Face to Face With My Enemy?

Scene: This is a possible scene that could have happened in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country". This takes place after Kirk and McCoy are arrested and are about to go to trial for the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon. It’s a small room with only Kirk and his defense attorney Colonel Worf. They are trying to work out their strategy for the trial. Kirk and Worf are sitting at a table.

“Are you ready to go over your case, captain?” Colonel Worf begins tapping a data pad accessing information.

“What case? This isn’t a trial, it’s a show.”

“This trial will determine your guilt in the assassination. We must work out a strategy. General Chang will not go easy on you.”

Kirk gives a small snort and looks around the Spartan surroundings of the holding area. It is bleak and dark and stone from floor to ceiling. Nothing about the room indicates weakness. Even the chairs and table are made from metal.

“Do you expect me to believe that we have a chance at this trial? That we might actually be found innocent and let go?”

Worf puts the data pad on the table. It makes a small rattle sound of plastic on metal. He inhales deeply and lets out a long sigh. “Captain, regardless of what you may think, this trail is real…”

“What?” Kirk exclaims. “Colonel, what kind of fool do you take me for? I didn’t fall off the turnip shuttle yesterday you know. I know what this is about better than anyone. We are being paraded for the entire galaxy to see and are being put on trial as a show. So every being for light years can see how the big bad Federation is treating the Klingons.”

“That is not true!”

“And when that happens you will gain sympathy and support and a reason to attack the Federation.”

“This has nothing to do with an attack on the Federation,” Worf shoots back. “My job is to simply defend you against the charges that have been brought against you. I am not concerned with the politics.”

“You should be. Because that is what this is all about,” says Kirk as he stabs his finger against the table.

They look at each other for a long moment a heavy silence hanging in the air between them. As they stare at each other the look in their eyes becomes apparent. Worf’s eyes convey anger. Even though it would be hard to read anything different in the eyes of a Klingon. Kirk has spent most of his career fighting them. Hating them. And after the murder of his son, David, he has had even more reason to hate. Kirk has become very adept at reading the face of a Klingon. He knows anger and hate when he sees it and he sees both in the face staring at him from across the table.

Reading a human face has always been easy. Worf finds that this human is no different. Emotions running rampant and conveying almost every thought inside the human mind. Kirk has been the most infamous human in Klingon history. Stories have been told of how he has attacked Klingon ships without provocation. Of how he has betrayed the trust of Klingon captains that have tried to work with the Federation and allow the normal expansion of their borders. Humans cannot be trusted, especially this one.

Worf picks up the data pad again and reads some information. “At 0124 hours the chancellor’s ship wast hit by a torpedo from the Enterprise…”

“We never fired!” Kirks exclaims angrily.

“According to the official report you did. Now, what were you doing before the shots were fired.” Worf stares hard at Kirk.

Kirk looks back at Worf for a moment before answering. “I was in my quarters about to go to bed. We had just finished seeing the chancellor’s dinner party off.”

“Were you drinking at the dinner?”

Kirk wearily rubs his temples feeling the hangover from the night before. “We were all drinking.”

Worf taps some information into the record and continues. “That’s not going to matter much. What did you drink?”

Kirk looks at him for a moment before answering, knowing where this is leading. “Romulan ale.”

“You know of course that is illegal in the Federation and will be brought up at the trial.”

“How surprising.”

“Did you order the attack?”

Kirk slams his hands onto the table and angrily exclaims, “We never fired!”

Worf looks at Kirk with anger blazing in his eyes, barely able to restrain himself. “What you say and what the record says are two different things. I have to know the truth if I am going to be able to defend you properly. The report says the Enterprise fired the shots. Did you order it?”

“No,” is Kirks hard reply.

“Now, as you state, you never fired the shots. If you didn’t, then who did?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t come from us. My engineer stated that all torpedoes were accounted for.”

Worf taps the information into the pad and continues. “Did he visually account for them or was it by computer?”

Kirk rolls his eyes and says, “Of course by computer. It would take hours to visually verify all of them properly.”

