Loire Valley, France
Thursday 27th January 1994
The smell of frying bacon filled Krang's nostrils and wondering hazily how it was possible for burnt meat to taste and smell so good, he opened his eyes. Light assailed his eyes, causing him to squint. Ugh, he must have forgotten to shut the curtains when he'd gone to bed and… and what time was it anyway if it was already daylight? At this time of year, dawn came late and by the time the sun rose, he'd usually gone through his mok'bara routine, had some breakfast and was either working in his office or well on his way to whatever part of the world needed his attention.
Why was his mattress so soft, anyway? While he did not exactly sleep on a metal bunk, one of the first things he'd done on moving into this house was replace the ridiculously soft and squishy mattress on the bed with something that was a little firmer and a lot more supportive of his spine. He opened his eyes again, this time coming properly awake. Oh! Apparently, he'd never made it as far as the bedroom. Instead, he was lying on the bloodstained sofa, with a blanket over him. Sitting up, he became aware that his boots were not on his feet. Looking around, he found that they were placed neatly by the side of the sofa, out of the way where nobody could trip over them. That was odd. Krang was honest enough to admit that if his boots turned up in silly places, he had only himself to blame. On the side table, he found his d'k tahg and boot knife as well as his communicator. He frowned; they should be attached to his belt and he had no memory of having removed them.
Light footsteps approached and Chrissie came into the room. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted him cheerfully.
"What happened?" he asked, gesturing towards his weapons and trying very hard not to sound distrustful or accusing.
"Oh… you fell asleep," she said, not particularly bothered by his moodiness; he was never at his best first thing in the morning and she was beginning to get used to it. Besides, he was probably still feeling some pain from his injuries. "I took them off you so you wouldn't hurt yourself if you rolled over. Your breakfast is ready by the way, will you have it in here?"
He stared at her in consternation. He must have been really out of it if she had been able to disarm him without him waking up. That concerned him but for the moment, he decided to let it go. "Breakfast? Um… yes, in here will be fine." He rarely used this room but for the moment he was too comfortable to move.
"Back in a minute then," she told him before disappearing back into the corridor and returning a few minutes later with a tray of food, putting it down on the side table, next to his weapons. Bacon, some of the black pudding that he'd liked, as well as some fresh bread and a large mug of strong black coffee.
Obviously, she was pampering him this morning and he wondered what he had done to deserve it. Shifting up a bit, he patted the space next to him. "Will you join me?"
"I've already eaten," she said. Nevertheless, she settled herself in the indicated space and snuggled up against him before reaching over to steal a bit of bacon from his plate. "Oh, Kay'vin called last night."
"You answered my communicator?" He was not quite sure how he felt about that.
She nodded. "It was making a lot of noise and I didn't want to wake you up." She laughed. "Not that there was much chance of that. You were so far gone, I don't think a brass band would have woken you. But anyway, I think he got a bit of a shock when I answered it."
"Yes, I daresay he would," Krang acknowledged. "So, what did he want?"
"Just to update us," Chrissie said. "You will be glad to know that Marie-Claire is okay. She has a concussion and they were keeping her in overnight for observation but she should be home today. Her daughter thinks she will be able return to work in a few days."
Krang nodded. That was good to know. "I take it they were happy to keep the children for the night?"
"They were," Chrissie confirmed. "Apparently all the kids were worn out and asleep by 6pm. It sounds like they've had a glorious time."
"That is good." Picking up a piece of the bread, he piled a generous amount of bacon onto it and bit into it. He was hungry and demolished it quickly. He was just swallowing the last of it when his ears detected a faint sound. "I can hear a shuttle. I suppose that is Kay'vin bringing them home."
Chrissie got up and went over to the window. "Yes, it's your shuttle," she confirmed. "I can see your insignia on the side. It's coming down to land."
With some effort – the sofa was extremely comfortable and he'd sunk into its cushions more than he had realised – he stood up and joined Chrissie at the window. He placed an arm across her shoulders and she leaned on him, enjoying his strength. They watched together as the shuttle landed and the hatch opened, spilling the children out into the snow.
