Chapter 6

Margo fell flat to the floor and looked to the window, frowning she began to use her elbows, and hands to pull herself to the door's entrance, she looked over at M'lar now inching her way to another wall, rolling to her side she watched as more disrupter fire tried to penetrate the security barrier around the open window.

M'lar slammed her palm against the panel on the wall to her weapons locker, The panel slid up revealing a wall of plasma rifles, disruptors, blades concussion grenades. M'lar stood up grabbed the plasma rifle, threw a disrupter to Margo and tucked two grenades into her blouse. "When I get to the widow, I am going to deactivate the security grid, you can stay or come its up to you. "

Margo crawled up the wall to peer out the windows. She saw the temple guard darting past disrupter and plasma cannon fire as a barrage of rapid fire filled the courtyard. She observed Bi'Anka involved in hand to hand combat with three large males and surprisingly the female Klingon was winning and just appeared to be toying with her attackers. Her gaze shifted over the courtyard and she saw a large white haired male Klingon charging the enclave of about four males dressed in black and grey garb with face obscuring masks.

"Who are these fools?' She hissed to M'lar as she clutched the disrupter in her hand. Ducked as another volley of cannon fire hit the side of the window and sent plastered, rock chips flying as shrapnel over the window seal.

"They are what I call Molarites, they are the other religious faction that chose to follow the fallen one Molar and shout to whomever will hear them that he will return just as Kahless did." M'lar waited for a moment ducked down, popped up and fired a successive round of fire over the courtyard aiming at the cannoneer.

"Stay here, I am going after the one firing the cannon." She dove out the window two stories to land and roll to a standing position. Margo was never one to take orders from anyone including her father except when it was a demand. This had not been a demand just an order from a over ego inflated female Klingon Cleric. She followed her contemporary out the window.

"I told you to stay low, now you are in the fray, I am not going o explain to your father why you were injured or worse yet killed while under my charge!" Before she could start another tirade Margo growled and charged forward firing her weapon at the one controlling the large weapon mounted on a hoover craft.

She knew he would need at lest a full forty-five seconds to recharge after his last round and it was growing close if she could get him to fire the weapon at her direction, that would give M'lar time to advance on him. She zig-zag to the right then the left and smiled as she saw him turn the weapon in her direction.

Listening to the whine and of the weapon charging to fire she tap her transporter pin and waited for the familiar feel of her skin crawling as she shimmered from view and the cannon exploded. M'lar had watched and then realized what she was doing. Charging forward she used the back of Tork to pole vault to the center of the plat form. Turning she lifted her hand and narrowed her eyes and commanded the Klingon on the platform to freeze.

Unfortunately, for her he had been conditioned against her mind tricks and with a soft expletive she kicked up her left foot, twisted her body and brought the second foot up to catch him under the chin with a double kick. The unexpected momentum of the kicks caught the Klingon warrior off guard and he fell backwards.

M'lar turned and watched as Tork mounted the platform took control of the hoover craft, M'lar grabbed the cannon, and waited while Tork took them over head, using the weapon as a form of driving back the invading force that was on the ground she carefully aimed and placed five shots between her guard and the Molarites sending them scattering. "Divide and conquer she muttered under the loud discharge of the weapon.

Bi'Anka ducked when she heard the discharge of the weapon then looked up and did the closest thing to a smile as she could do and watched as M'lar took over the firing of the weapon. "About damn time", she mumbled as she shifted her weight and broke the neck of one warrior, threw his body to the side and advanced on another warrior. She knew her mistress well enough to know her next plan of action would be to disperse the groups into smaller manageable melee forces.

Scattering the assault team M'lar ordered Tork to destroy the craft, she waited as he took her low to the ground and she threw herself down into the center of three male Klingons that had taken up a defense in the middle of her garden. They warily studied their options and thought of a means to attack or retreat. With the arrival of the High Cleric she knew their time was limited. One brave warrior stepped forward with a swing of his d'k tahg towards her throat.

Anticipating his actions, M'lar back flipped away turned and charged low clutching his wrist and twisting it catching his thumb with her palm she drove her body into his and broke his thumb. She knew it was minimal damage and would not stop his assault, the other two formed a circle around the two combatants until they felt their own bodies assaulted from behind. Bi'Anka and Dovka had arrived to help.

In short order the three males were subdued and placed on the ground awaiting the clean up detail to take them to the holding cells below. M'lar grimaced, she had received a minor cut in the middle of the foray. Looking up from the slice across her middle she frowned and felt her world tilt then darkness descended over her and she collapsed to the ground.

