"Both the HaH'vat and the Klothos are turning around" Toldol said, manning a console on the bridge of the cardassian vessel. "They are heading straight for us."

"Set a course for the rendezvous point" D'jalel said as she eyed the two klingon vessels visible on the main view-screen. "Maximum warp."

"Yes, commander" Toldol said and he, along with the rest of the romulans, began to carry out the order.

XXX XXX

Onboard the IKS Klothos, Dax studied the cardassian freighter as it left orbit of Korvat Five. "They are running" the trill said and turned to the klingon warlord in command of the ship.

"Romulans do not run without reason" Kor growled, sitting in his captains chair. "Most klingons frown upon it as cowardice, but fail to realize that more often romulans return with greater numbers."

The pilot of the Klothos pointed at the main viewer in front of him. "The cardassian ship has gone to warp!"

"Lord Kang is hailing us" another klingon added.

"On viewer" Kor said and within moments the intimidating Kang appeared on the large screen. "Well, Kang? Shall we run them down?"

"They are not fast enough to outrun us" Kang concluded. "They can not escape our wrath. These romulans will die, spending their last breath looking up on me as I pull my bat'leth from their bodies."

Kor placed his fist over his chest and grinned. "To battle, then."

Transmission was cut and the two klingon vessels jumped to warp, in pursuit of the cardassian freighter.

XXX XXX

The crew of the USS Excelsior were rounded up and detained in storage-areas on the saucer-section, placed under guard by their klingon captors. Sulu studied the six klingon warriors by the door for some time before he made his way over to Eckenwald, the doctor on his knees next to commander Gars, trying to mend her wounds as best he could.

"She's unconscious" the doctor said, placing two fingers against her throat to check her pulse. "Barely hanging in there."

"She's tough" Sulu reminded the lieutenant commander.

"Without proper equipment I can't guarantee she will survive this" Eckenwald said and looked up at the captain. "She's lost a lot of blood."

Sulu sighed and moved a lock of hair from Nathalies brow. She was pale and her breathing was deep and slow, tiny drops of sweat on her skin. She was in a bad shape, her wounds only rudimentary treated to stop the bleeding.

"If the klingons would just…"

"Just what?" Sulu said, interrupting the chief medical officer. "I've already tried to negotiate with Koloth and he will not give us anything. We are his prisoners now, and that means only the strong survive." Sulu frowned and groaned, shaking his head.

The frustration twisted Eckenwalds face. "Bastards the lot of them. If I ever get my hands on that trill, the son of a bitch, I will… Just what the hell was he thinking?!"

"He gave some of us a month or so to live" Sulu said and sat down, resting his back up against the wall.

Eckenwald sighed and shook his head. "And do what? Escape Rura Penthe? Great plan."

"Fight them" Sulu said and gained a suspicious look from the doctor. "That's what Dax said, right before he beamed off with Kor. Fight Koloth, he said." Sulu chuckled as he shook his head at the ridiculous situation. "We didn't stand a chance when we were armed, so I'm not sure what he thought I could do at this point."

"For having lived six or seven lifetimes" Eckenwald said, "that trill sure is an idiot."

They both burst out laughing and Eckenwald allowed himself to let Gars rest for a moment, as he sat himself down next to her, resting his back against the wall like his captain. Sitting on either side of the severely wounded commander, the two senior officers took a moment to gather their thoughts, surrounded by fifty or so of the ships crew; the others held captive elsewhere on the saucer-section.

"You know" Eckenwald then said, "there are only six guards."

"Six disruptors and hatchets" Sulu added. "They would easily kill twelve or twenty of us before we overpowered them."

"We could distract them" the doctor then suggested. "Challenge them to a game of chess perhaps? Something tells me that that would truly distract such brutes."

Sulu smiled, but then, something occurred to him. Something that could possibly work.

"I think I know what Dax had in mind" Sulu then said.

Eckenwald was not entirely sure what his captain was talking about.

XXX XXX

"The cardassian vessel is not heading for cardassian space, nor is it heading for the Romulan Star Empire" Tuvok said as he studied the readings on a klingon console. "In fact, it is currently heading for the Ferengi Alliance."

"The ferengi?!" Kor said with some disbelief. "The ferengi would not have the guile to dare oppose the Klingon Empire."

"I agree" Tuvok said. "It does not seem logical that the ferengi government is involved in this plot."

"There must be something along their trajectory" Dax said, looking at Tuvok and then at Kor.

"Nothing but neutral space" Tuvok explained. "Uncharted systems and uninhabited worlds. A perfect place for friendly ships to hide; there is no one around to detect them."

