FicWad

The Wizard on the Edge of Forever

A Harry Potter/Star Trek Fan Fic.
By: RPNIELSEN

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Star Trek. For that matter, I don't own much of anything except a lot of debt. If I could claim the two series and all their spin-offs, I would. So please don't sic the law demons on me ok?

A/N: Sorry 'bout the delay. This chapter has been a bear to write. Not getting into details, but real life amongst other things gave me a nasty case of writers block and not really the time i needed to do this chapter in a timely manner. Hopefully, this will not happen again, and I can kick out the next chapters in a more timely fashion.


Chapter 18: Returning Home


Captain's Log, U.S.S. Artemis, Stardate 7795.89,
Captain Brr'ynn recording:
Since we're scheduled to head back to Earth already, our upcoming mission will have us escorting a Klingon Cruiser carrying the newest ambassador for the Klingon Consulate. We won't arrive at the rendezvous point for several hours yet, leaving me to deal with the one thing I love the most...paperwork.

Harry took a seat in Captain Brr'ynn's office as she was looking at the computer monitor on her desk.

"Lt. Potter," the captain greeted him without looking up. "This is just a formality, of course, but a final records review is required before you go to Command School. Normally, the personnel officer, Mr. Roberts, would handle this, but I prefer doing the reviews for people going to Command School myself." Brr'ynn tapped her claw on the desktop in irritation.

"Yes, Captain, I understand. I'm just surprised that you haven't started snarling at the monitor yet. I know how much you just love paperwork," Harry teased with a grin.

The Catian officer looked up and chuckled slightly at Harry’s comment. "You've got me pegged there. Okay, let's go over your file so we don't have to screw with it any longer."

Captain Brr'ynn looked at the monitor one last time. "All right, Lieutenant, according to your records, you entered the Academy in 2269, and graduated in 2273. Academically you were in the top five percent of your class." Brr'ynn paused for a moment as she read the next lines of the entry. "Hmm...I need to read my crew members' files more often. Apparently, you completed your cadet cruise with distinction, and were awarded the Decatur Star. Mr. Potter, would you care to explain how you pulled that off?" Brr'ynn raised an eyebrow as she finished the question. Her cat-like features reflected pure feline curiosity.

The Decatur Star was awarded to members of Starfleet for extraordinary acts of bravery, specifically for combat incidents involving piracy. It wasn't awarded often or lightly, at best only a couple of times a year, and often posthumously. A mere cadet earning such a prestigious award was almost unheard of, particularly when the cadet returned to duty all but unscathed after the incident.

Harry chuckled as he recalled the events of his cadet cruise, including the chewing-out he'd received from Hui and the captains of the Lorax and Yorktown for commandeering that fighter and flying it in ways it had never been designed for.

As Harry finished telling the story, Brr'ynn shook her head. "Only you, Harry, only you," she muttered, more to herself than anything else.

Looking back at her display, she continued reading. "Hmm...graduated seventh in your class. Detailed to Starfleet Headquarters right out the Academy to work with Admiral Kirk for a special project, though the details are apparently restricted. Promoted to lieutenant junior grade for your work on that project."

Pausing for a moment after reading that notation, she continued on. "Graduated first in your Operations class, then assigned to Commander, Starfleet, as his personal pilot and aide. Excellent Officer Evaluation Reports during your time there and the same can be said for your time at the Federation Embassy on Vulcan."

Captain Brr'ynn looked up from the display with a wry expression. "And now we have reached my contributions to what I'm sure will be either a storied or infamous career, depending on who you ask," she said with a smile.

Harry nodded and a smile crossed his features. He felt that Captain Brr'ynn was an excellent commander and didn't mind her sense of humor or her tendency towards light teasing. It helped relieve tension in meetings and other mildly stressful situations.

The captain straightened slightly as she read through her own notations from the past. "Assigned to the newly commissioned U.S.S. Artemis as helmsman and security chief, under my command. You've had excellent OER's since coming aboard two and a half years ago, so I'm just going to go over the high points of your time with us."

