Meeting on the Holodeck

Posted on 21 Nov 2015 @ 2:26am by Ensign Karrak & Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

2,183 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: M13-C: Shattered Time
Location: Holodeck 2, USS Achilles

Karrak headed for the holodeck. He was going to do another Old West program, when he saw it was occupied and Commodore Da'nal was there. He wondered what program he was running, and decided to enter, after shedding his cowboy hat and six-guns. He would pick them up later. Nobody messed with the stuff of a Gorn.

He entered, looking at what Da'nal was enjoying there.

Da`nal was running the program that his friend, Charghwl'IH, had give him. Even though he had never been one for meditation he sat before a large fire on the edge of a great cliff, his hand on his knees. Below waves crashed as the setting sun set fire to the sky. To his right were a series of well worn posts used for a bat'leth form Charg had created combining Klingon and Vulcan martial techniques.

The heat from the fire combined with the heat of the air around him was enough to make him sweat and he had been there long enough that his skin glistened in the light. He breathed deeply the sea air mixed the smoke from the fire, finding the setting rather enjoyable, plus with the loss of Pike and the upcoming trial he needed this, but his relaxation was broken as the doors to the holodeck opened. His head twisted slightly to his left to see who was there before turning his gaze back to the flames. "Come in Mr. Karrak and join me by the fire. The halls of a starship are much cooler than either of our homeworlds."

Karrak entered. "Thiss is far more comfortable, and nearer to what sshould be." said Karrak, coming to the fire and sitting down. "A place for warriors, ssir."

It made him miss his homeworld far more. What was going on in the world that he left? He wondered.

"That it is." He took another deep breath. "How are you getting along? Being the only Gorn aboard you must be has other issues beside the temperature."

"It isss, sssir." said Karrak. "It iss lonely, knowing my world iss far away, and I don't know if they remember me, as I foolishly ran away from my k'nar, my desstiny. There are no Gorn around. No offense, ssir, but the nearesst to a Gorn is a Klingon, as we are both warriors."

"We will all face the difficulty of home being further and further away. Some will turn to others for comfort, but everyone will deal with it in their own way. It is a shame that you are the only one of your kind. Have you made many friends among the crew?"

"A few acquaintances, ssir," said Karrak. "But not yet. I am jusst getting used to it. I was friends with Commodore Chakotay, and he introduced me to a guide. But none yet here."

Da`nal's gaze left the flames. "Chakotay....impressive. I had the honor to meet Admiral Janeway before we left DS9. You will have to tell me about him sometime. For now I want to learn more about you. Miss Logan told me you came to her aid when she first arrived at the station?"

"Yes, sshe was in trouble with two ruffians. They did not expect me to be there and sstop them. One nickname I was given in the Academy was Godzilla, about a giant lizard who ran amuck in a city, and I used it there." He grinned. They ressisted for a moment, but decided against it. They probably didn't go through the training exercise when Captain Kirk fought my grandfather. Many have tried to do what Kirk did in the ssimulation and failed, as what really happened at the end was ssealed by Sstarfleet."

His interest peaked, "Well I'm sure Miss Logan was grateful for the assistance. So it was your grand father that encountered the Enterprise all those years ago, tell me what was so secret that the recorded needed to be sealed?" Da`nal had the clearance to see for himself but that record was probably written by Kirk himself, he was curious to her the story from the other side.

"It was a ssurprise to my grandfather, Commander S'alath, that Kirk sspared his life, ssomething he would not have done himsself. He expected the Metronss to desstroy them when he was returned to his sship in defeat, but they did not, and they explained that Kirk did not want it to happen. He had fought sso honorably, that he inssisted to my father that I be named after Kirk. Thiss is ssomething they did not know, the colony on Cesstus III, which we called Grazorath, Outposst, was caught in the crossfire of a war we had with the Romulanss at the time. My grandfather heard of an invassion, assumed that they were Romulan invaders, and sso desstroyed the colony and only learned his misstake later.

He and Kirk met later, when a human came to Cenotaph, where our honored dead are put to resst, and once again, Kirk averted a war. He sspoke of the Norssemen, who ssent their honored dead away in flaming sships, their weapons and possessions with them. When I came to the Academy, I learned as much as I could about these Norssemen, the Vikings, and they were an honorable race indeed.

K'nar, fortune or desstiny, was always with Kirk. That cannon he made sshould have only blown him up, and a roommate who tried it in the training exercise only ssucceeded in injuring himself when the cannon blew up in his face. He sspent two weeks in the infirmary. The training exercise where they faced my grandfather sseems to be sset up after the Kobayashi Maru sscenario, as those who killed him in the ssimulation only provoked a war between the Federation and the Gorn, which had very many cassualties when the numbers were added up, sso Kirk's ssecret way was the only way to ssolve it honorably. As you know, the transsmission was cut off by the Metrons when the cannon went off, so few know what happened." said Karrak.

He looked to Da'nal. "How did you fare when you encountered him in that ssimulation, ssir?"

