***   TWENTY-FIVE   ***                 285


            On all screens throughout the entire Klingon Fleet, came the

       image of the helmeted, armored Emperor.  He looked displaced,

       appearing aboard the Federation Starship but the Klingons believed

       that they understood his reasoning.  They believed that he was

       about to spring the 'Grand Trap' upon the Federation, for the glory

       of the Klingon Empire.  They could not have been more incorrect.

            "This is your Emperor," the voice erupted over their speakers.

       "It is time to change the tactics of the battle plan," he

       announced.  "I instruct all in the fleet to break off the attack

       and withdraw from the Battle Zone.  When this is accomplished, I

       will enlighten you to the rest of the plan.  That is all."

            To the surprise and relief of the Federation Fleet, every

       Klingonese battleship disengaged its opponent and turned about,

       racing for their own side of the Zone.  A few that had been

       damaged did not survive the retreat but most had been able to

       flee without incurring further damage.  When the Klingons had

       managed to place a good distance between themselves and the

       Federation Fleet, Commodore Stormcloud gave the curious command of

       'retreat', or as he put it, 'regroup'.  The Federation Fleet

       Captains thought it to be a strange decision now that the Klingons

       were on the run but they complied with the order when their

       scanning equipment detected the presence of the 'Garth' explosive,

       somewhere ahead of them.

            Two great masses of ships floated independent of each other in

       the void.  They were now separated by hundreds of thousands of

       Kilometers but they were easily within visual range of each other,

       with the aid of their advanced monitoring equipment.  They watched










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       each other and waited with curious expectation as a lone Starship

       emerged from the Klingon Fleet, placing itself between the two

       armies.  To the astonishment of most in the Starfleet camp, it was

       a Federation vessel.

            A vast junk-yard of wreckage floated near the solitary

       Starship, in the center of the Zone.  Many pieces of debris still

       burned and sparked in incandescent brilliance.  The Fringe Ranger

       halted itself at the exact mid-point of the wreckage strewn void

       and all the combatants waited to see what would happen next.

            A message was sent to the entire Federation Fleet instructing

       them to set their receivers to frequency 344 and to stand by for

       the message that was to follow.  If they were to hear this message,

       they would have to comply to the request, so they complied.  Now

       Garth had a Universal audience.  Every viewscreen in both fleets

       lit up with the foreboding image of the armored giant.  It could

       easily be said that his black visage was chilling.  Throughout both

       fleets, all watched in silent awe, marveling at the presence on

       their screens until one deep and ominous voice broke the silence.

            "To all who hear my voice:  I wish to assure you, that I am

       armed and quite dangerous.  I carry with me many weapons, each of

       which rival the power of a super-nova!  But of course, your scans

       have told you this.  What I would like to do is further assure you

       that I will have no remorse, no hesitation in using them," the

       helmeted man informed them.

            "But who am I, you ask yourselves?  I venture to say that

       there are some here, who believe that they already know.  Let me

       dispel all doubt, so that I may continue," he said, and began to

       remove his helmet, enjoying his grandiose performance.  To the

       








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       surprise of none, it revealed the face of the Klingon Emperor.

            "Did you already suspect this?" the armored man asked his

       audience.  "Of course you did," he answered for them, smiling in

       mild amusement.  "But did you expect... this!" The Emperor closed

       his eyes and gave the expression of relaxation.  Then to the

       astonishment of some, the horror of others, Tromok's features began

       to shift and change.  The man was no longer a Klingon.  His face

       looked increasingly human by the second, and then the

       transformation, no, the 'restoration', was complete.

            "I am Lord Garth!" the man triumphantly announced.  This

       indeed, was the culmination of his efforts, his moment of glory,

       and he revelled in it.  It was time for the final stage of his

       galactic design.  "To you humans, I am a former Captain of

       Starfleet!  A hero to the Federation.  To you who are Klingon, I am

       conqueror supreme!  And for some time now, Emperor of the

       Klingon Empire!"  Garth could neither hear nor feel the rage that

       now tore through the Klingon Fleet at his revelation and betrayal

       but he was certain that he would have been impressed by it.

            Although it is a well known fact that Klingons lived to die in

       battle, Garth gambled well that they would not choose to

       immediately attack him.  If he decided to destroy their entire

       fleet, which he could most certainly do, they would be completely

       open to invasion from both the Federation and the Romulan Empire.

