The Lake of Deception

Posted on Thu Aug 5th, 2021 @ 6:38pm by Captain Björn Kodak & Maje Jaha Veeth

Mission: https://sojourner.simcentral.org/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Outskirts of Haakonian Order Space

An old and frail Mylean male opened his eyes to the sound of a distant melody being sung by feathered fowl beyond the cabin walls. His face bared his age and trials, his features darkened, his eyes clouded, and the top of his head entirely void of hair. He lifted his hand and rubbed his eyes, another restless night in his chair overlooking an alien lake. He reached over for the bottle of opened Mylean ale and look a sip, his shirt already stained by the spills of ale which missed his lips. He took a long swig as he looked around the poorly lit room, the sun had just hardly kissed the horizon.

He finally pressed the bottle underneath his arm as he rose to his bare spotted feet. They carried him to the door and as he opened it and passed through his hand quickly gripped a wooden fishing pole. Before long he was out on a small wood peer. He took another swig of his ale before sitting it gently at his feet. He cast the fishing rod as the rising sun slowly danced across his wrinkled face. The sun irritated his eyes, his pupils fully dilated. He ducked under the shadows of the trees as he fished. Purple winged bugs, no bigger than a mosquito began to buzz around his neck–they didn't seem to bother him, even as some of them perched on his exposed flesh and sucked blood from his veins. It wasn't long until the Mylean hauled a large blue scaled fish from the depths of the dark lake. As it flapped its tail, attempting to break free in a fight for its life, a small glimmer sparkled in the Mylean's eye as he stabbed his fingers into the fish's gills. Without pause, without mercy, he tore the fish's head entirely off in one quick pluck. A trail of fresh blood squirted behind, and splattered against his cheek. The feel of warm blood brought a slight smirk to the old Mylean's lips. The body and tail of the fish dropped to the wood peer from his fingers. The tail of the headless fish still flickered as he looked down upon it.

A high-pitched hum rang out and interrupted the scene. The Mylean and the environment around him flickered and vanished into a white light. Maje Jaha Veeth's entirely white eyes rolled around in his head as they returned to normal. His pupils and green irises returned. He reached to remove a small metallic device from the back of his neck and placed it on the arm of his chair. He looked to his second, "Tell me Mereoth, why did you end the Mylean simulation?"

Mereoth eyed the Maje, he had grown accustomed to choosing his words wisely, "You find that Mylean simulator enjoyable? An old man waking up and then fishing for his dinner?"

A belly laugh erupted in the Maje, as he pointed his finger toward his second, "No. That old wretch was a bore. I reworked the simulation, gave the Mylean some teeth. He is much more enjoyable to watch now. You should give it a try." The Maje looked down at the Mylean device, with a smile on his face. In his mind this was a trophy, and one to occupy the mind. The Maje found himself turning to it during long boredom filled travels. One of the Maje's greatest accomplishments was securing technology which could be used by the Kazon, if not for battle, than for pleasure. The Mylean elder was just a simulation; but, the Maje got a high from the control he had over him nevertheless.

"That Haakonian Order convoy is in range. They hail us..." the Second responded.

The Maje scoffed as his digits gripped the edges of his chair, his knuckles almost turned white from the excitement, "Good. I suppose they found the ruins of their observation station. Let us hear from those cowards. Open channel."

"As you say, Maje," the Second voiced, activating the view screen.

The image of the three approaching Haakonian Order vessels was replaced by a single face. Hawkish in gaze, sharp in its features, the visage regarded Veeth as one might an errant child.

"Kazon ship, this is Captain Ka'tuul of the Haakonian vessel Venerator," the face moved further back from the screen, the upper body of the ship's Captain then coming into view. Behind him, his Bridge was a calm center of activity -- officers quietly criss-crossed the space to attend their duties as their Captain spoke across the distance between ships. "You have violated our borders and, according to our sensors, you've destroyed one of our observation outposts. You are hereby notified that the Haakonian Order is taking you, your crew, and your vessel into custody."

The Maje dismissed any authority in the captain’s voice as he snapped his hand in somewhat annoyance. He felt that the technological advances and alien technology he had upgraded his vessel with would withstand any attack by the three Haadkoian ships if it came to that. He then lifted his second hand and with the flick of his wrist motioned to his guards to jump to their feet, “Bring me the commander Sullen and his first mate Olthen.” In seconds two male Haakonian Order operatives tired and beaten were presented to the Maje and lowered to their knees before him. The Maje circled both men, his index finger traced along the edges of their backs and chests, it hopped from shoulder to shoulder as he moved.

Jaha looked toward his viewscreen and eyed the Haakonian captain who looked back at him. “You see, we destroyed the last Haakonian Order convoy which stood in our path. They were weak and without teeth. Now we know your tactics, you and your ship will crumble under the Kazon-Relora. We captured 20 survivors before we burned the last convoy. Two of them kneel here, their life and the life of the 18 others are in your hands. To save them… all you have to do is stand down!”

