{ZP} To Earn Our Keep [Complete]

[Maikull]

To Earn our Keep

Stardate:
98677.6

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Starbase tlhIvqu' Cantina (House Woldan Controlled); Wol system, Ba’aja Sector

V’ecna, Gormesh, Thra’ssk, and K’ronq stand around the giant cauldron of Bloodwine, filled goblets in hand as they raise them high and cheer in unison:

All Together: “Ngay’ Qul Cha’bIp!” they called out before drinking deeply from their cups

V’ecna :
“K’ronq, you did well in battle! Maybe you -will- do your house great honor serving under us!”

Kronq :
Wiping the wine from his face, “But Ma’am…we were destroyed in that simulated battle? Is not the captain angry over that?”

Gormash :
“Bah! So too was our illustrious new General, I highly doubt -THAT- will be a topic of conversation between them anytime soon.” The Nausicaan laughed, scooping another cup of bloodwine to fill his goblet.

Thra’ssk :
“Besides. We died as they did, first to engage the enemy as was our duty. May our simulated spirits live on in sto-vo-kor!”

Both Gormash and Thra’ssk burst into laughter again, drinking heavily.

V’ecna :
“Come, let us sit, it would be rude of us to drain this well of our hosts!” She beckoned for the crew to join her at the fire-pit.

The three other men quickly filled their goblets once more before walking over to the sturdy wooden chairs before the throw rug Infront of the flames. V’ecna threw herself over one of the chairs with a fur-lined cover and draped her legs over as the other three got comfortable in their own seats.

V’ecna :
“So what say you? Think he’s earned it?” she posed to the two officers as her eye peered directly at Kronq.

Gormash :
“He didn’t crash my beloved, so Id say throw him a bone!” The portly engineer responded.

Thra’ssk :
“Yea…He’s alright. Id say give him three. Makem work for the rest.” The Gorn snarled towards the youngling Klingon pilot.

Kronq :
A little confused he looked among his superiors, “Three. Three what?”

V’ecna :
She gave a venomous smile, “Questions, you puq! Its obvious your burning with them. So go ahead, ask while the Bloodwine has our tongues loosened!” she took another gup from her cup, and wiped her face with her leather-bound gauntlet before pointing at Kronq, “But you only get three.”

Kronq :
Realizing he wasn’t about to be ambushed in some initiation ritual, his mind began to race with some of the quandaries he had since joining the Firebird’s crew. “What the hell is the deal with Becca?”

Thra’ssk :
“AHAHAHAH! I told you that was the first thing he would ask!” he bellowed, pointing to Gormash, “Pay up petaQ!!”

Kronq :
“I mean, she a bekk, but doesn’t follow any Military standing, yet everyone tells me to watch out around her like she is the Captains Mate or something.”

V’ecna :
“Let’s get one thing clear, -I- am the Captains Mate…” she clarified in a very serious tone.

Kronq straightened himself in his seat at this news, resigning himself to remember that tid-bit of information.

Gormash :
“And Becca is not her real name, that’s just what we call her because of her rank. Get it? Bekk…Becca?”

Thra’ssk :
“Bitch was fished out of the Orion Syndicate a few years back. Her skills in espionage and black-market dealings granted her an honorary posting within the KDF, hence the rank. That being said, the only two people she will ever ‘really’ listen too are V’ecna, and the Captain.” He growled, clearly not a fan of the Orion Science Officer.

Gormash :
“You have to excuse Thra’ssk, he thought like you when she first came aboard and tried to bring her to heel, until she shot him point blank in the groin with a CRM 200 and nearly froze his lineage off.” He explained, cackling.

Both Gormash and V’ecna laughed at this, but Kronq could only retract in sympathy pain, that region does not do well with cold, and doubly so for a Gorn, he could only imagine, and now fully appreciate the Giant Reptile’s distaste for the girl.

V’ecna :
“Come, what is your next question?” she hastily beckoned with her wine glass.

Kronq :
He looked at the First Officer for a moment and contemplated his next answer. He wasn’t sure if it was the bloodwine or not, but in his stupor, he blurted out “What happened to your eye?”

V’ecna :
V’ecna smiled, and tapped the metal covering over her left eye, “The Captain.” She said with a grin.

Gormash and Thra’ssk both drank from their cups, knowing the circumstance regarding that.

V’ecna :
She sat up in her chair proper and leaned in closer to the pilot as she explained, “We both had served on the same ship many years ago. The First Officer had died in battle, and the Captain at the time needed a replacement. It was him or me, so we fought for the right. He disarmed me of my Bat’leth, and proceeded to engage me hand to hand combat. I should have known then I was outmatched but I continued to fight anyway. That’s when he plucked my eye out. Needless to say, he won.” She said, in a tone more akin of reminiscing.

Kronq :
“But…you’re his first officer, and his mate now?” Kronq asked, slightly confused and now a little apprehensive of the woman.

V’ecna :
“Roh’Khan is a strong and wise man. He did not wish to kill me then, but my stubbornness would not allow me to accept defeat without serious injury or death and he knew that. Oh, I loathed him after that fight, but I came to respect his command. Years later, while celebrating a victorious battle, he confessed his love for me and offered me my eye back. He had kept it preserved all those years.” She said tenderly

Kronq could only look on in a bit of shock. He had heard of giving gifts to woo a prospective mate, but nothing like THAT! Thra’ssk could only shake his head, muttering ‘masochist’ while Gormash nodded in agreement

Gormash :
“What a romantic! Anyone can buy trinkets, or kill a wild animal, but he offered you the one thing that could make you whole again.”

As where the logic was…somewhat sound, Kronq only turned to Gormash with the same perplexed look on his face. Then again, this was Gormash who’s also psychotic, so his reasoning was understandably skewed.

Thra’ssk :
“Common kid! Last shot, make it count!” The Gorn egged on, trying to change the subject.

Kronq :
Right…he had one last question. He really wanted to know what happened to his predecessor, but there was another question that was burning in his mind he had to get off his chest. “Why does the captain wear that Vaadwaur Helmet?”

Everyone had stopped at the question. No one raised their drink, they only stared in Kronq’s direction to his question. He looked between the three, wondering if this was a sore subject for a moment, but it was V’ecna’s eye that betrayed her. He notices the ever so slightly shift from looking at him, to just offset for a moment before back to him again. The tense and passive nature of both Gormash and Thra’ssk help confirm his suspicion.

Kronq :
“Hes…standing right behind me, isn’t he?”

Roh’Khan :
“Very perceptive, Pilot…” came the raspy mechanical voice of the Captain. Walking into view, he patted Kronq on the shoulder as he approached the fireplace, the flames light reflecting off his helmet. “During the Delta Alliance Campaign, the Battle of Vaadwaur Prime, we faced an immense battle, as they had entrenched and fortified their home world. There were multiple fronts for us to fight through. Several Capital Ships, Juggernauts, and Heavy Artillery Vessels stood in our way of reaching the planet. The decision was made to capture one of these Command ships, and use it to bypass the planetary defenses. I was chosen to lead the assault team.”

V’ecna had returned to her leisurely pose across her chair as she watched the captain amorously, while Thra’ssk raised his glass to the tale, almost as if reliving it word by word as Kronq paid close attention.

Roh’Khan :
“We breached the capital ship and took the bridge before they could signal something was wrong. I fought and killed their Overseer in glorious combat, taking his head as my prize. I wore his helmet to fool their security to lower their defenses, allowing our cloaked ships to breach the planet ahead of the rest of the alliance. I landed their capital ship on Vaadwaur Prime, and the very face our enemies looked too for leadership and admiration, returned to them and mercilessly bathed in their blood. I continue to wear this as a testament to that victory, as one would wear the pelt of a major game kill; to honor that glorious day that won me the rank and respect of Captain.”

Kronq :
“To your victory!” He cheered, raising his glass of bloodwine, to with the others joined in. Even some of the other patrons in the bar area had overheard the choirs and joined in.

V’ecna :
“How did it go with General Saida?” the first officer inquired, finishing her drink and tossing the cup behind her.

Roh’Khan :
“It went Well. Our place here among House Woldan is amendable, so we don’t have to worry too much about House politics hindering us. However, we were asked to assist in a search and rescue effort, as a token of good faith amongst allied forces.” he explained, still not turning away from the fire.

