Star Trek #97: In the Name of Honor

by Dayton Ward

  “If it weren’t for Klingons with honor,” McCoy said, “Garrovick and the others wouldn’t have been rescued, and the peace conference would probably have failed.”

  But Kirk wasn’t so sure. “We rescued the hostages, with the help of Klingons, but at what cost? They wiped out hundreds of lives on that planet as a matter of convenience. They tried to sabotage the conference, and they were willing to destroy one of their own ships and kill hundreds more of their own men just to keep their secret. Was all of that really in the name of honor? If you have to kill indiscriminately in order to possess something, is it worth having? Does the end truly justify the means?”

  “Obviously, that is not an accepted value system in our society,” Spock said. “However, we cannot judge the Klingons by our societal standards, Captain.”

  “How can you say that?” Kirk countered. The accusatory tone of the question was not lost on him, but he pressed on anyway. “How little value will Klingons place on life when it’s in conflict with their goals? We’ve already seen how they treat their own people, and we certainly know how they feel about humans.”

  He saw the stunned expression on McCoy’s face, and immediately realized how forceful his response had been. Spock’s expression was almost unreadable, but Kirk thought he saw pain and perhaps disappointment in the Vulcan’s eyes.

  “Jim,” McCoy finally said in a gentle voice, “all Klingons didn’t sabotage the conference, and all Klingons aren’t against the idea of peace.” He paused a moment before drawing a deep breath and adding, “And all Klingons didn’t kill David.”

  The words knifed into Kirk just as he imagined the honed Klingon blade had impaled his son’s chest. Anger rushed forth as he was once again reminded of how helpless he had been to prevent David Marcus’s death.

  “Maybe they didn’t,” he said. “But it was their way of life that allowed it to happen. Conquering the weak and destroying the defenseless; that’s their nature. How many more innocent people have to die before you see the Klingons for what they really are?”

  Turning away from his friends, Kirk stalked across the floor of the lounge to stand before the large forwardfacing viewing ports and the centuries-old sailing ship’s wheel positioned before them. In this forwardmost area of the ship, the plexisteel windows looked outward into the twisting vortex of stars as the Enterprise traveled among them at high warp.

  Instead of the solace he usually found here, he felt alarm at the anger he had displayed so openly. McCoy’s stalwart support should have brought forth reason to battle his rage, just as Spock’s logic should have allowed him to see the detrimental effects of his rampant emotions. His friends’ compassion and understanding were supposed to help him drive back his pain.

  What it could not drive away was the image of David Marcus’s lifeless body that was forever seared into his mind. Just as his son had been taken from him, so too had the optimism that blinded him and made him believe that peace would be soon in coming between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. A few gestures of good faith weren’t enough to undo the treachery and deceit he had seen perpetrated by Klingons with his own eyes.

  So until peace finally arrived, he would be watchful. No one else’s innocent son would be lost because he failed to see the true face of the enemy.

  Staring out the viewports into the void surrounding his vessel, he knew his anger would soon fade. Eventually he would refocus his energies on whatever challenge or obstacle presented itself. But even as the Enterprise surged forward through the vast expanse of space, James Kirk felt the seeds of pain, shame, and hate planted within the center of his own heart, dragging him backward into the chaos of rage and despair.

  He could only hope that, one day, the dream of peace between his people and the Klingons could be accomplished before the dark emotions he harbored finally engulfed him.

  About the Author

  Dayton Ward has been a fan of Star Trek since conception (his, not the show’s). After serving for eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he discovered the private sector and the piles of cash to be made there as a software engineer. His start in professional writing came as a result of placing stories in each of the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies. With Kevin Dilmore, Dayton also co-wrote the Interphase duology for the Star Trek: S.C.E. series of “eBooks” as well as that series’ upcoming Foundations trilogy. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with his wife, Michi, he is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Feel free to contact Dayton anytime via E-mail at DWardKC@aol.com.

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