Briefing Room, IKS Hegh'Ta

Having spent some time studying the damage reports and carrying out his own inspection, it had become glaringly obvious to Krang that he would be in command of the ship for rather longer than he had anticipated and that there was absolutely no possibility of him making it to Earth in time for the conference. The damage to Hegh'Ta was serious, albeit not quite as severe as they'd first thought, and the engineers were confident that they could have the ship fit for travel in a few days. Getting it back in fighting condition would take a little longer. The freighter, however, had suffered extensive damage. Its structural integrity was compromised and at the speeds at which it was capable of travel, it would be several weeks before they reached the nearest safe haven.

Making a note to send a message to Starfleet Command to inform them of the situation, and also to call his wife because she would worry if she didn't hear from him, Krang turned his attention to issues of more immediate importance, namely, what to do with his crew.

Change was very definitely necessary if the ship was to run efficiently. He was not Kay'vin, although he understood his friend's choices, and was not constrained by obedience to the Defence Force as Kay'vin had been. He was Imperial Intelligence… Starfleet, he corrected himself with some disgruntlement. He was getting a little too used to being amongst his own people again and falling back into old ways of thinking. His captaincy of this ship would by necessity be very brief, no more than a few weeks at most, but while it lasted, he needed each member of the crew pulling together as a team and working to the best of their ability.

His own lack of experience in this area worried him. With an experienced crew it wouldn't have mattered so much-– although with an experienced crew, he wouldn't have needed to take command in the first place, he thought with some irritation. Whilst he had previously held high rank and did know how to command, he had never – apart from those few months as a very junior officer back when he'd been a cadet – served on a Klingon ship. Nor did he fool himself that working as a junior security officer on a Federation starship or even as security chief on one of their starbases, was in any way suitable preparation for the task ahead of him.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to inform his officers of his plans, he reached out a hand and opened an intra-ship channel. "Senior bridge officers to the briefing room."

Kargan had been on the bridge and arrived almost instantly. Ch'vok was next to arrive, looking a little shellshocked from his encounter with Endeavour's CMO and bearing a message that the security officer had been detained in her sickbay for further medical treatment and was not fit for duty at the current time. Vareq and Kerrik made their appearance a few moments later, followed by Kehlan who had still been onboard the Orinoco when she'd received the summons. She was a little out of breath and Krang guessed that she'd probably run all the way from the transporter room.

"At ease."

The command was a waste of breath, Krang realised immediately. There was absolutely no chance that any of them were going to relax until they knew what he wanted. He did not intend to keep them waiting, but he did take a few brief seconds to study them as they waited, his gaze moving appraisingly from one to the other. The impromptu plan he'd come up with while talking with Mackenzie was unorthodox by Klingon standards at least, and probably by Federation standards as well, but he couldn't think of anything better and it did seem appropriate for their current situation."

"I'm aware that my command here is temporary," he began, "but for the moment, I am in command, and having observed your performance today, I believe it necessary to make some changes. These changes will remain in place for the duration of my captaincy, however long or short that may be, or until I decide otherwise. Once we return to Qo'noS, it will be for High Command and whoever is chosen as your new captain to make their own decisions, but in the meantime, I am giving each of you new orders, and it goes without saying that I expect them to be obeyed. Kargan…" His gaze settled on the young officer. "I will start with you."

Despite the order to stand at ease, Kargan had barely relaxed, his posture easing by only the tiniest amount, and as his name was spoken, he brought himself immediately back to attention.

"Kargan, you are hereby promoted to full commander. You will take over the duties of the first officer with immediate effect." Giving his new first officer no chance to respond, he turned to Vareq. "And you, Vareq. You are very young to be Hegh'Ta's gunnery officer. How long ago did you graduate?"

The young Klingon looked embarrassed, "Actually sir, I didn't," he told the captain. "I only did eighteen months before…" He trailed off, not liking to admit to his lack of qualifications.

"I was in the last class to graduate," Kargan informed the captain. "That was three years ago. Vareq was in the class under mine. He and the others were pulled out of training early because of the war – there weren't enough qualified officers to man the fleet. They changed the program after that, to rush trainees through the basics in just three months."

Kahless, Krang thought, surprised. No wonder they all looked so young, half of them were little more than cadets. Well if this was the calibre of the officers the Klingon military academy was turning out, then he was glad to have them.

"Well Vareq, you'll take over as second officer, with a field promotion to lieutenant commander. You can start by selecting one of your men to take over as gunnery officer."

