Klingon Vanguard

[Saylek 0]

Captain Saylek sat alone in the aft-facing officer's lounge of the starship Columbia. An overhead light from the ceiling illuminated his review of the ship's cargo manifest, bound for Q'onoS.

 

The Vulcan starship commander looked up as his nearly-silent Caitan security chief stepped down into the seating area. He smiled gregariously and lowered himself into one of the overstuffed couches. He held up both paws in a reassuring gesture. "Nothing averse to report, sir," Kal'don promised, "but then we just left the Andor-Vulcan-Deneva leg of our trip. No big surprise."

 

Saylek nodded. "If the convoy has encountered no difficulties," he reasoned, still reviewing the manifest, "then you must be here for an inquiry."

 

The Caitan leaned back further. "So transparent," he admitted. He relaxed, unbuttoning the gray rank flap of his double-breasted jacket. As always, he noted the captain was still wearing the full uniform, although the turtleneck undershirt would have been sufficient in the informal setting. He thought about the gentle ribbing Jansen would have offered, if he'd still been around to do it. Saylek would probably have claimed the lounge was too cold for his Vulcan blood. Kal'don took a deep breath. "I just thought I'd ask why we're out here," he finally ventured.

 

Saylek looked up. "Since you saw the briefing material from Challenger, I must presume your question has a deeper meaning," he answered. He set down the manifest, offering his full attention

 

"I'm all for encouraging peace with the Klingons; it's probably the most important event in our lifetimes," Kal'don explained. "Every bit of help we offer them probably saves our children from horrible death in battle."

 

The captain considered his security chief. "There wasn't a question in that statement."

 

Kal'don smoothed the calico fur on his forearm. "You don't think this task force is overkill?"

 

Saylek folded his arms. "The Admiralty intends to ensure this aid makes it safely to its destination."

 

The Caitan's ears went up. "Did you see the list of ships being assembled? I didn't even know we had that many Excelsior-class ships in the fleet, and the list didn't even include Enterprise-B or the Excelsior itself. Seven cruisers, five frigates."

 

"Many of those ships will be involved in subsequent phases, Lieutenant Commander," Saylek explained. "Our initial forey into Klingon space…"

 

"Looks like the vanguard for an occupation force," Kal'don asserted, then hastily added, "sir."

 

The Vulcan let a moment of silence pass between them. "Really, Mr. Kal'don, you must learn to govern your passions," the captain advised. "You know full well Starfleet has no intention of occupying Q'onoS."

 

The Caitan revealed sharp teeth as he smiled, as if his Vulcan senior had walked into a syllogistic trap. "The Klingons are a passionate people, captain," he agreed. "Despite our intentions, how will they see an arriving armada? Are they even going to let all of us across the border?"

 

Saylek could hardly argue the rationale. His previous, albeit limited, dealings with their species had usually been at the receiving end of a weapon. Kal'don knew this, since he had saved him from one such encounter during their boarding to recover the Regulator. "Your insight is not invalid. We should be prepared for their concerns." He looked away thoughtfully, toward the stars receding at warp. "Captain Seiben is the ranking officer. If we should encounter resistance to the size of our task force, perhaps I could suggest to him that Columbia break off to search for our previous missing freighters."

 

"It doesn't hurt to be ready," Kal'don nodded, "and something happened to those ships. It's too much of a coincidence – I doubt they dropped into a spatial anomaly. Our presence at their homeworld has probably raised a lot of internal tensions."

 

Saylek looked back. "What do you mean? Starfleet has only been conducting evacuations and providing ecological planning."

 

"We're a reminder that they can't solve their own problems," the Caitan offered. "You may not be wired to understand it, sir, but Klingon pride can't be that different than what the rest of us feel. It's also engrained in their culture, which could be a dangerous motivation."

 

The Vulcan picked up the manifest again. "I am not completely oblivious to it, Mr. Kal'don. I trust you'll help ensure none of us forget it."

 

The security chief smiled. The captain had already ordered refresher courses on Klingon culture to be played during the bridge shifts and available in all recreation areas. No matter what the outcome, it seemed, the crews of Challenger and Columbia would be learning a lot about their former enemies.