The Federation starship Voyager sat motionless in the starlit sky. Numerous small fires were burning brightly and parts of the hull were flickering, the smoldering embers glowing like evil eyes. Although motionless and burning the starship was not critically damaged for the attack, though short, had been carried out with expert military precision, the laser fire superbly targeted on the nacelles. It therefore rendered the ship inoperable within mere seconds. After that, boarding her had been easy.
Two alien vessels hovered nearby. One, the primary attacker, was a bird of prey, the Klingon cruiser Porragh. The other was considerably dwarfed by the other two and was manned by a handful of Ferengis. Its origin, though, was not that of Ferengi design.
Several Klingon warriors and one Ferengi held Voyager's bridge crew in check with their phasers. Well, not the Ferengi. He just hid behind the backs of two huge Klingons, periodicaly peeking past them to gaze at the Federation captives. They had transported themselves directly on to the bridge, phasers blasting. Now several bodies cluttered the floor.
Captain Katherine Janeway stared crestfallen at her dead shipmates. Two huge Klingons held her by the arms, their phasers at her back. She stared helplessly at Commander Tuvak who was the only crewman left alive. Tuvak lay crumpled behind his console, nursing a wounded shoulder. His face was, as always, expressionless.
Janeway shook her head. The battle had been lost. Her crew was still fighting off the Klingon attackers below decks, but they were short, ineffective attempts. Although there was no one manning the communications console, reports were steadily filtering in. The crewman manning the post had been shot down before he could switch it off. It was total bedlam---shrill screams, blood curdling cries and the swish of phaser fire echoed through the bridge.
Commander Tuvak rose groggily to his feet. A Klingon warrior rammed his phaser none too gently in his ear. "Stand still, Vulcan swine!"
"Someone please turn that infernal noise off." A gigantic Klingon approached Janeway with a sneer. He was almost seven feet tall and had a massive chest and the shoulders of an ox. His sun-darkened tan and the dark goatee beard hardly hid the numerous scars that were etched on his craggy face. "I am Commander Org, from the house of Bro'Mar. You are undoubtedly my prisoner." He had a deep resounding voice. Janeway's eyes blazed at him. "How dare you attack a Federation ship? The Klingons are our allies! This is an act of treason! You've murdered half of my crew! What is the meaning of this?"
Org turned his head but briefly. "Silence, woman!" One could see that Org was not a man easily taken off his stride. "Yes. We are Klingons. True Klingons do not bow to the Federation. We spit on the Federation! What a pack of whining, peace-loving simpletons! It is unfortunate that our government signed that ridiculous pact. We are renegades, Captain, and we will see to it that our world is restored to its once glorious presence. The capture of your ship is but a mere trifle compared to the victories we are yet to accomplish. But it is a start."
Janeway glared at him angrily. "What is it that you want?"
Org shrugged his massive shoulders. "Ah. What I want? That is an immaterial question. I already have what I want. Your ship and its technologies are now mine. In one, small swoop, I have doubled my armada. A bit costly, perhaps, as I did not have all that many men to begin with. Now I most certainly have less. But I intend to receive compensation." He turned and spoke to a Klingon warrior. "Doran! Take the men and go below. Clean this mess up. Round up the humans and lock them in separate cargo bays, females in one and males in the other. There's always some use for females, eh? The males, however, are expendable. Execute five male crewmen for every fallen Klingon you've found. These humans will learn to obey."
Tuvak spoke up. "I must interject. This is highly illogical. How can you . . ."
A dozen Klingon phasers fired at once. Tuvak disintegrated into a billion parts. Org slapped his thigh and burst out with a deep and resounding sarcastic laugh. He gazed around the bridge and nodded at his companions. "Now that, my friends, was extremely logical!" The Klingons roared with laughter. The Ferengi, for the most part, seemed indifferent and just hovered behind his Klingon bodyguard, nervously wringing his hands.
Janeway was visibly shaken. "Murderous bastard!" She turned her head and stared angrily at the grotesque and squat figure of the Ferengi whose head appeared from behind a Klingon. "You! A Ferengi! What is your part in this?"
The Ferengi bowed slightly. "Ah. The Ferengi are always present when there is a profit to be made." H scurried forward with his lopsided gait and tugged at Org's sleeve. "That reminds me. I do believe there is a matter we must settle. I have yet to be paid for my services. After all, it was I who lead you to Voyager."
Org brushed off the Ferengi's hand like one would a pestering fly. "Yes, yes. There are many valuable items on board a vessel of such magnitude. Any bauble you fancy may be yours to keep. Take what you wish."
The Ferengi shook his head and rubbed his hands. "No. Although that would be profitable indeed, I must pass. This time around I am not interested in baubles. There is only one thing that I'd like to have. I have been hired to obtain it by a party I wish not to disclose. It should bring me a tidy sum indeed."
Org gave him a cold stare. "What would that be?"
At this exact moment Seven of Nine came running out of the turbo lift. Her blond hair was a mess and her uniform was torn. "Captain? Are you alright?" Several Klingons moved towards her, phasers in hand but stopped at the Ferengi's shrill command. "No!" The Ferengi fumbled in a pocket and produced a device. He scampered forward quickly. "Excellent. What exquisite timing!" He pressed a button on the device and he and Seven of Nine vanished into thin air. He had transported himself and Seven of Nine off the bridge before anyone knew what had happened.
The Klingons spun around. A longhaired Klingon grinned. "It seems our Ferengi friend has delved into slave trading. That one should bring him quite a bundle."
"It is if no consequence. At least we're finally rid of him." Org stared at his warriors and clapped his hands. "Be off! Help Doran round up the humans. Then enjoy yourselves. I am sure there will be plenty of females to keep you busy." He squeezed Janeway's shoulder with a massive hand and she winced. The pain of his fat fingers digging into her flesh almost brought her to her knees. "This one's mine. See to it that I'm not interrupted."
He gave her a push and she stumbled across the bridge. She was confused and badly shaken and her head was unclear. She realized that Org would probably try to beat Voyager's command secrets out of her and she gagged at the thought. She was a skilled combatant, trained in many forms of martial arts, but she was no match for this gigantic Klingon who towered nearly two feet above her. He would certainly break every bone in her body!
Org pushed her again. "Move!" She cried out again as the force of the Klingon's shove hurled her against the sliding door of her ready room. She bounced off it and fell to her knees. She was now close to sobbing. She gave him a frightened look, cringed against the door and massaged her sore shoulder. Ideas were racing desperately through her mind as she tried to come up with a plan to get her out of this predicament.