Checkmate
M'Loche ran his fingers over the scar above his right eye as he walked the warehouse district in the First City. His gait was off, a bit off balance with a barely noticeable limp. His long silver hair was tied back to keep it out of his face. Still, unruly strands dangled down the right side of his face. The strands were just in front of a large and deep scar, the result of a Bat'leth connecting with the side of his head. No hair grew where the scar had formed, preventing M'Loche's hair from ever having a uniform appearance.
The outer warehouse district was far different from the First City's interior. The dark, stone architecture, fiery torches, and interconnected buildings were replaced by large widely spaced warehouses of various designs and materials. The paved walkways of the district were lined with flowers on the sides opposite of the road. The flowers planted were largely unknown to M'Loche, he wasn't a botanist. They were as red as the color of blood. Simple street lights were evenly spaced throughout.
Private landing pads sat in the back of each warehouse. Many were empty, some had small cargo shuttles waiting to run cargo to freighters in orbit. One landing pad stood out from the rest. Taking up the entire pad and some of the surrounding yard space was a Lethean warship. The ship was one of the warships of House Don'ok, a minor house formerly in service to House J'mpok.
Sitting in front of the ship was a large warehouse. The warehouse walls were made from common metals but adorned with the skulls and bones of the warehouse owners' enemies. The bones were cleaned, polished, and mounted in an overlapping display around the entire base of the warehouse structure and up one of the walls. The display was similar to others around the warehouse district, common among warehouses owned by the Great Houses of the Empire and affiliated minor houses pledged to their service. Employees of the warehouse were shutting the main cargo doors as M'Loche approached.
The driveway and corresponding walkway led up to the warehouse at a steep enough angle that M'Loche's limp became more pronounced. He was noticeably out of breath as he approached a door on the side of the building. The door was for individual personnel and was likely connected to an interior office. The door had no controls, just a knob to be turned. M'Loche didn't knock. He wanted his breathing under control first.
M'Loche looked around the side of the building while he waited for his breathing to stabilize. The site of rotting meat hanging from the top of the door surprised him, if only slightly. The custom of mounting skulls and bones on warehouse walls was a custom dating back to ancient times but hanging rotting meat was not part of the custom. M'Loche studied the decomposing lump more closely, only when he noticed what it was did his hand reach his mouth to stifle his surprise. The shriveled, decomposing lump wasn't just any piece of meat. It was the male sex organ of a Klingon!
M'Loche backed away from the warehouse. As he backed up he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. Five fully uniformed Klingons were mounted toward the top of the warehouse near the side facing the landing pad. Their bodies had been there for at least a few weeks judging by decomposition. Klingons cared nothing for the body after death. Mounting the dead on the hull of a starship was an old practice that left the body to the elements.
The act of polishing and mounting bones was a sign of honoring ones enemies and displaying the mounters personal accomplishments. Most warehouses only had Klingon skulls dating back to the different times that the Klingons found themselves fighting each other. Human, Tzenkethi, and Cardassian skulls also adorned the warehouses due to the wars the Empire had with those people but the majority of polished bones and skulls came from large game of various worlds. The five bodies mounted on the wall and the penis above the door were intended as a warning or a sign of great dishonor, M'Loche wasn't sure but he intended to find out.
M'Loche approached the door again and knocked loudly, "Inspectors' Office! First City Security! Open the Door!" M'Loche's voice thundered and echoed over the district with the authority of the High Chancellor, L'Rell herself. M'Loche tried not to gag as the smell of the rotten member assailed his sinuses.
A small panel in the door slid open to reveal a pair of eyes. "Inspector's office?" The man said with confusion. "Inspector M'Loche to be precise. Is the head of house here?" M'Loche asked. He considered being condescending but figured it was best not to get himself in trouble he couldn't get out of.
M'Loche was to present an arrest order for the Head of House. He wanted to make the arrest himself. Despite his personal stake in the arrest, the Chief hadn't denied him the right to get directly involved. The Head of House was someone he'd known in the past so he arrived early to catch up and gloat a little. The arrest would commence once the strike team was in place.
The Man behind the door closed the shutter. A second later M'Loche heard the distinctive sound of several locks being unlocked before the door swung open. A young slender Orion man stood in the door wearing a fancy tailored suit. It was an Orion design that was thin and fit close to the body. it complimented the slender man's physique.
"Come on in Inspector," the Orion said. He side stepped and bowed in front of M'Loche.
"I appreciate the gesture, but you can't refuse an inspector of the First City," M'Loche said with a smile. He stepped inside with a noticeable limp. His legs had stiffened in the time it took him to get his breath under control. "I wouldn't even try good sir," the Orion said as he shut the door behind the old Klingon. The Orion started to lock the door then thought better of it.
The warehouse was expansive and full of Klingon grains and refurbished ship parts along with other crates, barrels, and pallets that M'Loche couldn't identify. The Orion man moved ahead of M'Loche and motioned for the old Klingon to follow. M'Loche was led to the back of the warehouse. The main cargo doors facing the back of the warehouse were open to the air. A small house structure was built against the wall, left side of the warehouse. It had a porch despite not needing one and a door which opened to the kitchen.
"My master is inside, Inspector. If you'll wait out here," the Orion man motioned to a bench located on the porch. He entered the house and disappeared as M'Loche sat on the bench. Now wasn't the time to rest but M'Loche's body didn't care as he felt instant relief from the stress leaving his legs and lower joints. The old Klingon sat for a few minutes, resting while he could. His injuries were from long ago but the lasting disfigurement kept him in a constant dull pain.
M'Loche's visit wasn't a professional one. As an inspector it was his job to investigate possible crimes and submit the evidence and charging documents to have suspects arrested. Something he had done with the current head of house for House Don'ok. There was no professional reason to visit but he had a perfectly good personal reason to visit. M'Loche certainly felt he had a good reason.
Workers moved around the warehouse carrying out their duties only occasionally flashing the old man a nervous smile or head nod. Not many warehouse workers were Klingon, M'Loche noticed. They were almost entirely Orion in fact. This wasn't much of a surprise, the head of House Don'ok was an Orion woman. M'Loche shifted his weight on the bench as he got lost in thought.
Elysium Ba'Lera Sagittarius had married into House Don'ok several years back. She was a beautiful yet meek young woman, desperate to find a home. That was how things appeared anyway. M'Loche was a personal friend of Don'ok, the patriarch of the minor house. He had been present the day his friend spoke of meeting her. M'Loche was suspicious at first, Orion females were known to attract men with pheromones. They could use those pheromones to manipulate men or simply seduce them.
Once he met Elysium, M'Loche's mind was put at ease. She wasn't giving off strong pheromones and the two Klingons were using numbing agents to prevent her from holding any sway. The fact she seemed so innocent and meek only further sold the idea that his friend had simply fallen in love with a pretty young girl. Nothing seemed to be out of place in the relationship and when Don'ok announced his intentions to marry Elysium, M'Loche served as Tawi'Yan. It was the second time in his life he had done so for his friend.
Trouble started a few months after the marriage when Don'ok's eldest son from his first marriage turned up dead. A clear case of murder but no suspect was ever discovered. A few months after the death the middle son accused Elysium of the murder. The accusation enraged his father and a few days later Don'ok killed his middle child in a duel over the accusation. A couple of months after that, the youngest son challenged his father over his siblings death, he too perished at the hand of his father.
Afterward, Don'ok seemed to distance himself from all his friends, engrossing himself in his work, accompanied by his loyal wife. For several years Elysium was always at her husband's side. Then one day Don'ok took a cargo shuttle into orbit alone. When the shuttle was returning for a landing, it crashed in a field outside the city. Don'ok didn't survive.
