Errand of Fury Book 1 Read online

  She could, however, raise the knife.

  When she found her voice, it was strong. “Did you know you were fighting your brother?”

  Karel shook his head. “No.”

  Understanding dawned on his mother’s face. Understanding mixed with grief and pain. A terrible wailing sound emerged from her throat. She raised the knife higher. Karel found that he welcomed the relief that would come shortly. His mother screamed and brought down the knife, but drove it into his father’s desk. Now it was his turn to be confused.

  “Mother, I invoke Mauk-to’Vor. I do not deserve to live,” he said.

  His mother drew in air in gasps, then said, “These bloodless cowards who sent your brother on this mission of lies, they still live?”

  For a moment Karel did not understand the question. Then he said, “I do not know who they are.”

  His mother’s face had set harshly. “Then they live,” she said. When Karel didn’t respond, she said, “And you would end the life of your father’s last son before these petaQpu’ lie rotting in their graves.”

  “Mother…those orders would have had to come from the High Council.”

  “Is your father’s last son afraid of a fight?” she sneered.

  Something crystallized inside of him. He saw it now, his own path to honor, or as close as he could come after all the things he had done and failed to do.

  “No. They will die,” he said finally. His mother studied him carefully for a long moment. Then her control vanished and she reached out for him, clutching him as she gave long, open sobs. Kell did not deserve the embrace, but his mother gave it anyway.

  Such was the nature of mothers.

  Chapter Six

  U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

  STARBASE 56

  2267

  “THIS IS A JOKE, right, Jim?” McCoy said.

  “I’m afraid not,” Kirk said. “The Klingon diplomatic team has made the request. They want the proto-Klingon race in System 7348 to make the choice for themselves. They will either continue as a Federation protectorate, join the Federation outright, or become part of the Klingon Empire.”

  Frustration clear in his voice, McCoy asked, “Did you explain to the admiral that as per our report, the Klingons were using Orion fronts to perform spectacularly destructive deep-core mining? That if it had been allowed to continue, they would have certainly destroyed the planet, which they then tried to do when the Enterprise put a stop to the mining operation?”

  Kirk understood the doctor’s irritation, which everyone else in the room—except perhaps Spock—shared. “The admiral understands the situation perfectly. However, the Klingon Empire has tied the issue to the peace proposal, and the Federation diplomatic team wants to let them make their case to the Klingons in the system.”

  “But, sir,” Scotty chimed in, “that will not only give the Klingon access to the dilithium on the planet, it will give them a foothold in Federation space. The system would be an excellent launching point for an invasion.”

  “Admiral Solow and Starfleet Command understand that, which is why we’re being sent to monitor the activity in the system.” Seeing the disgruntled looks on the faces of his senior staff, Kirk added, “President Wescott himself wants to give this peace proposal a chance. It may be our last.”

  Spock said, “Captain, I must point out that there is a logical contradiction here. Though this is a Klingon peace proposal, until now the Klingon delegation has denied that they are even preparing for war.”

  “Diplomacy, Mister Spock,” Kirk said, “is an art that may be beyond our simple understanding.”

  McCoy muttered something under his breath.

  “Bones?” Kirk prompted.

  “I said, ‘How stupid is the Federation diplomatic team?’ ”

  “I presume your question is rhetorical, Doctor,” Spock said, raising an eyebrow.

  Kirk cut off McCoy’s no-doubt-testy reply. “That will have to be a topic for another day. For now, we have a mission. It will be up to us to keep the Klingons out of any more mischief.”

  “Aye, and something tells me there will be plenty of that,” Scotty said.

  “The Klingon delegation is scheduled to arrive in one week. How soon can we be under way, Mister Scott?” Kirk asked.

  “With the scheduled upgrades?”

  “Those are Admiral Solow’s orders, and I suspect we’ll need them,” Kirk said.

  “The systems upgrades should have at least eight days,” Scotty said, and then he saw the look on Kirk’s face and added, “But if I can pull qualified staff from other departments, we can be ready in four.”