"You think we are walking into a trap?" Dax sounded a bit worried.

Tuvok placed his hands behind his back as he addressed both the trill and the klingon warlord in command of the ship. "The romulans have so far showed us that their plan has been well orchestrated and impressively planned. The only thing that foiled their intentions was the fact that Sybok acted on information provided by his brother; information from the future that the romulans could never expect their enemies to possess. They are now on the run, from an operation that by all accounts should have succeeded. It is only logical to conclude that the plan of escape is as impressive as their plan of attack. The Tal Shiar is not known for making mistakes."

Kor, drinking from a cup of blood-wine, allowed a grin to grow on his lips, exposing his fangs in a vicious smile. "Well, I for one would rather die this day than live tomorrow. To glorious victory, or glorious death."

And then, as one, every klingon on the bridge began to sing.

Qoy qeylIs puqloD.

Qoy puqbe'pu'.

yoHbogh matlhbogh je SuvwI'

Say'moHchu' may' 'Iw.

maSuv manong 'ej maHoHchu'.

nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'.

batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv.

pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'.

mamevQo'. maSuvtaH. ma'ov.

As Dax and Tuvok began to study the eager klingons that were singing and yearning for a fight, Kor simply laughed and raised his cup in a toast. Dax, being well versed in the klingon language, and klingon customs, knew all too well the meaning of the song.

Hear! Sons of Kahless.

Hear! Daughters too.

The blood of battle washes clean

The Warrior brave and true.

We fight, we love, and then we kill.

Our lives burn short and bright,

Then we die with honor and join our fathers in the Black Fleet where

we battle forever, battling on through the Eternal fight.

XXX XXX

Emelie flinched as the light hit her eyes and the sound of a door sliding open filled her ears. Squinting, she adjusted her eyes to the light and saw D'jalel entering the interrogation-chamber. Emelie was still strapped to the chair in the middle of that room.

"Your klingon friend is chasing us" D'jalel said with a smile. "Bringing your precious torpedo with him. We will kill the klingons, secure the torpedo and destroy the IKS Klothos. There will be no evidence of your plan, of your intentions. No one will try and stop me, once I have that torpedo. The Federation has no idea, and the klingons certainly don't. I will take your torpedo and use it." D'jalel leaned in towards the young human lieutenant and smiled confidently. "I will go back in time, say fifty years or so, and provide the empire with all the technology of today, and watch as Kronos, Cardassia and Earth, all the planets, are conquered one by one by the Romulan Star Empire. And you, Emelie Marcus-Kirk, will die knowing that you allowed the romulans to conquer the galaxy."

Emelie turned her head and locked eyes with the overconfident romulan. "I will kill you first."

D'jalel burst out laughing and took a couple of steps back as a result. "You are as bold as your father, aren't you? So sad" she then said, and shook her head. "So sad that you will never see him again. You will never save him." Then, something sinister stirred in D'jalel's eyes. "Instead, I will make sure he never existed at all."

Emelie tried to brake free from her bonds but it was pointless. "You Bitch!"

D'jalel smiled out of pure malice as she watched the desperate woman trying to free herself from her restraints. "Your father will die. Your mother will die. They will die screaming and in great pain. And you, vicious little thing, will never be born at all."

And with that, D'jalel turned and left. And behind her, Emelie screamed out all of her hate and desperation; had her emotions been manifested, the entire world would have burst into flames.

XXX XXX

Koloth entered the storage-area that held some fifty of his prisoners. As he did, the most senior officer of the Starfleet personnel walked up to him.

"What do you want, Hikaru of Akira?" Koloth inquired with a frown.

"I challenge you to trial of combat."

The four klingons that understood the human language were all baffled to say the least. But none more so than Koloth himself.

"You what?"

Sulu straightened his back and looked as resolute as he possibly could. "If you win, and end my life, my crew is yours to enslave on Rura Penthe. But should I win, and strike you down, my crew is free to leave onboard their ship. And no klingon will do them harm."

A moment of silence. No one had been prepared, not even the crew under Sulus command. Koloth turned to his own warriors at first, but then looked back at the bold Starfleet captain.

"You ask of me to surrender my spoils?"

Sulu aimed his eyes straight at Koloths. "I ask of you to uphold honor, Koloth son of Lasshar. Or are you afraid to fight me?"

Koloth took a step forward as instinct and rage exploded within him. Murder was glowing in his eyes as honor was like a fire that spread with his blood.

"Challenge…" Koloth growled, "accepted."