The Brave And The Bold Book Two Part 22

"It is done."

B'Oraq stared at Worf and Spock. They'd only been "connected" for a minute or so, though it had felt like hours. "Are you both all right?" she asked.

Spock nodded. "I am well. I cannot feel Malkus's influence."

"Good," B'Oraq said.

Worf also nodded. "We shall have to hope that we will be able to continue our resistance."

"Great," McKenna said, stepping forward, "let's go, then."

"No," Spock said, putting a hand on McKenna's shoulder, "you must stay here. As soon as you leave this shuttle, you will once again be attacked by Malkus's psionic blast."

"The amba.s.sador is correct," Worf said. "Logically, the best course of action would be for you to remain here."

"Agreed," Spock said.

It took all of B'Oraq's willpower to keep from laughing. Worf was now standing in a much more relaxed posture than usual, with his arms resting in front of him in a serene manner. In other words, the body language of a Vulcan. Spock, on the other hand, was like a coiled spring. He no longer had the haggard look he had come in with, and he seemed ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Spock turned to Worf. "I don't suppose you have any weapons?"

"No," Worf said. "We were forced to cannibalize all of our weapons in order to overload the forcefield earlier."

"A wasted effort," Spock said with disdain. "Our tactical position is much weaker."

"It was our best course of action at the time," Worf said calmly. "What kind of resistance can we expect?"

"Most of the planet's population has been mentally enslaved by Malkus. He could, in theory, turn them all against us."

One of Worf's eyebrows rose. "Then we shall have to use guile."

"So it would seem," Spock said.

"Indeed." Worf turned to McKenna. "Ensign, remain vigilant. I will take Davok's communicator and use it to contact you should we feel that it is safe." McKenna was the only one of the two Starfleet officers who still had a combadge, since Falce's was used for the device.

Impatiently, Spock said, "Let us go."

"Qapla'," B'Oraq said.

"Good luck," Falce added.

Again, Worf raised an eyebrow. "I do not believe in random chance."

This time, B'Oraq couldn't hold in her laugh.

"I did tell you, did I not?" Rodek said to Toq. "B'Elath sang that wretched song yesterday, and today we go into battle."

Toq looked up at Rodek. It took him a moment to focus on the gunner's presence, much less what he had said. He had been completely focused on the energy readings that he'd been studying for so many hours now. Stealing a glance at the chronometer on his console, he saw that it was time for the morning duty s.h.i.+ft, which meant Rodek was reporting back to the gunner's position. In theory, Toq would have been doing so now as well, had he ever actually departed the bridge since returning here after last night's dinner.

"Oh, yes, of course," he said distractedly. "B'Elath."

"You've been on duty all night?" Rodek asked. The question was asked matter-of-factly.

"Yes. I still have not learned what these strange emissions are."

Rodek took up his position to Toq's right at the gunner's station. Toq was back at his operations console, since the s.h.i.+p was on alert status as they headed to Narendra.

"Take heart, Toq," Rodek said as he checked over his own console. "The famous android of the Enterprise has not figured it out, either. In fact, there is still the chance that you may find it first. That is a victory worth celebrating."

Toq laughed bitterly. "At this point, I would be just as happy if he did find it-just so it would be found."

"Interrogations are always easier when you know that the subject will talk eventually."

"Good point," Toq muttered. "The universe is usually much more reluctant to talk than your average prisoner."

Tereth walked by just then. Toq had been worried that she might reprimand them, but she said, "The universe is not our prisoner."

Rodek regarded her. "Are you saying that we are prisoners of the universe, Commander?"

"We are Klingons," she said quickly and with a menacing undertone, "we are no one's prisoner. We bend the universe to our will-which is why we will always be victorious. We do not succ.u.mb."

Toq entered a new scan into his console. "I wish the universe was our prisoner right now." He laughed. "In the old days, we could use the mind-sifter on-" He cut himself off. "toH!"

"What is it?" Tereth asked.

"Computer!" he bellowed, not answering the first officer directly. "Call up complete specifications for a mind-sifter."

A security override flashed in front of him. Viewing such files required a clearance he didn't have.

"Why do you want to know about mind-sifters, Lieutenant?" Tereth asked in her most serious tone. "They were banned by the Khitomer Accords."

