AFTER THE RESCUE

By Karmen Ghia

Part IV

WHAT OCCURRED AFTER MASTER GHET'S RETURN TO THE GOZSHEDREFREINGIN COMMUNE

Master Gozine Gozshedrefreingin Ghet of the Klingon Empire returned to the Gozshedrefreingin Commune in its new home on Zhaharnisha. His return was greeted with much rejoicing by his fellow communists but he cut it short, claiming to be tired and went to his studio.

An hour or so later Master Khat knocked on the big door and was told to go away. He went inside anyway and found Master Ghet staring out the window at the shell of the cathedral in the moonlight.

"Am I the only one in this room that's happy you're back?" Master Khat asked.

"Yes. Get out."

"Gozine." Master Khat sat down. "What happened?"

"I fell in love again, Maja." Master Ghet looked hard at his co-parent. "You know what a disaster that always is."

Master Khat lowered his eyes, remembering how hurt Gozine had been when Gozine had returned to being male and Master Khat had rejected him as a lover for that reason. They had made peace, become friends, raised the children and run the Commune together but the shadow of Gozine's hurt remained. He listened to Master Ghet's story without interrupting. And then he listened to the silence for a while.

"I'm sorry," he said at last.

"For what?" Master Ghet snapped.

"That you had to leave each other," he said quietly. "I'm sorry that you're suffering, again. I'm sorry I'm useless..."

"You're not useless, MajaKhat, I'm useless and foolish and reckless..." Master Ghet rose to pace the room. "I was willing to throw everything aside for love and I could not. I guess I'm gutless, too."

"I wouldn't say that, Gozine," Master Khat murmured. "Would you really have tossed it all?"

"Weren't for Hobie and Jir, I would have," Master Ghet said, looking his friend in the face. "Why not? The children are grown enough, you don't need me, the Commune could stagger along with the sculptors it has, so why not?"

"Lose you, Master, and we lose the protection of the Hierophant. Lose him and we lose the protection of the Haats. Lose that and we become fair game for any Klingon that wants us," Master Khat said slowly. "Or did that not occur to you in your love?"

Master Ghet lowered his eyes.

"Get out," he said slowly and turned to stare out the window until Master Khat had gone.

Master Ghet walked up to his workbench and inspected his tools neatly laid out for him. Someone, probably Hraja, had cleaned and sharpened the chisels. The studio was a big, clean and well lighted space made of temporary building material slapped up to house the Commune until they could move into the cathedral. Architectural drawings were pinned up around the workbench and desk so that Master Ghet could make sculptural decisions on the facade, altar and statuary. The overall design was like all Klingon cathedrals. It was to celebrate the virtues of strength, honor and fidelity.

Fidelity. Master Ghet could not decide if his problem was that he had too much or not enough fidelity.

'Well, as long as I am here, I might as well do some work,' he thought, tossing off the new cloak the Commune had presented him. He'd forgotten how heavy a Klingon Master's cloak is with all the runes on it.

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