Prey to Predator

Posted on Fri Apr 3rd, 2015 @ 1:19pm by Ensign Corrine Steiner
Edited on on Sun Apr 5th, 2015 @ 8:54pm

Mission: Ill Tidings
Location: Commercial Space Route

[ON]

Commerce between frontier worlds was often a lonely, threatening proposition. The proverbial long arm of the law wasn't always so long out here. The Klingon freighter Koped'din plodded its way across an interstellar stretch. Aboard, the men all gathered together around the glow of a thermal pod. Pulling heavily roasted beast from the flames, they ravenously tore meat from the bone. This was the meal before the battle. For this moment, there was no leader, no inferior. All were warriors about to share in pain and death. Few words were spoken. Occasionally, spontaneous snarls and utterances of anticipation escaped.

After the ceremony, the warriors geared up for battle. An additional full squad had been smuggled aboard before departing space dock. Their enemy had profiled the crew and their equipment, so the Klingons decided to bolster their numbers with a surprise. The freighter captain Gob'kick stared off with a sigh, "The time is near. I feel it in my bones." He walked by each man, staring into his eyes and grasping the shoulder of him whom he might not see again in this life.

His aide stared with wide eyes at his soldier's tactical computer, "A signal!"

His ship's Tac officer glanced at his console and then back again, "Ship sensors register nothing!"

Gob'kick smiled, "The human Steiner equipped us well! TO YOUR POSITIONS! BRING HONOR TO KLINGON! DIE WELL!"

As the well armored men took up heavy weapons, they ran to their rehearsed locations. "This is risky! How do you know that our enemy will pierce our hull in these exact locations?"

Their captain lowered a flash visor and began burning his counter-ultrasonic emitters. He then prepared to ignite the tip of an heavy fusion lance. "They will! Squad Two! No matter what happens, you WAIT in hiding! After the enemy has deployed from their boarding fangs, you will capture them! Blast them free and capture the enemy raider! Good hunting!"

According to plan, his bridge called over the intercom, "Unidentified objects closing fast!" The sluggish ship heaved into a banking maneuver and its small phaser turrets began firing. An impact shuddered the entire ship. "Shields down! Defences destroyed!" Gob'kick smiled.

As prophetically dreamed, the long spikes of fang-class boarding boats tore into the hull. Portals opened, discharging powerful ultrasonic mines. Gob'kick spoke in a quiet voice over encrypted channels, "Wait... wait..."

Pirate raiders poured out of the fangs. Any doors blocking them, they efficiently demolitioned. The Klingons admired their precision time-on-target attack. The complete lack of resistance surprised and began worrying a few of them. Others scoffed, "Maybe they're in the head!"

Gob'kick gave the order, "Now." Pre-planted claymore mines detonated. Warriors burst forth from storage closets, cargo pods, and service hatches. Heavy disruptors, bazookas, cluster grenades, and plasma flame throwers discharged. Outside, a drones blew through doors where escape capsules used to be.

Aboard the raider ship, astonished crewmen looked at all the little spheres elusively coming at them. Their phaser gun crews had been at the ready to offer fire support, and they began firing. There were no explosions. The gunners realized, "DECOYS!" One of the final spheres wasn't a decoy, however. It slipped in while the decoys were being picked off, splashing EMP-napalm against the raider. High emission EMP clung to and burned fiercely against the shields, blinding sensors, targeting, and many communications.

Exactly eight minutes after initial impact, Gob'kick stepped into the small bridge of the raider. Consoles sparked and smoke filled the air. His lieutenant announced, "Commander! All systems are down! The immediate area is clear!"

Giving slow nods of approval, he threw the dead commander out of the command chair and took a seat. "Leave all systems down. Pirate craft are heavily booby trapped against mutinies. We shall take this vessel in tow. Do we have prisoners?"

"Only three, Commander. They are badly wounded."

Gob'kick's voice was quiet, even tranquil. "Keep them alive for the moment. I would speak with them."

His adjutant offered a predatory smile, "They will be fit for interrogation."

One of his engineers ran in with excited eyes, "Commander! This is a fine raider!"

He returned a smile, then slapped at his wrist comm, "Bridge! Status!"

=/We have some system damage and have lost some cargo, but this transport is operational! Do we broadcast a standard distress?\=

The Klingon captain let fly a few curses, "... NO!"

The mercenary captain presented himself with a salute, "Well done! We will now talk about dividing the prisoners and spoils!"

Gob'kick stood and gave an assenting nod. As they set to stabilize the situation, honor their dead, and collect prizes, he whispered to himself, "Well spoken, Steiner. I shall remember."

[OFF]

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Gob'kick - Klingon freighter {and now raider} captain - by Steiner
Starbase 332
Pegasus Fleet