Chapter 45: The Devil You Know
May 2414
A severed head fell to the floor, rolling the last half-meter to General Wrot’Ka’s feet and, for a moment, the bridge of the IKS Lukara was completely silent.
In the aftermath of the Iconian assault on Qo’noS, several high-ranking Alliance officers had gathered on the General’s flagship to report and to plan. The redheaded Romulan’s presence was unexpected. Besides simply looking laughably out of place, those that knew who she was had believed her to be dead. While most present were to shocked to speak, the General clapped his hands together once. His security officers snapped out of the surprise and rushed to grab Kirina by the arms. The General next ordered the Federation and Republic officers out of the room. Before submitting to security’s effort to drag her away, Kirina lunged her leg forward to land a solid kick on the severed head. The force of the impact caused the head to shift and, as planned, a small sliver of pink dropped from it to the floor.
The silence gave way to hushed chatter, as the order to clear the room was ignored by pretty much everyone. Wrot’Ka knelt down to pick up the pink object, and when he rose again, he held up the remains of a bluegill - a neural parasite, an Iconian servitor.
“I hope this is an explanation,” the General growled offhandedly, “because short of that, it has done you little to add but moments to your life.”
“They destroyed our home,” Kirina said, very quietly to the General. “Yours nearly joined it today. Would you like the heads of those responsible?”
The General focused in on Kirina, his interest now piqued. “Speak,” he barked.
Kirina kicked her foot out again to tap the head on the ground, “General Darj, from the House of Kiltarak.” She stared back at Wrot’Ka with a sense of determination. She knew him. She’d spent months on his base, seen him in action. She understood him. She was disgusted by him, but she understood him. She knew what she needed to say to gain his cooperation. “He was an Iconian puppet, undermining all of your Empire’s efforts. By eliminating him, you are now a hero.” She continues, her voice lowered to just above a whisper, “If you kill me, you’ll never find the ones he was working with. The choice is yours, General.”
Wrot’Ka rolled his head to the side, allowing his neck to crack several times. After a moment’s contemplation, he responded with a raised voice, “Then say with you came to! Do not tease me!”
Kirina’s tale was a long one, but Wrot’Ka sat for over an hour and listened to every word. She held things back, and she stayed vague at times, but her message was clear and the General understood the danger - and the value of the information Kirina could provide.
“Then you wish to see this through to the end?” he asked when she finally concluded, “To see a great enemy defeated?”
Kirina indicated the dead parasite, still in the General’s hand, “I’ve taken the first step.”
Wrot’Ka took a deep breath and looked off to the side. Kirina knew this was the moment of truth, but she was confident that she’d made her case. “Very well,” he said as he finally returned his attention to her. To his officers, “Confine her to quarters! There will be much to discuss.”