Star Trek®: Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows

by Marco Palmieri

  KURN: Report!

  TAROC: I told you, Captain, something happened.

  KURN: And I told you to report, Glinn!

  COMMANDER KLAG (Pagh): What happened?

  KEGREN: I’m not certain of the cause, sir, but the freighter’s warp core will breach in two minutes if it isn’t shut down.

  TAROC: Captain, I’m shutting down my warp engines now. If you want to kill me, do it later when I’ve saved your precious cargo. Taroc out.

  KURN: All vessels, slow to impulse power. Take up formation around the freighter, pattern vagh.

  CAPTAIN KARGAN (Pagh): Follow the captain’s instructions, pilot. Take up position to protect the freighter.

  LIEUTENANT VIGH (Pagh): Yes, sir.

  KLAG: Captain, recommend we move both Klingon ships ten thousand qelI’qams closer to the freighter. That will improve our sensor efficiency.

  KARGAN: Your recommendation has been noted, Commander.

  GUL MACET (Trager): Kurn, I will be transporting to the Kamich.

  KURN: For what purpose?

  MACET: That freighter was inspected four times prior to launch. And Glinn Taroc is one of our finest engineers. I think the engines were sabotaged, and I want to investigate personally.

  KURN: If that is what is required to assuage your pride at flying a faulty freighter, Gul, feel free. But in case you are correct, Commander Klag, you will accompany Gul Macet to the Kamich. I would know exactly what happened to slow this convoy down.

  KLAG: Yes, sir. Permission to leave the ship, Captain.

  KARGAN: Granted. Kegren, take command of the bridge. I will accompany my first officer to the transporter room.

  Message from Commander Klag, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Pagh, to Commander Dorrek, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Slivin Message from Commander Klag, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Pagh, to Commander Dorrek, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Slivin

  A warrior does not admit to fear, my brother, but I must confess that I am concerned with the way this mission has developed.

  The freighter we are protecting, the Kamich, suffered a catastrophic warp-core breach. Macet and I were quickly able to determine that the vessel was sabotaged, thanks to a security layer that Central Command has put on all of its vessels but is known only to those ranked gul or higher. The Kamich is commanded by a glinn.

  But even before that, I grew concerned. Prior to beaming over to the Kamich to aid Gul Macet in his investigation of the Kamich’s sabotage, Kargan accompanied me to the transporter room—something he has never done. He told me that I had served the Pagh well and that he trusted me to do what was best for the Alliance. I have no idea what prompted such a talk, and I am not ashamed to admit that it worried me, brother. Kargan is one of our finest warriors, and I have spoken for his crew for many turns. Why now does he test my loyalty this way?

  Worse, after we came out of warp, I suggested a variation on the pattern of defense. Kurn had called for pattern vagh, which only makes sense with three Birds of Prey. But the Trager’s sensor efficiency is less than ours, and pattern vagh left us with many holes in our sensor net. I recommended a shift in pattern to Kargan, which he dismissed out of hand—something else he has never done before.

  This proved problematic, as before Macet and I could find the saboteur, the convoy was attacked by a vessel that flew in through one of the gaps in our sensors. Macet is correct. The Terran rebellion simply could not be this well informed. The Hegh’ta and the Trager have been badly damaged, the cargo has been stolen, and the Pagh—the only ship to be left unscathed by the thieves—lost them while trying to pursue.

  Still, Macet and I were able to learn the saboteur’s identity by rather simple methods. One engineer on the Kamich suddenly had more money than he’d ever had before. For a low-paid freighter engineer, it was a huge sum, but it was only a small fraction of the value of the stolen weapons. We are about to interrogate the engineer, but I wished to send this message to you. There are treacherous waters ahead, brother, and I wish to make sure that there is a record of the truth somewhere, even if it is only in messages between brothers.

  Qapla’, Dorrek. If this mission should take my life from me, I ask only that you avenge me should I not die well.

  Transcript of the interrogation of Engineer Pol Straken by Gul Akellen Macet and Commander Klag, son of M’Raq

  CAPTAIN KLAG: We should use the mind sifter.

  GUL MACET: You do not trust Cardassian interrogation methods? I can assure you, they’re quite brutal.

