CHAPTER 30

The door flew open and Reed held up a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. His other arm he kept firmly around Hoshi where she leaned against his side.

"Get up!" one of the three men in the hall ordered. "Shidak wants to see you."

"I'm not leaving her," Reed said.

The man laughed scornfully. "Her, too, lover boy. The boss wants to see both of you."

Reed gently shook Hoshi, trying to wake her, and became alarmed when she failed to respond.

"Get her up!" the man at the door repeated.

"I'm trying!" Reed said. "She's lost too much blood. I think she's passed out."

As the men in the hall muttered to each other, Reed barely heard Hoshi's strained whisper. "I'm awake."

"Are you OK?" he whispered back.

"Faking it," she whispered. "Might be able to surprise Shidak. Besides, it's nice on this side of my eyelids."

"Pick her up and get going!" the pirate ordered.

Sliding his arms under her limp form, he carefully lifted her. Thankfully, his earlier dizziness seemed to have passed and he had no trouble carrying her out of the cell and into the hall.

As his eyes adjusted to the brighter light, he glanced down at Hoshi's injured shoulder. No blood was showing through the wrappings he'd put on, but she was acting strangely. Or rather, she wasn't acting. She was just limp in his arms, and doing a darn good job of it, too.

He was led down the hall and up a flight of stairs, emerging in the same corridor as the room where Shidak had originally taken them. Further down the hall he could see the open door to the transporter chamber.

He was led to a room across from the first one they'd been in. His escorts stood back and the man who had done all the talking motioned him to enter. Turning sideways so as not to bump Hoshi's head on the door jamb, Reed made his way into the room.

Shidak rose from a couch as Reed walked into the room.

"What a pretty picture," Shidak said. "The Human masquerading as a Klingon captain being carried by her faithful lapdog."

Reed glared at the man, refusing to be baited. Without asking permission, he moved to the couch and carefully put Hoshi down.

Glancing at her face, he saw her eyes were open a crack, and she had a slight smile on her face. He frowned at her, and she immediately relaxed her facial muscles, making her mouth go slack, but not before she stuck out the tip of her tongue at him. It was a good thing that he was between her and Shidak, so that the pirate couldn't see her making faces at him.

She's loopy from the blood loss, Reed thought. Most people would just pass out and be done with it, but not his little Klingon warrior. He hoped she didn't do anything stupid -- again.

His gaze flicked involuntarily to the two large swords over the mantle, and he marveled that she had been able to hold one up, much less threaten Shidak with it.

Reed turned to face the pirate leader, who had moved a few feet away. For a few moments, they regarded each other. Reed was willing to let the silence stretch and make Shidak speak first.

"Wake her," Shidak finally said.

"I can't. You hurt her too badly, and she's in shock."

"I'm sorry about that," Shidak said, but Reed didn't hear any remorse in his voice. "You see, once I get that ship from her, I have other plans for her. I really didn't mean to damage her so much, but that just means I'll have to wait longer for what I want."

Halfway through the pirate leader's little speech, Reed feel his temper begin to rise. "If you think her crew will allow you to do that...if you think I'll allow you to do that...you are sadly mistaken."

"I'm never mistaken." Shidak laughed as he moved over to a table. The only items on it were Hoshi's knife and a communicator. Shidak picked up Hoshi's knife. Twirling it in his hands, he looked at Reed, then called out, "Flanim!"

Immediately, one of the men who had brought Reed from his cell entered the room.

"Get the others," Shidak informed him. "We may have to restrain the 'fleeter."

As soon as the man left, Reed tried to rush Shidak, but the pirate moved too quickly, and was behind the couch, holding the knife at Hoshi's throat.

"I don't really need her, you know," Shidak said. "I'd much rather have her around for my amusement later. And all the damage that ugly Klingon is going to cause if she doesn't cooperate will be regrettable, but can be fixed."

Flanim returned with two other men who grabbed Reed by the arms. Reed watched Hoshi's face as the pirate removed the knife from her throat and moved around the couch to stand between him and Hoshi. He could see her roll her eyes under her lids. Please, please, please, he thought silently to her, don't do anything.