Bi'Anka growled low darted forward and bent over her mistress, sniffing the blood from the wound "Poison, med bay now!" She gathered M'lar up hit her transport pin and shouted. "Medic now!" The two shimmered out of view to reappear in a medical facility inside the temple. The area was already deluged with wounded being triaged and healed. When Bi'Anka appeared holding the Cleric all activity stopped and the wizened older male Klingon wearing the uniform of a doctor stepped forward lifted her from Bi'Anka's hold and turned leaving the room.

M'lar felt the poison working its damage through her entire system and there was little she could do to stop it. It had put a paralytic agent against her ability to try and self heal and was blocking all her efforts. She was beginning to feel her respiratory functions being affected and her mind was racing to find a way to fight against this foreign agent debilitating her body. The sad part of this whole situation was her mind was aware of what was happening the emotions were she was helpless.

She lay on the bio bed and waited to die. The doctor was not about to allow that to happen. Checking her stats against the bio bed readings he began a diagnostic on what poison was crippling her functions. The whole area around the room that held their beloved cleric, the wounded warriors gathered around the opening to the room and they watched anxiously while the doctor worked to save their cleric.

A small shuttle craft outskirts of the Temple grounds

Margo found herself transported to her shuttlecraft; sitting down at the console she programed in the location of the fight and set the transporter to send her back. She may not like this assignment and she did not like Klingons but she could not leave her to a battle without her help. She reasoned it would be a good opportunity to put her training into good use and see if she could hold her own against a Klingon in actual hand to hand combat.

Temple Gardens

Standing she waited to activate and found herself in the last location she had been before the cannon fired. The area held the smell of scorched earth and burning plasma. Feeling a strong set of fingers clamp down on her shoulder, reacting she reached for the hand tucked her body and shifted her weight to feel the opponent flip over her shoulder and land with a loud grunt. "Relax I am on your side!"

Margo shifted and turned looking surprised, the male she had just flipped was certainly no Klingon but a Bajoran, and if her Intel was correct he would be the one that had been hired by the cleric to be her under cover operative on various missions.

Then he spoke not really looking at her, he pushed up supporting himself on his elbows and watched the ground then glanced up and spoke, "Damn M'lar, why did you do that for? I was just making sure . . ." He was starting to stand up, pushing himself up he began to dust him self off while he sat on the ground. Glancing up he was startled at first. "Hey. . . ." The look that crossed his features was incredulous, "Well I will be damn. You are not M'lar. If I did not know better I would swear you are little Margo Jennings all dressed up like a Klingon. They were right, you are a close enough match that you could be her double."

Margo blinked and could hardly believe her eyes. Standing before her was her old friend's ex-boy friend Janae. She straightened up and looked at him then smiled. "I guess it has been a long time. I am surprised that you could tell us a part most have trouble knowing that I am not M'lar." She reached forward and offered him a hand up.

Janae clapped his hand to hers and instead of letting her hoist him up he tugged her hard and off set her balance sending her tumbling on top of him. "I gotta say usually I like something as nice as you on top, but this is awkward, because of how closely you look like M'lar I just don't get that lovin feeling darling'" He shoved her to the side and stood up. Brushing off his clothing he looked down at the disgruntle look that crossed her features.

"You did not have to be so rude, do you know what just happened?" She was indignant pushing her body off the ground to stand and face off against him. She like he began to brush off her clothing.

"Yeah, they had a typical Klingon picnic and forgot to invite me." He said sarcastically as he looked around at the destruction that occurred in the rear gardens. He shook his head. "I guess these were a Molarite's death squad sent to take out the false ones."

He turned and nodded to Dovka as he approached. Janae liked this male Klingon he was reasonable unlike Tork the devoted ready to die and lay down on his blade for his charge. That was too intense for Janae's tastes. Dovka paused looked at Margo then blinked and turned to Janae, "The Cleric was hurt they took her to sickbay. I know she will want you to be present should she . . . " Dovka did not want to think of his mistress going to the dark hall of warriors or traveling the river of death.

"Hey man, its M'lar she is the next thing to invincible as you will find. Come on lets go check on her together and make sure she is going to pull through this." Janae turned to look at Margo. "if you want to come you might as well follow. I know you don't like the species but she is your newest assignment." He fell in to step next to Dovka and walked back to the temple's entrance.

