Chapter 19
M'lar sat on the edge of command chair, leaning forward she watched the view screen and a part of her knew when the next eruption was going to occur. "Dovka!" The young seasoned warrior stepped forward and stood next to his mistress. "Mistress!" He stood erect, silent, and at attention at her side. The normally rowdy warrior had irritated her earlier by suggesting she should leave the bridge and go rest. The single look she had shot him was enough to make him tuck tail and slink off. He had retreated quietly to the science station.
She turned those cool appraising eyes over her honor guardsman. "Relax, I am not going to make you wet your pants today. I can see from the way the atmosphere is shifting that nature is giving a warning as to the next eruption. Pin point that volcano in the northwest right quadrant and send those coordinates to GowRon with specific instructions that is the sight of the next explosion and if my calculations are right it will be in about forty-eight hours and they either need to relieve the stress or pressure from that volcano or start evacuating the area."
Dovka saluted her. This annoyed her and made her roll her eyes, she slid back bracing her back to her chair.. She was not sure how much more she could handle with all these desperate emotions and fears that were surrounding her. She had to have a respite soon or her own body was going to start failing her. The desperation of those that had died, trapped, or was dying was beginning to fill her with a sense of self-destruction. "My Lady M'lar there is an incoming message from the Intrepid, Captain Reynolds is requesting a private conversation with you aboard your vessels. Also K'Ter'r and HmfiC are heading back with family."
M'lar smiled finally something happy regarding one member of this crew. "Did he locate his brother?" She did not look at Tork who had relayed the message to her.
"No, he is bringing his brother's wife and two children back with him and then he plans to go and look for his brother." Tork knew the precarious position his mistress was in and she was beginning to display the symptoms of exhaustion with her irritability factor the highest at this point and when she was irritated someone usually found themselves frozen in one place for twenty-four hours or sleeping for a week. If she was really angry someone usually found the loss of control over their bladder or their bowls.
"I see has Bi'Anka reported back to the ship?" she leaned forward again, planting her feet on the floor. She was cross and she knew she was cross and she was anxious because she was feeling the anxiety of her crew and those on the planet. They were all concerned by the thought their planet would explode and they all would be walking a river of blood to the dark fleet and that was not how Klingons wanted to go to Kahless.
Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Waiting for an answer to her question. "Captain Bi'Anka arrived back on the ship five minutes ago my lady. She is in her quarters changing clothing and preparing herself for duty."
M'lar stood, stepped down from the command chair. "Tork take the command. I want Bi'Anka to meet me in my war room when she is done and tell Captain Reynolds he is welcome aboard this ship." M'lar walked with all the command and authority she had to the turbo lift, when she was halted by a command from another that had just beamed onto the ship.
"Die you she bitch from the depths of hell! Die!" The klaxon's and alerts were fired off at the intrusion and M'lar spun around to feel a blast hit her full in the chest and she was thrust backwards against the door to the turbo lift. She slid and sat stunned but not dead. She was grateful for the armor she wore. Had she not worn that armor she would be dead.
Disrupter fire was being exchanged on the bridge, Tork had rushed forward catching a blast of disrupter fire to his left shoulder while Dovka rolled and fired at the feet of the intruders. The crew were diving for cover and firing back at the three males that had entered the ship's bridge. The males were obviously Klingon and wore black coverings to obscure their features. They wore a uniform of black sensor dampening mess over their regular uniform and from what M'lar could discern from her position on the floor they were from Qo'noS. Centering her tired mind on the center male that was the largest she concentrated found his weak mind was bent on one purpose and that was to kill her.
He thought he had succeeded when she was hit in the chest with his first shot. He was now mad with victory watching Tork fall and was intent on hitting Dovka and the other members that had successfully found safety behind various panels of the ship to return fire. When his second in command had fallen he had been momentarily startled and that left enough room for M'lar to do what her father had given her to use. With one word she focused on the center of his brain and spoke softly. "Mind blank." The leader was in the middle of firing his round from his disrupter when suddenly his mind was no longer functioning and he stood still in one spot looking blankly around the room.
