STAR TREK: TOS - Errand of Vengeance, Book Three - River of Blood

by Kevin Ryan

  Kell found himself returning the smile, remembering the last time they had gone on liberty together—when Benitez and Sobel were still alive. They had escaped both the angry Nausicaans and the starbase brig virtually unscathed.

  Since everyone was in agreement, they headed out of the transporter room. As they left the room, Kell’s communicator beeped. He flipped it open.

  “Anderson here,” he said.

  “Jon Anderson,” the operator’s voice said, “You have a live, personal transmission waiting for you in the communications center.”

  [67] For a moment Kell did not understand. Who would be communicating with him via a live transmission on the starbase?

  “I repeat,” the voice in his communicator said. “You have a live—”

  “Thank you,” Kell said, flipping it shut.

  If someone from the ship wanted to reach him, they would simply use the communicator. The only others who might try to contact him might be someone from Klingon Command. It was even possible that it was a friend or family member of the real Jon Anderson.

  “What is it?” Parrish asked him.

  “I have a transmission waiting for me in the communications center,” he said. “I will meet you in the canteen.”

  Jon took a turbolift to the communications center and reached it minutes later. Back in the corridor, he realized there was something odd about this starbase. Like the previous two starbases that Kell had seen it was, for the humans, fairly utilitarian in its construction. However, unlike the other starbases, it was sparsely populated, and Kell realized that there were almost no civilians on board.

  Because the starbase was scheduled for decommissioning, Kell understood why there would be fewer people there. However, there should be more civilians because of that. They were preparing for an attack, he realized.

  At the communications center, he saw banks of viewers in small cubicles. He saw a Starfleet attendant at the desk and was approaching when a starbase security officer called out to him and said, “Jon, there you are.”

  The officer approached and Kell was immediately on his guard.

  [68] The human was smiling as he reached out his hand. Kell returned the smile and the handshake. The human was of medium height and wore the red tunic of base security.

  Suddenly, he realized that this person must somehow have known Jon Anderson, the real Jon Anderson who no doubt had died months ago at the hands of his Klingon interrogators.

  Kell realized that his mission and his life would likely end right here unless he killed the man in front of him. A few weeks ago, he would not have hesitated, but Kell realized that he would not do it now.

  He would accept the consequences of his own treachery. It shamed him that his squad and Fuller and Parrish and Kirk would learn the truth, but he would not sacrifice the life of another person to maintain his own deception.

  “Let’s talk outside,” the human said, and Kell followed him into the corridor.

  “How do I know you?” Kell said.

  “I’m Alan, Alan Port,” the human said, leading Kell to a remote part of the corridor where they could speak undisturbed. “I am also as betleH ’etlh, or The Blade of the Bat’leth, like you are, Jon Anderson.”

  Then Jon understood. “How did you locate me?” he asked. After the incident in the Orion mine and his confrontation with the High Commander, his Klingon superiors would think he was dead.

  “There is another of our blood on board,” Port said. “He is an engineer and has set the transporter controls to alert us when a Klingon brother arrives. You came on the Enterprise?”

  [69] “Yes,” Kell said.

  “You must have done much for the Empire if the ship is in drydock. They do not suspect you?” Port said.

  Kell shook his head.

  “It is pitifully easy to earn their trust,” Port said.

  It was easy, Kell knew, but this Klingon in front of him had not seen the truth there: that the trust they offered each other was a strength, not a weakness.

  Kell was standing in front of one of his own blood and realized that this Klingon was more alien to him than the humans he had served with these past weeks.

  And yet, to the humans he was alien, a being who had deceived them and they could never accept. A Klingon. A monster.

  “There is much to celebrate, brother,” Port said. “A Klingon warship is on its way here now.”

  “Has the war begun?” Kell asked.

  Port shook his head. “But there is something on the surface that the Empire needs,” he said. “The Earthers have been secretly mining dilithium crystals there for months. I have made my report and now the Empire will have them.”

  Kell knew this, but he was surprised that this Port had been able to get the information to the Empire.

  “How soon?” Kell asked.

  “I do not know, but it could be any time,” Port said. “I was concerned when I heard that the Enterprise was on its way, until I heard that she had been damaged by an encounter with a Klingon vessel,” Port said with pride. “I see that it will be in no position to fight while in drydock,” he added. “Now our warriors can finish the work [70] on that ship and take the crystals. It will be a great day for the Empire.”

  Port grasped him firmly on the shoulder. “With a Klingon ship attacking and three Klingon warriors among them, the Earthers will fall quickly.”

  As a group of officers approached, Port lowered his voice and said, “We will speak again. Wait for my signal.”

  Then Port hurried down the corridor.

  Kell headed for the turbolift. He had vowed to serve the ship, the humans he served with, and the Federation until he died or was exposed. He had vowed to do it to honor the man he had murdered.

  Now, to keep that vow, he would have to take arms against Klingons.

  Kell hurried to the turbolift. He suddenly wanted to be in the company of the honorable humans of his squad.

  And in what might well be the last days or even hours of his life he also found that he wished for Parrish’s company.