Thra’ssk :
“When do we leave?” The Gorn asked,

Roh’Khan :
“In the morning, 0800. Command will forward us the Dossier files we need then. Finish your drinks and celebrations and nurse your hangovers. For tomorrow, we earn our keep.”

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:

• Ngay’ Qul Cha’bIp = (ngay’-Glory) (Qul Cha’bIp – Firebird) aka: Glory to our Ship
• puq = Child
• petaQ = Insult (B****)

OOC This Storyline plays off of [Changes to the Task Force](https://argo.ex-astris.net/t/subj-changes-to-the-task-force-to-capt-cynis/2448) and follows the events of [Wargames](https://argo.ex-astris.net/t/aar-wargames/2477). Special thanks to @gulremal and @Mudd for once again putting up with my questioning! Anyone interested in joining in any of my KDF Storylines are welcome to PM me! #LongLiveTheEmpire.

[Maikull]

It’s a Trap!

Stardate:
98698.3

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Orith System, Rator Sector (Between Romulan/Federation Space)

The Qul Cha’bIp and The Kor’goth drop out of warp roughly at the same time in the Orith System. The Massive Gas Giant ‘Orith Prime’ looms overhead, while the M-Class ‘dwarf’ jungle planet Orith II orbits closely too it. Surrounding both planetoids is a huge debris field of interstellar rock that stands in the ships way to proceed directly. Long-Range Sensors are limited due to an unknown Radiation Anomaly within the asteroid fields themselves preventing a successful scan of the planets.

Roh’Khan sits quietly in his seat looking out towards the view screen as the crew tend to their duties. “Becca, Report” First Officer V’ecna barks. The Orian Science Officer pokes her head around her console to look at the Klingon Commander, “No use ma’am, Scans can penetrate about 5 kilometers into the asteroid field and that’s it. The radiation interference won’t let us get through any further without getting closer.” V’ecna growls at this. “It’s obviously a trap. Imperial Intelligence reports this is a hotbed for Pirates in this sector. Id bet a keg of blood wine over half that interference is artificially created.” Lt. Thra’ssk hisses from behind his tactical console.

“Sir, there is an opening in the middle of the field, Heading 3-8 Mark 2-0.” Kronq reported at the helm. “Probably a damn killbox.” V’ecna remarked. “Well were not going to find out shit sitting outside waiting for something to happen. Report to the General we will take point and take us in.” Roh’khan ordered.

“Cloak sir?” Kronq inquired. “Are you really that stupid as to suggest we take our ship in the middle of an asteroid field, teeming with possible pirates without shielding?” Thra’ssk snarled at the junior officer. Roh’khan’s grin was hidden behind his helmet as he reached for a comms button on his chair. “Gormash, raise shields, and put extra power into maneuvering thrusters.” The captain ordered.

Sadia is in the command seat of her bird of prey, watching through the “periscope”.
“Qul Cha’bIp is moving in, shields at full power.” sounds the nausicaan at the piloting seat “Should we follow them?”. “Match the speed and cover their flank.” Sadia responds calmly. “A hundred darseks to anyone who spots the first pirate asteroid turret.” she leans back, pushing the periscope back up.

The Raptor and Bird of Prey move into the targeted location, with Roh’Khans ship taking a 4km lead as they come to a stop at the designated coordinates, an 8km by 16km clearing with the ‘heart’ of the asteroid field itself. The space is quiet as the occupants wait for the obvious trap to be sprung. “Becca…perform your scan.” Roh’kan orders.

The Qul Cha’bIp emits light from its deflector, as the Orian Science officer performs a deep scan of the area. “Well, there are residual traces of disruptor fire.” She reports. “I’m Picking up moderate quantities of metallic alloys consistent with Romulan, Cardassian, and Ferengi ship composition, but not Klingon.” “Looks like freighter captains have tried to come through her to avoid inspections.” V’ecna adds, looking at the scans herself.

“That did it. Multiple ships detected among the debris powering up.” Thra’ssk announced as he threw the data on the main view-screen. “They got us surrounded. Two wings of three, Nausicaan style Power Syphon fighters.”

“They chose a good day to die. tlhaS yaH!” Roh’khan commanded. “Link tactical data with the Kor’goth.

Round Start

Sadia straightens in her chair as the targets start showing up on the tactical display. “Time to dance, folks! Tactical, get me a combat scan of the enemy. Helm get us into firing range of target A2, all forward guns fire when in range!” Kor’goth changes course Heading 3-8 Mark 1-7, Bearing 0 Degrees. Cannons, Turret, and Fore Torpedo’s are in Weapons Range as the Kor’goth fires at the Syphon Fighter (A2), striking several times with Cannons and Turret, before launching a Torpedo which connects with the Nausicaan crafts shields. The enemy shakes violently as its shield grid drops to 24%

The Qul Cha’bIp bares hard to starboard as it heads towards Syphon Fighter (B1), coming to a halt at Heading 3-8 Mark 2-4, she again turns hard to port, bearing her weapons at her target, and unleashing a fully volley of Phaser Arrays and Cannons. The impact once again strikes the fighter craft’s shields hard, but the Qul Cha’bIp fires both Fore and Aft Torpedo’s, Fore at (B1) and Aft at (B2). The fore strikes hard, buckling the (B1)’s shield grid causing light hull damage, while the aft strikes against the vessel’s shields.

Reeling from the swiftness of there enemies, the Fighter Syphons re-group themselves for a counter offensive. (B3) Fires its engines moving forward at Heading 3-7 Mark 2-2. Unable to turn in time to bear its Cannons, it fires its turret at the Qul Cha’bIp doing Minimal Damage to the shields. Already in range, (B1) chooses to hold position and fires its full complement of weapons at the Qul Cha’bIp as well, while (B2) moves forward to Heading 3-8 Mark 2-6 and fires its turret at the Raptor Class vessel.

On the other end of the battlefield, (A3) fly’s in at Heading 3-9 Mark 1-5 taking a pop-shot at the Kor’goth with its turret. (A2) shaking from the Generals initial assault, returns fire with full complement. However, The Kor’goth imitates evasive maneuvers, easily dodging the fighter’s barrage. (A1) turns hard to port, heading 3-4 Mark 1-7, trying to flank the Kor’goth while firing and missing with its turret.

Round 1 End

“Stay on target! Helm, maintain heading 3-8, mark 1-3! Hard to starboard, fire all forward weapons and turret at A2, aft torpedo at target A3!” General Sadia commanded to her crew. The Kor’goths Impulse engines pulsed as it flew between fighters (A3) and (A2). The Kor’goths rear torpedo tube fires at (A3) before rearing around hard to starboard, bearing 90 degrees, and unleashing another frontal energy weapon assault on (A2).

The Cannon barrage fully collapses (A2)’s Shields, as it takes the remainder of the volley upon its hull, then the Kor’goth fires its fore torpedo launcher striking the vessel hard. Several systems are down on the fighter, hull breaches across multiple points, but still the vessel is holding on by a thread not showing any sign of retreat or surrender.

“Shields holding at 81% Captain” Thra’ssk reports from the Qul Cha’bIp. “At least we now know what their capable of.” Roh’khan remarked. “Blow through that one before us and bring us about, flank the one on our port side.” He commanded, checking the tactical data sent over from Sadia.

The Qul Cha’bIp runs forward, firing a Torpedo at the unshielded (B1) and following up with a cannon barrage. As it runs, its Phaser arrays and Aft Torpedo launch another strike at the (B3) on its Starboard side. The fore assault is enough to destroy the first Fighter, breaking it apart as the Raptor flys through the debris and rears hard to port. Kronq bring the ship to Heading 3-5 Mark 2-2 before making yet another sharp port-side turn bearing 270 degrees, and aiming the raptors claws at the rear of (A2).

“V’ecna…send a coded message to the General. [These are ‘obray’wal].” Roh’khan instructs. Kronq turns to look at the captain, confused by his words “Sir?”. Thra’ssk answers up, “None of these ships can carry cargo, looted or otherwise. That means there is something bigger out there waiting for us.”

With each Fighter Wing essentially down a unit, they attempt to change up tactics. (A1) seeing the collateral caused by the Kor’goth it once again turns to starboard and drops down to heading 3-6 mark 1-7 bearing 270 degrees. Unable to bring her cannons to bare, it fires its turret at the Kor’goth, while (A3) bares 0 degrees to port and launches a volley of cannon and turret fire along with torpedoes. However once again the Kor’goth proves too nimble for the fighters to hit, as they evade each attack effortlessly, while (A2) drifts forward helplessly, her cannons malfunctioning and unable to fire.