The third member of the party discovering he was outnumbered and was feeling something tickling the back of his mind dropped his disrupter and gave up. Too little too late, Bi'Anka hearing the foray on the bridge had taken the Jeffries tube to the rear section of the tactical station and had come out behind the man and charged throwing herself forward she knocked him to the ground and growled, her eyes shifting to those yellow elliptical coloring. The man threw his arms over his face and screamed.
"Bi'Anka, don't kill him. I want to interrogate them. Secure the bridge and take them to a holding cell. " M'lar had pushed up from the floor and found she may have broken a rib or two from the impact of the disrupter. "That must have been on really kill." She quipped. Walking to Tork she helped him up and looked at the damage to his shoulder. "Report to sick baby. Dovka take the command chair until HmfiC gets back."
M'lar walked towards the war room fully expecting to see Reynolds waiting for her and when she arrived she found he was not there. Frowning she walked to the control panel and sat. "Dovka, who sent that message from Reynolds get him on the view screen for me now."
Dovka was running his fingers expertly over the panels and frowned. "My lady the transmission came from the transporter room of the Intrepid. I have Reynolds on the view now shall I transfer him to your war room?"
"Yes." She watched the screen shift and saw that Reynolds must have had some problems too; the bridge teams were pulling dead Klingons from the bridge. "Captain I see now why you were delayed, do you still wish to have that conversation with me?" She grimaced as she slid back in her chair and looked at the damage that had been done by the surprise attack."
"I thought you were coming to my ship My Lady Ambassador. Imagine my surprise when Klingon's dressed in clerical honor guard garb arrived and began shooting and killing two of my crewmembers." M'lar pressed the button and began to play for his view the three male Klingons that arrived on her bridge dressed as GowRon's guard.
"As you can see someone is playing a game with us Captain. So were you wishing to talk with me or was that part of the deception that was perpetrated to get onto both our ships. Apparently they used the same ruse with you that they used with me." She frowned. "Someone wants me dead." She muttered softly.
"Why did they attack my ship?" Reynolds was taking his seat on his command chair sliding back and looked at the view screen studying the female in front of him. He had found he was at a disadvantage, to his knowledge he had not made any enemies in this quadrant.
"I think they sought to create a conflict between Boreth and the Federation Captain. I will know more once we interrogate the two that survived on my ship." She had sounded disgruntled and annoyed.
"You had survivors? We had a suicide squad that hit our bridge." Reynolds watched Bi'Anka walk into the room and take a seat. "You are not going to allow her to interrogate them are you?" He watched Bi'Anka look around the room dispassionately. Then fix those green eyes on him. He suppressed a shiver when she looked at him and then looked to her mistress.
"He is secured with the other one that looks like you scrambled his brains much like the eggs I had for breakfast yesterday." She turned to peer at the Captain. "I thought you were joining us here on the ship Captain Reynolds." She folded her hands together and looked with no emotion on her face to the tabletop. She had wanted to rip that one apart but bowed to her mistresses demands to leave him for questioning. "HmfiC has turned the ship's command over to Lamoq. He is taking over the interrogations."
M'lar smiled, HmfiC could be as effective as Bi'Anka or herself. "Would you care to join us for the interrogation Captain. I am sure you could get some of your answers that you so desperately are seeking."
Reynolds nodded, "Remick, take the Con, transport me to the Klingon vessel VoqmoH." Reynolds began to walk to the turbo lift and his body shimmered from view and reappeared in M'lar's war room.
"Welcome to my ship Captain, Bi'Anka, take the captain to the interrogation chambers and allow him to witness the way we treat those that betray us." She stood and sighed. "I suppose I should come to release the fool that tried to kill me." She walked to the door waited for it to open and stepped through to her bridge. "Follow me Captain. I will give you an experience you have never had before." She smiled and there was a hint of mischief in her gaze.
