STAR TREK - TOS - Errand of Vengeance,Book - 1 - The Edge of the Sword

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For Natasha and Tania

Contents

Acknowledgments.4

Prologue.6

Chapter One.8

Chapter Two.13

Chapter Three.16

Chapter Four22

Chapter Five.26

Chapter Six.31

Chapter Seven.36

Chapter Eight39

Chapter Nine.43

Chapter Ten.48

Chapter Eleven.52

Chapter Twelve.58

Chapter Thirteen.62

Chapter Fourteen.68

Chapter Fifteen.72

Chapter Sixteen.77

Chapter Seventeen.84

Chapter Eighteen.88

Chapter Nineteen.93

Chapter Twenty.99

Chapter Twenty-one.103

Chapter Twenty-two.108

Chapter Twenty-three.112

Chapter Twenty-four115

Chapter Twenty-five.118

About the Author120

About the e-Book.121

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Gene Roddenberry and all the producers, writers, actors, artists, and other creative

people who have brought the Klingons to life. This book owes particular debts to two people. First is

Star Trek writer and producer Ronald D. Moore, who has told so many of the wonderful Klingon tales.

Second is Marc Okrand, who created the Klingon language and who has illuminated so much of Klingon

culture and history. His three books,The Klingon Dictionary, The Klingon Way, andKlingon for the

Galactic Traveler, are great fun and were indispensable to me as I worked on this tale. Thanks also to

the Klingon Language Institute for their very helpful translation work.

Thanks to my editor, John Ordover, who had the idea for this cool, new take onThe Original Series

and for his many indulgences.

Special thanks are in order to Michael Okuda, who provided much technical assistance with great

patience and quickly answered all emails that began with “Is it possible to ...” or “What would happen if

...” Many of the good parts of this book and in the two that will follow came from Mike’s advice and

suggestions.

I also want to thank Michael and his wife, Denise Okuda, for their incredible booksThe Star Trek

Encyclopedia andThe Star Trek Chronology. They are wonderful reference books, and I wonder how

Star Trek writers and fans ever got along without them. The Okudas have made theStar Trek universe

richer and more fun for all who work and play there—and especially for those fortunate enough to do

both.Star Trek would not be the same without them. I also thank them for their friendship and support.

Thanks to my wife, Paullina, for her thoughtful comments and suggestions. And thanks to my children,

Natasha, Misha, Kevie, and Tania, for their great patience.

bortaS nIvqu’ ‘oH bortaS’e’

(“Revenge is the best revenge.”)

—KLINGON PROVERB

Prologue

STARBASE 26

FEDERATION SPACE

THE KLINGON TENSEDas he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. His instincts were to turn sharply and

meet the challenge, but he forced himself to endure the insult and relax.

Finally, Kell turned slowly to see an Earther next to him. The Klingon almost shouted out the traditional

Klingon greeting, “What do you want?”, yet his training held. Instead, he made a grimace—no, a smile,

he corrected himself mentally.

Willing himself to relax, Kell looked at the Earther next to him—or the human, as they called themselves.

He was young and wearing the red tunic and ship’s services insignia of a security officer, just as the

Klingon wore himself. The Earther’s face had the peculiar combination of eagerness and softness that

Kell had seen in some of the other new security personnel he had seen.

“Hey, relax,” the Earther said. “I hear that the captain rarely eats new recruits anymore.”

[2]Kell started. In the Empire he had heard many tales about that particular Earther, but ...

Then the Earther beside him cackled—no, laughed,the Klingon corrected himself, realizing that the man

was joking.

“Seriously,” the Earther said. “You look like you’re preparing to walk into an ion storm.”

The Klingon smiled again and forced the tension from his shoulders, adopting the Earther slouch he had

perfected in his training.

“You’re right,” the Klingon said noncommittally.

“On the other hand, everybody’s a little nervous.” The Earther gestured around the transporter room to

the other four new security officers. “Did you hear what happened to the guys we’re replacing?” the

Earther asked, lowering his voice and leaning closer to the Klingon.

Kell cringed inside. No Klingon warrior would whisper, hiding his words from others nearby. Yet for

this cowardly and weak Earther, such behavior was second nature.

Forcing his revulsion down, he simply said, “No.”