“They will never stand down!” cried commander Sullen, his left eye swollen, his right arm pinned to his chest which showed clear signs of trauma. Blood mixed with sweat dripped down his brow. “The Haakonian Order will never negotiate with terrorists!”

The Haakonian’s words made the Maje snarl, his tongue flicked against his yellow stained teeth in annoyance. The Maje walked toward his chair and retrieved a plasma gun. He returned with it slung over his shoulder casually. “A terrorist? Do I bring you terror? Do you fear me? Do you fear the Kazon-Relora?” He looked down at the commander who swallowed hard. Jaha raised his gun and pointed it at him. “Fear is a coward’s game. Fear is death.” Jaha closed one eye and stared down the weapon’s shaft, his words cold, void of any emotion.

The Haakonian first officer looked toward his commander, he had pain in his eyes. “Please…” He called to the Maje. “I will give you the coordinates to the metreon cascade research facility… Just let my commander, and our crew go. Please…” The breath of desperation echoed through first officer Olthen’s lips.

Commander Sullen offers a snort of derision. “Olthen, don’t be stupid. We will never give this maddman those coordinates! We will die first!”

The Maje sighed as he waved around his weapon, “You guys kill me! There seems to be no scenario where I let you all live! Bye.” Jaha’s finger hugs the trigger.

“Stop! No! I will give you the coordinates! I will!” Olthen wailed now. As the words left his mouth he could scarcely believe he uttered them, but he was wild, helpless, and so desperate to stop the execution of his commander, and the rest of his crew, even the three Haakonian vessels which had no hope of recusing them. Olthen realized it was the last card he had to play. “Give me a star chart! I’ll show you! Please!”

Othen’s words gets Jaha’s undivided attention, and that of his entire crew. The commander’s face of pain worsens.

“The coordinates to the weapon research facility is yours. You can have it. Just give us a shuttle. Let the 20 of us go! Please! We won’t stop you. Take what you want, but the blood loss ends here! No more death!”

A sly grin appears on Jaha’s lips as he lowers his weapon and walks over to the Haakonian Order commander. “What do you think, Sullen.Think I should take the deal?” He crouches down near the commander, face to face with him.

The Commander narrows his eyes at Jaha and tilts his head back. He opens his mouth and spits in the Maje’s face, a mixture of spit and blood. “Screw you, you Kazon trash! Screw you!”

The Maje’s grin widens, he appears amused, the commander has spunk. Olthen works to stifle his desperation. He fights to hold himself together. The Maje stands and raises his weapon, his free hand moves to wipe clean his face. Othen sadly looks toward his commander, his words are gentle, “Please Commander Sullen, please. Just tell him. Tell him we will give him the coordinates. It will be okay, you can’t do anything if you’re dead.”

The commander smiled sweetly at Olthen, he is in pain but held it together “Son, you have been one hell of a first officer. I wouldn’t be the commander I am today without your guidance, your trust, your support. I owe you a lot, we have done a lot of great things. You mean a great deal to me. I want you to know that. But, I am not going to beg for my life. Olthen, you are the smartest guy I know. But you are too blind to see. I’m already dead. The Maje decided to kill me the moment his eye locked with mine.” Commander Sullen swallowed and let a gentle sigh escape his lips. Othen looked on, the truth sunk in, he paled at the thought. “Go on, Maje. Get on with it!”

Without hesitation, the Maje fires. The sound of the weapon echoes the COMM. The commander falls over, still, silent. The action appears to drain the life from first officer Othen too, who crumbled, destroyed. He cried in silence as he collapsed next to his commander. Tears, blood, and snot wash his face. He is but a vessel now.

The Maje cocks his head, lowers his weapon and looks toward the viewscreen again, “You would be wise not to speak to me like the Kazon you have encountered before Captain. You have never met a Kazon like me. You also do not want to make an enemy of me either.” His eyes were fixed, his voice calm yet final. “Since my ship has entered your space, I have slaughtered every Haakonian my eyes fell upon, except for the 19 of your people aboard my ship; but, I will have you know, pointless death is not becoming of me. My journey through your space can be a peaceful one from this moment forward, with the 19 here and the people on your three ships. Help me to save them, save you. I have entered your space to exchange information. I would like to obtain the coordinates to your metreon cascade research facility. Give me the coordinates and I’ll toss the 19 survivors on a shuttle and return them to you. Then power down your weapons and let us pass. Don’t be afraid. And don’t be a hero. Both will die here today. Help me to save lives...”

Captain Ka'tuul had dispassionately watched the scene play out over the viewscreen. Sullen had been correct that no negotiation with terrorists would take place; it was not the Haakonian way. And while the Captain was sympathetic to the plight of the 20 Haakonians onboard Veeth's vessel, they were -- as Sullen had said -- already dead. "An impressive speech, First Maje Veeth. However, you and I both know that as soon as that shuttle were to lift off, you would fire on them. And us," the man said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Which is why we will not be providing you the location of our research facility. Should you learn its location and arm yourself with the Cascade, we would likely all die anyway...this time, at the hands of our own weapon. So no, Veeth," Ka'tuul stared across the distance, "I will not help you."

