Chapter 12

Cavern

Alec could see the look of murderous rage in the Klingons' eyes, shimmering like a distant star on a crystal clear night. It was even more vibrant than the light glistening on their bat'leths. He had faced Klingons before but they were never real ones. This was no holodeck simulation. The holodeck could simulate their strength and speed, but it could in no way recreate the blood lust and instinct that had evolved for millennia.

He knew a battle was imminent. Both warriors before him were growling in anticipation of their victory. There was no reasoning with them, this was to the death.

Without warning, both Klingons released a war cry and ran towards him with their bat'leths at the ready. Alec drew his katana and held his ground. Wish you were here, James. The first Klingon's attack came as fast as a phaser beam. He came directly at Alec head and swung horizontally, a move that was parried immediately by Alec's quick reflexes. Had he not been as strong and as well trained as he was he would have been knocked down by the kinetic energy in play. The echo of the blades clashing was almost deafening in the cave. Alec placed his open palm midway on the back of his sword blade and pushed as hard as he could. The unexpected show of strength surprised the angry, overconfident Klingon and he was thrown off balance as a result.

If his training instructor had been witness to the exchange, Alec would have been told to do one hundred pushups. The correct maneuver would have been to deflect the blade rather than to push it away, but he wanted the warrior to know what he was up against. Plus a good dose of risk gets the adrenaline going.

The presence of the other Klingon was not lost on Alec and he ducked to avoid a bat'leth swing. That was close, I think I lost a few hairs. Immediately he held his sword length wise over his head, the bat'leth stopped within six inches of his head. With all his strength he pushed with his legs. Immediately standing upright he landed a well placed kick to the Klingon's stomach, winding him. Hearing the other Klingon come up behind him he had no time to turn and face him. With no other course of action available, and both hands holding his katana, he swung it over his head so it was parallel to his spine. The clang of metal on metal told him he anticipated well. Based on the pressure against him he threw a kick backward where he believed his opponent's knee was. Alec heard a crack and the pressure eased.

He turned as quick as he could to face the Klingon, whose face was now filled with pain as well as rage. The former was draining quickly, being replaced by the latter. The Klingon's endorphins were numbing the pain. But Alec could see the Klingon was not the fighting machine he had been moments ago. From his own experience he knew that pain infuriated one further. If anything, the Klingon was even more dangerous now, and there was still the other Klingon to take care of too.

Using the Klingon's weakened condition to his advantage, Alec went on the offensive. He let out a kiyai and jumped at the Klingon, swinging his katana down in an arc. The only move the unsuspecting warrior could respond with was one Alec had used not long before, he gripped his bat'leth by the outer handles and held it upwards over his head as a shield.

It was an action that Alec was hoping for. His katana cut through the curved blade and continued through the center handle, dissecting the bat'leth.

Alec could have continued the arc and dissected the Klingon himself - which the Klingon knew - but he stopped just shy of his enemy's cranial ridges. This mercy which robbed him of an honorable death further enraged the Klingon. He dropped the broken pieces of his weapon and drew the d'k tahg dagger from his side, slicing it across Alec's midsection in such an incredibly swift and fluid motion that Alec was unable to fully react in time. Jumping backwards, he felt a searing pain in his gut and the trickle of blood. Keeping his sword drawn, he glanced down for a split second. A long lengthwise cut lay across his abdomen. Good thing I moved when I did, any deeper...

The Klingon had drawn first blood, the full on killer instinct returned to his eyes. He had taken Alec's sparing of his life as an insult, and he was going to repay it with unswerving vengeance. Alec could almost picture liquid fire flowing through his enemy's veins, his heart a small sun. They stood facing each other, their eyes locked. Each was trying to anticipate the other's next move, but neither gave any indication.

Alec's opponent acted first. The Klingon flung his d'k tahg quickly into the air and immediately held it once more, this time in a stabbing position. He ran towards Alec. It seemed to take forever to close the short gap between them. Alec hunched down and - ignoring the further pain it caused his gut - threw his entire weight into the Klingon's lower torso. The Klingon let out a grunt as he was winded and was sent forward over Alec by his own momentum, landing on his back.