Lowering his voice even further, the Earther said, “Well, I heard that some sort of a shapeshifting

creature sucked their brains outthrough their faces. Of course, that’s not what the official log says, but

...” Then the Earther shrugged, which Kell recognized as a gesture of, among other things, ignorance.

“You can’t believe everything you read in an official log—Federation security, you know. The creature

tried to do the same thing to the captain,” he added.

Now the Klingon was interested. “What happened?” he asked.

“No one knows, but the captain was the only one to survive meeting it face-to-face. Somehow the

creature died during the attack. They say the captain killed it[3]with his bare hands. Of course, that’s not

what the official log says, but ...”

“You can’t believe everything you read in an official log,” the Klingon said seriously. The Earther smiled

and then laughed again, swatting Kell on the shoulder once more. It took all of the Klingon’s self-control

not to kill him.

“You’re all right,” the Earther said, holding out his hand. “I’m Luis Benitez.”

The Klingon shook the Earther’s hand, which felt cold to his touch.

“I’m Jon Anderson,” Kell said, flinching inwardly at the lie. It was not the first he told on this mission and

he knew it would not be the last.

“I’m from Earth,” Benitez offered.

“I’m from Sachem IV,” Kell said. He was glad to see no recognition in the Earther’s eyes. “It’s a small

agricultural colony.” That much was true. The real Jon Anderson had been targeted for replacement by

the Klingon Defense Force because he was from an out-of-the-way Federation colony that had

produced no other Starfleet personnel. That reduced the chance that the Klingon now wearing

Anderson’s face and carrying his identity would run into anyone from Anderson’s “home.”

Kell was spared further interaction with the human when two starbase officers walked into the

transporter room. One he recognized as a junior administrator in a gold tunic that the Klingon had seen

when he arrived. The other wore a red tunic and stood behind the transporter console.

The junior administrator spoke. “Please take your positions on the transporter pad.” As the new security

officers stepped up to the platform, he said, “I hope you[4]realize how lucky you are. Many of us would

gladly give up two steps in rank to go where you are going.”

Kell stood at attention like the other recruits and faced the officer, who nodded once at them. “Good

luck on theU.S.S. Enterprise .” Then the Klingon felt the transporter beam take him.

Chapter One

STARSHIPU.S.S. ENTERPRISE

FEDERATION SPACE

THE BEAM DEPOSITEDthem in another, similar but smaller, transporter room. This one had a single

operator and an officer wearing a red tunic with a ship’s services insignia. By the single gold braids on the

man’s cuffs, Kell could tell that he was a lieutenant. For a long moment the Earther just stared at them.

Then he spoke.

“Welcome to theU.S.S. Enterprise. I’m your section chief or squad leader, Lieutenant Sam Fuller. I’ve

reviewed your records. You all have excelled in your training—otherwise you wouldn’t be serving on this

ship under Captain James T. Kirk. Now before we go any further, I have a simple question for you: How

many old Starfleet security officers does it take to fire a phaser?”

The Klingon heard the light titter of Earther laughter around him from the other recruits, but he noted that

Sam Fuller didn’t smile. He merely looked at them expectantly.

“Anyone?” Fuller asked when the group quieted down.

[6]Finally, a very earnest-looking Earther female next to him spoke up. “Just one, sir. Starfleet security

officers of any age do not require assistance for such a simple task.”

Fuller considered her for a moment, then shook his head. “No, that’s not it, but I will spare you further

guessing. It’s a trick question, because—and listen very carefully—there are nooldStarfleet security

officers .”

More laughter from the group. Kell was so surprised that he nearly joined them—there was a very

similar Klingon proverb aboutold warriors.

“I’m glad you’re amused, but the truth is that security has the highest mortality rate in the service—higher

even than careless starship captains. Of course, there are compensations. We also have the lowest pay.”

Then, for the first time, Sam Fuller smiled.

“You remember the words of the great Zefram Cochrane, Starfleet’s mission is ‘to boldly go where no

man has gone before.’ Well, going boldly is a risky business. It is the business of Starfleet and the

Federation that we serve. Getting a whole bunch of different races together is risky. Meeting new races is

risky. And protecting the ideals of the Federation and the lives of its members is risky. But as our captain

says, riskis our business. It is the business of Starfleet and the Federation we serve. No branch of the

service takes greater risks or pays a higher price than Starfleet security. And, as far as I’m concerned,

there is no higher calling in Starfleet or the Federation. Now, does that make any of you nervous?” Sam

asked.