M'Loche would have still considered Elysium to be an innocent victim in the whole affair if it wasn't for what happened next. Elysium Ba'Lera Sagittarius was given control of House Don'ok and all its assets due to the nature of how the patriarch died. She quickly used her new position to join the Klingon Defense Force and obtain several warships. She expanded the business and military arms of the house with a confidence and drive that M'Loche hadn't seen her use before. M'Loche tried investigating Elysium's actions, prove she was a fraud and that she had orchestrated the deaths of Don'ok and his children but he couldn't find the evidence he needed.
"You're dead Molor!" The voice of a small male Klingon child jostled M'Loche from his thoughts. He looked up to see a boy lunge at an older Klingon boy with a stick. The older boy parried the stick with a stick of his own. He slugged the younger boy in the face with his free hand but before he could bring his stick down on his dazed opponent, a little girl lunged at him with a stick of her own. The older boy was forced to retreat. The three Klingon children ran further into the warehouse.
The three children ignored the battled scarred old man as the older boy ran up to the porch and spun around to face his attackers. "I, Molor, will not be defeated by the likes of you two, or any Klingons!" He charged at the two younger children, stick raised to strike. The younger boy ducked low and thrust his stick into the charging boy's chest. The stick broke but the older boy grabbed his chest as though the stick had impaled him.
The girl swung her stick hitting the boy in the side of the face. This action yielded a different response as the older boy fell to his knees and grabbed the side of his face. He tried to hold back tears as he whimpered. The girl, realizing that she had actually hurt the boy, dropped her weapon and hugged the older boy. "Hey, that's Molor. Your supposed to hug Kahless, I mean me," said the younger boy looking dejected.
The older boy started laughing at the younger boy before he joined in, the little girl smiled. M'Loche clapped his hands and smiled at the children. "Fantastic performance," he said as he struggled to stand. The strength in his legs returned as he moved toward the children. "You got one detail wrong I'm afraid. Kahless and Lukara were armed with Bat'leths when they faced Molor." M'Loche held out his hand to the older boy. "Let me see it," he said, pointing at the stick in the boy's hand. The boy handed the stick to him.
M'Loche held the stick horizontally in both hands. "Like this, you see?" The three children looked at him, nodding their heads. "But look how short it is. You can barely hold it." The younger boy said with concern. "That's why you find a bigger stick," M'Loche said as he chuckled.
"Kahless, as you know, went to the summit at mount Kri'stak with a locke of his hair, which he dipped into the lava. He then cooled the locke at Lake of Lusor to forge the blade." M'Loche smiled at the children. He had always wanted children of his own but no woman had wanted a disfigured and broken man and he couldn't afford to adopt one on an inspector's salary. "Maybe the three of you could ask your parents for training weapons. You three look ready."
The three children beamed at the idea. "What are your names?" M'Loche asked out of curiosity. House Don'ok no longer had Klingon heirs. These children were likely from Klingon parents that served House Don'ok in some way. "I'm B'lor, son of Tark of House Don'ok," said the older boy with a sense of pride. "I'm Gesson, son of Dre'as of House Don'ok," the younger boy said. The little girl simply looked up and smiled.
"Can you not speak child?" M'Loche asked the little girl. His voice carried the harshness of a challenge although he had no intention of harming her. "She is J'Eleria daughter of...of house Don'ok. She can't talk," B'lor said nervously.
M'Loche noticed that the boy didn't know the girl's father's name. "Why can't she talk?" M'Loche said in a calm voice. He reached out to touch the little girl on top of the head. She immediately darted back. The two boys quickly took a defensive stance to protect her.
"She was raped," a female voice said from the door to the house. M'Loche straightened and turned to face the head of House Don'ok, Elysium Ba'Lera Sagittarius. "Run along you three. Dinner will be done in an hour," She said with a bit of irritation in her voice. The three Klingon children ran out of the warehouse nearly colliding with a muscular Orion man on the way out.
M'Loche stood motionlessly looking at the woman he had known for many years to be a meek and innocent woman. That description no longer applied. Although she had always been a tall woman, she truly seemed tall now. The Head of House was a beautiful and attractive woman with strong yet lean muscles. She wore what appeared to M'Loche as lingerie. A metallic looking top that barely covered her breasts and a bottom piece that was only covered with a loin cloth. The only part of her that still looked like her former self was her round cherubic face.
"I rescued those three from Khitomer, after J'mpok fired on the planet from orbit," Elysium said sounding defensive. "They are not part of my house, yet." Sagittarius looked down at the inspector. In his youth he would have seen it as a challenge to his authority and gladly cut her down. In his current state he had learned to be more tactful. "Good afternoon, Lady Sagittarius. I am Inspector M'Loche. I'm hear to ask you a few questions," M'Loche said with a friendly smile.
Sagittarius stepped down from the porch and extended a hand. M'Loche grabbed her forearm, Sagittarius pulled the inspector toward her with a hug. "I haven't forgotten my old friend," Sagittarius said with a smile. M'Loche couldn't tell if she was mocking him or if she seriously thought of him as a friend. She released his arm and moved back a few paces. "Inspector is new, as is the limp," Sagittarius said pointing at his legs.
"A permanent injury from the war with the federation a few years back," M'Loche said. He started to look around for a place to sit. He had originally intended to confront Elysium while standing but the pain in his legs were getting worse. "Come inside, inspector. I'll get us something to drink." Sagittarius walked into the house, stopping at the door to see if M'Loche would follow.
M'Loche entered the house clumsily. The kitchen smelled of spices and seared meat. Dirty dishes lay in the sink and a sizzling sound emanated from a foreign made oven. The appliances in the house were all of foreign design. Some human, some Orion, and some were noticeably Vulcan.
Sagittarius pulled a chair out from the wood table in the center of the kitchen for the inspector and moved to the opposite side. She stood and waited for M'Loche to limp over to the table. M'Loche steadied the flimsy looking chair before moving to seat himself. He attempted to lower himself carefully but fell into the chair once his knees locked. He let out a grunt of frustration and stifled another as he felt the stress in his legs ease.
A single communicator lay on the table near Sagittarius. M'Loche watched her grab the device and flip it open. "Ravi, call Zorul-hed and tell him to meet me in the house as soon as he is ready." Sagittarius looked at M'Loche with a playful smile before closing the communicator. "He enjoys his work too much I think," She said, placing the communicator on the table.
"Hmm," M'Loche grunted. It didn't matter to him what her employees liked or didn't like, and what was with the smile. "Was she planning something?" He thought.
"I thought I'd stop by to catch up but then I saw the bodies outside, I thought you could shed some light on that."
Sagittarius shifted in her chair. "What do you want to know?" Sagittarius asked.
"For starters, why is there a penis nailed to your door?" M'Loche asked with a serious expression. To his surprise Sagittarius started laughing. The laughter continued as she got louder and louder. It was as if he told a joke so funny, she couldn't control herself.
"It belongs to one of the men that now adorns my warehouse," Sagittarius manage to say as she continued to laugh. M'Loche stared at the seemingly crazy Orion for a solid minute before he finally asked. "What happened?" Sagittarius tried to get control of her laughter as M'Loche grew impatient. "I'll tell you, once I do, I doubt you'll want to arrest me over it."
At first glance, the warriors nailed to the building looked like members of the Klingon Defense Force. Judging from the decomposition of the bodies, they were likely killed during the final battle between J'mpok and J'Ula. "An odd thing to have evidence of your participation in the battle if you are trying to claim that you took no sides in the conflict," M'Loche thought. "Its not a crime to mutilate a Klingon body after death but nailing that mutilated flesh on your door was clearly intended for some sort of warning," M'Loche said out loud while thinking.
"I can assure out that the man was still alive when I ripped that member from his body," Sagittarius said with a chuckle. The two stared at each other for a moment. M'Loche wasn't sure if he needed to ask again or wait for the Orion woman to speak. Sagittarius seem to be thinking the same as she started talking. "I can't tell you what happened with the garbage outside without telling you about my adopted children," Elysium said in a serious tone.