Alec's question of the other Klingon's whereabouts was answered as he appeared running towards Alec from his left. He ran to meet the approaching warrior with what little space there was left. The Klingon's bat'leth was held high, Alec's katana was pointed down. As the gap between them was closed, Alec avoided the bat'leth with a crouch and planted his feet into the dirt, stopping himself. He allowed his momentum to pivot him on his heels until he was facing the direction in which he came. With his katana now over his head, he brought the end of the blade down across the Klingon's back. As his enemy fell forward onto the dirt, Alec could see the extent of the damage caused by his blow. There was a gash going from the top of the Klingon's shoulder blade to just above the back of his hip. Alec saw pinkish muscle inside the wound, which was bleeding profusely. He would most likely bleed to death shortly. Alec detested killing, even when he had no choice.

A roar of sorrow averted Alec's gaze to the onwatching Klingon. "Human pahtk." The furious warrior was slowly walking to grab the bat'leth of his fallen comrade. "That was my brother. You will drown in your own blood!"

Oh great, like he wasn't pissed off enough. No matter what the outcome, I think this will be over soon. He felt like they would have fit in perfectly in an ancient gladiator arena. He wondered if the ancients were watching him now from their celestial stands, judging his performance. Focus Alec, focus. Both were wounded. Both were skilled soldiers. Alec thought of what he had to lose: his family, and whatever he could salvage of his career. With the death of his brother, the Klingon bounty hunter appeared to have nothing left to lose. The Klingon had the edge.

They were circling the fallen warrior, preparing for the final clash. Alec was twisting his palms around his katana handle for traction. He wanted to wipe the sweat off his hands but he knew the second he took a hand away, the Klingon would strike.

They charged towards each other as quickly as their wounds allowed them. Alec's gut was on fire, he could only imagine what the Klingon was feeling. Not much probably, these guys are built for war. He clenched his jaw so hard he swore his teeth would shatter. As he swung his katana up to meet the Klingon's dropping blade he saw his opportunity to strike. As the blades met at shoulder level, Alec released his right palm from the handle and drove a fist into the Klingon's gut with all the strength he could muster. As the Klingon's head bowed, Alec raised his arm and swung it as if to throw a punch to his enemy's head, but instead he struck the Klingon in the jaw with his elbow. He continued the horizontal arc and grabbed the handle of his katana once more. Before the Klingon could reorient himself, with full force Alec thrust the butt of his sword handle into the temple of his opponent.

The fight was over, Alec stood over the Klingon with the tip of his blade at his throat. If he tried to get up it would mean certain death. Such a move would be suicide, which was unacceptable to any Klingon warrior that believed themselves to be honourable.

The Klingon's eyes opened and he saw the sword at his neck. A steady look of indifference floated in them. "Strike, human. Send me to Sto Vo Kor as you did my brother."

Alec's arms were as steady as those of a statue, his stare did not falter. "I despise killing, bounty hunter. Even though he left me no choice, I regret having to take your brother's life."

"If you're as honorable as your reputation says you are, you will send me to the death I deserve."

You took money to kill me! Where's the honor? Alec wanted to yell those words at the Klingon, but he retained his composure. "The death you deserve is to be thrown out of an airlock. But luckily for you I'm not that cruel." Alec drew the phaser from his side and fired it at the Klingon's chest. "Enjoy your nap, warrior."

Lying in the dirt next to the unconscious Klingon was a small brown device. Alec knelt down to pick it up, and wished he had done so more slowly. It was the Klingon's communicator, probably jarred loose when he fell. It occurred to Alec that the Klingon wouldn't stop until he found him. Moreso now for vengeance rather than the bounty.