  Chapter Six

  WHEN THE TRANSPORTER EFFECT cleared, Kirk looked out at the starbase transporter room. Along with the transporter operator, Lieutenant Crane and a small security team were waiting for them.

  She stepped forward immediately and said, “It’s an honor, Admiral Justman, Captain Kirk.”

  “At ease, Lieutenant,” Justman said. “Again, I’m sorry about Commodore Williams, he was a good man.”

  “Thank you, sir. And thank you, Captain, for sending over your security people. Chief Fuller is already at work with our people who have been looking into the commodore’s murder. And we are coordinating with Security Chief Giotto on the surface. And, Captain, your chief engineer is on his way. We have prepared a report on the status of station resources and an inventory of available components.”

  [72] Kirk could see that the lieutenant was nervous, but that didn’t stop her from doing her job, even in extreme circumstances after she had suddenly lost her commander. The service tested some young officers harder and earlier than others. A young Lieutenant Justman had been tested that way at the Battle of Donatu V and had done the impossible.

  “Lieutenant,” Justman said, “this is my adjunct, Lieutenant West, as well as Mr. Spock, first officer on board the Enterprise, and Security Section Chief Brantley.”

  Crane nodded; then the admiral looked at the young lieutenant expectantly for a moment. She returned the look, realized she had forgotten something, and said, “Admiral, it is my pleasure to formally turn over command of the station to you.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Justman said. “Have your people begun the work I ordered?”

  “Yes,” she said, “they are routing all command protocols to your command post. It will have nearly all the functions of auxiliary control but it is in a different sector of the station, as you requested. We have chosen a place for you in the middle ring.”

  Kirk approved. The admiral was thinking ahead alread
y. In the event of an attack, station defenses and other command protocols could be controlled from auxiliary control, or the admiral’s command post.

  “Where are we now?” Justman asked.

  “We are in the outer ring,” she said. “The station was built before transporters were in general use for personnel transport, so the transporter rooms tend to be in [73] out-of-the way places. It is just a short turbolift ride to ... What would you like to inspect first? The control center or your command post?”

  “I assume the command post would be closer for us,” Justman said. Crane nodded, and the admiral said, “Let’s check in there first. Where are you keeping the store of dilithium?”

  “The control room, sir. It is the most secure portion of the station, in the central hub.”

  “That will be our next stop, then,” Justman said. “Have you prepared the weapons status report?”

  “Yes, sir,” Crane said.

  Kirk was pleased. It looked like the station was under control. As long as the mine and the dilithium on the station were secure, they had already achieved their most important mission objectives. And if Scotty got the Enterprise fully operational quickly, they might have a chance.

  Lieutenant Kyle watched as Mr. Scott operated the controls with practiced ease. The travel pod lifted off from the shuttlebay deck and out into space. The Enterprise did not have the pods, but Mr. Scott had requested one from the station.

  The commander piloted them out into space and took them out past the drydock lattice. The view was impressive. Kyle could see the Enterprise illuminated by the drydock work lights and the site stunned him.

  The lattice itself had its own beauty. It formed a rectangular box around the ship, with openings in the front and back. In fact, because of the size of the Enterprise, [74] the warp nacelles extended past the lattice by fifteen meters.

  The lattice was made up of copper-colored tubing and hexagonal platforms, with enough space between to provide a good view of the ship even from the outside.

  Kyle had been on these flybys with Mr. Scott before, and he had wondered more than once if the chief engineer took these flights because of the view of the ship.

  “There,” Mr. Scott said as he took the pod above the drydock lattice. It had been split down the middle and separated to make room for the Enterprise’s width. The job looked like it had been a rush and the cuts were not even.

  That makes sense, he thought. They are on emergency footing.

  Mr. Scott checked the physical moorings on the Enterprise; then, satisfied, he took them through a break in the lattice. Kyle did not think the opening was big enough for the pod to pass, but Mr. Scott did not flinch as he took them through at full thruster speed.

  Inside, they headed directly for the rear of the primary hull. In the back of the saucer, Mr. Scott visually inspected the impulse engines.

  “Do you see that, laddie?” the chief engineer said.

  “No, sir,” Kyle said truthfully.

  “There, in the reaction exhaust ports,” Mr. Scott said, pointing.

  “No, sir, I don’t see anything,” Kyle said.

  “Have the station people use portable sensors to test calibration of the reaction emitters. I think we’ll find [75] them off a few hundredths of a percent,” Mr. Scott said.

  The dual emitters that provided the force that drove the ship at impulse speeds had to be carefully calibrated. Any misalignment between the two would degrade performance of the impulse engines and could be a potential danger to the ship.

  On the other hand, it should have been impossible to see a misalignment of a few hundredths of a percent with the naked eye. If it was anyone else, Kyle would have dismissed the observation as ridiculous, but because it was Mr. Scott he had no doubt that an on-site examination with portable sensors would show exactly what he said it would.

  Kyle decided to take back what he had thought about Mr. Scott taking these trips around the Enterprise for any reason other than necessity.

  Next, they traveled along the outside and inside of each warp nacelle, carefully inspecting each of the long cylinders. Mr. Scott stopped at the rear of the port nacelle.

