Chapter 40

First City, Qo'noS

Monday 17th March 2375

Emerging from interview room two and taking the lift back to his office on the thirtieth floor, Moragh was relieved to find that Weather Control had finally kicked in and the storm was rapidly dissipating. Even the rain was easing off and glancing out the window, he could see traces of blue breaking through the dark, heavy clouds.

More than half surprised to find that his office still had a roof and had not been completely destroyed in that lightning blast, the security captain settled himself at his desk, activated his computer system, and input the security codes that would allow him access to the Imperial Intelligence database.

After his conversation with Krang, he had already set in motion an investigation into the situation at Starbase 62. It was a Federation base but in this time of war, the possibility of someone working for the enemy had implications for the Klingon Empire as well – although whether that person was a traitor or a Changeling infiltrator was at this point, anyone's guess, and Moragh was not sure which of those two possibilities worried him more. The information from Jen Maren had been unexpected but useful, and they had made definite progress, even if there were still many questions awaiting answers.

Moragh was very conscious that the Bajoran woman had taken a massive risk in approaching him. Now, he decided, it was his turn to do likewise. Opening a high security, encrypted comm channel, Moragh placed a call. He needed to talk to Admiral Portway.

He was kept waiting for only a few seconds before the rotating Starfleet logo on his screen cleared and a middle-aged human woman with short, sandy hair came into view.

"NuqneH?" the Terran admiral asked in atrociously accented tlhIngan Hol before switching back to English. "What can I do for you, Security Captain?"

"There is a young woman working at Starbase 62," he told the admiral bluntly. Not bothering with any of the social niceties the Terrans tended to consider essential but his people dismissed as nothing more than trivial time-wasting, he cut straight to the chase. "I want you to arrange for her to get a job close to the command team. A secretarial role in the security department would be ideal."

Interested, Portway raised an eyebrow. She was not sure what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't a request of that nature. This was unprecedented. "You are asking us to get one of your agents into a sensitive position?" she queried. "You realise, of course, that you are giving up her identity?"

"I am aware of the consequences," Moragh growled. "I believe that cooperation between our respective agencies is necessary, and I am trusting you to maintain her cover and ensure her safety."

Portway nodded soberly. "You have new information, I assume."

"I do," he said. "I have a name. So far, there is no concrete proof, but it does at least give us a target."

The Terran considered that. "Very well," she agreed. "Give me the details and I will see what I can do."

"Stand by," he warned. "I am transmitting the file now."

Several seconds passed before she acknowledged. "Received… Decoding… Yes, I have it."

Moragh watched with grim satisfaction as her expression changed, shock and outrage becoming evident as she learned the identity of the traitor. "Rest assured, Security Captain," she said angrily, "I will deal with this."

The security captain nodded his thanks and with typical Klingon abruptness, cut the call, immediately placing another one, this time to Defence Force Headquarters. Part one of his plan was in place, now for part two.

USS Endeavour

Tuesday 18th March 2375

By the time the captain finally summoned Kehlan, it was mid-morning the following day, and while her head felt a little clearer, the night of isolation had done her no favours, and she was an emotional mess. She felt overwhelmed and out of her depth; she had done her best, but it had not been enough, and she had failed. She did not have the training or the experience for this.

After an unsettled night, during which her sleep was disturbed by the pain in her wrist, only for the remnants of the anaesthetic in her system to immediately send her back to sleep again, it was the pain that brought her awake again. The standards of Federation medicine were way higher than anything practiced in the Klingon Empire and Kehlan would be the first to admit that access to decent medical care was one of the major perks of serving on a Starfleet vessel. Generally speaking, things like broken bones and minor injuries could be healed almost instantly. The injury to Kehlan's wrist, however, was not a straightforward one and the bones had been in far too many pieces for either her or T'Lia's liking. Kehlan knew she was imagining it but she was convinced that she could feel the metal plates, and the bandages that had been applied felt tight and uncomfortable.