He had to think quickly, every second mattered. The only thing he could think of was to take out the Bird of Prey. Take out the ship and they can't come after you. It wouldn't be through ship to ship combat. The Travioli was no match for the Bird of Prey. He could give an ordinary B'rel-Class run for its money but not this upgraded one. The sensors on the Travioli couldn't detect a ship through its cloak anyway. And as persuasive as he was, he doubted he could convince whoever was on board the Bird Of Prey to activate the auto destruct system.

An idea hit him. He'd have to do his best imitation of an angry Klingon, but if he could pull it off he'd have one less ship after him. He taped his combadge, Rene had waited too long to hear his voice. "Rene, I'm here. I'm okay."

"Where the hell have you been, you jerk?!" Her voice exploded out of his combadge. He swore he could almost feel the sound vibration on his chest. "You had me so worried."

"I found a hidden room down here, it must have been blocking your transmissions. I have two new Klingon friends too."

"I'm beaming you up right now."

"Hold on a minute, beautiful. There's something I need to do first."

"Do it fast."

"Of course, I need your help though." After guiding Rene through the procedure, he had her beam down a photon torpedo to the cavern. "This should do nicely." he said as he accessed the manual detonation controls.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Come on, dear. It's me."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Give me a little credit."

The manual detonation had been set. Once activated the torpedo would explode in sixty seconds. Walking over to the still unconscious Klingon, he removed the emergency transport activator from his upper arm. When pressed, the transporter on board the Bird of Prey would automatically beam up whatever it was attached to. He placed it on the torpedo.

Now came the hard part. Convincing those aboard the Bird of Prey he was one of the brothers.

Taking into account bounty hunters were typically greedy and wanted to keep as much money as possible, he estimated the minimum crewload for operating a B'rel-Class Bird of Prey to be six Klingons. Essential members were a commanding officer, a gunner, an engineer, a medic, a pilot, and a communications operator. The transporter was one of the more straightforward to use systems on a starship, therefore a solitary person for that position was unnecessary.

With the saving money factor once again coming into play, the two brothers would each fill positions. The oldest brother would likely take command and one subsequent position. Given a Klingon's thirst for destruction it was probably gunner. The younger brother, would most likely take the helm, that way he and his brother could more closely share in the destruction of prey. That cut the numbers in half, leaving at least three on board. Alec added one more Klingon to the equation, a backup officer with basic training in every area in case one of them was injured.

Before anything else, Alec dragged the two bodies behind the holographic wall one at a time and shot out each of the lights with his phaser. Four against one would be interesting to say the least. He held the communicator up to his mouth and took a breath. His voice deepened, he did his best impersonation of a Klingon. "Get down here, now!"

"Sir, what is going on?" answered a mean sounding Klingon.

"Enough talk! I want everyone down here immediately!"

"But, sir, you outnumbered him two to one. How could you not kill him?"

"You dare question me? You insolent tobah!" He thought the insult was a nice touch. Typically, Klingon commanders did not respond very well to their orders being questioned. "If you and the rest of the men aren't down here immediately I'll give your share to the others." he snarled.

"Right away, sir. Did you say all the men? Who will transport us back to the ship?"

"Question me again and your hide will line the floor of my cabin."

"Yes, sir. We'll be down immediately."

Alec took cover in the darkest corner. Despite the low lighting in the stone corridor it might still be enough for a young, in his prime Klingon to see him. He made sure to remain absolutely still. Klingons had excellent visual acuity and hearing, he didn't want to take the chance of being seen or heard.

Overall he was pleased with his temporary stint as a Klingon, although he felt if he had deepened his voice more he would have done a more convincing job.

A slight buzz in the center of the cavern was followed by the appearance of four glowing orange orbs in mid-air. The orbs quickly expanded into full bodied humanoid forms. The one on the left spoke in his native tongue to the others. He was probably the ranking officer.

The same Klingon then paused and sniffed the air. "I smell blood." He said as he reached to his side for his disruptor.

Alec fired a shot from his phaser, sending the Klingon stunned to the ground. "I wouldn't if I were you." he said as the others were reaching for theirs. "There's a phaser trained on each of you." He hoped they wouldn't call his bluff. "And they're just waiting for an order from me."

