I.K.S. Gorkon Book Three

by Keith R. A. DeCandido

  “The same way I gained access to this ship—or ‘conveyance,’ as your people refer to it—by taking it from your feeble military. Your Fourth Defensor Mal Rennols gave in very easily.”

  “I repeat,” Jorg said before Brannik could act like a fool a second time, “we have nothing to say to you.”

  “Then you may simply listen. I and several of my fellow warriors, including most of those whom you cruelly took prisoner, have come to take our revenge—and to strike a blow for our empire. Right now, we are piloting several dozen of your ‘conveyances’ toward your secret redoubt—your fourth defensor gave us the knowledge of the redoubt’s location as well, when we captured him in your government headquarters. They should crash within a minute or so.” The strange growth atop the monster’s torso had a feature—Jorg could only assume it was his mouth, since it opened and closed in time with his words—that curled now into a strange rictus. “I am Wirrk, son of Haggar, captain of the I.K.S. Kravokh, and I am here to tell you, first oligarch of the Elabrej Hegemony—that today is a good day to die.”

  Jorg felt his windpipe go dry. His limbs would not move. They wouldn’t—they couldn’t—they—

  Then the world exploded around him….

  Klag sat in the wardroom with Toq, Kurak, Leskit, and Lokor. They all sat in silence as they listened to the transmission that Ensign Kal had intercepted during the Gorkon’s strafing run of the separatist hideout.

  “I am Wirrk, son of Haggar, captain of the I.K.S. Kravokh, and I am here to tell you, first oligarch of the Elabrej Hegemony—that today is a good day to die.”

  Toq looked at Klag. “According to the sensor readings, twenty-four of the small ships used by the Elabrej military were piloted directly into the mountain that—apparently—housed the hidden location of the oligarchs.”

  Klag shook his head. “When we were at Ty’Gokor, Wirrk expressed dismay at our mission of exploration. He felt that it was not a worthy task for warriors. Today, he proved himself wrong—and died as a Klingon.”

  Lokor, who, like Wirrk, was of the House of Grunnil, said, “Haggar was always going on about Wirrk and how far he would go in the Defense Force. I look forward to telling the old man how his son died—it will bring him joy.”

  Regarding his chief engineer, Klag said, “What brought me joy was seeing the Gorkon swooping through the air of the First World like a lotlhmoq bird. I have to wonder how this was accomplished, especially given who was in command.”

  Kurak was sitting calmly in her seat. Unlike past meetings, where fury seemed to be ready to burst out at any moment, she now had an equanimity that Klag would never have believed her capable of, did he not see it with his own eyes. “You have every reason to be surprised, Captain. It was, in fact, the attempted mutiny that can perhaps be blamed.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “When Yaklan, Krat, and Zaloq came onto the bridge, I came to a realization.” She looked at the ship’s pilot. “Leskit was right.”

  At that, Leskit laughed. “I have to say, Commander, that it is about time you realized that.”

  Klag also laughed. “I must confess to a certain skepticism.”

  “Understandable, Captain, believe me.” To Klag’s amazement, Kurak sounded amused—another emotion he wouldn’t have credited her with. “But he told me recently that I was being a fool by forcing myself into unhappiness. And when Yaklan and his band of toDSaHpu’ tried to take the bridge, I realized that I would be very unhappy if they succeeded and more happy if I made the best of my assignment here.” She smiled. “Which is why I took great joy in snapping Yaklan’s neck, and then taking the Gorkon into the atmosphere to win your battle.”

  Klag nodded. “Well done, Commander—and well done, Leskit.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Leskit said, “but I’m sure my reward will come later tonight.”

  Kurak grinned. “You’re confident.”

  “You’re the one who just told everyone how right I am.”

  Throwing his head back, Klag laughed heartily, as did everyone else at the table.

  When he was done, Klag then looked at Lokor with a serious expression. “This brings us to the next order of business. You assured me before we left the Tenth Moon that the mutiny would be dealt with with due efficiency. I hardly call a coup attempt and my second officer in the medical bay efficient.”

