Losira blew him a kiss.
“She is becoming increasingly more demanding,” Kitara complained. “She’s bored,” Garcia said. “She’s not being challenged.”
“What did you call me for?” Kitara asked.
Garcia handed her a ring.
“Is this a human proposal of mating?” Kitara asked.
“No,” Garcia said. “It’s a key. Put it on.”
Kitara really didn’t want to play, but she complied. The ring shrunk to fit her
finger and she nearly removed it in panic. And then she saw the Gate against the far wall.
She approached cautiously, curious about the artifact that had previously been invisible. “What is it?” Kitara asked. “An illusion?”
“No, that is a Gateway,” Garcia explained. “There is a wormhole connecting the
Path Finder to the New Constitution. There will soon be a wormhole connecting the Path
Finder to the SaLing. We will now be able to go between the ships, regardless of the
distance between us.”
“How is this possible?” Kitara asked.
“It’s Preserver technology,” Garcia said. “I have friends in high places. I’ve
given rings to Kletsova, Trini, Rivan, and now you. I will be giving one to Jurak,
Undine, Tuer, and plan to give one to Glor and Gowr. No one else has to know. Even
though only those with rings will see this technology, we can still lead others through the
wormholes as our needs dictate.”
“You have good friends,” Kitara said.
“I am blessed,” Garcia agreed. “I have a meeting with Captain Glor in half an
hour. Status report?”
“We’re just awaiting your orders,” Kitara said. “The Inyar was in this system
about two days ago. It left on heading that might take it to Orion.”
“Very well. After I depart for the Pa Nun, you should take the Path Finder and
follow that lead. But before you do, I want you to leave an Away Team on Sherman’s
planet,” Garcia said. “I want twenty four hour surveillance on that bar.” “It shall be done,” Kitara said. “Captain, I was disappointed you did not include
me in the fight with the Gorns. But after seeing the security footage of the fight, I see it
was a matter of honor. You fought well.”
“No, I fought like a scared, trapped rabbit,” Garcia said.
“Your companions came in handy after all,” Kitara noted.
“I noticed,” Garcia said. “Might have to keep them.”
“Are you sure you want them exploring the ship?” Kitara said. “They have your
access codes. Should I restrict their access?”
“I don’t see the need. They know everything I know,” Garcia said. “If you’ll
excuse me, I need to get ready for a meeting with Captain Glor.”
Kitara saluted.
kjº
Captain Glor greeted Garcia with a hearty laugh and enthusiasm normally
reserved for long lost kin. He led him into his quarters and offered him the more
comfortable of the two chairs. Garcia recognized several of the trophies on the wall, a
plaque from one of the Romulan ship’s he had commandeered during their adventure
together. Judging by some of the repairs and upgrades to the Pa Nun, it was no doubt
Glor’s most profitable and memorable excursion. One of the trophies was a decahedron, no doubt one of the Kelvan that Garcia had reduced to essential elements in the fight. He would have to use the Kelvan device to determine who it was, but he was reluctant to tap into that much power just to satiate his curiosity. Had Glor been more silent instead of
jumping right to business, he might have given in to temptation.
“I’ve thought about your offer to Captain the SaLing,” Glor said. “And I must
decline.”
Garcia didn’t say anything as Glor handed Garcia a drink and then took his seat. “It is difficult not to think of you as a Klingon,” Glor went on. “You should have
offered Gowr the position. I suspect you wanted to offer Gowr the position, but you
didn’t out of respect for me. For that, I thank you. Now, here are the reasons why I must
decline. I’m an old warrior. The learning curve for the Vorcha class ship is too big a
thing for me. Oh, I could do it, but I would always be playing catch up. I know the Pa
Nun. I was born on this ship. I will most likely die on this ship. And I will do so with
no regrets. I have had some good runs. I had always thought Gowr would kill me and
take command, but he loves me like a brother. And because of his loyalty, I want you to
take him. Make him the Captain of the SaLing in this little armada you’re putting
together. He will serve you well.”
“I’m going to need you, too,” Garcia said.
“I will be there,” Glor promised. He drank hardily from his mug, slammed it
down, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
Garcia mirrored this and fought not to choke. Glor laughed and stomped his feet.
“Tell me, friend Garcia. Why didn’t you put Kitara in charge?
“She wants to remain my first officer for a time, earn her way to the Captain’s
seat,” Garcia said, leaving out some of the other reasons, like, she needed to be on the
Path Finder to maintain a balance of Federation Klingon influence in charge of the ship. “She will serve you well,” Glor said, shaking his head as if he understood and
agreed with Kitara’s decision to stay first officer. “She has deserved better in the Fleet
than she has gotten. I think you will correct that. But enough talk of our immediate
social circles. What evils hide waiting for us this time?”
“The worst kind,” Garcia said. “People who believe they are patriots have risked
toppling our governments by re-inventing banned weapons. Two of these weapons were
stolen and I have reason to believe they will soon go on the black market. It is my goal to
retrieve these weapons before they can be used.”
“What is this weapon?” Glor asked, intrigued.
