SFK CONTEST

Nemesis Contest


"Without the darkness, how would we see the light?"


A villain can often be the most important character in a story. They have to be menacing, they have to be a serious threat, and they have to be difficult to defeat. They must represent a serious challenge because that is what the Klingon Empire thrives on.


Who is your nemesis? A rouge Klingon Captain? A relentless Starfleet Captain? A mad scientist? A Remain terrorist? An undead mysterious alien?
A rival is who usually makes the hero into what they are. Dukat helped make Sisko. The Joker made Batman. Barbosa made Sparrow. Vader made Luke (literally).


Contest: Detail your character's arch rival. Explain how evil and dishonorable they are.


Rules: Contest entries will be posted in this thread. Pictures of your nemesis should be included. Write a bio or short story about your nemesis. You should include their name, the name of their ship (if they have one), the type of followers they have (if they have any), why they are considered "bad" and when/where/why your character has crossed paths with them before in the past. Entries can be of any length and contain as many pictures as you feel are necessary to capture their essence. You may only submit 1 nemesis per SFK character. Your nemesis must be a specific individual not an entire faction/group. Your nemesis may be "over powered" but not so much to the point that they are unrealistic in Star Trek and virtually undefeatable (no Q, Borg Queen, etc. Along the lines of Khan is good).


Time: The contest will remain open from now until 2359hrs/11:59pm EST on 31 August 2014.


Results: Once the contest is closed to entries there will be a voting period.


Prizes-
1st Place: Nemesis will be featured in a story arc for SFK which may include a *foundry mission. Your character will get to be the hero of the plot.
Choice of 5 items from fleet contest bank tab.
10 Contraband.
Promotion within SFK.
**The chance to name the SFK Embassy.


2nd Place: Nemesis will be featured in a one-off scheduled SFK RP night. Your character will get to be the hero of the plot.
Choice of 3 items from fleet contest bank tab (After 1st Place).
Promotion within SFK.


3rd Place: Promotion within SFK


Be creative. Give as much detail as possible without boring the reader. Think outside the box, a Captain of another faction is alright but there needs to be something extra there to make them easily hated whereas someone like Khan and Soran were easy to be seen as villains by anyone. If you require/want some help just ask anyone. I'll personally help because I'd like to see as many solid entries as possible.


*Foundry mission: I will make and/or assist the 1st Place winner in making the foundry mission featuring your nemesis provided it is something that can be done in a reasonable amount of time.

**Chance to name Embassy: If the name you choose is generally rejected you will be asked to choose another name until it is agreed upon as acceptable.
There are many tales in Klingon lore of mighty heroes and glorious battles. Few stories are told about the darker side. Many know of the ancient and horrific Fek'Ihri, but there are more recent terrors that serve more than to frighten children into behaving honorably. In the quiet corners of the Empire exists tales of the Dishonored Damned. A plague ship, Captained by a demon, and crewed by the undead. Where it goes, death arrives. Preceded by nightmares, all can sense the evil coming their way. It pillages and plunders while laying waste to planets and ships alike. Those who survive an encounter with the Dishonored Damned prefer to come up with a more conventional explanation than one of walking dead warriors and a ghost ship.


2385


Wrot'Ka son of Krett had just been promoted to the rank of Captain. His early career was defined by his glorious actions in the Second Federation-Klingon war (2372) and then with his ground based victories over the Cardassians and later the Dominion. His leadership of warriors during skirmishes with the Romulan Star Empire only solidified what many senior Officers had already believed of Wrot'Ka. He moved quickly through the ranks, but that would soon change.


The I.K.S. 'Alngegh, commanded by Captain Wrot'Ka, orbits Nijum Prime after frantic reports of missing ships. After a brief of investigation, that yielded little information, Wrot'Ka made his recommendation to the High Command to maintain a military presence in this sector and to make Nijum Prime a Protectorate State with the Empire. The recommendation was accepted and the 'Alngegh was ordered to patrol the area until relief arrived. Several crew members of the I.K.S. 'Alngegh complained of horrific dreams which caused them to lose sleep and degraded their daily performance. Wrot'Ka was one of these officers.