Brr'ynn cleared her throat and continued. "A little over a month after coming aboard, you led the investigation into an attempted theft of information at the Memory Alpha facility, and then single-handedly saved the ship during the recovery of the hijacked starship, U.S.S. Juggernaut." After a momentary pause, Brr'ynn said. "You know, that would not have been exactly the way I would have suggested revealing your special abilities to the crew, but I must admit it was extraordinarily effective."

Harry groaned slightly as he thought back to the incident in question. The Juggernaut had been a Romulan War-era battle cruiser that lived up to its name. She had been hijacked from the Museum Fleet at Memory Alpha by Orion pirates. At the culmination of the pursuit and recovery operation, an Orion starship had self-destructed, in an attempt to both avoid capture and destroy the pursuing Starfleet vessel, the Artemis. Somehow, though even after two years no one really knew how, Harry had managed to project his magic into the ship's deflector systems, creating, for just a moment, a magical shield just outside the ships regular shields. The magical shield deflected just enough of the titanic energies from the blast to allow the Artemis's shields to protect the ship from any catastrophic damage.

Unfortunately, the feedback that was channeled from the magical shield and the ships normal shields had almost killed Harry. He had received six broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a skull fracture from being flung across the full width of the Bridge. Both of his arms and hands suffered second and third degree burns, in addition to some compound fractures, and his magic had been completely drained. His physical recovery only lasted about a month thanks to modern medical technology, but it took another six months for his magical core to restore itself to full strength.

"Captain, I fully agree with you there. Believe me, if I could have, I'd have found a better, not to mention less painful, way," Harry said sheepishly but with a bit of humor in his voice.

A deep purring rumble escaped the Catian officer as she said "I can't argue with that. Now, onto later, less painful, points."

Tapping the screen again, Brr'ynn continued. "Your assistance during the Gorn alliance conference was invaluable, and the diplomatic corps representative stated that your choice of gifts was the tipping point to getting the alliance signed." Brr'ynn looked Harry in the eye. "Just out of curiosity, Mr. Potter, how did you know that the Gorn would appreciate that ancient Earth comedian?"

Harry snickered for a moment. "When I was initially learning the Gorn Language, I got hold of some of the Gorn people's popular entertainment in order to better understand the conversational diction and syntax of the language. A lot of it reminded me of some of the slapstick and sketch comedy I saw bits of as a child. I searched the archives and found some recordings of old Benny Hill shows that were similar in nature to some of the Gorn comedy shows. I did the vocal translations from English to Gorn and presented the videos to the Gorn diplomatic party with an explanation of what they were. Two days later, any time the Gorn delegates saw a human smiling, they broke out in fits of laughter."

Brr'ynn just rolled her eyes at the explanation. She honestly just didn't get the Human race's preference for slapstick humor and sketch comedy...or, apparently, the Gorn's similar tastes. Catian humor was more subtle and less physical. "Right, then, moving on to the most recent high point of your current tour of duty."

Tapping her screen, she brought up the next page. "Ah, yes. The incident with the Tortuga Three mining colony was an excellent piece of work. Another example of your linguistic and cultural knowledge getting us out of a sticky situation. We would never have discovered the real source of the problem without the Klingons' cooperation. Even so, I couldn't help but notice that you seemed rather tense after dealing directly with your Klingon counterpart for the mission."

Harry scowled for a moment as he thought about the Klingon in question. The guy had looked a bit like his old classmate Crabbe...or was it Goyle? Not that it mattered; he hadn't seen either of them in over ten years. But that Klingon's voice, personality, attitude and overall physical and mental oiliness were one hundred percent 'greasy git.'

Shaking his head to remove the scowl from his face, Harry replied, "I'm sorry Captain, Lt. Kage strongly reminded me of a very nasty teacher that I had as a kid. Professor Snape." He shook his head and frowned slightly. "The man always managed to push all my hot buttons every time he saw me. Constantly insulted my parentage and abilities, while pretending to teach. Lieutenant Kage managed to do the same thing, although in his case it was my species, not my parents that he chose to insult. Needless to say, I wasn't in the best of moods after dealing with him."

