Post by magicmuggle01 on Mar 18, 2019 12:26:42 GMT
After Worf becomes first officer of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by General Martok, he is caught between loyalty to his commander and loyalty to the crew.
Summary
Doctor Bashir treats Klingon General Martok for an injury he claimed he suffered in the holosuite. Bashir chastises him for disabling the Holodeck safety protocol and for refusing to replace his maimed eye with an artificial one. Afterward, Martok visits Worf on the USS Defiant. It is clear that the two men have come to have great respect for each other following their imprisonment in Internment Camp 371. Worf apologizes for inconveniencing Martok by causing his injury during a training session. Martok then informs Worf that the Klingon High Council has assigned him a mission, his first since their escape. He offers Worf to be his first officer aboard the IKS Rotarran, a Bird-of-Prey.
Act One
The son of Mogh gladly accepts, explaining to Captain Benjamin Sisko that the general had saved his life while imprisoned at Internment Camp 371. He explains that he had been about to let the Jem'Hadar kill him, when he and Martok experienced a moment of tova'dok, which is a "moment of clarity between two warriors on a field of battle." This encouraged him to continue fighting.
Their mission is to find the IKS B'Moth, a battle cruiser that has been missing for three days. Dax, jumping at the opportunity of being on a Klingon ship again, decides to come along, while Kira, Miles O'Brien, and Bashir are assigned Worf's regular duties. Worf chooses not to wear his baldric while aboard the Rotarran; as the House of Mogh no longer exists, he sees no point in displaying its crest. Despite the vessel's string of defeats by the Jem'Hadar in the last several months, Worf accepts the crew's battle records and pledges their lives to General Martok. Martok accepts the crew's lives and orders the helmsman to set a course around a nearby nebula, claiming that he wishes to avoid a confrontation if there should be Jem'Hadar ships hiding in it. The helmsman objects, but obeys the order. Once they have warped away, Worf starts to sing The Warrior's Anthem. Some of the others join in, but it is a dour unenthused version of the song. Worf and Dax immediately realize that this mission is not off to a good start.
Act Two
Dax arrives in the Mess Hall to find Ortikan sitting in her assigned seat. She throws him on the floor and threatens him before sitting down. She then tries to brighten the mood by informing the others that she has brought aboard three barrels of bloodwine, which the crew have not had for six months.
Meanwhile, Martok and Worf discuss the crew's unsatisfactory combat record and both realize that one defeat after another has taken away the crew's motivation and has even led them to expect defeat. They both agree that a victory would do much to lift their spirits. They promise each other they will make the ship worthy of the Empire.
Back in the mess hall, the crew drinks Jadzia's bloodwine and discusses their previous failures in battle. Kornan claims that the ship is cursed and that they will never be victorious in battle. Just then, a klaxon goes off indicating that they have cloaked, and Worf calls alert status one – a Jem'Hadar patrol has crossed their path.
Act Three
Despite the ship's and the crew's readiness for battle, Martok decides not to risk attacking the Jem'Hadar ship, claiming that their real mission is to rescue the B'Moth. Even though the crew strongly disagrees with this, Worf refuses to challenge Martok. Dax warns him that a dangerous situation is developing.
In the mess hall, the crewmembers get drunk and Leskit begins an analysis of the Jem'Hadar after he speaks admirably of the Cardassians he fought against. He says that the Jem'Hadar have no honor and that makes them more efficient than Klingons. He even interprets the recent decisions of Martok as a fear of the Jem'Hadar. Suddenly, Kornan goes berserk and attacks Leskit. In the fight, he nearly kills Ortikan who came to the rescue. Dax then ends the combat by shooting Kornan with a phaser.
Worf runs into Dax in the corridor and notices the blood stains on her uniform. She informs him what happened and once again warns him that it will only get worse.
Act Four
A little after, the Rotarran crew picks up a distress call from the B'Moth. It is an automatic transmission indicating they were attacked by the Jem'Hadar, suffered heavy casualties and are in need of assistance. They set a course for the coordinates. Tavana thanks Dax for intervening in the fight and saving Ortakin, her Par'Mach'kai.