The B-Wings feel the heat as (B3) instinctively jerks hard to port trying to lose the Klingon Raptor at her heels, Heading 3-7 Mark 2-3 she tries to use the Asteroid field to cover as she fires turrets at the Qul Cha’bIp. (B2) comes about to Heading 3-6 Mark 2-6 bearing 0 degrees, and unleashes a salvo of Cannon and Torpedo’s at the perusing vessel, giving its companion cover fire. Now knowing what her opponents are capable of, the Qul Cha’bIp performs evasive maneuvers, dodging the attacks from (B2) but being struck by the turret fire of (B2).

Round 2 End

Sadia reads the coded message on her personal screen. “Gotta wrap this fast, folks! Owner of these toys will come check on their ‘catch’ soon enough.” Kor’goth turns to port and moves to heading 3-8 mark 1-1 to move away from the enemy vessels, firing aft torpedo at the (A2) and then does the full 180-degree turn, firing front cannons and the turret, followed by a torpedo at (A3).

The lone aft Torpedo was more than enough to end the (A2) fighter, as it explodes upon impact. The Kor’goths frontal cannon assault against the (A3) fighter rips through its shields, bring it to bare the full weight of the turret and Torpedo against its hull damaging it heavily. “Enemy vessel’s Hull Integrity at 25% General.” Sadia shifts in her chair “Good, prepare to evade it’s return fire, and then finish it off. Science, keep the sensors scanning for any newcomers.”

Bound not to let her prey escape her, the Qul Cha’bIp rears to starboard, firing her aft Torpedo towards the (B2) fighter and collapsing her shield grid, reverberating damage against her hull. The Klingon Raptor then comes about full to Heading 3-7 Mark 2-0 bearing 180 degrees, placing the rear of the (B3) fighter in her sights. “baH!” Roh’khan Ordered. The Raptor once again let loose a full volley at the rear section of (B3). The Phasers, Cannons, and Turrets all hit their mark, dropping the fighters shields, as the fire their fore torpedo launcher. The torpedo also hits its mark causing considerable hull damage.

The alpha wings close ranks, with (A1) coming to at heading 3-8 mark 1-6. The Kor’goth squarely in both of their firing ranges, they launch a full assault against the Klingon Generals vessel. As cannon fire and torpedo whirl at the Norgh Class Bird of Prey, the helmsman earned his worth by expertly dodging all of the oncoming fire, nearly missing one of the torpedoes by mere meters!

The Beta wings however were on full damage control mode. (B2) closed in at Heading 3-6 Mark 2-2 and fired all fore weapons as (B3) turned to starboard to try and gain a better vantage point taking at shot at the Qul Cha’bIp with its turret. However, Kronq was now familiar with their tricks, and was easily able to evade all their weapons fire, leaving both vessels now at the Raptors mercy.

Round 3 End

“Step on it! Attack pattern alpha 2!” shouts Sadia as Kor’goth speeds forwards. Kor’goth heads straight ahead, making flyby attacks at (A3) with its forward torpedo and a turret, and at (A1) with its forward cannons. As it passes above the (A1) Kor’goth fires at it with his aft torpedo. Kor’goth reaches Heading 3-8, Mark 1-8 before turning to starboard and ending at Heading 4-0, Mark 1-8. Each strike lands true, with the first torpedo detonating the syphon fighter (A3). The turret shot meant for it passes through the rubble and connects with (A1) as the cannons shred down its shielding. The final aft Torpedo collapses the shield grid altogether, leaving the final alpha wing defenseless.

“ ’uch! ” Roh’kan calls out to his helmsman as the Qul Cha’bIp holds its position. Both of its targets lay before it so it had no need to give chase. The Raptor shot first, striking both units with a Cannon and Beam array each. (B3) stood no chance after being constantly peppered with hits, and was destroyed. As (B2) powered its weapons for a response, The Qul Cha’bIp fired a torpedo, destroying it as well. With all of her targets eliminated, Roh’Khan ordered an about face to watch the general clean up.

The final Syphon Fighter turned to bare on General Sadia, but could not manage to get the enemy within its cannons firing range. Instead, it fired its turret at the Kor’goth, and gave the newly arriving Qul Cha’bIp a welcoming pepper spray of Cannon Fire. Each shot was abysmal, barely registering on their shields. However, before either of the ships could register a response, the Fighter seemed to have just…stopped. Adrift in space for a moment, the silence was disrupted by the ship self-destructing.

“Blew itself up, doesn’t count. We win 3 to 2!” Thra’ssk announces happily from his console with a snarky tone. But both Roh’khan and V’ecna held the celebration, for they knew what was coming next. “Sir…incoming transmission.” Becca reported from comms, to no surprise from the captain. “Took that petaQ long enough” Roh’khan growled, waving his hand to accept the transmission. The call was being broadcast on all frequencies from an unknown local source. The Screen lit up with the face of a Nausicaan who did not seem all too pleased.

“Klingon Vessels, you are far from your precious imperial space! This is Pirate Territory! Your laws and honor mean nothing out here! Leave at once, and I shall spare you your lives!”

This statement would be met with a snorting derision on the Kor’goth’s bridge “And how about you stop wasting comms bandwidth and try to kick us out, but this time for real? We didn’t even manage to properly warm up!” Sadia retorted.

“Hah! Those mindless drones were meant for defenseless freighters! It pained me to see how long you struggled with them! There will be no help for you out here, nor mercy! Turn back now or face the full might of the Pirate Horde!” The Nausicaan Pirate demanded.

“You’ve spent too long picking on helpless vessels, your ego has become overinflated. Let me explain what’s about to happen. We are going to keep searching this asteroid until we find what happened to our ship. If you, or anyone else gets in our way…you die.” Roh’Khan spoke in the deep reverberated tone.

The Pirate Captain huffed at this, “You mean that piece of junk B’Rotlh. We sent crashing to the planet a week ago.” He scoffed. “You will fare no better than they did against us. And if you plan to land on the planet, there is a orbiting, and landing tax, not to mention compensation for the drones you destroyed.”

“Worry not, we are coming to settle the account, since you are obviously too afraid to come to us.” with that Sadia orders the comms to the pirate to be cut and open the secure comm channel to Qul Cha’bIp. “Captain, the honor to rescue our allies and handle that petaQ is yours. I shall stay in orbit in case they have more ships hiding, or if they try to escape your wrath. This unbridled arrogance against the might of the Empire cannot be tolerated.”

“Understood General.” Roh’kahn responded. “My first officer, V’ecna will remain and command the Qul Cha’bIp while I lead the away team.” Turning from the comms, the captain stands from his chair, “Thra’ssk, Becca, Kronq…With me.” He ordered, turning to head for the turbolift. “V’ecna, have that fat-ass Nausicaan in Engineering meet us in the transporter room.”

The bridge shift as the officers reported to their new rolls. Kronq took his place next to Thra’ssk, an unmistakable grin on his face. “Why are you so happy?” The Gorn officer snapped. “The captain called me by my name!” The Pilot responded, getting into the turbolift with everyone and heading down.”

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:

• “darsek” - the main unit of currency used in the Klingon Empire
• “tlhaS yaH!” - [tlhaS=Minor Battle] [yaH=Duty Stations] (Ordering Crew to Battle stations)
• ‘obray’wal – Scorpion like Bug (Small but annoying)
• baH! – Fire (e.g. Torpedo, Rocket, Missile)
• ‘uch – Hold, grasp (Aka: Hold position)

OOC[This is a joint RP/Transcript from Discord between myself and @gulremal. Battle was fully played out with dice and board, and photos taken from the respective Mission: Alpha, which this RP is roughly based off of. hopefully they enjoyed the match! Another Round can be found as long as the discord rp room is active “770-klingon-mission-ttdrp” which includes most rolls and added mechanic information!]