"Where are our captain and first officer?" asked the center Klingon, his voice alive from contempt.

Alec kept his phaser arm stretched out. "Your captain is sleeping around here somewhere. And his brother, well, he came down with a slight case of death."

"Human pahtk." said the left Klingon.

"You know," Alec fired his phaser again. This time at the Klingon that insulted him. "That's the second time I've been called that in the past twenty minutes, and I don't think I like it."

"You're a fool," said the Klingon on the right. "He will not rest until he has your head hanging on the bulkhead."

"I don't want to sound childish here, but they started it." Alec turned on his wrist beacon and pointed it at the Klingons. They covered their eyes from the brightness. He then shined it solely at the one on the left. "You there."

"What?" he said defiantly.

"See that torpedo there? And the open panel on top? Press the flashing button."

"I will not take part in my own destruction, even if it means yours as well."

"If I wanted you dead I would have killed you the moment you materialized. And if I wanted to be killed I would have let your friends do it." He watched as the Klingon just stood there. He fired his phaser at the man's feet, sending dirt into the air. "Just because I don't want to kill you, doesn't mean I wont. Now, I'm in kind of a hurry here."

"On my father's blade, you will-"

"Drown in my own blood. Yeah, yeah. You Klingon's need to get some new clichés. The button, press it." Alec watched as the growling Klingon complied. He then pointed his beacon to the immediate left of the open panel. "See that emergency transport unit? Activate it."

"But our ship? How will we ever leave this planet?"

"Ask the Vesuvians for help. It's the ship or you, that thing can't be shut off now." His patience was wearing thin, but it wasn't tested again. The Klingon activated the emergency transport unit and in seconds it disappeared in orange light, on its way to the heavens. "Thank you." He fired his phaser and hit the Klingon in the chest.

"What are you going to do with me, human?" asked the remaining Klingon.

"I have just one question. How'd you find me?"

"We passed your pathetic ship on our way to that Cardassian space station. Once we projected your course it didn't take much reasoning to realize it was you."

"I'm hurt." said Alec, feigning insult. "At least I have my pathetic ship to go back to. Alec to Travioli, energize." In a few short seconds he was safely aboard the shuttle. Stepping out of the small transported he walked through the door to his right, entering the cockpit. "Did I miss it?"

"Miss what?"

An explosion erupted out in space, catching their eyes. It expanded outward and enveloped the now uncloaked Bird of Prey. The ship shuddered lightly as the shockwave reached them.

"That's what you wanted the torpedo for."

"You know me too well." said Alec as he quickly headed for the helm. It was imperative they broke orbit as soon as possible and got out of the system.

"Where are we going in such a hurry?"

"We have to get out of here now. The Enterprise will match that debris our there with the ship that was after me. After that, it won't take them long to figure out who we really are. I'd just as soon rather not be here when they do."

He set a course for Farius Prime. It would take three days at maximum warp to get there. Romulan ships had a higher maximum velocity than his shuttle but in order to maintain the full advantages of their cloak they would have to reduce their speed to warp 8. The elimination order was given yesterday, giving the Romulans a twenty four hour head start. By leaving now the Travioli would get there with a berth of an hour at most.

The Romulan elimination force was not the only danger. Alec recognized Farius Prime as a planet in space controlled by the Orion Syndicate, a criminal organization created by the Orion race. By the 22nd century, they had illegitimately assumed the powers of government. By the 24th century it was it was an organized crime cartel, the equivalent of an interstellar mafia. The Syndicate from its inception included among its principle activities smuggling, piracy, slave trading, and assassination.

Alec probably initiated the warp pulse sooner than he should have but he wanted to get to Farius Prime as soon as possible. The jolt they felt was the gravity of Vesuvia causing a slight imbalance in the warp field. It was risky, but he still hadn't crossed the line according to James: Don't do anything he wouldn't do. And that list wasn't very long. The only things Alec had ever heard James say not to do were 'never have relations with a Benzite' and 'thrusters only in an asteroid field.'

