Escape Velocity
Posted on Wed Mar 26th, 2025 @ 1:42am by Commander Kevin Lance
Edited on on Wed Mar 26th, 2025 @ 2:06pm
1,517 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
The days of our lives
Location: Amar VI
Timeline: Current
on:
{Crew Quarters, Jubilant Embrace}
Mika rolled over in her bunk and answered the alarm on the communicator. She blinked at the chronometer on the control panel. It displayed 0237. “What it is?” she complained to the called, “I was sleeping.”
Jar’hann’s voice emitted from the speaker. “Mika. Spin up the warp drives. I am coming aboard and once I get our new guests settled, I want to break orbit,” he ordered.
“What?” Mika responded rubbing the sleep from her eyes, “At this ungodly hour? Can’t it wait until morning?”
“No,” Jar’hann answered firmly, “We need to get out of here and back into Federation Space, ASAP.”
“Huh?” Mika asked in confusion.
“As soon as possible.”
“Do I have time to get dressed?” She was sleeping an oversized undershirt that came almost to her knees.
“No time,” Jar’hann ordered, “Get the crew going. I will be back in ten minutes.” It would take twice that time to bring the warp engines to full readiness, Mika thought.
She swung her legs out of the bed and slipped to the deck. “What happened? Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes. No,” Jar’hann answered, his voice thick with confusion, “Well, things didn’t go as planned but we were successful. Kind of.”
“What about Lurkan and Garvik?” Mika inquired as she padded barefoot toward the flight deck.
“Lurkan didn’t make it,” Jar’hann continued, “Garvik and his warriors are staying behind to ensure that Lurkan is avenged.”
Mika was about to ask what had happened but as they wouldn’t be returning, she decided it wasn’t worth the effort. She was more interested in the other passengers that Jar’hann had alluded to. “Who are our new guests?”
“Rurik’s granddaughter, her governess and a security detail,” Jar’hann replied with no little irritation.
Mika entered the flight deck and started powering up the controls. “If Lurkan isn’t in the picture, why is the granddaughter coming with us?
There was a pause before Jar’hann responded. “It’s complicated,” he answered flatly, “Get the ship going, Jar’Hann out.”
Mika shrugged. Didn’t sound like the new guests posed any greater threat than did the previous ones. She continued to awaken the ship’s systems.
==================================
As Kevin led the group of Klingons aboard the Jubilant Embrace, he could hear the sounds of the ship coming to life. His gambit in the Great Hall earlier in the day had been successful, largely due to its unexpected nature. The House of Duras and their allies had been caught off-guard by his appearance and swift action. He intended to take full advantage of the tactical surprise and insisted on departing with Shan’nara and her guardians in the middle of the night.
The converted cargo bay was more than large enough for the entourage, especially as Garvik was determined to stay behind. Kevin had argued for the warriors to accompany him back to Federation space but the elder Klingon was adamant. In truth, Kevin had not pressed too hard. Garvik had backed him in the throne room and that was enough. Let the male regain his honor by killing the one that had murdered Lurkan.
I understand that you must get the ship underway,” the Klingon governess address Kevin formally through the translator, “It is a disgrace to have to skulk away under the cover of darkness like an honorless larcenist but given the dangers arrayed again the House of Har’lok, it is perhaps the safest course.” The translator tended to select the least controversial words. He had no doubt that the woman’s true meaning was much more rancorous. “I shall prepare myself for the consummation and await your return.”
Kevin was so focused on getting the ship into space that he almost missed that last part. “Say again?” he asked in confusion.
The woman’s expression did not change from the flat emotion that covered her features. “You intend to consummate the betrothal as tradition dictates, do you not?”
Kevin blinked several times, uncertain as to what she was asking. Finally he asked, “Consummate? As in…” He wiggled the fingers of one hand.
Now it was the governess’s turn to be confused. “I don’t know what this is,” she wiggled her fingers in a similar manner, “but you appear to understand the concept.”