"I had planned to ask about them, so go ahead," M'Loche said. He scratched at the scar on the side of his head. It was the scar from the Bat'leth blade that had been thrust into his skull. "Before we get started, would you like something to drink?" Sagittarius asked. She stood without waiting for an answer. "I don't have any blood wine but I have a tea from Orion that my new children just love," Sagittarius said. Her voice sounded as warm as M'Loche remembered from days past.
"I'll have some," M'Loche said with a smile. He had plenty of time to reveal his intentions and he was genuinely curious about the children and the five dead bodies outside. Sagittarius walked over to a Vulcan made refrigerator and retrieved a pitcher containing a black liquid. She walked over to the cupboard retrieved two steel mugs and filled each to the top. She handed one to M'Loche and then returned to her seat.
Once seated, Sagittarius pressed the mug to her lips and sipped the tea until she had consumed a quarter of the mug's contents. M'Loche took a small sip to taste the liquid before taking a larger sip to quench his thirst. The tea tasted like a weak mix of mint and a Bolian spice M'Loche had forgotten the name of. Sagittarius smiled at M'Loche before wiping her mouth which had gone slightly purple from the tea. "I was at Khitomer when J'mpok fired the Mycelial weapon," Sagittarius began.
"I didn't participate in the battle. No one present expected him to fire something like that at all. The Hesitant Reaper received a distress call from the surface after the weapon had been fired and while the battle raged in orbit. I answered the call, as did several other ships. We beamed down rescue parties and began transporting survivors to up to the ship. I chose to lead a party of my own to the buildings along the outer edge of the mycelial rift. There were five of us…"
A cool wind whipped at Sagittarius and her team as soon as they had beamed down to Khitomer's surface. Azure light from the Mycelial rift had colored the area a deep blue and the occasional lightning from the rift seemed to threaten the environment around them at random. Sagittarius watched the sky as small red orbs of light fell around her and her team. The light orbs seem to penetrate her armor and personal shield leaving a slight tingling sensation. Screams in the distance snapped Sagittarius back to the task at hand.
"Radiation is interfering with the tricorder's scanning range captain," Gitunko said. She sounded uneasy as she scanned for survivors. The slender Orion female was one of Sagittarius's science officers. Sagittarius heard another scream from the same direction as before. She looked back at Gitunko intent on asking a question. "I'm reading eight life forms six blocks closer to the rift," Gitunko said, answering the question her captain hadn't yet asked.
"We'll start there," Sagittarius said. "Zorul-hed, take point. Nosur, you watch our backs." Sagittarius pulled one of her pistols from the holsters on her hips. Normally her team would have gone into the situation with their normal armament. Zorul-hed was her heavy weapons specialist but given the classification for this mission, each of her team was only armed with one weapon and only the two tactical officers on her team had rifles.
Zorul-hed moved up the street with his weapon at the ready. The barrel of his rifle moved with his eyes, looking where he was looking. Nosur had adopted the same approach in the back of the group but Sagittarius and her two other officers, Gitunko and Ziri, had opted to keep their pistols drawn but not aim them at anything. The first two blocks up the street were uneventful. As the group neared the third block they heard another scream.
Zorul-hed pressed himself against the wall of the nearest building and slowed his approach. The rest of the team followed his example. "We can't save these people being too cautious," Sagittarius said in irritation. Zorul-hed looked back at her briefly. His look of irritation was suddenly punctuated by a strike of lightning hitting the building across the street. The strike had fractured the stony material of the building's facade.
"I understand the caution but the situation is getting worse by the second," Sagittarius said in anger. She pulled her second pistol and motioned for the group to follow her. Without waiting for anyone to respond, Sagittarius sprinted up the street. The rest of the team chased after her with Zorul-hed trailing behind. The facade of the damaged building collapsed forcing him to speed up.
Within two more blocks, Sagittarius's team had caught up to her. Zorul-hed had even managed to catch up and run along side his captain. As the group neared the rift at the end of the sixth city block they began to notice several figures standing near the edge of the rift. It took a moment before Sagittarius realized what she was seeing. Two strange alien figures were dragging a human man.
The strange figures had crystallized structures embedded in their bodies. The dark structures seem to glow with a red hue. The human man seemed disoriented and didn't react to being carried until he saw how close the two figures had brought him to the rift. The human brought his legs forward and attempted to brace himself. Unperturbed, the figures continued to walk into the rift. Sagittarius watched as the man seemed to disintegrate in front of her. The human managed to scream one last time as he faded into dust and particles. The two figures walked back out of the rift undisturbed as two more figures carried a Romulan woman toward the rift.
Sagittarius raised both her pistols and fired madly into the crowd of figures. She had heard of them, fought them in ship-to-ship combat but had yet to fight them on the ground. The Elachi were just as menacing as she had been told although she hadn't heard of them having crystal structures embedded in their flesh. The violet orbs of Polaron energy from her pistols sprayed the area hitting some of the Elachi, the walls and floor around them took most of the assault. Several orbs of violet light flew through the air into the rift. The rest of the team opened fire as Sagittarius led them to a large chunk of concrete from a nearby building. The chunk was large enough to provide cover for her whole team.
The Elachi continued their executions without interruption. Even as several of the Elachi fell from multiple shots, those tasked with the executions continued their work unfazed. "They have about a dozen people in that building there," Gitunko said, pointing to a small two floor building. Sagittarius peeked from cover to see that the entire group of Elachi were now heading in their direction, weapons raised. They fired short controlled bursts aimed at the edges of the rubble forcing Sagittarius and her team to lay low.
"Gitunko, you're with me. The rest of you, lay down covering fire!" Sagittarius shouted. She pulled a smoke grenade, primed it and tossed it over the rubble. Zorul-hed and Nosur, her two tactical specialists opened fire from cover with their rifles on full auto. Sagittarius peeked from cover to check the distance to their target. Sagittarius could only see smoke and occasional orbs of light coming toward their position.
Sagittarius pushed her science officer, guiding her out of cover and to the right of her teams position. "We got to get across the street," Sagittarius said as she holstered one of her pistols. She had fired both earlier for covering fire but she clearly lacked the arm strength to keep them steady enough for accuracy. Gitunko ran ahead of her captain with her own pistol drawn in a modified carry while keeping her tricorder's readouts within eyesight. The fire from her team and the Elachi they had engaged had gone quiet. Sagittarius turned her head to the left briefly to see that her team were now advancing on the rift border to check on the Romulan lying in the dirt.
Sagittarius followed as Gitunko lead her into the building holding the Survivors. "They are on the third floor. I'm also reading what could be Elachi life signs, four of them. They have their prisoners surrounded," Gitunko whispered as she located a stairway. She stopped at the base of the stairs. "Let me see the readings," Sagittarius said. She turned the tricorder toward her to memorize the floor layout and the position of the anomalous signatures.
"The Romulan is secured," Nosur's melodious voice said over the teams com-link. Sagittarius paused halfway up the stairs. She keyed her communicator. "Beam her back to the ship then join us," Sagittarius said with a whisper. She motioned for Gitunko to follow her and returned to climbing the stairs.
The two Orion women ascended the stairway quietly trying to avoid anything that might give away their position. Once on the fourth floor Sagittarius moved to the doorway while crouched low to the ground. There were no doors in the stairway to worry about. The doorways were tall and wide with nothing blocking them. Sagittarius was able peek from the side of the doorway to see four Elachi standing at the edges of the room.
The building was an office building for support staff for the various diplomats on Khitomer. Cubicles made from cloth and aluminum where dismantled and scattered all over the room. The prisoners were a mixed group. Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, and Tellarites made up most of the group but there were a few Klingons. One that stood out was an older Klingon man. He was crouched as though he were ready to spring forth without a moments notice but his eyes were closed as though in meditation. Except for the older Klingon, everyone else wore the uniform of diplomatic support staff.