Margo was about to retort but held her tongue. Instead she followed them to the entrance of the Klingon temple. A part of her resented being here but a part of her had some concern for the woman who had tried to save her. She was conflicted enough that she buried her personal feelings below the surface and noted the temple's entrance had taken quiet a bit of damage from the assault. Those inside had started scrambling to make repairs or were being carried off for the medical facility.

Dark side of Heghpu' Mas

Daedalus watched the assault on the temple with little emotion. His eyes studied the Volkarian when she jumped through the window activating the shields as she threw herself into the foray of the onslaught. Sitting back to get more comfortable he waited to see if T'L'th would show his sorry hide and fight for his temple. Instead he watched the area swarm with temple guard, and in the lead of that assault was HmfiC. He had a score to settle with HmfiC and with T'L'th, and then to his surprise which caused him to sit forward in his chair and study the screen there she was he prodigal daughter. M'lar had joined the fight for her temple.

He saw the blade slice her stomach and frowned. He did not want her dead; he wanted her as his slave. He knew Tormaq had dipped his blade in poison. Frowning he slammed his fist down on the console! "NO! NO! NO!" The outburst caused those around the half human half Klingon male to scatter. Standing he shouted. "Prepare my ship and lets go collect those stupid fools. Leave Tormaq to me!" Standing in his traditional Klingon garb of a warrior, he flipped his head around sending his dreadlocks braided with sharp blades to dance haphazardly around his face and head. One tiny blade flipped forward and caught his cheek putting a small scratch on his cheek.

Growling with irritation he wiped the blood from his cheek licked it from his gloved hand and glared at the slaves that served his stronghold. "What are you looking at fools, if you wish to keep your lives continue on with your duties." He pushed one unfortunate Feringi to the side as he stepped through the door and headed to his ship. "I am sure by the time we get there if those forces are not dead they soon will be." His smile was very unpleasant as he studied his beq in front of him.

Temple Infirmary

Trovan studied the bio screen and smiled. "A nasty poison for sure but not strong enough for me or for her." He turned and began to combine two hypo sprays when he heard the cardiovert in the bed activate, glancing up he saw one heart had quit beating and the bed was sensing this and preparing to stimulate the heart back into rhythm. He waited and heard the powering up and the discharge and looked back at the bed's readings and saw the heart was beating again but the other heart was showing distress. Moving as quickly as he could Trovan began to inject the hypo spray into her neck.

"Wait!" The command came from the open doorway Kahless entered the room. Walking to the bed he laid both hands on her face, using his thumbs he forced her eyes to open. "Now proceed should she not make it, I want to see her soul before she walks the halls of death!" He never looked at the doctor he kept his eyes staring straight into her eyes. "Know you are not alone M'lar we all are here!" He cried out to the near comatose woman that laid before him.

Trovan hit the side of her neck with the injection and listened to the hiss as it was injected into her body. The minute it hit her system, her heart that was in distress stopped, her body convulsed and she slumped to a limp unresponsive form. Kahless continued to look into her eyes and hold her face in his hands. All life signs left M'lar's body and as quickly as they left a small heartbeat was heard as the bio sighs returned to normal.

The gaze of his granddaughter cleared and she smiled into her grandfather's eyes. "I live grandfather." Her words were soft and held a hint of a raspy tone to it. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Releasing the hold he had held on her face he stood back and looked around at the anxious onlookers.

"She lives go on about your duties, clean this place up." He barked to hide the relief he felt with her recovery. He marched out of the infirmary and headed to the hall of decades. Slumping down on the lip edge of his statue. Leaning over he let out a long held breath to cleanse his body of the tension he had felt earlier.

"She lives?" Ashira stepped up next to the slumped shoulder warrior. Placing a hand on his shoulder she squeezed giving him the comfort of one that knew his fears and pain. "She is made with a part of you in her father, she is strong and she will make us all proud some day. You have to draw upon that courage that is a part of you and hold to it."

Kahless sat up straighter turned to gather Ashira close to him and held her tightly. "We came close to loosing her and her soul would have been a win for the Molorites. Are you sure that T'L'th is doing the right by sending her out there where there are a lot more dangers than some zealots?"

"I think my husband chooses to make sure she will be safe father, I hope that you will support him. I know we will miss her but she has to get some experience and become a better cleric." Kahless dropped his arm around his daughter and kissed her forehead.

"Where is the Supreme Cleric?" He looked around the chamber half expecting him to be present for this family moment between a father and daughter.