Meeting his gaze. "I never participated in that simulation. The test the Metrons had placed Kirk and your grandfather is was to see if they could over come their 'savagery'. When Kirk didn't kill, he surprised them and passed the test. Had your grandfather won and killed Kirk he and his ship would have been destroyed. So with that knowledge the only way to succeed is to defeat the Gorn without killing. If you were killed in hand to hand...you lost. If you killed the Gorn by accident...you lost. If one managed to make the cannon, and it did blowup in your face, you could never know if the cannon would strong enough to incapacitate but not so strong as it wouldn't kill. Success or failure was more dependent on the random outcome computer than on the participant and where the Kobayashi Maru is a test of character...the simulation with the Gorn, in my opinion, was a test of luck.

"Besides...for a Klingon to face another warrior in battle and not be ready to give or receive an honorable death is not a proper test. Are there time where you should not kill your opponent...on occasion. But I prefer to have to know that for myself, not go into a fight with the choice already made for me."

"Quite true, ssir." said Karrak. "And I found out ssomething I never knew before about the Metronss. It was when I had stowed away on a frieghter, running from my k'nar which would one day overtake me, when I was taken by a member of the Q Continuum. I won't go into detailss about it except that I was taught an important lesson. And that Q told me that the Metronss were Q who had left the Continuum and sstarted their own community, dedicated to peace and knowledge, and their encounter with USS Enterprise was an accident. Anyway, our people learned much after my grandfather returned home, and I listened to him when I was very young.

And now, it ssems that my foolish act in running away and joining Sstarfleet was the very thing that may open up a possibility that we will not be sso closed anymore, but open relationss with the others in the galaxy. At leasst that is what my teachers at the Academy think."

Glancing back into the heart of the fire before him. "A word of advise, be very careful of anything a Q tells you. You will find that they are mostly lies meant to manipulate others for their entertainment. Now you keep mentioning this destiny of yours. What was so bad that you continue punish yourself?"

Karrak took a deep breath, then smiled. "I sstopped punisshing myself a few years ago, ssir." he said. "But there were high expectations on me, not only becausse of my being the grandsson of Commander S'alath, but of a prophecy many thought was about me, about the Tra'nark zo-Lazath, the child of desstiny, who would causse great changes among the Gorn and bring them to the honor and greatness that they longed for, much like Kahless among you Klingonss."

The Gorn continued. "The expectations laid upon me frightened me. I didn't want to be ssuch a revolutionary or a messiah, just the besst warrior I could be. Ssso I ran, sstowing away on a freighter, thinking I would ssolve my problem. But there is a Gorn proverb which ssays, Do not run from your k'nar, for it will purssue and overtake you. Ssso it happened with me. The running from what I was ssupposed to be only led to my own sspiritual awakening through many things that happened. And now, my involvement with Sstarfleet may open relations with my people who were long closed to the resst of the galaxy. I look forward to meeting with my people eventually, and we are both in for ssome surprises, things that neither of us ever expected when I was just an infant, and the sshadow of the tra'nark, the bird of desstiny fell on me, and the red feather fell which I sstill have with me.

"And now, I am more of a Gorn warrior than I was before, and have nothing to be asshamed of."

Da`nal had moved slightly to face him more directly. "I think you, and others, may be placing more pressure on you than needed. Just because you are related to a well known figure, or had a bird's shadow pass over you doesn't mean you are this 'child of destiny'. The Federation's relations with the Gorn have fluctuated many times over the years....as the will no doubt continue to do. And while your stepping up and being the first Gorn to serve in Starfleet may open doors for others doesn't mean you are some messiah.

"You are right about one thing though; you have nothing to be ashamed of. Have a path forced on you, especially at a young age, is difficult for any race. I believe one does the best he can...until his destiny is revealed. This mission will expose you to things no Gorn will have ever seen and most likely will ever see. That in itself could be of importance. Is there anything in that prophecy about the subject journeying into the unknown?"

"No, ssir." said Karrak. "There was only ssomething about one coming who would sstart great changes among the Gorn and our long issolation would come to an end. But I have sseen prophecies like thiss one have ressults unexpected by any. Jusst like when Kahless re-emerged, none had any idea the unexpected turn it would have. It didn't come as one leading Klingonss to battle, but insstead, jusst to give you guidance, counssel as a new Emperor. Sso I am not anxious about what will happen, but like humanss like to say, merely do what I can and let the chips fall where they may. I look forward to the adventuress I will face, the challenge and the new things before me."

Da`nal rose. "Well with you being here it is unlikely you'll be able to effect great change for your people. As the first Gorn in Starfleet you would have definitely made a name for yourself, and may have cracked their isolation but I doubt that one act would end it entirely. Then again...perhaps this journey is the forge to temper you into the leader of prophecy your people are seeking.

"I hope sso, ssir." said Karrak, as he got up. "I hope to honor you by my actions as we go forward." He got ready to go.

His expression was one that showed confidence and even pride in the man's words, and Da`nal nodded sharply. "Of that, I have no doubt. Good night Ensign."

"Good night, ssir." said Karrak.

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Commodore Da`nal
CO

Ensign Karrak
Security Officer

 

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