"Yes, but if I'm right, those readings are similar to the emissions given off by a mind-sifter."

Rodek gave him a look. "Mind-sifters don't give off emissions."

"Everything electronic gives off an emission of some kind. You just have to know how to look for it." Toq did not look at Rodek as he replied, as he was still looking at Tereth. "Please, Commander, I think this is it."

"Since such knowledge is restricted, how did you even know to recognize a possible connection?"

Toq had been hoping the commander wouldn't ask that. "I cannot say, Commander, except that I gained the knowledge before I joined the Defense Force." That much, at least, was true. Living in the House of Lorgh for four years had been a-complex experience, to say the least.

Tereth gazed at Toq for three seconds with an impenetrable expression. Then she looked up. "Computer, grant Lieutenant Toq access to mind-sifter files, by authorization of Commander Tereth."

The computer recognized her voice pattern and the screen showed what Toq had asked for.

"Thank you, Commander," he said, gazing hungrily at the readings. "If I am right, this may be the solution to our problems."

"What problems?" Rodek asked.

"Colonel Kira told us that Malkus was able to take over the minds of the entire population of Narendra III. If we can identify how he controls people, we might be able to defend against it."

Toq then studied the readings. The waveforms were very similar, as he had thought, but...

"Commander," he said, suddenly looking up at Tereth, "permission to contact the Enterprise. I would like Commander Data to verify this and confer with him on a possible solution."

"Granted."

Within minutes, Data's face occupied the bridge's viewer, and Toq had filled him in. Tereth had, in the meantime, left Toq in charge of the bridge while she briefed the captain.

"An interesting theory, Lieutenant," Data said with enthusiasm. "However, we do not have any records of the mind-sifter apparatus, as your government never shared them with us."

"I am sending along the relevant portions of the schematics now," Toq said; having antic.i.p.ated this request, he had part.i.tioned out the portion of the schematics that dealt specifically with the emissions. Even the famed android wouldn't be able to construct a mind-sifter with the limited information Toq was transmitting, so there was no security breach. "It is a very close match."

"Datalink established," Data said, looking down at his console. "Information incoming." He looked up. "If I may ask, Lieutenant-what led you to this train of thought?"

"An accident," Toq said with only mild embarra.s.sment. Several chuckles went around the bridge, prompting Toq to add, "Most of the greatest discoveries ever made were accidents."

"Indeed. Zalkatian ruins have been found on many Klingon worlds over the centuries. It is possible that the mind-sifter was created from technology adapted from one of those sites." Something grabbed his attention on the console. "Data transfer complete. Accessing." A pause. "I believe you are correct, Lieutenant."

The screen changed to a more general view of the bridge in response to another speaker: Picard. "What does this mean in practical terms, Commander?"

Data turned to face his captain, leaving his back to the viewer. "I believe that we can modify the tractor beams of both the Enterprise and the Gorkon to emit a psilosynine wave that matches the amplitude and frequency of the energy emissions from Narendra III."

Klag chose that moment to walk on the bridge, Tereth behind him. "You're a.s.suming, Commander, that such emissions are coming from Narendra."

"Yes," Data said, turning back to the viewer, "but it is a reasonable a.s.sumption under the circ.u.mstances."

"Can't we make a portable psilosynine wave guide?" Toq asked. "Then we could bathe individuals in the frequency-it would modulate their electroencephalogram to make them resist Malkus's control."

Klag smiled at his second officer before taking his command chair. "That would give us the advantage we need."

"Agreed," Picard said. "Mr. Data?"

"It can be done, sir. I believe that Commander La Forge and I can replicate such a device by the time we reach Narendra."

"Good," Klag said. "Then, when we arrive at the Oort cloud, you can beam over here and test it on Colonel Kira. If it frees her from Malkus's control, then it will work."

Picard nodded in agreement. "Make it so, Mr. Data."

Getting up from his station, Data said, "Aye, sir," and moved out of the viewer's range.

"We will speak again when we arrive, Captain Picard," Klag said. "Screen off."

Toq deactivated the viewer. Then he looked up to see Klag smiling at him from his command chair. "Well done, Lieutenant. A true warrior goes into battle with the proper weapon-and you may have given us the best possible one."

