A Bird's Eye View

[Mitar Precip 0]

A Bird’s Eye View....

 

Tranquility Spaceport Exhaust ,below tower adjacent to Qob’s hanger

 

The two hidden guardians continued to watch events through their recording devices, packed tightly together in a heat exhaust tube above the roof of the spaceport terminal. Lawman Jiles Benson was viewing/recording events with a standard Guardian stakeout camera, his partner Mark Winston was using a Klingon camera of similar purpose. The discomfort of their position was lost watching the action below.

 

“Good Grief! There is a lot of weapons fire, coming from the towers and the speeders. This is insane!” the younger Winston said with adrenaline. “This Klingon scope is showing traces of the shots the Port Authority snipers are taking, and the ones from the speeder. I think the big-arm guy took a hit before he went into the ship, Jiles!”

 

“Settle down, Lawman. Once the big guy is on board, focus on the ship.” Benson continued to focus the camera with a wide angle to capture everything going on. But clearly the Klingon scope was able to see things his Guardian scope could not. “Tell me what you know about that ship design. I spent my career as a ‘ground pounder,’ not a space cadet.”

 

“Okay he’s aboard..but leaking! His companions are getting on board! Oh my! One just got hit in the arm... he made it aboard though!”

 

“Mark, the ship; tell me about the ship... please. What did your father’s PADD library have to say about that type of ship?” Jiles had to settle Winston down. A mistake now could get them discovered, and Benson was uncertain how well hidden they really were.

 

“It’s a Bird of Prey, Klingon design. A classic! This one looks like a smaller version. They came in a much bigger size as well. The Klingon who designed the Bird of Prey probably has a statue on Qo’noS in his honor. The Klingons just kept using them, from before the Khitomer Peace Accords to the Dominion War.” Winston paused catching his breath.

 

“See the wings how they are in an upright configuration?” Winston continued. “They actually can articulate about ninety degrees. That allows them to be excellent ships not just in space, but atmospheric flight as well.”

 

“Go on... tell me more,” Jiles insisted.

 

“On the wings you’ll notice disruptor cannons; I can’t tell if they’re operational. Also note at the front of the ship there is a torpedo tube at the bottom. Above that torpedo tube is where the bridge is. The torpedo was the ship’s best weapon. A Klingon Bird of Prey nearly destroyed the Enterprise-A above Khitomer with multiple torpedo attacks. The ship would cloak and move in on its prey, next uncloak, fire her torpedoes, then engage its cloak again.”

 

“Wait. Did you say cloak? That ship has a cloaking device?” Benson had to verify what the surprisingly knowledgeable young man just said.

 

“Yes, sir. Most had cloaking devices. All the way from their first appearance in Starfleet records through the Dominion War. They also had transporters, so they could insert ground forces with total surprise. But they were mainly used for ship to ship combat or enforcing Klingon rule on territories, etc.”

 

“Okay thanks. Just keep your camera steady on that ship and see if it can get off the ground. It doesn’t look in good shape from what I can see,” Benson replied. While digesting the potential of what may be going on before their eyes, a light suddenly appeared blinking on his ODRI. It was a muted audio message sent to all Guardians in the engagement from Marshall Savoy.

 

After verifying his ODRI was not transmitting anything the Guardians above or below might detect - for the twentieth time it seemed - Jiles took a quick glance to make certain his partner was doing his job and not looking at him. Benson’s face paled briefly, then he recovered with a quick exhale. Now he knew why they had two cameras of two different designs.

 

“Lawman Winston, ever heard of a Klingon ship called the Qob?”