Captain Picard ordered a yellow alert until the explosion in orbit of Vesuvia could be explained. Shields were up but weapons wouldn't be brought online until there was a more immediate threat. Initial speculation was that it was a cloaked Romulan ship, but the detected metals didn't conform with the typical specs. After gathering more sensor data, Edwards was able to extrapolate the ship design as that of a B'rel-Class Bird of Prey. They concluded that it was the ship that had gone after Alec.

"Now that we know what it was," said Picard in his command chair. "We just need to know what it was destroyed it."

"I detected no weapons fire before the explosion." said Edwards. "From what my scans tell me, it was internal."

"Warp core breach?" asked Riker.

"That would be the most logical assumption, but I don't think so. I'm also picking up trace elements of materials used in a Starfleet photon torpedo."

Counselor Troi stepped hurriedly onto the bridge and immediately accessed her console as she was sitting down. Riker took particular notice to her demeanor. "What's wrong, Deanna?"

"That ship that just went into warp, how many people were on board?"

"Two," said Edwards. "A Bajoran and a Trill."

"That's not right." said Troi. "I could have sworn I felt Alec and Rene."

"Are you sure?" asked Picard.

"I'm positive."

"Then that was them in the cargo runner." said Riker. "They were under our noses the whole time."

Picard now wished he had gone with his gut. He could tell himself that it wasn't his fault, that they had no conclusive proof, but in the end it meant nothing to him because deep down he knew. This was going to gnaw at him for awhile. "Mr. Data, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell me it is impossible to project their course."

"It is not, Captain. I have already done so. Based on their heading, they are on a direct course for Farius Prime."

"Not good." said Edwards.

"Why?" asked McClary.

"That planet is a hot spot for Orion Syndicate activity." said Riker gravely. "If word of the bounty on his head has reached that far he can expect every ruthless cutthroat within ten sectors to come after him."

"From past experience," said Data. "I believe Commander Wilson would say 'bring it on.'"

"We know where he's going, but why? He wouldn't head into Orion territory unless he had a damn good reason."

"Maybe we'll have the answer to that question after we answer another, Number One." said Picard. "For the time being we should concentrate on finding out what he was doing back here. Mr. Data, were both lifesigns aboard the Shran for the duration of the orbit?"

"Checking. Negative, Captain. The Bajoran lifesign beamed down to the surface for approximately fifteen minutes."

"I think it's safe to assume that's Alec." said Riker.

"I would say so. Mr. Data, run a scan of the underground caverns."

"Aye, Captain." Luckily for them the Vesuvians hadn't reactivated the dampening field around the caverns. It took them less than a minute to sweep the underground. During which he detected four non-Vesuvian lifeforms. "Sir, there are four Klingons beneath the surface. They are all within close proximity of each other and are collected in the vicinity of where President Sha'Gra was killed. Three of them are unconscious."

There were answers down there, and Picard intended to get them. "Mr. Edwards, inform Vesuvian security of the situation. Tell them we're sending an away team."

"Aye, sir. Message sent."

"Number One."

"Right away, Captain." said Riker, rising from his chair on his way to the turbolift. "Dr. Crusher, please proceed to transporter room two."

"On my way, Will."

"John, Data, Ensign McClary."

McClary turned her chair, caught by surprise. "Sir?" she inquired as she watched her fellow officers head to join Riker.

Riker grinned. He had been hoping for such a response. "You've been wanting some excitement. And here it is."

"Yes, sir." She said as she stood, and almost giddily, made her way to the turbolift.

When the away team materialized in the underground cavern they had to switch on their wrist beacons immediately. Crusher opened her medical tricorder and knelt down towards the nearest Klingon. "This Klingon was hit by a phaser on stun. I imagine the others were too."

"What was he doing back down here?" asked Edwards as he walked around the cavern.

"I can't see anything of interest down here." said McClary. "Except for the Klingons."

"Perhaps a search of the adjoining passageways will reveal some clue to his intentions." said Data.

