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Stardate 95473.4
Security Level 2 - Confidential  TO LCDR Nim, Vera CC CMDR Kermit, James; LCDR Sakkhet FROM LCDR H’ajah SUBJ A SURPLUS OF BLADES: WHEREIN OUR HEROINE MAKES AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY AND CONFRONTS A DIRE THREAT |
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THE BLADE DRIPPED WITH VISCOUS FUSCHIA BLOOD, GLINTING UNDER THE HARSH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. THE DASTARDLY D'GHUST, DRUNK ON THE ADULATION OF HIS NEW FOLLOWERS, THRUST HIS WEAPON SKYWARD AND DECLARED BEFORE ALL THAT K'ATHON, THEIR LIEGE, WAS DEAD--AND THAT THE HOUSE OF MABH WAS NO MORE. INVOKING THE ANCIENT RITE OF SUCCESSION, D'GHUST LAID CLAIM TO K'ATHON'S BELONGINGS AND FOLLOWERS. IT WAS HIS MOMENT OF TRIUMPH. D'GHUST ASKED THE ASSEMBLED THRONG IF ANY DARED TO CHALLENGE HIS RIGHT TO LEAD.
THE ONE WHO STEPPED FORWARD WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF MABH. IT WAS NOT A KLINGON AT ALL. THE CHALLENGER WAS ESHKA BELES, DAUGHTER OF ORDIS, HEROINE OF THE BATTLE OF DEEP SPACE 13. THOUGH SMALL OF STATURE AND FRAIL OF FRAME, THE LITTLE BETAZOID'S COURAGE WAS INDOMITABLE. WITH WEAPON DRAWN, SHE FACED DOWN THE WICKED D'GUST, FLUSH WITH NEWFOUND POWER AND SURROUNDED BY HIS NEW FOLLOWERS. NO DOUBT SHE WOULD HAVE DIED BRAVELY, IF SHE HAD FACED THEM ALONE. THERE WAS NO NEED.
ESHKA WAS JOINED BY TWO COMPANIONS AS BRAVE AND STALWART AS SHE: THE MYSTERIOUS CORAK GHEMOR, A CARDASSIAN GUL AND MOUNTAIN OF A MAN; AND I, H'AJAH, DAUGHTER OF SHAL, OF HOUSE CARGH IN EXILE, TELLER OF TALES, SINGER OF SONGS, HERALD OF HIDDEN TRUTHS. WE THREE STOOD AGAINST THE MULTITUDE, READY TO FIGHT FOR THE HONOR OF K'ATHON. YET EVEN HEROES SUCH AS WE COULD NOT HOPE TO PREVAIL AGAINST SUCH NUMBERS. OUR DOOM WAS ALL BUT CERTAIN.
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JUST AN HOUR BEFORE, I HAD BEEN BENDING A RECALCITRANT REPLICATOR TO MY WILL. RESPONDING TO A REQUEST FROM THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT, I WAS INVESTIGATING THE MEANS BY WHICH SOME ROGUE HAD SUBVERTED THE INTENDED FUNCTION OF THIS REPLICATOR. THE UNIT IN QUESTION WAS IN THE QUARTERS ASSIGNED TO THE ABBOT OF THE PILGRIMS OF THE RIVER OF TIME, WHO HAD FALLEN VICTIM TO AN ATTEMPT ON THIS LIFE. (PREVIOUSLY, THESE QUARTERS HAD BELONGED TO YOUR HUMBLE NARRATOR, BUT THEY WERE STOLEN AWAY BY TREACHERY. THAT IS A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY, HOWEVER.) SOME MISCREANT HAD ERASED SEVERAL HOURS OF THIS REPLICATOR'S LOGS, AND HAD BYPASSED THE SECURITY LOCKOUT ROUTINES INSTALLED BY TAMPERING WITH THE TERMINAL'S ISOLINEAR CHIPS.
HOWEVER, THROUGH DILIGENT AND METICULOUS INVESTIGATION, I DISCOVERED THAT THE SABOTEUR HAD NEGLECTED TO PURGE THE REPLICATOR'S PATTERN BUFFER; SEVERAL RECENT PATTERNS WERE STILL RESIDENT IN THE BUFFER, REVEALING THE CRIMINAL'S ILL DEEDS. TWO BUFFERED PATTERNS ARE OF NOTE TO THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ABBOT'S ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION: A POT OF VULCAN SPICE TEA LACED WITH SOME UNUSUAL CHEMICAL COMPOUND, AND A D'K TAHG DAGGER. NO DOUBT THESE PATTERNS, WHICH I SWIFTLY BACKED UP TO PORTABLE STORAGE, WILL BE OF SIGNIFICANT INTEREST TO THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION.