Ch'vok stirred. It wasn't fair! He was Hegh'Ta's first officer, senior to both Kargan and Vareq, and the humiliation he felt as they were promoted over him was almost unbearable.

Krang gave him a warning glare before addressing him. "What about you, Ch'vok? You have proved yourself unable to command this ship. You have neither the skills nor the attitude I require of my officers. So, what am I supposed to do with you?"

The look of fear that crossed the young man's face at the question was not encouraging. Krang bit back a sigh, wondering again if something could be salvaged from this situation. "Well?" he demanded, again using the harsh tone that compelled obedience.

Unable to face his superior, and painfully aware that not only did he have no choice but to answer, whatever he said now could very easily get him killed, Ch'vok looked down at the ground. "I…" He stopped, and then, deciding on honesty, took a deep breath before blurting out the truth he'd tried so hard to keep hidden. "I didn't know what to do. I haven't known what to do since I came onboard this ship."

Kargan growled, wordlessly indicating his disgust and disbelief. "You had your three-month basic training, same as all the other younger officers. They must have taught you something!"

The disgraced first officer shook his head. "Is that what they told you?" he asked with a bitter laugh. "It was three weeks, not three months, and barely even that."

"Maybe," Krang interjected, giving Kargan a warning look as he spoke, "you should tell us how you came to be in the Defence Force."

Ch'vok sighed. No longer studying his feet, his gaze was faraway now as he recounted the circumstances that had brought him onboard the Hegh'Ta. "I was studying politics. I liked art and design, and I was good at it. I wanted to train as an architect, but my father did not believe that to be an acceptable career choice for someone of my class. So, yes… politics."

"And then?"

Another sigh. "I was maybe two months from graduation, when my uncle was killed at Chin'toka…"

Not only Krang, but everyone listening knew of that battle The few Jem'Hadar fighters present in the Chin'toka system had fought savagely, destroying fifteen Klingon ships in the first two minutes of the battle. Then the supposedly inert automated defence platforms, far mor of them than their intelligence had suggested, had come online. It had been absolute carnage until the combat engineers had realised that there was only one shared power source controlling the platforms and come up with a plan to destroy it. Hailed as a great victory for the allied fleet, it was one that had been earned at the cost of many lives, and even now, thanks to its strategic location, sporadic fighting continued in that area.

"…House Reshtarc must serve," Ch'vok was continuing "It couldn't be my older brothers, of course, so it had to be me, the good for nothing, useless youngest son. 'It'll be the making of you', they said. More like solve the problem of what to do with me if… or more likely when… I'm killed."

Reshtarc? Krang knew that name, one of the most powerful Houses in the empire, its Line Lord was a very senior member of the High Council. No wonder Kay'vin had said he couldn't risk a blood feud. The scenario that Ch'vok was describing was one that he'd seen played out far too often amongst the 'great' Houses. The heir and spare were to be protected, one to inherit, the other just in case. Daughters were useful for alliances. Further sons, however, were at best an asset to be used for the benefit of the family, and at worst, little more than an inconvenience to be disposed of before they caused any trouble. The family had probably paid for Ch'vok's promotion to this ship as well. It would never do for a member of the exalted House Reshtarc to serve as a junior officer.

And that, Krang realised with some dismay, brought him right back to the question of what to do with Ch'vok. Injured or not, Ch'vok had faltered in battle, something which could all too easily be construed as cowardice, almost the worst possible offence for one of the Imperial Klingon race. If the young man truly was a coward, Krang would have no choice but to execute him. In his previous life, he had more than once passed a sentence of death, and on occasion had even carried out the sentence himself. It had never bothered him before, but somewhat to his surprise, he found that this time it did. He'd been too long in the Federation, he decided, and had become corrupted by their ideas and morals.

Krang frowned, hoping that in showing lenience, he was not making a massive mistake. In theory, the solution he'd discussed with Mackenzie was a good one that would benefit both ships, but it all hinged on Ch'vok's ability and willingness to improve himself.

"Ch'vok, I cannot trust you to continue as first officer. I am, however, willing to give you one last chance, and make no mistake, this is your last chance. Your command skills are shockingly lacking, but you do seem to have some aptitude for the sciences and general ops. I am therefore assigning you that role for the foreseeable future. I want no more trouble from you. No excuses, bad attitude, or inappropriate harassment of your juniors. Do you understand?"