"I'll charge in and take the two Elachi on the left. You grab the two on the right," Sagittarius said. She suddenly heard heavy footfalls charging up the stairway. "Screw it!" Sagittarius realized her team just gave away their position, she dove into the room and fired her pistol with both hands. She only fired twice. The first Elachi was hit in the chest. The orb of violet light struck the Elachi in the chest with no sign of penetration but left the man's back splattered over the wall behind him. Her other target saw violet light fill his vision before his head was splattered all over the ceiling and wall.
Sagittarius heard her science officer scream. She turned around to see that one Elachi was dead but the other had ripped her weapon from her hands. Sagittarius brought her pistol to bare on the remaining Elachi only to watch in surprise as the older Klingon prisoner rose from the ground and grabbed the Elachi in what appeared to be a seamless motion. He grabbed the Elachi by the back of its uniform and lifted him up with such force that the Elachi's small head was crushed against the ceiling. The Elachi's body convulsed in the older Klingon's grip. The Klingon held the body off the ground until he could see the blood pouring down from the neck.
The Klingon dropped the body and spit its blood from his mouth as he turned to look at Sagittarius. Looking into the man's eyes was like staring at death itself. "I've come to fetch my granddaughter. These creatures grabbed me and brought me hear. Seeing as how you saved us, I think its time I return to my duty." The Klingon spoke with barely contained rage.
Zorul-hed entered the room with his weapon drawn, the rest of the team behind him. "Secure the survivors," Sagittarius said as she holstered her pistol. Zorul-hed quickly ordered the rest of the team to take up positions around the room. "Will do ma'am," he said. The Klingon approached the door and Zorul-hed. "I need to find my granddaughter, stand aside." The Klingon said as though his words came from Fek'lhr himself.
"Where is your granddaughter," Sagittarius asked. The Klingon turned slowly toward her. "She is in a…" The Klingon hesitated as he thought the words he was to speak were a matter of dishonor- "… daycare two blocks east of here," the Klingon said as his eyes began to water. The Klingon suddenly turned around and ripped Zorul-hed's rifle from his grip. He then shoved his way through the doorway. "Wait Zo," Sagittarius said holding up a hand. "Let him go. I'll lend him a hand." Sagittarius pulled a pistol from one of her holsters and handed it to Zorul-hed. She started for the door. "Nosur, your with me."
The female tactical officer jogged to catch up to Sagittarius, sticking her tongue out at Zorul-hed over the loss of his rifle as she left the office room. Sagittarius ran down the stairs after the old Klingon but saw no sign of him until they got outside the building. A dead Elachi lay against the wall by the door. His body was twisted and broken from a heavy impact to his chest. "Keep your eyes peeled and weapon ready, we need to catch up to him," Sagittarius said.
Sagittarius took off down the street with her pistol in hand. Nosur was close behind keeping her rifle trained down range. The two quickly moved through the two city blocks to the daycare building. Occasional Elachi bodies lay on the ground, dead from disruptor burns or from blunt force trauma the old Klingon had inflicted at close range. "The survivors are aboard Hesitant Reaper. The ship reports that all other life signs are gone except the elachi hanging around the rift and some life signs in the daycare," Zorul-hed said.
"Beam back to the ship and lock onto us. I want us out of here as soon as we locate the survivors," Sagittarius said. She entered the building with Nosur close behind. Sagittarius surveyed the building. Many of the doors had been kicked in or blasted open with Elachi weapons. Scorch marks from Elachi and Klingon disruptors were all over the walls. Bodies of various species and sizes lay around all over the deck. Many were concentrated in the rooms.
Sagittarius cleared each room without incident. The carnage was enough to disturb even her as they continued to clear the rooms ahead. With two more rooms to clear Sagittarius had to send Nosur back to the front of the building after she vomited. The usually strong woman was weeping silently as they passed the bodies of mutilated children in the halls and rooms. Sagittarius entered the second to last room to find the old Klingon standing on his knees. He was staring at the corpse of a Ferengi woman laying against the wall. Her abdomen had been blown nearly in half by multiple disruptor shots from Elachi weapons. Her hand was still clutching a Ferengi phaser.
"Did you know her?" Sagittarius asked quietly. She wasn't sure if the elderly Klingon would attack her out of blind rage or continue to sit there. A strange shimmer ran through the wall behind the dead Ferengi. Sagittarius pulled her tricorder from her belt and turned it on for the first time since the mission began. She scanned the wall. "My son worked in the Chamber of conques… I mean Chamber of Alliance," The old Klingon began. "His wife worked with the diplomatic staff here. They enrolled my granddaughter in this, day care," he spat the last words.
He didn't need to say anymore. Sagittarius understood the problem. Khitomer was bringing change to the Empire some Klingons found shameful and insulting. He likely didn't approve of the daycare but if he lived in the area, he no doubt would have attempted to rescue his family once he saw the weapon fire. With the Main hall completely enveloped by the mycelial rift, the only person he could save was his Granddaughter.
"Regardless of how you feel about the place, that Ferengi died a warriors death. Protecting the children under her charge." The old Klingon looked at Sagittarius in shock. "How.. what?" He was too shocked to form a sentence. Sagittarius walked over to the wall the Ferengi was propped against. She studied the surface of the wall until she saw what she was looking for, a small holo emitter. Sagittarius reached up and pulled it off the ceiling. The emitter powered off revealing the wall behind the Ferengi to be a closet door.
Seeing the closet door, the old Klingon leaped to his feet and started to slide the door open. Whimpers from the closet confirmed what Sagittarius already knew. She assisted the Klingon in respectfully moving the Ferengi woman's body away from the door. The Old Klingon then slid the door fully open. Eight of the children, all Klingon, rushed the old man. He fell to the ground with all eight. He quickly located his granddaughter among them and hugged her tightly to him. The other Klingon children also hugged him, sobbing.
"You're all safe now. I'm beaming you all back to my ship. We'll sort out everything from their." Sagittarius said with a smile to the children remaining huddled in the closet.
"I took most of the survivors to New Romulus. Most of the non-Klingons were united with their families. The Klingons I brought back to Qo'nos. I had a hard time getting clearance to land with J'mpok's forces waiting in orbit for battle when we arrived. I had to persuade one of the captains to escort us in before I could get my passengers beamed down to the surface. Three of the children had no families to return to so I adopted them," Sagittarius said with a slight smile.
M'Loche finished off the tea in his mug as Sagittarius paused in reflection. "So, you took in three children you have no familial ties to out of the goodness of your heart?" M'Loche asked. He tried to sound neutral but the idea that Elysium would adopt Klingon children for some nefarious purpose was at the forefront of his mind. He had records and evidence of numerous acts by Elysium to use people for financial gain. Not that any of it would result in criminal charges.
"Its not just out of the goodness of my heart," Sagittarius said. Her smile grew into a full grin. "House Don'ok needs a proper heir and I figure that the High Counsel will never accept this house to remain without Klingon heirs. Who best then the surviving children of J'mpok's most dishonorable act?" Sagittarius continued to smile while waiting for M'Loche's response.
"I suppose you are correct. I'm sure they will have a fine home here and you'll guarantee that my dear friend's house lives on." M'Loche smiled back at the Orion head of house as he shifted in his chair. The pain in his legs seemed to have lessened some during their conversation. With time M'Loche was certain he'd be rested enough to make his intended arrest without issue.
"Are you going to tell me how the Penis ended up on your door or do I need to resort to interrogation tactics," M'Loche said with an amused smile. Sagittarius looked around the room and through the front door of the house before speaking. "Sure," she said. The grin was gone. "The children had been with me for about a week. They were a bit unruly at first, wouldn't listen to me and didn't really see a reason to do anything I asked."
