Chapter 18: XVIII

Lying on her bunk, K'nera couldn't help but smile. She could hear music being piped through the ship's systems on the small bridge of the transport ship that had been sent by her family's fleet to remove her from the Betazoid refugee camp. She knew that had to mean that her brother was in the middle of working on his latest opera. Likely enough, the subject of the musical was bound to be of the victory over the Dominion. From the strains that she could hear coming from the bridge, it sounded as if it would be one that would be sung for generations.

Getting up from where she had slept, K'nera made herself presentable before joining the only other person on the ship for the morning. Her brother had volunteered to pilot the craft alone since the more individuals on board, the more stress would be put on her paracortex. Plus, out of the entire family, Tanas seemed to be the most comfortable with her telepathy; even when it was out of control like it was now. Maybe it was because he had been around his sister his entire life, so it was perfectly natural for him. K'nera had lived with Lor'vah and Lu'tor for nearly an entire two standard years before Lu'tor became pregnant with their only son. K'nera then started off being a big sister to Tanas right up to the time that he passed her in Klingon maturity and became the little sister. Still, she and her brother have always remained very close.

Of course, K'nera suspected that there was another hidden reason for his apparent ease in regard to her physic abilities. Out of all the Klingons who were not residents of Celyn Four, Tanas was the only one that she'd come across whose thoughts and emotions were at times muted to her. She believed that he had at least some minor telepathic abilities but had never come out about them. It was no secret that if he did, it would bring dishonor to the family. Lor'vah adopting an alien with such abilities was one thing; having a child of his own with them wouldn't have been received well within the Empire. Fortunately for Tanas, any training needed to control such alleged abilities, he would have been able to pick up while she was training and practicing while at their home on Ty'Gokor. There had been times that K'nera had thought of speaking with her brother about her suspicions, but she suspected that he'd deny them. In any case, it didn't matter to her one way or the other and she knew better than to get him to admit to any kind of dishonor.

As she stepped onto the bridge, K'nera leaned against the bulkhead and listened to Tanas as he finished singing the newest stanza of his operetta. As he finished, K'nera applauded as she took the seat next to him in the small craft's cockpit.

"I do believe that this will be your best aktuh (opera) yet, Little Brother."

"That's what I'm hoping for, Little Sister," Tanas grinned at K'nera as he looked up from the computer console. "Especially considering that it already has a buyer."

"Of course, it does; I'd expect nothing less from you." K'nera grinned as she glanced at the computer display on the navigational panel before casting a questioning look toward her brother. "I thought that we were heading to Celyn Four. This shows that we're on our way home to Ty'Gokor."

"At our mother's request," Tanas fought the amused look that threatened his to cross his face as he spoke. Not that he tried all that hard. "She insists on seeing you for herself; what with all that's happened in the last few months."

"Tanas, the whole point of this trip was to get away from everyone; to give my paracortex the chance to heal from being overworked while stationed on Talceus Prime. Ty'Gokor is one of the most populated planets in the Empire-"

"Don't worry. We won't be landing on the surface, only getting within transporter range."

K'nera eyed the readout before shaking her head. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face her mother with the dishonor of being relieved of her duties in the Klingon Defense Forces. Her mother, while K'nera knew she loved her just as much as she did her son by blood, had always been a very stern and strict woman. In fact, it had been some of Lu'tor's stories of her own time in the service of the Empire before she became the Lady of the Great House of K'maj'ik that had inspired K'nera to enlist as well. She had hoped to prove herself worthy enough to be a member of her father's house. Instead, she was returning home a complete failure; rejected by the KDF due to her telepathic malady.

"You know, you still have much to be proud of," Tanas spoke up as if sensing the reason for her shift in mood. "You have already done more than anyone had thought that you could do. You are Klingon at heart but unfortunately not by blood. You cannot dishonor yourself by failing to achieve that which was never expected of you."

"It's nice to know that everyone had such lofty expectations of me," Kira said with a soured expression on her face.

"Perhaps not lofty; just realistic." Tanas turned in his chair to face his sister before he continued, "Not everyone can become a Klingon Warrior, K'nera. Not even all Klingons find that aspiration within reach."

