Star Trek Hunter Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
- Thread starter Robert Bruce Scott
- Start date
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 15: The Atlas Class
26.15
The Atlas Class
The Atlas Class
The Atlas class ships under construction in geosynchronous orbit of the bolian homeworld were so large that each saucer section appeared from the ground to be a small moon, visible to the naked eye - easily seen in detail through a hobbyist’s telescope, creating the odd and rather spooky illusion of a grid of 12 moons – 3 by 4. The three cigar-shaped engineering hulls were being constructed in another part of the sky – also in geosynchronous orbit and visible from the planet.
Most bolians were understandably proud of this monumental technological achievement. Only a few protested that building these monstrosities required nearly hollowing out two moons in the outer solar system – removing so much mass that the moons’ orbits had to be adjusted and other debris removed. Long term studies were underway to determine the impact this change in mass and orbits would have on comets and other bodies passing near the outer planets, although several of these bodies had also been cannibalized for this massive ship building project.
Few bolians were thinking about that tonight. Tonight, every bolian that could be outdoors to view the spectacle was outdoors. Millions had traveled half-way around their world to be able to see this unprecedented event. Millions more had come in from various colonies and the hundreds of other worlds to watch through telescopes from the planet’s surface.
The Vulcan Science Academy had gone to the length of reprogramming the weather control satellites so that an entire hemisphere could watch through cloudless skies. Tens of thousands more watched from various space-borne platforms.
Gradually, one of the three cigar-shaped engineering hulls pulled away from the other two. Then one of the enormous saucer sections left the grid and approximately five minutes later it joined with the engineering hull. For a moment, the gigantic vessel looked somewhat like a traditional Star Fleet design until a second saucer section attached itself, upside down on the underside of the engineering hull. Then a third saucer attached itself to the other end of the engineering hull – then finally the fourth saucer section connected underneath the third. This final configuration had the odd effect of making the ship look like a celestial version of an antique formula race car with gigantic wheels.
Then the odd looking, giant spacecraft gradually flew away as, all over the Bolian homeworld, the announcement rang out: “This is Executive Web Planner Xagg Boles. I am proud to announce that the U.S.S. Atlas, Registry number Navy-Bolian Web Craft 1002, has successfully launched and is now leaving the Bolarus star system. We are proud to announce that more than 70% of the crew of the U.S.S. Atlas is bolian, tipping the scales: There are now more bolians currently commissioned or enlisted in Star Fleet than any other non-human species…”
26.15 (of 22)
The visuals would be spectacular in a movie. Part of why I love Sci-Fi. Have you seen Æon Flux? Beautiful.
-Will
-Will
In Ep. 9, Napoleon Boles mentioned he was from a very important family and that if his father had not been a rapacious, murderous sociopath, he would probably be running things from behind the scenes... Xagg Boles is Napoleon's grandfather.
AEon Flux is definitely an influence because of the visuals. Thanks for the kind words! A big part of the fun of writing sci-fi is the great excuse to indulge in word-painting.
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 16: Satellites
26.16
Satellites
Satellites
A holographic model of the Potato Moon revolved slowly above the antique teak table in the executive conference room of the U.S.S. Hunter. The Potato Moon was the closest and smallest of the four moons of Rising Sun. To the naked eye from the planet it seemed like little more than a dim star - or a distant planet. Viewed through a telescope from the planet, it looked like a potato - hence the name. The moon was so small that a man of average mass wearing a full EVA suit could launch himself into orbit with a running high jump. A skilled pole vaulter might achieve escape velocity.
The Hunter’s senior and executive staff were seated around the table, with the exception of Lt. Grorher (who was in command). The Ground Operations Department was also present, along with Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq, Flight Specialist Jennifer Hopper, Midshipman Carlos Datsun and the assistant engineering director, 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui.
Hunter, the ship’s holographic avatar, was also seated at the table. Captain Dolphin had encouraged the ship to participate fully as a member of the crew.