  “You have my authorization. Coordinate with Mister Spock,” the captain said. Kirk could see that Scott wasn’t happy about the prospect. A refit of this scale was delicate and meant using new systems that had never been tested outside of a lab. Scott preferred to use only his own people for this sort of work, and Kirk knew his chief engineer often performed an unusual amount of the actual work himself. This crash schedule meant that Scotty’s own role would be mostly supervisory. Sadly, it couldn’t be helped.

  “Mister Spock?” Kirk said.

  “We can reach System 7348 in thirty-seven point three five eight hours at maximum warp,” Spock said.

  “So we can be there more than two days before the Klingons?” Kirk asked.

  Spock nodded.

  “Any other thoughts?” Kirk asked, scanning the room. Giotto, Uhura, Farrell, and Sulu had been silent, but their faces told Kirk that they were as worried as he was himself.

  “In my medical opinion, we’re walking into serious trouble,” McCoy groused.

  “I concur with the doctor,” Spock said.

  If McCoy and Spock were in agreement that the situation was serious, it was definitely dire.

  Kirk kept his own expression neutral. “Then caution will be the order of the day,” he said.

  “We’ll need more than caution, Jim. We’re going to need a good deal of luck,” McCoy said.

  “Then luck is so ordered. Dismissed,” Kirk said.

  By chewing quickly, Fuller managed to finish his food while Ensign Parmet was speaking.

  “But the Klingons had complete control of the ship. What made you think—”

  “Excuse me,” a voice said from Fuller’s right. He turned to see Lieutenant Parrish looking down at him. He knew what she wanted. Indeed, he had been prepared for this conversation. It wouldn’t even be the most difficult one ahead of him.

  Parrish directed her eyes at Parmet and said, “I need a word with Mister Fuller.”

  “Yes, sir,” Parmet replied, getting up from the table and grabbing his tray.

  Parrish took his seat and said, “Mister Fuller.”

  Fuller noticed that she seemed impossibly young. She was attractive, though she had cut her dark hair short to try to hide that. There was a set to her jaw that told Fuller she had seen a few things in the service already. And the no-nonsense way she carried herself told him that she was cut out for leadership. She would have a future in Starfleet if she wanted it, and if she survived long enough to see it.

  “Lieutenant Parrish,” Fuller said.

  “Mister Fuller,” she said, “I have something to discuss with you.”

  Fuller steeled himself. He knew what was coming.

  Parrish continued, “A few months ago there was an incident aboard ship, and the officer in charge of teaching Federation history to new officers was dismissed.”

  Fuller wondered where this was going. “Benjamin Finney,” he said.

  “You know the case?”

  “I knew the man, and I followed the case.” Fuller had made a point of reading all reports that involved the Enterprise since his son was posted on board. The habit had continued even after his son’s death. He had been sorry to hear about Finney. They had served together on the U.S.S. Republic. He was a good man. Had been a good man. They had seen a few things together. Fuller surmised that Finney had changed after their experiences on the Republi
c, but he had never guessed how much.

  Finney was still in custody now, and Fuller made a mental note to visit him when he was released. Then he realized how unlikely it was that he would be able to do that, given what would probably happen in the next few weeks.

  “The Enterprise needs a new Federation history instructor, and according to your records you are more than qualified,” Parrish said.

  That was a surprise. She hadn’t questioned his motives for being here or expressed surprise at his taking a position beneath his station, as it were. Still, he didn’t like where this was going.

  “I’d rather not,” he said.

  “Why?” she asked seriously.

  “I’m here to serve because I see what’s happening out there. I made a conscious choice to forgo a leadership role in the service after my reenlistment. I would like to remain a simple grunt for the foreseeable future.” He let out a breath; he had used some of his prepared speech after all.