NO SOONER HAD I COMPLETED MY BACKUP THAN I HEARD THE TREAD OF HEAVY FEET OUTSIDE THE DOOR. WITH CAUTION AND TACT, I CONFRONTED THE INTERLOPER, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT IT WAS THE ABBOT'S OWN HEAD OF SECURITY, K'ATHON. HEAVY WAS THIS OLD KLINGON'S BURDEN, FOR HE HAD FAILED TO UPHOLD HIS OATH TO PROTECT HIS CHARGE. TORN BETWEEN PITY AND CONTEMPT, I URGED THE FALLEN WARRIOR TO REDEEM HIMSELF BY HELPING THE INVESTIGATORS EXPOSE THE ASSASSIN. ALMOST AS IF SUMMONED BY INVOCATION, THEY REVEALED THEMSELVES.
THEY WERE THREE; KLINGONS OF THE MOST SHAMEFUL SORT. HONORLESS, COWARDLY AND VICIOUS, THEY ATTACKED AS A PACK OF WILD TARGS. WHILE I GRAPPLED WITH THE FIERCEST OF THE THREE, ANOTHER RESTRAINED K'ATHON, TOO OLD AND INFIRM TO PROTECT HIMSELF. THE THIRD, D'GHUST, DREW A D'K TAHG OF HIS OWN. NO CHALLENGE WAS ISSUED. NO DUEL DECLARED. WITHOUT A SHRED OF HONOR OR DECENCY, D'GHUST BURIED THE BLADE UP TO THE HILT IN HIS RIGHTFUL HOUSE LIEGE.
BLINDED BY RAGE, I SUBDUED MY ATTACKER, ASSISTED SOMEWHAT BY THE TIMELY ARRIVAL OF JAMES KERMIT, SON OF JACOB, AS WELL AS ESHKA AND CORAK. TOGETHER WE TURNED THE TIDE OF THE BATTLE, BUT IN THE CHAOS OF THE MELEE, D'GHUST WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE. ESHKA GAVE CHASE. I WENT TO K'ATHON'S SIDE AND SWORE TO HIM THAT I WOULD AVENGE THIS VILE CRIME. WITH CORAK IN TOW, I SET OUT TO JOIN ESHKA IN PURSUIT OF THE VILLAIN D'GHUST.
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WE THREE STOOD AGAINST THE MULTITUDE, READY TO FIGHT FOR THE HONOR OF K'ATHON. YET EVEN HEROES SUCH AS WE COULD NOT HOPE TO PREVAIL AGAINST SUCH NUMBERS. OUR DOOM WAS ALL BUT CERTAIN. WE HAD BUT ONE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL: TO SEVER D'GHUST FROM HIS WARRIORS, AS A HEAD IS HEWN FROM THE SHOULDERS. MY HANDS WERE EMPTY; I HAD NO WEAPON BUT MY WORDS. YET MY WORDS ARE SHARPER THAN ANY BLADE YET FORGED, AND SO I PUT THEM TO WORK.
BEFORE THE ASSEMBLED FORCES OF HOUSE MABH, I EXPOSED D'GHUST'S LIES, HONING MY ACCUSATION TO A POINT WHICH I COULD DRIVE STRAIGHT THROUGH HIS HEART. VIVIDLY DID I DESCRIBE THE LOW TREACHERY OF D'GHUST'S ATTACK ON K'ATHON; INCISIVELY DID I REFUTE HIS CRAVEN LIES. MY WORDS SHOOK THE COURAGE OF THE PRETENDER AND BROUGHT TEARS TO THE EYES OF HARDENED VETERANS OF COUNTLESS BATTLES. SO MOVED WERE THE ASSEMBLED WARRIORS THAT NOT A SINGLE ONE WOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR FALSE LIEGE. ALONE, ABANDONED, ASHAMED, D'GHUST RUSHED FORWARD IN A BLIND RAGE, INTENDING TO STRIKE YOUR HEROIC NARRATOR DOWN.
ESHKA SHOT HIM DOWN LIKE THE TARG HE WAS, SENDING HIM TUMBLING TO THE FLOOR. STILL HE DID NOT RELENT; RISING ONCE AGAIN, HE LOOKED AT ME WITH MURDER IN HIS EYES. CORAK LASHED OUT WITH A KICK THAT CAUGHT HIM UNDER THE CHIN AND PUT OUT THE FIRE BURNING IN HIS SOUL. D'GHUST FELL, AND THIS TIME HE DID NOT RISE.
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YOUR CASE IS SOLVED NOW. YOU ARE WELCOME. YOU MAY SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION IN THE FORM OF A RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY APPROPRIATE COMMENDATIONS WHICH MAY APPLY.
//SIGNED//
tuq cargh qaStaHvIS ghIm h'ajah, shal puqbe'
Lt. Cmdr. H'ajah, daughter of Shal, of House Cargh in exile
DevOps Mgr., Operations Dept., Deep Space 13
//ATTACHMENTS//
rep28c13_backup.bfr