Captain Brr'ynn nodded her head. "I understand. And yet you managed to work together and accomplish your goals without incident. I admire your restraint, Mr. Potter. It's the sign of a good officer and a good leader." After a moment, she continued. "Well, Mr. Potter, your records are in good order. You should do well in command school. I've got nothing else, so you're dismissed," she finished with a smile.

As Harry headed out to the bridge and his duty shift, Captain Brr'ynn called out, "Harry...off the record, I had to speak to that Lt. Kage several times, as well. If there hadn't been a viewscreen between us, I'd have grabbed the hffthsst by the scruff and tanned his hide myself." The Catian insult needed no translation, sounding as it did like a cross between a feline hiss and spit.

Harry broke out in laughter and continued to the bridge; enjoying the camaraderie of knowing he wasn't the only one Kage had pissed off with his attitude.


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Harry looked at the readings that the helm controls displayed in confirmation. "Captain, we have reached the rendezvous point."

"Very well. All stop, Mr. Potter," responded Captain Brr'ynn

"All stop. Aye, Captain," responded Harry as he powered down the engines and used thrusters to kill their forward speed.

"Mr. Storan, bring up the latest data that the Klingons transmitted. I don't want to anger the ambassador or his transport when they arrive." Brr'ynn stated in annoyance.

The Klingons had only transmitted the final information about who the Ambassador was and his transport ship in the last few hours, much to the annoyance of the Federation and the crew of the Artemis.

According to the documentation, The Klingon light cruiser, Interrogator, was the designated transport for the new ambassador to the Federation. Harry had gone over the ship's specifications and didn't see anything out of the ordinary from what the Artemis' war book listed regarding ships of its class. Harry had just opened up the file about the Ambassador when he did a double take. Re-reading the information, Harry thought to himself, 'Bloody Hell this is going to be interesting.'

Clearing his throat, Harry spoke up "Captain, in looking at the data, I think that we might want to greet the ambassador a bit differently than we normally would."

Captain Brr'ynn raised an eyebrow "What do you mean, Lieutenant?" she asked in a curious tone of voice.

Harry spun his chair around to face her. "Captain, I've told you about how I got that Bat'leth of mine, right?"

Brr'ynn nodded her head and said, "Go on."

"Right, well a lot of my knowledge about Klingon culture came from the manual that came with the sword. Some of the manual dealt with what they perceive as proper etiquette between warriors in honorable situations. It's all a bit complex to explain in the short amount of time we have before the Interrogator arrives. The main thing is that the ambassador is a member of a Klingon family that I'm...well, I guess 'associated' with is the best description that I can come up with. They were the ones who presented me with the Bat'leth. With all due respect to Mr. Storan's linguistic skills, we'll get a lot more respect from them if I do the greeting by their traditions, given the existing relationship."

Brr'ynn thought for a moment, then looked over at Storan inquiringly. The Vulcan linguist gave a slight nod. "I find Mr. Potter's suggestion eminently logical in this situation."

The captain turned back to Harry and nodded her head in agreement. Over the next half hour the bridge crew went over what was going to happen, and Hui brought up Harry's Bat'leth from their quarters, where it had been hanging prominently in their living room.

Shortly after the discussion had finished, the Artemis' science officer, Commander Martinez spoke up. "Captain, the Interrogator has just entered detection range. It looks like she's alone. She'll be in communications range in about two minutes.

Brr'ynn nodded and said, "Okay Mr. Potter, it's your show."

Harry checked his console one last time, verifying that the Artemis' defensive weaponry was on standby but not powered up. The last thing he wanted was an accidental discharge of the ship's weaponry.

Standing up, Harry moved in front of the helm and navigation console, and after taking a deep breath he said "Open hailing frequencies to the Interrogator."

The main screen came to life, showing the bridge of the Klingon starship. Standing in the center of the screen was the ambassador, dressed in the traditional battle uniform of a senior Klingon officer but with the white robes indicating the position of Ambassador draped over his shoulders.