"Good idea." said Riker as he took a peek around the corner of the nearest passageway. He could have sworn he heard breathing from in front of him, but he shrugged it off as an echo from the unconscious Klingons behind him. "John, McClary, stay here with Dr. Crusher. Data, you're with me."

McClary watched as Riker and Data left down the corridor at the northern end of the cavern. This was her first away mission, and it was a long time coming. She was a believer in the old saying that 'good things come to those who wait.' And she wasn't sure she could wait any longer.

One of the first things that caught her eye as she shone her light around the cavern were the reflective crystals embedded throughout the rock face. They were beautiful.

Edwards had a bad feeling and he couldn't lay it to rest. There was something amiss down here and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

There was a bit of humor to the situation though. Alec had taken out every Klingon that had come after him and destroyed their ship. Surely if he could take care of a group of Klingons than he could handle the single hunter that was on the Nausicaan raider with relative ease, if he hadn't already.

He saw that the Klingon Dr. Crusher was currently examining was missing the disruptor that should be in the side holster. It was located a meter away in the dirt. The other two appeared to not even get a chance to reach for their weapons. And the fourth Klingon...Where was the fourth Klingon? As he recalled, Data had said there were four Klingons, three of which were unconscious, all nearby to each other. If that was so, then were was he? "Doctor, Justine, stay alert."

He heard no response from either of them. When he turned he was aghast to see Crusher down on the ground and McClary being held from behind by a Klingon, a d'k tahg dagger at her throat.

Riker and Data had found nothing so far. Their search of the passageway only turned up more passageways. "I don't think we're going to find anything this way, Data."

"I reached the same conclusion, Commander."

"When we reach the next fork we'll turn back." Riker took a few more steps and stepped when he heard an echo of commotion come from behind. "Damnit! There were only three Klingons in there."

The warmness of the cave made the blade against her neck feel a lot colder than it probably was. McClary was breathing as shallow as she could in an attempt to relieve all possible pressure between the knife and her neck. She was in no hurry to have her throat slashed this day. The smell of the Klingon's breath was gag-inducing, making it harder for her to control her breathing. One cough and it could all be over. It might be up to her alone to act. But she was confident in her Red Squad training to get her through this.

She couldn't believe he had snuck up behind her like that. True, it had been an experienced Klingon warrior that had done so but it was still a blow to her pride that he had been able to do so with such relative ease. She should have at least smelled him coming up behind her.

"Just take it easy." said Edwards calmly. "It doesn't have to go this way. Are you okay, Justine?" He saw her give a barely noticeable nod.

"Enough! Put your weapon down." said the Klingon as he tightened his grip around her. "You will give me a shuttlecraft and guarantee me safe passage out of this system."

Edwards slowly knelt down to the ground and released his phaser into the dirt. "That's not my call."

"Her blood will be on your hands if you do not do as I say."

Hostage negotiating was hard enough when he trained for it in holographic situations. This would be the first time he used what he learned in the field. The horrible truth he had been taught was that even when you go completely by the book, tragedies still happen sometimes.

"Whoa, whoa. I want to help you out. I do. But you can't ask me for something that's not within my power to give."

"Then get in contact with someone who can."

"That would be me." said a voice emanating around the corner behind Edwards. It was Riker, his shadow cast in the cavern. Data was next to him. "I'm Commander William Riker of the Federation starship Enterprise."

"Drop your weapons."

"Data." said Riker, urging the android to do the same. "What is it you want?"

"I want a shuttle, and safe passage out of this system."

"I can do that. But before I do, I'd like to ask that you release her."

"I'm no fool, human."

"Of course not, I'm just asking for a show of good faith."

"Good faith means nothing in my trade."

Riker stepped slowly towards them. His hands were held out, palms tilted down, showing he meant no harm. He caught a glance of McClary's face. Even with the limited light he was able to see the look in her eyes. She was calm. It came as a relief to him that Alec was not here to see this. It served as a reminder of James' death. Riker would do anything to save the young lieutenant today. He did not want the death of another fellow officer on his conscience. "Then I'm going to ask that you take me as a hostage instead."

