Post by Parislord (Home) on Jan 9, 2005 12:51:21 GMT -5
Deep Space Listening Post K-766A-Somewhere on the Klingon-Hydran border:
Captain-Lieutenant Venn Sutai-Rustazh of the Klingon Deep Space Fleet was dressed as proscribed by naval regulation. Black trousers and boots, black tunic under a platinum-colored mail jerkin. Only the conspicuous absence of a personal sidearm differentiated Venn from the ideal Klingon naval officer. That and his current assignment to the D-5J class penal squadron cruiser Remorse.
Venn absently scratched at the new tunic. Unconsciously, his fingers brushed the flat holster hidden beneath his mail vest that held a small semi-automatic pistol he carried for self-defense. As captain of a band of malcontents and discipline cases, he found the apparent absence of a weapon to be more disconcerting to his officers than prominent display of them. The penal squadrons served the Imperial Navy as a form of professional Purgatory. Rather than putting an officer or crewman in the brig, they were assigned to one of a hundred J-class variants which were invariably run-down, obsolete, scows saved from the breaker's yard only by the penal program. The offending individual was thrown into duty with others of his ilk for twenty-four months of probationary duty. If the individual demonstrated the proper degree of penitence and improvement, he would be reassigned to a regular fleet billet. If not, he continued in his current assignment for another two years. Of course, a tour in the penal squadrons was extremely hazardous, bearing the brunt of rapid-response and frontier patrol duties. Additionally, the concentrated presence of so many malcontents, incompetents, criminals, and other assorted military dregs carried its own dangers.
The exception to this policy was the Executive Officer's billet. Penal squadron XO's were assigned from rising-stars in the Deep Space Fleet command career-path. Command candidates were drawn from the ranks of Lieutenants advanced to Lt. Commander each year. Each was sent to nine-weeks of intensive Executive Officer Candidate School. The officers that didn't wash-out earned an eighteen-month cruise as XO at a penal-squadron command. At XOCS, the candidate officers were regaled with horror stories about the incompetent crewman and cowardly, ineffective, officers in the J-class navy. Every brand-new XO had eighteen months to not only survive, but to bring order out of the chaos. Those that succeeded moved onto further XO or junior command duties in the regular fleet. Those that didn't-and survived their failure-filled the ranks of fleet staff officers. Understandably, this placed a great deal of pressure on the officer as well as his commander.
Every commander in the penal-fleet was a line-officer recently demoted to Lieutenant. No other rank was allowed command per naval regulation. Thus every commanding officer held the title of Captain-Lieutenant. It was the duty of the ship's executive officer not only to supervise the smooth running of the ship's administration, but to stand over his commanding officer as second captain. The executive officer invariably held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, one grade above the ship's captain in order to pass judgement on every decision, ready to relieve the captain at the slightest sign of "cowardice" or "dereliction" real or imagined. Venn's only crime was years of sustained, superior, performance as a naval officer. That and his heritage. The combination of rank and race finally became too much for high-command. The penal-squadrons were the perfect Versailles wherein Venn would be unable to embarrass the rest of the fleet.
On the bridge of the Remorse, Venn handed the latest crew manifest to his yeoman and moved to the helm: "Send to harbormaster: we are making ready to get underway. Release docking clamps and confirm cast-off of all moorings." There was a brief flurry of activity at every station on the bridge as the watch made last-minute checks in their departments.
"All department heads report underway checks complete," reported Ka'dja, the ships executive officer, "All hatches and access points show secure. All cruising stations show blue-lights, Captain. We are free and clear to navigate."
"Very well. Helm, thrusters ahead one-quarter," Venn ordered. Remorse moved slowly toward the main ship channel leading to the frontier.
"Contact from the Knife-hand, Captain. Commander Korge sends his "respects" and reports ready to escort us to the outer marker," ensign Gade, another Rustazh Klingon, reported from tactical communications. He apparently couldn't disguise the heavy irony in his voice. Venn caught the XO directing a fierce expression at the young officer. Venn sighed, either the boy would learn very quickly to guard his expressions or Ka'dja would tear him apart. As Rustazh Klingons, they lived in a condition of perpetual second-class citizenry. Slaves in all but the letter of the law. Ka'dja, a Sutai-Demma Klingon and member of the ruling "Imperial" Klingon race, had very little patience and an equally great deal of contempt for Venn, Gade, and all his Rustazh kin.