[Maikull]

Welcome to the Jungle (Part 1)

Stardate:
98698.7

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Orith II (Planet Side)

It took a few minutes for the transporter officer to get a solid lock on the planet, but once he does, the Away Team transports to the surface of the Jungle Planet Orith II. Once they gained their bearings, Becca withdraws her tricorder and begins a scan of the surroundings. “Were several kilometers off from where we estimate the IKS Ghop’etlh crashed. The same kind of gravimetric interference we had up there, is just as prevalent down here, if not a little worse. I say my scanning range is limited to about 20-30 meters?” she reports. “Fine. There is a rise up ahead, we will head to higher ground and see if we can’t locate it the old fashion way.” Roh’khan announces.

As the away team heads up the ridge, it is apparent that the lifeforms on this planet are…’different’ Worm-like roots sprout out at a distance from them, while blooming organic eyeballs follow their movement from behind their petal-eyelids. Even the insects on the planet appeared strange and warped, but one thing was for certain. Something had taught these lifeforms to be weary of things that walked in the grass, as they kept their distance from the team’s path and even shied away when directly observed. That may have been a good sign for survivors.

As they walked, Becca and Gormash remained huddled together going over the Orion’s tricorder readings, while Thra’ssk and Kronq maintained exterior guard. Finally coming to a small clearing at the top of the ridge, it was the Nausicaan Engineer who spoke up. “Sir. I’m not debating the environmental factors at play here, but something is defiantly wrong.” “The deeper we walked into the forest, the more distorted and limited our readings become.” Becca explained. “I think we are dealing with a low-level duonetic field.” Gormash finished. “A Jammer?” Thra’ssk asked. Gormash nodded, “Signal is too constant to be naturally occurring. That’s going to make transport nearly impossible the deeper we get, depending on where the signal nodes are.” He described.

“Suggestions?” Roh’khan probed. “I can probably set up a pattern enhancer up here. Give us a more secure exit point, especially if we find wounded.” Gormash answered. “Do it. The rest of you, on the cliffs, bound to see signs of a crash, or a crater from this height. Callout what you find.” He ordered.

As Gormash got to work fabricating the Pattern Enhancer, each of the rest of the away team took a post along the cliff edge looking out into the wilderness. Looking off into the thick jungle it was difficult to see. Though they were at a high point, it was still underneath the canopy, and the darkness and heavy foliage made it almost impossible to make anything out visually. It was Kronq who somehow managed to catch the gleam of reflection off a large metallic panel off in the distance, a good sign of a crashed ship to the south west.

With the pattern enhancer complete, the team would be able to use its signal as a ’pinpoint’ on their tricorders to ensure they did not get lost or off track. They once again descended from their elevated point, and began heading south west through the jungle. The plant life shuttered away as the teams would approach, weapons out just incase something decided to jump out and test their luck. After a few minutes of walking, it was Thra’ssk who held the signal to hold. Seeing something ahead, he waved to Kronq to join him as the two crept across the jungle floor, the other three watching intently to see what they might have spotted.

Lurking in the shadows, the junior officer looked to the Gorn, who’s eyes were locked on a figure up ahead. “Sir, what are we…” Kronq tried to ask, but was quickly shushed by the Lieutenant. “Look…it’s a Saur. Or a Mutated one anyway…I recognize the scent. Think of them as the Gorn version of a Targ.” He explained. “Now is as good as any time to prove your worth in combat. There is at least three of them, the one in the open as bait, and the other two in the bushes. Slay them and clear the path for the captain before they make it down here.”

Kronq took a deep breath, preparing himself for the battle. But just before he could take a step forward to engage the enemy, Gormash walked past, bumping into both Thra’ssk and Kronq heading straight for the Saur. “We don’t have time for this bullshit…” he grumbled, ignoring the growling from Thra’ssk. The Saur in the open had taken notice of Gormash, but it was too late. The Nausicaan raised a fully charged gatling disruptor up over his hip, and opened fire on the entire pack.

The jungle floor lit up with luminescent green energy as several disruptor bolts flew across the clearing, striking the saur’s, the trees, the ground, and leaving a heavy smell of charred plasma in the air. After a rough minute of continuous fire, Gormash finally relented. The Saurs that once stood before them were a mangled mess of melted organic sinew, along with charred wood and patches of scorched earth. Captain Roh’khan and Becca had approached by then as the Engineer turned, seeing the furious face of Thra’ssk. “Oh piss off, we don’t have time for you to take the kid on a coming-of-age trip.” He spat, smacking his weapon to release the thermal exhaust ports to cool it down.

“He’s right, move out.” Roh’khan ordered. Thra’ssk fumed for a moment, but hearing the Captain was in agreement with the fat lard made him drop the issue. If nothing else, the display of barbarism would ward off any OTHER would-be predators from their path, for the time being at least. Returning to their marching order, the away team continued deeper into the jungle.

Taking another couple of lightly-treaded paths, Becca kept her eyes on the tricorder, ensuring the pattern enhancers signal was kept at the North East, ensuring they were still traveling south west and not getting turned around. Once again it was Thra’ssk who spotted something ahead. Gormash groaned in protest, but the Gorn silenced him, “It’s one of ours!”

As the team drew closer, they could see the body of a Gorn laying in the ground. Thra’ssk and Becca approached, with the Orion scanning the body. “Dead…roughly 24 hours ago…several wounds indicating combat, but the finishing blow is an energy weapon…Tetryon signature?” Thra’ssk knelt down to examine the body and pulled off his service badge. “Its one of the Ghop’etlh’s crew.”

“Well, if this one has only been dead a day, that’s a good sign other are still out there.” Kronq replied. “Yea, and you can rule out mutiny, Klingons don’t use Tetryon weapons…unless it’s the only thing available.” Gormash added. “Question is, what is running around in a Jungle with Tetryon weaponry?” Roh’khan asked aloud. There was a brief moment of silence, not only for the fallen officer, but also to reflect on their situation. “Kronq, what were those fighters shooting at us with?” Thra’ssk inquired. “Uhh, Disruptor Energy weapons and Plasma Torpedo’s. Typical Nausicaan design, uh…no offence.” He said, turning to Gormash who only shrugged it off in a ‘none taken’ mannerism.

The Tactical officer turned to the Captain with a silent look of concern, Roh’khan nodded in agreement. “What does that mean?” Kronq asked, looking between the two to try and discern context. Gormash came from behind and clasped his hand on the pilots shoulder, “Don’t mean shit kid, missions the same regardless. Find the crashed ship, rescue the crew if their alive, and kill anything that gets in our way.” He chortled. Becca turned as well, drawing her pistol out with her free hand, “Just keep your eyes peeled…shadows everywhere.”

The team spent another twenty minutes traveling deeper into the lush jungle, but at a slightly more cautious pace. Gormash had recharged his gatling gun, and Thra’ssk was sniffing all over the place trying to catch a lead. Off in the distance, the could hear the roar of a mighty beast, followed by the cries of…’someone.’ There was a pause as everyone had turned to the captain, who waved them off. Thra’ssk and Kronq took the lead rushing forward into the foliage towards the sound and came across a grizzly sight.

A Large Sabertoothed Cat stood over a Klingon Officer. The pair could see that the body still drew breath, though it was very labored. The ground around the two was splattered with blood, but it was apparent the cat was not injured in the least. It too had picked up the scent of an easy kill and had come to claim its prize before it lifted its head from its soon-to-be meal and spotted the two approaching.

Kronq did not wait for the command, Bat’eth in hand, the Junior Officer sprung forward, giving a rousing battle cry to draw the cat’s attention away. “‘lo’laHbe vlghro! jlH DoQ ghaH! qaghobnISchugh maghobchuq!” he spat, shuffling to the side, as Thra’ssk shadowed around at the cat’s flank. He knew what he had to do, for the Klingon to survive, he would have to fight the Cat and keep it distracted so Thra’ssk could pull him to the others. No telling if any would step in, not that he wanted Gormash to help, given his shit aiming. Finally he was getting the chance he needed to prove himself. “RAAHHHHH!” Kronq screamed, charging forward with blade at the ready. The Cat answered the call and lunged forward to meet him!

Roaring to assert its dominance, the Saber Cat leaped forward with its oversized teeth to bare, but Kronq was ready. With both hands, he blocked its mouth from reaching him, shoving its head to the side, and delivering a sweeping strike across its beasts muscled shoulders. It withdrew some and lashed out with its powerful claws, but once again, Kronq knew what to expect and had leapt out of the way, rushing back forward, and giving another sweeping strike at the beasts fore leg-joints.

