A Better Day to Kill

Chapter Twelve

An instant earlier Zembeduma was standing before Governor Ansara in the midday- now he found himself in an empty field in the windy night. Looking around he saw to his left what might have been a shuttle hastily covered with local foliage; confused, he directed his eyes to his hands.

Except they weren't his hands- or any Lethean's for that matter. Hearing a dull thud from behind Zembeduma swiftly turned around and saw a city a short distance away; not sure what else to do, he briskly headed toward it.

Zembeduma looked around the streets before him. In what appeared to be the center square a pillar emitted a holographic projection of a Klingon noblewoman at least twenty meters high; though he had no way to be sure he suspected this was an image oi the one-time matriarch of the now defunct House of Kat'Niss.

A noise got his attention, Zembeduma looked behind to his right. A Klingon officer stood by as two soldiers dragged a fourth Klingon out of a house and threw him to the ground. Before Zembeduma could react the two soldiers drew disruptor pistols and simultaneously shot this fourth Klingon in the back. The officer watching them looked up and met Zembeduma's gaze; from his indifferent expression he seemed unconcerned that there was a witness to this blatant execution.

Alarmed and bewildered, Zembeduma saw a lit building that looked to be a tavern, and quickly rushed toward it.

As he hurried, Zembeduma looked both left and right and saw several Klingons moving about, apparently trying not to draw attention to themselves.

Relieved to find the tavern open Zembeduma made his way to the bar; reaching into a purse on his belt- or the belt of whoever's body he currently occupied- he brought forth three darseks which he dropped on the bar as he asked for a tankard of warnog.

Noticing a glass bottle on the bar Zembeduma looked upon it and saw the reflection of a Klingon warrior looking back at him. Studying the Klingon in the reflection Zembeduma noticed on his uniform was a badge with the crest of the House of Marloc; some instinct told him to remove and hide the badge, which he did, placing it in his belt-purse.

The bartender placed a tankard before him; picking it up, Zembeduma strained his ears listening to the talk of the patrons around him.

"-So-called Lady Kat'Niss has raised our taxes again," someone told a drinker sitting across the table from him.

"Of course, she has," the other drinker replied, "How else is she going to afford to suck up to the Chancellor with expensive gifts?"

"I keep telling Patag," another drunk started, "If he's not careful what he says in public he's going to end up shot in the back one of these days."

"What does that bIQ'a' hope to eat if she lets our fields be poisoned like this?" He heard someone three tables away ask.

"Her house controls other colonies, she'll probably just eat something imported from one of them," someone answered.

At the sound of the door to the outside opening, all conversations abruptly ceased; Zembeduma turned to see the three Klingons who carried out the execution he'd observed earlier standing in the entrance.

"Greetings, Captain Orash," the bartender addressed the leader of the three, "Shall I get you your usual? Something for your companions?"

"We're not thirsty," Orash spat, then said loudly to everyone in the tavern, "A short while ago security forces found a shuttlecraft hidden under some brush just outside the city limits- identification markings say it belongs to the House of Marloc.

"If anyone in this city is harboring an enemy of Lady Kat'Niss…" Orash threatened.

"He was here," both Zembeduma and Orash turned to see what looked like a younger Ansara sitting across from a younger version of the ship captain that greeted Zembeduma in Pa'Nem's orbit, "A Klingon wearing a symbol of House Marloc," the younger Ansara continued, "He had his drink and left a few moments ago."

Orash nodded, but then pointed at the younger Ansara, "If you're lying…" at that he and the soldiers behind him turned and walked back out into the night air.

Everyone in the tavern watched Orash and his men through a window; when the three were no longer in sight Ansara and his companion rose from their tables and approached Zembeduma, "Any trouble getting here?" Ansara asked.

"Not compared to what I fear I saw happen to poor Patag," Zembeduma answered.

Ansara gasped, but grimly nodded. He looked to another patron, who quickly stood and, reaching down, pulled up a floor tile to reveal a secret opening.

Zembeduma followed Ansara and his companion down that entrance, through a dimly lit tunnel that led to what he suspected was the basement of someone's home.

While Ansara concealed the exit to the tunnel his friend looked to Zembeduma and asked, "You're certain you saw Patag die?"

"I'm certain I saw Orash oversee someone's execution," Zembeduma answered.

"One such execution is nothing," Ansara said as he stepped back from the secret exit; meeting Zembeduma's gaze he revealed a history of neglect for the colony from the nobles of House Kat'Niss, followed by the nobles' punishing protests of such neglect with violence not even inflicted on species of alien planets conquered by the Empire.

"Look, we know you have no reason to aid us," Ansara spoke, "But we also know your family has no love for the House of Kat'Niss- we can help your House lay a trap for their fleet; once their ships are dealt with the rest of their territories will be vulnerable.

"We can help each other- so what do you say?"

Zembeduma was unsure if his response was due to his own conscience, or what he expected whoever's shell he possessed at the moment would say; nevertheless, he reached out and said, "Tell me your plan- we will help you…"

Another blinding flash, and before he realized it Zembeduma found himself back in his old body, standing in front of an elderly Governor Ansara, his away team behind him.

Lar reached out to his captain and asked, "Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine," Zembeduma answered once he got over his momentary disorientation, "Take the crystal and return to the ship."

"Without you?" Siourr asked.

"Are you all hard of hearing?" Zembeduma snapped, the landing party were taken aback but obeyed; Mireban took the tray holding the time crystal and the four of them walked out of the hall and back to the transporter room.

Sensing that Zembeduma wanted to speak privately Ansara dismissed everyone else in the room; once they were alone, he met Zembeduma's gaze, "You saw it didn't you?" he asked, "You saw what this colony was like under her rule."

"I did," Zembeduma replied, "Why didn't you report her to the homeworld?"

"What good would that have done?" Ansara asked, "It was my word against that of a house matriarch, who had the favor of many in the high council.

"My rule of this planet may be tainted, but it was worth it if the people of this colony no longer need suffer what we suffered fifteen years ago."

Zembeduma wasn't sure he agreed with that, but he did see something had needed to be done; nodding to Ansara he then signalled the Tyrion to beam him back up.

Taking his chair back on the bridge of the Tyrion Zembeduma addressed his helmsman, "Take us out of Pa'nem's orbit, and set a course for the Boreth system."

"Finally," B'Ellera uttered, "I'm glad to leave a planet ruled by traitors."

Zembeduma glared at his tactical officer, "Watch your tongue B'Ellera- especially concerning situations you know nothing about." His sudden burst caught the bridge crew by surprise, but they quickly got over it. The helmsman did as he was ordered, the image on the viewer shifted from the sight of Pa'nem from above to the distant stars.

"Course set in," the helmsman nervously said.

"Engage," Zembeduma bid, and watched the stars suddenly blur…