Less than a day after these dreams, Nijum Prime was besieged by a single ship. As the 'Alngegh responded to the distress call and warped in, they detected a Klingon Kamarag Battle Cruiser commencing an orbital bombardment on the planet. The Kamarag Battle Cruiser had unknown modifications to it and was emitting an unusual energy signature. The Empire only lists 2 Kamarag Battle Cruisers as missing, both disappeared over 25 years ago, and neither possessed these modifications. The 'Alngegh engaged the ship in a brief battle. The weapons used by the Kamarag Battle Cruiser were of an unknown origin. The 'Alngegh had only managed to cause marginal damage to the unknown vessel when the Kamarag Battle Cruiser fired a unique torpedo. When the torpedo impacted in the shields of the 'Alngegh, it completely disabled the ship.

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Instead of being destroyed, the 'Alngegh was boarded. With no lights or gravity, the crew was forced to repel the invaders. The invaders themselves were Klingon, but many were badly disfigured from horrific old wounds and appeared sickly. They slashed at the crew of the 'Alngegh with both blades and their hands. Captain Wrot'Ka fought off several invaders, none of which would die unless vaporized or decapitated.


Wrot'Ka took a small group and made their way to the 'Alngegh's shuttle bay. Once they gained entry to a shuttle, they were forced to blast their way out of the bay. The shuttle observed the Kamarag Battle Cruiser continuing its firing on the planet. The shuttle was able to land at the capitol of Nijum Prime. Once there, Wrot'Ka saw these deranged Klingons killing the locals and ransacking stores. They behaved most dishonorably.


Wrot'Ka and his small group fought their way to the Capitol building. Eventually, they became surrounded. Fighting bat'leth to bat'leth, Wrot'Ka lost sight of his fellow crew members. He did, however, see a single Klingon ordering the dishonorable about. He knew this was their Captain. Wrot'Ka charged at this Klingon. Their skills were matched as their bat’leth’s clanged together and sung the song of glorious battle. Neither landed a kill strike and both had only managed to make hits with their boots or fists. The dishonorable Klingon caught Wrot'Ka off balance and forced him to the ground. With a boot on Wrot'Ka's throat with crushing weight, the Klingon raised his bat'leth high and prepared for a death blow. Something drew the attention of the dishonorable Klingon and caused him to walk off leaving Wrot'Ka on the ground defeated and shamed.

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Before anything could be done, the attack was over and the dishonorable Klingons had returned to their ship and departed the area. Nijum Prime had become infected with a fast acting, incurable, and unknown of plague. The I.K.S. 'Alngegh had suffered irreparable damaged and had to be scuttled.


If it was not for the testimony from his fellow surviving crew members, Wrot'Ka would have been executed. The High Council does not entertain ghost stories as an excuse for such a drastic failure. Instead, the new Captain was relegated to border patrol in the one section of Imperial space that did not touch another government's territory. He was included in only one attack against the Romulans. He had been spared by the dishonorable Klingon which brought shame upon Wrot’Ka for not dying for his failure and the High Council had turned their backs on the once prominent warrior and openly refused his, and his crew’s, explanation and description of what had happened. Wrot'Ka would not see another promotion until the ending of the war with the Gorn 14 years later as he once again proved his worth on the field of battle.


2402


Major Wrot'Ka responded to a colony planet's reports of a plague. He discovered it to be the same plague that ravaged Nijum Prime. One year later, to the day, Major Wrot'Ka responded to another distress call of similar nature. This time, 3 other Klingon ships responded. 2 of those ships were disabled in the same way the 'Alngegh was. The 3rd ship was outright destroyed by the outdated and modified Kamarag Battle Cruiser ship that Wrot’Ka had encountered many years earlier. Wrot'Ka was eager to destroy this ship for 2 reasons. First, to prove that he and his crew had not fabricated the story of it 18 years earlier. The second, to avenge the injustice done to him at the hands of the dishonorable Klingon Captain on Nijum Prime.

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Wrot'Ka would be denied his glory and revenge on this day. A battle ensued for only a few moments before the Kamarag Battle Cruiser disappeared with the use of, what must have been, a highly advanced cloaking device.


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Though Wrot'Ka was vindicated and his record restored, it became his driving force during those stagnant years in his career and has propelled him to sharpen his skills and exert his ruthlessness, traits which moved his career forward once again within the Empire.


Although Wrot’Ka may have been the first member of the Klingon Defense Force to report on this ship and disgraceful crew, tales of it’s deadly deeds are whispered in the far corners of the Empire for years before and years since. To those familiar with the tale, the ship is known as the QIj JoqwIj and the Captain is mentioned only as Natlh.


Many still regard it as nothing more than myth and tales designed to cover incompetence and failure, but those who have witnessed the ghost ship and tormented crew know that there are now worse fates than living dishonored.

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Bekk Soychoo, Circa 2269-2270.