       It was his gamble too, that they would rather choose to follow a

       proven conqueror than to fall prey to one.  But first he had to

       convince them all of his unsurpassed prowess.

            "Before either of you decide to do anything that will cause me

       to annihilate you, let me give you something to consider.  Without










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       my brilliance, there would be no super weapon in my arsenal with

       which to claim and conquer the galaxy!  Without my wisdom, there

       would be neither solution to, nor victory over the Organian Peace

       Treaty.  And without me, my friends, you would have no one to lead

       you into this 'New Age' that I have ushered in, this very day!"

            "Think on this before you act rashly," he continued.

       "Remember well, that I alone have the power, I alone have the

       plan.  And make no mistake, I am invincible!" They were, indeed,

       things to consider.

            "Behold, I offer to both sides of this 'Battle Zone' a stake

       in my new Galactic Order."

            He paused, allowing them breathing space to consider their

       options.  It was his hope that they were intelligent enough to

       realize that they had no choice.  Indeed, many in each fleet had

       arrived at that realization but there were still many more that

       would not.  This was to be expected, and in moments, it would truly

       be a civil war.  Federation ships would be fighting each other,

       Klingons doing the same.  And Garth alone, at the ready to pick up

       the pieces in the aftermath and forge his ultimate dream.

            "I will introduce this New Age.  You must now choose where

       you will stand in it.  If you stand with me, you will live in the

       glory of my service and reap the benefits thereof:  One ruler!

       One galaxy!  One order!  Forever!" he boasted with fervent

       passion. "However... if there be any that dare oppose me, I will

       make your wives... widows, and your children... orphans!  And I

       shall rule over them instead." All who witnessed the black clad

       warrior, were certain that his threat was not idle. "Choose Now!"

       he commanded.

       








                                                                      289
            In the same instant that Garth had finished delivering his

       ultimatum, the sky was set ablaze with a tremendous burst of

       energy.  A blinding brilliance, the likes of which had seldom been

       seen before... and Garth had nothing to do with it.  The explosion

       was distant enough, that it caused little damage to any ship but it

       gained the attention of all.  And suddenly there was a new voice

       and a new image broadcast to the screens of the fleet vessels.

            "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise," he

       spoke for all to hear, but directed his announcement toward Garth.

       The Enterprise took advantage of the momentary sensor blindness

       that the blast had caused.  She descended from above at a steep

       angle and moved in close to the lone Starship in the center of the

       Zone.  It faced off with the Fringe Ranger, confronting the

       nightmare that threatened the galaxy.

            "Garth, I order you to surrender!  You are finished," the bold

       Starship Captain said to the astonished madman.  "You can not win."

            Garth was truly amazed at the sudden appearance of the

       Enterprise.  The beginnings of fear gnawed at him and left a bitter

       taste in his mouth.  Kirk was the last person he had expected to

       see, for the second time.  But Garth was still in control.  He

       steeled himself against the shock of his nemesis's abrupt

       appearance.  'A mere fly in the ointment,' he told himself.  Flies

       can easily be swatted.

            On the Enterprise:

            Kirk waited for nearly two minutes before there was any

       response from his enemy.  In that time, he had Uhura send the pre-

       arranged signal to Kang that told him the plan had changed.  Mara,

       in response, gave the signal, indicating that Kang had been

       








                                                                      290
       successful on his end.

            "Captain," Uhura said, "response from the Fury, They have

       the Emperor."

            Spock stood over his station, monitoring Garth's ship, looking

       for any indication that they might be fired upon.  Timing was of

       the essence.  The new strategy they had devised would take the

       combined effort the Enterprise crew to be successful.  And still,

       there was no guarantee that they would prevail. Much of it depended

       upon Garth himself.

            Sulu and Checkov had ready hands on the controls before them,

       waiting for the moment they would be told to act.  Kyle, in the

       transporter room awaited his part in the offensive along with a

       damage control team.  Scotty sat at his station, preparing for the

       moment that he would be called upon to perform his individual task.

       All that they had discussed over the two days past, the various

       tactics and strategies that all would play a part in, now would be

       put to the test.

            "Kirk, you are a fool!" Garth's image shone on the

       Enterprise's foreword viewscreen.  "I have just been informed that

       you have no more of my explosive at your disposal.  In essence,

       Kirk, you are woefully out gunned!" Garth stated smugly, then

       continued.  "You should have fired directly at me,  but you

       foolishly chose to spare both fleets from the resulting explosion.

       That mistake will cost you!"