M'Loche chuckled. "Children do that." He shifted in his chair once more. "Or so I hear." Sagittarius peered over his shoulder and held up a hand. "Its a bit of a sensitive subject, hold a moment." M'Loche was puzzled by what she said until he heard the door open.
B'lor ran into the kitchen. "I'm thirsty Lady Sagittarius," he said. The boy was out of breath. Sweat had soaked through the neck line of his tunic and had matted his hair at an odd angle. "I got tea on the counter, boy," Sagittarius said while remaining seated.
B'lor grabbed the pitcher of dark liquid and began to pour it down his throat. Sagittarius immediately shot up out of her chair and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. She snatched the pitcher from the young Klingon and poured the liquid into it, filling it to the brim. "Take this to your siblings as soon as you've had your fill," Sagittarius said while handing the mug and the pitcher back to him. B'lor didn't drink anymore. He placed the pitcher back on the counter and walked out with the mug.
"He'll be a fine leader I'm certain of it," M'Loche said. "Now, where were we?" M'Loche slouched slightly in an effort to shift his weight off his bum. He was starting to lose feeling in it as he continued to sit. "Right, as I was saying, I had an issue with their behavior."
Sagittarius returned to her seat. "A few days after I got them here, all three children ran away. A few days after that, all Gre'thor let loose. J'Ula's forces and J'mpok's were openly battling in the streets and in orbit. I had been looking for them myself for several days when the fighting started."
"Why didn't you contact the Inspector's office?" M'Loche asked. He was shocked that officers from his office hadn't reported these details. He would have known if a report of missing children had come over the net. Given how closely he had been watching House Don'ok before the fighting started, he'd have known about any legitimate queries for adoption and any missing person's reports for children by House Don'ok.
"With everything that was going on I didn't know who to trust. We were even attacked by two B'rel class Birds-of-prey on our way to New Romulus, simply for saying we had survivors from Khitomer." Sagittarius looked hurt for a brief second. "I had planned to make the proper arrangements to legally adopt the children in the next few days. Things still seem tense, even now," Sagittarius said with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. Go ahead and tell me what happened," M'Loche said. He leaned forward, shifting his weight again. This time he was trying to deal with the tingling sensation in his legs. Proper circulation in his lower extremities was difficult after his war injuries. "After using the Hesitant Reaper's sensors to pinpoint where the children might be, I led a team of my people…"
Sagittarius ran through the streets of the first city's slum quarter with her trusted ground team in tow. She ignored the sounds of weapons fire in the distance as she moved. Her team was kitted out in full armor with Klingon disruptor rifles. Sagittarius was armed with the same type of rifle as her team but hadn't had time to get properly dressed when the call came in that the Hesitant Reaper had located the children. She was bare foot, wearing a loincloth. Her skimpy attire was generally used for negotiations and business deals. The more skin shown, the stronger her pheromones. Anything to gain an edge.
Sagittarius had found enough time to throw on her favorite jacket. The jacket was form fitting and cropped to expose her midriff. Her outfit offered little protection but the personal shield emitters embedded in the jacket would offer protection from at least a couple of shots before shorting out. An explosion in the neighboring quarter to the east of the slums rang out with such intensity that Sagittarius and her team lost their hearing for a few seconds. A shimmer across her shield startled Sagittarius. She looked back at her team.
"The shimmer was caused by radiation. That explosion was a torpedo. We should be fine, but we should hurry," Gitunko said. She was looking at her tricorder. "I can't track their signal with all the radiation!"
"What was the last known promising position?" Sagittarius asked. She was crouched low against the corner of a building. The team had stopped momentarily when the explosion happened. "Up ahead in an alley two blocks away," Gitunko said with a shrug.
"There was a cluster of about a dozen life signs before the explosion mucked everything up." Sagittarius looked at her science officer for a moment. "Alright, we'll check it out." Sagittarius quickly ran across the street with her rifle at the ready. Her team hesitated slightly before following.
When the Hesitant Reaper had initially detected the children in the slum quarter, they had been hiding in a condemned building in the center of the slum. They were clearly avoiding the other people there. Hesitant Reaper was set to beam the children out of the structure until they realized that all of the transporters on Qo'nos were being jammed from orbit. Sagittarius watched on sensors as the children had been discovered by several adults which seem to lead them out of the building. At that moment Sagittarius was forced to run her team on foot to the slum quarter to rescue the children.
Sagittarius and her team closed in on the location of the multiple life signs. The mouth of the alley had three bodies piled in the way. All three seemed to be denizens of the slums. The three were emaciated Klingons in rags. One man was noticeably disfigured to an extent that would have prevented him from being a warrior or to hold any job.
"Something doesn't look right," Sagittarius said in puzzlement. "Those are disruptor burns from military grade weapons," Gitunko said. The civil conflict had been mostly contained off world. Only a small number of political diehards had managed to cause a few incidents before the battle in orbit. "Someone is executing invalids?" Zorul-hed asked.
"Time to find out," Sagittarius said with a stern look. She wasn't actually interested in saving the denizens of the slums. She wasn't really interested in their attackers, but the children were likely among the group here. She needed to recover them and return to the warehouse district. The longer her team remained, the more likely they'd be pulled into the civil war.
Sagittarius led her team into the alley. Nosur brought up the rear with her rifle pointed at the street in case someone came up behind them. Several more bodies lined the alley on either side. Some were Klingon, others were Orion, Nausicaan, Arin-Sen and even one emaciated trill. Sagittarius gripped her rifle tightly in her hands. Someone was slaughtering these people.
Sagittarius entered the center of the alley. It was a small circular courtyard area in-between four buildings. Tents, dumpsters and makeshift shanties encircled the center. A raised platform sat in the center, likely intended for a statue. The platform sat empty except for a uniformed Klingon that was giving an impassioned speech. His listeners were four other uniformed Klingons that had yet to notice the well-armed Orions stepping out into the open courtyard.
"We will take what we want and have our fill of the filth spread all over this rotten empire!" The lead Klingon shouted to his followers, oblivious to the impending confrontation. Sagittarius ducked behind a shanty built from wood and canvas, she nearly fell into it as she turned and motioned for her team to take up flanking positions around the Klingons. Her team moved in unnoticed as the lead Klingon continued to shout. "The Empire doesn't deserve us, and they won't get us!"
Sagittarius readied her rifle, taking aim at the noisy Klingon. Her team selected their targets from cover around the courtyard. "We start here, today. A new beginning where we do as we please. No more orders, no more leaders." Sagittarius waited until each member of her team gave the signal that they were ready.
"Fire!" Sagittarius yelled as she squeezed the trigger on her rifle. The disruptor rifle whined, and smoke billowed from the barrel as the lead Klingon spun around to face the source of the shout. Sagittarius froze for a moment as her brain struggled in shock to make the realization that her rifle was malfunctioning. She quickly looked around to see that her whole team had failed to fire a single shot.
The lead Klingon jumped back from the center platform and reached down for something. Sagittarius watched as the man picked up a small naked body by the back of the neck. It was a young Klingon child. The little girl had been stripped of her clothes; blood ran down her legs. Sagittarius immediately recognized the child as one of the children she had adopted.
"Your weapons won't work here," the lead Klingon shouted. He pulled a d'k tahg and held it to the girl's throat. "Leave now or I'll cut this runt from ear to ear!" He pushed the Klingon dagger to the girl's throat. Sagittarius watched two of the Klingons behind the leader pick up the other two children. Unlike the girl, the boys hadn't been fully stripped. They were both still wearing trousers and boots but they were covered in blood. The two boys had numerous cuts and bruises all over their bodies. The youngest was unconscious, his eyes still open.
Sagittarius continued to stare at the Klingons. Her mind raced, trying to think of something. Zorul-hed let out a strange cough. Sagittarius looked at him long enough to see him give a signal. He had tapped his rifle with both index fingers.