“They are calling them Starburst this time around,” Garcia said. “They’re calling
it that because detonating it near a star will end all life in a solar system. The original
name of the weapon was the Genesis Device.”
Glor was about to say something and then stopped. He put his mug down and
leaned forward. “This is grave news,” Glor said. “Who must I kill? Do these enemies
know what they have taken?”
“I don’t think so,” Garcia said. “Or they wouldn’t be trying to sell them, at least,
not so quickly and not at the price they’re starting the bidding at. I suspect they believe
that these are new weapons that are supposed to be capable of taking out a Borg ship.
And it’s not a simple thing as just firing it at the Borg. As soon as the weapon is
deployed you have to warp out of the blast radius, or you’re just as dead as your victim.” “I can not get you into the circle to buy arms, but I know someone who can,” Glor
said. “I have bought weapons from this man before and though I trust him as far as I can
throw him, if he believes you’re a sincere buyer, he will get you in. He may ask you to
perform a task or two to prove your worthiness, but it will be insignificant task for you.
The only challenge will be getting this all done before the next meet. Very few are
invited to this circle and the meeting place is always different. This contact I have, if he
doesn’t like you, he will kill you.”
“He will try,” Garcia corrected.
Glor roared with laughter. He stood and offered Garcia his hand, pulling him out
of his chair. “Then we ride again, brother. To our deaths!”
“I’m already dead,” Garcia assured him. “I’m just trying to win the game before
its over.”
“Come, we will tell Gowr he must pack,” Glor said.
“One more thing,” Garcia said. “Since you are willing to be a part of my armada,
your words, not mine, but appropriate, would you allow me to give you a gift?” “What sort of gift?” Glor asked.
Garcia retrieved a ring and showed it to him. “I have an upgrade I think you
might be interested in.”
kjº
The Pa Nun didn’t have a shuttle bay, so it was decided to put the Gateway in the
dining hall. They watched as the two Grays Garcia had transported over assembled the
invisible pieces to the gate. As they watched, they discussed plans and drank blood wine.
After Garcia gave Gowr and Glor an overview of his basic plan, which was subject to
change at a moment’s notice, he was interrupted by a call from his First Officer. Glor
and Gowr gave him some privacy and went off to make their own preparations. “Captain,” Kitara called Garcia via his com. badge. “The Enterprise will be
arriving shortly.”
“Thanks,” Garcia said. “Stay cloaked and wait here for the rest of your friends to
arrive. As soon as they do, you should be on your way to Orion. I’m going with Glor to
meet with someone. I’ll contact you when I when I’m done.”
“Aye, Captain,” Kitara said.
If there wasn’t so much riding on him having a successful meet with Glor’s
contact, he would not have been so willing to leave the Path Finder to Kitara. Though he
trusted her, he didn’t want to leave his new ship. But, he surrendered to the moment and
trusted things to work out. With nothing else to do, he decided to go to the guest quarters
which he had used the previous time he was on the Pa Nun. He was almost to his
quarters when someone leaped out of a dark recess, grabbed him, and shoved him up
against the wall. His hands instantly went to the attacker’s throat, but he eased up on his
grip when he saw who it was.
“So, you are ignoring me now?” N’elent asked.
“I’ve been busy,” Garcia said.
“Too busy for this?!” N’elent said, pounding him against the wall using her body
weight.
Garcia broke her hold and shoved her up against the other wall. “The last time we
played, you infected me,” Garcia said.
“We tracked the infection down to me eating wild heart of targ, and we will not
be buying from that supplier again,” N’elent said, leaving Garcia to wonder if the man
was dead already or would be dead the next time she ran across him.
N’elent grasped a conduit and brought her legs up to shove Garcia away, her legs
pushing against his stomach. They felt the Pa Nun jump to warp. Garcia twisted and
pushed in close to her. Her legs hugged him. She let go of the conduit and put her arms
around him, dragging the back of his shirt up as she clawed at his back. She kissed him
hard on the mouth, bit his lip, and then his neck.
“Who were these whores I saw you with on K-7?” N’elent asked. “Just my imaginary friends,” Garcia said.
“You have some imagination,” N’elent said.
“So I’ve been told,” Garcia said.
“Tell me you missed me,” N’elent said.
Garcia was silent. N’elent put her feet on the floor and tried to get out of his hug.
He held tighter and she put an elbow into his chest and pushed hard.
“Ouch,” Garcia said, and maneuvered in a way that he trapped her arm so she
couldn’t hurt him but also couldn’t get away. “You want me to lie to you?” “No,” N’elent said, angry. “I want you to let me go.”
“You started this,” Garcia said.
“I thought you wanted me,” N’elent said.
“I do,” Garcia said.
“Did you even think about me?” N’elent asked.
“Yes,” Garcia said. “But that’s not the same as missing you. I’ve been busy.” N’elent stopped struggling to get away. “How often?”
“What?” Garcia asked.
“How often did you think of me?” N’elent asked.
“I can’t quantify that,” Garcia said. “Look, I’m just here for a short while. If you
want to spend time with me, great. If you don’t, I understand that, too. If you’re
expecting a monogamous relationship and a family, I can’t offer you that. I’m just trying
to survive from day to day and I’m not in a position to offer anyone a commitment. Hell,
at the rate I’m going, I’ll be dead this side of a week.”
