Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Young Adult Books #11: Day of Honor 5: Honor Bound Read online

  DAY of HONOR

  HONOR BOUND

  There is no occasion more sacred to the Klingons than the Day of Honor. And to the Klingon youth, honor is a lesson hard-learned and harder-earned….

  The hunter instinct is taking over Alexander, driving him to violence when he can’t control his emerging Klingon traits. He’s in trouble at school when his father, Worf, gives his word as a Starfleet officer that Alexander’s behavior will change. But it takes a frightening confession from Worf before Alexander understands that he must learn to control himself or lose everything he loves. A Klingon is honor-bound to keep his word, at any cost. And Alexander is about to pay the price as he faces disgrace and dishonor for challenging his bullying classmates with character instead of force.

  Interior Illustrations by Gordon Purcell

  Alexander stood his ground as the boys slowed and stopped...

  “You don’t expect us to believe you’re going to take the blame for smashing that bookcase without trying to get back at us, do you?” Kim’s eyes narrowed in a dark scowl.

  “Believe what you want,” Alexander countered.

  “Don’t play dumb with us, Alexander,” Bernard snapped. “No self-respecting Klingon would let us off the hook.”

  “That’s right. Don’t you Klingons have this thing about defending your ho-nor.”

  Bernard put a ridiculing emphasis on the word that made Alexander bristle. Still, he held his temper even as the impatient fury sparked. “You don’t know anything about honor, Bernard.”

  “Maybe you don’t, either.” Jeremy took a daring step forward. “Maybe you didn’t snitch because you knew we’d do something about it.”

  Gritting his teeth, Alexander fought the terrible, burning desire to rip the smug, challenging sneer off Jeremy’s face.

  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  STARFLEET ACADEMY

  #1 Worf’s First Adventure

  #2 Line of Fire

  #3 Survival

  #4 Capture the Flag

  #5 Atlantis Station

  #6 Mystery of the Missing Crew

  #7 Secret of the Lizard People

  #8 Starfall

  #9 Nova Command

  #10 Loyalties

  #11 Crossfire

  #12 Breakaway

  Star Trek:

  STARFLEET ACADEMY

  #1 Crisis on Vulcan

  #2 Aftershock

  #3 Cadet Kirk

  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  #1 The Star Ghost

  #2 Stowaways

  #3 Prisoners of Peace

  #4 The Pet

  #5 Arcade

  #6 Field Trip

  #7 Gypsy World

  #8 Highest Score

  #9 Cardassian Imps

  #10 Space Camp

  #11 Day of Honor: Honor Bound

  Star Trek: Voyager

  STARFLEET ACADEMY

  #1 Lifeline

  #2 The Chance Factor

  #3 Quarantine

  Star Trek movie tie-in

  Star Trek Generations

  Star Trek First Contact

  Available from MINSTREL Books

  The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this “stripped book.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A MINSTREL PAPERBACK Original

  A Minstrel Book published by

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

  STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures.

  This book is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-671-01452-8

  First Minstrel Books printing October 1997

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  Cover art by Michael Herring

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  With respect and affection

  for Ray Sehgal,

  a brilliant young scientist

  and my youngest Trek advisor

  With special thanks to

  L. A. Graf

  for providing invaluable information

  from “Armageddon Sky”

  in the interest of consistency

  concerning the Day of Honor rites and rules

  STARFLEET TIMELINE

  2264

  The launch of Captain James T. Kirk’s five-year mission, U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701.

  2292

  Alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire collapses.

  2293

  Colonel Worf, grandfather of Worf Rozhenko, defends Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy at their trial for the murder of Klingon chancellor Gorkon.

  Khitomer Peace Conference. Klingon Empire/Federation (Star Trek VI).

  2323

  Jean-Luc Picard enters Starfleet Academy’s standard four-year program.

  2328

  The Cardassian Empire annexes the Bajoran homeworld.

  2346

  Romulan massacre of Klingon outpost on Khitomer.

  2351

  In orbit around Bajor, the Cardassians construct a space station that they will later abandon.

  2363

  Captain Jean-Luc Picard assumes command of U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D.

  2367

  Wesley Crusher enters Starfleet Academy.

  An uneasy truce is signed between the Cardassians and the Federation.

  Borg attack at Wolf 359; First Officer Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko and his son, Jake, are among the survivors.

  U.S.S. Enterprise-D defeats the Borg vessel in orbit around Earth.

  2369

  Commander Benjamin Sisko assumes command of Deep Space Nine in orbit over Bajor.

  2371

  U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, destroyed on Veridian III.

  Former Enterprise captain James T. Kirk emerges from a temporal nexus, but dies helping Picard save the Veridian system.

  U.S.S. Voyager, under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway is accidentally transported to the Delta Quadrant. The crew begins a 70-year journey back to Federation space.

