The Neutral Zone, London
Friday 4th February 1994
It was all Marla's fault, Koreth thought resignedly, as with Kolana in his arms, he moved around the dance floor, more or less in time with the strange, alien music that was unlike anything he'd ever heard before. Seeing the Terrans dancing, Marla, mischievous as ever, had bullied Kay'vin into having a go, and after watching them for a few minutes, Kolana had decided that she too wanted to try it. It had been immediately obvious that if he wanted tonight to end the way he had planned, then it would be a good idea to indulge her, even if it meant making a complete fool of himself.
Koreth's thoughts momentarily skipped to his wife back on Qo'noS. He felt no guilt whatsoever at the idea of being unfaithful to her. It was not exactly a happy marriage, in fact it was hardly any marriage at all; she'd made it very clear after the birth of their son that she'd done her duty and wanted nothing more to do with him. It might have changed, of course, if he'd agreed to give up his Defence Force career and go into politics, but he hadn't wanted that, and still didn't.
Hoping in vain that Kolana had not noticed his momentary lapse, Koreth swung her round, attempting to copy what the Terran dancers were doing.
"You are not paying attention," she complained. "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, I… um…" As they both turned, moving sideways to avoid another couple, he caught sight of Krang. Whatever the security captain was saying to his mate and her friends, he looked very serious. Krang was expert at controlling his body language, no doubt part of his Imperial Intelligence training, but even so, he appeared tense and just a little uncomfortable. Actually, Koreth realised, that gave him the excuse he needed. Anything was better than telling Kolana he'd been thinking about his wife. He nodded in Krang's direction and she followed the direction of his gaze. "You're thinking about the Chief?"
"Hmmm." Koreth nodded, relieved that he'd got away with it. "He did not seem at all pleased to see us."
"Well, he's our boss, not a friend," Kolana said acerbically. "I imagine he just wants a quiet night with his mate and her family."
"In a Klingon restaurant?" Koreth was amused by that. "There are many places he could have gone if he wanted quiet."
"True," Kolana conceded. "I do rather like his mate, though. For a Terran she seems very suited to him."
"He's definitely changed since they met," Koreth mused. "For the better, I'd say."
"I would not object to getting to know her better," Kolana said thoughtfully. "The other woman, though, her… what was the word? Flat friend?"
"Flatmate," Koreth corrected, laughing. "And no, the term is nothing to do with mating. You were not completely wrong, actually; in this context the word does mean friend… or more accurately, a friend who shares a home. But yes… what about her?"
Kolana frowned a little. "She does not like our kind."
"I don't suppose many Terrans do," Koreth reminded her. "We are invaders here, after all."
She shook her head. "No, it's something more than that. Same with the other one, the male… the boy mate?"
"You mean the boyfriend? What about him?"
Kolana glared at him. "Stop correcting me. What is it with the Terran language anyway? They say mate when they mean friend, and friend when they mean mate! It is confusing and contradictory."
The music stopped and Koreth breathed a sigh of relief only to be disappointed as another song started, a slow one this time. The Terran couples dancing moved closer to each other and copying them, Kolana did the same until they were doing little more than embracing on the dance floor. Actually, this wasn't so bad, Koreth decided, even if he was acting like a lovesick idiot in front of half of his junior officers. Lowering his head slightly, he nipped at Kolana's lips.
"Oh you…" She kicked at his shin. "You must wait until after dinner for that. And speaking of dinner… Look, Grapok is bringing our food."
Thankful that he could stop trying to dance, Koreth allowed Kolana to pull him back to their table. The pie tasted good and for a while they ate quietly, enjoying the food, but eventually Koreth came back to their unfinished conversation. He had his own doubts about the human male with Chrissie's friend and he would be interested in Kolana's opinion.
His mind went back again to the rather awkward introductions as he tried to figure out what was bugging him. Krang might not have been pleased to see them but Chrissie had offered them a cheerful welcome. Koreth had heard the muttered imprecation and had seen the human woman turn to look. She elbowed her mate hard, silencing him and got to her feet. "Koreth! Kolana! It's nice to see you both again." Her smile was warm and genuine with just a faint hint of naughtiness as she added, "How was the shopping trip? Did you find the gifts you were looking for?"