The creature backed up once more, faltering on its legs for a moment and shaking off the pain from its shoulder. This was the opening the Pilot sought as he raised his weapon above his head, and swung down with all his might, burring the tip of the interior blade into the cat’s skull, dropping it dead. Though his victory would have to be celebrated later, as he could see in the distance his superior officer had not moved the Klingon from his position. Kronq retrived his weapon and rushed to Thra’ssk side as Becca too entered the clearing with her medical equipment out.

“What happened?” Kronq asked, sliding to his knees before the warrior. The badge on the Klingons shoulder indicated Commander, this must have been the Ghop’etlh’s first officer. Becca hurried her scans as Thra’ssk replied. “His wounds are too great for me to move him.” The gorn stated somberly. Becca finished her scans, but did not even try to withdraw a hypo, as Roh’Khan and Gormash approached as well. “You…killed that…Seng?” the Klingon Commander spat out, reaching up and grasping Kronq’s arm. Kronq looked to the dying officer, and nodded, placing his free hand on the commanders. “Yes, it is dead.”

The commander tried to laugh, but only managed a coughing fit spittling out blood from his mouth. From his slight movements, everyone could see that his torso had been cut open. “Where is your crew?” Roh’khan spoke to the commander. The Klingon nodded, “Ahead…not many left…” he whimpered. “Please…Grant me…honrable…” he tried to say, but once again devolved into a coughing fit.

“Kronq. You avenged him, you alone are the most qualified to perform his Hegh’bat.” Roh’khan directed. The commander nodded, withdrawing a knife from his side pocket and holding it up to Kronq. The young warrior nodded, taking a deep breath to prepare him for his next duty. Wraping his fist around the hilt of the blade, he positioned it over the Commanders Heart. Both their hands wrapped around the handle, Kronq knew not what to say to this comrade in his dying moments, but he knew he had to say something. “Save me a drink in Sto-vo-kor brother!” he settled on, before he could feel the last bit of the commander’s strength pull at the blade.

In all the battles he had fought, this was the first time he was close enough to see the life drain out of someone’s eyes. Kronq stood, a little shaken from the experience, and withdrew the blade as he rose, wiping the blood onto his shoulder, across his service badge. “There will be time to morn later, we have living to attend to.” Roh’khan stated, as the group turned to leave further down the path where the commander had directed…

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:

• ‘lo’laHbe’ vlghro = ‘lo’laHbe’(Worthless), vlghro(Cat)
• jlH DoQ ghaH = jlH(I), DoQ(Claim), ghaH(Him)
• qaghobnISchugh maghobchuq = I will fight you if I must.
• Seng = “Cause of Trouble”
• Hegh’bat = Ritual Suicide

OOC *[TO BE CONTINUED!]* This is a Solo-Adventure based off the In Game Mission: Alpha (Welcome to the Jungle). A lot of post-demorecord hijinks made there way into the RP (Like Gormash going ahead and mowing down monsters) but I say the BIGGEST part of this, was taking all the screen shots, and hiding an NPC who is forced to follow you the entire mission! This also takes place at the same time as Episode 4 (Coming soon) featuring @gulremal!

[Maikull]

Settling Debts

Stardate:
98698.7

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Orith System, Rator Sector (Between Romulan/Federation Space)

The Kor’goth and Qul Cha’bIp clear the asteroid field and approach the planet Orith II side by side. As the Raptor transports it away team to the surface, sensors on the Bird-of-Prey picks up a ship entering the system.

A sensor ping breaks the silence on Kor’goth’s bridge. “A ship just warped in the system, trying to get a sensor lock…damn, they’ve cloaked!” quipped a short red-headed Orion female at the tactical seat “Couldn’t get the ID, but it’s battleship-sized.” “It would seem the owner of those drones finally arrived. Inform Qul Cha’bIp that we have guests who love sneaking. They should cloak and tail us as we try to draw them out.” Sadia turns her head to a very slim and tall Orion woman manning a console behind her “Prepare the tachyon pulse, targeted at the general direction of the unknown vessel’s entry point. Helm, prepare for evasive actions.”

After receiving the orders from the Kor’goth, V’ecna calls out her orders to the bridge “ghuS ghob! HoS So’wI!” As the ship cloaks, the interior lights dim, V’ecna takes her place at the captain’s chair, calling down the periscope to look for their foe. “They want to strike from the shadows, two can play that game!” she mused to herself. “Notify the general we are ready on her command!”

“Qul Cha’bIp confirms they are ready to act on our command.” the operations officer relays the message “Tachyon pulse is ready.” the tall Orion comments. “All right, let’s kick off the round two!” Sadia grins “Science, fire the tachyon pulse! Helm, tactical, get ready to evade and counterattack!”
Kor’goth fires the tachyon pulse from it’s deflector in a wide cone, with last known location of battleship as it’s center point.

The tachyon pulse issues from the Kor’Goth, and spreads outwards in a cone over several kilometers. It only takes a few seconds before the resonance scan picks up a large object on approach. Detecting the high level of tachyon particles flooding the area, the Pirate Battleship decloaks, just outside of the Kor’goths weapons range. A large Nausicaan Talon Destroyer appears before them, its shields and weapons charging in preparation. As the battleship comes to a stop, it hails the Generals ship.

“Let’s buy Qul Cha’bIp more time to reposition.” Sadia leans back in her chair “On screen.”

The screen comes to life with the same Nausicaan Pirate as before. “Ahh…Captain. I see you have decided against heeding my gracious offer to flee with your lives. Don’t think my sensors didn’t register your friend cloaking either. I haven’t gotten this far being stupid. Ill have you know, I have a few emission seeking torpedo’s aboard that can handle just that situation should you test me.” he boasted. “I’m assuming since you haven’t opened fire, your willing to negotiate compensation for your trespassing, and my business losses?”

As the pirate spoke, the Kor’Goths tactical officer began an analysis scan of the vessel before them. The Vessel was twice as armored, and three times as shielded as the Syphon Fighters they had faced. The scans registered two forward cannons, and a Beam Array/Torpedo Launcher along the fore and aft sections of the ship. Her engines were slightly more powerful than the fighters as well, but due to its size, it probably didn’t make up much of a difference in mobility.

The tactical officer forward this information to the Generals console for her review.

Sadia would lean to the side, supporting her head with her hand, looking bored “And pray tell, what would exactly this compensation entail?” Meanwhile, on one of the forward consoles and out of sight, her tactical officer would relay the information about the enemy ship over a secure comm channel to Qul Cha’bIp, along with a message to “start the party when they are ready”.

“Well to start, that ship might make up for the loss drones!” the Pirate Captain sneered. “Don’t worry, I’d leave you safe on the planet surface with the rest of your crew. I hear the Hirogen Hunting parties down there are -VERY- welcoming to trespassers.” He cackled. As the taunting continued, the Qul Cha’bIp sent a signal to the Kor’Goth informing them they were ready to proceed with a pincer move.

“I have a counter-offer.” Sadia leans forward, closer to the screen “How about a payment in…anti-matter?” with a quick swipe of the hand, she terminates the comms. Both her nausicaan helmsman and orion tactical officer waited for this move - Kor’goth sprang forwards, weapons blazing.

Surprise Round (Bonus)

Kor’goth rushes forward, firing it’s forwards cannons, torpedo and turret, passing below the Talon destroyer, firing his aft torpedo and ending at Heading 30, Mark 11.
The Qul Cha’bIp decloaks as the Kor’goth makes its run, and fires its fore cannons and torpedo, the hits strike right along with the Bird of Prey’s assault. The Raptor then pulls hard to port, looping around and firing its beam arrays and aft torpedo, before settling at Heading 2-8 Mark 1-3, bearing 270 degrees, keeping the Pirate Destroyer in its sights.

The Pirate Ship’s shields waver under the assault, but do not buckle. The comms crackle as audio breaks through both ships, The sound of the Nausicaan Captain comes through, even if a bit distorted with static. “Ahahahahaha! I told ya Captain…I haven’t gotten this far being stupid…”

A second Pirate Battleship of the same class and design warps into the system, still well out of weapons range, its own shields and weapons power up as it charges forward ready to enter the Frey.

Round (Start)

The New Pirate ship, labeled “Omega” on the Klingon’s tactical screens, fired its engines forward, but suffered a power conduit failure, and only managed to drift 4 kilometers forward while their engineers scrambled to fix the issue.