“Captain, I never got a chance to apologize…” started Ensign Eykirros Jones.
“I’m done talking about that,” Captain Kenneth Dolphin replied with a no-nonsense tone. “That was a wakeup call.” He looked around the room, into the eyes of his crew. “I assume everyone is awake?”
Some crew members nodded. There was a smattering of responses - “Yes sir…”
Dolphin looked down and to his left swiftly - drew a breath between his clenched teeth with a hiss, instantly furious.
He looked back up.
The collective blood pressure in the room had spiked. “What was that?” he snapped.
“Yes sir!” This time the response was in unison and very definitive.
“Then let’s move on,” said Dolphin, his demeanor immediately relaxed and amiable, if businesslike. There was almost a palpable breath as the tension in the room dissipated. “This mission will involve the entire crew, but the primary risk will fall on the away teams, which will consist of everyone in this room with the exception of me, Dr. Moon, Dr. Jazz and Hunter. Lieutenant Commander Gamor - this is your mission. Please continue.”
The Hunter’s 2nd Officer picked up the narrative. “We have intelligence on an operation that will be carried out by several Earth First cells working in tandem. They have constructed a mass accelerator on the Potato Moon and have dug up two large masses from the moon, weighing an estimated 10,000 tons each. Their plan is to capture the control satellite for the satellite defense grid, take the grid offline, and then launch these two 10,000 ton rocks from the Potato Moon to strike Soda Toer. It would destabilize the archipelago, making it uninhabitable for decades. Nearly 400 million people live there now and the Soda Toer Archipelago has the largest concentration of non-humans and human hybrids on the planet - making it a tempting target for Earth First. We estimate the casualties from this attack would number in the hundreds of millions. Many of the terrorists are from off planet and no doubt plan to go forward from this to create more mass murders. It would mean a lot if we can capture their leaders here before their plan comes to fruition.”
“The klingons got involved in resourcing this operation,” said Captain Dolphin. “No doubt they are far more interested in the planetary defense grid coming down. If their plan succeeds, a klingon strike force arriving ahead of Star Fleet could take over the colony under the guise of restoring order. Thanks to our klingon friend, we know when the terrorists will move and most of the individuals involved. He was the link between the cells - coordinating their activities. Thanks to our andorian friends, we know who their other co-conspirator on-staff with the ASDRI satellite is and when she will be beaming the terrorists up.”
"Chancellor Martok keeps a close eye on fleet movements to prevent adventures of this nature," Dolphin continued. "So the klingon strike force is relying on split second timing and even arriving just at the moment of the terrorist attack, they will still be running the risk of their absence on their designated patrol route being noticed. That works in our favor.”
Gamor spoke up again: “One of the advantages of the terrorist cell structure for them is that it is difficult for one cell to give up another since their knowledge of each other is extremely limited. But as Rumi Grace says, if you hide behind a shield, I can hide from you on the other side of it. We have captured several high level operatives, but the cells appear to be unaware of that and are, according to our sources on the ground and the telemetry we have been keeping on them from orbit, moving forward with their plans. We will take out the assault groups on the Potato Moon and the ASDRI Planetary Defense control satellite. The Soda Toer Port Authority will conduct raids on the command and control groups planetside. This gives us the opportunity to roll up a majority of the Earth First operation on Rising Sun...”
26.16 (of 22)
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 17: Starlight
26.17
Starlight
Starlight
Starlight Dolphin sat on a folding wooden bench perched on the orange sands of the Smith Estate on Kauai Island, Hawaii. The canvas on the easel in front of her was blank. The brush in her hand was dry. The paints on her palette were drying – already too dry to use. She sat in the most beautiful spot in the world – a cloudless azure sky, dark orange sand. Ruby red clay on the sides of the nearby mountains that were in other areas covered with emerald green trees, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean – and she was just staring at the blank canvas.
