An end to division

After his short absence the Klingon Ambassador strides confidently into the hall his wounds now a forgotten, be they healed or not, he waits whilst the other Ambassadors finish their conversations before announcing with great pride and obvious satisfaction.

The Klingon rebellion is over, my people are as one, once more. My father, Emperor Mogh now wields the sword of Kahless and those that followed the mad Emperor have been dealt with in a way befitting our customs. I will speak no more on this matter.

Turning to the Vulcan representative, Kurn Smiles.

The crew of the scout class vessel, Da poch are now blessed, for they reside in Sto'Vo'Kor. For this we thank you.

Glory to the House of Mogh! growls the Crown prince.

With this news our fleets are content to withdraw from the Klingon border.

Peering intently at the Klingon.

The Vulcan vessel known to us as 'Klingon slayer' has been destroyed, we hope this goes a small measure to restoring relations between us?

The Gorn growls to itself in thought then looks at the Vulcan.

Cautiously eyeing the 2 overbearing warrior generals the the admiral lets out a small nervous 'yip'
then smiling he says
In all my years at the front i would never have thought i'd see the day a gorn and a klingon would share a bed. Yet all this speak of 'our' fleets? of the 'klingon destroyer' being scuttled. If I didn't know any better i'd say you two have a sectret dalliance? Pray tell young lovebirds is this so. Should the entire alpha quadrant be quaking in its boots before the might of the joined forces of klingons and gorn ? should we surround our borders with simple puzzles as our first line of defence?? Prey tell us!

Growling at the Romulan.

Dont forget yourself romulan, the last thing the Alpha Quadrant would want is a combined Klingon and Gorn Alliance, do not push us into such an act... for your own sake.

Eyeing the Romulan with slitted yellow eyes.

Your insidious actions against the federation have not gone unnoticed and your attempt to belittle the Klingon Empire and the Gorn Hegemony with your word play will do you no good when the Hegemony reclaim the stars you now call home.

There is venom in his words as he continues

and once my father the Overlord of the Gorn Hegemony 'Slathis' reawakens from his regeneration cycle and the stars are the color of blood, youll wish it was me your were dealing with...

*The Nagus sitting slouched in his chair sits forward and addresses the Prince, his high pitched wease a refreshing change from the deep growls dominating the room*

"Forgive me, I havent been following your invasion of klingon space that closely, but what exactly have the Vulcans done to the Gorn Hegemony for their ship to be destroyed? I heard that the Klingons opened fire on the Vulcans, not the other way round?"

*The Nagus sits back looking slightly perplexed*

Argel Tal stands , a wide smile full of irony but totally lacking mirth stands

You deserve merit nagus , Where those with less intellect would respond to vicious rumours with more of their own you respond with the question which i think plays on all of our collective minds. Are the Klingons so weak as to require aid from the Gorn?


Argel retakes his seat ,smile gone

Kurn of The House of Mogh smiles,

Argel Tal your rhetoric is humorous indeed, simple puzzles heh he. You are a, hmm what's the word. The Klingon people have no word for this but fortunately I have studied the language and culture of the Federation and I believe they have a word for what you are. And that word would be comedian.

The Klingon looks toward the Federation representative for confirmation and then continues,

In the Klingon language the closest we could come to such a strange and outlandish idea as a man who stands up and tells jokes would probably translate as the word fool.

He then turns to address the Grand Nagus,

The Vulcans came into neutral space, destroyed our territory markers and then threatened the scout class vessel to discontinue its action, perhaps a vessel of yours would have fled like a cur with its tail between its legs. But that is not the way of my people, out gunned and out matched we will give no quarter.