Qul Cha’bIp had received their orders to continue to press the attack on Pirate ship Alpha, and did so with glee as their fore cannons and Torpedo’s rang out against the wounded pirate ship. As they passed by the rear section, the Raptors Phaser Arrays fired out, buckling the ships shield grid. Turning to Starboard, the ship fired a torpedo at the unprotected ship, striking against their hull before heading off to 3-1 mark 1-1.

Pirate Ship “Alpha” knew it was the bait, but did not register its shields would take such a beating so early on. Perhaps they did underestimate the KDF ships. But no matter, with Omega in the mix, the battlefield was even. Using all of its thrust, the ship was able to spin around 180 degrees, bearing its cannons on both the Klingon ships, and firing wildly.

Unfortunately, between complete lack of aim, and the maneuverability of the two KDF vessels, none of the pirates’ attacks landed their marks.

Round (1)

Kor’goth fires the aft torpedo and makes a sharp 180° turn, then moving right straight into the Alpha’s “face” (Heading 30, Mark 13), firing the aft turret and all forward weapons.

It was as if the Kor’goth could smell the blood in the water, as it turned about and fired a salvo at the Alpha Pirate Ship, each strike dug into its hull as the extra torpedo’s cleaved out another section. There were multiple hull breaches by the time she was finished, and the ship was all but disabled. Throwing up the white flag, the ship signaled its surrender.

The Omega ship was not having any of this. Its Engines restored, it flung forward, turning to starboard and placing the Qul Cha’bIp in its sights. Receiving the ‘surrender’ from the Alpha Ship, it fired a Torpedo at its own ally, striking it true, and causing the destruction of its own vessel right in front of the Kor’goth. It then proceeded to bear down on the Raptor before it with cannon fire. Qul Cha’bIp tried to evade, but was struck on the starboard shields several times.

The Qul Cha’bIp turned to Starboard and returned fire with its fore cannons and torpedo at Pirate Ship Omega, before firing its thrusters, and blowing past them. At their port side, the Raptor unleashed its beams upon the ship before coming to Heading 2-5 Mark 1-1, firing its aft torpedo, then coming about to port at Heading 2-5, Mark 1-0.

Round (2)

Kor’goth would fire it’s aft torpedo and turret at Omega, then turn starboard and make a half-circle, ending on the Heading 3-1, Mark 1-0, facing off the enemy destroyer and firing it’s forward cannons, followed by the front torpedo. “Let’s make him choose whom they have to shoot. Helm prepare for evasive actions!” General Cynis ordered.

As the Kro’goth began its new assault on the Omega Pirate Ship, the Pirate Captain ordered evasive maneuvers, but the large ship was just too much of a target-rich environment to miss, its shields being hammered by the Bird-of-prays assaults. Forgetting for a moment the ship to its aft, the Talon Destroyer charged its fore weapons and fired upon Sadia’s ship. But unlike itself, the Kor’goth was far more maneuverable and was able to dodge the cannon fire and torpedoes hurled in its direction.

The Qul Cha’bIp used this time to reposition itself to bare its own weapons on the Pirate ship, but this time the Talon Destroyer was able to evade the cannon and beams fired by the raptor.

Round (3)

“Keep us moving, and firing!” - Kor’goth fires the forward cannons, turret and torpedo as it flies over the destroyer, then fires the aft torpedo and makes a sharp turn to port, ending at Heading 2-7, Mark 0-8.

Its weapons tear into the destroyer, who tries once again to evade, but suffers yet another engine failure. Unable to move, the Talon bears the brunt of the carefully coordinated attack from the Kor’Goths tactical officer, shattering its shields and causing significant structural damage to the pirate’s ship. Once again unable to move, or now mount any sort of offence, the Pirate Captain signals his surrender, hoping their ‘honor’ will spare him for the time being.

Round (End)

“Contact Qul Cha’bIp, and tell them to prepare boarding parties to secure the enemy vessel. Our own security teams will assist them. Monitor pirate comms and engineering, if they try to call for help or self-destruct, block their comms and inform the transporter room so we can beam out our assault teams in time.” The general ordered, “Oh, and tell security I want their captain secured in the brig for interrogation. Need to figure out if they are anyhow connected with the Hirogen on the ground, and if we can expect Hirogen ships soon.”

V’ecna was not a fan of letting the pirate petaQ continue living, especially after it did not afford its own the same courtesy when the Alpha ship signaled surrender, but she followed her orders well. The Qul Cha’bIp had a company of specially trained commandos for boarding parties, and other ground assaults. They quickly formed their teams and headed for the transporters, to beam over to the Damaged Pirate Ship.

The survivors of the pirate crew were all too eager to surrender to the Klingons, however their captain had to be ‘convinced’ to leave his chair by means of a high voltage stun. The fires were put out, critical systems restored and the two ships latched onto the Talon with their tractor beams to take it in tow. The pirate Captain was dragged into a holding cell aboard the Kor’goths brig for further questioning by their general.

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:

• ghuS ghob = [ghuS] = Be prepared, be ready; [ghob] = fight, battle, do battle, wage war ((Be Ready for Battle!))
• HoS So’wI = [HoS] = Power, Strength, Energy; [So’wl] = Cloaking Device ((Power to the Cloaking Device))

OOC A Continuation of “It’s a Trap” following the adventures of Sadia. This story takes place roughly the same time as “Welcome to the Jungle”. Hope everyone had fun with this event, and that the system I used wasn’t too obnoxious!

[Maikull]

King of the Jungle (Part 1)

Stardate:
98698.8

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Orith II (Planet Side)

They stood in silence for a moment, seeing the broken core of the IKS Ghop’etlh lay in embers before them. “Well, that confirms it…” Gormash announced. “Not many would have survived that.” Kronq added. “Mission stands. Find the Data Core of the ship, and retrieve its data if at all possible. If we find someone breathing, that’s just a bonus.” Roh’khan affirmed as the group headed down the mound to the smoldering wreck. “I don’t know why I bother…” Becca groaned to herself, pocketing her Tricorder as once again, it was not functioning properly. As they drew closer a shot rang out from the Bird of Prey as a voice cried out into the Jungle, causing all but the Captain to instinctively break ranks and dive for cover.

”chol! DaHjaj batlh jIvang ‘e’ vI’Ip nuch vISuvtaHvIS jIHegh!” the voice shouted as once again a disruptor bolt whizzed past over their heads. Thra’ssk ducked out of necessity, but the rest held fast seeing the Captain unphased. “Qeq-lIj veQ! quv Hutlh HoHbogh tlhIngan 'ach qabDaj 'angbe’bogh!” Roh’khan shouted back. Silence from the wreck, Gormash was already charging his gun when the captain held out his hand to stop. A head poked out from one of the broken pieces of hull dug into the ground. An elder, one-eyed Klingon wielding a Disruptor Rifle, still trained on them emerged.

“Name and Rank!” the old Klingon demanded. “Captain Roh’khan, IKS Qul Cha’bIp. We were sent by House Woldan to find Captain Koreth and his crew.” He answered calmly. The weapon nearly fell out of the old man’s hands as he collapsed to his knees. “Thank Kahless!!” he buried his forehead into the dirt, as if praying to the gods. Roh’khan gave a nod, and the team approached, seeing the various bodies laid out before the wreckage they rushed past the old man to assess the damages, while Roh’khan helped the elder to his feet.

“Thank you, Captain. I am Komrad, of House Pegh” the elder turned to see the crew and shook his head, “Their all dead…” he stated somberly. “What happened?” Roh’khan inquired. “We were cutting through the Orith System heading back to Qo’nos cloaked and caught one of the damn pirate mines. Crash killed most of the crew. The ones that survived were slowly picked off by the Hirogen.” Komrad explained. Roh’khan nodded. “We came across some of your crew, and your commander before we got here.” Komrad’s face showed the pain of the news about the commander, but he said nothing more on it. “Hirogen use this planet to hunt the mutated beasts, we surmise the pirates send them captured crews to hunt as well to keep them appeased. There were 20 of us…now I fear were the only ones left.”

