action.
I hope the last chapter was to your liking, including the action, the anew showed depths of our love-birds feelings for each other, and anything else. Please leave some feedbacks (battering my eyelashes).
Until next time,
Love
Yours Starflight