  “I understand and appreciate that,” Parrish said. “I’ve seen your record, and I know who you are and what you’ve done. The ship is lucky to have you in any capacity, and I am very fortunate to have you in my squad. However, since you’ve limited yourself to the life of a simple grunt, you’ve also left yourself with absolutely no say about your assignments. You’re required to follow the orders of your superiors, and I just gave you one. Your first duty on board this ship will be to report to the multipurpose room at 0700 to begin your class. You will find the current curriculum on the computer terminal in your quarters.” After she finished speaking, she merely looked at him expectantly.

  It wasn’t what he had wanted, but as she so plainly put it, he had no choice. “Yes, sir,” he said simply.

  Parrish nodded as if she had expected no less. Then her face softened and she looked uncomfortable for a moment, as if she were looking for the right words. From what Fuller had seen, he did not think that was something that happened to her often.

  After a moment she said, “I served with your son.”

  “Oh,” was all Fuller could say, taken by surprise for the second time today by this woman. Of course, he shouldn’t have been surprised—no doubt there would be quite a few people on board who had known Sam well.

  She spoke quickly. “I just wanted to tell you that he was one of the best and bravest men I ever knew. I served with him quite a bit in his last weeks. We fought together, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. I just wanted you to know that and to thank you for, well, for him.”

  Something came loose inside Fuller and for a moment he knew it showed on his face. He locked it back down—locked Sam back down. He nodded, and when he could trust his own voice he said, “Thank you.”

  “There are a few of us, a few survivors from Sam’s last missions, who would like to talk with you a bit when it’s possible, tell you a few things about what it was like serving with him.”

  Fully in control now, Fuller nodded and said, “Of course. I would appreciate that.”

  As Parrish stood up, she put her commanding officer face back on, and nodded at him.

  “Sir,” he said. Parrish left the dining room. It was several minutes before Fuller realized that he had been sitting and staring across the room for some time. He shook off his haze and got up to dispose of his tray.

  Fuller headed back to his quarters and saw that Parmet was there. Fuller had no doubt that the young man had been waiting for him. Time and duty permitting, most new officers on their first posting on a starship would be exploring the ship. There was something else going on here.

  Parmet got up as soon as Fuller entered the quarters and said, “Sir.”

  Fuller lifted one hand and said, “You don’t need to stand when I enter the room, we’re just roommates. And for the tenth time, don’t call me sir.”

  “Yes, si—” Parmet stopped himself, then shrugged and shot Fuller an embarrassed smile.

  Fuller headed straight for his computer terminal. He had barely an hour before he had to assemble for orientation and the official tour of the ship that would be conducted by Parrish. He would have little time to prepare for his class tomorrow and would need to take a look at the curriculum before the morning. Of course, he would do most of that tonight. Under normal circumstances that would have cost him sleep, but he had been doing precious little of that lately.

  “Is there anything—” Parmet began.

  “No,” Fuller said before he could finish. “I’ve got to prepare for tomorrow.”

  Fuller was grateful that Parmet didn’t ask any questions. He simply nodded and pulled a book off his shelf. It was odd enough to see someone reading a real, paper book that Fuller almost asked the young man about it. But he stopped himself. He had very little time as it was, and he didn’t want to get into a long conversation with Parmet, especially since Parmet was likely to ask questions that Fuller didn’t especially want to answer.

  As it was, he only had a few minutes before the door beeped.

  “Come,” Parmet said, getting up. Fuller turned to the door to see it open just as his roommate reached it. James Kirk stood in the doorway. Fuller could hear Parmet’s deep intake of breath.

  Fuller stood up also as Kirk said, “Ensign…Parmet, is it?”

  The young man was silent for a few seconds. Fuller understood why. A ship’s commander—or any of the command crew, for that matter—virtually never visited a low-ranking crew member in his or her own quarters.

  “Ensign,” Kirk prodded, his voice patient but firm.

  Parmet seemed to wake suddenly from his daze. He took one step back and said, “Captain, sir, please come in.” Kirk nodded and stepped inside.

  “Captain,” Fuller said, nodding.