Argel Tal begins chuckling, then the chuckle grows into a fit of giggles then he starts rollong on the floor , laughing. after some time he composes himself
Sorry Kurn i was just laughing at my own jokes, then i was laughing at yours. 'what joke?' tou ask . The Mighty , oh so honorable Klingon empire shamed into forming a secret alliance with the Gorn in a shameful attempt to overthrow the most peaceful and enlightend species in the quadrant.....
The admiral wipes a tear from his eye and, composure regained, continues
Oh wait you haven't told the rest of us this joke yet have you? must be my premonition acting up. HA. no seriously, Back to the facts Kurn, You have been Lying for months about the state of the Klingon empire while others without have been fooled into beleiving your troubles some have held onto the mistrust you and yours so rightly deserve. You have been ammassing a fleet with the sole intention of wiping the peace loving, some say weak, vulcans from the face of the Galaxy.
Now glaring intently at Kurn he carries on addressing the others gathered in the halls
Those gathered here must now take action . I do not wish to see any race obliterated from existence we all have our uses and there are bigger and much more frightening things in the silent blackness of space than Vulcans.
Sighing he adds
Once the Vulcans are removed who will you decide is next in your way?

Edot: Names wrong

Kurn looks a little perplexed as the Romulan starts rolling on the floor, for a second a look of what might be fear but is definitely confusion spreads across his face.

The Klingon people have no desire to obliterate anyone, least of all the Vulcans who we respect for there intelligence, strength and honourable nature. Unfortunately in the eye of my people they have wounded us, challenged and defeated us. This is unconscionable it cannot be tolerated. Many species border the Vulcans, the Gorn, the Orion sindicate and the Klingons. Make no mistake they chose to make issue and so battle is coming, for the Vulcans threw down there gauntlet and we have accepted there challenge.

Nodding in understanding Argel speaks
Kurn the way you put it makes the situation seem understandable, For a duell or a battle to regain honour between you and the Vulcans that is. Why involve the Gorn? Why seemingly make preperations for invasion? these things would only harm your status surely? there is no honor in defeating an outnumbered and out-gunned enemy
Shaking his head sadly the romulan admiral seems to be weeping as he sits. Then after a breif look at his data pad breaks into manaical laughter yet again

A solemn look graces the admirals face as he speaks
Oh dear , oh dear What a fuss!. My 'dreams' are coming true after all. Alert the Betazoids! i need fellow psychics to frollick with!
The solemn look gone now replaced by a cruel,thin smile
One thing i did not 'foresee' though is the Orions taking an interest in the sword of.....Ka something ? If i were a superstitious man on the brink of war i think i would take this as a sign. But i am neither, yet

Sitting back slightly Xrathis, heir to the Hegemony watches the Romulan and the Klingon closely.

*The Nagus stands and nods to those present before speaking in his nasally whine*

"I have to ask the same question as the Romulans here. If 'the gauntlet has been thrown down' and the Klingons 'Have no desire to obliterate the Vulcans', why team up with the Gorn, removing all opportunity to regain honour, and then declare war which has only one purpose, to enable invasion and hence obliteration of the Vulcans?"

*The Nagus spreads his hands out wide*

"I find this whole affair very odd, with actions and words bearing almost no relation to each other"

*The Nagus sits looking utterly confused.....*

Kurn of the House of Mogh has been listening with apparent disinterest, staring into his ornate glass as he slowly swills the blood red liquid around and around, finally he sets it down as yet still untouched. Rising he addresses the other Ambassadors, his voice is powerful and yet soothing like the rolling of distant thunder.


Grand Nagus the answers to your questions are simple and I am surprised you have failed to see them for yourself, The House of Mogh declared war because honour demanded we tell the Vulcans we were coming, have I not said before that we do not attack like snakes in the grass and that we leave the tactics of cowardice to other races. Perhaps you fail to understand this because the Ferengi by all accounts have no understanding of honour, where is the profit in warning someone you are going to attack before your fleet has even left your home world. I believe you would call this foolish. The House of Mogh keeps its word and defends it honour.