“Captain, we have a live one here!” Becca cried out. Komrad turned to look and groaned when he saw who she was looking at. The captain approached Becca and Kronq who stood around a Romulan, laying doubled over barley conscious. “He looks Tal’shiar” Kronq announced. Komrad shook his head, “No, is one of ours, undercover. When the Hirogen started attacking he had some sort of PTSD episode and lost his mind, so we had to knock him out.” The old Klingon explained. “Wake him.” Roh’khan ordered. Becca finshed her scans and injected the Romulan with a Hypospray awaking him almost instantly. “Where is Captain Koreth? Does he still live?” Roh’khan asked, motioning for Kronq to bring the Romulan with them. “Aye, let me get him out…”

Hidden under more ruble was the body of Captain Koreth. He was in bad shape, with various cuts and burns along his body. It was clear he was still alive, but his breathing was shallow and he did not acknowledge the others around him, or the ones dragging him out. Once clear of the debris, Becca got to work administering triage on the captain. “We used what little medical supplies we had on the ones who survived the crash, when the Hirogen attacked, we had nothing left. The captain ended up taking a stimulant overdose in the last raid to help fight them off. I dragged him out of the way hoping he would sleep it off…” Komrad justified.

The injection given by Becca was just what the Captain needed to gain his senses back, neither he or the Romulan were without hangover, but non the less both were able to get back on their feet. Koreth took a look around, seeing Komrad, the Romulan, Becca, and the Badge on Roh’khans arm. “Took you fuckin long enough…” the Klingon Captain growled as he stood once more. “Long way from tlhIvqu’, had to stop to piss like 3 times before we got here.” Roh’khan joked. The captain started to laugh but clutched his bruised ribs. “Fair enough…” he said with a smirk. “Where do we stand now?” he inquired.

“Need to recover your data-core. Get you and what’s left of your crew back to the extraction zone and back home.” Roh’khan stated. “Hirgoen?” Koreth asked. Thra’ssk shook his head, “We saw traces of them on the way, but we haven’t had the pleasure yet.” The Gorn spoke. “Oh their out there, watching. Probably sizing you up.” Komrad snarled. “Must have given them pause to see a Klingon crew not knocked stupid by a crash landing…” Koreth growled. The Romulan who had been nursing his head and muttering to himself looked at full attention at the mention of the Hirogen. “Calm down you ghu, they’re not here yet.”

Roh’khan tapped the communicator in his gauntlet, “Gormesh, you find that damn computer chip yet?” There was a crackle of static over the channel as the Nausicaan replied, “Got it, heading back up.” “Good, lets move out.” Roh’khan ordered. As the engineer rejoined the group, they began to leave the way they had come back, Becca checking her Tricorder to ensure the signal from the pattern enhancer was still active. As they reached the initial clearing they had come in from there was an explosion within the forest, causing a large tree to fall down blocking their path.

“NO, NOT AGAIN, I CANT LET THEM TAKE ME!” The Romulan shouted, turning heal and bolting away from the group. Komrad cursed, and considered raising his rifle at the Romulan, but was stopped by Koreth. “Leave him.” The party scanned the area, Hirogen were notorious for using Stealth Generator technology, but even that could not hide moving branches or grassy footprints. “Captain Roh’khan…your mission was the data, correct?” Koreth questioned. “Primary, yes.” The Acamarian answered. “Then go. Catch that green blooded nuch and get that data out of here.” He stated firmly. “I will stay with you captain” Komrad was quick to chime in, but Koreth shook his head.

“No. You go with them and make sure they can access that data. I will avenge my crew. I will make these petaQ pay for their transgressions. nughoS jagh, If I survive, I shall meet you at your extraction zone.” Roh’khan gave Koreth a salute, “Qapla’” at his command the team turned to leave in the opposite direction, as Koreth moved forward alone. “wo’ toy’taHvIS Hegh ‘e’ tul Hoch tlhIngan!”

The team headed north at a very fast pace to try and catch up with the Romulan, in an attempt to find a way around to their extraction zone. It was not long before they could hear the gunfire and battle cries of the Captain, followed by silence. Komrad stopped, looking back for a moment, hesitating on breaking ranks and rushing to his captains aid, but his hopes were dashed, as the hull of the Ghop’etlh erupted in a ball of flame, shaking the jungle floor at their feet.

To be Continued…

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:

• chol! DaHjaj batlh jIvang ‘e’ vI’Ip nuch vISuvtaHvIS jIHegh = come closer! on this day I swear to be honorable and die In battle, fighting against cowards!
• Qeq-lIj veQ = Your aim is garbage.
• quv Hutlh HoHbogh tlhIngan 'ach qabDaj 'angbe’bog = The Klingon who kills without showing his face has no honor.
• tlhIvqu’ = Name of the Starbase ran by House Woldan, new operation base for the ZP Klingon Taskforce
• ghu = Baby
• nuch = Coward
• nughoS jagh = The enemy is approaching.
• wo’ toy’taHvIS Hegh ‘e’ tul Hoch tlhIngan. = To die while serving the Empire is the hope of every Klingon.

OOC Immediately following "Welcome to the Jungle". This one looks to take me a little longer than anticipated, hence broken into parts!

[Maikull]

King of the Jungle (Part 2)

Stardate:
98698.9

Directed By:
@Maikull

Location:
Orith II (Planet Side)

“We rigged the remaining power banks we could find as a last resort…he must have lured them all there and detonated the charges.” Komrad lamented as the team pressed on up the path away from the exploding wreckage. “Everyone on guard, gauntlet has been thrown, the enemy won’t stay in the shadows after that.” Roh’khan announced. As they cleared the path carved by the ship in its decent, and found a new patch of jungle, the team could instinctively tell something was off. The trees were flickering in and out, as if they were a holo-projection. “Finally…” Thra’ssk snarled as the away team armed themselves and prepared to step in.

The projected image was a means to hide a Hirogen base-camp, their holo-emitters being damaged from the explosion. There was a simple leather-bound tent, some control wiring, and several stasis pods with Klingons inside. Roh’khan motioned for Becca and Gormash to check the pods out, as he turned to the right to see the Romulan cowering on the ground. His skin was white as a sheet, his face plastered with a terrified look as he silently mouthed and pointed towards the tent.

Gormesh and Becca had picked up on this as well, and turned to the tent. The Engineer reared his weapon to his hip and unleashed a torrent of Disruptor Bolts into the structure. As the dust began to, there was a stillness in the air. Roh’khan knew the Hirogen were not hiding in the tent, they had most likely used their personal cloaking devices to hide when they approached, however, now that the sediment had been kicked up from the free-fire, the away team was able to better pinpoint their targets who were attempting to flank them.

Thra’ssk wasted no time, diving arms outstretched, and grabbing a Hidden Hirogen by the throat and shoving it to the ground, delivering multiple deep slashes with his claws. Kronq and Roh’khan withdrew their Bat’leth and engaged the enemy as well which had all but dropped their cloaks by this point. Only 5 Hirogen had remained at this ‘base camp’, the Romulan must have thrown them off because their disorganized assault was not normal for the species of hunters. Gormesh once again charged up his gatling rifle, and unloaded it on a nearby Hirogen, who tried to use the Nausicaan own attack agains his comrads.

Unfortunately for the Hirogen, who tired to run between Captain Roh’khan, everyone on the away team (Kronq excluded) was use fighting amidst the haphazard disruptor fire. The captain was able to effortlessly bob and weave with the disruptor bolts flying past, and cut down the Hirogen Initiate with ease. The others fell just as quickly, which seemed almost too easy; but that wasn’t about to stop them from capitalizing on the moment. “Get those warriors out of there!” Roh’khan ordered, as he approached the cowering Romulan. “GET UP!” he barked, kicking his leg out and striking the Republic Officer in the shin.

The Romulan stood up shakily, and Roh’khan struck him with the back of his hand, knocking him back to the ground. “Do you want to get out of here alive?!” he snapped. The Romulan held his hand to his face where he was struck and only looked up at the Captain. “My job is only the data from that ship. I will do what I can to free everyone I can but I am not going out of my way, or risking my men to babysit a coward! You want off this rock, you better pull yourself together and fight like you’re the third pup of a Targh that’s only got two tits! I don’t give a damn about your past; and our enemies won’t give pause because you have unresolved trauma in your life!” Roh’khan stormed off, returning to the others that were disabling the Stasis Fields before the Romulan could even respond to his words.

