Chapter 3
M'lar marched down the stairs and out the pneumatic doors and the arched hallways that were made of stone and steel. Her feet fell with soft and near silent footfalls as she made her way to her privatorium. Walking to the wall she laid her hand on the panel and watched the door slide silently open to reveal an interior room that held row upon row of gowns.
She walked down the first row found a gown of red diaphanous material with a low plunging neckline. Taking it down she smiled. If she were supposed to go down in flames of shame then she would show them the true nature of the High Cleric to Boreth. "I think its time GowRon and that pup Kantae learned exactly who they are dealing with when it comes to a true Cleric." She muttered to herself more for reassurance.
"You plan to use sexual persuasion?" Bi'Anka stepped into the secret room. Looked around at all the finery her mistress possessed, walking to the back wall she looked at another wall and pressed a palm to the wall and another panel opened this time displayed was every imaginable weapon ever used by any Klingon warrior. She pulled to small thin bladed knives from the wall laying them on a shelf beneath the display. "Will you want a disrupter to wear on your hip or will the knives be enough?"
M'lar smiled, "Bi'Anka the knives are not necessary in my father's alter room. But if it will make you feel better, she turned now dressed in the red gown that hugged her body like a second skin. "Then give them to me." She held out her arm her palm up. The gown draped in layered slits to her wrist around her wrists she wore silver bracers with the house of T'L'th's symbol embossed in the metal. Taking the knives she slid them into her thigh straps.
When she walked to the exit of her dressing room, the long gown moved around her slender legs to reveal sculpted well-muscled legs, like the sleeves it too was layered in slits. The neckline plunged to her naval revealing a very healthy portion of her cleavage. The hint of steel glistened under the light and lay snug against her inside thigh. Walking to another wall she laid her palm over the wall's panel. Once again the panel slid back to reveal three silver and two golden headpieces. Lifting one of the silver ones of a simple circlet she laid it on a shelf opened a drawer beneath the panel and pulled out a red veil. Laying the veil over her long curling hair she laid the circlet on top.
Walking back to her dressing room she found a pair of anklet boots with spiked heels. Sliding them on she felt at least four inches taller. They were like the rest of her current mode of dress silver accents to the blood red gown she wore. "Now let us go see father." She smiled and it was a deliciously triumphant smile as the sound of her heels walking down the silver plated hallway heralded her arrival to the Supreme Cleric's alter room.
With the whoosh of the doors opening she paused for dramatic affect and saw all eyes of those present turn to view her. GowRon looked on with a hint of admiration at the beauty before him and his nephew. If he had not already taken a mate she would have been a temptation for him to add to his house. With a sideways glance at his nephew he saw the lust burning in his eyes watching her make her entrance into the alter room. For a woman about to be shamed she walked with the confidence and arrogance of most clerics to the stairs and up them to take her position by her father.
"You summoned me?" She glanced down at the larger than life seated figure of her father at her side, while she stood with a degree of surface respect. Beneath the surface the man that sat in his Imperial Robes of his Office as the Supreme Cleric of the High Council of Boreth knew his daughter was seething with anger beneath that cool façade. She rested the palm of her hand on the back of his chair and looked with a superior attitude to those that stood below.
Her gaze slid over the interior guard, Tork, HmFic, Bi'Anka, were her guards although she knew that the gnarled old hulking form of HmFic was loyal to her father he was still her guard. Then there was Toroth, an unknown and she was unable to read him. Her gaze shifted to L'Marq, another unknown, next to him was Morag another unknown that had recently been added to her guard. Shifting her gaze only she looked around the room and her gaze went to her fathers guard, Jovon, K' T'err Klorak and finally to Chang the great grandson of the dead Admiral that had tried to take down Kirk. The door opened and Balak entered to take up his position by GowRon's side and Kantae.
M'lar was not foolish enough to have not sensed that there were more from GowRon's ship standing and lining the hallway she just walked down outside these hallow halls. She could smell them and sense their fear. Her reputation had preceded her to Q'onoS. Wth that she was sure their minds were chaotic with their thoughts and she was getting a headache trying to separate who was a problem from who was going to turn and run if she displayed her abilities to them.
His voice sounded tired and his anger was as barely contained as hers yet he sat placidly on his alter and spoke with a deep baritone voice in a room designed to carry and react the voice back and around the room. "
"Yes, daughter I summoned you. It appears an allegation pertaining to your trust has been made. As a matter of fact; GowRon has indicated that you are no longer in possession of the chalice of the Old ones."