Taking the turbo lift to the fifth level she stepped off and walked down a row of cells that held others in it. They all looked on in abject fear when she made her entrance. Waving her hand over those detained she spoke softly, "Calm. Sleep." Reynolds watched as they all suddenly went from agitated to sitting complacently on their bunks to sliding over and falling asleep.
"That is amazing. How can you do that?" He spoke softly into M'lar's ear.
"It is something my father placed into my genetic design when I was conceived. I have the ability to enter their minds and manipulate their emotions or their body." She had said it as a matter of fact and not as a boast. "It gives me an advantage over my opponent. Some Klin have natural resistors or have acquired the ability to block me either by chemical means or by their own natural talents." She stepped to a large window that sowed a huge older male Klingon with greying long hair, grizzled features of experience and determined to get his answers from the younger smaller Klingon.
"Observe, it is rather interesting how HmfiC my father's oldest and dearest friend has in getting information from those that dare to try and kill my family. He like Bi'Anka are trained at birth to protect those that follow Kahless." She watched the young male studied the man that sat in front of him. The older male Klingon smiled, reached for his knife on his leg and pulled it out. Looking at the detainee with lightening fast reflexes for a man his age grabbed the boy's wrist and jerked it forward Slamming his fist down on the table, HmfiC forced the boy to open his palm flat on the table top.
Taking the knife's pointed tip, HmfiC began to in rapid fire succession not taking his eyes from the boy's eyes moved the blade deftly through each finger digit. "Who sent you to attack the ship and the cleric?" The boy's lip trembled but he held his tongue and by not answering HmfiC missed and cut off the end of the boy's finger. Letting him scream out in pain. Once again in rapid fire succession he went to driving the point between each finger in a rhythmic game of hit or miss. The blood from the bleeding finger seeped onto the table. But HmfiC did not bother to look.
"Each time I have to ask the same question, I am going to take a piece of you from this hand. Now, who sent you."
"DAEDALUS!" He screamed out in abject fear and anxiety. HemfiC put his blade away. He had all he needed.
"Wait, I want to read his mind." M'lar had stopped HmfiC from leaving the room and she pushed into the room. Walking over to the boy, she took her delicate fingers and gently lifted his chin so she could look into his eyes. He lowered his eyelids and tried to turn away. "No, you can't turn from me, look at me Panall." She spoke his name in a soft seductive voice and the boy found he was powerless to do other than she had directed. Slowly he turned his head back and lifted his gaze to peer into her hazel eyes.
Pushing forth with her gift and feeling the exhaustion of these days events she probed his mind and began to sift through the bits of information that he had stored in the synapsis of his memory. There she filtered through and found what she was looking for and smiled. "Sleep Panall, sleep and forget that you were on this ship." Turning to HmfiC she spoke softly so no other could hear her. Reynolds frowned and watched the older man nod his head.
Turning she walked out of the room and down the hall to the large male Klingon that had shot her in the chest. He sat on the bunk, his eyes blank and staring ahead. M'lar waved her hand over his face and spoke softly. "Paralyze limbs release mind blank." She stepped back and folded her arms under her breasts and waited. From the exterior of the room, she was aware that Reynolds was behind her with Bi'Anka watching her. He had asked Bi'Anka if she was aware her mistress had these abilities and did she abuse them.
Bi'Anka had looked through the Captain when he had questioned her about her mistress. She had spoken in low guttural tones. "My mistress abuses nothing she protects those that are weak and are unable to defend themselves, she is a good mistress and she was made to be thus, watch human, watch and learn the justice of the cleric's of Boreth." She had already sensed what her mistress had learned while probing the young man's mind. The fact that M'lar had entered Bi'Anka's mind and told her that there were a young family on the surface being held by Tormok's henchmen and Daedalus to make sure Panall used his talents of decoding the Federations ships transporter codes.