"Now," Shidak said, approaching him. "Pull his head back so I have a nice, clear view of the throat I'm going to slit."

As Flanim grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, Reed heard Hoshi shout, "No!"

Despite his head being painfully held back at an uncomfortable angle, he could see Hoshi struggle to sit up. Shidak turned to face her with a smarmy smile on his face, and it was all Reed could do not to lash out at the man with his foot.

"I didn't think you were really unconscious, my dear," Shidak said. "Let me explain the situation to you, in case you haven't been listening."

Hoshi glared at him, one hand going up to touch her shoulder as if reminding herself of what he had already done to her. Shidak walked back over to the table and picked up the communicator.

"You are going to contact your ship," he said. "You will order them to send down the ship currently housed in your docking bay."

"Why should I?" Hoshi asked spitefully.

"Because I will cut your lover's throat -- right here, right now -- if you don't."

Hoshi stared at Shidak, then held out her hand for the communicator.

"Tell your Klingon watchdog not to do anything other than send the ship down," he said, holding onto the communicator before allowing her to take it.

Hoshi opened the communicator and keyed a button. Immediately Kleth's voice came through. "Mistress! Is that you?"

"Yes, Kleth."

"That son of a targ said you were resting!"

"I...was," Hoshi said. She cleared her throat and continued, "Send down the scout ship for Shidak's inspection."

"Mistress?"

"You heard me," she said more forcefully. "Send down the ship."

There was a long pause on Kleth's end. Reed was beginning to think the connection had been cut when he heard Kleth's gravelly voice again. "What about...Ma'Com?"

"Shidak believes he is a 'fleeter," she replied with a glance at Shidak, who motioned her to hurry up.

"I must go," she said. "There is something here that requires my attention."

Shidak reached over and shut the communicator, eyeing her angrily.

"We both know he's with Starfleet," he said, taking the communicator out of her hand. He shook his head. "But it makes no difference. You are my hostage against your ship, and he is my hostage against you."

With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Take them back to their cell. Let them enjoy together what little time he has left."

Tucker was running down the pre-flight checklist when Kleth entered the scout ship.

"How soon can we leave?" the big Klingon asked as he shut and secured the hatch.

"Just a few more minutes," the engineer replied absently, concentrating on his task.

Kleth went to the bunk and sat down. Grumbling under his breath, he shifted his bulk, trying unsuccessfully to find a secure position.

"How fast can this ship go?" he asked suddenly.

"Can't tell ya that."

"You are a member of my crew, now that the captain is unavailable. I could order you to tell me."

"Well, then you'd just have to throw me in the brig again, 'cause I wouldn't tell ya. Then who would ya get to fly this thing?"

A small rumble of laughter erupted from deep in Kleth's chest, the first since they'd been beamed back to the ship.

"I like you, Human," he said.

Tucker, still running down the checklist, smiled faintly and said without looking up, "My name's Tucker, Trip to my friends."

"Trip," said Kleth, trying out the unusual name. "Doesn't that mean 'to fall accidentally' in your language?"

Tucker laughed. "Yeah, it does. But it also means 'the third,' in this case, the third in my family line with the same name."

"Ah," the Klingon said in understanding. "Your 'house' passes on the same name as a matter of heritage."

"Exactly! Now you're gettin' it."

Kleth fell silent, his thoughts turning to the situation on the planet where they would soon land. He wasn't about to hand over this ship, even if that son of a targ returned his captain and Ma'Com. It was going to be a good fight.

Tucker snapped shut the flap on the checklist and began powering up systems. "You ready?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Yes, Trip," Kleth said, then added loudly, "Q'apla!"

"What the heck was that?" Tucker asked, startled. "You got somethin' caught in your throat?"

"No, it is Klingon. It means 'success,'" Kelth said.

As the docking bay doors began to open, Tucker said, "Well, then, ker-plop to you, too."