            "Garth," Jim replied confidently, "do you really believe that

       I would come here and toss my only weapon to the wind?" He allowed

       his opponent a moment to consider the question.

            Garth knew Kirk's resourcefulness and resolve.  Although he

       








                                                                      291
       did not believe that the Captain had a prayer, he would not take

       James T. Kirk lightly, either.

            "There is nothing you could have in your arsenal that would

       cause me to flinch, let alone surrender.  You are hardly even an

       annoyance to me, Kirk."

            "And you, Garth, are already beaten, but you are too ignorant

       to see it," spoke Kirk defiantly.  "Give it up now, before it is

       too late."

            "I shall give up nothing!  This is my galaxy now!  My Empire!"

       Garth raised his gauntlet, pointing at Kirk with the black index

       finger.  "Hear me, Kirk.  I give you this one chance.  Fall back

       to the ranks of your fleet.  See for yourself what they now clearly

       see.  I am a superior being!  I own the stars!  This is the dawning

       of the Age of Garth, and nothing can change that now!"

            "You believe yourself to be superior?" spoke Kirk, undaunted.

       "You must have forgotten your defeat at the hands of your own

       crew at Antos.  You must not remember how easily you were stopped

       by my First Officer and me, on Elba.  What makes you think you can

       succeed when you have failed time and time again?  What makes you

       think that the galaxy would want to blindly follow a time tested

       loser like you, Garth?"

            "Why do you speak such things to me, Kirk, when you know I

       will slay you for it?  You should have taken my offer.  You would

       at least be alive tomorrow!"

            Garth began to order the communication channel cut.  Jim could

       tell as much and could not allow it to happen.  This was the last

       chance that any would have to stop him.  And it was all riding on,

       how far Jim could push him, yet still keep him from reacting, until

       








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       the time was right.

            "I am alive now, Garth," Jim began, in an antagonizing tone.

       "And your audience knows what I say is true."

            The turbo-lift doors to the rear of the bridge parted.  Dr.

       McCoy entered and silently watched the debate. There was nothing he

       could do to help; he just hoped that his Captain knew what he was

       doing.

            "Garth, I mourn the man you once were, but now all I see in

       you is an evil disease that has infected too many people.  You will

       find it impossible to convince either side to surrender their lives

       to a madman.  They will fight you to their last man before they do.

       In the end you will either be the sole Emperor of a desolation, or

       just one corpse among billions!  All for your senseless thirst for

       war and conquest... all for your own vanity."

            "Are you quite finished, Kirk?" Garth asked his opponent.

       Without giving him time to reply, he continued, "I have nothing to

       prove to you.  As for the rest of the galaxy, your death will be an

       example to them.  If there is anything left of your Starship, it

       will serve as a memorial of the futility of defiance in my new

       order," he stated bluntly.  "Good bye, Captain Kirk, for the last

       time!"

            Jim could see that he was losing, but the time was not yet

       right to act, the setting needed to be changed.  If he could not

       accomplish that much, all was lost.  "Before you so casually

       'dispose' of me,  let me first assure you that I will put up a

       fight.  You might be surprised at how good a fight it is.  Second,

       since the Klingon Armada is listening, let me say this:  Your

       Emperor has been rescued from Garth's ship, and is safely aboard










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       the Battlecruiser Fury."  Jim leaned foreword in his chair and

       narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at the madman's image.  "Another

       defeat for you Garth.  And one more is coming!  Finally, Garth, I

       call you a coward!   You threaten to destroy my ship, with

       clearly superior fire power, yet you give no concession to the

       personal feud between us.  It is one thing to casually crush an

       insect, and quite a different thing to hunt your adversary down and

       have the satisfaction of watching him squirm before your so called

       followers.  Therefore, Garth... I challenge you to a duel!"

            "No," Garth refused flatly.  "I would rather, as you say,

       'crush an insect,' than waste time pretending that it has any more

       significance than the pest it is...  Just as your time to die has

       come, Kirk, my time to rule has come.  I have already proven my

       superiority.  I am already conqueror supreme!" he boasted.

            "Then let's put that to the test, Garth.  For everyone to

       see!" challenged Kirk.  This was the crux of the plan, a trap of

       sorts, that Jim was maneuvering Garth into.  It was the only hope

       of confronting Garth, perhaps defeating him, without destroying

       hundreds of ships and countless lives.  "Your ship against mine.