Raising two fingers into the air, Ka'tuul gave the signal to fire. "We honor the sacrifice of our men and women aboard your ship by staying true to our ideals rather than capitulating. They will die proud to have done the same." And with that, the channel cut off and the pummeling began.

The three vessels were not flagships of the Haakonian Order. As peacekeeper vessels, however, they were no slouches when it came to onboard weaponry and shields. The ships assumed a triangular formation, rotating around each other to spread out the hits likely to come from the Kazon-Relora vessel. Cascading beams of ice-blue energy crackled from their forward emitters, dancing across space to slam into the Kazons' shields.

“Too bad…” The Maje muttered to himself with a sigh as he flicked out his arm and his weapon fell into his hand, without much thought he fired it again and killed the second Haakonian which lay before him. He cocked his head to the side and gave a nod to his second, Mereoth. The ship shook as the Haakonian offense began. The Maje did not order a return fire, not yet, he waited for his second to execute his order first. Within moments an airlock at the rear of this ship opened and 18 Haakonians spilled out into the void of space. The Kazon ship’s rear shields divided to set the Haakonians free. They floated out in all directions as the shields closed again. The Maje watched the scene unfold on the viewscreen, he hoped the captain had seen the consequences of his actions.

“Attack-style-four, target all weapon fire on the captain’s ship!” Jaha’s command bellowed. The predator-class Kazon warship, somewhat Frankenstein in appearance from stolen alien technology, did not move. A posture which both mocked the Haakonian attack and the cockiness of the Kazon Maje. Blue-nearly-white phasers erupted and beat against ​​Ka’tuul’s ship. The Kazon ship alternated phaser banks in an effort to adjust to the Haakonian rotation attack pattern. “Activate the Sikarian interrupter, let us see how the captain reacts to ruptures forming in his shield sphere.” The Maje sat in his command chair as his balanced became compromised.

"As you say, Maje," came the response from Hoketh, the man overseeing the specialty console linked into the bridge's command functions. He tap-tap-tapped his controls, sorting through submenu commands that linked him to the various bits of technology they'd harvested from other vessels and installed thereafter. "Bringing the Interrupter online now, Maje. Full charge in twenty seconds," he reported, watching the charge meter continue to fill even as the ship shook around them. Finally, he thought, a sigh escaping his lips. "Fully charged and firing," Hoketh reported with excitement.

A glowing cage of energy sprang forth from the Kazon vessel, widening and wrapping itself around Captain Ka'tuul's vessel. The ship had taken the lead in the echelon and, as such, was quite easy to find in space. The energetic cage of charged polaron particles assaulted the Haakonians' shields from all sides, flashing their violet violence as bands of energy constricted around the bubble, opening several breaches across the sphere. Breaches that the Kazon vessel was quickly able to capitalize on.

Blinding beams sizzled through the openings in the Haakonians' shield bubble, striking through to connect with the vessel's shield generators. They flared and died, popping the protective bubble around the Haakonian ship, sending the Sikarian Interrupter field shrinking into non-existence. Given the predicament their lead vessel was in, the two other Haakonian ships surged forward, taking up a protective stance between the Kazon and Ka'tuul. They continued to fire their own barrages, hammering hard at Veeth's shields.

"You needn't gather the totality of Haakonia's might on you today, Maje, came Ka'tuul's voice over the comm. "You can still end this without bringing war down on you. If you power down your ship and surrender, we and our soon-arriving reinforcements will leave your vessel intact. We will let your crew go free. Continue to fire," his voice darkened, "and we will put you down, Maje," the Haakonian's voice snarled.

“Enough,” the Maje mouthed as he grew tired of this game, “Awaken the Lurkers, signal to them to target only the command ship, I want that Captain splattered across his bridge. I shall spit upon his chair. Do it! Then kill them all!” The Kazon’s words were cold and definitive. The Maje closed his eyes, and envisioned the corridors of the Haakonian's ships painted red. The visual brought a smile to his lips.

Within moments two larger vessels emerged from a distant nebula, their signatures hidden by some sort of distortion. Both ships were bulky carriers, a powerful battleship model which was operated by various sects of the Kazon. Unlike the Maje’s predator-class warship, both ships were larger, the largest ships of Kazon-Relora fleet, and while not as speedy, they were well equipped to avoid detection. As soon as the ship’s broken sensors, their shuttlebay doors fluttered open and like a swarm of hornets, six pods of three Kazon raiders flew out. They flew directly toward the battle ground, they made hast and all focused on the Ka’tuul, they weaved in and out between the other vessels. Their pilots focused only on the order of the Maje.

When the last weapon fired, there was a vast sea of debris and a smile upon the Maje's lips...


--- A joint post by... ---

First Maje Jaha Veeth (played by Bahrat)
Kazon-Relora

and

Captain Ka'tuul (played by Brad)
Haakonian Order

and

Various Kazon NPCs (played by Kyle)