  Lokor did not sound at all contrite, even though Klag had made it clear through his tone that an answer that displeased him would result in the lieutenant’s death—as, in truth, might an answer that pleased him. “Actually, Captain, Commander Kurak can be blamed to some degree.”

  The old Kurak boiled to the surface. “What?” she asked with a snarl.

  “Your repairs were finished ahead of schedule. Yaklan and his conspirators were planning to make their move when the Gorkon was spaceworthy. I had not expected that to be for another day at least, and I intended to use today’s primary shift to deal with them.”

  Klag supposed that was reasonable. “I expect a full report on the entire plan and what you intended—and how what happened did happen, Lieutenant, am I completely understood?”

  Matter-of-factly, Lokor said, “Of course, sir. You’ll have it by the end of the shift.”

  Before Klag could continue, Ensign Kal’s voice interrupted. “Bridge to wardroom. Captain, you have a transmission from General Goluk.”

  Smiling, Klag said, “Put it on the viewer here, Ensign.”

  Goluk’s heavily lined face, framed by his gray mane and beard, appeared on the screen. “Captain, the enemy is in full retreat—what’s left of the enemy, anyhow. Only a dozen of their ships are intact, and they’re setting course back to you.” The general let loose with a rare smile. “Feel free to destroy them.”

  “I will, General. What were our losses?”

  “Their weapons were quite impressive—we lost the Gowron and the Azetbur, as well as four of my fleet.”

  “They died well,” Klag said.

  “Of that, you can be sure. The River of Blood is crowded this day.”

  “Bridge to wardroom.” That was Kal’s voice, and he sounded urgent. “I do not wish to intrude, Captain, but we are receiving a transmission from someone who calls himself First Defensor Vor Ralla.”

  Toq shot Klag a look. “From what the separatists told us, that is the name of their military leader.”

  “Put him through here, Ensign,” Klag said, “and tie General Goluk in.”

  The viewer went to a split-screen view, Goluk’s fierce mien on the left and the unreadable form of an Elabrej—this with definite military markings—on the right.

  “I am Klag, son of M’Raq, captain of the I.K.S. Gorkon. This is Goluk, son of Ruuv, commander of our forces.”

  “Then you are the ones to whom I wish to speak. I come to ask for terms of surrender.”

  “You speak for your government?” Klag asked.

  A puff of air expelled from the alien’s chest. “We no longer have a government, thanks to you. The first cleric has claimed power, but I still control our military, and I will be the one to ask for terms.”

  “There are no terms,” Goluk said. “You will surrender without condition to the Klingon Empire. Then we will determine what is to be done with you.”

  Another puff of air. “I am in no position to argue with you. I will await your representative in the military sphere.”

  “We destroyed that,” Klag said.

  “No, Captain, with respect, you did not—you destroyed a military sphere, the one we said was our primary headquarters, but it was truly located elsewhere. It is located at the fourth finger of the ninth arm of the Seventh Continent.”

  “I can translate those coordinates,” Toq said quickly.

  “Good.” Klag gave his first officer an approving nod.

  “Expect someone soon, First Defensor. Screen off.”

  The viewer returned to simply a view of Goluk. “I will remain behind and determine whether or not we should bother to add this mi
sbegotten hegemony to the empire.”

  “Sir,” Toq said, “it might not be worth the trouble to conquer these people. Their wealth is concentrated among a very few, many of whom are now dead. Their infrastructure was already razed before they came into conflict with us—they are now on the verge of collapse. If we do conquer them, they may force us to divert resources to rebuilding them—and I was under the impression that the function of our exploration of this sector was to increase our resources.”

  Goluk glowered at Toq, and Klag wondered if his first officer let his youthful enthusiasm get the better of him. On the other hand, Toq had spent more time among the Elabrej than any of them. “I will take your words into consideration when I investigate the planet, Commander. The Kesh will remain behind, along with the remains of my fleet. In the meantime, I have been in touch with Chancellor Martok. His orders were to continue the campaign, but when it was finished, all the Chancellor-class ships were to report back to Qo’noS. Except for the Kesh, you, Captain Klag, and the others will follow that order.”

  “Yes, General.”

  Goluk nodded. “Out.” The screen went dark.