“Don’t want a family, eh?” N’elent said, turning to look at him. “Then what’s
with taking in the waitress and her pups?”
“The Gorn just took her as a hostage to get to me,” Garcia said. “I couldn’t leave
her there and chance them coming back for her and her offspring. I owe her that much.” “She dug her own hole,” N’elent said. “She was bragging about her time with
you and that those were your kids. And more than that, she could have been on the pill.” “Yeah. I could have been on the pill as well,” Garcia said. “I’m just as much
responsible for the results as she. And, guess what, it complicates my life that much
more, and now that you’re aware of the complications, you have a choice. You can avoid
attacking me in the corridors or you can finish what you started.”
N’elent pushed him away. Garcia pushed her back. She swung at him and he
blocked her punch and tried to trap her arm but she maneuvered out and got a hit in with
her other hand. He backed up to avoid getting hit as she continued to swing with both
arms. She came at him faster and more furious and he accepted a few more blows to the
head just to step inside and grab her. He spun her about and pushed her up into the wall, twisting her arm into her back to the point of almost breaking it, her head pressed cheek
first into the wall. She grunted in discontent, unable to break free, breathing heavy. “That’s enough,” Garcia snapped. “I’m not a Klingon. I don’t want to play any
more. Just walk away.”
He eased up on her arm intending to back away and she shoved him back and then
kicked at him. He caught her foot and shoved her hard against the wall and then hit her
in the face. She seemed dazed, but not badly hurt. Garcia walked away. He opened the
door to his quarters, making the mistake of turning his back to her. She hit him in the
back and then in the kidney. He turned to block her next hit and she tackled him, taking
him to the floor. The door closed to his quarters.
kjº
The Pa Nun and the SaLing had departed K-7, jumping to warp simultaneously.
They traveled at warp six for ten hours and came out of warp in interstellar space, with no
specific landmarks to mark the region as particularly important. The coordinates landed
them in the black, tens of thousands of light years from the nearest star. The only
significant items for thousands of kilometers was a piece of plastic polymer mesh that
must have fallen off a ship and a plastic container that may have held a liquid soap for
cleaning clothes. Other than logging the artifacts, they paid them no mind. Glor had the
Pa Nun decloaked and then they waited. Twenty five minutes later another ship arrived.
Whoever the owner of the ship was, he was not afraid to have an Orion pirate flag painted
to the side of his ship, and it was obviously well maintained. This ship hailed the Pa
Nun. Garcia was on the Bridge to witness the exchange, rubbing his jaw. No one
commented about his bruises. The Pa Nun answered the hail and the smiling face of an
Andorian appeared on the screen. The Andorian appraised Captain Glor. “Captain Glor,” the Andorian said. “Are you in need of supplies so soon?” “I have a friend,” Glor said. “I mentioned him to you the last time I bought
supplies. He would like to join the ring. I personally vouch for him.”
The Andorian nodded, appreciatively. “If you vouch for him, he must be okay.
But I will want to meet him.”
“He wants to put in a bid at the next sessions,” Glor said. “As do I. Rumors say
you have something hot.”
“Indeed,” the Andorian said. “I think the hot stuff may be out of your price range,
though, unless you’ve been holding back on me all these years. Still, you are welcome in
the circle. When can I meet this friend of yours?”
“We’ll beam over now, if you wish,” Captain Glor said.
“You know my rules,” the Andorian said. “Make sure he abides.” The Andorian terminated the transmission. Glor got up and motioned Garcia to
follow him.
“No weapons,” Glor said, and started stripping himself of his hidden weapons as
they entered the transporter room. “Not even a Dagger.”
Garcia started removing his own hidden weapons, and the two of them together
started making a game out of it, seeing who had the most weapons and who had the better
concealment. Glor won on the amount of weapons and variety, but he was particularly
fascinated with something Garcia had.
“May I have this?” Glor asked.
“Sure. Can I take my personal body guards?” Garcia asked, setting the two Orbs
down on the weapons locker.
“The two girls you came and kicked ass with on K-7?” Glor asked. “Or the one
that recently beat the crap out of you? No. This will be just you and me. I know the
ladies are preferable, but surely you’re not afraid to die with an old Klingon, are you?” “Let’s go,” Garcia said. As they stepped up on the pad, Garcia added: “If he does
kill me, don’t protest. Stay alive and find these weapons.”
Glor hit Garcia in the arm and laughed. “I will tell him that you paid me in
advance to bring him and that you knew the risk. He will believe that.”
They stepped up on the transporter pad and N’elent transported them over to the
other ship. On the Orion pirate ship they were greeted by three men with weapons. They
might have been Humans or Other Klingons, but it was hard to tell which without a
tricorder. A fourth person stepped up and started taking scans with what appeared to be a
stolen, Star Fleet issue tricorder.
“No weapons on them,” the man said. “No, wait. You have some sort of implant.
This is a violation. Turn it off.”
“It’s a neural regulator, can’t you tell that with your tricorder?” G