Chapter 5:
Don't Start What You Can't Stop
Kirk and Spock return to the First City of the Klingon homeworld and meet the leader, K'mpec. "Who are you?" "I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the Enterprise and this is my first officer, Mr. Spock of Vulcan. We are here to stop the attack on Khitomer. We have reason to believe that one of your Council members is plotting an attack on your outposts and we have surveillance." The two officers give a tablet to K'mpec. "Our communications officer is fluent in Klingon and she heard 'Khitomer' numerous times."
Spock asked K'mpec, "Do you recognize the Klingon in this picture?" They try different angles from the footage. "There!" K'mpec said. "That's Jarod!" "Sir, we need to find him." "Who has been investigating him?" "My closest member, Mogh." "We need to speak to him, now!" K'mpec answered, "He's leaving for Khitomer now to investigate on my orders." Kirk turns to Spock, "Let's go!" They leave the chambers and beam back to the ship. "Sulu, Chekov, scan for a Klingon ship headed away from the planet in the last 10 minutes." "Aye, sir. Scanning." A beep sounding, indicating a ship on sensors. "Got him!" "Hail them!" Uhura answered, "Channel open."
"Attention, Klingon vessel, this is Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise, please divert your course from Khitomer and prepare to be boarded." The screen shifted to reveal the face of Mogh. "Why are you here?" "We're here to stop the attack on Khitomer. Please, sir, you must trust us." Kirk spoke to Sulu, "Tractor beam on that ship!" "Aye, sir. Tractor activated." "Scotty, beam up the pilot and passengers." "Aye, sir. They are aboard." Kirk looked to the Vulcan. "Spock." The Vulcan nodded. They both head to the transporter room. "Why have you done this? I'm on a mission to take down Jarod!" Kirk put his hands up to calm the warrior down. "Believe me, sir, I'm sure you want to do the honorable thing. You must trust us. Help us."
As they talked in the quarters that Kirk had prepared for Mogh and his family, Kirk looks at the other guests, "Why did you bring a child?" "To bring him, his mother, and nurse to Khitomer, keep them safe while I apprehend Jarod. Once I had him, I could return to my family."
Kirk understood Mogh's position and posed a question, "What if I told you your mission would fail?" "How do you mean?" Mogh asked. Kirk answered, while in Mogh's quarters, "We may be of Starfleet; but we're actually from the past, sent forward in time to stop this attack from happening." "I don't believe you." Kirk then sent the other guests into another room and showed Mogh what would happen in real time. "You would fail in your mission, but it would bring an alliance between the Klingons and the Federation for decades to come. However, war mounts on your homeworld and the family of your enemy, the Duras family, blame the attack and the deaths of 4,000 fellow warriors on you and your son." "My son?" "What's your son's name?" Mogh looked at the captain. "Worf."
"Sir, we must work together and stop this attack from happening." Just then a voice from the Bridge sounded, "Bridge to Captain Kirk?" "Go ahead." "Sir, we detect a small ship heading toward Khitomer's orbit." "Acknowledged. I'll be on the Bridge and I'll bring our guest with us."
On the Bridge, Kirk and Mogh watch the ship approach Khitomer. "It's a Klingon shuttle, with one person occupying it." "Can you scan for Romulan ships?" Mogh asked. Sulu turned in his seat. "Romulan?" "Answer the question, Lt." Sulu nodded, "I'll try." Hikaru Sulu scanned for Romulan ships in the area. "None." "Scan for any ion trails. The ships maybe cloaked." Sulu scanned further, "None." "If they are not here, they will be soon," Mogh said to Kirk. "I don't doubt it. Hail the shuttle." Uhura said, "Trying but no response." "Open hailing frequencies." "A channel is open." "Klingon shuttle, cease your course and prepare to be pulled in tow." "No response." "Sulu, tractor beam on that ship." "Aye, sir." "Sir, I'm getting a signal." Kirk demanded, "On screen." "Starfleet vessel, I demand that you leave this system and allow me to do what's right for the Klingon Empire. This alliance with you feeble Federation toyzas will not stand much longer. I intend to destroy the peta'Qs who wish to fratenize with humans." Ja'rod looked at Mogh, "You, Mogh, are a vuruul and you will die with this ship." Communications were cut. "Sir, he's increasing speed and he's cut the tractor beam." "Follow him at intercept course and ready weapons." "Aye, sir."
The Enterprise gets in front of the Klingon shuttle and readies weapons. "Hail them again." Uhura answers, "No response." "The shuttle has raised it's shields and loaded weapons." Mogh informs the captain of the level of damage of the shuttle's weapons. "Raise shields in kind, Mr. Sulu." "Aye, sir, shields up, weapons on standby." Sulu nodded toward Chekov. Chekov nodded in return. Phaser fire protrudes from the shuttle with minimal damage to the Enterprise. "Fire a warning shot off their port side, Chekov." "Aye sir, firing vazers." "Shuttle shields down." Ja'rod turns his shuttle further toward Khitomer. "Well, if he will not surrender, should I end him?" "A Klingon would die then afford being captured. To save the Empire of the future you have informed me of, I suggest only that we destroy the shuttle." Sulu raised his voice, "Sir, he's increased and he's in orbit of Khitomer." "If we don't destroy him, we'll never catch him. He's well trained." "Any escape pods on that shuttle?" "Yes, one." Spock had surveillance inside the ship, via infrared. "Captain, shoot down that shuttle. Ja'rod is heading toward the transporter pad." "Fire torpedoes." Torpedoes were fired and the shuttle was destroyed. "Scan the surface for transport activity." "Scanning," Sulu said. "One." "Dammit!" "Prepare to beam me down there, Scotty." "Aye, sir. Coordinates set." Kirk ran to the transporter room. "Energize!"
Kirk and Mogh materialized onto the outpost surface and found Ja'rod at a console. "Ja'rod!" Kirk yelled at the Klingon traitor. Kirk fired his blaster at him, hitting the shoulder. Mogh, with his d'k'tagh cut the wrists of his foe and fought him. Kirk aimed and fired at Ja'rod, hitting his neck. Blood massively flowed from the neck and Ja'rod fell, clinging to Mogh. Mogh knelt down and screamed. Beware, a new warrior is about to arrive. Mogh stood up and looked at Kirk, then fell. James ran to him. "Bones, prepare a medbay. Scotty, two to beam to the Medbay. Kirk and Mogh materialized to the Medbay and Kirk laid his friend down. "Stand back, Jim." "Bones" worked on the warrior. "The wounds pretty deep, but I can stop the bleeding." "Do your best, 'Bones.'"