  KLAG: I am sure that they are, my friend, but it is efficiency that I am concerned with. The mind sifter will leave little doubt about the veracity of Straken’s information, coming as it will straight from his own memory without filtering.

  MACET: Only if the highest setting is used. If we do that, Straken will be little more than a vegetable.

  KLAG: I realize that you prefer a defendant in your trial who won’t be insensate, but—

  MACET: No. We shall use the mind sifter. If there is a trial to come from this incident, this fool will not be a part of it. Straken is hardly the mastermind behind these thefts. He wasn’t even assigned to the other freighters that were attacked. All we need from him is who paid him those two thousand leks. Your mind sifter should give us that information. As for Straken himself, he is of no use to the Alliance, so I’m quite happy to dispose of him and replace him with an engineer who would not betray us for mere coin.

  KLAG: Very well. Bekk, bring in the prisoner—and also the mind sifter.

  BEKK GRIK: Yes, Commander!

  KLAG: I must confess, I am not overly fond of the mind sifter.

  MACET: Oh?

  KLAG: I prefer to face my foes in battle. Torture is often the refuge of cowards, a battle where only one of the participants has a chance.

  MACET: And yet our government uses it quite often.

  KLAG: I merely stated a preference, my friend. I also prefer gagh to taknar gizzards, but I will eat the gizzards if that is what the chef has prepared.

  MACET: [laughs] Indeed.

  GRIK: Here is the prisoner, Commander, Gul.

  POL STRAKEN: I don’t understand! I haven’t done anything! What is that?

  KLAG: It is a mind sifter. We will use it—

  STRAKEN: No! Please, don’t! I know what those things do to you! I’ll tell you anything, just please, not the mind sifter!

  KLAG: Do you believe him, Gul?

  MACET: Not particularly, Commander. He’s obviously going to lie to us while pretending to give in, so he can avoid becoming a drooling vegetable.

  KLAG: I agree. It allows him to be both a coward and a hero to his cause.

  STRAKEN: I have no cause! Believe me! I just needed the money!

  MACET: Really? For what? You carry no debts, have no expensive hobbies. Your collection of the works of Tor Yakros is impressive but hardly something that is in danger of bankrupting you.

  STRAKEN: It’s—it’s my brother. He lent me money years ago, and now he needs me to pay him back so he can pay his gambling debts. He lost a lot of money on tongo on Elvok Nor, and these two Nausicaans were going to break his legs if he didn’t—

  KLAG: Enough! Your mewling offends me, Straken.

  STRAKEN: So, I took the two thousand leks. That paid it all off!

  MACET: Who paid you?

  STRAKEN: I don’t—I don’t know.

  KLAG: You lie!

  STRAKEN: I swear! He hid his face!

  MACET: Who did?

  STRAKEN: I don’t know his name!

  KLAG: You know it was a male?

  STRAKEN: Yes! I mean, I think he was a male Klingon. He—

  MACET: A Klingon? You’re sure!

  STRAKEN: Yes, but he never showed his face!

  KLAG: Then how did you know it was a Klingon?

  STRAKEN: He—he had a crest! And he wore one of those long jacket things that they wear!

  KLAG: We must use the mind sifter.

  STRAKEN: What? Why? I’ve told you everything t
hat I know!

  KLAG: You’ve admitted only that a high-ranking Klingon paid you to sabotage the Kamich, yet you do not provide his name!

  STRAKEN: I swear it is true! Please, not the mind sifter!

  KLAG: Your wishes are no concern of ours. Attach him to the mind sifter!

  GRIK: Yes, Commander.

  STRAKEN: Noooooooooooooo! Please, no! [incoherent screams]

  MACET: Is there no way to sort the images?

  KLAG: No. It is why the mind sifter is not always the most ideal tool. While memories are more reliable than speech, they are also not sorted in any meaningful fashion.

  STRAKEN: [more incoherent screams]

  MACET: His fascination with Vulcan women seems to be quite prominent.

  KLAG: My father had a female Vulcan slave once. She had impressive stamina.

  MACET: I imagine so.

  KLAG: You do not approve?

  MACET: I dislike women with such smooth skin. I also prefer my wife.

  KLAG: [laughs] No doubt. Wait! See there!