Starlight’s sister, River Dolphin, and Vuk Smith were planning a wedding. A Greek style arch had been moved out onto the sands and freshly repainted, blinding white. The white of purity, not the empty white of the blank canvas. White birds played along the edge of the sand – dirty white. A beach tent had been erected for Starlight to sleep under – off-white treated canvas, not blank white. Even the tent was too confining and she only slept in it when it rained or got too cold for her to sleep on a blanket on the sand.
Starlight had eaten very little and River had taken to bringing her food to her and eating with her. She had lost weight she really didn’t need to lose. Dr. George Smith, T’Lok’s father, came often to sit next to Starlight. Sometimes she missed his arrival. Sometimes she was unaware of his presence entirely. His concern was evident. She was as concerned about him as he was about her – he was a very old man now and had grown very thin. What had once been a healthy belly, was now bags of loose flesh.
Day after day, Starlight sat and stared at the blank canvas. She rubbed her left eye occasionally – and her right arm. They were hers, but after having been removed, placed in storage for decades and then reattached, she knew they would never feel quite right again.
It was Vuk and River’s eldest son who was getting married. And he wasn’t the first of their children to get married – there were already some grandchildren. Starlight’s attention briefly strayed from the blank canvas to her nephews and nieces – and grandnephews and grandnieces. Her much younger half-brothers both had children as well. Starlight found herself wondering how they would all fare in the lottery. Neither Vuk nor River were too old to be called to service. Surrol Smith had been, which was why he was missing.
One in five if the average for the lottery held. But lotteries were inherently unfair. Some families were demolished. Other families were largely left alone. Everyone came back after 20 years of service – still young and expected to pick up their lives. Starlight had been a year younger than her sister. Now she was 21 years younger – at least biologically and in appearance. But while most who had been called to service came back, not all of the returned truly came back.
Starlight returned her attention to the blank canvas and wondered why applying paint would improve it in any way. She vaguely recalled drawing pleasure from this activity and she set herself up for it daily. As meaningless as it was, it was the only thing that seemed to make sense to her to do. Like so many of the returned, she couldn’t stand going indoors. After decades of getting her nutrition from a tube, she had forgotten how to enjoy eating and drinking. And she hated trying to talk – it just took so long – like trying to ride a bicycle through deep mud.
Like so many of the returned, she was caught in limbo. She did not want to go back to work. But she had forgotten how to play.
A voice called to her over and over again, “Starlight? Starlight, get up! It’s time to get up…”
Starlight sat bolt upright in a strange bed and watched the expressions on her sister’s face. Oddly, River was young again. Starlight shook her head and looked around at the pulsating colors in the carpet of mushroom. The glowing tendrils that lighted what passed for a ceiling in this room. The bed she had slept in was mushroom. Her sister was brimming with enthusiasm, her hands clasped in excitement.
“Vuk and I are getting married!! And we’re going to have so many children…” An expression of concern crossed River’s features. “Starlight, is something wrong?”
“This is Pillo,” Starlight mused. “We’re on Pillo…”
“You don’t remember? We got here yesterday,” River explained. “It’s on our way back to Earth.”
“Can we leave now?” Starlight asked. “I hate this place! Why did we ever come here??”
“Starlight,” said River, “We came because you wanted to see this place…”
“Can we go? Can we go away now?” Starlight grimaced. She looked around as if she were trapped. “I don’t want to be here anymore.” She looked around, her eyes focusing on the woody mushroom stems that made the walls of this room. “Why did you show me that?? I don’t want to see any more of it!”
A few hours later, River Dolphin met up with her sister again. Starlight was at a small café that served… no surprise… mushroom soup, mushroom stew, mushroom cheese, and mushroom bread with a mushroom wine. River was amazed at the variety of flavors the residents of Pillo were able to tease out of the local flora, which consisted entirely of a single, enormous mushroom that covered almost the entire planet.
It was a rare moment when the Smith brothers, Vuk and Surrol, were off on some biological expedition outside of the city limits of Porte Abello without the Dolphin sisters.