The signal he had given was something he had used when her team had served on their first posting together. Zorul-hed had come up with this funny trick of bouncing a rifle off the head of the unsuspecting crew while in the mess. He'd tap his index fingers while holding the rifle to signal that he was about to act then throw the rifle. It'd bounce off the victim's head and land back in his grip. He had played the trick on the crew for almost a full month before he got bored with it.
Sagittarius didn't wait to see if any of the rest of her team had seen the same signal. She launched her rifle at the lead Klingon. She may not save the children but she was certain that she'd have their captors tortured in Grethor in the next few minutes. Sagittarius charged at the leader the moment she launched the rifle. The rifle collided with the Klingon's forehead.
Enraged, the Klingon pushed the blade into the girl's neck, between her windpipe and carotid artery. Only the tip penetrated before Sagittarius pulled the Klingon's arm back and twisted it down at the elbow. Surprised by her speed, the lead Klingon threw the girl to the side and broke free of her grip. Sagittarius quickly looked around to see that her team had engaged the rest of the Klingons at the same time. They were evenly numbered but it was hardly a fair fight.
Sagittarius took a fighting stance, one of the forms of Mok'bara. Her enemy clearly recognized the form. He took a matching stance, d'k tahg still in hand. He grinned with confidence as he saw Sagittarius trembling before him. He lunged at her with his dagger.
Sagittarius waited for the Klingon's first attack. She tucked and rolled away, avoiding his attack and positioning herself behind him. The move was a common dodging move for a practitioner of Suus Mahna, a Vulcan martial art. The Klingon spun around to attack again. Sagittarius kicked with her right leg, more of a stomping motion then a kick. Her foot connected with the side of his knee.
The lead Klingon roared in pain with the crunching sound of his knee snapping at the joint. The Klingon fell to his knees and roared again. Sagittarius followed up with an open palm strike to the Klingon's face. It didn't have the desired effect. Instead, Sagittarius cut her hand on the man's teeth.
Unaffected by the busted lip he got from Sagittarius's open palm strike, The Klingon still fell to the ground on his back. An attempt to take the immense pain off his shattered knee. Sagittarius moved in quickly and stomped on the Klingon's equipped hand. The Klingon opened his hand for a second. It was all the time Sagittarius needed. She grabbed the hilt of his d'k tagh between her toes and brought her foot high enough to grab the dagger with her hands.
The lead Klingon sat up and lunged at her. He missed her by a hair granting Sagittarius the opening she wanted. In one quick motion Sagittarius knelt down and rammed the blade underneath the Klingon's armpit. The blade penetrated the weak armor in that spot and sank deep into the man's flesh. She moved the blade back and forth before pulling it out.
"Keep your arm clenched close to your body and you won't bleed out," Sagittarius said to the Klingon with a smile. The Klingon hissed at her with his teeth bare but did as she said. The sound of a collapsing shanty startled Sagittarius. She looked up to see that her combat engineer, Ziri, had been launched into a shanty. The bulk of the structure had collapsed under her, but she still lay on top of the canvas roof. Her body was twisted in an old angle with her right arm looking the worst.
Sagittarius looked around to assess the situation. Zorul-hed was fighting two Klingons, both armed with Bat'leths. The Orion tactical officer was holding his own using his rifle as a club. Gitunko was nowhere to be seen and Nosur was being pummeled by one Klingon while another held her arms behind her back. Sagittarius ran to where she was needed the most.
Sagittarius ran toward Nosur and her opponents at a full sprint. She held the d'k tahg low in her right hand. She was careful to approach from the side to prevent the two Klingon's from noticing her approach. By the time they did notice, Sagittarius had lodged the d'k tahg four inches deep into the muscular left buttock of the Klingon man holding Nosur. In surprise, the Klingon let go of the Orion.
Nosur didn't miss a step. She immediately lunged at the Klingon that had been pummeling her before. Sagittarius didn't give her new opponent time to recover from her initial attack. She quickly withdrew the blade and plunged it deep again and again as the Klingon warrior shrieked in horror as his unshielded left buttock was shredded into minced meat. The Klingon finally fell to his knees shaking in pain and rage.
Sagittarius halted her assault on the man's ass once he lost his footing, turning her attention to the man that still fought her tactical specialist, Nosur. She charged into the pair pushing past her officer and plunging the Klingon dagger into his neck. She rotated the blade as air escaped the wound. She then pushed the blade to his left ear and pulled the d'k tahg out of his neck. As if to deny her the satisfaction of watching him panic until his death, he simply stared at her, as if hoping to kill her with a look.
Nosur stared at the Klingon in surprise as he continued to look at the both of them in rage. Sagittarius turned to Nosur. "Go help Zorul-hed before he gets himself killed," she said in an even tone. Nosur immediately ran to help her colleague. "So, which one of you raped the little girl?" Sagittarius asked.
The Klingon had turned red and was starting to turn blue, his eyes red and starting to bulge. He pointed at the d'k tahg and then made a slashing gesture at his neck. Sagittarius smiled. "You won't get an honorable death until you tell me which one," she said, waving the d'k tahg in her hand. The Klingon summoned the strength he had left and pointed the lead Klingon sitting on the ground with his arm clenched tight. "Thank you," she said with an oddly contorted smile. Sagittarius turned her back on the Klingon and walked away. The Klingon attempted to lunge at her in rage but fell face first and started convulsing.
Zorul-hed and Nosur had dealt with the remaining Klingons. Nosur had snuck up behind one of the Klingons and pulled his d'k tahg from its holster before slitting his throat. The two Orions then quickly overpowered the remaining Klingon. They were both lying dead on the ground near the two triumphant Orions. Sagittarius walked over to them, admiring their handy work.
The three Orions spent the next several minutes collecting their team. Sagittarius and Zorul-hed peeled Ziri off of the collapsed shanty while Nosur searched for Gitunko. Nosur found her under a tent a few minutes later. Gitunko was lying on her back, a deep bat'leth wound in her chest. It was just above her left breast. Green blood pooled in the wound.
Gitunko was conscious but she was clearly trying to focus on moving as little as possible out of caution. Sagittarius and Zorul-hed carried Ziri over to Gitunko and lay her down. The two were side by side. "Search for the children. At least one of them should still be alive," Sagittarius said with no emotion.
The three Orions fanned out to search for the children amongst the garbage and shanties. Sagittarius decided to check on the one child she remembered seeing before the fight. The little girl was still lying on the ground where the lead Klingon had tossed her. She was trembling yet lying stiff like a corpse, her eyes open wide staring at nothing. Sagittarius crouched low placed a hand on the girl's ridged forehead.
"Little one, the threat has been dealt with. You can sit up now," Sagittarius said as softly as she could. The girl slowly tensed up, her hands tightened into fists. "J'Eleria!" The sound of her name jolted the little girl with a start. She stared at Sagittarius with terror in her eyes.
The look was a familiar one. She'd seen it before as a child when some of her older sisters had come back from their first client. They'd have bruises and scratches all over, bleeding from delicate places. The captain and head mistress of their ship would tell them it was a part of growing up. Sagittarius hadn't learned the truth until later in life.
J'Eleria was a Klingon but at this moment Sagittarius would only see her as another Orion. She scooped up the little girl cradling her close. J'Eleria whimpered silently as Sagittarius stood and walked over to the rest of the team. Zorul-hed had both of the Klingon boys. The younger one was unconscious in his arms. The older boy was holding his left hand and following. His face had swollen to an unrecognizable shape.
Sagittarius looked at the three, her anger was building more and more as the situation brought up a past she'd rather not ever remember. "Nosur, bring the Klingon from over there," Sagittarius said pointing to the Klingon whose ass she had filleted. "Zorul-hed, bring me their leader," Sagittarius said with anger creeping into her voice. She held the girl in her hands still. The wound in the girl's neck had already stopped bleeding. In moments the two surviving Klingons were brought to her feet.