"If you're reminding me that you became a Barak-Kadan (a male opera singer), Tanas, rather than a warrior, to make me feel better, that won't work. We both know that you have the ability to fight and live as a warrior if you chose to do so. I, apparently, do not. There is a difference between the two."

"You are much harder on yourself than you need to be. That is why going home for a while will be good for you."

K'nera figured that she'd let the subject drop for the moment. It wasn't as if she could do anything to prevent the inevitable visit of her mother to the ship once she was to arrive back home. At least she had a few days left before entering the space around Ty'Gokor. In the meantime, she'd enjoy her time with her brother and hope that he doesn't abandon her once they reached home.

"There is one thing that I wanted to ask you." Tanas leaned back in his chair and waited for his sister to look back up at him before he asked, "It's about your lach'tel, (boyfriend) T'knehzoR. I've heard our father and uncle discuss him. So, should I plan to go and hunt him down or is he an honorable man?"

K'nera could feel her jaw drop at Tanas's bold question. She hadn't expected him to ask about Alexander, but she supposed that she should have.

DS9

Alexander left the training room after his session with his father while practicing the traditional Klingon martial art. He was surprised to learn his father was actually an adept teacher of it. He found that, while he didn't really care for bat'leth training with his father, mok'bara actually helped him to relax. During the brief training session, the two remained in a comfortable silence which had always seemed hard-pressed to find during Alexander's younger years. Usually, any interaction between the two would be strained at best, hostile at its worst.

He hoped that this was a sign of how their relationship on Qo'noS will go. At least he knew that when it came down to it, his father was still a Starfleet Official while Alexander served the Empire. That, in itself, would impose some boundaries for the two of them, even if his father was perhaps the most trusted adviser to Chancellor Martok (thus able to stretch those boundaries if he decides to ask him for more authority).

Alexander glanced at the time and knew that it was still a little early to send a transmission to K'nera so he decided to contact his grandparents on Earth. With all that had happened since the final defeat of the Dominion, he knew that contacting them had fallen between the cracks of it all. Once he was connected to them, the elation that they felt upon hearing from him and knowing for certain that he and his father were alive and well, was clear on their faces and in their voices.

Alexander did everything that he could to fill them in on all that they wanted know about the end of the war with the invaders from the Gamma Quadrant. He even told them more than he would have told them had the war still been going on since he no longer felt the need shield them from the realities of the battlefield. Not that they couldn't have connected the pieces of what he had said before for themselves.

What really surprised the elder Rozhenkos was learning of Worf's ambassadorship to the Klingon Empire. Both parents knew that their son had never aspired to become a peacemaker; not to mention he had a temper that could rival a wild targ. Still, the appointment would be good for him in their eyes. In this position, he could serve the Federation while being surrounded by his fellow Klingons at the same time. The companionship of his own kind had been something that he had always craved but had at times been sacrificed in favor of his duty to Starfleet.

"When will the two of you arrive on Qo'noS?" Helena asked eagerly.

"We should arrive there in about six hours. From there, I should be getting my new orders while working at the embassy complex," Alexander replied as he saw a mischievous gleam in his grandmother's eyes. She was already planning something. "I know that we planned to visit Earth just as soon as the war was over but-"

"We understand," Sergey spoke up. "Neither of you can just pick up and go whenever you like. That is part of the life that you have both chosen."

"I'm glad that you understand. Besides, I'm sure that it has already gotten too cool for my father's taste there in Minsk. The nights usually start to dip below freezing just as soon as fall begins. The warmer climate of Qo'noS is more to his liking."

"It's funny that you mentioned that," Helena allowed a wry grin to cross her face as she spoke. "I've found that the cool nights have not been to my own taste, lately."

DS9

"So, you won't be going all of the way to Celyn Four, just yet?"

"No, though I have no idea just how long I'll be the area of Ty'Gokor. I'll likely only be there for a couple of days."

Alexander's mind was already thinking fast to try to find a way to see K'nera again before she headed off to the outer reaches of the Klingon Empire just within the Beta Quadrant. If she could go to her home planet to visit her family, there really shouldn't be a reason why she couldn't make a stopover near Qo'noS before continuing on toward her eventual destination. Or maybe he could ask the Chancellor for a brief leave of absence and perhaps the use of a shuttle... Not that there was an overabundance of spare spacecraft at the moment, but he could ask, couldn't he?