“We can catch an early transport back to Earth,” said River. “It will get you out of here sooner, but it won’t get us to Earth any earlier…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Starlight replied. “I’m not going back to Earth immediately. I have booked passage with a vulcan science expedition to Cophus II, leaving this afternoon. I want to spend some time with the waterbirds. Then, after about a month, a freighter will take me back to Deep Space 9. I want to join a group of bajorans who regularly go into the wormhole to commune with their prophets. You and Vuk won’t be getting married immediately?”
“We had planned to wait about a year to give Dad a chance to take leave – and T’Lon. She’s family too now, or next to it. Mom and Charles – and give Dad a chance to get used to the idea of seeing Mom and Charles…”
“Be sure to get word out to me,” said Starlight. “I don’t want to miss it. And I eventually do want to settle down in Hawaii. I don’t think I’ll be going back to New York again either. But there are a lot of things I need to see for myself now.”
“Because of your dream?” asked River. “You know the Great Mushroom is known for giving people strange dreams that often don’t mean what they seem to mean…”
“I read the brochure,” Starlight observed dryly. “But I think the GM just asked me a question. And I need to go find the answer for myself. I think Dad is going to need to hear that answer from me.”
“What question did the Great Mushroom ask you?” There was a sound of concern in River’s voice.
Starlight looked up into her sister’s eyes: “Is it worth it?” She shrugged. “That is the question… Is it worth it?”
26.17 (of 22)
In the Federation, the Warp 5 speed limit still applies to prevent further deterioration of relative spacetime due to the damaging effects of warp travel. The majority of shipping has been renovated and newer ships better designed to significantly reduce the damage they do to the environment, but the Warp 5 limit remains a critical environmental measure.
It does not apply to Prowler class ships traveling in recursive warp as the Crusher/Crumar/Carrera effect not only does not damage spacetime, but, thanks to its generation of bubbles of reverse entropy, repairs damaged spacetime as it travels through it - literally zipping it back together (which is why Wesley dubbed it the zip drive.)
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 18: Potato Gun
26.18
Potato Gun
Potato Gun
At 16:00 hours, the U.S.S. Hunter broke orbit from Rising Sun and left the system, as previously scheduled with Star Fleet planetary – a schedule that was publicly available.
At 21 hours and 3 minutes, the Hunter made an unscheduled re-entry to the system from high warp and on arrival, immediately launched the wagon, the two interceptors and the tactical unit – each of which jumped instantly to warp to arrive at a specific target. The tactical unit and the wagon came out of their short warp jump just above the Potato Moon. The two interceptors arrived at the control satellite for the planetary defense network. The Hunter platform remained where it had come out of warp – positioned so that its weaponry could simultaneously support both task groups.
In the cockpit of Interceptor 2.A, Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq entered a code that caused the deflector shield around the control satellite to deactivate. She also deactivated the station’s life support, lighting and grav plating.
In the tiny bridge of the tactical unit, Lt. Cmdr. Napoleon Boles was in the command chair. In front of him, Ensign Chelna Zusa was in the pilot’s seat. To her right, Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars was focusing the phasers of the unit and shaping its shield bubble.
“Zusa, put us right on top of that thing,” said Boles.
In response, the rigellian pilot’s fingers danced across the pilot’s console, causing the tactical unit to dive toward the Potato Moon, then pull out of the dive 15 meters above a shielded building. This brought the tactical unit’s shields into direct contact with the building’s shielding. Alstars reconfigured the tactical unit’s shields, cancelling the building’s shielding.
“We have shield congruence, sir,” said Alstars.
“Hit them, Geoff,” said Boles.
Ensign Alstars quickly destroyed first the single phaser cannon, then the shield generators, then the power generators, then the batteries. “Confirmed facility-wide power failure,” he reported.
“Gaia, you have a go,” said Boles.
