Negotiations At The End Of A Bat'leth
Posted on Tue Jun 11th, 2024 @ 4:42am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Commander Chisato Nishikigi
2,130 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Starship Graveyard
Location: IKS Sa'Qej (IKC-2101) Colony, approximately 3 klicks from the Tokyo
Captain Aisaka had long suspected that a Klingon settlement must have been situated not far from where they were currently- her encounter with two Klingon marauders on the hull of the Tokyo had all but supported that theory- but even still, it came as a surprise when sensor readings managed to pick up a small cluster of lifeforms situated no less than three klicks from the Tokyo's final resting place. Even more surprising, given the fact that the trajectory of their landing would have taken them right over it, was the fact that their only interaction with this settlement had been those two marauders. From their vantage point, they had to have seen the Tokyo crash, but they couldn't be bothered to send out more than a couple of scouts to investigate?
[Klingon Vessel IKS Sa’Qej]
Colonel Kortak stepped through the doors onto his bridge. The room was badly worn down and many of the old consoles were crosswired and some even dismantled. "Report!" he bellowed loudly.
"A Starfleet Shuttlecraft is approaching my lord. It is on a direct course for us. It could be a raiding party!" One of the Klingon officers growled.
"So it seems they finally desire battle." Kortak said a toothy grin spreading across his face. "Its good that I sharpened by blade last night, now I get to test it on these Starfleet dogs!"
[Shuttlecraft Chiyoda]
As the shuttlecraft Chiyoda gently crested the top of the sand dune, it suddenly loomed into view: a massive debris field, easily a full klick in diameter, comprising of the unmistakable remnants of an old D7 Battlecruiser. The force of the impact had practically snapped the ship in two, with the bulbous command pod laying upside down just off in the distance and the aft section resting up against the foot of a dune. The mangled remains of the neck dotted the landscape, the nacelles splayed out to the sides, twisted almost beyond the point of recognition. At first glance, an impact of such violence seemed to be far beyond what any man- or Klingon- could have survived.
Seated at the controls of the Chiyoda was what should've been Commander Moklor, an individual who no dealt held the poise with which to serve as a liaison between the Federation and Klingon crews. However, an accident in the cargo hold shortly before he was scheduled to get underway had left him with a severe concussion- one in which Doctor Ellis had strongly advised against sending him out into the field with. In spite of the portly Klingon's objections, it was absolutely pivotal that this alliance with the Klingons be secured, and to that end, Taiga had arranged to send Commander Nishikigi out in Moklor's stead.
Chisato her self had had her reservations about this arrangement, as they really had no way of determining whether or not this Klingon vessel was from before the destruction of Praxis and the subsequent signing of the Klingon accords; for all she knew, a lowly human showing up on the front doorstep of a Klingon colony could be a death sentence. Taiga, however, remained confident in her Intel Officer's abilities; though her negotiation skills were still in need of some work, she held a somewhat decent grasp of alien cultures and their finer intricacies with which to get the job done. For her part, Chisato still wasn't entirely sure if it would be enough, but she nonetheless had an obligation to try; any help they could get might mean the difference between success and failure.
As the Chiyoda entered a holding pattern above the wreckage, Chisato reflected back on her exchange with Captain Aisaka shortly before setting off:
"Commander. I need you to go and convince the Klingons that we need their engines. Commander Moklor has been injured in an accident. So you'll be doing the away mission in his place," Taiga said from across her ready room desk.
With a deep breath, Chisato leaned forward and opened a channel with the Klingon ship.
The image of the Klingon Commander appeared on the screen. "What is it you want Starfleet?"
"Klingon craft, this is... Commander Chisato Nishikigi of the United Star Ship Tokyo," Chisato began. "To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
The Klingon commander seemed a little confused. "Pleasure? Pleasure?" he asked. "You Starfleet are always so concerned with Introductions! If you must know, I am Colonel Kortak! Now tell me, what is it you want?!"
"I'll keep things short and simple, Commander," Chisato elaborated. "We have a sturdy space frame, while you have an engine with enough thrust to achieve escape velocity; I would like to propose that we work together and pool our resources in order to get off of this rock."
A smile started to stretch across the Klingons face, it turned slowly into a chuckle and then into a long bellowing belly laugh. "You think you can get off this planet! And now you come here begging for superior Klingon Technology!" he paused a moment as he seemed to gather his self for a moment. "What interest would I have in such an agreement? You can't be trusted!"
Chisato frowned. "Commander, in case you weren't paying attention, I'm giving you the chance to get out of here- and possibly even return you to your home planet. How many of your people have gone their entire lives without once setting foot on Qo'noS?"
The thought seemed to ponder on the Klingons mind for a moment. "You have my interest Human!" he said to her a scowl coming across his face. "I will meet with you!". The screen cut off going blank.
Chisato was evidently surprised that she'd managed to convince Kortak that easily; she was already anticipating this to be an uphill battle, what with a lowly human attempting to press her case to a group of Klingons. She still wasn't entirely sure if this was some kind of trap, but for what it was worth, she had their attention, and that was a step in the right direction.