He flicked his wrist and a door behind the alter open and a floating disc moved into view bearing a very good resemblance to the Sacred Chalice. "He claims that they took this from your holding." M'lar glanced at the chalice sitting pristinely on the disc and glanced to Kantae and then GowRon who both appeared to be very smug.
She said nothing she waited. She knew that the offer was going to be made. "It is obvious that your house has been breached and the trust that was given to such a poor example for a High Cleric has been misplaced. But if you are amenable to my recommendation, I shall propose a liaison to keep this breach quiet and save the embarrassment to your house T'L'th."
T'L'th glanced to his daughter standing very still and holding the arrogance he had come to appreciate. "Oh and what liaison is that the Head of the Council of Qo'noS would propose?" he felt her body tense next to his. He knew when he had her altered genetically he had her enhanced and knew she was scanning all of those present and even those in the hallway. He needed to give her an edge and he had done precisely that, he had given her mind control over others. He knew she would be small like her mother. So, she needed something more and today he was going to see he had made the right decision.
"I propose a marriage between your house and your daughter to my house and my nephew." He smiled he had laid out his plan and so far he was not getting the reaction he had expected. GowRon thought there would be outrage and anger spewing forth and a show of defiance instead he looked at M'lar and saw there was a look of deference. That was when he knew they had something they had kept from those present.
"What say you daughter would you wish an alliance by marriage between the two houses?" He finally turned his gaze to his daughter and she smiled. Something no one in that room expected to see from her. The look was one of triumph and for a moment GowRon had wondered if they had second-guessed them and was now going to allow them an insight into why they were taking his offer as a joke.
"I say that whelp does not have the stamina to wed a daughter sired by you. I would say that he boast of something that is an impossible feat to have accomplished since the true chalice is still in its repository under guard and secure. That this . . ." she lifted the chalice they had presented to the assembly and threw it to the foot of the alter.
The action had caused a sudden gasp of outrage by the others in the room, eyes wide they watched as the chalice shattered and nothing was inside the container. "This is a fake father. Bi'Anka bring forth the true Chalice to show the Supreme Cleric he may rest easy that the trust has been maintained." Her gaze shifted to Morag and then she read him, he had been the traitor. Without moving her gaze from him she directed telepathically her thoughts to Tork, "Tork, without letting him know you are shifting positions move to Morag he is the traitor." Then she shifted direction to her personal bodyguard, "Bi'Anka, Morag is the traitor back up Tork when you return to chambers."
Tork shifted his weight and subtly without notice took up position in the shadows behind Morag. M'lar scanned his thoughts as he shifted guiltily on his feet. "That is impossible I took that without anyone's knowledge how was it that they have the real chalice and GowRon had the fake?"
Bi'Anka walked with head held high and contempt in her look as she passed the honor guard of GowRon outside the Supreme Clerics alter room. Walking with the confidence with which she had been bred she removed the chalice from its place of holding and carried it with reverence back to the alter room. Entering the room she advanced to the alter steps and waited for M'lar to come down the stairs to retrieve it from her.
M'lar stepped down those steps with a decided click of her heels on each step to pause with head held high and reached for the sacred trust and lifted it overhead. "I give you the trust and the duties of my office in this object of my duties to the Empire and the Trust of the Cleric's of Boreth. I give you the holding of the last DNA samples of Kahless the Unforgettable and Molar the Beast. I give you the tubes of time and ages to preserve the history that is mine alone to hold"
She turned and her father sent the floating disc down the steps for her to place the chalice on, which she did with reverence. Then palming her hand over the lid she lifted the lid and reached inside to pull forth the silver cylinders that held the DNA of Kahless and Molar and brandished them for all to see. "So, you see there is some chicanery afoot but not from this house father so I say I am against any alliance with a house that would be so lacking in honor to try and force a marriage between two houses that cannot be more the polar opposite of each other."
Kantae looked shocked and turned to his Uncle. "Morag promised that the vessel I had was the true holding of the trust Uncle!" He felt the sting of a back handed slap across his face and saw the look of shock on his nephew's face. "Uncle?" M'lar shifted her gaze to Bi'Anka and noted she had positioned her self in front of Morag and when Kantae mentioned Morag's name she had spun so fast that before Tork's blade could find its target, Bi'Anka had already gutted him with a low growl and a howl of vengeance.
Morag never knew what had struck him down. "Traitor!" Bi'Anka snarled and then spit on his slumped and bleeding form as he fell face forward. The door opened and GowRon's honor guard who had drawn weapons swarmed the room. The Supreme Cleric's guard had taken up a position of protection with M'lar's in front of the Cleric's chair on the alter.