Her mouth was dry and furry, no doubt another leftover from the drugs she had been given. Somewhat unsteadily, Kehlan got out of bed and made her way to the replicator to order a glass of water. After what felt like a hundred questions from the replicator as to planet of origin, whether she wanted her water hot or cold (and how hot or cold), still or sparkling and a few other parameters it deemed necessary, it finally gave her the drink she wanted. Carefully she lifted the glass and drank down its contents, saving a little of it to take the painkillers T'Lia had given her.

The limited movement in her wrist made simple things like getting dressed a little more challenging than usual. She was off duty, but out of habit, she pulled on a clean uniform, fastening it with some difficulty and pulling a brush through her unruly curls.

Walking barefoot across the room, but feeling far too grumpy to appreciate the warm, soft texture of the carpet as she usually did, she picked up the padd she'd left on her desk the previous night and then settled down on the sofa under the window. Activating it, she read through the resignation letter she had written but not transmitted, wondering if she was being silly. Should she just erase this message and contact Krang to tell him she that she'd overreacted the night before and had changed her mind?

Kehlan thought back to yesterday's rescue mission. The captain had ordered her to remain on the ship, but he had not been aware of the full extent of the Jem'Hadar presence on the planet and with communications jammed, there had been no way to warn him. If she hadn't beamed down with the marines, a lot of people would have died so why was he so angry with her?

He'd chewed her out for not wearing the correct protective body armour, she remembered. In hindsight that had been a mistake. The flak jacket she'd grabbed, while better than nothing, was not designed for full-on hand-to-hand combat situations and had been nowhere near enough protection. What other mistakes had she made? Innately honest, she began to consider that question and she found that she did not like the answers.

Impulsively, Kehlan logged in to the computer system and accessed Commander Ahmed's record. It was impressive, driving home the conviction that she was no longer needed here, that she had done the right thing in requesting a transfer. The Bedouin had been Captain Royce's first officer for the last five years and before that, second officer on the Akira-class USS Sentinel. He was a highly experienced officer, with several commendations and he was more than qualified to take over as Endeavour's first officer.

Kehlan scowled at the image on the screen. She did not want to leave Endeavour. She liked it here and got on well with the crew. She had begun to make friends and for the first time in her life she'd truly felt accepted, that her status as a Houseless half-breed was irrelevant. Not that Kargan or Vareq had ever treated her with anything but respect, but she remembered all too clearly how Hegh'Ta's previous first officer had treated her with contempt. No, she thought again, she did not want to leave, but facts were facts. Endeavour did not need her, but Hegh'Ta did.

It was sometime around 11:00 when the comm system chimed, and she heard the Captain's voice. "Commander Kehlan, report to the Ready Room."

Kehlan's stomach churned. "On my way, Captain."

Uncurling herself from the sofa, she pulled on some socks, slid her feet into her boots and with a quick check in the mirror to make sure she was presentable, she left her quarters and headed for the turbolift. Exactly three minutes later, she was on the bridge, standing in front of the ready room door. It opened immediately, and going in, she crossed the room and placed the data padd on the desk in front of him.

"What's this?" he asked. She'd got here more quickly than he'd anticipated, and finding he was not quite ready to face her, he did not look up from the report he was trying, with no success. to read.

"My resignation," Kehlan told him bluntly. She regretted it instantly, now that it was too late wishing she'd decided to talk to him first instead of being so impulsive, but it was too late to snatch it back. "I've requested a transfer back to Hegh'Ta."

It was true then. Kehlan wanted to leave the Endeavour, to leave him. Thanks to his earlier conversation with Krang, he had at least known this was coming, but hearing her actually say it, struck him like a knife in the gut. He picked up the padd and pretended to study it, anything to avoid looking at her. He didn't want her to see the hurt in his eyes, the pain he felt at the thought of losing her, both on a professional and a personal level.

"Yes, Captain Krang told me he'd received a transfer request from you," he said coolly, finally raising his head to look at her. "So, are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

Kehlan turned away from him, looking out of the window at the passing stars, although it was doubtful if she actually saw them.

"You were right," she said, her voice quiet and subdued. "I'm just a science officer, I'm not trained for this. I'm not fit to command a Federation ship."

Captain Mackenzie frowned, not understanding. How could she even think she wasn't good enough? "Commander Kehlan, you are one of the best officers I have ever had the privilege to work with," he said, "Endeavour needs you. I need you."