The grav plating in the operation staging area – the rear compartment of the wagon – was at a minimal setting – just enough to keep the six crew members clad in full EVA suits standing on the deck. At the word from the Hunter’s first officer, the second officer, Lt. Cmdr. Gaia Gamor said, “Visors down,” and closed the visor on her EVA suit. Her five companions – 2nd Lt. Tolon Reeves and his tactical squad – followed suit.
“Energize!”
The wagon’s staging area vanished around Gamor and her task group, to be replaced by a darkened corridor. As they arrived, the crew members crouched, in a planned first move. It was a good first move as a disruptor beam passed through the space their heads had just occupied.
“Break and attack,” Gamor ordered quietly. She and tactical specialists Veri Geki and Ranni Neivi launched in one direction down the corridor as Lt. Tolon, Tactical Specialist Daserae Eba and Chief Rumi Grace sprang in the opposite direction. The corridor was dark, but the Hunter’s EVA visors included infrared and other features, allowing the Hunter’s crew members to see the limits of the room and identify their quarry.
The inhabitants of this corridor had no such advantage – they were not dressed in EVA suits, did not have magnetic boots and did not have visors of any sort. With the power suddenly cut off to their facility, they were blind and nearly weightless. One of them was shouting “Don’t shoot!! Don’t shoot!!” Others were firing disruptors blindly, not realizing their attackers were all now close to the ceiling. Within seconds, the five humans who had been in this corridor when the Hunter’s crew arrived were stunned, marked with locator pins and beamed into brig units aboard the U.S.S. Hunter.
The Hunter’s crew activated their magnetic boots, causing them to be attracted to the nearest metal surface. They reorganized themselves on the ceiling and headed deeper into the facility, walking in single file along the ceiling.
26.18 (of 22)
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There is no action sequence so satisfying in a movie as a well organized coordinated maneuver. From a dramatic writing point of view, it is often tempting to write in some sort of hitch that leads to tension before resolution, but it is nice not to see that all the time. Planned with intelligence, executed with precision, goal achieved with satisfying righteousness.
By the way, I love all your character names, but most especially Starlight.
-Will
By the way, I love all your character names, but most especially Starlight.
-Will
Thanks for the kind words - and agreed! Hunter's crew are supposed to be the elite. And they're on their toes after really screwing up with their security protocols regarding the klingon spy.
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 19: Planetary Defense Grid
26.19
Planetary Defense Grid
Planetary Defense Grid
At the same time Gaia Gamor and her group were raiding the facility on the Potato Moon, Lt. T’Lon and her team were beaming over to the control satellite for the planetary defense grid. The grav plating in the U.S.S. Hunter’s transporter room #1 was turned off and the 2nd task force, consisting of Lt. T’Lon, 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui, Ensign Eykirros Jones, Investigator Buttans Ngumbo and Special Agent Anana Lynarr, all clad in full EVA suits, were attached to the transporter pad by their magnetic boots.
They beamed over to the satellite seconds after the grav plating, lighting and life support went down. A single andorian lay dead next to the transporter console.
“Transporter engineer,” said Anana. “It looks like our terrorists killed her after she beamed them aboard. She probably thought she was going to get paid somehow.”
“She did,” Buttans observed dryly. “Wages of treason.”
“Jones, Lynarr – secure Optics and Deflector Control,” said T’Lon. “Sun, Buttans – with me.” Each member of the task force made their way to the ceiling, then magnetized their boots and walked along the ceiling. Lt. T’Lon and Ensign Jones were the first to exit the cargo bay and were fired upon immediately. Buttans Ngumbo rocketed out below them in a tumbling motion and fired in each direction as he tumbled, stunning attackers on either end of the hall. He waited for Lt. Sun to exit the cargo bay, then took up position behind him, re-magnetizing his boots to walk along the ceiling.
Moments later, T’Lon, Sun and Buttans were in the main control room of the satellite, their EVA helmets and gloves off and floating nearby, attached by lanyards to their EVA suits. Lights and life support had been restored, but not gravity, which was emphasized by the condition of several unconscious (and now shackled and disarmed) humans that were floating about. Buttans had lashed them together and occasionally moved them to keep them from bumping into his crewmates.