  He saw the chief engineer studying the intercoolers on the top near the rear of the cylinder. One of them was clearly warped.

  “I see it, sir,” Kyle said. “The stellar flare?”

  “Aye,” Mr. Scott said.

  “Will the station have a replacement?” Kyle asked.

  “No, but we might be able to put one together if their manufacturing plant is fully functional.”

  Scott piloted the pod out of the rear of drydock lattice and toward the station.

  “Let’s take a look at what they have for us,” Mr. Scott [76] said, shooting Kyle a look. The lieutenant realized that he was staring, openmouthed, at the Enterprise. “We canna stay out here forever admirin’ the ship.”

  “Can they detect us?” Koloth said.

  “We are entering the edge of their sensor range now,” the sensor operator said.

  “Good,” Koloth said. “The Earthers’ fear will begin to work on them soon.”

  Karel checked his tactical readouts. The station had just appeared. A few moments later the smaller Enterprise appeared on the screen as well.

  The range was far too great for even the D’k tahg’s great weapons. Nevertheless, Karel locked the disrupters on target and his blood burned a little hotter.

  Karel had spent months in the port disrupter room as a cooling-systems operator and then as a commander. He knew very well what destruction the ship’s disrupters could wreak on a vessel or a space station at close range. The torpedoes were equally destructive.

  He looked forward to testing the limits of both weapons systems very soon.

  If both ship and station were truly incapacitated, the victory would be less sweet, but he would have vengeance against the Earthers who had taken his father and his brother.

  A damaged starship and an old starbase would not quell his blood’s thirst for revenge, but Karel decided that they would be an excellent start.

  As if reading his mind, Koloth appeared behind Karel and said, “You will have your vengeance. But before we [77] destroy them, we must take the dilithium they are hoarding on the planet’s surface and, no doubt, on the starbase. Then your weapons will do their work.

  “We will board and take the station first; then the planet and its crystals will be ours,” Koloth added.

  “Then let me lead one of the boarding parties,” Karel said. “I would have the Earthers taste my blade.”

  “I would rather not risk you,” Koloth said frankly. “There is much we can do together.”

  “And I will gladly serve with you, but first I would take the vengeance that is my right,” Karel said.

  “You have served me well and I know you serve the Empire above all,” Koloth said. “Take the first boarding party. They are collecting in the transporter room now.”

  “Thank you, Captain, for that honor,” Karel said.

  “I expect you to come back and personally blast that ship and station out of space,” Koloth said as Karel turned to go.

  “It will be an honor that I will relish,” Karel said.

  Then Karel left the bridge and headed for the transporter room, his blood burning hotter with every step. Vengeance was so near he could nearly smell it.

  A few moments later he stepped into his quarters and picked up his mek’leth and strapped it to his waist. Then he fastened his d’k tahg to the same belt.

  Both blades had been his father’s, and he vowed that both would taste Earther blood this day. He made the vow to his honored father and to his honored brother. He made it to Kahless and made it on his own honor.

  Finally, he grabbed his disruptor and made sure it was at full power, and then he stepped back into the [78] corridor and was at the transporter room a few moments later.

  The strike force was assembled; he was pleased to see Klingons from his disrupter room team there. Torg, who had
worked side by side with Karel, smiled when he saw his former commander.

  Then a large Klingon near the front turned around, and for the first time since they had battled nearly to the death, Karel was face-to-face with Gash, his own former commander.

  The large Klingon’s right eye, or what was left of it, was now covered by a metal patch that was bolted in place.

  His one good eye studied Karel for a moment; then the Klingon nodded once and turned away.

  Koloth had said that Gash would be put to better use as a fighter than a weapons room commander. Karel agreed, and he hoped that Gash did too.

  He had come to fight Earthers, not other Klingons.

  Yet he would not worry. He would not let anyone stand in the way of his vengeance, be they Earther or a large Klingon named Gash.

  Chapter Seven

  WEST ENTERED THE ROOM ahead of the admiral. Only after he had done it did he realize that it had been a protective gesture. He also found that he was studying the officers around him very carefully.

  There were technicians inside, installing computers and working inside open control panels. Any one of them might be working for the Klingons.

  Lieutenant Crane was attractive and just a couple of years older than himself, but West found that he could not stop assessing her as a possible threat to security and to the admiral.

  He would have liked to dismiss the thought as frivolous, but he had seen a young yeoman he had thought he knew try to kill Admiral Justman. And the station’s commander had just been murdered. There was an operative still on board somewhere.

  [80] “This area used to be a communications hub for the station,” Crane said. “So all of the circuits we need for your command-post operations are routed through here.”

  The admiral nodded as Kirk and Mr. Spock inspected the equipment. West noticed that Security Chief Brantley was watching the room carefully, as if he was also assessing everyone in it as a possible threat.

  “We should have all of the equipment operational by the end of the day,” Crane continued.

  The station crew was performing efficiently under difficult circumstances, West noted. If they could find the operative—or operatives, he realized—quickly, perhaps they would be able to secure the station against possible attack.