"He is in interrogation, they found the leader of this assault and wanted to be there for the interrogation. He does not know about M'lar, if he did that Captain would not have enough left of him to be recognizable except by molecular scans." Her words were dripping with anger thinking of her daughter nearly dying. "The only thing that would have saved him would be the fact she died honorably protecting her family."

Kahless chuckled, "She was fearless. I had never seen a more heroic act than the one of her jumping form her window and heading for the plasma cannon. The other one that human female . . . "

Ashira warned him with a soft rebuttal. "You mean my daughter with the Admiral, your other granddaughter?" She tensed thinking of the betrayal she committed by leaving Margo behind. She felt her father's body stiffen and then relax.

"It is hard for me daughter to think of her as another granddaughter." He laid his weary head on her shoulder and sighed deeply. "How you could allow that man to touch you the way you did and then produce a child by him?" He turned his chin to look at her bent head. "I know it was for the good of the Empire."

Ashira sighed deeply, "What you fail to realize father at that time, we all thought T'L'th dead or missing in action. I had to do what I felt was right to get close to the Federation to find what was happening. It was pure luck that earth female was here at the time and had been killed in a Molorites attack. It was a matter of just sending me in her place. Do not forget to get close to him required me to be pregnant by him. You as well as T'L'th know I carried the second embryo from M'lar's conception with me. We just had to make sure all records reflected she was a perfectly birthed human female a lot of manipulations and deception went into her birth."

Ashira stood and walked to the entrance of the chambers. "I did not want to leave her behind without my influence but I was needed back here and T'L'th had been found." She turned and looked at the bent head of her father. "You of all should understand how much this upset me." She walked back to him then knelt before him. "Do not hate me father it would crush my spirit."

He cupped her chin, smiled then kissed her forehead. "If your husband can forgive then who am I to not forgive you with all my hearts." Rising he offered her a hand up. "Come shall we go see how the interrogations are going?"

Outer perimeter of the Cleric's temple

Daedalus landed his ship near the outcropping of rocks, a location that had been designated as a rendezvous point. Stepping from the rear loading area he scanned the area with his eyes. "Where are they?" He growled low waiting with more controlled rage and irritation. If it were up to him he would kill them all and leave their carcasses for the fremire birds a carrion winged death eater. He never liked them because they picked the bones of the dead and dying.

A slight movement from the distance and he saw them, his death squad making their way with heavy wounded to the check point for pick up. "Go get them and be quick about it. If I know that old bastard HmfiC he will be in close proximity. Move out!" He stepped back in disgust. How had this mission gone so wrong? He would need to regroup and formulate a new plan and perhaps gain an ally. He had heard that GowRon was not happy with the House of T'L'th.

M'lar's private quarters

Bi'Anka followed Margo and M'lar back to her private bedchamber and for once she was glad it was on the inside of the temple away from a window or other access except through her. She had tried to offer her a shoulder for support M'lar however refused to acknowledge that she needed help and Bi'Anka was ignored. So, being a good guard she chose to followed at a more sedate speed. Arriving she took up a position with Janae and Dovka out into the hallway. "Mistress, if you will permit I would like to go and watch the interrogations." Dovka wanted to know who these padak were that had dared to attack the main temple.

M'lar waved him off, turned to Bi'Anka, "Stay close, when HmfiC returns let me know." She walked past Janae who watched her walk off towards her sleep chamber.

"You know its okay to show you feel like crap M'lar, you don't have to go all uber Klingon on us and show us guys what a super female you are, we get it. You just nearly died and you think it a weakness to not allow others to offer help?"

M'lar ignored him stepping past him looking like she had been hit by a goroth hog. One he had the displeasure of meeting when he set down on the outskirts of Damatra on Seti Alpha IV. Something he had carried a scar for over six years until he wanted to look pretty again and had the scar repaired.

M'lar entered her quarters and flopped down on her bed and looked at the ceiling. "Uber? What in all of Holrath is a Uber?' She slid her head sideways to look at Janae, and noted Margo take up a position next to Bi'Anka.

"It is just a slang term for saying you are more than Klingon, like over the top and trying to be bigger than life and pretend you are some kind of super being that does not have faults, pains, or disappointments. " He more than muttered under his breath as he spoke and glanced at the smirk on Margo's face. "See she even thinks I am right."

M'lar shifted to look up at her sister. "Is that right do you?"

Margo was on the spot and sighed deeply then nodded her affirmative. "Yep I sure do."