T'L'th stood looking down at his daughter. She turned looked up at her father and nodded. Turning back she faced those that stood ready to fight at any signal from GowRon or show of force against GowRon. Closing her eyes she lifted her arms forward and pushed her thoughts out to those that stood facing her. "Sleep!" She commanded and the word echoed around the room. Those that had the command directed to them dropped their weapons and slumped to the floor in a sound sleep.
"Now, Kantae whom else did you plant in my guard to betray this house? Did you not realize that I would never allow my trust to be violated and made vulnerable to you? And you GowRon should know this house, this planet, and this cleric will always support you in your stand as the Head of the Klingon Council. These dishonorable displays do not need to come between two houses of power." M'lar had stepped towards GowRon and then saw Kantae pull the blade from his leg holding.
"You Bitch, you should never have been allowed to breathe your father should have fed you to the lava pits or suffocated you in your cradle!" Kantae had spent so much time spouting out his spittle with his anger and his words he did not see her lift her hand and narrow her eyes. "Crush." She clamped her hand shut and a howl of rage and pain filled Kantae as every bone in his hand was shattered and split through his skin. Blood oozed down his arm as he lifted his hand in shocked discovering that he no longer had a hand that was recognizable.
From the rear of Kantae another blade was drawn and the single thrust was a killing one as it found its mark and was driven up into both his hearts and twisted. GowRon had the look of blood lust in his eyes as he watched his nephew slump forward and he pushed him off his blade. "He was worthless any way. I have more nephews. You can throw his body to the lava pits. You will of course release my men from your spell witch and allow us to leave with some dignity I hope." He actually smiled for M'lar's benefit gave her a half bow and then turned to her father and nodded to him.
"Until later T'L'th. If I know my nephew which I thought I did one thing is for certain Morag is the only traitor you have to contend with this day. I will leave you until later." He turned and marched passed the fallen men in front of the door paused and looked back at the glint in M'lar's eyes.
She smiled and whispered, "Awaken." The men began to stir and moaned.
GowRon barked, "Get up you lazy fools we have business to attend back on Qo'noS!" Turning he commanded to be transported and walking out into the hallway his body began to shimmer and he was gone, the honor guard as well began to shimmer and they too were gone.
M'lar looked at Bi'Anka and nodded. "Return the trust to the holding and Tork, clean up this mess it disgraces my father's temple." She turned bowed to her father who in turn nodded his head to his daughter behind a mask of cool reserve he watched her glide from his chambers and smiled. When she knew she was no longer in public view she picked up her pace and hurried to her chambers to change.
Rushing into her privatorium she paused, stretched across her bed was none other than Janae. "I take it all went well?" He said casually as he studied his friend dressed like some street corner hooker, which he did not mind it was pleasing to the eye. She walked past his reclined form on her bed and entered her changing room.
"You were close on this one." She called from the interior of her dressing room. When she re-emerged she was dressed in a simple black tunic over form fitting breeches wearing knee high boots. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Your payment will be deposited in the account of your choosing." She found a belt and slipped it on. Standing relaxed in front of the Bajoran she smiled. "Comfortable?"
"Actually, your bed sucks, it's hard and bites into my ass." He rubbed his butt as an example of what he had just observed. With one fluid movement he rolled to a standing position. "So where do you want to go to celebrate, can you get the key to Daddy's shuttle and we could go to that little pub down the road that has such delightful Orion slave girls that are ever so adoring and loving for a certain price."
M'lar sighed deeply slumped down on the hard stool by the bed and looked at her friend. "I am not going anywhere if you want to go, in that drawer over there are some gems, take them they can be used for barter and you can I am sure bargain for at least fifty bars of gold latinum if you want." She watched as he sauntered to the drawer she indicated, slid it open with one finger reached in and pulled out three of the twenty gems he estimated was there.
"Three is plenty for now my dear. And it is your loss not wanting to go celebrate. So what will you do now that you have put GowRon in his place?" He walked to the door of her inner sanctum and paused in the open doorway looking at her as he crossed his arms and legs and looked down the hallway seeing Bi'Anka moving with force towards her mistress's room. "Ut oh here comes trouble and it looks pissed." He smiled tilted his head to M'lar blew Bi'Anka a kiss and pressed his teleport pin and shimmered from sight.
"That Bajoran is nothing but trouble my lady, your father wishes to speak with you and he is not happy." Bi'Anka watched her mistress frown and sigh. Turning to the open doorway she walked past Bi'Anka. "I would say after today nothing will be the same again my lady."
