Pirate Games, Part IV of IV
Posted on Thu Mar 18th, 2021 @ 7:26am by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Captain George Charles [Reece]
Mission:
MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: USS Elysium Holodeck
Timeline: Guided by Starlight MD 16 2000
2612 words - 5.2 OF Standard Post Measure
Previously in Pirate Games
"Tut tut, Captain," George said with an evil grin. He had to admit to himself, he was really starting to enjoy this game. "You should speak to your better in such a disrespectful mannor." He paused, then gave the terrified man a predatory smile. "Besides, he's not the monster. Iam."
The captain looked like someone had walked over his grave. He tried a third time to protest his audience "Do your worst," His eyes flicked to his seachest, "It will not change that we are just merchants." But there was hesitation in his tone that didn't match his bravado.
And now the conclusion
He stared at the man for a short moment, the deafening silence amplifying the groans of the ship and the waves crashing against its hull. "You may wish to choose your words more wisely Capitan, because it's going to be your crew that falls on your pride..." He said with a deep rumble in his throat, spying the man's eyes glancing over in the same direction as sweat dripped down his brow.
"And guilt is a lot harder to clean off one's hands than blood." He snorted, finally turning his head towards the chest before glancing back. "Last chance..." he said sweetly, implying he already knew where to look regardless.
"they'll kill me!" The captain said, hysteria beginning to tinge his voice, "Please sir, I beg you, let us go on our way."
"Search the chest," S'hib scoffed, pointing across the room while looking directly at the Spaniard. "Find what's scaring him more than my reputation..." He added, genuinely amused despite his furious glare.
George straightened up and moved over to the chest. Squatting down in front, he carefully checked for any trip wires or traps, but saw nothing on the outside. Only an ornate lock securing the hasp. Glancing back at S'hib, he asked, "break it or unlock it?"
"It doesn't matter, just open it!" He spat, hurling himself around the table impatiently and stomping towards George and the chest.
Before he could reach him, George pulled a short rod of iron from his belt, apparently it was used as a lockbreaker. Sliding the rod between the lock and the hasp, he gave it a strong twist, then a yank. The lock broke and tumbled away. He then grabbed the lid with both hands and hefted it open.
A head lay there looking up.
It sparkled at him.
Life sized, it was made from solid gold, the features detailed precious gems. Fire opals filled his eyes, inlaid with onyx and turquoise to be disturbingly lifelike. Amethysts the size of Miraj's fingernails glittered at his earlobes. Fire opals carved as teeth filled the grinning mouth, rimmed by lips of turquoise and turquoise formed his eyebrows. Gleaming onyx formed neat braids that swept back from the high forehead. The whole thing must have weighed twenty five kilos.
Miraj pushed past, trying to see what the Captain had been trying to hide. "Oh crap. Crap, crap, crap."
"Miraj? what's the matter?" S'hib asked, somewhat confused by her negative reaction as she peered into the chest next to him.
"Its the head of Xiuhtecuhtli, an Aztec god. Its been floating around the series for a bit. This is not good!"
"It's just a lump of metal?" S'hib huffed stubbornly before leaning down to pick it up. "Heavy though..." He snorted, grappling both hands around its spherical surface before heaving it up and out of the chest, raising it to head height to inspect it closely.
"That's not just metal. That's gold. It was like, the latinum of its day. People killed for it. In the books, that piece was hacked off a statue by conquistadors looking for El Dorado, and people have been chasing it ever since. Spanish treasure seekers, crazy Jesuits, assorted Pirates, and of course, priests of the Lords of Night, who are out for some serious revenge. The sort that leaves you bent backwards over an alter and staring at your own still beating heart."
"So... what do we do with it?" He replied, tilting the strange skull from side to side, wholly unaware of its significance.
"I say, we melt it down and split the jewels between us." George offered as he stepped closer to take a closer look at their prize.
"What?!" Miraj shook her head. "No. Its priceless. And we'll need it to bargain with when -"
The caw of seabirds and the soft lapping of the waves was broken by drums. Fast frantic drums. Loud, angry drums. War drums.