  2372

  The Klingon Empire’s attempted invasion of Cardassia Prime results in the dissolution of the Khitomer peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

  Source: Star Trek™ Chronology / Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda

  CHAPTER 1

  Alexander Rozhenko was one-quarter human, three-quarters Klingon and totally furious!

  Sitting between his human grandparents in the shuttle terminal at Earth Station Bobruisk, Alexander stubbornly refused to look them in the eye. He didn’t want to relax or listen to reason. He didn’t want to see the troubled patience in Sergey Rozhenko’
s eyes or the disappointment his grandmother hid behind a stoical smile. But he especially didn’t want to see his father, Worf.

  “I don’t understand this hostility toward your father, Alexander,” Sergey said gently.

  “Nor do I.” Helena sighed with deep sorrow. “Worf is taking special leave from his duties on Deep Space Nine just to come see you. So you can celebrate the Klingon Day of Honor together. You were so upset when he canceled his vacation plans to visit Earth, we thought you’d be happy.”

  Alexander’s upper lip curled in a snarl, a low, guttural expression of displeasure that was distinctly and uncomfortably Klingon. It was the kind of Klingon trait he usually struggled to suppress. Now, he didn’t bother to try. He resented his grandparents’ patronizing attitude toward him.

  “He is taking emergency leave, and it’s not because he wants to celebrate his sacred Klingon holiday with me!”

  Eyes flashing, Alexander snapped his gaze from his grandfather to his grandmother, then focused straight ahead. “My father is taking time away from his duty because you asked him to come.”

  Catching the worried glance that passed between the elderly couple, Alexander choked back the hurtful words he was about to add. It wasn’t fair to take his anger out on his grandparents. That made about as much sense as blaming the Romulans who had attacked the Khitomer Outpost in 2346. If they had killed his father instead of leaving him alive at the age of six, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko wouldn’t have adopted the orphaned Klingon and they wouldn’t be saddled with a problem they couldn’t handle now—him—their mostly Klingon grandson. Desperate, the Rozhenkos had turned to the one person in the Federation who might be able to help: Lieutenant Commander Worf, Strategic Operations Officer on Deep Space Nine and the only Klingon in Starfleet.

  Sergey glanced at the time. “Worf’s shuttle should be landing in a few minutes.”

  Alexander stiffened when the old man gripped his shoulder.

  “At least try to be civil, Alexander.” Removing his hand, Sergey spoke sternly. “Regardless of your misguided feelings right now, Worf is your father and you will treat him with respect.”

  Bristling, Alexander clenched his fists and concentrated on the steady movement of air in and out of his lungs. His grandfather rarely used that commanding tone of voice with him. In the past, Alexander would have felt ashamed and sorry for whatever he had done to deserve it. This time, it took every ounce of his willpower not to attack the old man.

  In. Out. In. Out.

  Alexander breathed, calming the explosive urge, but not the emotional torment he felt. His mother, K’Ehleyr, had been half-human and the Federation ambassador to the K’mpec government in the Klingon Empire before she was murdered by Duras. Like her, Alexander had embraced human behavior and customs with all his heart and soul. Now his cherished human value system and code-of-conduct was being threatened by a passion for violence that surged through his veins like a virus.

  Alexander didn’t know why, but he had suddenly become prone to enraged fits of temper that were getting harder to control. He was terrified that one day he wouldn’t be able to stop himself and someone would get hurt. What he feared most was that the victim of his fury would be his beloved grandfather or grandmother.

  And for that reason alone, Alexander was glad his father had agreed to visit Earth. He would rather die than bring harm to the kindly couple that had given him a loving home as they had his father before him. His disruptive behavior had already caused his grandparents more heartache and worry than he cared to admit. The Rozhenkos did not have much to say about Worf’s adolescent years, either, which made him suspect that his own faults were a lot worse than his father’s had been.

  Worf must have been a model child compared to him.

  And that thought caused another spasm of intense anger to rise within him.

  “It’s here.” Helena stood up. Anxious and excited, she gazed at the door where the disembarking passengers from the shuttlecraft von Braun would soon enter.

  Nudging his sullen grandson to his feet, Sergey smiled tightly. “There is one thing you must never forget, Alexander. Worf loves you very much and nothing you do or say can change that.”

  Alexander nodded curtly, still avoiding his grandfather’s gaze. He was certain of his father’s feelings, too, but with a twist that Sergey didn’t understand. Worf was Klingon and Klingons valued honor above all. His father had made that perfectly clear when he had gone back to the Enterprise to live after spending a year on Earth following his mother’s death.