  MACET: The image is not clear.

  KLAG: But that is the cassock of a member of the High Council.

  MACET: Or the cassock of someone pretending to be a member of the High Council. I’m surprised he even bothered to include visual with the transmission.

  KLAG: I am not. It is not honorable to deal with others without showing one’s face.

  MACET: But he didn’t show his face, he obscured it.

  KLAG: Yes, but no doubt he was able to assuage his dishonor by at least putting up the appearance of behaving honorably. I have found, my friend, that it is hypocrisy, rather than hydrogen, that is the most common element in the galaxy.

  STRAKEN: [screams break off]

  GRIK: The prisoner is nonresponsive.

  MACET: He’s told us enough. Such a waste.

  KLAG: We must report this to Captain Kurn immediately.

  Personal message from Gul Akellen Macet to Supreme Legate Skrain Dukat

  Greetings, cousin. I hope your wife and children are in good health.

  As you have no doubt heard by now, there was yet another raid, as depredators were able to make off with the entirety of the Kamich’s cargo. After a saboteur onboard the Kamich forced us all to come out of warp, the thieves disabled both the Hegh’ta and the Trager with a single shot to each, and they came into the system using a trajectory that we were sensor-blind to in our configuration.

  To make matters worse, Commander Klag and I interrogated the Kamich’s saboteur, and he revealed that the person who paid him to perform the sabotage was apparently a member of the Klingon High Council.

  I don’t need to tell you what this might mean.

  Kurn, of course, is as giddy as a child. I suspect that he now is setting his sights higher than the Gorkon. He may be angling for the High Council seat of whoever it is who is plotting against the Regent.

  We are working hard to repair our vessels. The only ship that was left undamaged was Captain Kargan’s ship, the Pagh, but they then lost the thieves.

  My concern is this: Commander Klag, Kargan’s first officer—and a good man, I might add; he aided me in the interrogation of the saboteur—suggested a different alignment to defend the Kamich, which Kargan then ignored. Had he listened to his first officer, the thieves would have been detected. Furthermore, the Pagh was never fired upon, and then they lost the thieves when pursuing them.

  Kargan is a member of the House of K’Tal. I don’t need to tell you where my suspicions are leading me.

  I have not shared this suspicion with Kurn. It’s possible—likely, even—that he has come to a similar conclusion, but if he has not, I do not wish to give him the opportunity to use my conclusions once again for his own purposes.

  However, I suggest that you alert Legate Damar to keep an eye on K’Tal. I, meanwhile, will do the same for Kurn and Kargan both.

  Message from Commander Klag, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Pagh, to Commander Dorrek, son of M’Raq, on the I.K.S. Slivin

  Something has happened, brother, and once again I am forced to confide in you so that I can be assured that somewhere there will be a record of what has truly happened.

  The Pagh has been searching for the thieves who stole the weaponry from the Kamich while that ship, as well as the Trager and the Hegh’ta, effect repairs. Tonight, when my duty time ended, I found a padd in my cabin. It contained navigational data regarding the thieves’ course.

  To my shock, they spelled out the precise course the vessel was on when the Pagh lost them, from which it is quite simple to determine their destination. There is also an access code on the padd, though I know not what it provides access to.

  I do not know who has provided this intelligence to me. Obviously, I must make use of it. But someone has granted me this without showing his face.

  And I have other suspicions as well. The Pagh is a fine ship and Kargan a great captain. I find it difficult to believe that they could lose a vessel of thieves. (I was offship with Macet, interrogating the saboteur of the Kamich, when the pursuit took place.) That saboteur revealed that he was hired by a member of the Klingon High Council—or, at least, someone pretending to be a councillor. The head of Kargan’s House also serves on the council. And Kargan did not accept my recommendations for the realignment of our defenses, which left us vulnerable.

  I have served Kargan loyally for many turns now. I do not wish to believe this of him. But if he has betrayed the Regent, then I will be forced to kill him.

  The only question is whether or not the House of K’Tal’s paid qutluch would then repay me in kind.

  I will wait until I know Kargan is not on the bridge and then call Kurn and Macet simultaneously while summoning Kargan. This way, I know that it will be brought to all three at once. We will see where it leads us.