  “It is good that we are returning home, Captain,” Kurak said. “My repairs were sufficient to get us out of orbit, and will get us back to the Homeworld—barely. We need proper repairs in a shipyard.”

  Klag nodded. “Indeed. Plus we have many crew to replace. Leskit, set course for Qo’noS, and proceed immediately. I wish to be as far from this hegemony as possible as quickly as possible. Execute at warp nine?” He looked at Kurak. She shook her head. “Warp eight, then, as soon as we’re clear of the system.”

  Getting to his feet, Leskit said, “With great pleasure, sir.” He gave Kurak a smile as he rose.

  “Except for Toq, you’re all dismissed.”

  Lokor, Leskit, and Kurak departed the wardroom.

  Klag regarded his first officer. “You did well, Toq. I must confess, I had given you up for dead when we were forced to abandon the First World and leave you behind. You performed brilliantly.”

  Toq beamed. “Thank you, sir.”

  “And you’re also lucky Goluk didn’t order me to kill you for your effrontery.”

  At that, Toq slumped in his chair. “I am sorry, sir, I—”

  “Do not worry,” Klag said, waving his arm in dismissal. “He did not order me to, so all is well.”

  “Sir, what about B’Etloj? She was the I.I. agent who informed Trant about Captain Wirrk and the others. I had a cabin assigned to her, but she has asked numerous times to see you. I informed her that you were too busy.”

  Klag smiled, grateful for his first officer’s perspicacity. “I’ve had quite enough of I.I. for one mission. As I recall, she elected not to stay with her captain, instead leaving with you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Snorting, Klag said, “Tell her I will remain unavailable until we reach Qo’noS. If that is unacceptable to her, she can spend the trip home in the brig instead of the cabin you gave her.”

  “Gladly, sir.” Toq rose. “If that is all?”

  “Not quite, Commander.” He reached under the table, pulling out a bottle he’d placed there before the meeting began. It was a bottle of ’98 bloodwine from the K’reetka vintner. “I won my bet with Wirrk, which means I get to enjoy this bloodwine. I would be honored if you, who saw him last, would share it with me, since he is not here to do it himself.”

  Toq grinned. “The honor would be mine, Captain.” He walked over to the replicator and ordered two mugs.

  “You must be joking.”

  G’joth’s words were the first ones that any of the fifteenth said after Wol finished her story, and he did not speak them until after a several-second silence, during which G’joth guzzled most of his warnog. They sat around one of the tables in the mess hall—Goran taking up two spaces, as usual, with Kagak on one side of him and G’joth on the other. They hadn’t yet been assigned a fifth to replace Trant, nor did Wol expect one until after they reported back to Qo’noS.

  Wol was happy to be back in uniform, and even more happy about the auburn stubble that had already started to form on her crown. With any luck, by the time we get home, and the Gorkon is repaired, I’ll have at least a decent head of hair instead of looking like General Chang.

  After taking a bite of klongat leg, G’joth went on. “When you told us down on the Elabrej planet that you had something important to tell us, I didn’t imagine it was this.”

  Wol shrugged and grabbed a handful of racht. “I felt you should know.”

  “Why?” Kagak asked, spitting his heart of ghISnar on the table as he spoke. “If your House is no longer, what difference does it make?”

  Pausing to swallow her racht, Wol then said, “Because I argued with the officers to allow you all to know that Trant was an I.I. agent. My reason was that I did not wish to ask warriors to go into battle without knowing who they were going into battle with. But by that token, you all should have known that I was born Eral, daughter of B’Etakk, of the House of Varnak.”

  “The defunct House of Varnak,” G’joth said. “Although I appreciate the gesture, Leader, I don’t see the point. Trant was still an I.I. agent—but you are no longer Eral. That was past.” He laughed. “Besides, I don’t believe it. You’re too good a soldier to ever have been a highborn petaQ.”

  “Don’t underestimate highborn petaQpu’,” Wol said, returning the laugh. “We have our moments.”

  “Pfah.” G’joth chewed thoughtfully on his klongat. “No member of any noble House would have been able to break out of that Elabrej lab and run naked through enemy territory—and win.”