“I have full control of the planetary defense network,” said Lt. Sun.
“Power up all the weapons and set the grid to automatically target any vessel in orbit, including ours,” T’Lon ordered. “Kenny, Napoleon, Hopper, Grorher, Thyssi… Be advised - the planetary satellite defense grid is going hot at Alert Level 2. Please power down all weapon systems now.”
- * - * - * - * - * -
In a large hangar in the Potato Moon facility, Lt. Cmdr. Gamor and her group were in a pitched phaser battle around a large machine. Their job now was to protect Lt. Tolon from all attackers as he crawled about inside the machine, setting charges. Unlike the forces they had encountered earlier, this group was heavily armed and trained for low G combat.
“They’re set!” came Tolon’s voice. “Get us out of here, Carlos!!!”
The Hunter’s task force was beamed out and the tactical unit and the wagon broke orbit of the Potato Moon just as an explosion nearly ripped the facility on the moon’s surface in half, sending up a spray of debris that included a few bodies in partial EVA suits.
- * - * - * - * - * -
About ten minutes after the twin assaults began and just moments after the explosion on the Potato Moon, four klingon birds of prey and one Vor’cha class cruiser decloaked in orbit of Rising Sun. Two of the birds of prey were near the master control satellite, two near the Potato Moon, and the cruiser appeared almost on top of the U.S.S. Hunter, dwarfing it.
On the Hunter’s bridge, Captain Kenneth Dolphin was in the captain’s chair. “Hail them,” he said to navigator Auqa’rh’lth, currently standing watch at the tactical/communication station behind the captain. Within seconds the image of a tall, lean and impressively stern-looking female klingon warrior appeared on the Hunter’s main viewscreen.
“This is the U.S.S. Hunter, Kenneth Dolphin commanding,” Dolphin said. “Please allow me to apologize on behalf of planetary operations. We are experiencing problems with the planetary defense network and it is currently on a default setting, targeting all ships in orbit, including mine. Please do not power your weapons as this could cause the defense grid to malfunction further and begin firing on your ships. It would be helpful if you could break orbit and reschedule your visit. We hope to have the problem resolved within the next 20 minutes...”
“What nonsense is…” the klingon captain started, then a female officer came up and whispered in her ear. In response, the captain almost spat out in her native language: “Hoch Duj ghor bav!* yo’SeH…**” then turned her head sharply and almost shrieked – apparently at another officer, “DoH Se’ SoQ!!!***” Her image vanished from the Hunter’s viewscreen. Only a few heartbeats later, the klingon ships cloaked and faded from view.
*Hoch Duj ghor bav! – All ships break orbit!
**yo’SeH… - Cancel…
*** DoH Se’ SoQ!!! – Shut off that frequency!!!
26.19 (of 22)
Well, Dolphin wasn't lying. They were experiencing problems with planetary defence, and the defence grid WAS set to fire upon all ships. Captain Dolphin was being very helpful
.
-Will
. -Will
As Starlight said to her sister, River, in Episode 11: "Dad never lies."
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 20: Prepare the Way
26.20
Prepare the Way
Prepare the Way
Saint Philomo woke from the strangest of prophetic dreams. Shiva had appeared in a new form – a bearded form. A new voice. A new direction. And this Shiva appeared not as a hemra, but as a romulan. St. Philomo knew it was still Shiva because the vision remained as clear in his head as it was in the dream. The words ran anew in his head – as Shiva’s words always had:
“You are my high priest. You are the first to see beyond Shiva the Devourer. I am Shiva the Life Bringer. I came to you as Shiva the Devourer to prepare the ending of this world. But our work does not end with the end of this world – it only begins there. Shiva the Devourer is of Saketh and will remain on Saketh. The priests of Shiva the Devourer must not be allowed to defile the new worlds we will build out of the wreck of Saketh.”
