A Change of Pace

Posted on Wed Nov 29th, 2023 @ 3:06pm by Commodore Jacob Kane

Mission: The Trojan Horse
Location: USS Valiant. Loki Sector, Near Naghel System
Timeline: After the kidnapping.
1035 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

The Commander was quite pleased with the way hit boots echoed off of the floor of his ship, and down the corridors as he made his way to his bridge. They were the same. slightly clunkier than standard issue, boots which he had worn on his large Klingon feet since he was a cadet. But today, the sound somehow rang with an epic bell of the ages. Valiant was is first command, and though he was only on a detachment on a small vessel, it was still his command.

As the bridge door slid open and he stepped into the room, he threw the PADD he'd been holding towards his XO who had looked up to greet him. Lieutenant Mallory, a human female, caught the PADD with both hands. "Alter patrol to pass through the Naghel System" he ordered.

Mallory nodded and moved to relieve the helm officer, a slight change in the sound of the engines told him that they had altered course. "New orders from Commodore..." he reviewed the packet on his right hand command console as he sat down "...Kane", he relayed to the bridge.

"Kane?" one of the younger officers around the bridge asked, he didn't see who.

"The academy bomb guy?" an ensign at the Ops console asked.

"Evidently not" replied the Vulcan man at tactical.

Krol made a sort of terran harrumph sound to indicate his displeasure at the conversation. Truthfully he had no idea what had gone with the treacherous Captain turned Commodore, but he did not need to know. Orders were orders. "Helm. Follow my orders". He turned slightly to the left, "Comms, hail the administration centre on Naghel IV and inform them of the incoming traffic".

-----

It had been a fairly uneventful hour or so, with the Defiant Class USS Valiant having only marginally altered her patrol route to actually include the system yet not actually pass by Naghel IV itself. Uneventful, though concerning, was the fact that the administration centre at the neutral colony couldn't be reached.

"Still no reply from the colony sir" the Ops ensign updated him.

"System traffic?" Krol asked, leaning to the left side command console to bring up sector reports; nothing particularly out of the ordinary aside from a file packet alluding to some kind of Federation Council activity on Naghel IV, and diplomatic missions themselves were hardly an uncommon occurrence in the smattering of non-aligned border worlds.

"Sir..." his tactical officer began to report "...I am detecting no traffic, of any kind, anywhere in the Naghel system..."

Krol furrowed his enormous Klingon brow; he began to feel the warriors call, what humans might call anxiety yet what Klingons used to steel themselves. "Alter course to Naghel IV, and open a channel to Commodore Kane on the Athena" he ordered gruffly.

"Athena answering Captain," someone from behind him replied a minute later just as the man himself - Commodore Jacob Kane appeared on the viewscreen.

"Commodore. It is an honour to speak with you sir" Krol greeted, rising from his command chair as a show of respect to Kane's authority.

"Commander Krol." Kane nodded formally. "I understand you're close to the Naghel system. Anything unusual to report?"

Noticing a few sideways glances between his bridge crew as Commodore Kane appeared on the screen, he took a step closer to the viewer with a kind of deliberate purpose which, he hoped, conveyed to the others to can their attitudes. "Sir. Your office altered our patrol to the system. We have entered as ordered, and have been hailing the Federation Council team on Naghel IV, but we have received no reply.." he looked over to the Tactical and Ops stations to see if there was anything new to report, seeing there was nothing he pressed on; "There are no ships anywhere in the system as best we can tell, nor is there any comm traffic of any kind...". Krol certainly knew his place, yet the lack of information was frustrating at the same time; "Perhaps if we knew what the Council mission on Naghel IV is...we could make a better det-", he instantly shut up as Kane cut him off.

"Not necessary, Commander. I wouldn't have expected any response." Kane paused, considering how to phrase things over subspace. "We need you to maintain a discreet distance; monitor traffic. Observe and report only until we get there, understood?"

Krol examined the Commodore on the screen as one might scrutinse a battle plan..."But...sir...even the civilian transponder frequency is no longer transmitting...". What was he to do...he was merely a Lieutenant Commander on detached duty...an opportunity to prove his potential...but...still...No, he decided. This was his ship and his mission, he must stand his ground; "I must insist we investigate" he said, with a great deal more directness and presumed authority in his voice than before.

"Commander." Kane's voice became stern. "I recognise your...enthusiasm for your duty. Were I in your place I would equally seek to do what I thought was 'right'. But in this case, the greater honour lies in understanding the bigger picture." He figured appealing to a Klingon's honour might be the best way to illicit a favourable response. "I need you to be my eyes and ears until I arrive. Is that clear?"

The Klingon Commander involuntarily uttered a low guttural growl again in the warming up to his response; "Yes...sir" he responded, nodding to the ops officer to the close the channel.

"Helm" he began, "move us in closer to Naghel IV".

The helmsman turned around somewhat hesitantly; "But Commodore Kane...?"

"yItam'choH!" Krol bellowed. He would not be undermined on his bridge. "We cannot be his eyes nor his ears if we are too far to see or hear! Follow my command or I will find an officer who will!" the Klingon threatened, drawing up his full height and breadth. He only returned to his command chair in the centre of the bridge when the officer had complied, completely oblivious to the distrusting stares and sideways looks to each other of his bridge crew.