Powering down the last Stasis Pod, Thra’ssk aided the warrior’s balance. Seeing the Captain before him the warrior saluted respectfully, “Thank you sir! I was looking forward to a chance to get payback on those petaQ Hirogen!” “There will be plenty of fighting left on the way to the extraction point. Are there any more camps like this?” Roh’khan asked. The warrior shook his head. “Not that I know of, the only time they would take us out would be to drag one or two into the jungle to hunt. I don’t know what became of them.” The warrior explained. Thra’ssk pulled out his tricorder, and handed it to the warrior. “Lead the others, follow this beacon, it will lead you to the transport coordinates.” He explained. The Warrior took the device in hand and rallied the other freed Klingons to him, as they charged into the Jungle. The away team prepared to leave as well, when the Romulan stepped forward before Captain Roh’khan.

“I want to live, and I can help you decode that information. Its useless to you without the decryption.” The Romulan states firmly. Roh’khan sized him up for a moment, shrugged, and walked past him. The Romulan Sub-commander stood there dumfounded. Thra’ssk approached and placed one of his bloodied hands on the Romulans shoulders, “Captain said what he had to say, he’s not going to repat himself. You wanna live, then do it, fall in line. But freeze up on us, run away, or cower in fear again, and ill kill you myself and tell your superiors the Hirogen got you.” The Gorn snarled with a toothy grin.

Kronq also walked past, and gave a re-assuring pat on the Romulans other shoulder, glad for once he wasn’t the one at the butt of their jokes; even though current circumstance, he knew Thra’ssk was not lying when he said he would kill the Romulan of he showed cowardice.

---

The path through the jungle was oddly uneventful, it did not take them long to find their old trail and follow it back to the Pattern Enhancers, where several Klingons were already waiting for transport. Some who managed to arm themselves stood overwatch as others attempted to tend to the wounded. “Becca, Call –” the captain began, but was stopped when his own communicator went off. Looking at his gauntlet, he could see it was registered to Captain Koreth. “Sir, the Jamming Signal has incre—” the orian began, “I know.” Roh’khan cut her off.

Raising his communicator to his face, he pressed the transmit button “What?”

Unknown : “Leaving so soon, and without your other captain?”

The team tensed up, Komrad who had grown quiet since Koreth’s apparent death grew renewed vigor, but Roh’khan silenced them all, giving the command to stay put. “Where?” He responded on the communicator.

Unknown : “Not far. I left a little bread crumb so you don’t get lost.”

Roh’khan removed his helmet, tossing it to Becca to hold. “Ill be back.” He muttered, once again withdrawing his Bat’leth and heading down the pathway. “It’s a trap! Why is he going alone?!” The Romulan called out, but Kronq shook his head, “It’s a challenge…He is honor bound to fight.” The junior Klingon responded. “Plus, doesn’t look like they’re just going to let us leave anyway.” Gormash added.

---

About a kilometer down the path, Roh’khan came across another warrior, wounded but stable. His eyes dropped to the ground as the Captain approached. “Where is he?” Roh’khan asked, figuring this defeated warrior to be his ‘breadcrumb’. The warrior nodded, “Just over that brush.” Roh’khan looked ahead, “Is Captain Koreth alive?” “Yes sir, I saw him with my own eyes…the Hirogen was sure I saw him.”

“Go, get with the rest of them.” Roh’khan ordered as he pressed on into the thicket, leaving the warrior to continue on his own. Within a few moment of hiking, he came across a small clearing, and standing before him was his prey. The Alpha Hirogen was noticeable due to the ornate nature of its armor, and the fact it was twice the size of the others they had faced. This confirmed the suggestion this was a training ground for new hunters, and explained their haphazard hunting methods.

“Your people have always been fun to hunt, but now its just disruptive to my task. I’m sure you know the stakes?” the Alpha announced. “I kill you; the Jamming Signal goes away and we can beam off this backwater hellhole?” Roh’khan retorted. The Alpha chuckled, “Its always more pleasurable when their ego’s are so full.” He remarked. Roh’khan raised his blade, ready for the attack, but did not anticipate the image before him to shimmer away, instead the real Alpha had circled around under cloak, and dropped the cloak and the projection at the same time, delivering a massive boot to the side of the Acamarian, sending him tumbling to the ground.

With a Tetryon Rifle in hand, the Alpha slowly advanced on the collapsed Captain, “Your about as disappointing as that other captain, thinking I didn’t know about his little suicide bomb.” He teased as Roh’khan struggled to get to his feet, “I set it off just as he turned around, trying to lure us towards it. But you, I think ill use your severed head to scatter that little survivor party you made. Shame, I liked that helmet you were wearing. I guess ill just take it from that Orion slave you brought with you.” The Alpha raises his rifle to aim at Roh’khan who took grasp of his own weapon and lunged up, knocking the barrel of the rifle away from himself, sending a blue energy blast into the Jungle Canopy.

Moving in close, Roh’khan both struck the weapon again with his Bat’leth as well as sweep at the Alpha’s feet in an attempt to knock him off balance, causing the massive creature to jump back to regain distance. The Hirogen drew his gun in tightly to engage in Close Quarters Firing, “Now this is more like it Captain!” he cheered as his personal shield grid engaged.

The Hirogen fired twice, to which Roh’khan was able to dodge, and taking his bat’leth in hand, swung the blade in a wide arc, striking the weapon once more and cracking its casing. Roh’khan moved with his blade, delivering another slash against the Alpha which struck its shields hard, but did not penetrate.

The Hirogen, registering the damage to his firearm discarded it to the side, rather than risk an overload in his hands, and withdrew a combat blade of his own. Using the power of his movements, and wide swings, Roh’khan once again pressed on the attack, slashing through the shields of the Alpha, and painting the flora with some of its own blood. The wound took the Alpha by surprise, but he had no room to pause as the Bat’leth wielder was coming in for another combo assault.

Dodging and weaving, the alpha studied the Acamarian’s movements. “You knew we were here?” The Alpha asked, as Roh’khan continued to gain ground on the Hirogen Leader. “That’s why you never moved to fight until the very end, you knew we were watching!” In-between swings, Roh’khan responded to his enemy, “The duonetic field was a dead give away, the corpse with tetryon residue only confirmed it. I was just waiting for your balls to drop and face me!” he snarled, once again catching the Alpha with a cut through his armor.

Feeling confident that he had spent enough time memorizing his attack pattern, the Alpha turned from offence to defense, attempting to use its size and raw power to take Roh’khan by surprise. But this is what the captain was waiting for, he knew that was the Alpha’s signature move when he opened with his lunging kick. AS soon as the Alpha raised his foot to strike, Roh’khan tucked and rolled, striking the Alpha square in the chest and sending him flying back to the ground.

Unlike the Hirogen, Roh’khan wasted no time capitalizing on his debilitated foe. With a thundering war-cry, he brought his weapon overhead, baring it down on the Alpha with all of his might. The blade cut through the air and ended with a squelching thud, burying itself into the torso and head of his enemy.

Stepping back from his kill, Roh’khan registered several more Hirogen de-cloaking around him, one of them holding a bound and beaten Captain Koreth. The Hirogen tossed the Captain over to Roh’khan and turned to walk away, cloaking as they did.

It didn’t take long for Roh’Khans communicator to go off:

Becca : Sir, the Jamming Signal has stopped, we are establishing a link to the ships in orbit now.

“That’s clear…im on my way back with Captain Koreth. Stand by.” He responded. Taking Koreth under his arm, the two Captains hobbled through the jungle together back to the extraction point.

---

Holding by as long as they could for any other potential survivors, Roh’khan got the nod from Captain Koreth who was done with this gods-forsaken planet. The Task Force Captain activated his communicator once more, “Qul Cha’bIp, Kor’goth. Multiple to beam out.” Section by section, the away team and the survivors began transporting off the planet, ready to drink their pain and sorrow away as they started the long journey back home.

[END]

Translation Log

Singular Klingon Word Translations come from: https://hol.kag.org/ If you have a better resource for translation, please share and let me know. But I will try to keep this as a reference to any words I may use, as well as ‘intentional’ meanings as they apply.

Klingon Words used in this Post:
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OOC I wont lie, I know this ending seems a little rushed. The weight of the work week is heavy on me (And I have an extra job this weekend) I really wanted to get this done so I can start on a new project, so hopefully its not TOO underwhelming! If you like this storyline, or any of my other ones and would like to collaborate with me, please shoot me a message! I’m a solo player by nature, but I love working with others (As the join venture space-battle with Sadia) LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE! And till next time!