"Which one of these idiots rearranged your face B'lor," Sagittarius asked through clenched teeth. The boy approached and spat out a mouth full of blood to speak. "Those two," he said, pointing at two of the dead Klingons. "He is the one that beat Gesson," B'lor said pointing at the man with the severe ass wound. Zorul-hed, anticipating the command from Sagittarius, placed the blade of a Bat'leth under the man's neck. With a slight motion he could have the Klingon's throat slit.
"I have a better idea Zo," Sagittarius said. She wore a smile like that of a Grishnar cat ready to pounce. Sagittarius pulled the d'k tahg she had from her belt and handed it to B'lor. "Turn him over Zo," Sagittarius said while motioning toward the injured Klingon. Zorul-hed forced the Klingon to lay on his stomach then placed the Bat'leth on the man's face.
"B'lor, for the actions taken against your bother, I suggest you dole out this man's punishment. You will stab this man until you can't stab him anymore. Do you understand?" Sagittarius looked at the boy. He seemed puzzled at first but as he continued to watch the Klingon in front of him, he seemed to work himself into a frenzy.
B'lor charged at the wounded Klingon and dived down onto the man's back. He began stabbing the man repeatedly while yelling and screaming and crying. The wounded Klingon tried his best to remain silent, but the pain continued to grow. It wasn't long before his own cries joined that of the boy's. The assault continued even after the wounded Klingon stopped breathing.
B'lor eventually tired and collapsed onto the dead Klingon. Zorul-hed picked up the boy and held him close as the boy continued to cry. The lead Klingon watched in silence the entire time. His emotions difficult to read. "I have something in mind for you too," Sagittarius said with a contorted smile.
The Klingon smiled back until he saw the contorted look on her face warp to an almost impossible degree. It was as if a monster was wearing the Orion woman as a suit of flesh. In that moment he felt fear for what was coming. He watched as Sagittarius picked up the d'k tahg that had been used to kill his friend. He continued to watch with concern as she approached him.
Zorul-hed came up behind the Klingon leader and placed him in a head lock using the dull end of the Bat'leth. "I need to put you down now sweetie," Sagittarius said to the little girl. She placed the girl carefully on her feet in front of the man. Without warning, Sagittarius lifted the front of the man's tunic and unbuttoned his trousers. She pulled his trousers down to his knees and grabbed his shriveling penis.
The Klingon tried to struggle despite his crippled knee but Zorul-hed kept him in place. He tried grabbing at Sagittarius until Nosur stabbed his left arm with another Bat'leth. Sagittarius looked back at J'Eleria with a smile and she slowly sliced through the Klingons member in one easy stroke. The Klingon screamed a shrill scream of pain as he renewed his struggling. "This won't hurt you anymore," Sagittarius said softly. Sagittarius squeezed the Klingon member placing it under her belt.
J'Eleria stared at the injured man for a moment. "This is yours sweetie," Sagittarius said while handing the little Klingon the d'k tahg. "I think its your right as a Klingon to kill this petaQ!" Sagittarius grabbed the Klingon by the back of the head and pulled him down closer to the girl. "Right here, just shove it in right here," Sagittarius said while pointing to the Klingon's throat.
Tears started to fall down J'Eleria's cheeks as she continued to look at the sight in front of her. "Its your right child. It must be done. End him and he can never hurt you again," Sagittarius urged. The girl stepped closer to the man. "That's it. Ram it in. He deserves far worse." Sagittarius urged again.
J'Eleria looked to Sagittarius with concern and then back at the Klingon. She growled an animalistic sound and thrust the blade up. The d'k tahg missed the Klingon's throat and plunged deep under his chin. The blade pierced through the bottom of the man's mouth, severed his tongue and lodged deep into the top hard pallet of the Klingon's mouth. J'Eleria spun around and latched onto Sagittarius tightly. The lead Klingon tried to scream as Zorul-hed cut off the man's airway with the bat'leth.
Sagittarius lifted the child and moved her away from the scene. Zorul-hed strangled the Klingon to death as the little girl cried, completely oblivious to the fact that she didn't give a killing blow. It would take hours before J'Eleria stopping crying. Sagittarius held her tightly the whole time, telling the little girl she was safe. That she had gotten her revenge and that she would not need to fear that man ever again.
"So how did you get back to the warehouse district?" M'Loche asked. He shifted slightly in his chair. He was leaning back in the chair, fully relaxed. The evenings main event was about to begin.
"I had to send Nosur out to notify my ship that we needed evac. The radiation that had enveloped the slums had made coms impossible." Sagittarius sat up straight in her chair. Like M'Loche, she had relaxed in her chair as she told him the story. "Took almost an hour before Hesitant Reaper was able to safely launch from the warehouse district and beam us aboard. The First city was still in chaos, so I ordered the ship to take us to Ganalda until everything settled down."
"So the little girl can't speak, what about the boys?" M'Loche asked as he sat up straight in his chair. His legs had gone completely numb since sitting down but his arms also felt tingly. He tried not to show any sign of discomfort. Shrapnel still present in his back had always made sitting for long periods a daunting task.
"J'Eleria seems to have been affected the most by what happened. According to what Gesson had told me, those...Klingons tortured and killed several people before they started in on the children. The boys are handling it well enough. Its made them closer to each other and deathly loyal to J'Eleria. Still, I've thought of taking them to a Federation doctor to see if something can't be done," Sagittarius said thoughtfully.
"What do they think of the bodies you have on display?" M'Loche asked in curiosity.
"I told them that it is a reminder that those Klingons and any like them can never hurt them as long as they are under this roof," Sagittarius said, whimsically pointing at the roof of the warehouse. "J'Eleria. seems to enjoy looking at the Klingon she killed. Checks on him everyday as though to make sure he can never move."
M'Loche had started to lift himself up, dropping noticeably back into the chair. His arms were feeling numb. He had always been told since his war injuries that he could lose the ability to use his arms and legs. Fate had picked the worst time to rob him of the use of his body at the height of his biggest triumph. "What brought you in for a visit old friend?" Sagittarius asked with concern.
M'Loche locked at the chronometer on the wall above the refrigeration unit. The inspectors and security forces were no doubt in place and ready to make entry. M'Loche had intended to make the arrest himself but that no longer seemed possible. "I always felt that you were the one responsible for the death of my old friend Don'ok. I just could not prove it," M'Loche said in an even tone.
"I have been keeping an eye on you since his death. You have stabilized his house and through skillful negotiations and cunning manipulations, you have grown your assets and influence but you made one big mistake." M'Loche smiled. "You aided J'mpok. You secured the knowledge to locate J'Ula on several occasions and you supplied workers to finish his flagship in time for the attack on Khitomer. You also paid several bounty hunters to catch J'Ula and bring her before you."
"I was only doing my duty as a lesser house in service to J'mpok and my duty as an officer of the Klingon Defense Force. You can't charge me with any crime for that." Sagittarius stared at M'Loche looking dejected. M'Loche watched as she stood up from the chair and stretched. She made no attempt to run.
"J'Ula and the high council are cleaning house so to speak, they want anyone involved in aiding J'mpok to be dealt with. The workers you sent are safe and your house will be absorbed by a lesser house of the council's choosing. The children will also be looked after." M'Loche had wanted to stand for this, had wanted to make the arrest himself. "Elysium Ba'Lera Sagittarius, you are hereby under arrest for crimes against the empire. If you step outside an officer will place you in custody," M'Loche said in an almost slurred way.
M'Loche was surprised by the sudden difficulty in speaking. He looked up at Sagittarius and noticed the look on her face. She wasn't shocked or concerned, she was smiling. The smile was playful and smug. The type of expression he would have loved to cut off her face with his Mek'leth.