       Your skill, as a captain and leader of men, against that of mine

       and my crew.  If you win, I will not be around to stop you and you

       will have demonstrated, if nothing else, that sheer power makes the

       difference.  But if I win, I will prove to all here that what I

       say about you is true.  That although you were once a greatly

       respected man, now you are merely a demented murderer, bent on

       killing for the sake of your own personal arrogance.  And that this

       'New Age' you boast of is merely a 'new name' for an 'old lie' that

       you have forced yourself into believing!"










                                                                      294
            Jim had hit Garth right in his ego.  The question was, would

       the fish go for the bait, or just eat the fisherman?  Jim watched

       the man on the screen, who was considering the consequences of

       refusing the challenge.  He believed that Garth could not allow

       another slap in the face that might come with declining.  But had

       Jim spoken the right words to force him into it?  Ideally, Jim had

       wanted him to surrender.  Knowing that it would never happen, he

       wanted Garth to react with a certain amount of orchestration.  A

       duel would provide a 'safe' arena of combat, at least for the other

       ships in the area.  At their present range, if Jim won the contest,

       they would all be destroyed in the explosion as Garth had stated.

            "I accept your proposal, with provision," Garth said.  While

       considering the duel, Garth thought of a way to turn it to his

       advantage.  Even insane, the man was a brilliant adversary.  "This

       will be a duel that has a prize for the victor.  I will require

       that, when I win, all fleet commanders surrender to me.  Not that I

       believe they will all comply, when it is said and done, but I will

       have their word to hold against them.  And just for the sake of

       saying it, I suppose that you would like their assurances that all

       hostilities cease, if by some miracle you are the victor."

            "I said that this was personal, Garth," Jim countered the man.

       "Let's leave it between us."

            "Captain, you speak as if I am giving you, a choice.  I am

       not!  To challenge the man that holds the title, one must make it

       worth his while.  However, I believe that it is an equitable

       wager," he said to Kirk.  Then he spoke to the nearby fleets.

       "Commodore Stormcloud, Admiral Sorr.  You have heard my offer.

       This may be the closest thing that you will get to a fair fight.

       








                                                                      295
       What do you say to my offer?"

            Spock righted himself and turned toward Jim.  "Captain, would

       it not be prudent to place Commodore Stormcloud under arrest at

       this time?" he inquired.

            "First things first, Spock.  He's got nowhere to run, and

       everything to gain by our confrontation with Garth.  That is, if

       we lose," Jim replied.

            "As highest ranking Officer, and Commander of this military

       operation, I accept the terms," spoke Stormcloud.

            "I do not," spoke Admiral Sorr, but he did not desire to

       antagonize the man who seemingly held all the cards, so he added,

       "But I will give my honor-bound word that we shall not interfere,

       nor initiate any hostilities until there is a clear victor in the

       'duel'.  After that, we make no promises."

            "I believe I will accept that counter offer, for the moment,

       Sorr.  Now I instruct both fleets to increase your distance from

       this location immediately.  I would not want any 'accidental'

       interference in this engagement, and I am certain that the Captain

       of the Enterprise would want to spare you the unpleasantness of

       death, in the unlikely event that he wins."

            'Bingo,' thought Kirk.  It worked.  At least this far.  Now

       came the hard part: putting his money where his mouth was.  It was

       not the most encouraging wager he had ever made, but there was a

       chance now.

            "Well, the bait has been swallowed," Jim said aloud to his

       crew, rubbing his hands together.  "I hope we can give, as well as

       we are about to get."

            The crew of the Enterprise was now under the gun.  The










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       commands would be given by Jim, but it was going to be a difficult

       task for the crew to carry them out successfully.  They had to work

       like a unit.  One weak link in the chain and there would be nothing

       left for them to do but die.

            "Lieutenant Uhura, send a message to Kang.  Advise him that

       there is nothing more he can do.   Tromok should be taken to

       safety.  We will have to handle it from here."

            "Aye aye, Sir," she said, and began to send the message.

            Both fleets of warships turned from their positions and gave

       more ground.  Like two great swarms of bees, they flew onward and

       away.  Each moved the distance, that they judged, would put them

       out of the danger zone.  Minutes lingered on until they reached

       that place of safety.  Then they turned about and halted their

       retreat.  And they watched with great interest, as the

       confrontation before them began to unfold.  Even the Fury, though

       unseen, joined the ranks of her fleet, protecting their Emperor

       from danger.  Their price for admission to this event was paid in

       full.