Saving Tail(s)

[Rhan K'hal 0]

Saving Tail(s)

A K'hal(s) Log

 

Rhan couldn't say he was happy about the fact he was sitting in a spartan apartment in the capital city of Sahrimet on Cait. It did however beat sitting in a brig, which is precisely where he knew he'd be sooner rather than later dealing with Captain Illyan. He was sure his friends on the Excalibur had felt he'd abandoned them, likely to a horrible fate, and the fact that he had to grab his already packed bags and hurry off the Excalibur without further explanation hadn't helped. The fact that he'd felt it necessary to arrange the transfer, with a computer-activated protocol to activate it, was a sad commentary on the state of affairs aboard the Excalibur and the disposition of Captain Illyan. Not to mention Starfleet Command's penchant for using the ship as a punching bag.

 

He'd known though through his "research" that Illyan had the command transfer pre-approved should she so wish to use it, and based on her history he figured she very much would wish to use it. So with less than a day before she wanted to leave the Aje'li Fleet Yards, he'd managed to get her to dismiss him, kitten's play really, so that she'd be less likely to fight his transfer. She could be stubborn and try, but he was extremely doubtful she'd delay leaving to do so, as her schedule was much more important than a JG.

 

He wasn't really abandoning his friends, though. He would continue to dig on Illyan and pass on info through the anonymous account, though damned if the Excalibur crew were too clever for his own good. Practically everyone he'd sent info to had given him the wink, wink, nod, nod afterwards. What'd been the point of all the effort? Anyway, he figured Commander Hawthorne was entirely too stand up an individual to use the declassified tidbits about Illyan until the excrement really started hitting the air accelerator, so he needed someone who could do more good on the Excalibur in the meanwhile. He'd meant it when he'd said his replacement would be just as good and that they wouldn't miss him.

 

His mother might not appreciate it, but sometimes a Cait's gotta do what a Cait's gotta do.

 

***

 

On board the long-range shuttle Tarsus as it flew through space about six hours out from Cait, Lt Hakran K'hal was grumbling. Why Starfleet would so suddenly yank him off the Copernicus while it was passing through to its next mission was beyond him. Ordering him to take a cramped shuttle to Cait to rendezvous with the Excalibur before it left the shipyards, when they hardly ever allowed siblings to serve on the same starship, seemed extremely odd. Before he could ponder on it any further once again, a recorded message popped up, and his brother's face appeared, so similar to his own but a bit younger and with gold eyes instead of green.

 

"Hey bro, you're probably wondering what this is all about. I can't go over too many details, but the wrong K'hal is on the Excalibur right now. I've transferred down to the planet for a position in the Sahrimet facility to keep myself... unincarcerated. I'm sorry that you're being dragged into this, especially as this isn't a cakewalk mission, but you're the quantum mechanics scientist, and as the ship is going to be testing an experimental slipstream drive, you'll be able to keep the ship from becoming disassociated particles better than I. And what's one more K'hal on the Excalibur's service record, anyway? Stay safe, brother, and keep my friends alive along with yourself if you can manage it."

 

Hakran blinked at the screen for a full minute before his face screwed up in rage.

 

"Rhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"