While both races were two of the three non-subject races of Klingon, they were entirely dissimilar. The Rustazh Klingon was physically related to humanity in appearance, a fact much rued by the one race and much remarked-upon by the others. On average, they were two-meters or so tall, weighing about two hundred pounds in Rustazh's one-point one gravities. Their features held the sly look of the oriental tartar with generally dark hair and eyes and dark, olive, skin. By contrast, the Sutai-Demma Klingons of Ka'dja's race averaged another foot or so in height and an additional hundred-pounds of high-gravity muscle and dense bone. Their most prominent feature-aside from their physical bulk-was a prominent ridge of knobby bone that extends from their brow to the back of the head. Like the Klinzai-Klingons, they affect braided locks of dark hair and thick, unruly beards. At the coming of age, they filed their yellow teeth into uneven rows of sharp fangs. Their skin was a dark, ochre, shade of rust, their eyes slightly red.
[ Author's Note: As some of you will note, I've asked around the Fanfic forum for the various "official" and other explanations for the three styles of Klingon makeup. Personally, I don't care for the "Fusion" theory, so I've made my own. I've invented three Klingon non-subject races: the Sutai-Rustazh (TOS), the Sutai-Demma (TMP), and Sutai-Klinzai (TNG). At the (TMP) time of this story, the ruling junta of the empire is Sutai-Demma. Whichever controls the throne and the counsel becomes the current "Imperial" race. After the abortive war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation in which the Organians interceded, the Rustazh Klingons were deposed by a house of the Sutai-Demma for supposed acts of racial cowardice. In the following eras, the Rustazh live in permanent dishonor. Eventually, of course, the Sutai-Demma are overthrown by the Klinzai Klingons of the TNG era. -Mike ]
Ka'dja, of course, wouldn't see the irony in Korge's message. Knife-hand would follow them to their patrol station to insure that the commander and crew of Remorse didn't suddenly decide to disregard their orders. Service in the penal fleet only earned one the right to perform the worst duty under constant suspicion. The XO probably thought that assigning a ship to watchdog them was a great idea.
"So, my captain, " Ka'dja interjected from his station by the tactical boards, "We are underway to frontier to once again protect the empire from the cowardly Hydran menace!"
"Indeed, First Officer, " replied Venn with more good cheer than he felt. "Four weeks in space. It is good to leave the dock. A starship belongs in space, not moored, overrun with bureaucrats and workmen with dirty boots."
"You find the station-crew dirty?" Ka'dja asked pointedly.
For the hundredth time since the XO reported onboard, Venn reflected that his new subordinate was the perfect officer for his job. His voice was always too loud, his humor too affected. He never allowed Venn to forget what he was. The fleet observer. He was easy to fear.
"I have been on frontier duty too long, I have become accustomed to notice the subtle differences between the forward deployed units." A veiled insult. The Lieutenant Commander's last posting was at the naval academy. His disdain for the state of the ship and its less than gung-ho crew was well known.
"Captain," reported the crewman at the helm, "We have entered the main ship channel." Venn vaguely recalled that the crewman had been assigned to Remorse after foolishly defeating his superior in a duel in some liberty port, then heeding his plea for mercy. Had he simply killed the officer, he wouldn't be her now.
"Very well, accelerate to cruise velocity. Set course for sector Bravo." Venn rose from his command throne and beckoned to his exec, "First Officer, you have the deck. I shall expect you in my office at the turn of the watch, to inspect our orders."
Ka'dja saluted smartly and proffered a padd, "I have the training schedule for the week prepared for your approval, Captain." At this, the officer resumed his station at tactical and began reviewing the standing order log. For all his arrogance, this one at least showed the proper military respect. Many of Venn's former exec's tended to make a show of taking the commander's station in his absence.
Venn could almost regret the need to kill him.
In his office, the Captain carefully removed a small, brushed metal, cylinder about the size of a cup from his desk and placed it by the food dispenser before taking a seat and reviewing the XO's report. After three-quarters of an hour, Venn approved the training schedule and posted it on the ship's intranet for his officers and chiefs to find. He then called-up a navigational chart for the sector and began making notes in his personal log.