"Greetings Krulack, son of Tharg, Heir Regent of the honorable House of Moog. I am Harry, Son of James, current Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter," Harry began in the most formal and ritualized form of Klingon he knew. "For more than ten years our houses have been allies and as the designated representative for the ship's company and crew of the U.S.S. Artemis, we are most honored to be your guide and escort through Federation space. I am looking forward to, if possible, renewing our acquaintance as the Artemis escorts you to what I am sure will be a most trying and yet rewarding assignment."

Krulak looked at Harry in slight confusion for a moment. Suddenly, a look of recognition flashed across his face as he realized exactly who had given him this traditional greeting.

Slapping a fist to his chest, Krulak bowed slightly. "Lord Potter, it is I who is honored to have your gallant ship and crew to be our guide to Earth. You are looking well and I can see that the reports of your progress as a warrior were understated. Your Diplomatic Corps was kind enough to update the House of Moog whenever we inquired about your life and position. I do apologize for our not being able to communicate with you over the years, but as you are well aware the political situation between our two governments can be somewhat contentious at times and the House of Moog had no desire to derail your career," Krulak said with an honest smile.

Krulak then switched from the formalized Klingon to Federation Standard. "Now that the formalities are observed, if you don't mind, I'll speak in your language. I need the practice if I am to perform my duties properly, Lord Potter."

Harry nodded and replied, "Please do, Ambassador Krulak, I completely understand. But please, Ambassador, call me Harry, or Mr. Potter, in line with my duties. Calling me Lord Potter makes me want to look over my shoulder for my father or grandfather."

Krulak's booming laughter filled the bridge. "I know what you mean Harry, I know what you mean. As such, please call me Krulak, save when the formality is necessary."

Harry nodded his head in agreement to Krulak's request. "Krulak, allow me to introduce you to the Command staff of the Artemis."

Krulak agreed to this and Harry moved around the bridge introducing the various individuals and portraying them in the best light possible.

Once Harry had completed his introductions, Captain Brr'ynn stood and said "Ambassador, I realize that your schedule may not allow for it, but I invite you and the Command Staff of the Interrogator to dine with us one evening before we get to Earth."

"Captain, I would be honored. Unfortunately, as you have guessed, I'm buried in paperwork in preparation for my new duties. Should I get the opportunity, I will take you up on the offer, thank you. Krulak out."

Once the connection was closed, Brr'ynn looked around the Bridge and said "Okay, that went well, but something seemed off about it. Any ideas?"

The general agreement was that something was off about the whole Klingon side of the conversation, but no one was really sure what until Harry spoke up. "Captain, I don't claim to be an expert on Klingon culture, but I think what the problem was the body language of some of the Interrogator's crew. Most of them were doing their duties as far as I could tell, but at least a few of them, I don't know, didn't seem to like the situation they were in or something to that affect. It's not something I can really put my finger on."

"I understand, Mr. Potter. Let's keep it in mind for our reports when we get back to Earth."


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Two days later, Harry was back on the bridge for his bridge shift. Over the past two days the Artemis had noted an increase in the comms traffic between the Interrogator and the Klingon Empire. They figured this was probably normal; perhaps Krulack was getting last minute updates before he arrived on Earth and assumed his ambassadorial duties.

Looking at his instruments, Harry frowned in slight puzzlement. Ever since its arrival, the Interrogator had been flying in perfect synchronicity with the Artemis. But now, the ships were drifting ever so slightly apart, as if the Klingon helmsman had made a slight error in a course correction and hadn't noticed. Given their previous utter precision, it seemed out of character.

"Captain, something's not right about the way that ship's flying," said Harry in a concerned voice.

Captain Brr'ynn observed the Klingon t'h'lar class light cruiser through the viewscreen. "Mr. Potter, it looks okay to me. Can you clarify?"

"She's drifting a bit, like their helmsman's wandered away from his post."

Harry went over the ships sensors and saw nothing wrong with the readings, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. "Captain, with your permission, I'd like to notify sickbay to be prepared. Call it a gut feeling, but I don't think..."

Suddenly the whine of a Klingon transporter beam cut through the noise on the Bridge. Materializing in front of the Navigation and Helm station, Captain Krulak, the new Ambassador that they were escorting to Earth, was a sight to behold. The Klingon appeared to have been in the fight of his life. His uniform had several tears and cuts over what appeared to be deep wounds. Large bruises and a spectacular black eye were blossoming on his face. However, the most telling injury was the large knife protruding from his side.