"How can you say that?" she asked bitterly, still feeling a little too sorry for herself to be reasonable. "I've done everything wrong, and I've disobeyed orders. I don't deserve this posting."

"You do have a lot to learn," he agreed. "And I am at fault for not ensuring your training was adequate. You also need to learn to control and channel your anger, although at least when you lost your temper, you did it in private. Considering your lack of training for the role, you have actually done extremely well. Since you came on board, you've re-organised and streamlined the duty rosters, you've made major improvements to the ship's sensors, and you helped find a way to cloak Endeavour. And most importantly, you've gained the respect of the crew and your fellow officers. There is absolutely no doubt that you belong here."

Getting up, he moved across the room and joined her at the window. "You disobeyed my orders, and I will be making a note to that effect on your permanent record. I will also be entering a well-deserved commendation."

Kehlan was genuinely confused now. She did not comprehend how she could be both reprimanded and commended for the same actions and she told him so.

"Kehlan, part of being a first officer, or even a captain, is the art of knowing when an order should be disobeyed. You made a decision based on information that was not available when I gave that order, and you chose an appropriate course of action, as a result of which the mission was a success. That is the mark of a good commander – to do the right thing, to follow your conscience… in Klingon terms, to act honourably… even when it's against our orders. It is the higher duty. Be glad, Kehlan, that you are learning that lesson at the cost of a broken wrist and not the lives of thousands of innocents."

Kehlan looked up then. He sounded like he was speaking from bitter experience. "Is that what happened to you?"

"I was given a direct order." Mackenzie sounded like he was miles away as he remembered. "I knew the order was wrong, but I'd only recently become a captain. I was still inexperienced, and I let myself be intimidated into obeying it. As a result, an entire colony was wiped out to the last man, woman, and child. Afterwards, another captain, older than me and a lot more experienced, took me aside and asked me why I obeyed the order, and he explained to me what I am now trying to explain to you."

He held out the padd to her, but she was not quite ready to take it from him. "Then why did you relieve me of duty?"

The captain sighed. "Because I was angry," he told her honestly. "You got hurt protecting me and I didn't like it. It was unprofessional of me, maybe, but you do need to rest for a while and recover from your injuries. If I hadn't relieved you, then you'd have gone straight back on duty, wouldn't you?"

She nodded, acknowledging the truth of his statement.

"It wasn't just your wrist that you injured, Kehlan; you took a very nasty slash across your chest and abdomen," he reminded her. "I am sure the treatment you received is far better than that on offer in the Klingon Empire, but it's still not a magic cure. And it's also usually recommended that you take at least forty-eight hours to recover after a general anaesthetic. Not always possible in our line of work, but still, the recommendation is there."

She was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about Commander Ahmed?"

Mackenzie frowned, not quite following her train of thought. "What about him?"

"Well… Why aren't you asking him to take over as first officer?"

It was a valid question. The captain sighed. "I would prefer to keep the one I already have. I have asked him to take the temporary role of tactical officer and he is happy with that. I suspect that once we get back to Federation space, he will be offered his own command. He's certainly overdue for one."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Actually, I recommend you talk with him. He knows the Nebula class inside out, and I think you will find him willing to spend some time with you and help you to learn."

Mackenzie held the padd out to her again. Kehlan said nothing but she reached out and took it back from him. He breathed a sigh of relief. For a few minutes there, he had really thought he'd lost her. "Provided T'Lia agrees, I will allow you to return to duty tomorrow. Go and get some rest, Kehlan. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir."

Turning to leave, she was called back by his voice, and it was James who spoke now, not the captain. "Kehlan, will you have dinner with me tonight?"

Note: I was told in an earlier version of these chapters that Kehlan's behaviour was whiny and out of character for a Klingon. And that's sort of true. She IS behaving out of character. She's normally strong and independant, but she IS half human, and she's been injured and has just had surgery, and the anaesthetic is clouding her thinking a little. She is also very uncertain of herself where romance is concerned and doesnt know what Mackenzie's intentions are. so she has a bit of a meltdown and over reacts to the situation. I think that's understandable.