"Is there any chance that you might be able to stop off near Qo'noS after you leave Ty'Gokor? I'd like to see you. It's been too long."

"I know," K'nera smiled at the request, knowing that Alexander really miss her as much as she missed him. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good. We've spent too much of the war apart. Now that it's over, I don't want to spend any more than we have to that way."

"Neither do I."

DS9

Alexander looked up at the impressive, vastly large building that held the Federation's Embassy on Qo'noS. He had not thought of this place in a longtime. He had lived here with his mother back before he had met his father. He had been well-insulated from most of the Klingon culture while he lived at the embassy since his mother hadn't really cared for her son to emulate the other Klingons on the homeworld. She had believed most of the rituals and beliefs to be foolish and had seen to it that he held similar views of them; something that had been a thing of conflict between himself and his father while growing up on the Enterprise.

There had been very few children to pass through the doors of the embassy since few dignitaries or ambassadors who visited it brought their families with them when they came to Qo'noS. His first real experience with children his own age had been when he had gone to live on the ship and then on Earth. Even then, Alexander had been the only Klingon child around. It had taken him a while to get used to that.

As Alexander stepped forward to follow his father into the embassy, the memory of the last time that he'd been in this place began to flood his mind.

"Mother!" A small Alexander, only three Klingon years old (less than one Stardate year) went running through the doorway to his mother's office, ignoring the elaborate stonework of the room. His mother had been away on a mission, again, and he was happy to hear that she was back. Upon seeing K'Ehleyr, the young boy jumped up confidently knowing that his mother would catch him. He then hugged her tightly as she did the same. "I've missed you. You won't have to leave again for a long, long time; right?"

"Actually, I have already received my next assignment. K'mpec and the Klingon High Counsel have requested my help with a matter." K'Ehleyr saw her son's face fall at the thought that his mother would be leaving again so soon and reached out and gently lifted her son's chin up as she spoke to him. "In fact, I wanted to talk to you about that mission. I want you to come with me on this one."

"Really?" Alexander had never gotten to go on any of his mother's missions yet. He'd been told that he was too young. Maybe he was finally getting old enough to not be left behind anymore which was good since he hated when he was left in the care of his mother's trusted friend when she was away from the embassy. If he was old enough to go on this mission, then maybe that meant that he'd not ever have to worry about missing his mother again; he'd be with her all of the time from now on.

"Really. We'll be going into Federation Territory, and you'll get to see your very first Starfleet starship. I'll tell you all about it but first we have to go and pack."

K'Ehleyr set her young son back down on the ground and held his hand as she walked him back toward their living quarters. The whole time that they were packing, Alexander chattered on about all of the things that he'd done with his honorary aunt in his mother's absence. Once their task was complete, the two teleported to an awaiting ship that would take them to the Gamma Arigulon system.

Worf sensed that his son had fallen back so he turned to see just what had caused him to falter. "Alexander?"

The younger Klingon stood transfixed in front of the stone structure and looked as if his mind was very far away. After a moment, and a second prodding from his father, Alexander shook himself free of the thoughts that plagued him.

"I'm coming."

Alexander shifted his bag with his meager belongings in it on his shoulder before stepping forward to join his father. He did so ignoring his father's questioning look. Alexander had not been prepared for the onslaught of memories that this place invoked. It was almost as if he could feel his mother's spirit still alive in this place. During the earliest part of his childhood, Alexander had seen his mother live, laugh, and work at the embassy that had been their home. Now he was back again but this time he was here with the father whom he hadn't even known before his mother had chosen to take him on that last mission.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No. I'm fine." Alexander forced a smile on his face before asking his father, "I bet you never thought that you'd be coming here. Especially as its new ambassador."

"That," Worf muttered, "is an understatement. I still can't believe how I allowed Martok and Sisko to talk me into accepting this position. Still, it will be good to live here on the homeworld. But first, there will be a lot of work to do to help our people heal from the war with the Dominion."

"A lot of work, huh? Sounds like you're going to like being the Federation Ambassador after all."

Alexander let out a chuckle when his father shot him a look that told just what he thought of his assessment. Yes, he knew that even if a part of his father did believe that he'll enjoy his new station, Worf was never about to admit it.