For the tiniest instant, Krang thought he saw rebellion in the disgraced officer's eyes and thought that he would protest or even refuse to obey. But the young man's expression slowly cleared, the resentful, sulky expression turning to determination. He drew himself to attention. "Yes, my lord. I understand." Swallowing convulsively, he added, "I accept your terms and will do everything in my power to be worthy."

Krang gave him a curt nod before turning his attention momentarily to his new first officer. "Kargan, as part of your duties, I require you to design and implement a training program for Ch'vok and bring him up to the required standards to allow him to operate efficiently as a senior member of this crew." A thought struck him, and he added, "Actually, Ch'vok may not be the only one in that situation. I would suggest…" and it was not truly a suggestion but a thinly veiled order… "that you include any other officers whom you feel would benefit from the extra training."

"Yes, sir." Kargan did not look pleased at this, but he gave the required answer before turning on Ch'vok. "I will train you because I have been ordered to do so. You thought our captain was not good enough for you, and you did not give him the respect he was due, but Kay'vin hoD was the only captain who had the patience to put up with you. He was a fine, honourable man, and anyone else would have executed you for incompetence. Rest assured, that I will tolerate no disrespect, either of me or of our new captain."

Kehlan stirred restlessly as she listened. She had remained quiet so far but now that Ch'vok's fate was decided, she felt the need to voice her own concerns. Hegh'Ta's new captain might be the mate of her friend, but he had just given away her role onboard the ship. If she was not to continue as science officer, then what was she to do? She was good at her job and did not think she could tolerate being demoted back to the ranks in favour of that arrogant petaQ. Without conscious thought, her hand drifted to the d'k tahg hanging from her belt.

Krang saw the motion; he had in fact been waiting for her to react. Kehlan was older than the rest of the bridge crew, having spent several years serving the Empire in a scientific capacity before she'd signed up to the Defence Force. She had been more patient and restrained than he had expected, maybe due to the influence of her Terran blood, but also due to her greater life experience, and that boded well for what he had in mind.

"Take your hand off your knife, Kehlan. I have other plans for you. Wait your turn and I will explain in a moment."

Kehlan's hand tightened on the d'k' tahg, but after a moment, she did as she was told. "And what plans might those be?"

"Captain Mackenzie needs a new first officer," Krang said, enjoying her surprised reaction to his words. The Starfleet captain had been equally surprised when he'd broached the idea, but unable to deny that he needed the help, Mackenzie had been very quick to accept the offer.

Hegh'Ta was not over-blessed with experienced officers, and sending Kehlan to the Federation ship would undoubtedly leave him short-staffed, but it also created a space for Ch'vok who had shown an aptitude for the science role, and if he really was able and willing to turn himself round, then Krang thought it would work out well.

"Kehlan, I believe that you are ideally suited for the position, so I'm giving you a field promotion to the rank of commander and sending you over to the Endeavour. You will remain a Defence Force officer, but for the duration, until High Command say otherwise, you will answer to Starfleet."

Krang did not say it, but he'd thought for some time that Kehlan would be wise to look outside the Empire when the time came to further her career, regardless of whether she chose to remain in the military or return to the sciences. Starfleet was not perfect, and whilst he knew from bitter experience that some prejudice did exist, she would be judged on her merit and not on the circumstances of her birth. Yes, he thought she would do well on Endeavour.

Turning away from Kehlan he addressed the engineer. "As for you, Kerrik, you and your team have done a fine job in keeping this ship operational. Under the circumstances, I think it unlikely that Marla will be returning to duty…"

Oh Kahless, he was going to have to call Marla and inform her of the death of her mate! Kay'vin had been one of his closest friends and he could not delegate that duty to someone else.

Shoving the unwelcome thought away to be dealt with at a more appropriate time, he refocussed and continued, "…and I am therefore confirming your promotion to chief engineer. I will also be putting a commendation in your file."

"Yes sir!"

Krang gave a sharp nod of satisfaction. "Maj! You all have your orders and know what must be done. Dismissed!"

I think this might be the last chapter I'll be posting. The story is finished and undergoing editing and minor rewrites, but I seem to have lost the two or three people reading the story somewhere around chapter 9, as at the time of posting this, chapters 9 and 10 have had zero readers according to the stats and I haven't had a single comment, good or bad, for any chapter. (I'm probably explaining this to nobody, lol, but never mind.) If I see any evidence that anyone is reading the story, I'll go back to posting again.