“No, sir,” the Klingon and the group replied in unison.

“Well, it should, but here in security we are not very high on common sense, so you’ll fit right in. Now,

as your first duty officer, it ismy duty to swear you in as members of Starfleet and the crew of theU.S.S.

Enterprise. Before I do, I’ll offer you one last opportunity to[7]step back on the transporter pad and go

back to Earth, your colony, your space station, or wherever it is that you call home. You can take your

expensive Starfleet training and find any number of nice safe posts in the private sector. Bear in mind

there is no shame in doing so; in fact, you would be showing remarkable intelligence and foresight.”

He paused for a moment, looking over the group. “Anyone?”

Kell looked around. None of the recruits motioned to go. That surprised him in a race renowned for its

cowardice. He could only surmise that there were dire consequences for the ones that actually tried. No

doubt they and their families would suffer.

“Since it looks like you are all going to stay, I will ask you to repeat after me: I solemnly swear to uphold

the regulations of Starfleet Command as well as the laws of the United Federation of Planets, to become

ambassadors of peace and goodwill, to represent the highest ideals of peace and brotherhood, to protect

and serve the Federation and its member worlds, to serve the interests of peace, to respect the Prime

Directive, and to offer aid to any and all beings that request it.”

The Klingon repeated the oath with the group, though it burned his blood to do so. For him, taking an

oath falsely—even an Earther oath—was a compromise of his honor that he shuddered to make. As

Fuller spoke, Kell hated the weak and treacherous Earthers even more for forcing him and the Klingon

Empire into this position.

When the oath was finished, he stood in silence with the others.

“Congratulations and welcome aboard,” Fuller said.

At that moment, the doors to the transporter room opened and two Earthers stepped in. One was

wearing a[8]red tunic and the other command gold. Kell recognized that one immediately: it was Captain

James T. Kirk. A dozen thoughts ran through the Klingon’s head at once—he had heard many tales in his

Klingon Intelligence training of Kirk’s treachery, his cowardice, his deceit—but those thoughts were

interrupted when Fuller snapped to attention himself and said, “Captain on deck.”

The Earther was smaller than Kell had expected, only slightly taller than Kell himself.

Kirk casually put a hand on Fuller’s shoulder. “At ease, Sam,” he said. Kell had been surprised when his

fellow recruit, Luis Benitez, had done the same to him. Such contact was unusual for Klingons, unless it

was a prelude to a fight. And for a captain of a ship to behave so familiarly with someone so far below

him in rank was unthinkable.

“Recruits, I present Captain James T. Kirk and Security Chief Giotto,” Fuller said.

“Scared any of them off, Sam?” Kirk said with what Kell recognized as humor in his voice.

“Not yet, Captain, but I will keep at it,” Sam said.

“I’m sure you will,” Kirk replied. Then he turned to the recruits. “Welcome to theEnterprise. I look

forward to getting to know each of you in turn. For now, I’ll trust you to Lieutenant Fuller’s capable

hands.”

Then, with a nod, the captain left the room with Giotto next to him;

“At ease,” Fuller said, and the Klingon allowed himself to relax for the first time, or at least to give the

appearance of relaxing. His heart was pounding in his chest from his close encounter with Captain James

T. Kirk. Though he knew that all of the tales about Kirk could not be true, he was just as certain that he

had just[9]been in the presence of one of the greatest enemies of the Klingon Empire.

“Now, for the next six weeks of your orientation, as your section chief I will be responsible for each of

you. You will train together, eat together, and serve together. I will not accept anything less than your

best at all times, and I expect you to never do anything that will embarrass your captain, this ship, or its

history.”

With that Fuller took the group on a short tour of the vessel, stopping first at engineering, which the

Klingon was amazed that personnel not directly responsible for ship’s systems were still allowed to see.

No doubt the lax security was an example of the bizarre combination of arrogance and weakness that

defined Earthers as he understood them.

