Gorn: Ambition, Aggression and Strength

[ON]

[Battle Command Deck – Gorn Hegemony Combat Cruiser Rend with Teeth]

First Hatched and Talon of the ship Szt-Thalz gripped the arm of her chair, there was a grating sound as she extended her claws and ground them against the metal arm. There were several grooves in the arm, she liked to sharpen her claws on it. Her white eyes were narrowed as she watched the battle display screen intently. An alert flashed up on the screen, they had been detected!

“Report!” She snapped.

“We are being scanned Talon” Her Battle Master informed her. “We are entering the Federation station’s sensor grid. They do not have yet have a lock on us”

“Propulsion Master, engage chameleon emitter!” Szt Thalz ordered. “Steering Master, maintain course through the debris field”

“Yes Talon!” The Propulsion Master began preparing the false energy emitter; that would give them the appearance of a Federation style power system. It was not perfect, but it, along with the Federation markings she had painted on the hull; had shown they could confuse an enemy just long enough for them to get within weapons range.

The Steering Master had laid in a trajectory that would keep the debris field between the ship and the station for as long as possible.

“Distance to target?” Szt Thalz asked

“Under one quarter parsec Talon”

“Prepare launch tubes, load Venom Torpedoes Set to maximum yield! All tubes!” Szt-Thalz instructed the Tactical Master.

The weapon was new, the Hegemony had paid the Klingons handsomely for the technology. The Rend with Teeth was currently the only ship equipped with them. Szt Thalz had fought a dual with a rival Talon to win the honor of field testing the weapon against the accursed Federation. There were several fresh scars on her neck and arms from the encounter, she wore them with pride.

In their first battle, the torpedo had easily penetrated the shields of the two ships they had ambushed. If that one ship had not rammed them, the Rend with Teeth would have easily claimed two kills, but it had not been so.

She ground her claw harder into the arm of his chair, the anger at that lost victory returning. The Starfleet Captain’s response had been…. unexpected.
Szt Thalz had not believed a puny Federation Captain would dare to launch a suicide strike.

Although the smaller Starfleet Steamrunner Class ship had been shattered on their shield armor, it had caused damage to several of the Rend with Teeth's critical systems. Which had allowed the Starfleet Sovereign Class ship to escape. It taken five days to effect repairs and then they had trailed the ship here, to the Federation’s shipyard.

Surprisingly there had been survivors from the Steamrunner, not many but even after she had allowed her crew to amuse themselves with some, there were still several of them down on the prisoner detention deck.

Now Szt Thalz would destroy the vessel which had eluded her before and finish off the station that had somehow survived the earlier raid, in which the Klingons had assisted.

She snarled to herself. She hated the Federation but had an almost equal dislike of the Klingons. They were fierce, but not compared to the warriors of the Gorn!

No, they squabbled amongst themselves in their little Empire and she did not like the way they begged and bartered to sell the Hegemony weapons and mercenary ships. The very ships that had refused to de-cloak during the raid, skulking in the shadows like cave lice!

She also did not care for the way her own superiors had so readily agreed to the Klingon’s terms either, but that was a fight for another day.

She brought her attention back to the upcoming battle. Soon she would have enough victories to challenge for an Attack Force command. Then it was but two more duels to reach the real power of a Talon of the Fleet rank.

Szt Thalz was ambitious. She was a First Hatched, one of the first ten to have emerged from the eggs of her nest. That had opened the path to command ranks. She had still been required to fight to keep her status. The opportunity was there but it still had to be fought for, weak First Hatched did not survive long.

Even so, that accident of birth had provided access to privileges not available to those who had been Second, Third or Fourth Hatched. She had excelled in combat from the moment her adult claws and teeth grew in, sparring with her Nest-Mates and then besting many other Gorn in power and status duals.

Ambition, aggression and strength had won her command of the Rend with Teeth; now with the Venom torpedo she could win more power.

Perhaps the remaining prisoners could be the entertainment for their feast after this victory, maybe they would add more from the Station.

She had resurrected an ancient tradition of victory on her ship, not often practiced now and while humanoid meat was not the most flavorful, it was at least tender. After all, it was only right that the victor took the strength or the vanquished. Her lips drew back in a thin smile at the thought.

There was a buzzing from the screen that brought Szt Thalz back to the present.

“We are being scanned again. From a ship this time” The Battle Master reported.

“Jam them, wide spectrum!” Szt-Thalz ordered “Steering Master, increase to attack speed. Full power to forward armor and the repeller. All crew prepare for combat! We shall taste Federation blood again!”


To be continued…

[OFF]



First Hatched Szt-Thalz
Talon of the "Rends with Teeth
Gorn Hegemony

NPC’d by Tolkath