“As the Devourer, I appeared to you in the guise of a hemra and my familiar who watches over the followers of the Devourer is the dreaded mogu mogo. But you, Philomo, will be protected by the familiars of the Life Bringer. They will herald your appearance as you will herald mine. They will be the guardians of your dreams. They will not allow the followers of the Devourer to thwart your deeds. They will not allow the Devourer to re-enter your dreams. They will not allow the mogu mogo to harm you.”
The next evening, as instructed, Saint Philomo emerged from his tent and called his followers to assembly.
The traveling black salt mining operation had transformed dramatically since the early days with Ru’us. All non-believers, romulan and hemra alike, had been stripped, striped and sent to their deaths on the black sand in the full heat of day. With an influx of believers – both romulan and hemra – the traveling camp had been transformed into a pirate operation, complete with sand schooners, hovermounts and fighter aircraft.
Using this force, St. Philomo had established his operation as the only source of the coveted black salt. Mining the black salt desert was a job few wanted anyway and there was no real opposition to this wealth being controlled and the salt mines being exclusively operated by the followers of Shiva.
It was late evening and the black sands had finally cooled enough for Philomo’s people to assemble.
Saint Philomo did not have to wait long for silence and stillness among his followers. As high priest, the disciplines he handed down were even more cruel and more harsh than those he had delivered when he was the slavemaster. These people were here to submit to his word – romulan and hemra alike. “Ru’us of the Desert came to you to proclaim Shiva the Devourer, who comes to end this world. Prepare the way for Shiva!”
“Prepare the way for the Devourer!” came the appropriately shouted response.
“And across this world, the word of the Devourer has spread and across this world our people prepare for the end of this world. But I come before you with a new word and a new destiny. The end of this world is not the end of our labors. It is their beginning. We few have been chosen to prepare not for the end of this world, but beyond that, the creation not of a new world, but of three new worlds. The followers of Shiva the Devourer must die with this world, they may not come to the worlds that are to be made. But you are followers of Shiva the Devourer no longer. You are followers of Shiva the Life Bringer! And a new word must come from your mouths: Prepare the way for the Life Bringer!”
St. Philomo could see the terror in the eyes of his followers. But they were more terrified of the romulan they had known all this time than they were of a god only a few of them had seen once in a dream.
“Prepare the way for the Life Bringer…” the response was more than a little timid and far from unanimous.
Philomo knew well who his most trusted and devout followers were and he had given them a job to do. He raised his hands: “You are consecrated anew as the people of Shiva the Life Bringer. Tonight, if you remain a follower of the Devourer, your life will be taken from you. Stand before me proud and fearless if you feel the light of the Life Bringer in your heart. Or let fear take you!”
At those words, Saint Philomo’s most devout followers set loose well over a thousand mogu mogo that had been kept in captivity. Hundreds of these large, poisonous snakes slithered eagerly toward the crowd gathered before Philomo. Only a few hundred romulans and hemra stood their ground, terrified, well aware that if any of these snakes attacked them, it would poison them and begin burrowing into their bodies.
Most of the crowd – far more than a thousand – broke ranks and fled in terror. The mogu mogo, even though they had no legs, were able to move very quickly across these black salt sands. Those who ran found that the camp was surrounded by even more of these large, deadly snakes.
Those few hundred who stood their ground watched the first line of snakes coil and leap from the ground to attack them, only to be cut down by highly accurate disrupter pulses from far above. Each pulse that came from the skies hit and destroyed a mogu mogo – often in mid jump. Again and again, those who stood fast were saved by hyper-accurate fire from the skies. These heavenly disruptor beams fell silent after destroying all of the mogu mogo that had threatened what remained of Philomo’s congregation. With the celestial disruptors silent, they could more clearly hear the screams of those who had fled as they were attacked, poisoned and their organs consumed alive by mogu mogo.
Saint Philomo waited nearly fifteen minutes in silence, savoring the screams of torment of those of his followers who did not have the faith and courage to stand with him and their fellow travelers to face the mogu mogo.
