In the Pale Moonlight - Part Three of Three

Posted on Thu Dec 14th, 2023 @ 2:31pm by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Crewman Adelaide Kirkby
Edited on on Thu Dec 14th, 2023 @ 2:38pm

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: In Dreams and then DECK TEN
Timeline: MD05 - EVENING
2101 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON: “Mere Anarchy”]

-= WARNING =-

The following story contains disturbing material: Infanticide, Murder, Torture and Bloodshed.

Taken from eyewitness accounts and the historical records of those that survived.
This might be inappropriate for younger readers.
The reader’s well-being is essential, and you should exercise your own good judgement in deciding whether to continue.

Please take into consideration your own sensitivity or comfort levels before proceeding.

-= WARNING =-













~ But the waters overwhelmed their enemies; there was not one of them left. ~ - Origenio







~ In darkness let me dwell ~ - Pamphato, Re di Lyco III







The battle raged all night and all the next day. It wasn’t until the later afternoon when defeat was inevitable. And woe to them that opposed him. Pamphato, the White Snake King had no mercy on the city defenders. And he brake down the walls and threw open the tidal gates. He marched his army in through the Amadea Gate and even to the Temple of Possiamo. There, he called from the high place, Mistifa. With the ringing of the great bell and the blasting of the horn he called her. And in not too long a time the ground quaked and opened. And many were thrown down. Them that sat upon the hills and in the Senate. Come from the setting of the sun, her chariot thundered across the skies. And two winged dragons bore Mistifa behind them. Their great wings outstretched as they flew. With terrible fury they tore open the sky and the stars fell from their lofty places. Wherever the chariot pulled, the sky opened behind her, and the stars fell to the ground. Her hair was inflamed with red- and white-hot hate. In her hand, she wrung the lighting with Avernus’ whip so that with every crack sent she thunderbolts and lightning quick to destroy the Sersan city. And she brought with her many deimo, the servants of Radamio that they should delight in the wickedness they now do.

Mistifa bade the two deimo land on the roof of the temple of Possiamo. And their appearances were of two great winged dragons, Ladonto and Harpalo. Mistifa dismounted the chariot and with a touch of her hand, gave Ladonto and Harpalo the form of men that their true forms might be veiled. And she and the deimo bowed low before Pamphato. And he commanded them saying, “Gather all the people, every man, woman, and child and bring them to the fields outside the city. There, set you an Idol to Lokomai, servant of Radamio. Set about to do the rites and solemn feasts profaned. Slaughter the innocents sparing none and kill any of the parents that defy you or hold their voices mute in worship to Lokomai. And in so doing darkness will of its own accord durst affront itself to light. I will go to Radamio and will bring him hither back as you in festive rally make.”

- “The Histories – Book VII” – Basano Vodici (author spurious – Folio printed on sheepskin circa 7723 – University of Serse Collection



THE AVERNUS FIELDS – THIRTY KILOMETERS OUTSIDE OF SERSA


Samuel Woolheater fell into the mud. And there was so much screaming going on around him. He lifted his head and saw that he was in line with dozens of other prisoners of war. In front of him was a long line of prisoners. To his left he heard drums and cymbals playing. He heard people dancing and carrying on. To his right were huge bonfires.

“On your feet!” a voice called behind him. A huge black hand pulled him out of the mud and back onto his feet. He was in chains. His hands, knees and feet were covered in muddy, sticky blood. At first, he couldn’t think. He couldn’t think and he was pushed and pulled along as if he were in some kind of nightmare. As they were herded along, in the pale moonlight he caught sight of the loud party on the left-hand side. Men and women were dancing around nude or semi-nude. They were laughing and they looked like they were crazed. They had such a look in their eye. As the prisoners passed by these orgies of dance, the dancers threw things at them. Shit, rocks, warm non-alcoholic beer. There was such a terrific noise all around them. And it was getting louder.

Sam looked at his hands and wondered where all the blood was coming from. He turned to his right and saw the bonfires. They were so large and so hot that he could feel the heat radiating from this far away. There were dozens of them. Sam looked around at his fellow prisoners. He recognized them – somehow. They were fellow soldiers. They were the defenders of the city.

~ Where am I? ~ he thought to himself as he was pushed along again. He somehow knew that he was one of the defenders. But Sersa? That wasn’t on Pacifica. The only city he had heard of called Sersa was back in the Alpha Quadrant. And it wasn’t called Sersa. It was called Serse.

There was a scaffolding up ahead of them. And on top of that was something large. He heard people screaming and he thought he was going insane.

Someone pushed him one time too many and he turned and was going to kick their ass. Sam turned and looked at the huge semi-man behind him. He was unlike any dude he had ever seen before. But, he was somehow strangely familiar. Part animal, with glowing red eyes and huge hands, he was pushed again and fell. Sam hit his head on a rock and it sure did hurt. He was pulled out of the muck and the mud and set on the stairs leading up the scaffolding. All around them on the left was this giant, crazy party going on with people dancing and singing so loudly. Each step up brought him closer to the top of the stairs. Sam looked up ahead and saw that every prisoner struggled and tried to get away once they were a few steps from the top. They were being unchained and dragged somewhere.