Worf and Martok discuss the distress call. Martok is convinced that it is a trap, that the Jem'Hadar purposely left survivors aboard the B'Moth in order for someone to come rescue them, or even that they may have faked the distress call. When the Rotarran arrives in visual range, they realize that the battle cruiser has drifted into Cardassian space. The crew is ready to cross the border in order to carry out the rescue, but Martok refuses to take them across, citing strict orders from the High Council and claiming that there must not be survivors anyway. He then leaves the bridge, and Worf decides that it is time to challenge him for command of the ship.
Act Five
Martok returns to the bridge and Worf challenges him. It is clear that the crew can't stand another defeat and Worf wants his friend to see that. In the following struggle, Martok again feels what it is to be a Klingon and when Worf realizes he has made his point, he lets Martok defeat him. When a Jem'Hadar ship is detected nearby, a re-invigorated Martok promises to make the Jem'Hadar regret crossing them. This time, the crew are fully behind him and sing The Warrior's Anthem much more enthusiastically. Dax carries an injured but much-at-ease Worf to be treated.
Later, the ship returns to DS9 on a triumphant note. They had destroyed the Jem'Hadar ship and rescued 35 crewmembers from the B'Moth. The scope of their success allowed the High Council to easily forgive their crossing into Cardassian space; indeed, they commended the crew's bravery. The crew is completely changed by the recent victory, and Martok requests fifteen barrels of bloodwine to celebrate this. He later comes to Worf to thank him for making him remember he is a soldier and a warrior, and Worf admits that when he let Martok defeat him, he wasn't sure he wouldn't kill him. Martok is impressed by the sacrifice Worf was willing to make, and makes his friend an offer. He mentions that Worf still wears the crest for the House of Mogh, and Worf admits that Jadzia considers it a sentimental gesture. Martok offers Worf a new beginning as a member of the House of Martok, telling him he is proud to welcome Worf into his family as a warrior...and as a brother. Worf accepts, and replaces the House of Mogh crest with the one for the House of Martok. The two warriors and brothers clasp hands in victory, signaling a new beginning for Worf.
Log entries
Worf made at least one entry in the combat log entry for the IKS Rotarran while serving as executive officer in 2373. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")
"Rotarran Combat Log: The 53rd day in the year of Kahless 999. We have reached the Cardassian border and begun our search for the B'Moth."
Memorable quotes
"I-I do not wish to have a lengthy goodbye."
"I wasn't planning on having one."
"Good."
- Worf and Dax at the airlock
"I am Worf, son of Mogh. I now take my place as first officer. I serve the captain, but I stand for the crew."
- Worf
"Two years I spent on the Cardassian border. Two years fighting Guls and Legates and Glinns. They were cunning enemies. Always had us chasing holo-projections and sensor ghosts. Everything was a game with them. Always had a plan within a plan within a plan leading into a trap. It was an honor to kill them."
"The Cardassians."
"Ah, but you can respect a Cardassian because he fights for his people and he follows a code just like we do. But not the soldiers of the Dominion. Not the Jem'Hadar. No; they don't fight for anything. They fight because they're designed that way, because they're programmed to fight."
"They have no honor."
"You're right. That's why they're better than us."
- Leskit and Ortakin, explaining the difference between the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar
"It is clear to me that none of you are worthy of my blood or my life, but I will stand for you."
- Worf
"They are soulless creatures, Worf, fighting for no goal, no purpose except to serve the Founders. They take no pleasure in what they do... nothing is glorified, nothing affirmed. To the Jem'Hadar, we are nothing more than targets to be destroyed! I must not allow them to destroy us, Worf. I must..."
- Martok
Hear! Sons of Kahless. Hear! Daughters too.
The blood of battle washes clean
The warrior brave and true.
We fight, we love, and then we kill.
Our lives burn short and bright.
