“Follow my lead.”  Captain J’Klast stood at the airlock, his Klingon features cross and tight.  Commander Park, Lieutenants Prentice and Reid stood behind him.  They wore rough mercenary clothing that was adorned with blood, oil, and assorted dirt.  Reid carried a device to conceal their biological readings, and all three of them had Klingon energy weapons and some blades.  J’Klast’s crew had begrudgingly accepted them and their disguises.  Behind the Starfleet crew stood Kali, the niece.  Her features were as hard as her uncle’s .  Her stance wasn’t subtle – tense muscles and strapped with weapons akimbo made it clear that she wouldn’t suffer fools.

The door thudded into place, and the slow whine of pressurization spun until a dull click signaled a connection.  The door rattled open, and the curious face of a shorter but still built Klingon ‌cast a suspicious eye at J’Klast.  “J’Klast HoD.  You are very daring to come to my doorstep.”

The older of the two coughed a dark chuckle.  “I do not come in the Federation’s name, if that is what you are suggesting.  I’m here to lend a quiet hand or two.”  He did not move; his hands remained resting on his twin blasters.

Chuki frowned.  “I hear you are their best friends.  That your assignment was to keep you away from the rest of us lest you infect us with your sympathies.”  His smile was full of teeth, a subtle snarl rumbling in his throat.

J’Klast let his smile diminish just enough to project mild annoyance and not the murderous rage he would have preferred to let loose upon the foolish child.  “I do not think they can win against you and the Blood Guild.  I have seen your work and that of Dragr’al.  You’ve found yourself a useful ally.  I do not wish to be destroyed by foolish utopian idiots.  I still have the desires of a warrior heart within me.”

A quiet moment passed while Chuki looked from J’Klast to the others in his group.  “You have humans on your crew.  Do you trust them?”  The snarl wasn’t subtle anymore.

J’Klast cackled. “They know the rules.  There were five of them.  Two had to be made examples.  Have you ever had Bloodwine with a little human blood mixed in?  It is the most exquisite flavor.”  J’Klast half closed his eyes and curved a menacing smile across his lips.  “I could always provide you with a sample.”

Chuki’s eyes widened in appreciation.  “The stories of your brutality are legend.  It is good to know you still keep it.”  He gave one last look to the group, motioning to Kali.  “Your niece remains unmarried.”

J’Klast cackled.  “You can attempt to discuss that with her.  She left two previous suitors with significant injuries in response to their dismal attempts.  She’s very particular.”  He leaned forward, a mild annoyance coating his words.  “Enough small talk.  We came to support, not to drown in meaningless drivel.”

Park resisted every urge to throw up.  The smell of the station wasn’t an improvement from J’Klast’s ship, never mind the sounds and various other sensations.  She fought to keep her facial expressions under control.  The XO settled for being angry at the mad Klingons and madder Blood Guild scientists.  She kept her eyes to the ground or to the side so as not to draw the attention of the Klingon captain, Chuki.  There was enough in his file to make anyone nervous.  For her nerves, she was holding confidence in their escorts and that they would keep them safe.  She followed behind J’Klast as he led them deeper into the station, and the smells somehow became ranker the farther inward they traveled.

Ahead, Chuki was bragging. “You see, we’ve been partners with them longer than Starfleet knows.”  He led the group around a corner and down a ramp.  “It is only through Dragr’al’s wisdom that we came by this moment.  He means to take it all for himself – Blood Guild and all.”  The arrogance steamed off him, Park decided.  If it ran in his blood, he’d have overdosed.  He reached a wide door and keyed in a code, not attempting to hide it.  Park took note.  “We’ve reached the final experimental phase.  You are lucky you came to us at this hour.”  The door thundered open, various unseemly liquids dripping and leaking onto the floor as it rose.

Reid kept to the rear, walking closely with Kali.  The two had exchanged looks as they had traveled deeper into the station.  Whispering as they dodged the leaks from the doorway, the Klingon said to her, “Chuki is a fool to trust my uncle.  He has always been a fool.  Be ready to fight or flee when, as you humans would say, the shit hits the fan.”

Reid gave an imperceptible nod.  Everything she had seen — from the equipment to the consoles to what wiring was running down the corridor to the uneasy flickering of the lights — worried her with each observation she made.  Science experiments were one thing.  More like mad scientists, she thought.

Chuki came to a stop, the room opening up into a small fighting arena.  The taste of sour blood hung heavy in the air, and the aroma of simmering death assaulted the senses.  “And here we are.  The Proving Cage!” He gestured to some seats and stalked off towards what looked like a Vorethi scientist, curiously glancing at the new arrivals.  Park watched the conversation become more animated until Chuki slapped the Vorethi, and hard.  A stunned look passed across the alien’s face before he recovered.  Park sat up as she saw another emotion cross the face of the Vorethi – concealed rage.  It was there for a moment and hidden away just as quickly when the rude Klingon captain turned his head back to his target.

Park whispered to Kali, “They hate him.”

She replied, her voice calm.  “Chuki has that effect on all – Klingon, Romulan, Vulcan, Human – it is the nature of his stupidity and hubris.”  Park noticed her hands had moved closer to her blasters and blades.

“You think something will happen?”

Kali grinned, her eyes bright and her teeth sharp.  “It’s Chuki.  Either he will try to kill you or someone he pissed off will try to kill him, then you.  Foolish arrogance becomes a collateral death machine.  Such is the way of the Chuki.”

Park shook her head.  “Madness.”

Chuki bounded back up to them, a crazed grin spilling out across his face.  “I have sent my greatest warriors into the cage to prove their monster is nothing more than an augment.”  He sat down beside Kali, who rolled her eyes at him.  He leaned toward her.  “After this battle, you will see reason to surrender to me.

Park held back a chortle, scoff, and gasp all in the same moment.  Kali not so gently pushed him farther down the bench. “You will never be a reasonable choice.  Come any closer, and I will hurt you.”

Chuki shrugged and dug into the meaty leg he’d brought with him.

The cage shook as the doors on either side slid open.  Three Klingons stepped out, angry and ready for battle.  Armor, blades, and helmets adorned them.  They were tall, broad shoulders and endlessly muscular.  Park noticed Kali take notice, her eyes glittering differently than before.  She had a type; she decided.

The other door remained open, steam drifting from within.  A thunderous thump slammed into the ground, and then another.  It grew louder as the unseen beast approached the door.  An inhuman shadow passed in the hallway’s darkness before the doorway.  It stepped into the light.

Park screamed, and Kali slapped her hands over the woman.  Chuki rose, but Kali shook her head.  She hit Park across the face, drawing blood.  “Do not irritate our host, subhuman.”  Satisfied, Chuki returned to his seat.  The creature in the ring did not faze him.  Park blinked through the tears of genuine pain from the Klingon’s hard slap.  The visage before her horrified her.  

Reid whispered as her hidden scanner passively went to work.  “Multi-species grafting.  There are elements of Klingon, Romulan, Vulcan, and even human in that thing.”  She glanced at Kali, who stared, her mouth agape.  Reid insisted, “This is far beyond the Vorethi-bot experiments.”

The creature roared and began its heavy advance upon the fearless Klingons.