This had to be a dream. But everything was so real. He could feel the coldness of the mud. How sticky it was. How it smelled so bad. He could feel the heat of the bonfires. He could hear all the sounds around him and how the air itself was heavy.

He got closer to the top of the scaffolding.

There he saw the top of some kind of throne. He recognized the chair was from the temple. He felt bad inside. Like something terrible was about to happen. Why was he here? He was so confused. He couldn’t concentrate and his head hurt.


Then he remembered. He had stashed away a knife in his boot. It was near the fleshy part of his calf. His hands were bound by a chain but his legs and feet were not. He took another step towards the top as another prisoner was dragged away screaming. He heard a thud and a chopping sound. More screaming and crying, terrible horrendous noise.

Then he was next and he stood on the top of the landing.

There was a shrine setup in the middle of the platform. And on it sat a grotesque and horrible idol of Lokomai. It was covered in blood. And there were people there pouring out bowls of blood onto it. Sam was stripped naked as a knife cut off his clothing as he watched in horror at what was going on. He recognized this place – somehow. If he could only remember. People were speaking to him but not in Selkan or in Federation Standard. It sounded like Fontalan but he did not know Fontalan. Yet somehow, he understood.

He was pulled forward as something hot and metal was put around his neck. Rock and shards of glass were thrown at him and the other prisoners as they were paraded before the dancing crowd. There he got a good look at what was going on.

There before him, on the platform were dozens and dozens of kids and children. They were alive and being butchered before his eyes. They were being cut open and their blood filled the bowls that were poured out onto Lokomai this grim idol. The screams of the younglings were drowned out by the noise of the dancing crowd. The trumpets made louder sounds so that the screams of the children were covered as best as they could. All around him burned fire. Their dead bodies were tossed into the flames. The dancers were the parents of these kids. The human sacrifices of these innocent children were demanded by Lokomai – the King of Slaughter. Now it all came back to him. Now Sam knew exactly where he was.

He screamed to himself. It was just one more voice in an absolute nightmare. He was dragged and put on a rack and could only watch and shake his head at the hell of watching kids and adults being murdered before him. He and the other prisoners were supposed to be protecting them. And they failed.

Lokomai demanded this sacrifice. The battle earlier? That was for the city of Sersa. It was the last stronghold, the last chance to survive this hell.

Sam was going mad. He was losing his sense of reality. He was losing his soul. The noise – oh god – the noise and the clamor.

Someone came by and tilted his rack forward and slit his throat. He was gasping for air and profusely bleeding. Rivers of human blood, like a torrent dripped and ran down the underside of the shrine. The many fires boiled it.

Someone, another torturer came by and before Sam could die, they made him watch the butchering of the people he was supposed to protect. After a mother and her two kids were killed in front of him, they put out Sam’s eyes with a hot poker. The last thing he saw was that murder. He was still somehow alive and could feel himself being unhung from the rack. He felt cold. Then he felt his guts being pulled out and being eviscerated. Then, the noise and the slaughter and the cries and the dancing all went black.


He was dead.


THE PRESENT – DECK TEN


Crewman Adelaide Kirkby was enjoying a night out on the promenade deck when she spotted Captain Woolheater. He was just sitting there, leaning back in a chair at a table. And Adele thought she’d go say hello. When she got closer, she saw that Sam’s eyes were white. Only the whites of his eyes were to be seen. She cocked her head, “Captain?”

There was no response. He looked like he was perhaps sleepwalking? She tried again, “Captain? Sam?” she said as she touched him.

Sam screamed himself awake and in one fluid and awfully quick movement, he pulled his k-bar knife and threw it so hard at Adele. She stood there a moment just looking at Sam. She felt something cold…no hot…thud into her chest.

She looked at Sam. “Sam? I…”

Sam was fully awake now and saw what he had done. He stood up, popped onto his feet. The whole area was deafeningly quiet. It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out. The only sound came from Samuel’s lips,

“Adele! Oh…no…what have I one?!” Sam said as he stood there in shock from the nightmare, in shock from the sleep walking and now to realize that he had just sunk the blade of his k-bar knife into a civilian.

Adelaide fell forward and reached for him. Sam caught her, gently, he eased her down as a few people gasped. With tears in his eyes, “Oh…Adele….shhh-shhh…” he weas trembling and shaking as he held her. The knife buried in her chest up to the hilt.

“MEDIC!” he yelled. The word getting stopped in his throat as it clenched up. Sam looked up at the people just standing there looking at him and he got angry.

“I NEED A MEDIC NOW!” He yelled at the top of his voice as he held her dying in his arms, “NOW, GOD DAMMIT! NOW!!”



[OFF:]

Captain Samuel Woolheater
“Saepius Exertus, Semper Fidelis, Frater Infinitas”
Division VI, MARDET 62nd Company "Spartans", 1st Platoon CO
=/\= USS ELYSIUM - NCC-89000 =/\=