[IKS Sa'Qej, Bridge]
Kortak lounged in the center chair. Over the many years he had been on this planet his hair had turned grey and he had put on extra weight around the stomach. As the doors opened behind him, he didn't bother to turn to face or greet the Starfleet officer visitors.
"Commander Kortak?"
"Colonel Kortak!" Kortak growled.
There was a pause.
"My... sincerest apologies, Colonel," the Starfleet Officer expressed. "It was not my intention to patronize you."
Slowly Kortak turned in his chair and stared daggers at the woman. "You have two minutes to explain this 'plan'. If I do not like it, I will kill you."
"The plan is fairly straightforward, Colonel," the woman stated calmly. "We'll disassemble the impulse module and transport it to the Tokyo, which is resting approximately 3 clicks from this location; provided we can reassemble the impulse engine and find some way to attach it to the Tokyo, We'll also need to reinforce it with some additional struts that I think we can salvage from your support pylons. In addition to that, we'll need to re-sync the impulse engines so that they fire sequentially with the Tokyo's impulse drive. Nothing that I don't think a Klingon warrior such as yourself couldn't handle."
"So, you want to use OUR engines?" Kortak asked. "You expect us to trust you with such technology Starfleet?" he seemed to ponder it for a few moments. He pulled a blade from his belt and held it out. "I consider your honour if you can best me in a little spar! You speak for your Captain correct?"
His gesture appeared to catch the woman off her guard, but in spite of the fact that she would likely be way out of her league by tussling with a Klingon who was twice her size, her determination to secure this alliance at all costs ultimately won out in the face of a nigh-surmountable challenge.
"That I do," she stated with a look of brave determination.
Kortak burst into laughter again. "Then I shall meet you in two hours in our sparring hall!" He announced. "You have until then to familiarise yourself with a Bat'leth! I want a challenge!"
As he turned to leave, he caught one last glimpse at the woman as she stared forlornly at her own two hands, likely reckoning with what she was getting herself into...
[Sparring Hall]
Kortak stood in the middle of the hall, swinging his Bat'leth around in circular motions as he waited for the Starfleet Officer. Several Klingons on the crew had gathered in antipation of a good battle.
The labored creaking of door retraction gears that were several centuries past their time heralded the Starfleet Officer's arrival; all heads in the room turned as the blonde stepped through the doors and made her way down into the central pit; a bat'leth was slung over her shoulder, and though the odds were evidently not in her favor, the look on her face radiated with cool, collected resolve.
"I thought you wouldn't show up!" Kortak grinned. "You seem to have fire in your heart Human! Or maybe you're just stupid!" he laughed as he held his Bat'leth in front of him ready to begin.
"Truthfully," The blonde sighed as she unslung her Bat'Leth. "I'm beginning to wonder that myself..."
"Prepare yourself!" Kortak growled as he took a step forward towards Chisato.
Kortak lunged forward, swinging his Bat'leth out to strike her. The woman moved to parry him, but he could tell in the way he nearly ripped the Bat'leth from her hands that they were nowhere near as steady as his. She stumbled back in an effort to regain her balance, leaving her wide open to attack. With a sneer, Kortak lunged forward once more, but right as he prepared to bring the Bat'leth down on her, the woman suddenly darted to his left, taking him by surprise. Before he had the chance to correct himself, he felt a swift kick to his spinal column, causing him to lose his balance and topple forward.
"Checkmate, Colonel," The woman proclaimed, firmly setting her boot down on Kortak's back so as to prevent him from turning over. "Now... I believe we had an agreement that you were going to honor if I won?"
Kortak laughed as he picked himself up. "Beginners luck!" He said as he lifted his Bat'leth above his head and brought it down with a swish towards Chisato.
"Hey, we had a deal, Buddy!" Chisato protested as she dived out of the way.
"You question my honour Human!" Kortak bellowed. "I never mentioned this was a one hit fight!" he grinned. "Come on! Or are you as worthless as a toothless grisnar cat?!"
"You'd be surprised..." Chisato muttered as she swung out with her legs, once again catching Kortak off-balance.
Kortak stumbled to the ground, his Bat'leth thrown from his hands.
"Now, then," Chisato began, placing her boot firmly on Kortak's chest. "Concede; I'm not going to ask you again."
"You are not going to kill me?" Kortak asked.
Chisato grinned.
"If there's one thing you ought to know about my brand of honor, Colonel, it's that I don't believe in solving a problem just by killing it; rather, I take the time to learn about it, studying its intricacies before deciding how I can best use it to my advantage," she explained. "And rather than simply consigning yourself to a less-than-honorable fate, Colonel, you could stand to learn a thing or two from my techniques, so as to learn how you can better yourself as a warrior."
A moment of silence fell upon the hall. Finally Kortak smiled, chuckled and then began to laugh. He pushed Chisato's boot off his chest and rose to his feet. "Fighting you would not be an honourable death indeed!" he bellowed. "I will listen to your terms! Perhaps we may be able to return to our brothers and sisters afterall!"
"That's the spirit," Chisato smiled. "Alright, so here's the plan..."
Posting By (In Order Of Appearance):
Colonel Kortak
Commanding Officer, IKS Sa'Qej (IKC-2101)
Commander Chisato Nishikigi
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)
Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101) [mentioned briefly in flashback]
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