Koreth growled in response. He'd thought at the time that she'd been teasing him but it had turned out that it really was traditional to buy wedding gifts, usually something for the couple's new home. Not that Marla and Kay'vin needed a new toaster or any other household item, although the idea of handing them such a thing was amusing in itself. In the end, they'd chosen a pair of very expensive, matching daggers that they'd found in an antique shop. The gift was still sitting in the drawer in his desk, all nicely wrapped up in a piece of fragile paper covered with Terran wedding symbols, waiting for the young couple to return to duty.
Tucking her arm into Koreth's, Chrissie drew them both towards her table. "Come and meet my friends."
"I do not wish to intrude," the brigadier protested futilely.
"Oh, you're not intruding," she denied. "This is Sarah. She's my flatmate – or at least, she was until I moved in with Krang. We've known each other for years. And this is her boyfriend, Jim."
With half the introductions made, she turned her attention to the other half, taking a slightly malicious pleasure in forcing her ex-friend to acknowledge the newcomers. "This is Koreth. "He and Krang work together." At Sarah's stiff nod, she continued, "And this is Kolana, his…" She glanced up at the tall warrior, and feeling safe in Krang's presence, she dared to tease him a little. "Are you two a couple?"
"Not yet," Koreth said wryly. "But I am working on it."
"And I intend to make you work," Kolana grinned. "Suffice it to say, Chrissie, that if he lives up to my expectations, I will be glad to lay claim to him."
To the delight of both women, Koreth had blushed.
Finally making his escape, Koreth had been thoughtful as he settled himself at the table they had been allocated. Something was not quite right about all this. The background check that Karg had run on Chrissie, as well as the information gained from the interrogation of the prisoner arrested during the raid on the church, indicated that her flatmate was a member of the resistance. Koreth found himself wondering what he would have learned had he listened to the transcript of Chrissie's interrogation and not for the first time, he cursed the impulsiveness that had caused him to destroy the recording device.
Certainly, the woman named Sarah had not been happy to meet him, nor did she and Chrissie seem comfortable in each other's company. Why was she here, then? And more to the point, why was Krang here with her? The security captain must realise, surely, who and what this so-called friend of Chrissie's was.
As for the boyfriend… well, that felt even less right. The human male did not appear to be as belligerent as his partner, had in fact seemed relaxed and friendly, but his bearing spoke of military training and there had something cool and calculating about his gaze that left Koreth feeling uneasy. He'd met a significant amount of Terrans in his time here on Earth, but he did not think the man, Jim, was one of them. So, why did he feel like he knew him?
By the time the two Klingons had made their way to their own table, Sarah's temper was simmering. It had been a mistake to come here; she'd known that as soon as they arrived, but it was too late. She had a job to do, she was just not at all sure she could hide her anger at Chrissie and her hatred of these Klingons long enough to do that job.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not understand what Chrissie had done. She'd been there when they'd received news of Joe's death. She'd cried with Sarah and comforted her as best she could. Thousands, maybe millions more, had been killed in the early days of the invasions and later, when her friend's husband was brutally murdered by the aliens, it had been her turn to give comfort. After all they'd been through, how could Chrissie sit there, cuddling up to that… that monster? And if that weren't bad enough, she'd chatted to those other Klingons, laughing and joking with them as though they were the best of friends. She had become a collaborator, a traitor to humanity and Sarah did not think she could ever forgive her for that. As for David, all he seemed to care about was his sister and his work. He'd stubbornly defended Chrissie, insisting that as long as she was happy, that was fine with him. He should be helping to fight the aliens, not heal them and the thought came to her that he was as much a collaborator as his sister. No, she realised, she was done with both of them.
The two Klingons had stopped to talk to another couple. The other female, younger looking than the one Sarah had been introduced to, was incongruously dressed in a flowery blouse and short skirt. Had Sarah been in a better frame of mind, she would have acknowledged that the clothing suited her. Instead, it just made her angrier.
As Sarah watched, the young one waved in her general direction, saying something in that harsh, staccato language. For a moment she thought it was aimed at her, but then she heard Chrissie laugh and reply in the same language. Whatever she said it caused more laughter from the two Klingon women.