"Whenever someone says that, it means they're more concerned for the lives of those in danger than their own. As long as I have her, you're more likely to do what I say." After a few seconds of silence, the Klingon jerked her head back and held the blade tighter against her skin. "Shuttle! Now! Or her blood will stain the walls of this cave."

This is going nowhere. McClary was tired of all the useless talking. She felt compelled to act. Closing her eyes in preparation for the worst, she jerked her left arm free and thrust her elbow into the gut of her would be captor. The increase in malodorous breath told her she winded him. She leaned forward slightly in order to get the angle to throw her elbow upward into his head. Turning as quickly as she could she threw her leg forward and brought her foot upward right between his legs.

The Klingon released the dagger and was on his knees before it hit the ground. His loud groans of agony echoed throughout the numerous corridors.

Edwards quickly rushed to her side to see if she was okay. There was no mistaking the look of absolute scorn and contempt on her face. It was one which confirmed that there is no comparison to the intensity which came from an angry woman.

Riker approached them after he retrieved his phaser. "They don't teach that in Red Squad, do they?" he asked of her unorthodox - at least by Starfleet standards - defense technique.

"Self taught" she said as she kicked the dagger across the cave.

"It's my fault, sir." said Edwards. "I turned my back for a minute and before I knew it, he had her."

Riker knelt down to check on Crusher. She was bleeding from the forehead but was breathing normally and actually appeared close to consciousness. "Beverly looks okay. Don't blame yourself, John. He's a professional. Riker to Enterprise, one to beam-"

"I'm fine." said Crusher as she stood up with the help of Riker. "Just a little woozy."

He turned to the Klingon, who was still groaning in pain. "There were six on board your ship before, now there's only four of you. Where are the other two?"

"Uuuuuggggh."

McClary picked up her phaser and put it in the holster. "I think that's Klingon for 'ow, my-'"

"Lieutenant." Riker grinned. Not many women had the unique ability to surprise him. "That's not very lady like."

"I grew up with five older brothers, sir. I picked up a few things."

"I imagine you would." Riker once again put his attention on the Klingon, whose groaning had subsided. "Are you ready to talk?"

The Klingon looked up, teeth bared and fire in his eyes. "Yes."

"Good. Now, there were six-"

"I heard you the first time, human. Our captain and his brother beamed down here to capture that fugitive pahtk. Whether he killed them or not is not known to me. He lured us down here pretending to be our captain and them beamed a torpedo up to our ship."

"That explains the explosion." said Edwards with a grin. "But where are the other Klingons? Could he have taken them with him?"

"There were no Klingon lifesigns aboard the shuttle when it left orbit." said Data. "They are here."

"How much time passed between the time your captain beamed down and the time you received your orders?"

The Klingon said nothing. He just sat there, growling quietly. McClary took a step towards him, which sparked his cooperation. "Five, maybe six minutes."

"Not much time to carry two Klingons somewhere." said Riker.

"I did not see any indented footprints cause by an increase in weight." said Data. "Nor did I see any displacement in the dirt cause by dragging. However, Commander Wilson has been known to cover his tracks in the past."

"Yes, but how well did he cover them this ti-"

A low groan emanated from somewhere nearby. Phasers were drawn by all except McClary, who kept her gaze on the Klingon. The source of the groan couldn't be seen, even after all corners of the cavern had been illuminated.

Riker looked back at the group, puzzled. "What the hell?"

Dr. Crusher opened her medical tricorder. It's scanners were more sensitive to certain things than a normal tricorder, there was a possibility it could detect something that Data's missed. Results were immediate. "I'm detecting human and Klingon DNA. It's blood." She held her tricorder closer to the ground where the DNA was collected. "The trail leads to that rock face over there. Then it stops."

Riker believed he knew what was going on. He reached down and picked up a rock that lay next to his foot. With an underhanded swing he threw it towards the rock face. The wall absorbed it and they heard a clatter on an unseen surface. "The plot thickens."