What the Vulcans have failed to tell you is that the sector they destroyed our ship in, is directly adjacent to a very important Klingon planet. As it is not to any Vulcan planet, you have only to check the star map provided by this station to know this is true, is this really aggressive expansion or were we merely protecting our own borders. Given the proximity and the fact we had no other ships in range. as well as the fact they had destroyed our territory markers the Klingon vessel had no option but to fight. The captain would have been court marshalled if he had not. With one Vulcan ship destroyed and the other crippled that captain is now a hero. Let me also say this the actions of the Vulcans surprised no one more than it did us. If they had tried diplomatic channels perhaps things would have been different, they outnumbered us for a reason.

To your second point, why ally with the Gorn? This is also simple, when the opportunity arises to turn a powerful enemy into a friend, one thats rapid expansion and vastly superior fleet has left you with no doubt about there intentions. What would you do? I believe I know the answer.

*The Nagus stands and bows to the Ambassador*

"I thank you for your swift response Ambassador, but I did not ask for a reason for your dispute with the Vulcans, the reason is very clear, territory."

"No, I was asking why your actions do not match your words. Warning an enemy you are going to attack can be achieved very simply in these halls, or with other forms of communication. The requirement of war before an attack is to enable your forces to invade the planets of your combatant. When in these very halls you stated no such intention and only the desire to regain honour. Which inicidently, is the one thing you will gain none of when teaming up with a strong ally against a single enemy."

*The Nagus looks around at some of the other delegates and pauses before conintuuing, shaking his head slightly *

"The Ferengi have a good understanding of honour and opportunity, and I know, exactly what I am seeing here. "

*The Nagus smiles knowingly*

"Also, you suggest that the Ferengi, who you accuse of cowardice, may have allied with the Gorn in this situation as you have...."

*The Nagus pauses briefly and moves his hands as if considering the option*

"Possibly, but does this not make you question 'the honour' in your own actions? You have taken exactly the action of someone you consider a coward? These are your words Ambassador, not mine"

"Finally, the Ferengi are currently fighting the Breen, they attacked a trading outpost station within Ferengi territory, the reason they attacked is we both believe we have the rights over a planet between both our territories. I did attempt diplomacy but as can be seen quite clearly it failed, so for now at least we will battle for control over this territory. I feel I should point out, I will not be asking for help from anyone in doing this while the fight is a fair one."

*Before he site the Nagus asks the Ambassador*

"Are these the actions of a coward?"

Shaking his head slowly, Argel Tal stands
Ambassador Kurn, if self defence is an act of war then should we all of us cowe to your vessels whenever they roam our territories? and your destroyed territory markers tell us more of these , i want to know how to really vex a vulcan.
Laughing lightly to himself he almost takes a seat but has to add
The unerring Klingon wit strikes again

*The Grand Nagus watches the Romulan and nods at the comment regarding 'what constitutes a reason for war'. He then addresses the Klingon Ambassador.*

"Ambassador Kurn, you are the one who mentioned cowardice, aimed at the Ferengi, you then compared your own actions with a choice the Ferengi would have made in your mind. These are not my words, only yours."

"As to your alliance with the Gorn, I never said it did not make good sense or involved cowardice, again, these are your words, oddly near the front of your mind it would seem. I said that it removed any opportunity you had to regain honour in your dispute with the Vulcans. To use an old federation based metaphor which you touched on earlier in this discussion, when a knight throws down the gauntlet it would seem acceptable in your eyes for two people to pick it up."

*The Nagus looks around with a smug smile obviously thinking he has said something funny, a few of his entourage chuckle behind him. He regains composure and continues.*

"Surely to regain this honour you prize so highly you would need to face the Vulcans alone?

*He looks around at those gathered seeking agreement, he coughs before moving into the final part of his speech*

"As to debate, I assure you my words are coloured by nothing, I have only spoken the truth and pointed out, to be quite honest, glaringly obvious discrepencies between what you claim and what you do. With a lack of any form of qualification on these points, I and the quadrant in general have no option but to make assumptions. It saddens me that you are unwilling or unable to answer my queries and simply resort to unwarranted insults. I try to judge races by their actions, preconceptions are for the unprepared and can often lead to a failed enterprise, I would prefer if you judge the Ferengi Alliance by theirs."