Captain-Lieutenant Venn Sutai-Rustazh of the Klingon Deep Space Fleet was dressed as proscribed by naval regulation. Black trousers and boots, black tunic under a platinum-colored mail jerkin. Only the conspicuous absence of a personal sidearm differentiated Venn from the ideal Klingon naval officer. That and his current assignment to the D-5J class penal squadron cruiser Remorse.
Venn absently scratched at the new tunic. Unconsciously, his fingers brushed the flat holster hidden beneath his mail vest that held a small semi-automatic pistol he carried for self-defense. As captain of a band of malcontents and discipline cases, he found the apparent absence of a weapon to be more disconcerting to his officers than prominent display of them. The penal squadrons served the Imperial Navy as a form of professional Purgatory. Rather than putting an officer or crewman in the brig, they were assigned to one of a hundred J-class variants which were invariably run-down, obsolete, scows saved from the breaker's yard only by the penal program. The offending individual was thrown into duty with others of his ilk for twenty-four months of probationary duty. If the individual demonstrated the proper degree of penitence and improvement, he would be reassigned to a regular fleet billet. If not, he continued in his current assignment for another two years. Of course, a tour in the penal squadrons was extremely hazardous, bearing the brunt of rapid-response and frontier patrol duties. Additionally, the concentrated presence of so many malcontents, incompetents, criminals, and other assorted military dregs carried its own dangers.
The exception to this policy was the Executive Officer's billet. Penal squadron XO's were assigned from rising-stars in the Deep Space Fleet command career-path. Command candidates were drawn from the ranks of Lieutenants advanced to Lt. Commander each year. Each was sent to nine-weeks of intensive Executive Officer Candidate School. The officers that didn't wash-out earned an eighteen-month cruise as XO at a penal-squadron command. At XOCS, the candidate officers were regaled with horror stories about the incompetent crewman and cowardly, ineffective, officers in the J-class navy. Every brand-new XO had eighteen months to not only survive, but to bring order out of the chaos. Those that succeeded moved onto further XO or junior command duties in the regular fleet. Those that didn't-and survived their failure-filled the ranks of fleet staff officers. Understandably, this placed a great deal of pressure on the officer as well as his commander.
Every commander in the penal-fleet was a line-officer recently demoted to Lieutenant. No other rank was allowed command per naval regulation. Thus every commanding officer held the title of Captain-Lieutenant. It was the duty of the ship's executive officer not only to supervise the smooth running of the ship's administration, but to stand over his commanding officer as second captain. The executive officer invariably held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, one grade above the ship's captain in order to pass judgement on every decision, ready to relieve the captain at the slightest sign of "cowardice" or "dereliction" real or imagined. Venn's only crime was years of sustained, superior, performance as a naval officer. That and his heritage. The combination of rank and race finally became too much for high-command. The penal-squadrons were the perfect Versailles wherein Venn would be unable to embarrass the rest of the fleet.
On the bridge of the Remorse, Venn handed the latest crew manifest to his yeoman and moved to the helm: "Send to harbormaster: we are making ready to get underway. Release docking clamps and confirm cast-off of all moorings." There was a brief flurry of activity at every station on the bridge as the watch made last-minute checks in their departments.
"All department heads report underway checks complete," reported Ka'dja, the ships executive officer, "All hatches and access points show secure. All cruising stations show blue-lights, Captain. We are free and clear to navigate."
"Very well. Helm, thrusters ahead one-quarter," Venn ordered. Remorse moved slowly toward the main ship channel leading to the frontier.
"Contact from the Knife-hand, Captain. Commander Korge sends his "respects" and reports ready to escort us to the outer marker," ensign Gade, another Rustazh Klingon, reported from tactical communications. He apparently couldn't disguise the heavy irony in his voice. Venn caught the XO directing a fierce expression at the young officer. Venn sighed, either the boy would learn very quickly to guard his expressions or Ka'dja would tear him apart. As Rustazh Klingons, they lived in a condition of perpetual second-class citizenry. Slaves in all but the letter of the law. Ka'dja, a Sutai-Demma Klingon and member of the ruling "Imperial" Klingon race, had very little patience and an equally great deal of contempt for Venn, Gade, and all his Rustazh kin.