  Transcript of communications logs of the I.K.S. Pagh, while communicating with the I.K.S. Hegh’ta and the Central Command vessel Trager

  COMMANDER KLAG (Pagh): Kegren, open a channel to the Hegh’ta and the Trager both, and summon Captain Kargan to the bridge.

  LIEUTENANT KEGREN (Pagh): Yes, Commander. Captain Kargan, to the bridge.

  CAPTAIN KURN (Hegh’ta): What do you want, Commander?

  GUL MACET (Trager): Have you learned something, Klag?

  CAPTAIN KARGAN (Pagh): Why have you summoned me, Commander?

  KLAG: I have determined the course that the thieves took.

  KURN: What? How?

  KLAG: I spent much of the night studying the navigation logs from the Pagh’s pursuit. The thieves took an evasive course, but I was eventually able to determine its pattern. They could only have had one destination: the Marcan system. There is one habitable planet in that system.

  KURN: Yes, the fifth one. I know that world. It is on the outskirts of the Allicar sector. Quvatlh! We have lost hours to these petaQpu’!

  MACET: We must proceed there immediately. The Trager’s repairs are not complete, but we once again have warp drive, and the weapons will be ready by the time we arrive at Marcan.

  KURN: Our warp drive is still not repaired. We will remain here and join you when we are able. In the meantime, Macet, you and Kargan will proceed to Marcan and find these thieves. Screen off!

  Message from Captain Kurn, son of Mogh, on the I.K.S. Hegh’ta, to Commander Drex, son of Martok, the House Martok estate, Qo’noS

  Our plans may have changed, my friend. I believe that the House of K’Tal may be the ones who plot against the Alliance. If that is so, then Kargan is the one who betrays us—and K’Tal’s request that the Pagh be part of our convoy makes more sense. We only know this much because of the interrogation performed by Macet and Klag. I still do not trust Macet, but Klag may be a useful ally, especially if he may be turned against his captain.

  If all goes according to plan, then I may well be rewarded with a seat on the Council, rather than simply be given my own ship. If that is the case, then I will do all in my power to make sure that you receive comman
d of the Gorkon. If he continues to be useful, I will recommend that Klag be your first officer. Also, General Talak is part of that house—if he is indeed a traitor, then your father’s position will improve also.

  Unfortunately, the Hegh’ta is still under repairs, so I have been forced to send the Trager and the Pagh to Marcan V ahead of me. I need you to find a way to alert your father and have him send a ship that we know is loyal to take control of the situation if the Hegh’ta’s repairs are not complete in time.

  This will be a great day for both of us, my friend. For too long, we have lived in the shadow of our family members. Soon, we will remind the Alliance that there are others in the House of Worf and the House of Martok…

  Transcript of communications logs of the I.K.S. Pagh, while communicating with the landing party on Marcan V and the Central Command vessel Trager

  COMMANDER KLAG (Marcan V): We have transported down safely, Captain.

  CAPTAIN KARGAN (Pagh): Move quickly, Commander. We have detected other ships approaching the system.

  GUL MACET (Trager): Confirmed. One of them matches the configuration of the ship that attacked the convoy.

  LEADER VEKMA (Marcan V): No life signs, Commander.

  KLAG: Very well. Secure the rest of—[sound of disruptor fire] [screams]

  MACET: Klag, what is happening?

  KARGAN: Report, Commander! [more sounds of disruptor fire]

  KLAG: Lower your weapon, Leader!

  VEKMA: I’m sorry, Commander, but I cannot do that.

  LIEUTENANT KEGREN (Pagh): Captain, enemy vessels on attack vector! They’re arming disruptors.

  MACET: Klag, what’s happening?

  [more sounds of disruptor fire]

  BEKK WOL (Marcan V): Commander, are you all right?

  KLAG: Well enough, Bekk. Thank you for—for your loyalty. Captain, Leader Vekma and three of her squad took arms against me. My—my right arm has been lost. Bekk Wol has—has saved my life. I—I will now carry out—out my mission.

  MACET: Klag, wait, there may be—

  KARGAN: Be silent, Macet! Commander Klag will continue his mission.

  MACET: Why, Kargan, because your assassins failed?