  Kirk turned to Parmet and said, “Ensign, give me a few minutes alone with Mister Fuller, please.”

  “Yes, sir,” Parmet said, stepping toward the door, which opened obediently for him. Parmet shot a quick look over his shoulder at Fuller as he left the room. The look showed both admiration that the captain had come to see Fuller personally and concern about what that might mean for him. Fuller knew that the admiration was unwarranted, but he appreciated the concern, which he knew was definitely warranted.

  As soon as Parmet was gone, Kirk gave Fuller a warm smile and extended his hand, which Fuller shook. “I’m here off the record, Michael. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was about Sam.”

  “Thank you,” Fuller said. Despite the fact that he had rehearsed this conversation, he found his voice surprisingly tight. He had prepared himself for the words, but not the sincere anguish in Jim Kirk’s eyes. Fuller steeled himself. He could not afford any mistakes now.

  “I can’t brief you yet on his last missions, but I can tell you that a number of people, both Starfleet personnel and civilians, are alive today because of him. He was…” For a moment, Kirk was at a loss for words, something Fuller had rarely seen in the man, even when the captain was a fresh-faced young officer on the Republic.

  Fuller came to the captain’s rescue. “I know what my son was, but thank you. Lieutenant Parrish already talked to me a little.”

  Kirk leaned against the edge of the desk. Fuller leaned back against his own bed. “I planned on seeing you on Earth at the end of the Enterprise’s mission. I’m glad to see you, Michael, but under the circumstances I have to ask you about your state of mind and intentions.”

  “Getting the business out of the way?”

  Kirk smiled grimly and said, “I do my most difficult and uncomfortable tasks first. Something I picked up from one of my teachers.”

  “I presume you’ve read my psych report.”

  Kirk nodded. “And so has my chief medical officer, but I’m not concerned about the findings of the report, which were fine, or you wouldn’t be here. As we both know, psych reports are not foolproof.”

  Was that a reference to Ben Finney? Fuller wondered.

  If it was, Kirk didn’t pursue it. “I’m concerned that you might be a danger to this cre
w, this ship, or yourself. You just lost your son, Michael.” Kirk was direct as usual. And the comment was a fair one.

  “Captain, anyone can see from the civilian press what’s going on. The Federation will be at war with the Klingon Empire in a very short time. I’m out here to contribute in any way I can. We both know that there is a real chance that the Federation will not survive the conflict. I intend to have something to say about that.”

  “You know how Sam died,” Kirk said, making it a statement and not a question.

  Fuller nodded. “I know that he was probably killed in a conflict with Klingons or their agents.”

  “And you realize that there is no room on this ship for personal vendettas.”

  “Captain…Jim…my son died for something. He died upholding his oath and the values of the Federation. I only want to make sure that those things still have meaning a year from now. I’m here to make sure that Sam’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

  Kirk held his gaze for a moment, and then nodded and said, “I’m glad you’re here, Michael.” The captain stood up, signaling that their meeting was drawing to a close.

  “I was sorry to hear about the situation with Finney,” Fuller offered.

  “You heard?”

  “When I was still on Earth. He was a good man.”

  “Yes, it’s a real loss to the fleet,” Kirk said. From the look on Kirk’s face, Fuller could see that the loss was a very personal one as well. How could it not be? Kirk and Finney had a friendship that went back to the Academy. Finney had even named his daughter Jamie after James Kirk. Then, passed over for promotion, Finney had tried to destroy Kirk by framing him for Finney’s own death.

  “The Starfleet doctors will help him,” Fuller said. Kirk nodded. The doctors would help him, but Ben Finney would never serve on a Starfleet ship of any kind again.

  “It is good to see you, Michael,” Kirk said, shaking his hand again.

  “You too, sir.”

  Then Kirk was gone. When Fuller was alone in the room, he felt a moment of relief as he realized that perhaps the hardest part of this mission was finished. He had dodged a phaser blast and would stay aboard the ship.