Late one evening while mediating the days events, Soychoo was approached by a young warrior from the House of Antaak. Soychoo mumbled "Yes....what is it?! Can't you see I'm busy."

The young warrior turns around to look at his friends who seemingly edged him on to approach the old warrior and ask what many outside the Empire consider an unusual and dark chapter in Klingon history.

Although his body betrays him, he asks in a loud and strong voice "were you really there?"

"What?! Where? Do you take me for a fool? I've been in countless battles, more than you might seen in your lifetime, you expect me to answer a question so vague?"

The young warrior walks closer to Soychoo and speaks, loud enough so that the entire hall can hear him...."were you really there....at the Iota Geminorum campaign?"

Soychoo remains silent as a crowd slowly begins to gather behind and around the young warrior and Soychoo. Young and old, aliens and Klingons alike have all heard fragments of the story. Most warriors who lived to see the Iota Geminorum campaign were either too old to remember or living out an eternity in Stovokor. So to have a living and breathing legend in their mists was more than enough reason to gather around the two men as they spoke.

Soychoo mutters, "I was....what of it?" After decades of hearing the same old praises and condemnations, Soychoo, like many other warriors who were there, have put the memories of the Iota Geminorum campaign deep into their minds, hoping to never again have to recall those memories. Warriors, once treated as glorious heroes of the empire, are now viewed upon by most in the galaxy as barbarians and butchers.

The young warrior sneers and cracks a smile and retorts, "tell me of the Iota Geminorum campaign, is it as glorious as the songs say they are?" he turns to his friends who are now standing directly behind him, all smiling and mockingly grinning to one another.

"You mock me....you know nothing of what happened down there....on that planet. We do not sing songs of glory for no reason. We campaigned hard for eight long months, many warriors not only lost their lives but their sanity." Soychoo turns around and looks at the crowd behind him, "laugh...smile...you know nothing! Nothing of what I saw or did."

Someone in the crowd speaks, "then tell you old targ...tell us the truth of what really happened."

"Who said that?! Show yourself!" Soychoo stands from his chair and looks around but no one comes forward. "HA!" Soychoo stares at the young warrior, "someone has the courage to ask me to my face at least". Soychoo looks around the crowd once again, "I shall tell you of the Iota Geminorum campaign. I shall tell you of the honor we won for the empire but not to satisfy your meer curiosity, but to honor the warriors who perished or returned home with shattered minds. It is for them that I shall speak...."

"What they called it in his language matters not, besides...we were their to fight, not to record a history of their leaders. We learned to call it Hurgh laH'e'. His followers numbered in the millions and was considered the defacto leader of his species. I only saw him once but it was a day I'll never forget. People don't realize how intelligent this species was and is. Like any wild animal, when corned and threated, it reacts instinctively to defend itself and it's home. Come closer and have a seat young warrior....I was no older than you, younger perhaps! Just out of the academy....I was honored to have been chosen for the Iota Geminorum campaign, my first taste of real battle.....but I was not ready to face a foe such as Hurgh laH'e...rarely does a warrior ever meet another in the field of battle, so valiant, so cunning and yet survive. Soychoo looks at the young warrior and the crowd with a gleam in his eye, "let me tell you how how fought and survived what outsiders erroneously call, The Great Tribble Hunt."

The crowd gasps and murmurs to each other.

"We landed with the first troop ships, it was easy...too easy. The creatures had no know defenses, we killed them by the thousands. As we kept moving inland, the terrain got more difficult to traverse, what was once lush fields of green, gave way to thick rain forests. It was once we entered what we later called the Blood Forrest's where the real massacre began. The beasts had started to organize and form a resistance, at first it was a few isolated incidents. Warriors disappearing during evening patrols. The occasional missing warrior by the lake, but soon we realized that the Tribbles had become forming gorilla tactics against us. That squeal....I'll never forget that squeal."

Some in the crowd murmur to each other. Soychoo looks over his shoulder, "you've all heard it before ,that squeal a Tribble makes when approached by a Klingon." It seems like a nuisance now but the Tribbles had learned how to use it as a weapon. Perhaps they've always been able to do so and only conceal this fact from other species to appear less threating. It drove men mad over time. The first wave to land on the planet was a thousand men strong, by the third month we were down six hundred and begging for reinforcements. Command did not believe us and only send us token reinforcements, warriors right out of the academy, such as myself once."

