Emissary of Confusion (SH262)

## Emissary of ConfusionPart of Klingon-LDR Incident

In Y157 the Klingon Empire became involved in a brief clash with the Lyran Democratic Republic. A cease-fire was quickly arranged, and the Klingon Emperor dispatched a
diplomatic team to reach a settlement of the incident.

While the lives lost in the conflict can be laid at the hands of the Daven Cartel, this event was simply tragedy. All Lyran counties had diplomatic offices simply to deal with each other, but the Republic’s few long-service diplomats were mostly involved in treating with the Lyran Emperor’s court. The Klingon embassy at the Republic’s capital was, itself, the most junior such office in the Empire’s service. When it was arranged for a diplomatic team, led by a senior Klingon minister plenipotentiary (representing the Klingon emperor himself) to negotiate the settlement, the Republic’s diplomatic offices simply assumed the minister would arrive by a civilian transport. The Klingon embassy staff knew the minister would arrive on the Emissary, it never occurred to them that the Republic would be unaware that the Emissary was a battlecruiser. The D6N and D7N had been taking Klingon diplomatic teams to the Lyran Empire’s capital (among others) for several decades before the Republic had revolted and broken away.

Add to the mix the Republic’s losses in the brief conflict (two frigates, three police cutters, three large and six small armed freighters, accounting for nearly a quarter of all ships in the Republic’s Navy), which left the remaining commanders feeling more than a little threatened. Another factor was the Republic’s constant drive to expand its fleet, which resulted in numerous officers holding command positions for which they did not truly have the necessary experience. It was understandable that, not informed that the approaching ship was expected, such commanders, like the one on the People’s Choice, might react first and think later.

For the Klingons, things were even more unfortunate as the Emissary’s captain had served long on the ship, had made several trips to the Lyran capital, and made the, perhaps understandable error, that the Republic was expecting his ship. The Emissary was, after all, arriving at the Republic’s border both precisely where, and precisely when, the Republic had been told it would arrive.

When the Republic’s honor guard opened fire, the confusion on the Emissary’s bridge could only be imagined.

## Aftermath

The sudden attack by the *People’s Choice* inflicted severe damage on the *Emissary*. The ship desperately strove to escape. The two G2s, which had escorted the *Emissary* to the crossing point, raced back to help defend the ship. Both G2s were destroyed in the snarl, while the *People’s Choice* and *Swordbearer* were heavily damaged. Despite entreaties by the *Emissary* that it was present on a diplomatic mission and with the permission of the Republic’s government, the two ships continued their assault until they were ordered to stop by the Chairman himself.

The captains of the three principal ships survived, but none retained their commands after this event; the three ship’s first officers were also relieved. There was also a considerable shakeup in the Republic’s diplomatic service, and in the Klingon embassy staff at Demorak.

The *Emissary* would require several months of repairs to make good the damage.

## References

1. ↑ Various (2010). *Star Fleet Battles Module R12 – Unusual Ships*. (Amarillo Design Bureau), pp. 44–6.