Chrissie looked up at him with a grin. She suspected that today was going to be a bit of a shock for Krang. It was the first time he'd spent an entire day with the children and after a night away on a play date, they were going to be over-excited and full of energy. She would be very interested to see how he coped. "Here they come. Incoming in three… two… one…"
Right on cue, the front door burst open, sending a blast of frigid air into the house. "… can so if I want to!" Fina was yelling at her brother as they clattered down the corridor, pushing and shoving at each other.
"That's stupid," Toni declared with a very definite air of superiority. "You're just a girl! Girls can't be engineers."
"Can so!" his sister insisted, her voice getting louder as she approached. "Marla is a girl and she's an engineer and if she can be one then so can I and I'm going to be just like her."
Krang and Chrissie exchanged a look of amused exasperation. "Bang goes our peace and quiet," Chrissie laughed. "Brace for impact!"
Coming into the living room and seeing their mother standing with Krang, both children instantly forgot their bickering and dived on her with such force that if she hadn't been leaning against Krang, she'd have been sent flying. Jumping up and down, vying for her attention and constantly interrupting each other they excitedly told her how proud they were because she had fought the bad man and killed him.
Chrissie was horrified. This was not a conversation she had wanted to be having with her offspring. She could not quite believe that Marla had told her children about the attack. They were far too young. She could not help noticing though, that Krang seemed unconcerned.
"Yes," he was agreeing, "your mother was very brave."
"And honourbul," Fina insisted.
"The word is honourable," he corrected the little girl. "And yes, she is. She fought well and you should be very proud of her."
Chrissie frowned. She was not comfortable with this in the slightest and still thought that such a discussion was horribly inappropriate. It was evident, though, that the Klingons had a very different mindset, that they thought very differently. In their eyes, killing one's enemy honourably and in battle, was something to be very proud of and bragged about. What seemed wrong to her was the most natural thing in the world to Krang. How long had it been since he had taken the children in? Ten days? Toni and Fina were already adapting to the Klingon way of life. Chrissie was not sure how she felt about that, but she realised that if they were to stay with Krang, then this was how it had to be.
Oblivious to his mate's concerns, Krang somehow managed to extricate himself from the children. He had business to discuss with his aide before dismissing him. "Report, lieutenant."
"You will be glad to know your housekeeper is safely home," Kay'vin informed him. "I took the liberty of picking her up from the hospital this morning."
Krang nodded. "That was well done. And the guards I left to protect Chrissie? Is there any news?"
"I have spoken with the local gendarmes," Kay'vin said. "They informed me that they have found the bodies of two Klingon males wearing Defence Force uniforms. I believe that they are the guards you posted in the village. All the signs point to them having been killed by the resistance."
"I am not completely surprised by that," Krang said heavily.
"It's too suspicious, sir, and too convenient," Kay'vin said. "The villagers are scared… and I've heard this from both the gendarmes and your housekeeper's family… They maintain that there is no resistance activity in the area and that nobody in the village had anything to do with the deaths. They are afraid that there will be reprisals against them."
"As you say, the timing is suspicious," Krang agreed. "I will have Koreth launch an investigation into the deaths, but I think we already know that this was Karg's doing. No, there will be no reprisals, at least, not against the Terrans."
Kay'vin nodded, understanding what was being left unsaid; that the soldiers involved in Chrissie's arrest and the death of the guards would pay dearly for their crimes.
With the important business dealt with, Krang had one last question. Wanting to keep it a surprise for now, he switched to tlhIngan Hol so that Chrissie would not understand. "Did you manage to organise the Mauritius trip?"
"I have indeed. The house will be at your disposal from 2pm local time on Friday, until 11am local time Monday." Kay'vin grinned before adding, "Marla and I will be going over there this afternoon to check the security arrangements."
Krang laughed. "You'll find the botanic gardens to be a particular security threat. Take your time and make sure the checks are thorough."
Kay'vin joined him in laughter. "I will be sure to carry out a detailed inspection. Oh, I also need to return to Madrid to pick up the shuttle and get a progress report from the estate agent. I'd like your permission to take a few days leave while there and for Marla to be allowed to go with me."