Somehow managing to draw himself to attention, Ambassador Krulak spoke in a harsh whisper. "Captain Brr'ynn, I, Captain Krulack of the House of Moog formally request asylum in the United Federation of Planets."

With that, he collapsed over the Helm and into Harry's lap.


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The command staff of the U.S.S. Artemis waited patiently in the briefing room at the Sol system (Earth) Spacedock. They had been sequestered at the facility since the Artemis had limped into orbit two weeks previously, after the near catastrophe of their assignment to escort Ambassador Krulack's transport to Earth. Bry'ynn and her senior staff knew that they had done everything they could to defuse the situation, but in the end it was the commander of the Interrogator who pushed things beyond the point of no return.

Their only regret was the destruction of the Interrogator, though the Artemis's flight recorders would show that it was a case of self defense.

As the door to the room opened, the Command staff of the Artemis stood at attention as the board of inquiry and the two observers from the Federation and the Klingon diplomatic corps entered the room.

Normally a board of inquiry would not be convened for a ship being damaged during the course of normal operations along the border, but due to the potential diplomatic crisis engendered by the events, the destruction of a Klingon ship of the line and the fact that the Artemis had been almost destroyed as well, one was necessary.

"Be seated," ordered Admiral Hachtel, the current head of Starfleet Operations.

Once they had sat, Harry took note again of the unusual nature of this board. Normally, something like this might have a Fleet Captain or a senior time-in-grade Captain as the board's head, but this gathering of stars, not to mention the diplomatic corps being involved, was definitely going to go into the record books.

Hachtel sat as the board's chairman, joined by Admiral Kirk, now head of Training Command, Admiral Yeager, Head of Bureau of Ships, Admiral Patton, Sector commander for the Klingon border, and Admiral Metz, Sol System Spacedock commander. The diplomatic observers were Nicoli Debidenkov from the Federation and Ambassador Tork from the Klingon Empire. Tork was the one Krulack had been intended to replace; due to the political upheavals within the Empire, his duty had been extended.

Harry took it as a good sign that none of the Board or the observers seemed to be in a bad mood or presented an air of ill will towards the Artemis's command crew, though Ambassador Tork did seem smug and yet annoyed at the same time, giving him and interesting facial expression.

Admiral Hachtel took a sip of water from the glass on the table the board was using then began speaking. "Thank you all for your time. I would like to thank in particular Ambassador Tork for his input on the background reason for the incident involving the U.S.S. Artemis and the I.K.S. Interrogator."

Pausing for a moment, Admiral Hachtel looked at each member of the board and the diplomatic observers. Receiving a nod from each one, he continued. "It is the opinion of this board of inquiry and the Diplomatic Corps that nothing the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Artemis could have done would have prevented the attack on the Artemis by the I.K.S. Interrogator. This is due to the political climate at the time of the attack within the Klingon Empire, and the noted belligerence of Captain Ank of the Interrogator."

Looking down at his notes the Admiral continued. "Ambassador Tork was able to provide us with the written orders stating that the Interrogator was not authorized to use its weapons under any circumstances. Noting these orders, the Klingon Empire has declared the Interrogator's attack an act of extreme cowardice and will be taking steps to prevent this type of behavior."

"As such, we find that the Artemis could in no way have avoided the Disruptor strike that damaged the starboard warp pod beyond repair. Also, we have noted that the Artemis's shields were down due to standard fleet directives; this will be addressed at a later date with no recriminations on the part of the Command Staff of the Artemis. This board is now closed and all members of the Artemis's command staff are returned to full duty status. Dismissed."

Once the board had left the briefing room, Captain Brr'ynn dismissed the Artemis's command staff and wished Harry well at command school.

When Harry left the room, he found Ambassador Tork and Admiral Hachtel waiting for him.

"Lieutenant Potter, just a moment. I have some information for you before you leave," said the Admiral.

