“That’s got to be the seventeenth ship named ‘Vaj’that I’ve heard of,” Riker said, half smirking. He turned his head slightly, speaking over his shoulder to address Keru, who was stationed behind him on the upper level. “Stand down yellow alert.”

“Yes, sir,” Keru said, tapping the tactical panel in front of him.

“Hail the lead ship,” Riker said, leaning forward. The image of the ships shrank to occupy a small portion of the upper viewscreen as the main view switched to show the bridge of the Klingon vessel. Seated at its center was a corpulent, uniformed Klingon, eating messily from what appeared to be some kind of gourd.

“This is Captain William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan.With whom do I have the honor of speaking?”

The Klingon handed his gourd to a smaller Klingon nearby, wiped his sleeve across his mouth, belched loudly, and stood. “I am Khegh, son of Taahp, commander of theI.K.S. Vaj and her escort vessels. I emerged the victor in thirty-seven engagements during the war against the honorlessQatlh of the Dominion.”Then, as if to underscore his point, he belched heartily yet again.

Riker nodded slightly, standing as well, mirroring Khegh. “Then you are a great warrior indeed, General.”

Vale squinted, and noticed the Klingon’s rank insignia, barely visible underneath a pile of spilled gourd glop. Good eye,she thought, looking back toward Riker.

“Wars do not make one great,”Khegh said. “Victory makes one great!”He grinned, his crooked teeth looking as though they hadn’t been cleaned in weeks.

“I appreciate your standing down your weapons after you decloaked,” Riker said evenly. “I’m certain you only had them charged in the event we encountered some unforeseen danger.”

Vale sneaked a quick glance at Troi, and imagined the counselor was thinking the same thing she was. Smooth.

“Either that, or we just wanted to give you a good scare,”said Khegh, punctuating his utterance with a phlegmy belly laugh.

“We would like to extend an invitation to you, and the captains of the other two vessels, to join us for dinner,” Riker said with an ingratiating smile. “We can discuss the coming mission, and how best to serve the cause of the Remans andthe Romulans, as well as our respective governments.”

Khegh squinted. “We’ll consider it and get back to you.”The screen went dark, and the corner image of the trio of Klingon ships immediately enlarged to fill it.

Riker turned, his smile quickly fading. “Well, hewas certainly a charming customer.”

Troi put her palm up to her chin, brushing a finger over her lips. “There’s more to him than he’s showing, Captain. I suspect that his uncouth mannerisms were a ruse calculated to make him easy for us to underestimate.”

“Could you sense any hidden agendas regarding the Romulans?” Riker asked.

“Not yet,” Troi answered. “Perhaps something will reveal itself if we can have some closer contact with him.”

“Of course, he’ll already know you’re half Betazoid, so he’ll be on watch for you ‘reading’ him,” Vale said.

Akaar moved down the sloping ramp toward Riker. “What do you hope to accomplish by sharing a meal with the Klingons, Captain?”

Riker raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. “Beyond having an exhilaratingly disgusting dining experience?” A more serious expression replaced the flippant one. “Truthfully, I’m concerned that the presence of Klingon warships alongside us might make the Romulan military nervous, especially if the Klingons are known to be siding with the Remans. It seems very much as if it will be poking unnecessarily at an open wound.”

“True,” Akaar said, nodding. “Except that you are discounting the importance of having better-armed Klingon vessels riding shotgun alongside Titanand her convoy. You do have a fair offensive capability, but Titanis certainly no warship. You and the less-well-armed aid ships might be more vulnerable without Khegh’s presence if rogue elements of the Romulan fleet decide to mount a sneak attack.”

“It’s also likely,” Troi said, “that the presence of the Klingons as allies of the downtrodden Remans will pressure the competing Romulan factions into agreeing to treat them fairly in whatever power-sharing arrangement ultimately emerges from the talks.”

Akaar stepped in closer, lowering his voice. “Regardless, Captain, if any conflagration begins out here, it is better that it be initiated by the Romulans or the Klingons than by a Federation vessel.”

Riker gazed up intently into the eyes of the Capellan. “If I have anything to say about it, Admiral, neither my ship nor the Klingons’ will be engaged in anybattle. As Khegh just said, ‘Wars do not make one great.’ And as the product of a warrior society yourself, I’m sure you must feel the same way, sir.”

Akaar looked impressed. “Let us hope you are correct, Captain,” he said, then exited the bridge, perhaps to confer with his staff.

Vale settled back into her chair, at the immediate right of the center seat. She still wasn’t sure what to make of the hostility Riker seemed to harbor toward the admiral, but she felt a surge of new confidence in her CO after witnessing how firmly yet discreetly he had stood up to his superior officer. I’ve made the right decision,she thought. Titan truly is my home now.

It had taken another day and a half for the Klingons to make their decision about supping with the Titancrew, and a good half hour to decide on an appropriate menu. Then, ten minutes before the appointed dinner time, Khegh had hailed the Starfleet vessel and requested that the venue be changed to his own flagship.

Seated behind the Elaminite-wood desk in his ready room, Riker was a bit taken aback by the request. “May I ask why, General?”

“The captain of theDugh does not wish to eat replicated Klingon food,”Khegh said glibly. “It upsets his digestion and makes him gassy, if the truth be told.”

“Ah, quite understandable, then,” Riker said, nodding. He was certain that there had to be other reasons, but wasn’t sure it would be worth trying to ferret them out now. “I accept your offer, General. I will prepare my officers to beam over to your ship.”

“Wait!”Khegh said, his voice emphatic. “I understand that one of your officers is a Betazoid?”

“My diplomatic officer is half Betazoid, yes,” Riker said. “She is among my most valued—”

“Leave her on your ship,”Khegh said, interrupting. “I do not trust Betazoids, or Vulcans, or any of the other thought readers.”

Mental alarms went off inside Riker’s head. What is he trying to hide?But there was nothing to be gained by pushing the point. “Agreed,” he said, nodding. “I will bring along only my executive officer and my security chief. A human and a Trill.”

“Acceptable, Captain. I hope the three of you have the stomach forgagh and bloodwine in copious quantities,”Khegh said with a leering smile, after which the tabletop screen went dark.

Riker looked up at Deanna, Keru, Vale, and Akaar, all of whom were waiting there in the ready room, having heard the entire conversation.

“I don’t like this, sir,” Vale said.

“Nor do I,” Keru said, nodding. “We could be walking into a trap.”

“I don’t think they have any cause to trap us,” Riker said, standing. As far as anyone knew, the Klingons had never learned of the Khitomer Accord violations former Federation President Min Zife had secretly committed on the planet Tezwa; therefore, no Klingon general in good standing had any reason to break the Klingon-Federation alliance that had served both peoples so well before, during, and after the Dominion War.

Riker looked at his wife. “Did you get any better ‘read’ off Khegh this time?”