The Way of the Future - Part One

Posted on Sun Mar 8th, 2020 @ 2:56am by Fleet Admiral Dominique Jes-Tereth

Mission: Mission 68: Unsteady is the Head the Wears the Crown
Location: Moorlu's Lab - Starbase orbiting Halee
Timeline: 1000Hrs - April 4th, 2392

Kora, mate of Makar and mother to Kenco, Shera and Moorlu entered her son's lab where she had to break the news of his father's death in the high council chamber facing off against J'mpok who was now head of the council and of the Empire.

Moorlu for his part, had a tricorder in one hand and an arc welder in the other as he was working on his new design, the fourth in a small collection, one was a half built prototype, two and three were simply but effective prototypes and this one he was working on now, he let out a sigh as he heard the alarm system beep at him.

He shut off his arc welder in annoyance at the interruption before he raised his visor. "Yes.. Enter!" he shouted. "What!"

Kora had expected her son to react this way, she also knew it was not his fault as he had something wrong with his brains and his social skills were non-existent. She let out a sigh as she made a mental note. 'I must have Kenco recalled from the Federation to lead this house, thats his job now.'

Kora's inner demon responded. 'No he won't,. you know what he said when he left... The Empire is a broken system, fit only for the scrapheap of history.'

"Moorlu. I would speak with you" Kora's toe brooked no argument. "Your father is dead. Slain upholding a matter of honor against the Chancellor. The matter was settled and honor is satisfied."

"I am sure mother." in a tone that he did not believe her in the least. "You of all people know what I think of the Klingon system of honor and all that mindless crap."

Kora raised an eyebrow, she was surprised and at the same time she should not have been surprised at her son's outburst. "Do you believe Kenco would come home to lead-" was as far as she got before the avalanche that was her son ran her over and crushed her underfoot.

"No." Moorlu responded bluntly. "Why should he?" Moorlu inquired as he put down his arc welder on the table before he slipped off his visor. "You heard what he said the day he left, Shera followed a few years later after she finished her studies... Many said she was weak..."

"Kenco and Shera had their reasons for leaving.." Kora responded.

Moorlu snorted in derision "The two of them were raised with the ideas of the Federation that father brought home from the Dominion War... My rank in the KDF is honorary, had I been permitted to join them... My rank would have been real!... But no, you and father both insisted that I remain here."

"I would have lost my house... The Council will have dissolved house Makar.. Your father and I would have been left with nothing." Kora responded evenly. "Or one of your maniac cousins would be running the house."

"That is why the Klingon is a corrupt and rotting cesspit of shit and crap.. Kenco was right all along, you knew it and so did father... you just never bothered to do anything about it... Now he holds the rank of Captain. Shera is a Lieutenant Commander... and I'm an egghead with a shit rank that means nothing."

"Hows the armor coming.?" Kora inquired.

"Its almost finished.." Moorlu responded quietly. "I have only one market for it.. the Klingon Defense Forces.. No house can be trusted with this level of equipment.."

"This will help us reclaim our losses."

"No.. It'll hasten our destruction." he responded evenly. "We should prepare for the possibility and plan accordingly."

"You are just cynical." Kora responded. "Have you no faith in the Klingon system?"

"No. Not with men like J'mpok to rule with an adamantium fist mother." Moorlu responded, as the doorbell beeped a second time.

"What now... Enter!" Moorlu raised his voice as a guard entered. "Ahh Mistress Kora.. There has been a theft.."

"Theft... Who would dare?"

"Two guards stole a rather large crate from this lab this morning."

Moorlu went pale. "My prototypes..." he turned and ran into the nearby storage room, everything looked at it should before he moved into the back and as expected, the large crate there with prototypes number two and three were both gone. "Whoever did this... I will have their heads.."

Kora followed slowly as she regarded her son. "Are they working?"

"Yes.. but they aren't meant for field work.. they are older and more primitive versions of this one." he indicated the Amar suit he was working on. "I have best get back to work mother. My armor now will be needed more then ever before..."

"So... what?, why?" Kora inquired.

"Because I have triggered an arms race between the various houses in armored battlesuit combat.. Someone stole from me... and now the designs will get out and others will copy and duplicate my work... while trying to outcompete everyone else... "

Kora stood speechless at the implications. "Then we had best find find the equipment." she turned to the guard. "Inform the Captain of my fleet to start a sweep and find that ship that stole the equipment."

"At once sir." and with that he fled. Leaving mother and child alone.
"I will have someone send you something to eat and drink.." Kora responded. "Yes... you'd best get back to work.."

Moorlu lifted his gear and slipped the visor back on before doing exactly that.