*The Grand Nagus retakes his seat with a serious expression.*

*The Nagus stands once again stands and bows to the Klingon Ambassador*

"My apologies if I have inferred something you did not intend, but saying the Ferengi have no understanding of honour and that my words were meaningless had coloured some of your words"

"Regardless, whether you have or not, I have been called much worse, but still after all this discussion, my main question remains unanswered, and will hopefully give me some of this understanding I obviously lack"

"To refer back to both our earlier statements, is it honourable if the gauntlet was thrown down for both yourself and the Gorn to pick it up. And can honour really be regained in an unfair fight?"

"If you and the Gorn pursue this course of action, you are part of an annihilation, not a battle. Would fighting an unarmed opponent also yield honour to the victor? Forgive me if my understanding of honour is so far off the mark, I simply wish to understand"

*The Nagus bows again before returning to his seat*

Argel Tal ,who seems to be enjoying himself enormously

Forgive me Grand Nagus I misspoke of course the Ferengi understand honour, you are an intelligent and enlightened people perhaps what I should have said is that whilst you understand the concept you have no use for the ideal as there is no profit in it. Is that more acceptable?

Unfortunately Im afraid a great deal of what you have said is meaningless, you have repeatedly claimed understanding and yet do not. You have seen insult where none was intended and your discourse has been filled with all knowing overbearing arrogance. Which believe me I found insulting, you are obviously not a fool Grand Nagus.

Kurns eyes flash toward the Romulan Dignitaries.

But you should not treat with me in such a fashion, my people are easy to anger and thus far I believe I have been more than reasonable. You desire an answer to your questions, I will attempt to provide you with a satisfactory explanations.

You seem to think I have a said that we go to war with the Vulcans because we need to regain honour, this is not the case we have lost no honour, they came in numbers and our vessel defended our space in a valiant fashion. What I have said is that we go to war for honourable reasons and in an honourable manner. The Vulcans had the temerity to threaten one of our vessels within striking distance of our home world. The Vulcans believed us weak or they would have never taken such actions, to be so aggressive against a superior force would be illogical. This is about strength, the Klingons have been made to look weak and the Vulcans will pay.

Your second point, you still seem to think that we intend to obliterate the Vulcans, as I have said before this is not the case. This is a warning and a warning only, if you cross us you will pay cross us twice...

*The Nagus bows to the Ambassador again*

"Thank you for the clarification on your intentions. I believe a warning is a suitable response to the incident involving the Vulcans. I assume the Gorn are also warning the Vulcans?"

"I am glad to hear that you meant no insult in saying my words are meaningless, I will also assume referring to my discourse in this arena as 'filled with all knowing overbearing arrogance' was not an insult either."

"To the point of discussion, whether for honour or for a show of strength as you have stated, if you wish to show the vulcans the strength of the Klingons does this not require an act from the Klingons alone, and not from the Klingons and the Gorn?"

*The Nagus returns to his seat*

The Vulcan ambassador has remained silent for now, watching as the empires bicker over what may come to pass. Raising a hand he silences the crowd and stands.

We wish to thank the Romulans and the Ferengi for their defense of the Vulcan High Command. However applying our logic to that of the Gorn and the Klingons seems to be... more of a cultural issue. Misunderstanding is the key issue here.

Perhaps the Vulcan high Command can issue an apology on behalf of our empire to both the Klingon Empire and the Gorn Hegemony before this becomes something greater. Our cultural differences have allowed this to happen and we wish to make amends.

Looking at Ambassador Kurn.

In what way can we bring peace between the Vulcans the Gorn and the klingon empires.

He sits having made his statement.

Xrathis of Gorn is about to speak then he sits back and watches for Kurn Ambassador of the Klingon Empire to speak a thoughtful look upon his face.