Sarah's anger flared up. Obviously, they'd brought plenty of backup with them and before she could think better of it, she'd said as much.
Annoyed by the snide comment, Krang responded with biting sarcasm. "And I suppose that you have come alone, with no support?" He was far better trained than Sarah and when her eyes flicked towards a table just on the other side of the dance floor, he gave absolutely no indication that he had noticed. He would deal with that later when he was ready. "It is true that there are several of my colleagues present here tonight. As you are aware, I am a senior officer. I know every Klingon on this planet." Watching the two humans intently, he continued, "My aide is sitting over there with his wife. They were married only two days ago and have come here at my invitation to enjoy a celebration meal. I do not consider it unreasonable to have someone here that I can trust. Koreth is here pursuing a new relationship. His presence is coincidental and I would be much happier if he were nowhere near this meeting. As for the others, with the exception of the personal guard I have allocated to Chrissie for her protection, they are all off-duty soldiers, here to enjoy a few drinks and some food from home."
Sarah scowled, but Kirk nodded in understanding. "That's not unreasonable. We have come here in good faith and I am willing to accept that you have too. Now, shall we enjoy our food?"
Unlike Sarah, who had chosen a well-done steak and chips, the captain of the Enterprise was no stranger to alien foods and had decided to try the blood pie. He could not honestly say he liked it, but it wasn't as unpalatable as he'd feared and who knew when he would have another opportunity to taste authentic Klingon food?
Following Kirk's example, Krang concentrated on his food, taking a bite of the almost completely raw meat on his plate. The flavour was good, if a little unusual, going surprisingly well with the portion of gladst that he'd ordered to share with Chrissie. It was only when everyone was engrossed in eating their meal that he allowed himself to survey the room, finally settling his gaze for just the briefest moment on the two Terran males sitting at the table Sarah had inadvertently indicated. That these two men were part of the resistance was glaringly obvious. That one brief glance was all it took for the Klingon to register their appearance and ensure that he would recognise them again. He noted also, the way their attention was focused on Chrissie, something that he did not like in the slightest.
Waiting until Grapok was busy behind the bar and the waitresses were clustered at the far end of the room, giving him a good excuse to go to the bar to place his order, Krang put his empty tankard down on the table. "I want more bloodwine. Jim, will you try some?"
The starship captain offered him an easy grin, accepting the challenge. "Yes, why not? Might as well live dangerously and try something new."
"Would you get me an orange juice?" Chrissie asked her mate, "I don't think I want any more alcohol."
The Klingon nodded agreeably before glancing across to Sarah. About to somewhat sulkily refuse, the human woman thought better of it. "Another coke would be good." She could not bring herself to say please, although if she intended that as an insult, it failed miserably since it was a word that Klingons rarely used and Krang took little to no notice of its absence.
Rising to his feet, Krang moved across the dance floor, ostensibly heading towards the bar, taking a circuitous route past the handful of dancers enjoying the music between courses that brought him close to the table occupied by the two men. He came to a halt, taking a moment to study them and allow them to become aware of his presence.
His instincts told him that it was the dark-skinned man who was in charge and it was that one he chose to address. "I am willing to negotiate," he told the Jamaican. "But understand this. I have seen you watching my mate. If you or your people harm Chrissie in any way, if you so much as touch her or offer her insult, then any deal between us is off and I will show no mercy. Your planet will be bathed in blood such as you cannot imagine." With nothing more to say, he turned away and moved towards the bar, leaving the two resistance leaders staring after him in shocked surprise.
Thanks as always to the usual suspects for their reviews and supportive comments. That's you, Solasnagreine and RobertBruceScott. JDC0, I missed your review this time, hope you're ok. Also, a big thanks to my wonderful friend Linny, with whom I've spend many late night hours discussing the ins and outs of this story and ironing out the plotlines.
I wasn't intending to give Sarah her viewpoint in this chapter, but she had a lot to say. She isnt the bad guy in this and she has a very valid point of view. Equally, Kolana was supposed to be an extra, only mentioned to give Koreth a reason to be on the scene. Never let your extras get names. They start demanding a personality and once theyve got one of them, they won't shut up and then you're really in trouble.