“I am not doing that with a child,” Kevin retorted.
“Of course not with Shan’nara,” the woman replied in disgust, “What do you take us for? Consummation of an engagement is the tradition between adults. When one or both of the betrothed are children, a proxy stands in place. Normally, it is the duty of the head of the house to act as proxy but as that is impractical, it falls to me.”
The thought of Rurik and Mira consummating the betrothal of Shan’nara and Kolar was as laughable as it was disturbing. It would certainly kill the old Klingon. But with both absent, the governess clearly expected Kevin to do the deed with her. “No,” he replied definitively, “I am not consummating anything.”
The woman looked startled. “Without the consummation,” she protested, “the betrothal is not recognized.”
Kevin was about to respond when he remembered that for many centuries the church considered an unconsummated marriage as invalid, a reason to annul it when otherwise divorce was nearly impossible. Many traditions had sprung up to ensure that a newly marriage couple would consummate their union on the wedding night. Indeed the higher your rank in medieval society, the more invasive the traditions. Kevin released an exhausted sigh. Klingon politics, traditions, and honor were all too much for him. He needed to find Mira and get her to take over. Assuming she didn’t kill him for getting her into this mess.
“Lady Rasmehlier will make that decision,” Kevin replied firmly, “Until she decides, the betrothal will remain unconsummated.” He quickly turned on his heel and departed before she could say another word. All the way to the flight deck, he considered how he could avoid the governess and the other Klingons until he could find Mira.
==================================
The return to the Klingon border with the Federation was much quicker that their journey to Amar VI. Kevin pushed the engines as far as they would go much to the distress of the Xaratine engineer. Their initial plot had taken them in the direction of Qo'nos until Kevin disabled the telemetry and identification emitters. Like the Klingon vessel that had abducted Mira and the crew, his ship was well nigh impossible to track. Once rigged for silent running in this manner, Kevin altered course to take them on the straightest route back to Son'a
A few days later, not long after reentering Federation space, Shadow appeared before Kevin. “Were you successful?” he asked without preamble.
Kevin gave a brief recitation of the event, the murder of Lurkan, and his own eventual solution. Throughout, Shadow remained quiet and listened to all that Kevin told. At the conclusion, Shadow stroked his chin and said, “Your little Trill is not going to be happy.”
“That’s an understatement,” Kevin groused.
"Out of morbid curiosity," Shadow asked, "What do you plan to do about it?"
Kevin had no idea if Mira would honor the union that he had committed her House too. She showed an admirable defiance against those that sot to force her into an arranged marriage and Kevin hoped that such an attitude would extend to her children. He was determined to teach Kolar that when it came to his own happiness, Klingon politics took a backseat.
"I don't know," he told Shadow, "I'm making things up as I go along. Isn't that what you expect your agents to do? Pick the best way out of a bad situation?" Shadow gave him a small smile.
“Your orders are to travel to Earth at warp 4. Doppler will meet you at the Eurasian civilian space dock,” Shadow instructed, “After that you are free to rejoin your family or head back to the Chuck Norris or whatever.”
“Where is Mira?” Kevin demanded.
“Our investigation hasn’t borne much fruit,” Shadow admitted.
An angry retort began to form on Kevin’s lips when the navigation console beeped at him. Coordinates blinked on the display with a query as to whether or not to enter them into the flight plan. “What’s that?” Kevin asked.
“I am certain that I have no idea,” Shadow confessed blandly, “Just as I am certain that you would NEVER violate your instructions and take any side trips at higher warp for extracurricular activities. I know that you will proceed to Earth at the speed directed and wouldn’t ever think of having your pilot hack the navigation records to hide any variation.”
Kevin remained quiet as he considered the coordinates. They were in a spinward portion of the Alpha Quadrant where Orion Syndicate was located.
“Do we understand each other, Commander?” Shadow asked.
“Yes,” Kevin answered, “I believe that we do.”
:off
Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris
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