What Judgments Come

Besides, if she had not opted to volunteer for the colony assignment on Traelus II, she would never have met Kraloq. Though a farmer himself, he had served as an enlisted soldier in the military before an injury during training cut short whatever glorious career he might have enjoyed. Having never faced an enemy in battle, Kraloq instead left the service with feelings of shame and failure. Ja’tesh had never given much credence to the popularization of military service as a cornerstone of Klingon culture. Yes, she believed a strong force capable of defending the Empire and its interests was important, but the glamorization of “honor above all” and the casual sacrifice of lives in the name of glory and conquest were attitudes with which she always had taken fervent issue. Though she had been involved with one or two soldiers during her young life and at one point even had seen herself as a willing, loving, military wife, Ja’tesh had long ago decided that she much preferred her lover in her bed rather than his medals on her wall. It had not taken long for her to convince Kraloq of the virtues her line of reasoning embraced.

“You’re smiling,” Kraloq said, reaching for a support handle as Ja’tesh navigated the Sporak around a hole in the ground.

“Am I?” she asked, opting to share nothing further, though when she reached for him this time it was to stroke his long, black hair. Glancing to the far horizon, she saw how far the sun had traveled, and she looked at the chronometer set into the driver’s console. “It will be dark soon, but we should be home before that.”

Kraloq grunted. “Or, we could spend one more night under the stars.”

“That does carry a certain appeal,” Ja’tesh conceded, her smile widening. Twelve days spent camping and touring the remote highlands located more than two hundred kilometers to the south of the colony had served as a welcome change of pace from the activities that all but consumed their days. It had been the first extended respite she and Kraloq had enjoyed since arriving at Traelus II, and they had done their best to savor every moment of the time spent away from their fellow colonists. Ja’tesh had been anxious to see areas of the planet that had not yet been disturbed or even explored as a consequence of the outpost’s presence. For his part, Kraloq had spent a good portion of their getaway content to watch his mate bathing nude in the river that ran past their campsite, or lying on the small beach and allowing the warmth of the Traelan sun to dry her bare skin. And what of the nights? As Ja’tesh had expected, the open air, warm fire, and utter solitude had affected her mate’s desires and attentions in other areas, much to her satisfaction.

Males,she mused. So predictable. Perhaps one last night before returning to their demanding duties was not the worst idea, after all.

“What is that?”

Kraloq’s question broke through Ja’tesh’s reverie, and she turned her head to see that he was pointing out of the Sporak’s open passenger-side window at something in the distance. Her eyes tracked across the open terrain until she saw … something sitting atop a small rise. Whatever it was, its straight lines and reflective surface were very much out of place in the middle of open ground.

“Some kind of equipment from the colony?” Ja’tesh asked as she brought the Sporak to a stop. “I don’t recognize it.”

“It appears too small to be farm or excavation equipment,” Kraloq said. “And even if it was, what’s it doing all the way out here?”

Ja’tesh shrugged. “Maybe somebody else decided to camp tonight.” She smiled, but it had no effect on Kraloq, whose expression had turned dour. “What?”

“We should see what it is.”

“What do you think it is?” she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Shaking his head, Kraloq replied, “I don’t know. That’s why I think we should look.”

For the first time, Ja’tesh realized her mate was displaying actual concern. “You’re serious.”

“Yes,” Kraloq said, nodding before pointing to the communications panel on the Sporak’s console. “We should notify the colony.”

Frowning, Ja’tesh said, “This is the soldier in you, isn’t it?”

Rather than replying, Kraloq had shifted his position in his seat in order to reach behind him and pull a small satchel from the floorboard of the rear passenger area. Ja’tesh said nothing as he reached into the heavy, woven bag and extracted from it a disruptor pistol. “We’re on an isolated planet near enemy territory. Yes, this is the soldier in me.”

Ja’tesh released a sigh of concession. “Fine.”

Shifting the Sporak into gear, Ja’tesh guided the vehicle toward the strange object as Kraloq made contact with the colony administrator and advised him of their discovery and current location, and that they were investigating the situation. Ja’tesh brought the vehicle to a halt at the base of the rise, and after refusing the disruptor pistol Kraloq offered her in favor of the knife she had already strapped to her right leg, the pair made short work of ascending the hill.

“It’s not ours,” Kraloq said, his brow furrowing as he studied the object sitting atop the plateau. Ja’tesh nodded in agreement as she regarded the odd construct. It was as high as her neck, and perhaps somewhat smaller than a typical shipping container. Rather than sitting on the ground, it stood on six short, thick legs. Its shell appeared to be constructed from some kind of metal or metallic composite material, though Ja’tesh saw nothing resembling seams, joints, or rivets. The thing looked to have been cast as a single piece, rather than assembled from plates or other components. Its black surface reflected the heat of the midday sun, though when Ja’tesh held her hand close to one side she felt no warmth.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “Is it some kind of generator?”

Kraloq replied, “Perhaps, but for what purpose? For all I know, it could be a bomb.”

The object, whatever it was, emitted an abrupt hum, causing both Ja’tesh and Kraloq to take several steps backward. Before Ja’tesh could say anything, Kraloq had drawn his disruptor and aimed it at one side of the construct’s flat, black shell.

“Wait!” she cried, holding out her hands. Then, unable to suppress a small grin, she added, “Don’t kill it just yet.” She cursed herself for neglecting to bring with her a portable sca

She jerked at the sound of weapons fire, realizing only after an extra instant that the report had not come from Kraloq’s disruptor. A bright orange flash screamed past her and from the corner of her eye she caught sight of Kraloq dropping out of her field of vision just as something slammed into the side of the object. She felt bits of fire peppering her exposed skin as she dropped to the ground and rolled away from the object, trying to keep Kraloq in sight. She realized that the hum coming from the mechanism had died, but then her ears were filled with more disruptor fire, and Ja’tesh saw Kraloq kneeling on the ground, firing his weapon down the side of the rise. Jerking her head in that direction, she was startled to see a thin silhouette, maneuvering on a quartet of long, spindly legs as it held something in another, smaller extremity.

It was a Tholian, encased in what Ja’tesh recognized as the species’ version of an environmental suit, and carrying what could only be a weapon.

“Kraloq!”

Her lover said nothing but instead continued firing. One of his shots struck the Tholian in its narrow chest and Ja’tesh watched as it shuddered from the force of the impact but remained standing. Rising to his feet, Kraloq uttered a low growl of irritation as he fired again. Another energy bolt drove itself into the Tholian, and this time Ja’tesh saw bits of the alien’s environmental suit as well as its crystal body flying in different directions. The disgusting, insectlike creature emitted a high-pitched shriek Ja’tesh hoped was a cry of pain as Kraloq fired yet again, and this time the shot took the Tholian in the center of the hooded cowl obscuring the alien’s face. Whatever wail of agony it was unleashing came to an abrupt end as the Tholian’s body fell backward, stirring up dust and dirt as it tumbled down the slight slope.