CHAPTER 2

Hoshi picked at the food on her plate. She really, really hated it when her food moved. Having nothing but Klingon cuisine had led to the loss of the little extra fat she'd been carrying around on her hips, but that was the only good thing.

She had taken off her gauntlets and breastplate before she sat down to eat, finding the looser, softer undershirt much more comfortable. Now, however, she had the urge to put the armor back on. Leave it to Klingons to fight even with their food, she thought, looking in distaste at the mass of writhing creatures on the plate.

Muttering a Klingon curse, she shoved the plate away as the door chime to her cabin sounded. She called out, "Nuqneh," the typical Klingon greeting of "What do you want?"

The door slid aside to reveal Kleth. He carried a plate and cup, and without invitation he set them on the table across from her.

"You must eat to keep up your strength, little one," he admonished in a voice soft for a Klingon, barely heard over the creak of his leathery armor as he sat down.

"I can't stand this stuff you eat, Kleth," she complained. "Besides, I'm not hungry."

The massive Klingon began to shove the food into his mouth, and she tried not to notice the stray bits that were beginning to fleck his beard. He took a long swallow from his cup and set it down with a clang.

"You must not take this setback too hard," he said more forcefully as he resumed eating.

"I can't imagine why I would," she retorted, though she knew sarcasm was usually lost on Klingons. From previous conversations, she knew Kleth would go ahead anyway and tell her.

"That ship," he said around a mouthful of gagh, "is only a small thing in the universe. There will be others."

"Great! You're probably the only Klingon philosopher in the universe, and you're on my ship." Hoshi stood and began to pace, not an easy thing to do in the cramped cabin. She managed to take two steps before she was stopped by a bulkhead and had to turn around to continue pacing.

Kleth watched her with a mixture of amusement and pride as she stalked back and forth like a caged tiger. "Ma'Hew did well when he chose you as a mate," he said quietly.

"Don't go there, Kleth," Hoshi said in a warning tone.

"Do you deny it? What you lack in stature you more than make up for in spirit and cunning. You have a warrior's soul."

"I don't care about my soul," she spat out.

"You will, one day."

Hoshi sat down heavily in her chair. "Not only are you a philospher, Kleth, but you must be the only Klingon who understands the Human concept of a soul." She paused to look fondly at him. "How did I get so lucky to find you?"

Kleth shrugged. "You didn't find me. Your mate did."

A dark shadow passed over her face. She couldn't allow herself to sink into the despair that threatened to overwhelm her whenever she thought of the past. She had to concentrate on the future and, more importantly, the here and now.

"We have to find another suitable ship," she said.

"We will," he affirmed.

"Soon.

"We will find it when we find it."

"Kleth! How can you be so calm? They murdered your friend, your cousin-of-adoption," she said, looking away as she added, "my husband."

"I have felt the blood rage, Hoshi, but I have tempered it." He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, a nicety he allowed for her alone, and she was touched by his gesture.

Leaning back in his chair, he took up his cup again and swallowed a good portion of its contents. He gazed at her with hooded eyes.

"What?" Hoshi asked, uneasy under his scrutiny.

"You, too, must temper your rage. I know it sounds contrary to the way of Klingons," he said with a hint of a smile, "but we Klingons, while we admire strength, admire even more those who have an honorable goal and strive with tireless patience to achieve it."

"That's the only thing holding the crew of the Falcon together, isn't it?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

"Yes. The warriors on this ship knew Ma'Hew, served under him, and by extension, they serve you. They see your anger, the fire that burns inside you, but they also see your determination. They are impressed that a Human has adopted our ways," he said with a wave of his hand at her Klingon attire.

Kleth paused to take another drink. "And they like a good fight," he admitted with a straight face.

Hoshi couldn't help it. She smiled. It wasn't something she'd done very much since Matthew had died.

But she doubted she'd ever laugh again.

"Until recently, the attacks by the pirates have been haphazard."

Reed glanced around at the assembled officers as he talked. In addition to Archer and T'Pol, who was in charge of security aboard Enterprise, three other officers were present for the briefing. Ensigns Mayweather and Shuemaker he had seen the first time he'd come to the bridge. The last officer was Cmdr. Charles Tucker III, a brilliant engineer but something of a loose cannon.

The man seemed personable enough, and had greeted him in a friendly manner when they'd been introduced. Reed had no doubt he'd be able to work with him, so long as the engineer didn't do something stupid, which was entirely possible if he was to be judged by some of the incidents noted in his record.

"Two months ago, the attacks began to follow a pattern," Reed said, calling up a map of the quadrant on the situation table. "The pirates have consistently begun to hit only two shipping lanes. It's as if they are looking for something in particular they know will be shipped over these routes."

"We'd figured that out on our own," Archer said a bit testily.

"What you probably don't know," Reed said without missing a beat, "is that there is something out of the ordinary that will be shipped on one of these two lanes."

There was an awkward silence as Reed let them wonder what that something could be.

"Well, what is it that's so important Starfleet assigned us to you?" Archer asked finally.

"A warp five engine," Reed said levelly.

"No way!" Tucker said. "Only Starfleet has that."

"Not any more," Reed said. "Certain members of the private sector have an interest in developing faster engines for legitimate purposes. One has managed to make a viable warp five engine, and is sending it to Arctura Colony for testing."

Mayweather tilted his head in curiosity. "Why Arctura?" he asked.

"The theory is that the farther away from Earth it is tested, the less information the company's competition will be able to glean about it," Reed answered.

"Why don't ya just tell them they can't do that?" Tucker asked, rubbing his chin.

"Contrary to what some think, Earth is not a dictatorship," Reed said. "Businesses are free to operate as they wish, within the law, of course. There is no law that says Starfleet can tell a business where it can test its products."

T'Pol spoke for the first time during the briefing. "Surely, if presented with the threat of piracy, this business can be persuaded not to send its new engine so far away for testing."

"You would think so," Reed said ruefully. "But you, of everyone here, must realize Humans don't always act rationally. The owners of this business believe the risk of their competitors gaining an edge is greater than the possibility of the engine being stolen. It's scheduled to leave Earth in three weeks. It will take two more weeks for it to reach Arctura.

"We can't let the engine fall into the pirates' hands," he continued as those around the situation table considered the situation. "Can you imagine what would happen if such a thing would happen? No shipping, no passenger liners would be safe."

Reed paused. He knew what Archer's response would be -- escort the ship in question safely to Arctura. But to Reed's way of thinking, that would be like shooting off a flare to let the pirates know exactly where to find it. Now that the pirates seemed to be joining together in some sort of organization, even the powerful Enterprise wouldn't be able to fight them all off at one time.

"What do you suggest we do?" Archer asked, and Reed knew it took a lot for the proud captain to ask that question.

Looking Archer in the eye, Reed replied, "We're not going to wait until the engine is in transit. We're going after the pirates now."

"We have picked up traces of a warp signature," the Klingon manning the helm reported.

"How fresh are the traces?" Hoshi demanded.

"Less than a day old."

Hoshi glanced at Kleth, who was in his customary place as befitted a Klingon first officer, standing beside and slightly behind her chair. She gave him a feral smile, which he returned.

"Pursuit course," Kleth ordered for her.