Over the wave, in huge canoes, came scores of native warriors, clad in animal skins, with ancient weapons. Unburdened by needing the wind to sail, they bore down on the two huge sailing ships, screaming strange war cries and shaking spears and toothed wooden clubs.
Miraj looked out of the window and sighed. "When that happens. I knew this was too easy."
George quickly moved to the nearest porthole, and saw the large group of warriors that were approaching. "Uh, we definitely have a problem, Cap'n."
"Thank you for your hospitality Capitan," S'hib snorted as he clicked his way towards the door. "But it looks like you have other guests to attend to." He added while beckoning the other two to follow.
"Back to the ship!" He bellowed, his voice booming over the deck as the door slammed open.
George hustled back to their ship, helping injured members of their crew get back across. Once that was done, he handed a line to Miraj. "Your turn!"
Miraj had swiped the head of Xiuhtecuhtli, stowing it in a bag she tied securely to her bandolier. She knew plot when she saw it. She caught the line he swung, and then climbed up on the rail. Turning she saw just how many canoes there were. Fighting was going to get them killed. She laughed. "The next bit is going to be awesome."
She pushed off the rail and swung on the rope straight back to George. or more accurately, at, George. And the golden head dragging on her waist was heavy! Her grip slipped and she slid half a foot down the hemp, the rough fibres burning her hands. But she was now over the rail and still moving. She couldn't hold on any longer. "Avast below!" she yelled, and lost her grip completely and tumbled straight on to George.
Seeing the crisis as it was unfolding, George was barely able to spread his arms and brace for the ensuing crash. The pair tumbled to the deck, rolling ass over tea kettle, finally stopping with George underneath Miraj, his powerful arms still cradling her in safety.
There was an awkward moment as she lay on top of him, trying to catch her breath, relieved she wasn't hurt, and then realising she was still lying on his chest. Then she blinked "Sorry," she said sheepishly and scrambled to get off. Which was when the heavy gold idol on her belt swung across her hip, and smacked into his groin.
George gave her a warm smile. "No apology needed." He released her and waited for her to get up fully before trying to stand himself. Of course, that was before the idol slid around for the kill. It hit with such a solid connection, that not only did his vision white out, he actually vomited. He instantly curled up in a ball on his right side, gasping for breath, groaning loudly between breaths.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Miraj bent over him. "are you okay?"
Sweat covered George's face in a heavy sheen as he tried to calm down. He both heard and felt the concern from Miraj. Still breathing heavy, but in a slightly more controlled fashion, he tried to speak, though his voice was a bit hoarse. "It...it's...it's okay, Miraj. I...I know...I know it was...was an accident." He gently rolled over onto his hands and knees, then tried to stand.
She helped him up, "Computer, save game." The simulation froze, "Do you need sick bay?"
George took the offered help and slowly rose to his feet. Though he was still breathing heavily, the pain was slowly going away. Leaning against Miraj, he grunted, then responded. "Ugh..no...ugh...no thank you. It'll...it'll pass...just need...a few minutes...to collect myself."
As he spoke, he was also struggling to keep his demon locked away inside. He had nearly lashed out with a mental attack when he got hit. It was taking every ounce of will power to stay calm.
Casting a smirk over at Miraj, he said, "So, this..this an initiation for...for new players? Either dress them up or...or drop heavy items..onto their manhood?" He finished with a weak chuckle, but, the glint in his eye showed that he was trying to be playful.
"Next time she'll put you in a dress," S'hib said slowly as he clicked his way over, a weak smile barely hiding the deep set frown over his eyes. "And that's not a joke either..."
Looking over at S'hib, George managed another weak chuckle. "Oh, I'm sure our friend here has all kinds of interesting ideas for us," turning his attention back to Miraj, he asked, "Don't you?" He chuckled again, then finally stop a bit straighter, taking his weight off of the young woman. Moving towards the starboard rail, he took a few cautious steps, gently shaking things out.
Finally, he turned and leaned his backside against the railing, his hands tacking hold of it on either side of his body. "Guys, I...I need to tell you both something." He took a deep breath and then continued.
"I know you both saw me start to lose control back there, when I got hit in the face by that marine. I want to apologize for that. I..um...I had a very traumatic childhood. There were things that my sister and I experienced that children never should. It has taken us both several years just to get to where we are in our respective recoveries."