"Wha hath ya donnnnn?" M'Loche managed to say while saliva built up in his mouth. He slouched forward, his face almost touching the table. By the time his face hit the table he was lying in a pool of his own drool. He heard the laughter, half crazed with excitement.
"I'm sorry M'Loche. I will not be arrested, not today or in the future," Sagittarius said as she lifted M'Loche's head by his hair and sat him upright. "I have been aware of your investigation for a long time now. A few young bloods at the precinct were more than happy to clue me in and all it took was a few favors," Sagittarius said while making a rude stroking gesture with her hand near her mouth. "You were expecting your colleagues to come in, rifles raised to take me in. Its just not going to happen." Sagittarius sat on the table next to M'Loche.
Sagittarius had already read the call for arrest, the charges, and the evidence. The security officers at her disposal were more than happy to get her a copy of everything before any action was to be taken. After studying the documents, Sagittarius realized that J'Ula didn't even know who she was. Her bounty hunters had never made it close enough to be a problem and the orders to charge people that had aided J'mpok were being used to target political rivals of the new regime rather than actually charge people responsible for any actual wrongdoing. The documents had even detailed how M'Loche was the person to suggest her name for the precinct to arrest.
"To answer your question from before M'Loche, I drugged you. It wasn't hard. The drug is on the table. Its made from a flower that grows on my homeworld. Not many Orions know of its properties but when consumed in small doses over time, its perfectly okay to drink." M'Loche's eyes grew with shock. He used them to motion in the direction of the children. "The children will be fine. I've been giving them small doses since the day I took them in and I've been drinking the stuff since I was a little girl," Sagittarius said, as though she had read his mind.
Sagittarius pulled M'Loche's head back to stare down into his eyes. "You should have just left me alone. My actions don't concern you. Now, instead, you are going to be increasingly parallelized until you are no longer able to breath. You'll die."
M'Loche continued to stare at her. There really wasn't anything else he could do. Sagittarius had defeated him in a dishonorable manner. One he hoped would rob her the chance of ever seeing Stovokor. There was nothing he could do. If what she told him was correct, no one was coming to save him or arrest her. M'Loche's thoughts shifted to what he had done to make all this happen.
M'Loche's security chief was desperate to increase funding for the department and to elevate his position by catching criminals of the empire, people guilty of aiding J'mpok. Once M'Loche had brought forth his evidence and convinced his chief that Sagittarius was the best target for the arrest, the deal was set. He would never find the evidence to get justice for the people that Sagittarius killed in cold blood but he could use a politically motivated charge to frame her and get justice that way. M'Loche watched as Sagittarius got increasingly excited. She was bobbing around as though dancing to a song only she could hear.
Sagittarius lunged at M'Loche, her face only inches from his. "I plan to have Zo take you home. He'll put you in bed and everyone will say that you died peacefully in your sleep." Sagittarius smiled and kissed him on the nose. He didn't feel it.
"Oh, I guess since you are going to die in a few minutes I'll tell you how I got your colleagues off my back," Sagittarius said with glee. "I paid your security chief a visit. After a generous donation, he agreed to drop the charges. He even told me that I'd have to kill you because you had a personal vendetta, wasn't that nice of him?" Sagittarius smiled and watched as M'Loche's head flopped down and smacked the table again. M'Loche lie still wishing he had died in honorable combat.
J'Eleria jumped through the kitchen door, Zorul-hed close behind her. The little girl looked at M'Loche with concern. "He's okay sweetie, just a little drunk," Sagittarius laughed with an over exaggerated cackle. The little girl looked at her with a smile but didn't move. "Don't worry sweetie, Zo will take him home."
Zorul-hed came through the door with another Orion from her ship, Samgiz. The two male Orions picked up the paralyzed Klingon and started to drag him out. They held him high as to keep up the appearance of taking a drunk friend home rather than dragging him out like an animal. Satisfied that the elderly Klingon was in good hands, J'Eleria continued on heading to the refresher. Sagittarius checked the chronometer, the dinner she had prepared would be done soon.
M'Loche leaned back in the seat of a small rover. The vehicle had been built for ground exploration by the Ferengi. The Orions were clearly using it for transport of goods and equipment to and from the warehouse. The vehicle would have aroused suspicion anywhere else in the First City but in the warehouse district it was just as common as any other rover and truck and shuttle zipping around. The ride to his modest little home was uneventful and short. M'Loche lived between the Warehouse district and a neighboring residential block.
M'Loche's view for most of the ride was the roof of the rover. Its pinkish color was nauseating, not that he could vomit if he wanted to. The Orion men pulled him out of the rover within a few minutes of leaving the warehouse. M'Loche watched as he was carried through his front door. He watched as his pet Targ sniffed and licked his face with concern as the two men carried him up the stairway to his bedroom.
M'Loche's vision closed in as he neared the bedroom. It was getting harder to see, harder to think. He saw the door to his bedroom get closer until the door filled what was left of his vision. He watched himself fall to the floor. He didn't hear the laughter from the two idiots that had dropped him. He didn't see them pick up his body and he could no longer process what was happening as they placed him in his bed.
Elysium Ba'Lera Sagittarius sat at the head of her kitchen table. On either side of her were her youngest children. Gesson and J'Eleria were stuffing their faces with the oven roasted Thresher bird she had been cooking in the oven over the last four hours. Klingons typically preferred raw meats or meats cooked rare, but Elysium wanted her children exposed to all the great foods the galaxy had to offer. They could eat raw Targ any night.
B'Lor as the eldest was seated at the opposite end of the table from Elysium. He would soon be admitted into a Klingon training academy for young warriors. Elysium wanted to instill in the young boy the values he would need as he grew up in the empire. The Boy wasn't enjoying his meal as much as the other two children. "You should always eat the food that is placed in front of you," Sagittarius said as she jiggled her glass of wine at him. Each glass at the table, aside from Elysium's had the red colored liquid of a children's drink found on earth. It was overly sweet for Elysium's taste but a fitting reward for her children.
Elysium watched as her children sat and ate and told her stories of their adventures around the district. Elysium was surprised to see them acting like children again, so soon after what had happened. She admired the smiles on their faces and wondered if J'Eleria would ever talk again. After things settled down in the empire Elysium would take her children to a federation doctor. Get them the mental help they desperately need.
After their dinner Elysium washed the dishes and thought back to what M'Loche had said. Making sure that his dear friends house lived on was the furthest thing from her true reason for adopting the children. The day she met Don'ok she truly thought she found a place where she could be happy and have everything she ever wanted. She truly felt that Don'ok loved her the way no other man ever would. It wasn't until he found out that she couldn't conceive children of her own that Elysium realized what he truly thought of her.
She was to give him more heirs, that seemed to be his only concern and so Sagittarius went to work. She formulated a new plan for her life one that would encompass the teachings she received so long ago. Use others or they'll use you. Elysium was now the head of a growing Klingon House and she would continue to gain power and influence so long as it interested her. One thing did enter her mind that she hadn't expected.
Seeing the children in the daycare, it had awakened something in her. She couldn't have children of her own but she had wanted them. What happened at Khitomer gave her the opportunity to be a mother, to satisfy that part of her that always wanted to be a mother. Adopting children would not have been difficult but adopting them from the attack on Khitomer served a political purpose that could benefit her. Elysium finished the dishes and walked into the den where her children played with a deck of cards. It was a simple Earth game called Karma.
Zorul-hed had taught them the game at some point, likely to get them out of his scalp. Elysium took a seat amongst her children. B'Lor pulled all the cards in to reset the game at the silent protest of J'Eleria. No doubt because she was about to win. B'Lor dealt the cards out to Elysium and the others. They'd play for another hour or so until one of the younger children got tired and then Elysium would put them all to bed.