Then we die with honor and
Join our fathers in the black fleet,
Where we battle, forever battling, on
Through the eternal fight.
- Klingon Crew – war song translation
Summary
Doctor Bashir treats Klingon General Martok for an injury he claimed he suffered in the holosuite. Bashir chastises him for disabling the Holodeck safety protocol and for refusing to replace his maimed eye with an artificial one. Afterward, Martok visits Worf on the USS Defiant. It is clear that the two men have come to have great respect for each other following their imprisonment in Internment Camp 371. Worf apologizes for inconveniencing Martok by causing his injury during a training session. Martok then informs Worf that the Klingon High Council has assigned him a mission, his first since their escape. He offers Worf to be his first officer aboard the IKS Rotarran, a Bird-of-Prey.
Act One
The son of Mogh gladly accepts, explaining to Captain Benjamin Sisko that the general had saved his life while imprisoned at Internment Camp 371. He explains that he had been about to let the Jem'Hadar kill him, when he and Martok experienced a moment of tova'dok, which is a "moment of clarity between two warriors on a field of battle." This encouraged him to continue fighting.
Their mission is to find the IKS B'Moth, a battle cruiser that has been missing for three days. Dax, jumping at the opportunity of being on a Klingon ship again, decides to come along, while Kira, Miles O'Brien, and Bashir are assigned Worf's regular duties. Worf chooses not to wear his baldric while aboard the Rotarran; as the House of Mogh no longer exists, he sees no point in displaying its crest. Despite the vessel's string of defeats by the Jem'Hadar in the last several months, Worf accepts the crew's battle records and pledges their lives to General Martok. Martok accepts the crew's lives and orders the helmsman to set a course around a nearby nebula, claiming that he wishes to avoid a confrontation if there should be Jem'Hadar ships hiding in it. The helmsman objects, but obeys the order. Once they have warped away, Worf starts to sing The Warrior's Anthem. Some of the others join in, but it is a dour unenthused version of the song. Worf and Dax immediately realize that this mission is not off to a good start.
Act Two
Dax arrives in the Mess Hall to find Ortikan sitting in her assigned seat. She throws him on the floor and threatens him before sitting down. She then tries to brighten the mood by informing the others that she has brought aboard three barrels of bloodwine, which the crew have not had for six months.
Meanwhile, Martok and Worf discuss the crew's unsatisfactory combat record and both realize that one defeat after another has taken away the crew's motivation and has even led them to expect defeat. They both agree that a victory would do much to lift their spirits. They promise each other they will make the ship worthy of the Empire.
Back in the mess hall, the crew drinks Jadzia's bloodwine and discusses their previous failures in battle. Kornan claims that the ship is cursed and that they will never be victorious in battle. Just then, a klaxon goes off indicating that they have cloaked, and Worf calls alert status one – a Jem'Hadar patrol has crossed their path.
Act Three
Despite the ship's and the crew's readiness for battle, Martok decides not to risk attacking the Jem'Hadar ship, claiming that their real mission is to rescue the B'Moth. Even though the crew strongly disagrees with this, Worf refuses to challenge Martok. Dax warns him that a dangerous situation is developing.
In the mess hall, the crewmembers get drunk and Leskit begins an analysis of the Jem'Hadar after he speaks admirably of the Cardassians he fought against. He says that the Jem'Hadar have no honor and that makes them more efficient than Klingons. He even interprets the recent decisions of Martok as a fear of the Jem'Hadar. Suddenly, Kornan goes berserk and attacks Leskit. In the fight, he nearly kills Ortikan who came to the rescue. Dax then ends the combat by shooting Kornan with a phaser.
Worf runs into Dax in the corridor and notices the blood stains on her uniform. She informs him what happened and once again warns him that it will only get worse.
Act Four
A little after, the Rotarran crew picks up a distress call from the B'Moth. It is an automatic transmission indicating they were attacked by the Jem'Hadar, suffered heavy casualties and are in need of assistance. They set a course for the coordinates. Tavana thanks Dax for intervening in the fight and saving Ortakin, her Par'Mach'kai.
