A Ravager's Rampage

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 8:41am by Balek The Butcher [Deceased]
Edited on on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 1:50pm

Mission: Into the Wild
Location: The Carnage

A Mission Post by Balek The Butcher
Mission: Into The Wild
Location: The Carnage
Timeline:
Fri Dec 22nd, 2017 @ 11:12am


Stalking around in his quarters like a caged Targ, Balek fumed with the anger of a restrained animal as he stomped around his palatial room. He had to hold on tightly to his breathing mask as he continued to work himself up into a furious rage.

"Too long!" He huffed, "They've been gone too long!"

A slave woman on the bed near by tried to drag the covers over her head, hoping not to be seen by the rampaging beast while he was in this foul state. But Balek was too furious to notice her, as he stomped over to a console on the wall and angrily stabbed his chubby fingers at the comms button.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" He screamed into the view screen.

"No... nothing as yet, sire," Came the squeak of pilot Dekker on the Bridge, as he wondered Why do I always have to give the bad news?

"Enough waiting!" Balek replied. "Take the Carnage into the nebula! I will hunt them down myself."

On the Bridge there was a moment of silence as the crew contemplating their captain's order. For all their gusto and perchance for violence, even they knew taking their cobbled-together vessel into the nebula would see them torn apart in minutes. But they couldn't defy their leader's commands.

"WELL?" Balek screamed again. "We should be MOVING!"

"Wait!" Dekker squeaked excitedly.

A small flashing dot appeared on his old radar screen, indicating a Ravager scout in the distance across the nebula. The pilot smiled a gritty, toothless grin. "We have a scout from the hunting party on screen."

"I'll be right there." The Butcher smirked as he turned off his screen and stomped out of his door...

The doors opened onto the Bridge as Balek emerged from his quarters, taking his seat on his throne decorated with skulls and leg bones.

"Contact the hunting party." He commanded as he sat down.

"The message is faint, sire, the dark matter obstructs their comms." Dekker warned hesitantly, as he scrambled to get a lock on the Scout.

Balek angrily groaned, wondering why he had to deal with so much incompetence and problems. "DO IT!"

There was a high pitched whine and then a crackle, followed by the sounds of a voice as if trapped inside an echoless chamber. The mysterious forces of the galaxy were doing their best to ensure the Ravagers were kept apart. Another reason why they had never dared to venture past the nebula in the first place. Not that this mattered to the Butcher, of course.

"SPEAK!" Balek growled, almost exclusively conversing in shouts today.

"Numbers, sire.” Dekker remarked incredulously into his screen, “Just Numbers.”

Balek slammed his fist on to the armrest of his throne. "What is this nonsense?" He huffed impatiently.

Dekker had grabbed a pair of antiquated headphones and held it to his ear, nodding along as he tried to listen. "It's the nebula, sire, they can't get back through. But they have found a planet.... the numbers are coordinates to a planet"

The old Ravager captain stood up from his chair again, furiously looking at the screen, "What planet?"

The pilot relayed the question, listened for a minute and then responded, "Beyond the nebula, between two stars, there is a bountiful planet, sire. Hiding in plain sight. It has defences... one scout destroyed, one more stranded on the surface. The Federation ship was in orbit but now they’ve gone.”

Balek's lips peaked out from behind his breathing mask as a horrid smile spread across his face. He was positively delighted by the news.

"Good." Balek replied, "We will destroy the Federation scum and this planet will be MINE!"

Dekker looked to the other pirates, sharing momentarily glances. "How sire? We can’t take the planet by ourselves and if you call in our Fleet, they will try to claim the bounty for themselves. They'll all be fightin' each other to get first claim."

Balek shook his head. "That is why we will first take the Starfleet vessel, and crash their ship into the planet's defences." He laughed a boisterous, wicked laugh as he contemplated his plan. "Two birds, one stone."

A round of laughter now broke out amongst the Ravagers on the Bridge, and Balek appreciated their entertained faces. There would no doubt if he could take out a Starfleet ship and capture a planet for himself, he would be made commander of his own Ravager Fleet. With the planet as his base, he would conquer the Carnwennan Corridor and use it launch raids into Federation territory. In one cunning act, he would show his true strength and ability and no other bandit would be able to challenge his command. They sent him to the outskirts of nowhere hoping he'd retire, but he was about to come back as a triumphant king.

"Sire," Dekker interrupted with another message from the Scout, "They have some repairs to do but they want to go back to the planet for the other Scout?"

"What repairs?" The Butcher groaned.

"To their hull sire, and engines. Said they're listing to the bow, makes navigatin' hard." The pilot replied.

"Tell the Scout to return to the ship." Balek ordered as he contemplated his future reign with a greasy smile.

Dekker's smile faded for a moment, "But the warp trail they used to get through the first time is almost gone now, they'll get lost in the nebula."

"Sacrifices, my war children, must be made." The Butcher replied with a cold shrug. "Tell them to repair their craft then fly through at full speed. Even if they make it half way, we'll still have a new trail to follow. Their bodies will light the way forward to our ultimate victory."

"Aye," Dekker nodded obediently as he turned back to his console. "Sacrifices must be made."

"For the glory of the hunt!" Balek cried with glee, his mood remarkably improved.

OFF