Beaming with pride, Toq said, "Thank you, sir."

Rodek leaned over. "And if we live this day, we will celebrate your victory over the android."

Laughing, Toq said, "Oh, the bloodwine will flow very freely tonight!"

Vralk was late for his s.h.i.+ft. He had overslept, like a fool. It was all well and good to think poorly of one's commanding officers, but it was better to proceed from a position of moral cert.i.tude. If Vralk was to get any kind of support from the crew for his planned overthrow of the Gorkon command structure, he'd need his own record to be above reproach.

Today, in fact, was when he intended to begin his campaign. He'd spent his time aboard getting the lay of the land, and he knew that there needed to be a change.

Vralk's father had raised him to be a better Klingon than one who simply stood by and let such deterioration of values go unchallenged-unlike Toq and Rodek. And Vralk knew that there simply had to be others who supported him. Lokor, for one. He was a Housemate of Vralk's, so he knew- "Vralk! I will speak to you!"

The deep voice that halted Vralk in the corridor was Lokor himself, the chief of security for the Gorkon. Vralk had always admired Lokor growing up.

"It is good to see you, Lokor, but I am late for my s.h.i.+ft, and-"

"Then be late."

Finally, Vralk realized just how furious Lokor was. His black eyes smoldered, his long, elaborately braided hair seemed to cover his head in a black flame, and all his teeth were bared. If it were anyone else, Vralk would fear that he'd be challenged. "What is it, cousin?"

Lokor spit. "Cousin-pf.a.gh! You are no cousin of mine, you are an idiotic petaQ of a child!"

Vralk found his mouth falling open in shock. "I-I don't understand!"

"What kind of idiotic things are you saying to the rest of the bridge crew, boy?"

"I-"

Lokor leaned in close. Vralk could smell the raktajino and gagh on his breath, and he imagined he could hear the blood roaring in Lokor's veins. "I just had a talk with Lieutenant Rodek. He wanted to know if there was dissatisfaction with Captain Klag in the ranks. If there was concern about having a man such as him in command and having a female as his first."

Vralk let out a breath in relief. "I a.s.sume you told him the truth, cousin." He turned to continue walking toward the bridge, a.s.suming Lokor would accompany him. "You of all people know that this kind of perversion has to be stopped before-"

His words were interrupted by Lokor's meaty hand punching him in the back. Vralk stumbled forward onto the deck. Lokor then picked him up and slammed him into the bulkhead.

"I-I don't understand," Vralk managed to cough out. It was suddenly very difficult to breathe. "You-you grew up with-with Grunnil just as-as I did! You're the only thing that has made a.s.signment to this cesspool tolerable!"

"In that case," Lokor said-and now he was smiling, but it was a smile that filled Vralk with tremendous dread-"this cesspool is about to get much much worse." He leaned in close, his arm pressing Vralk against the bulkhead, making it even more difficult to breathe. "Understand something, Vralk. You're only still alive right now because of me. And the only way you're going to stay alive is to-"

Vralk knew where this was going. "Betray Grunnil's teachings?" He couldn't believe that a Klingon was saying these words to him.

"No, toDSaH-the only way for you to stay alive is to get off this s.h.i.+p as fast as you can. Trust me, you will find no allies to rally to Grunnil's antique causes here. You're in the real world now, boy, and it's time you acted like it. Trust me-keep your head down, your mouth shut, and I will see to it that you are transferred before your hearts become targets for d'k tahg practice."

With that, Lokor stood up straight, relieving the pressure from Vralk's chest. However, since that was also all that was holding him up against the bulkhead, he fell to the deck.

"This is the only warning you'll get, boy. And do not expect being part of my House to protect you any further."

Lokor walked back down the corridor the way he had come. Vralk coughed once and struggled to his feet.

As he now ran to the turbolift, he thought, This place is worse than I imagined. My work is cut out for me....

No, I cannot afford to be the idiot Lokor thinks me to be. I am in no position to effect change-yet. I must be patient. He entered the turbolift. I shall take that transfer, and work my way up the ranks. Eventually, I will be able to show everyone what it truly means to be Klingon.

Kira was having a strange dream.