Then they saw the enormous hangar bay and something called an arboretum—a strange place where the

Earthers kept plants,intentionally. There was also a large room the Earthers allocated to what they

calledrecreation.

Then, in the upper section of the ship, he saw sickbay, where injured and sick Earthers convalesced in

weakness instead of simply dying with honor as Klingons did.

“We can’t see the bridge,” Fuller said.Finally, the Klingon thought,the Earthers show some sense.

“The bridge is restricted to officers on duty,” Fuller continued. “But I’ll see that each of you spends at

least one shift there in the next few weeks.”

Impossible,Kell thought.Giving access to the ship’s core systems and personnel to new recruits —

one of whom is a Klingon living under their noses. The Federation will deserve their fate when

they fall to the Empire.

Still, Kell was amazed at the scale of the ship. He had toured a decommissioned Klingon cruiser and had

seen[10]nothing near the same amount of open space. Granted, the Klingon ship was about

three-quarters the length of the starship and, thus, was half the internal volume—all while maintaining a

larger crew.

On the Federation vessel, everything he saw, from crew’s quarters, to storage areas, to corridors, to

science labs—which would never have had such a prominent place on a Klingon vessel—was much

larger than anything he had seen on a Klingon warship. Of course, he reminded himself, the Federation

maintained that their vessels were not warships, but exploratory vessels.

That notion, he knew, was at the heart of the Federation’s greatest deception: It called its own gross

imperialismexploration. Meanwhile, every year the Federation annexed world after world, becoming a

greater and greater threat to the Klingon Empire. Still, they seemed to take great care to maintain the

deception of scientific study and exploration—even among only themselves, going so far as to allocating

large areas to sensors and scientific equipment.

Finally, the tour was ended and Fuller turned to the recruits. “You’ll have plenty of time to further

explore the ship in the next few weeks. Since you have your room assignments, your first test of your

knowledge of theEnterprise will be to find your cabin. Dismissed.”

“What room are you in?” Luis Benitez asked the Klingon.

Before he could answer, another voice called out, “Jon Anderson.” Kell had been trained to respond

immediately to his Earther name and turned to see a red-shirted officer approach him. “I need to speak

to you, Anderson,” the man said.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Benitez said, turning away.

[11]Up close he saw that the man was a security officer, tall with yellow-colored hair—blond, the

Earthers called it, though the Klingon people didn’t have an equivalent shade or even a word for it.

The Earther officer smiled at him. “I’m Ethan Matthews, I need a moment with you,” he said, leading

Kell away from the others.

The Klingon barely had time to wonder if he had been found out when the Earther turned to him,

instantly serious and said,“betleH ’etlh,” or The Blade of the Bat’leth.

Kell was so surprised to hear his native language spoken on this Federation ship that he started in

surprise. The incongruity of hearing it spoken by an Earther—no, not an Earther,he corrected himself.A

Klingon and an Infiltrator like me.

We arebetleH ’etlh.And like that honored blade we will weaken our foe with a thousand cuts

before the point of the weapon, the great Klingon fleet, delivers the killing blow.

The Infiltrator who now called himself Matthews noted the recognition on the Klingon’s face.“Yes, we

share the same warrior blood behind these soft and hated faces,” Matthews said in Klingon. “Come

with me,” he said, leading Matthews into an empty cargo room.

“I did not know there would be another on board already. Are there still more?”Kell asked, glad for the

opportunity to speak Klingon.

“We must continue in their weaklingEnglish ,”Matthews said in the Earther tongue, nearly spitting out

the word. “I could not resist when I saw you, but they are not as stupid as they look and we do not want

to raise questions. It is only us, brother. But I do not think we will need any assistance to fulfill our

mission.”

“You have our orders?” the Klingon asked, then he[12]looked around nervously. “Is it safe to speak

openly here?”

Matthews grinned a surprisingly human-looking grin. “They may not be as stupid as they look but they

are just as soft and careless as they seem. There is no surveillance of the crew.”

Kell could not contain his surprise. “I had heard that might be true in our training, but I thought perhaps

just officers escaped ...”

“It is true for all. The Earthers seem determined to aid in their own destruction,” Matthews said.

“Our orders then?” the Klingon asked.

“Our orders are clear and the task will be painfully simple: We are to kill Captain James T. Kirk.”

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