"We began using the Tribbles natural predators for the hunts but even these creatures were bested by them. The Tribbles had come to learn our tactics and would isolate the lizard handlers, drive them mad with their squeal and then move in for the kill using the terrain. Falling trees, rock slides....the forest had become our enemy as well."

"We had heard stories of sightings of Hurgh laH'e, leader of his people. Accounts vary on it's appearance but I saw him once and I can tell you the stories are all wrong, he's twice as deadly and four times as fierce as any story you've heard. He was a great beast, larger than any mammal you've seen on Quonos. He was all gray with black and white streaks across it, his squeal was so great that any Klingon near it would instantly go mad and die, and the few that did survive were only empty shells of their former selves."

"We had pushed the Tribble menace deep into it's heartland, by the seven month our scientists had developed the Glommer's which were instrumental in our success but it was still another month away before they truly proved their worth. Until then, it was up to our brave warriors to combat an enemy which was a master of it's terrain and deadly in large numbers."

"After the eight month long campaign, the Empire had declared victory. The Glommers did their work while we began to depart the planet. Till this day, the Empire refuses to speak about Hurgh laH'e or the fact that it's carcass was never produced. Iota Geminorum may be a life less rock but believe me...you don't want to ever go there, not ever. Prior to our departure some scout groups had located a large cave system to the south of the planet. We had begun organizing a force to begin to penetrate it but were given the order to pull out. If a Klingon was ever meant to discover Gre'thor, it's in those caves.....with Hurgh laH'e waiting."
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"A 'nemesis'? All those grandiose tales from the opera haven't loosened your grasp on reality, have they?

"Well. I do have enemies. Obviously there's T'Varros, or Mandukar, or whatever the Void Davin is calling himself these days, the bloody- what's your word for 'coward' again? P'tahk, or something like that? Well, the sound is suitably visceral, I think. Then there's D'Vaer, that Tal Shiar toadie. He's just competent enough to pose a threat, and just loony enough to be unpredictable. It's not a pleasant combination.

"Now that you mention it, though... Yes, I think I do know of someone I would call a nemesis. Or something perhaps...

"It appeared the first night we spent beached on the sphere. An Undine ship, one of their bio-cruisers, just floating all by its lonesome. All the other ships rushed for the gates, but this one just stayed behind, drifting this way and that. At first we guessed its pilot had been killed, or maybe all the Thalaron radiation was confusing it- you've got to remember, toward the end of that fight things got more than a bit hairy- but it was just floating up in the sky like it had nowhere else to be.

"The morning of the second day it drifted off toward where some of the other ships had fallen. We stayed put, tried to get our comms restored among other things. By the time we did we didn't much understand the transmissions we were picking up. Weird, wordless things on the Emergency bands, Romulan, Federation, even Klingon.

It was three weeks before Celeris was together enough to fly, and even that was a stretch. Still, we managed to limp our way to the source of the transmission, an impromptu ship graveyard. Survivors had set up replimats aboard the more intact vessels, med bays for the injured, repair crews for what ships could be saved. It was a little city made of junk. And it was where we first heard the whispers of Yogn Hasthu'ur.

"Just whispers, mind you, and after a week those whispers stopped. But people spoke of strange dreams, of voices, of prophets among the more religious survivors. But then things settled and the whispers stopped, as I said. But certain cliques among the group started building strange statues from the debris, twisted metal homages to a specter not of this world.

"They separated themselves, retreated to ships where they numbered higher. The disappearances started after the children stopped speaking. First one, then three, then half a dozen a day would simply... cease appearing. By the time we put it together it was too late.

"We were the only ones who escaped alive. I'm still not convinced that makes us lucky.

"The Void is a wonderful and terrifying place, but it is not everything. There are places beyond and below, where no stars burn and where the Elements themselves dare not delve. It is from there, that Place Beyond Places, that the Undine came. And it is from there that Yogn Hasthu'ur, the mad Undine mind-master, escaped. And it is here that he shall unleash his madness and his doom, upon our universe!

"So, to answer your question, yes. I believe I do have something of a nemesis."

[Pictures to come. Soon...]
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Thanks to all who participated!

Voting will now commence.

All players may read through these submissions and then send me an in-game mail informing me of which one they like the most.

Voting will be open from now until 07 September 2014 at 2359hrs/11:59pm EST.
What are the results? :d
I've been real busy and have been working on the next foundry mission for SFK. My goal is to announce the results during/after SFK RP Tomorrow.
Congratulations to the contest winners!

1st Place: Soychoo
2nd Place: Zygor
3rd Place: Davin


Winners need to contact me via in-game mail to claim your prizes.