"The Legend of QoB"

[Joe Manning 0]

There is a legend which has only recently made the rounds at Klingon taverns and IKC galleys. Voices hushed by some measure of either respect, warning, or contempt (but never fear!) speak of a menace which stalks the stars near the Federation border. The legend warns not of a grizzly fate for any who encounter this menace, for no Klingon would consider an end met battling a worthy foe a fate to be shunned. It warns instead of the folly of disloyalty, of the forsaken path tread by those who shed their honor and champion disloyalty to the Empire. This legend has a name.

 

QoB.

 

QoB is a ship and the crew which mans its helm. Its Commander, MoQtal, is a former Klingon General dishonorably discharged from the Defense Force for reasons which are little known; his execution was ordered but eluded. That is all that is known for certain by those who whisper the legends; the rest is speculation.

 

It is popularly accepted that QoB is a beast of a vessel, one of the largest Birds of Prey ever to take flight. Its size is said to dwarf the Negh’Var capitol ships and the Federation Sovereigns. Its massive wings, the legends tell, present banks of disruptor cannons to rival a Vor’Cha cruiser, though it maneuvers as sharply as any Bird, if not moreso. Its cloak drive, state of the art, modified to afford a degree of stealth that no sensor network -- Federation, Klingon, or Romulan -- can defeat. And its commanding officer, a veteran of countless battles and a master tactician that no starship commander can outwit.

 

QoB’s crew no longer serves the Empire. It hasn’t for nearly a decade. It now prowls the border raiding transport ships for goods and slaves that are sold to mysterious buyers. Conservative accounts put the tally around 250 on the number of vessels, transport fleets, and outposts which QoB has so far assaulted. Authorities on both sides of the border have gotten no closer to apprehending her crew and her rogue Commander. They leave no trace of their activities, such is their stealth. Such is their efficiency. The motivations of MoQtal are not certain, but speculation that he aims for no less than the downfall of both the Empire and the Federation has not been sparse.

 

This is not QoB’s story.

 

QoB’s exploits have spawned legends of a different sort among Klingons who live outside the boundaries of Imperial decree. Smugglers. Raiders. Slavers. Freedom fighters. Opponents of the Empire, the Federation, and their alliance. Klingons who hold to the old ideals. For them, QoB is idol. It is inspiration. Many vessels which serve causes contrary to the Chancellor’s order have even adapted the name QoB. The aims of their crews in this vary. Some wish to claim that their vessels are in fact the QoB of legend, either to inflate their own self-worth or to evoke added fear in their victims. Some merely wish to contribute to the confusion of the QoB legend, evoking imagination of a ship which can strike in many places within miniscule spans of time. Some merely pay their respects to QoB, attempting to do her crew honor with every outlaw deed they commit. And there is even the odd superstition that QoB is a herald straight from Gre’thor, its Commander returned to life in spite of all natural order to avenge the Empire that wronged him. Each crew has its own reasons for taking on the name, but for all, QoB is a badge of honor.

 

This is the story of one such vessel, a Bird of Prey of only moderate size and armament which took the name QoB shortly after its crew defected from the Empire. The details of the events which prompted her defection are hazy to the current crew, but it is certain that they were sickened by the ‘softening’ of Chancellor Martok and his close alliance with the Federation. They believed that the goals of the QoB of legend were not so different from their own -- to see Martok removed from his seat of power, replaced by a Klingon of strong spirit who would no longer see his Empire do the bidding of the Federation. They took the name QoB because, to them, the legend was a guide for their own efforts. It is one QoB of many, but the story of her crew is unique for reasons which will, in time, be evident …

 

Over the four years since her defection, things have changed dramatically aboard this QoB. Her original Commander and crew were not quite as careful and efficient as their role models. Poorly planned attacks and hasty maneuvers resulted in heavy crew losses, losses which could not easily be covered with no Empire to support them. Needing to keep the ship’s manpower replenished, they took drastic measures. Among the captives that they routinely sold into slavery, QoB’s crew picked out several of the stronger and smarter individuals and forced them into service aboard the ship. As more of the Klingons perished, the responsibilities of the pressed captives expanded. The more capable among them, some former Starfleet officers, advanced from performing manual labor and serving as fodder in assaults to serving in positions formerly held by Klingon officers. Many of the captives received Klingon ranks, in order to maintain structure, and a few even advanced through those ranks.

 

The Klingon crew knew the truth -- QoB was their ship, even if they needed to follow the orders of non-Klingons to maintain military organization. But the trend continued. And continued. And continued. More Klingons lost in battle. More slaves pressed into service. More non-Klingons advanced. Now, the Klingons are outnumbered.

 

Several months ago, QoB’s crew situation took a remarkable turn. The sixth Klingon officer to serve as her Commander perished, just like his five predecessors, in a skirmish with Imperial forces that went poorly. He was the last Klingon among the crew with the experience and the expertise to effectively serve as a commanding officer. With his death, the choice faced the crew of either placing the ship in the hands of an ineffectual commander who could not adequately see their glorious aims fulfilled … or passing command to a non-Klingon.

 

Namely, Lazarus Mench.

 

Mench was a former Starfleet Marine who went rogue, not for any reasons as lofty as those of the Klingons but simply because he was fed up with the discipline and subordination that the Marine Corps demanded of him. He went AWOL and became a mercenary, selling his services to interested parties ranging from the Orions to the Maquis. His only interests were in himself and his own advancement, but his experiences both in Starfleet and abroad molded him into a learned and capable soldier.

 

Mench crossed paths with QoB while serving aboard a black market vessel called the Raven which routinely purchased stolen goods from the rogue Klingons. Unhappy (as always) with his commanding officer, Mench made secret contact with QoB, offering his services and a particularly attractive stash of goods being stored in Raven’s cargo hold in exchange for a cut of QoB’s action. QoB agreed to the exchange and, with Mench’s help disrupting the ship‘s security, raided Raven and enslaved its crew. Mench became a volunteer officer and advisor on QoB; many of Raven’s crew were pressed into service.

 

With the death of her last command officer, QoB turned to Mench as their ideal candidate to assume command. Now, this marine turned mercenary occupies the Commander’s seat of a rogue Klingon Bird of Prey. The Klingons repeat the same line to themselves -- it is their ship, and Mench is only a necessity that they allow. But even they are beginning to doubt their own influence over QoB’s operations. Many of the non-Klingon officers have come to embrace their roles on QoB and a few are rallying around Mench. While he oversees the same raiding activities, Mench’s ultimate motives are unknown and many of his methods are decidedly … un-Klingon.

 

The Empire is hot on QoB’s trail. They have only barely survived recent attacks by the Imperial fleet. With many wondering if QoB can last the year, doubts about the Commander could not come at a worse time. Many wonder if Mench would sell out the crew to the Empire if it could serve his own interests. He almost certainly would not die willingly in combat with his crew. But the Klingons have no other options. Mench is the only one who can lead them. And so the doubts about the Commander and the tensions between Klingon and non-Klingon must be endured for the time being.

 

This is QoB’s story. One QoB of many. But not the QoB of legend. This crew must yet forge its own legend …