“Then the inventory could have been altered. The data banks indicate that the Enterprise fired both shots. Chang will bring that up as well. Is it possible that someone could have altered the data banks?” Worf looks at Kirk waiting for his reply.

“I suppose it is possible. It would have to be since we didn’t fire.”

Worf continues to enter data into the pad. “Then that would indicate that a conspirator was aboard your ship. Any ideas as to whom that might be?”

Kirk is silent trying to think of any possibilities. There are any number of people that have access to the data banks. Every single one of them he trusts. Would it be possible that one of his crew is a conspirator, a traitor? It seems incredible that someone that he has served with for years could have betrayed the Federation, betrayed him, by conspiring to assassinate a Klingon high council member. Just the thought of it makes his blood boil.

Worf puts the pad down again and clasps his hands together on the table. “Captain, it is going to be difficult to defend you given the history of Federation aggression against the Klingon Empire…”

“’Federation aggression..?’” Kirk asks incredulously.

“In addition to the aggression you have shown in particular,” Worf continues.

“What do you mean ‘ Federation aggression’? The Klingons have for years attacked our borders. We haven’t been the aggressive ones.”

“Wrong. For decades the Federation has pushed against our borders in an effort to expand. Absorbing worlds into your so called United Federation of Planets.” Worf's voice begins to rise with a noticeable edge to it.

“The Federation exists to make a better life for everyone. We don’t attack our neighbors and force them under our rule. The Klingons have done that for centuries and have always been hostile towards us.” Kirks voice rises as well showing his ire at this implication of Federation policy.

“Our so called hostility is a direct response to Federation expansionism.” Worf raises his voice higher than before and points a finger at Kirk. “When first contact was made it was the Federation that caused hostilities that lasted decades.”

Kirk stands on his feet pushing his chair back with his legs. Worf stands in response and both of them lean slightly forward. Neither one giving ground.

Kirk points his finger back at Worf’s face making the Klingon show visible irritation. “The breakdown of relations after first contact was your fault. And if it hadn’t been for the intervention of the Orgainians in 2267 our two governments would have gone to war.”

Worf bares his teeth at Kirk and yells, “Commander Kor was betrayed by you. You openly attacked him and his men and tried to convince the Organians to wage war against us. You also murdered an entire ship full of Klingons.”

“I murdered no one. We were attacked and defended ourselves!” Kirk yells. “And after the Korvat Negotiations it was you damned Klingons that continued your antagonism after the accord was singed. You Klingons have done nothing but murder and conquer for centuries.”

Worf grabs the data pad and slams it on the table breaking it into pieces. “Your ships violated the accord by constant intrusions into our space. We defended ourselves.” Worf is yelling now loud enough to for the guards to hear. They do not enter though, out of respect for colonel Worf. If they were to enter to offer assistance it would have made Worf look weak. Something a Klingon warrior must never portray. They merely keep an eye on the exchange through the window just in case he needs help. “Even after all the Federation has done we still make the first step in peaceful negotiations and you betray us yet again!”

“We didn’t betray you. I am being set up. Your government has tried numerous times to undermine the authority of Federation planets by inciting rebellion.”

“The Klingon government has done no such thing. We don’t needlessly expand our borders and spread throughout the sector like a plague!”

“We aren’t a bunch of murderers of innocent civilians!”

“We aren’t political assassins!”

“I didn’t kill your chancellor!” Kirk yells.

“I didn’t kill your son!” Worf yells back.

For a long time these two soldiers stare at each other. Still angry, but now the energy that drove them in this confrontation is spent. Deep in each other’s mind thoughts begin to stir and take shape. Doubts creep in and threaten to overtake all that has been entrenched in their psyche. For years they have hated each other because it is all they have known. It has been one of the few things in life that has been familiar to them. Now they are faced with points of view from the other side and have much to think about.

Slowly Kirk lowers himself into his chair as Worf walks over to the door and tells one of the guards to get him another data pad.