Worf and Martok discuss the distress call. Martok is convinced that it is a trap, that the Jem'Hadar purposely left survivors aboard the B'Moth in order for someone to come rescue them, or even that they may have faked the distress call. When the Rotarran arrives in visual range, they realize that the battle cruiser has drifted into Cardassian space. The crew is ready to cross the border in order to carry out the rescue, but Martok refuses to take them across, citing strict orders from the High Council and claiming that there must not be survivors anyway. He then leaves the bridge, and Worf decides that it is time to challenge him for command of the ship.
Act Five
Martok returns to the bridge and Worf challenges him. It is clear that the crew can't stand another defeat and Worf wants his friend to see that. In the following struggle, Martok again feels what it is to be a Klingon and when Worf realizes he has made his point, he lets Martok defeat him. When a Jem'Hadar ship is detected nearby, a re-invigorated Martok promises to make the Jem'Hadar regret crossing them. This time, the crew are fully behind him and sing The Warrior's Anthem much more enthusiastically. Dax carries an injured but much-at-ease Worf to be treated.
Later, the ship returns to DS9 on a triumphant note. They had destroyed the Jem'Hadar ship and rescued 35 crewmembers from the B'Moth. The scope of their success allowed the High Council to easily forgive their crossing into Cardassian space; indeed, they commended the crew's bravery. The crew is completely changed by the recent victory, and Martok requests fifteen barrels of bloodwine to celebrate this. He later comes to Worf to thank him for making him remember he is a soldier and a warrior, and Worf admits that when he let Martok defeat him, he wasn't sure he wouldn't kill him. Martok is impressed by the sacrifice Worf was willing to make, and makes his friend an offer. He mentions that Worf still wears the crest for the House of Mogh, and Worf admits that Jadzia considers it a sentimental gesture. Martok offers Worf a new beginning as a member of the House of Martok, telling him he is proud to welcome Worf into his family as a warrior...and as a brother. Worf accepts, and replaces the House of Mogh crest with the one for the House of Martok. The two warriors and brothers clasp hands in victory, signaling a new beginning for Worf.
Log entries
Worf made at least one entry in the combat log entry for the IKS Rotarran while serving as executive officer in 2373. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")
"Rotarran Combat Log: The 53rd day in the year of Kahless 999. We have reached the Cardassian border and begun our search for the B'Moth."
Memorable quotes
"I-I do not wish to have a lengthy goodbye."
"I wasn't planning on having one."
"Good."
- Worf and Dax at the airlock
"I am Worf, son of Mogh. I now take my place as first officer. I serve the captain, but I stand for the crew."
- Worf
"Two years I spent on the Cardassian border. Two years fighting Guls and Legates and Glinns. They were cunning enemies. Always had us chasing holo-projections and sensor ghosts. Everything was a game with them. Always had a plan within a plan within a plan leading into a trap. It was an honor to kill them."
"The Cardassians."
"Ah, but you can respect a Cardassian because he fights for his people and he follows a code just like we do. But not the soldiers of the Dominion. Not the Jem'Hadar. No; they don't fight for anything. They fight because they're designed that way, because they're programmed to fight."
"They have no honor."
"You're right. That's why they're better than us."
- Leskit and Ortakin, explaining the difference between the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar
"It is clear to me that none of you are worthy of my blood or my life, but I will stand for you."
- Worf
"They are soulless creatures, Worf, fighting for no goal, no purpose except to serve the Founders. They take no pleasure in what they do... nothing is glorified, nothing affirmed. To the Jem'Hadar, we are nothing more than targets to be destroyed! I must not allow them to destroy us, Worf. I must..."
- Martok
Hear! Sons of Kahless. Hear! Daughters too.
The blood of battle washes clean
The warrior brave and true.
We fight, we love, and then we kill.
Our lives burn short and bright.
Then we die with honor and
Join our fathers in the black fleet,
Where we battle, forever battling, on
Through the eternal fight.
- Klingon Crew – war song translation