"When I am done here Bi'Anka you and HmfiC, Dovka will go the surface and free that family and bring them back to this ship. Any others you find in that house you have my permission to eliminate. I know they forced him to watch what they did to his mother and it was not pleasant nor what happened to his sister who is being held. You will then take his family to Janae and have Janae relocate them to Boreth and tell him not to bullshit you with any excuses of being at capacity I know better."
The only reaction she had noticed in Bi'Anka in receiving her message was the slightest of a smile and a slight nod of acknowledgement. Now she waited in anticipation and Bi'Anka spoke softly, "Watch what is about to happen. This pa'taq over stepped his authority and harmed innocents that had no play in his deadly game. Now he is going to learn what it means to sell his talents to the wrong side." The words had held no emotion and her manner had been one of anticipation. Reynolds surmised she had witness this many times before and now her nostrils flared as M'lar released the male warrior from his trance.
"Tormack, you picked the wrong ship and the wrong cleric to attack this day what do you have to say in your defense before I pass judgment?" M'lar watched the arrogance of the warrior when his eyes blinked and he came back to the reality of his surroundings. Seeing the one he had been paid to kill standing before him unharmed he tried to spring forward but found his limbs were frozen and he was unable to move them. "That is right you are paralyzed and unable to move. I gave you back your mind because I want you alert to what is about to happen."
He had heard about her and now he was about to experience her talents. "I am not afraid of you witch." He snarled and nearly spit at her. She smiled. Looking into those hate filled eyes she entered his mind. She found what she needed and slowly she began to implant a suggestion in his mind. Then she little by little allowed him to have movement back in his legs. Stepping back she watched, and felt Bi'Anka join her. The male warrior eyed Bi'Anka and smiled. "I bet you would fetch a nice price on the market. You would be a easy one thousand gold latinum just to feel between your legs."
Bi'Anka felt her whole demeanor begin to boil with anger at the insult he had just labeled her with. "I am no Bisbee girl pa'taq watch your mouth or you won't like me when I am angry." She did not look at M'lar and asked softy, "Just one bite? I want his clan's taste in my system so when I meet them I can finish what you started."
M'lar raised her hand and shook her head no. "Wait he is about to face his worse fear." M'lar then slowly released the paralysis on his arms and as the Klingon male warrior realized he had movement back he stood prepared to strike at them both. M'lar smiled and did not budge an inch as he threatened to charge her and Bi'Anka. Reynolds stood watching and prepared to defend if the male warrior tried to charge M'lar or Bi'Anka. He had seen Bi'Anka is battle and knew she could handle herself but this guy was huge.
He watched M'lar lift her hand and the male Klingon warrior that stood all of seven foot tall and had to go a good two hundred seventy five pounds of muscles collapse to his knees and cover his eyes screaming out in fear. M'lar turned sighed softly and walked from the room. "He will slowly be driven mad with his fears. I will leave him that way for another forty-eight hours after he has worn himself out with fighting his fears he will be sent to rehabilitation on Rua Penthe. He will think twice about hiring his services out again to someone as low as Daedalus."
M'lar started back to the turbo lift she knew she had given HmfiC and Bi'Anka orders and now she needed to speak frankly with Reynolds she turned and motioned him to follow her. Passing the room where he previously saw Panall he noticed the room was empty. "What happened to the boy?" He nodded to the room and noticed M'lar look put out.
"Do you think we are so cruel and heartless Captain? I can assure you the boy is having his finger repaired as we speak and will be sent to Boreth with his family. Who by the way were being held hostage to assure that Panall could break your transporter codes. " She stepped onto the turbo lift held the door for the captain to join her. "Come there are some things you need to know about your own crew and your ship and the reason it was targeted."