  “G’joth is right,” Kagak said. “It is an honor to be part of your squad, Leader Wol.” He held up his mug of chech’tluth in salute.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Goran said.

  “Why is that, Goran?” Wol asked.

  “Because that was the past. In the past, I was a prison guard, but then I stopped. So it doesn’t matter anymore. In the past, you were Eral, but then you stopped. So that doesn’t matter anymore either. What matters is that you are our leader and we will follow you. That is what the fifteenth does.”

  “The big man is right,” G’joth said. “It wasn’t Eral, daughter of B’Etakk, of the House of Varnak who led the fifteenth to the latest in a series of victories, it was Leader Wol. And she is the one I’m proud to serve under.” He raised his warnog mug. “To our leader.”

  Kagak raised his chech’tluth, and Goran raised his mug—Wol wasn’t sure what was in it. “To our leader!” they both bellowed.

  Wol smiled. “Thank you.” They all drank. Wol’s bloodwine was oily and wonderful as it slid slowly down her gullet, coating her tongue and throat. Not Pelgren, but it’ll do.

  “They should write songs about our squad,” Kagak said.

  G’joth snorted. “ ‘They’ never will. Songs are only about officers. I, however, am seriously considering writing one of my own.”

  Wincing, Wol asked, “Didn’t you learn your lesson from your last abortive attempt at writing, G’joth?”

  “Yes—I learned that I needed time to hone my craft. It’s been two months, that’s time enough for me to try again. Though I may try dramatic fiction—I was able to get my hands on some copies of Battlecruiser Vengeance.”

  “What’s Battlecruiser Vengeance?” Kagak asked.

  Sighing dramatically, G’joth looked at Wol. “The youth of the empire will amount to nothing if they remain unaware of the classics.”

  “I’m not the youth of the empire,” Goran said, “and I’ve never heard of it, either.”

  “Obviously, I will have to educate you both by showing you some episodes. I think I’ll start with the one where he battles the Romulans.”

  “He?” Kagak asked.

  “Captain Koth—Koth of the Vengeance!” G’joth grinned. “Watching them has given me some magnificent ideas.”

  G’joth’s grin was infectious, and Wol found herself sharing it.
“I shudder to think, G’joth, what you will do with those ideas.”

  “As well you should, Leader, as well you should.”

  THE ADVENTURES OF THE

  I.K.S. GORKON WILL CONTINUE….

  Chancellors of

  the Klingon Empire

  The Chancellor-class vessels are named after the twelve who occupied the position of head of the Klingon High Council prior to the current chancellor, Martok, son of Urthog. Some of the known chancellors include:

  Kesh (unknown–2292). First appeared in the novel Star Trek: In the Name of Honor by Dayton Ward. Methods of ascension and departure unknown.

  Gorkon (2292–2293). First appeared in the feature film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Method of ascension unknown. Assassinated in that film by conspirators, and replaced by Azetbur.

  Azetbur (2293–2311). First appeared in Star Trek VI. Ascended after the death of her father, Gorkon, in that film. Assassinated by Ditagh, and replaced by Kaarg in the novel Star Trek The Lost Era: Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III.

  Kaarg (2311–2323). First appeared in Serpents Among the Ruins. Ascended after the death of Azetbur in that novel. Died by unknown means, and replaced by Ditagh, as mentioned in the novel Star Trek The Lost Era: The Art of the Impossible by Keith R.A. DeCandido.

  Ditagh (2323–2334). First appeared in Serpents Among the Ruins. Ascended after the death of Kaarg, as mentioned in The Art of the Impossible. Died of natural causes and replaced by Kravokh in The Art of the Impossible.

  Kravokh (2334–2346). First appeared in The Art of the Impossible. Ascended after the death of Ditagh in that novel. Killed in a duel by K’mpec, who replaced him in that novel.

  K’mpec (2346–2367). First appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Sins of the Father.” Ascended after challenging Kravokh and winning in The Art of the Impossible. Died of poison, and replaced by Gowron in the TNG episode “Reunion.”

  Gowron (2367–2375). First appeared in “Reunion.” Ascended after the death of K’mpec in that episode. Killed in a duel by Worf, and replaced by Martok in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Tacking Into the Wind.”