M'lar walked once again down the hallway her footfalls falling silent on the steel flooring. She walked past the alter room and continued down the hallway to the Chamber of the ages, walking into the room that had always given her chills upon entering. She paused before the image of Kahless and genuflected. "Grandfather I trust your guidance and obey your commands, you pointed to this star called Boreth and said look for you here and here is where you will be. I am here my honored one and ready to do whatever is needed in your name and the name of the Council of Clerics."
"Child, you bend before a statue when you have me to turn to and ask my wisdom why do you always treat me as if I did not exist?" The voice was filled with tenderness and kindness and she smiled. Here was the reason she had been given the trust of the remaining DNA of Kahless and Molar. Here was why GowRon did not trust the clerics of Boreth and here was a living representation of what had been used to help design her.
Pivoting on the balls of her feet she turned and watched his arms open wide. She rushed to his arms and felt those strong loving arms enclose her in a tight embrace. "M'lar you worry too much. You should know that I could never be disappointed in you. You are a part of me and in that I will always live on. What troubles you today?" He pushed her back to peer down into her wide green eyes and smile. She was a true Imperial beauty of the Klingon race.
She snuggled into his hold and let out all her fears and anxieties to him over the near fiasco that had just occurred in her father's alter room. With each word uttered she felt the tension leave her body and a wave of relief flood her. As she cleansed and confessed she felt the weight of her world fall from her shoulders and the soft utterings of a man she had come to call grandfather. "There, there child. You are so young to have so much put on your shoulders. Would you rather not have a mate and bring fine babies into the world to raise as warriors for the word of Kahless?"
He had pushed her back to peer down into her wide and loved filled eyes. "No Grandfather, I was made to be an extension of your beliefs and you know should I marry, my position is forfeited. I would rather spread your words and show the Imperial Klingon world that the way of Kahless is the right way and the words you say are the right words to find victory and to protect those that cannot protect themselves." He brushed her hair from her face bent and lightly kissed her forehead.
"You have good hearts M'lar, you should go to your father I believe he is rather upset with the turn of events today and is seeking a way to educate you to the ways of the world and the ways of the other species that surround our planets." With those words uttered she knew her fate had been sealed she just did not know how much it was going to affect her until she had the meeting he was demanding.
Getting one last hug from Kahless she turned and continued through the hall past the statues of Kahless and Molar caught in a deadly fight. She knew it by mote she had stared at it from the time she could walk and would come in here to walk around the many statues that adorned this hall. There were the statues of Kahless going through the river of blood, the ride of the dark fleet, then the forging of Kahless' bat'leth as it was made from one of his hairs out of molten lava.
Finally she arrived at the rear of the hall and passed down a more ancient cave like structure to come up before a metal door and placed her palm to the door's surface. A tinny voice spoke "You may enter daughter of T'L'th." The door slid open to a wide expanse of living quarters that belonged to the Supreme Cleric of Boreth. Her father reclined on a chase holding a padd in his hand. He like she had changed into something more comfortable. Not at all like what those of extreme power the Klingon Empire were expected to wear.
"M'lar come in and sit down we have much to discuss." He laid down the media device sat up and looked at his daughter. "Today you nearly shamed this house. I would not have been able to prevent your marriage to that whelp had you and that Bajoran pup not managed to pull a miracle out of your ass. So, it occurred to me that perhaps I needed to send you out into the world to experience what you have been sheltered from for so long."
M'lar stood up from her chair, her eyes blazing her breasts heaving and her fear of what he was about to proclaim was beginning to eat away at her. "What are you doing father? What are you proposing?"
He held up his hand. "The Head of Starfleet Command had requested we allow them a ship of Klingon Warriors from Boreth. Therefore, I am assigning you as the Admiral over the Bird of Prey Havoq under the Captaincy of K'Ter'r, you will take Tork, Bi'Anka, Delila, HmFiC, Dovka, Aishea, and any other of my guard you deem would help you on your assignment, you will do this for a period of one year. I expect by the end of that time you shall have gathered a great deal of experience that will help you in your duties once you return."
He watched her pale, then trembled with her pent up frustration and turn on her heel, her color going high with her anger. "M'lar where are you going?" He watched her stop at the door, her head held proud her back straight and her fists clinched.
"I am doing what any warrior would do prior to going out on assignment, I am going to get drunk!" She slammed out of his quarters and disappeared into the shadows of the hall outside to his shouts and commands of her to return to his presence immediately.