Stardate 75701.9; September 13, 2398
Episode 89
Edited by Peter Bossley
Written by Chris Adamek
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS
Ambassador Taylus
Drayge
Admiral William
Grayson
Commander Jerras
General Kor’cha
President Ghodan
Makar
Chancellor Martok
Admiral Alexis
O’Connor
Cerebrate Ra’thenn
Praetor Tomalak
Ambassador Tuvok
Ambassador Worf
Overseer Xi'Yor
- IN MEMORY OF -
Jerry Finkle
Prologue
Suraya was the largest of three moons, a barren hunk of craggy, ashen rock that gracelessly spun around the
oceanic world of Minos Tureth. Its
ragged surface was pocked and scarred by eons of abuse, all of it attributed to
the wayward asteroids meandering through the remote star system… And as Suraya eclipsed its twin
sisters—Devoras and Luccius—yet another fiery meteorite streaked toward the
barren landscape below…
The meteor flared red and yellow as it
descended through Suraya’s nominal atmosphere, gradually breaking apart as it
fell. Moments later, a flash of white
light glinted across the starlit sky, and a rain of cinders sprinkled the
surface below… The meteorite had incinerated,
and the moon was spared—but as the fiery shards collected in the base of an
immense, circular vale, it was obvious that Suraya’s safety was only relative.
The vale was perhaps the most ancient crater
on all of Suraya, a barren ring of rock countless kilometers in diameter. The culprit, however, was no longer in
evidence; the vast majority of the incredible asteroid undoubtedly vaporized
upon impact, and any shards that managed to survive the initial onslaught were
undoubtedly destroyed in subsequent strikes on the moon. In fact, the only hint of the killer
asteroid came in the form of a small, barren tor in the depths of the murky
crater—and it was here, deep in this cleft in the earth, that the Romulan
Empire’s darkest deeds were being done…
General Kor’cha sat idly in his command
chair, staring intently at the five domed structures situated atop the barren
plateau. According to the data the
Romulans provided to the Federation, eager scientists once used the base to
study asteroids—and of course, the diverse and wondrous life forms on the
planet below… Unfortunately, over the course of a few turbulent decades, the
research dwindled until finally, the Romulan Empire collapsed.
What a shame.
Today, the base was allegedly
abandoned. The last of the Romulan
scientists purportedly vacated the site during the final—and glorious—battles
of the Elorg War. And though Kor’cha really
wanted to believe these reports—that countless Romulan scientists abandoned
their precious research to partake in the glorious bloodbath that was the Elorg
War—his beating heart told him otherwise.
The Romulans were without honor, and these reports were undoubtedly
teeming with lies and deceit.
During the great and glorious days of the
Klingon Empire, the very notion of such treachery would have been justification
for war with the Romulans. The warrior
blood flowing through the veins of all true Klingons would have boiled with a
raging fury, and the bloodlust to conquer the hated Romulans would have
commenced immediately. But the glory
days were long gone, and suspicion alone was not enough to justify war.
The Chancellor needed solid evidence of
Romulan treachery before he would even consider going to war. And if that was not enough, the myriad
members of the High Council had their own agendas, and if certain Houses found
war with the Romulans inconvenient, even the most concrete evidence would be
called into question. These days, the
High Council seemed more like a pack of Romulans senators than Klingon
warriors—and the very notion made General Kor’cha sick to his stomach.
“We are approaching their defense
perimeter,” called Commander Na’grak from the tactical station. “There is no sign of activity—no indication
they have detected us.”
Kor’cha’s beady eyes narrowed. In his heart, he knew he should linger under
cloak for but a moment longer—then move to obliterate the entire moon. But that would only destroy his precious
evidence—and without that, there would be no hope for further conquest; the
bloodshed would end at Minos Tureth.
Knowing his bloodlust would not be quenched until the bodies of
countless thousands of Romulans were strewn across the bloodied battlefield,
Kor’cha decided against the preemptive strike.
“Bring us closer,” he grunted.
The helmsman immediately complied, punching
the necessary commands into his console.
Within moments, the ragged moons of Minos Tureth loomed ominously on the
viewscreen, the lunar base on Suraya dead ahead.
“I am detecting numerous life signs within
the compound,” gleaned Na’grak from his station. “Reman, Garidian, Romulan…
There are 166 in all.”
“Slaves,” said Kor’cha almost
immediately. The Romulans considered
both the Reman and the Garidians undesirable, and there were likely enough
Romulan outcasts to fill an entire planet.
True to Romulan tradition, these useless citizens were put to work in
the lunar mines, undoubtedly performing brutal slave labor in the most extreme
and unpleasant conditions imaginable.
“Bring us closer!”
As the ship veered closer to the ashen rock,
small landing pads and passageways between the five domes became visible. There were a few communication towers atop
the center dome, as well as what appeared to be a rudimentary defense grid. It was unfortunate those tactical systems
would not be tested in the heat of battle.
“We are entering optimal range.” Na’grak’s curt announcement came just as the
ship was approaching Devoras, the smallest of the moons. “Still no sign of detection.”
“Good,” said Kor’cha with a devious
smile. “Begin collecting our
evidence. The sooner we convince the
High Council of the Romulan threat, the sooner we can obliterate this pathetic
rock…”