Harry stopped and brought himself to attention. He noted the smug look on the Ambassador's face and wondered what it was about. "Yes sir. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Mr. Potter," Admiral Hachtel began. "I'm not sure why, but the Diplomatic Corps and Starfleet Command have decided that, in addition to your regular duties, you're going to be Captain Krulak's guide to the Federation and help him fit in."

Ambassador Tork let loose with a booming laugh. "Potter, Krulak's your headache now; I hope you can handle it." The ambassador pointed at Harry, and added conspiratorially. "Just remember sometimes having a back channel is a good thing."

With that, the Ambassador turned and walked off. Admiral Hachtel just shook his head at the retreating ambassador's back. "I won't keep you any longer, Lieutenant. Carry on and good luck in Command School."

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Harry and Hui walked down the hallway in Starfleet medical to Krulack's room. Krulack was in the secure wing more for his own protection than anything else. A Klingon warrior being treated for injuries at a Starfleet medical hospital was odd enough due to the antagonism between the two governments, but there were many patients that might quite frankly prefer to kill a Klingon as soon as look at them.

Hui stopped for a moment in the hall, wincing in pain for just a second.

"You okay, Hon?" asked Harry in concern.

"Just another headache. It'll pass in a minute," she said waiving off Hurry's concern. Over the years that Harry had known Hui, he had known that she would get piercing short headaches, and while nothing had ever been found as a cause, they still bothered him and he wished that there was something that could be done to stop them.

As soon as the headache passed, they continued on to Krulack's room.

Entering the small room, Krulack said "Harry, Hui. It's good to see you. Does it go well for you?"

"Not too badly," Harry acknowledged. "I've got news from my superiors and from the Klingon ambassador about where you're going once you get out of here. Once you've got that, can you explain a few things to us?" Harry's tone suggested he had good news, but was curious about Krulack's reaction.

Krulack nodded in agreement as Harry explained the conversation he'd had after the board of inquiry, including what the Klingon ambassador had said.

Once Harry had finished, Krulack shook his head and said, "This surprises me very little. I see you wonder why...let me give you some background to how I ended up as part of your house, Harry."

Harry raised an eyebrow in curiosity while Hui asked, "Part of our house? I don't understand, Krulack."

Krulack sighed and started his explanation. "The tradition dates back to about two thousand earth years ago, give or take a few. The founder of the empire, Kahless the Unforgettable, let it be known that if one house vouched for a, quote, 'Traitor,' then that house became responsible for the individual in question."

"So that's what Ambassador Tork meant by saying you're my headache now," Harry mused.

"Yes, that's it. But there is more that you need to know. Tork's comment about having a back door goes back to that time as well. The short version is that when Kahless left the throne, he dictated that his closest advisors were to rule in his stead as equals, with one being the tiebreaker or judge in disputes between advisors. Over time, that position became the chancellor of the Empire. One of the first chancellors, Dexrip I believe, convinced the advisors that having back channels to the other advisors would help eliminate any discord as they ruled the Empire. I believe that our new Chancellor, Gorkon, wishes me to fulfill this role. What that actually means is that despite my defection, should disputes occur between the Federation and the Empire, The Federation will have a direct line to the Chancellor's ear, without all the Diplomatic code speak. Be warned though, anything that I transmit to him, will be checked thoroughly, as I am not exactly part of the high command any more." Krulack finished with a bit of a chuckle to his voice.

Harry smacked his forehead into his palm and just shook his head. Hui, on the other hand said "Krulack, don't mind him. Harry's life's been interesting to say the least, and your joining our family just makes it even more so. You'll be out of here in a few days and be living with us. So don't worry, we'll take care of you, you're family now."

Harry and Hui left Krulack's room a few minutes later. He looked at his wife and said. "Krulack's family now. Sort of an honored uncle I'd guess. How do you think he's going to take it when he finds out about Magic?"

Hui just shrugged and said "Pretty well, if his recovery and reactions to how his life has changed is any indication. He seems to adapt to change fairly well."

Harry just smiled and though to himself 'Hermione would just call it my people saving thing and she'd be right. A Klingon uncle, this is going to be interesting."