"Of course." Krang was quick to agree. "I'll have it logged in the records that with the exception of piloting me to and from Mauritius, you are both off duty until Monday. Now off you go and enjoy your holiday before I change my mind."
The courtroom, Qo'noS, 2375
Trial Day 4
Outwardly, Krang appeared calm and unconcerned as he continued with his testimony, but Chrissie knew him well enough to see the pain in his eyes as he began to realise how badly he had been screwed over by his mentor. The recording from Meth's logs had upset him badly, even if he hid it well. Krang had admired and trusted Meth and had spent years believing that he had let him down.
From what Chrissie understood, Meth had a reputation as one of the most dangerous and ruthless leaders ever to rule Imperial Intelligence and in her opinion, that reputation was well earned. Meth had not deserved Krang's loyalty.
The trial was taking a toll on him, on all of them, herself included and Chrissie decided that for today, enough was enough. She knew that Imperial Intelligence had looked after him during the trial and for reasons unknown to her, the current operations master seemed to be fighting hard to save him. Krang would be safe in their care for one more night.
Abruptly, she decided to act. She could not ask for a break on his behalf, but the judge had been making concessions for what he considered her human frailty. She had always tried very hard to appear strong amongst his people, but now she intended to play on that perception of her weakness. With a sideways glance to monitor the judge's reactions, she moved slightly, knowing the movement would catch his attention. Yes, he was watching her. Placing a hand on the railing as though to support herself, she allowed herself to sag slightly. It worked.
"Wife of Krang, are you unwell?"
Denying that anything was wrong, Chrissie carefully put a faint tremble in her voice, at the same time warning herself not to overdo it.
The judge was not stupid. Lips twitching in carefully hidden amusement, Krahl gave Chrissie a stern look, silently warning her that she had not fooled him. He knew what she was doing and that he was being played, but since it was actually late and he was both tired and hungry, he decided to go along with it. Lifting the heavy, clawed globe, he was about to bring it crashing down and end the session when Lorgh intervened.
"My lord judge, before we break up for the night, I suggest that we listen to one final recording from Meth's personal logs. It is very short and I believe it would of benefit to all."
Starting to get annoyed with Lorgh's continued interference, Krahl was nevertheless curious to know what was in this one recording that was so important that it could not wait until the following day. "You try my patience, Lorgh," he growled. "Very well, I will allow it."
Imperial Intelligence Headquarters, 2268
Returning to his office at I.I. headquarters, the operations master considered what he had learned. The councillor's plans did not conflict with his own. Even so, anger flared. Did Gorkon not care that he had in effect just thrown his childhood friend to the targs? He had cold-bloodedly set Krang up, knowing that the result would be charges of treason, which would be followed, if the High Council had their way, by a quick execution to get rid of the scapegoat for their failed mission.
On the surface of it, Meth's own plans for Krang were equally brutal. The difference was that Imperial Intelligence looked after its own. When the Klingon fleet returned from Earth, as it inevitably would, Meth intended to make it very clear to both the Defence Force and the High Council, that Krang had been acting according to his wishes. If they chose to argue, they would learn that Imperial Intelligence had teeth. The organisation had its own troops and a fleet of ships, enough to give the Defence Force a run for its money, especially considering the agents hidden on Defence Force vessels. Its real strength however was information - and there was not a single one of them, including Gorkon - and for that matter, the chancellor himself - who did not have something to hide. Meth would use every weapon at his disposal to get what he wanted and protect his officer, up to and including starting a civil war.
A slightly lighter chapter after the tension of the last part of the story. I wonder what Kay'vin and Marla will get up to in Madrid and will he persuade her to try on that red flamenco dress in the shop window? And how will Krang cope with the culture shock of a beach holiday?
Well here we are in 2021 and I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy new year. Lets see what 2021 brings us all. A big thank you to the usual three suspects - JDC0, Solasnagreine (who by the way is expert at emotional blackmail) and RobertBruceScott. If anyone else is reading, do leave a quick review to say hello.