State of the Galaxy: Catching Up

Posted on Mon Mar 22nd, 2021 @ 12:41am by Administrator LordeEmp

Mission: Heroes of the Hov'hurgh
Location: Various, I.K.S. Hov'HurgH
Timeline: Stardate 901432.7

It would never do to have the crew see their commander show a twinge of weakness, so she carried on stoically, grieving silently and internally for her losses. They were her crew, her people... they were family and while they would celebrate their fallen, she knew that their presence would be keenly missed among the living.

Turning to her ‘brother’, VaQ’taj gave him a small, thoughtful smile, “I have the sense that we have much to discuss, Tenas. Walk with me and fill me in on the current events of this point in space and time. Something tells me that things have not gone well...”

“An understatement,” Tenas fell in at her side. “I’ll pick up from after your departure. The Hov’Hurgh is listed as missing with all hands. The Alliance slapped a Strike Theta Black security clearance on the whole project and decommissioned the station. The Anazi War never ended,” he stared into the distance. “One day they vanished without a trace. We mopped up the Syndicate quickly but it took another 22 years before we could make contact with worlds and colonies behind old enemy lines. Everyone is still recovering to this day. The war only makes things worse.”

Even before she asked the next question, VaQ’taj had an idea of the answer, “Why did the Alliance fall?” Her voice was quiet and thoughtful as she recalled the warriors that had complained about their association with the Federation. There had been a general sense that being allied with the ‘soft’, explorer’s lifestyle of Starfleet would eventually rub off on the Empire, weakening them for conquest by others.

But she had seen differently with her own eyes. Spilled her blood with many Federation brothers and sisters as they fought the Dominion threat, then the Anazi. She had witnessed their selflessness as they gave their lives to save others and had bonded during those battles with a good many of their number, some that even served aboard her ship as they spoke. She fought off a cold shiver as she thought of those brave, open minded people that had helped her to build their home in the stars. What would become of those time tossed crew members at the hands of a wrathful Empire?

A sigh greeted her question. “It can all be traced back to one event. Four years after your disappearance, in 2387 the star of the Hobus system went supernova. The planets Romulus and Remus were destroyed. It came out afterward that the Vulcan Science Academy were able to help but they refused. A Romulan named Nero swore vengeance on the Federation and built a ship from stolen Borg technology. He wiped out a Klingon fleet sent to stop him. After that,” he shook his head, “Hardliners in the Klingon Empire, led by a member of the High Council named J’mpok demanded that Empire declare war against the Federation and the Romulans for the fleet lost against Nero. Chancellor Martok refused. J’mpok and his allies then formed a fleet and attacked Romulans at Zeta Pictoris.”

He stopped, “Next, The hardliners claimed that Species 8472 infiltrated the Gorn Hegemony with plans to attack. They demanded Chancellor Martok intervene and again he refused. This time J’mpok challenged Martok to honorable combat and prevailed under questionable circumstances. He took leadership of the High Council and declared war against the Gorn. The Federation condemned the Empire’s invasion against the Gorn and J’mpok withdrew the Empire from the Khitomer Accords, declaring war against the Federation in 2293. The war still rages 16 years later.”

The Colonel stopped in her tracks at the mention of Martok being defeated by J’mpok and her face darkened with grief and rage as she looked into the eyes of her adopted brother, “Nothing good has ever come out of the House of Duras!” she spat to the side at the mention of the name as if expelling something filthy from her mouth, “Martok gone? A slavering, mangy beast of Duras in his place?!? No wonder everything seems upside down!”

“True enough nonetheless, J’mpok is Chancellor and your commanding officer,” Tenas met her gaze. “Hov’Hurgh, under your command, just took out one of his front-line battle groups. I doubt J’mpok will be happy.”

“Does it look like I am concerned by the growling of rabid weasels?” The battle groomed veteran officer shot with a sharp glint in her eyes. VaQ’taj began envisioning a multitude of fitting deaths for J’mpok and not one of them was quick... or pretty.

She had never been able to stand the sight of the Duras minion and the red-haired colonel saw him as one of those that would never evolve. His mind was as rabid as his words and the only things he sought were death and destruction. Normally in some way that would benefit him and the low-life company that he kept, and there was very little honor to be found in their dealings.

Breaking out of the slight daydream that had begun in her mind, HoD VaQ’taj began her stride again, her command cloak swishing about her ankles, trying to wipe the images from her mind, “We will have to go back once we find out what caused the malfunction that brought us here,” she said, her words dark and brooding as her ire rose higher and higher, “He would have us all hunted like beasts rather than stand down and prepare for the real threats to the galaxy! I will not have it! I will not see the Empire reduced to ashes to assuage the power greedy, latinum grubbing cowards that would stand behind that pe’taQ!”

“If you’re going back it had better be soon,” Tenas let his words hang in the air.

Pausing in her rant, the short statured Klingon woman shot a look at Tenas, her eyes narrowing slightly, “Soon is not likely an option. We have days worth of repairs to be made and an investigation to conduct before I will make another jump. Something went wrong with the drive system. It was supposed to be two days in the opposite direction. Now we are here.”

“Why? What do you know that I do not, Brat? Other than the goings on of the past twenty-six years?” VaQ’taj asked, not being one to beat around the bush. While she had no psychic powers, she could read a man well enough, and her Kolari brother seemed to be holding something back.

“I’m no temporal expert but it seems to me that the longer you’re here, the harder it’ll be for you to go back. You’ve already changed the future by saving my life not to mention everybody on the station and the Keller. If that ain’t enough,” He shrugged, “How long do you think before you’re expected to report back for debriefing and reassignment?”

Stiffening and turning to face Tenas, VaQ’taj shook her braided head violently, “I will NOT see the Hov’HurgH handed over to that... that...” the idea of her ship, her life’s work, used in a senseless war against former allies brought a foul snarl to her face, “I will scuttle her myself first!!”

The engineering captain’s mind whirled, trying to fit a workable timetable together, “Three days with all hands working long shifts before we will even be physically prepared to make another jump. And that is without knowing what happened to bring us here to begin with. We cannot counter the unknown variable, all that we could do would be to attempt another jump and hope that it takes us where we intend to go...” It was too much of a risk in the Colonel’s mind.

TBC