“Ru’us of the Desert brought you the mogu mogo and as followers of the Devourer, you dutifully surrendered yourselves to the ravages of the desert snake. On behalf of the Life Bringer, I bring you not a master, but an ally. We are no longer the people of the mogu mogo. We are the people of the nikamsitiri! The people of the skies!!”
With that, birds glided down from the evening sky – nearly 500 of them. Each bird was armed with a disruptor attached to its beak. Most of these birds were a little over twice the size of a terrestrial crow – making them about the size of a harpy eagle or a condor. But a few were much larger and the largest of these, almost the size of an ostrich, landed next to St. Philomo. The enormous bird first bent over and released the disruptor from his beak, setting it on the ground, then picked it up with one foot and secured it in a holster attached to his other leg.
The bird walked up and stood next to Philomo, then turned his head, eyeing the mingled birds, romulans and hemra. He opened his beak and with a loud, oddly deep voice said, “Well met, followers of Shiva, the Bringer of Life! Well met again, Saint Philomo, High Priest of Shiva! Prepare the way for the Life Bringer!”
This time the response was deafening – romulans, hemra and nikamsitiri in unison – “Prepare the way for the Life Bringer!!!”
26.20 (of 22)
The card of change. The Reeper sweeps the field clear so new crops can grow, reincarnate. It can mean the end of one thing and the beginning of something else, or the perpetual cycle of infinity.
-Will
There's a new Shiva in town... Johnny Canada has appropriated Shiva's high priest...
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 21: Napoleon
26.21
Napoleon
Napoleon
“Admiral Yasutake wanted me to do this since there are no senior JAG officers at this conference. Not that I approve. The Hunter’s crew has a tradition of unearned promotions. Doesn’t that bother you, Lieutenant Commander?” Vice Admiral William Riker’s tone was more than a little dismissive. “You didn’t even take the Commander’s exam. Your captain got his command because of his friendship with President Ivonovic. And now you’re getting promoted thanks to pressure from your grandfather. Wouldn’t you rather earn this pip instead?”
Napoleon Boles took the small box from Admiral Riker’s hand. It contained a single, solid platinum rank pip. “I don’t really care about this promotion. Or your test. So you have to be willing to send your friends to their deaths? I’ve seen enough friends die.”
Napoleon’s tone was casual - more casual than Admiral Riker would have preferred for a line officer in the presence of a vice admiral.
“You’re not supposed to know what that test is,” Riker said. “Whoever told you that should be drummed out of the service.” He watched as the half-bolian officer replaced the hollow pip on his collar with the solid one.
“I didn’t need anyone to tell me,” Napoleon replied. “It wasn’t hard to figure out.” He placed the hollow pip he had just removed from his own collar in the small box and pocketed it.
“There is a difference between knowing and doing,” Riker observed.
“No disrespect, Admiral, but serving on the Hunter has been a case study in sacrifice. My former first and second officers both gave their lives - allowed themselves to be eaten alive - to save another crew member. My former captain gave up everything - family… career… became an exile from the Federation to prevent a war.”
Riker looked at Boles skeptically. “I’ve known a lot of bolians. They’re all very charming people. What happened to you?”
“Must be my humanity,” Boles replied wryly. “I am only half bolian.”
Riker laughed in spite of himself. “Well you do have some stones, Commander.” Riker tapped the newly added, third solid pip on Napoleon’s collar.
“You can call me Napoleon, Admiral.”
“What is it with that name, anyway? Why did your mother name you after a French tyrant?”
“He was her hero. She thought the name would bring good luck. Make me tough.”
“She was French?”
“French-Tunesian.”
Riker made a harrumphing noise and nodded his head slightly. “Well, maybe this will work out after all.” He straightened and smoothed his uniform, took a deep breath and let it out with a huff. “We better get back to the conference. It appears our relationship with the Klingon Empire is about to change. And not for the better. You’re going to need those stones, Napoleon.”
26.21 (of 22)
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