  Alexander thought back to the traumatic and uncertain beginnings of his relationship with Worf. Even then, he had become too much of a discipline problem for the aging Rozhenkos to handle. Deanna Troi, the counselor aboard the starship, had recognized that his disgraceful lies and disruptive behavior were expressions of his feelings of loss and insecurity. Worf had understood and had decided not to send him to a Klingon school as he had planned. Being forgiven and accepted by his father had given him the stability he needed to resolve his emotional problems and explore his mixed heritage.

  But I’m not a scared little kid anymore, Alexander thought dismally, and I don’t have an acceptable excuse this time. Dragged away from his post on Deep Space Nine to deal with his unruly son, Worf would feel angry, betrayed and dishonored. Love didn’t matter.

  Bracing himself, Alexander watched the door as a stream of human and alien travelers walked through. Most of them were civilians and families returning from business trips or vacations on other worlds. An occasional flash of Starfleet red, blue or yellow caused the breath to catch in his throat before the silver sheen of the Klingon sash his father wore caught his eye.

  Alexander couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe as the imposing Klingon moved into view. Tall and muscular with an expression that always seemed grim, Worf paused in the doorway to scan the crowded waiting area. The human family ahead of him fumbled with bundles of souvenirs and carry-on baggage. He did not seem to notice the nervous glances the man and woman cast over their shoulders at him as they frantically tried to get out of his way. In fact, Alexander realized, everyone in the waiting area was giving him a wide berth and watching him suspiciously.

  Which was no surprise to Alexander.

  Hostilities had broken out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire after decades of peace. The tenuous alliance had dissolved when Gowron led a Klingon attack against the Cardassian Empire, believing it had been infiltrated by the Dominion. Starfleet had defended the Cardassians, an insult and breach of faith the Klingon Empire could not ignore even though Gowron had started the conflict because he was afraid and misinformed.

  Worf, a Starfleet officer, had fought against the Klingons, but the uniform he wore with such fierce pride, evidence of his loyalty to the Federation, might as well have been invisible now. A mere piece of black and red cloth could not negate Worf’s genetic heritage.

  Or mine, Alexander thought dismally.

  The boy wondered if his father was aware of the hostile shunning he would experience on Earth because he was a Klingon. Since the beginning of the break between the Empire and the Federation, Alexander’s life at school and in the neighborhood had become a nightmare. His uncontrollable temper had flared up about the same time. He assumed the tantrums were provoked by the cruel and unjust actions and attitudes of his peers.

  “Worf!” Helena waved and called to her adopted son. “Over here!”

  Alexander tensed as his father greeted them with a slight nod. There was no warmth in the hard eyes that met his son’s equally hard stare. As the boy expected, the reunion was not going to be pleasant. He had not even realized he was harboring a faint hope that Worf would be glad to see him. The unspoken rejection made his blood burn with a feverish fury.

  “My boy!” Grinning, Sergey rushed forward, accidently brushing against the human man scurrying out of Worf’s path. “Excuse me. I’m—”

  “Watch where you’re going!” The man’s son, a large, husky boy
about Alexander’s age, shoved Sergey aside. “Klingon lover!”

  Helena gasped and steadied Sergey as he stumbled into her.

  “Howard!” The boy’s father snapped, then paled.

  The boy glared at the Rozhenkos.

  Worf’s eyes flashed and his lip quivered in a silent snarl. Every muscle in his powerful body tightened, poised to strike the boy who had pushed Sergey, but he did not attack.

  In the fraction of a second Worf paused to calm himself, and everyone else in the area became frozen in shocked fear, Alexander reacted with pure Klingon rage.

  Roaring, Alexander sprang toward Howard with his clawed hands aimed at the fragile human throat. The fury coursing through his young body blinded him to everything except the need to destroy the arrogant, offensive boy. Howard had insulted and shoved one of the few people in the galaxy Alexander loved.

  “Alexander! No!”

  Alexander barely heard his grandmother’s scream as he tackled the stunned boy, knocking him to the ground. A strong hand gripped his arm, pulling him off the shrieking human before his fingers closed around tender flesh.

  “That is enough!” Worf barked.

  “Get him away!” Howard squealed as he scooted backward, then scrambled to his feet. “Get him away!”

  Infused with strength as the savagery locked in his Klingon genes erupted, Alexander ripped free of the hand that held him.

  Screeching with terror, Howard ran.

  “Alexander!”

  As Alexander gave chase, Worf’s demanding voice was lost in the thunder of his own blood pounding in his ears. He was only vaguely aware of the alien-dotted, human sea parting before him or the shouts of those pursuing him. He was totally focused on the panicked boy fleeing through the terminal.

  Leaping luggage and darting between supporting pillars and rows of seats, Alexander quickly closed the distance between himself and his prey. The stench of human fear flooded his nostrils, feeding the hunter frenzy that drove him. A terminal security guard jumped into the aisle ahead. Dodging to the right, Alexander shoved the man and ran past.