Captain's Honour: The First Heart | By : Kehlan Category: Star Trek > Star Trek Views: 435 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek and I am receiving no money or payment for this story. Any minor mention of real world persons/celebrities is purely fictional and i do not know these people. |
First City, Qo’noS, 2375
Teng’cha Jav spaceport was as always, a frantic hive of activity as ships came and went, the great battle cruisers staying up at the orbital facilities and the smaller, more versatile birds-of-prey coming down through the atmosphere to land at ground level. A variety of smaller vessels – shuttles, work pods, cargo transporters, and even antigrav sleds – flitted amongst the larger ships like swarms of insects. Everywhere, people went about their business, engineers carrying out urgent repairs to damaged ships, crews going on leave or returning to their ships, suppliers bringing in food, including an entire herd of live targs. Most of the animals would be slaughtered and put into frozen storage but a few would be kept alive to provide fresh meat for the command crews of the various ships they were intended to supply. In the meantime, their angry squeals could be heard halfway across the city. Perhaps sensing their impending fate, the targs were recalcitrant, giving their handlers a hard time, and inevitably, one of the animals broke free of its confines and made a bid for freedom.
Crossing the busy thoroughfare towards his ship, Krang epetai Inigan, a lieutenant commander in Starfleet, but also temporary captain of the IKS Hegh’Ta, former security captain of Klingon Imperial Intelligence, and hero of the Dominion War, stopped to watch the chaotic scene. He stifled a snort of laughter as the handlers chased the wayward targ, resulting in a chain of events that strongly resembled something in one of those old-fashioned Earth comedy shows his wife liked to watch. Thankfully, the animal was heading in a direction well away from his own destination. A loud crash and angry shouts accompanied the collision of two antigravs as one swerved to avoid the fleeing targ. Shaking his head, Krang went on his way.
He did not have far to go. Only this morning, the Hegh’Ta had been brought down to the ground to make way for the much larger Negh’Var-class cruiser that had just come into the orbital facilities. The bigger vessel had no landing capability and parking space up there in orbit was at a premium. Actually, Krang reflected, with so many of Hegh’Ta’s systems being offline, having his ship down here made it easier for him to come and go without having to either take a shuttle or queue up for the starbase transporter.
Life for Krang had been insanely busy over the last few days as he tried to oversee the repairs to the ship, liaise with Starfleet who were still technically his employers, even if he was currently commanding a Klingon ship, prepare for his upcoming trial, and still somehow find the time to be with his wife and children.
The trial. It was not something Krang wanted to think about, especially not now when he was so busy, but perhaps inevitably, it loomed large in his mind like some unwelcome spectre of shame and dishonour.
Over the last few weeks and months, the Hegh’Ta had been way out of communications range, hunting down and destroying Dominion ships, alongside the Federation starship USS Endeavour. His mood brightened as he thought of that ship’s captain. It was hard to believe that four months ago, James Mackenzie had been a stranger to him. In that short time, the human had proved his honour over and over again, becoming a close friend and eventually, his blood-brother. James Mackenzie was someone he would trust with his life, and in a few days, when his trial began, he would do just that. He had not wanted his friend involved but the other man had insisted. It was not honourable, Mackenzie had told him, to let a friend go into battle alone.
The memory made Krang smile. It was not the first time Mackenzie had used that argument. The human captain had disobeyed orders to return home, choosing instead to take Endeavour into deep space and fight alongside his Klingon allies. There had been many battles, some of them glorious, some not so. Still, they had fought, killing their enemies with a ruthless single-mindedness that had taught the Dominion to fear the names Endeavour and Hegh’Ta.
Their last battle had been truly glorious. They had fought against overwhelming odds, and had the cavalry in the form of a Klingon fleet not turned up just in time to save the day, then the battle might have ended with their entry into Sto-vo-kor. Nevertheless, they had achieved their objectives, destroyed the Jem’Hadar base, and limped back home battered but victorious.
Of course, the news channels had got hold of the story and they’d been lauded as heroes, even while they were being disciplined by their superiors for their blatant disobedience. Somehow, they’d come out of it with severe reprimands on their record but with their rank still intact and a commendation for bravery. Only the Federation, Krang thought with understandable irony, would both reprimand and commend someone for the same action.
Much had happened whilst the two ships were out of reach – the Breen had joined with the Dominion, leading to the allies losing all but one of the three hundred and twelve ships at Chintoka. It had been a chance modification to its engines that led to the sole surviving ship, a Klingon bird-of-prey, changing the course of the war. Within twenty-four hours of the defeat, Martok had ordered that the same modification be made to every ship in the Imperial Fleet. The result of that had been a string of victories that had led to Martok becoming Chancellor of the Klingon Empire.
Unlike his predecessor, Martok was an honest, straightforward man who did not enjoy politics. Where Gowron, on reading Krang’s file, had decided that the whole thing should be swept under the carpet as though it had never happened, Martok had come to the conclusion that it was in everyone’s interest for it to be brought back into the open and dealt with once and for all.
When word had got out that Krang was being put on trial, the press and the various social networks had erupted in his defence, assuming, not unnaturally, that the charges against him related to his recent disobedience of orders. It was not quite that simple. The disobedience in question had happened seven years ago. Or was it a hundred or maybe even four hundred years ago? It was all of those, depending on how one chose to look at it. Whatever the time-period, the difficult truth was that Krang had committed the offences of which he stood accused. He was guilty of treason.
Author's note. This story is complete in 109 chapters and if there is interest in it, I will post the whole story, chapter by chapter. Characters such as Martok, Gowron, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are canon characters and do not belong to me. Other characters, such as Meth, and the DTI crew are borrowed from various novels. I am making no money from their use and I humbly thank Paramount and the respective authors for the use of their characters.
There will be occasional mention of real world people/celebrities, although they do not form part of the story. Obviously, I am making no money from them and I have never met or communicated with them, or know them in any way other than as public persons. They include various American presidents - Bush and Clinton, Pop stars - Cindi Lauper, and scientists such as Stephen Hawking. None of them are characters as such, just mentioned in passing.
Krang and Chrissie and all the others are my characters, please don't use them without my permission.
Most of this story is safe to read at work and although sex happens, it isn't explicit or detailed. The same is true of the fighting that inevitably breaks out when Klingons are involved.
Finally, a big thank you to my wonderful beta, Linny, without whom this story would never have seen the light of day. I owe her so much!
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