While both races were two of the three non-subject races of Klingon, they were entirely dissimilar. The Rustazh Klingon was physically related to humanity in appearance, a fact much rued by the one race and much remarked-upon by the others. On average, they were two-meters or so tall, weighing about two hundred pounds in Rustazh's one-point one gravities. Their features held the sly look of the oriental tartar with generally dark hair and eyes and dark, olive, skin. By contrast, the Sutai-Demma Klingons of Ka'dja's race averaged another foot or so in height and an additional hundred-pounds of high-gravity muscle and dense bone. Their most prominent feature-aside from their physical bulk-was a prominent ridge of knobby bone that extends from their brow to the back of the head. Like the Klinzai-Klingons, they affect braided locks of dark hair and thick, unruly beards. At the coming of age, they filed their yellow teeth into uneven rows of sharp fangs. Their skin was a dark, ochre, shade of rust, their eyes slightly red.
[ Author's Note: As some of you will note, I've asked around the Fanfic forum for the various "official" and other explanations for the three styles of Klingon makeup. Personally, I don't care for the "Fusion" theory, so I've made my own. I've invented three Klingon non-subject races: the Sutai-Rustazh (TOS), the Sutai-Demma (TMP), and Sutai-Klinzai (TNG). At the (TMP) time of this story, the ruling junta of the empire is Sutai-Demma. Whichever controls the throne and the counsel becomes the current "Imperial" race. After the abortive war between the Klingon Empire and the Federation in which the Organians interceded, the Rustazh Klingons were deposed by a house of the Sutai-Demma for supposed acts of racial cowardice. In the following eras, the Rustazh live in permanent dishonor. Eventually, of course, the Sutai-Demma are overthrown by the Klinzai Klingons of the TNG era. -Mike ]
Ka'dja, of course, wouldn't see the irony in Korge's message. Knife-hand would follow them to their patrol station to insure that the commander and crew of Remorse didn't suddenly decide to disregard their orders. Service in the penal fleet only earned one the right to perform the worst duty under constant suspicion. The XO probably thought that assigning a ship to watchdog them was a great idea.
"So, my captain, " Ka'dja interjected from his station by the tactical boards, "We are underway to frontier to once again protect the empire from the cowardly Hydran menace!"
"Indeed, First Officer, " replied Venn with more good cheer than he felt. "Four weeks in space. It is good to leave the dock. A starship belongs in space, not moored, overrun with bureaucrats and workmen with dirty boots."
"You find the station-crew dirty?" Ka'dja asked pointedly.
For the hundredth time since the XO reported onboard, Venn reflected that his new subordinate was the perfect officer for his job. His voice was always too loud, his humor too affected. He never allowed Venn to forget what he was. The fleet observer. He was easy to fear.
"I have been on frontier duty too long, I have become accustomed to notice the subtle differences between the forward deployed units." A veiled insult. The Lieutenant Commander's last posting was at the naval academy. His disdain for the state of the ship and its less than gung-ho crew was well known.
"Captain," reported the crewman at the helm, "We have entered the main ship channel." Venn vaguely recalled that the crewman had been assigned to Remorse after foolishly defeating his superior in a duel in some liberty port, then heeding his plea for mercy. Had he simply killed the officer, he wouldn't be her now.
"Very well, accelerate to cruise velocity. Set course for sector Bravo." Venn rose from his command throne and beckoned to his exec, "First Officer, you have the deck. I shall expect you in my office at the turn of the watch, to inspect our orders."
Ka'dja saluted smartly and proffered a padd, "I have the training schedule for the week prepared for your approval, Captain." At this, the officer resumed his station at tactical and began reviewing the standing order log. For all his arrogance, this one at least showed the proper military respect. Many of Venn's former exec's tended to make a show of taking the commander's station in his absence.
Venn could almost regret the need to kill him.
In his office, the Captain carefully removed a small, brushed metal, cylinder about the size of a cup from his desk and placed it by the food dispenser before taking a seat and reviewing the XO's report. After three-quarters of an hour, Venn approved the training schedule and posted it on the ship's intranet for his officers and chiefs to find. He then called-up a navigational chart for the sector and began making notes in his personal log.