Honor Betrayed (SH253)

## Honor BetrayedPart of Kzinti Civil War

One of the trump cards in the Usurper’s hand was an elderly Kzinti noble known as “Cat of Impeccable Honor”. Honor had a reputation throughout Hegemony Space as a Kzinti to be emulated in matters of honor. He had gained this reputation through his lifetime of always taking the correct or “honorable” choice. His presence in the Usurper’s ranks lent credence to the Usurper’s claim to the throne, because many other minor Kzinti lords could not fathom why he would be there if it were dishonorable.

What the Kzinti nobles did not know was that the Usurper had found the chink in Honor’s otherwise rigid code: he truly loved his cubs and his wives. When presented with evidence that the Usurper’s agents had seized his family, Honor proclaimed his willingness to follow (although, as many failed to note, not his loyalty to) the Usurper.

During the months that followed, the Usurper was careful not to push his tool too much. He assigned Honor to obviously important tasks, mostly safeguarding the delivery of supplies, but otherwise kept him away from the actual fighting. The Usurper knew better than to risk Honor changing sides even at the expense of his family. The supply mission was commonly seen as one of importance, although not really one worthy of a Kzinti of Honor’s stature. The recent depredations of the new pirate band were seen as ample justification, however.

The Patriarch’s agents eventually discovered how the Usurper was controlling Honor. The Patriarch, with his forces already being driven back towards Kzintai, reasoned with his advisors that simply announcing the truth would not be enough to turn the tide or seriously hurt the Usurper. Such an announcement, if not backed by incontrovertible proof, would be seen as grasping at straws by a patriarch who was losing the war.

Instead, the Patriarch had one of his agents alert Honor to the fact that the Usurper had already killed all the members of his family, and would kill him as well as soon as he was no longer needed. With all the witnesses disposed of, there would be no one to prove that Honor had not obeyed the Usurper because his cause was just. The Patriarch and his advisors hoped that this would cause Honor to renounce the Usurper on his own, and thus provide the incontrovertible proof they needed.

Honor was enraged at the news. There was no way for him to check its veracity as any communication between him and his family had to pass through the Usurper’s hands. Tired of being used, angered, and humiliated, Honor sought vengeance in the only avenue open to him, destroying the tug he was protecting and the critical supplies it was carrying.

Honor realized that if he tried to subvert the crews of one or more of the three frigates (which made up the rest of the escort) and the tug, the tug’s commander would have a chance to try to flee as there would have been no hope of secrecy. Honor opted for his own act of treachery and betrayal to gain an advantage in the inevitable fight.

As he had on previous re-supply missions, Honor ordered the command crew of one of his escorting frigates to his ship for a training exercise. There was a difference however. In this case, Honor secretly ordered the command crews of all three of the escorting frigates to his ship at the same time. None were aware that the others were also being summoned, and all died very shortly after they arrived on the decks of Honor’s ship. Simultaneously with their arrival, Honor used his own transporters to send Marines against the Bridges of the three frigates. Caught totally by surprise, the second watch officers of each ship were gunned down before they even had a chance to reach for their own weapons. Lastly, Honor executed a High Energy Turn and opened fire on his primary charge, the tug *WTug-3*.

Honor chose the time for his act of revenge and treason carefully so that there would be no chance for the Usurper to cover it up. The ships were moving slowly as they were approaching their destination, but still far enough off that there would be no time for assistance to be summoned to stop Honor’s plan from reaching fruition. All the Kzintis at the destination would be able to do was watch the battle play out, but they would bear witness and the Usurper would be unable to stop the story from spreading.

## Aftermath

The *WTug-3* survived despite the explosion of the *Mystery* at point-blank range after sustaining drone hits from two of the frigates. Unfortunately for the Usurper, the *WTug-3’s* cargo was virtually a total loss.

The sudden betrayal of the Usurper by Honor had additional far-reaching effects. Several nobles who were about to join the Usurper because of his so-far successful advance withdrew their support, and some of them eventually threw their lot in with the Patriarch. It is believed that the poor showing of the Usurper’s forces at the final climatic battle near Kzintai was in part caused by the demoralization from Honor’s betrayal.

The full repercussions of notifying Honor of his family’s “fate” surprised the Patriarch and his advisors. Federation historians would like to believe that the Patriarch rewarded Honor’s family for his actions. Unfortunately, that was not to be. Honor’s family was indeed executed ‘to the last cub’ by the Usurper, but AFTER Honor’s betrayal. The Patriarch’s agents had lied to Honor in what was, in the viper’s nest of civil war, just one more betrayal.

## References

1. ↑ Steven V. Cole (2008). *Star Fleet Battles Module Y2*. (Amarillo Design Bureau), pp. 66–8.