Outside peremieter of Tormul one of the moons
Oribit the deep recesses of the airspace of Qo'noS
The atmosphere was very similar to Qo'noS, the area had been used previously by many a privateers. Mostly it had been used for smuggling purposes. Someone had finally gotten smart enough to have a small Quonset type hut set up for storage. Now huddled in one corner of the room that had boarded over windows over the hut sat three members of Panall's family, his mother, sister, and youngest brother. The mother and sister had been obviously poorly used and it showed by the bruising, fresh cuts, and bloodied noses they sported. They had been the sport of the five males that had been put in charge of their safekeeping until their brother; son's mission was completed.
The five men were rude and built big and used their size mostly for intimidation. They had been boasting of the good time they had shared with the mother and daughter and how they had made them worthy of a warrior's love. One such warrior stood shifting his pants and smiling at the young girl, who trembled in her mother's arms. "I think it is time for some fun again."
Two figures had stealthily maneuvered their way to the outside of the boarded up windows. Hearing the girl was going to be abused again, Bi'Anka growled low. "I think they need our presence don't you Bi'Anka?" She growled again and he saw her eyes had gone yellow. "Remember let me have at least two."
HmfiC used his shoulder and punched through the boarded up windows to roll to a standing position in the room. He stood glowering at the five me and smiled, "Prepare to die Pa'taq." The five men looked at one another then directed their gazes back to the old warrior standing tall before them.
"Old man you have come to the wrong place. What makes you think you can take the five of us?" The one that had decided to go for the young girl now postured himself in front of HmfiC. "There is just one of you and five of us."
He noticed one Klingon male had reached for his disrupter and in a flash HmfiC had his disrupter out and had hit the man's hand, burning him. "Who said I came alone?" From behind he had felt her shift into wolf form and now she stood on her hind legs and growled, her teeth bared and her thirst for blood filling her. She bounded over HmfiC's shoulder and caught the man that had thought HmfiC would be a push over in the chest knocking him back. One frightened warrior had pulled his weapon to fire at Bi'Anka and found much to his astonishment found the old man was on him and the last he remembered was hearing his neck snap before he too joined the dark fleet.
"Leave me at least one more Bi'Anka." He snapped and watched her sniff the air looking for another quarry. Then she saw him slipping out the back door and she went bounding after him. He had been the fool that had tried to draw him weapon and fire on HmfiC.
Panall's mother seeing that a fight was to break out grabbed her children close and huddled into the darkness against the wall, trying to protect her children from the fight. She had pulled their faces into her breasts to protect them from what was happening. But it had been too late when Bi'Anka had ripped the one warriors throat from his body. She had lifted her head and howled in victory then turned her gaze on the one escaping through a back exit.
HmfiC turned to the last warrior who was half his size. The old warriors eyes glowed with victory as he advanced on the boy, saw him draw his weapon and aim. HmfiC reached his hand forward knocked the disrupter from his grasp picked him up by his throat and threw him across the room. Turning the 'old one' walked menacingly towards the boy and saw he was not as seasoned as he had thought and watched a puddle form under his body. "Take this warning for any others that prey on the weak and unable. We will find you and we will kill you. Now go!" He barked watching the boy skitter back on his haunches stand and then dart out the door.
The mother was outraged. "You let him go? You are letting him go after what he did to my daughter and me? " She was angry and she wanted him to pay, grabbing for HmfiC's weapon she ran to the door and looked for the boy's fleeing figure and not seeing it she crumpled to the floor and began to wail. "Why?"
HmfiC bent to the floor lifted her up and took his weapon. "Because he is the only survivor and when he gets back to the one that sent him, he will be killed for failing to keep you from us. Now come we will take you to your son and a safe place." He turned and hefted the small boy up on his shoulder and headed back to their shuttle. He sat and waited.
"Why are we waiting? I thought we were leaving this place?" She held her daughter's body close and looked around anxiously. HmfiC looked through his viewer and saw her coming to th shuttle in an easy sway of her hips and the blood of her kill still covering her uniform.
HmfiC smiled turned and watched Bi'Anka in her Klingon form enter the cabin and walk to her chair next to him and take a seat. "Now we can go."