He took another breath and sighed. "Part of the trauma was the lack of proper training in our Betazoid gifts. To this day, my poor sister can only barely use the empathic side of her abilities. As for myself, I have a constant boiling pit of raw power that is screaming to be released. I have come to refer to it as, My Demon."
Whenever I am stressed, I start to lose control of it. Then, when there is a sudden attack of any kind, like the holographic marine striking me, or the idol crashing down on me, that control is all but lost. The results of losing that control can be dangerous, but, with the help of counseling and meditation, I have been growing stronger In my control." He didn't tell them that the first time he lost control, he had killed his foster father with his bare hands, and had nearly killed his foster mother.
"I..hope that... well, that neither of you will think any less of me because of my...difficulties."
Miraj looked a bit flummoxed. "Don't mention it." she said in the end. "I thought you'd just got into character." She hadn't thought for a moment there was something less positive behind it.
"I see..." S'hib said as he glanced at Miraj, his mind already compiling a concerned security report.
Raising his left hand in a gesture of surrender, George continued. "Sir, I can feel your concern and worry." He paused and lowered his hand back to the railing. "You don't need to. I see the counselors every week, like clockwork and I am getting things under control. The only time I allow myself to truly let loose, is when I'm in my starfighter, going after a target."
He straightened up and moved towards the two of them, S'hib on his left, Miraj on his right. "You have my word that I am working very diligently, to keep control of my Demon. I only ask that you two can accept me for who you saw before we started this game, not the wild man that started to make an appearance. Had I sensed the attack coming, I would have been ready for it. As the holograms have no thoughts or emotions, I was blindsided."
He took a breath and then finished with, "While I would enjoy getting to know both of you more, become friends, I...I will understand if you do not feel the same, and I will respect your wishes. I'm just trying to have a normal life. Or, at least, as normal as is possible with my background." He looked both in their eyes, "The choice is yours."
"Choice is irrelevant, you're part of this crew and that makes you part of my herd... the concern you're feeling is also for you, as had I been informed of your mental well being, something I should have been... Miraj and I would have picked a far less violent chapter." He snorted, folding his arms across his broad chest.
"I will, however, be speaking to Colonel Azhul... the last thing she needs is a fighter pilot who could become unhinged during a mission." He finished, his stubborn Sequellian blood hijacking his mouth and turning it into a metaphorical hoof to the groan.
George nodded slightly. "Well, Sir, two points. One, as my commanding officer, she has full clearance to see my personnel file and everything it contains. In fact, she had to sign off on allowing me to join the Elysium, so, she must have in me. And two, its not that I become unhinged. Its more that I become a more effective weapon. I am still cognizant of my actions, otherwise, neither Starfleet nor Starfleet Marine Medical would allow me to serve."
He looked over at Miraj, his eyes softening. "And you, Miraj? How do you feel?"
She didn't know how she felt. If he hadn't mentioned it, she never would have thought it anything more than holodeck enthusiasm. And S'hib certainly seemed unimpressed. But.
But who was she to judge. She talked to starships. "Well, maybe straight into a ship boarding wasn't the best," she admitted, since that's what S'hib had picked up on. But he'd also said he had it under control. "Maybe we don't do that next time. If you'd like a next time."
At the mention of the possibility of a next time, George's eyes and features brightened noticeably. 'Y-yes! Yes I would! Thank you!" He was grinning like a child who had just received their favorite thing in the whole of creation. "And, yeah, maybe we do something different next time. Maybe, a day at the beach, or , or rock climbing. Oh! Or orbital skydiving!" He stopped, realizing that he was getting too excited. "Sorry," he murmured.
"Maybe we should start smaller," Miraj began. Flying through the atmosphere at a couple of hundred kilometers an hour is something she only really wanted to when snuggled into the heart of a ship. "Like, drinks?"
A warm smile crossed George's face. "I'd like that." The smile filled his eyes as he added. "I'll find a place and send you the info. We could meet there. Does that work for you?" He was feeling a growing joy in the center of his chest as they spoke.
"That's fine." Miraj nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
"We will look forward to it, won't we..." S'hib snorted, glancing down at Miraj with wide eyes.
[End]
