145/250: Can touch this, if you want that is. [Random Title] Name: Baldric #78 @2118 Date: Monday, November 25, 1991 11:32 pm From: The Demilitarized Zone [DSS] (New Jersey) The Kari Series Part IV "The Revenge of Fools" Released November 19, 1991. UNIVERSAL DISCLAIMER: 1.) The Kari Series, The Kingdom of Blood, and Kari Beth La Croix, are trademarks (tm) All rights reserved, Michelle Roche and 'The Kingdom of Blood', 1991. The Kingdom of Blood is a nonprofit BBS system. 2.) The game Tradewars 2002 and all related terms are the exclusive property of Gary Martin and their associates. Excluding such terms that aren't incorporated into the game (E.G., Denebian Tracer, Antares Shiloh, 12.5MM Microjet Pistol.) 3.) Limited permission is granted for this text file to be distributed intact with all names, associations and this disclaimer intact, until December 1, 2042 This text file is NOT to be included with any other prepackaged set of Kari stories, or other compendium, without express permission of the author. The author may be contacted at The Kingdom of Blood Bulletin Board System, 201-861-7383. Email either Michelle Roche, Edmund Blackadder, or send WWIVnet Mail to 1@2114 or 8@2114. 4.) Comments, criticism, and feedback are welcome 5.) This text file is copyrighted Michelle Roche, November 1, 1991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "A Captain must not allow through action or inaction, his vessel to be destroyed or crippled in combat." Federation Codex Section 4:21:03. "Six days? I've been trapped by this Padishah for six days." Murmured the pale gaunt form of Kari Beth La Croix. Once a proud starship captain, now the prisoner of a megalomaniac Padishah. "Bitch," said the intercom, "Padishah wants to see you in 15 minutes, there will be suitable garments brought to you." "Just on time" she thought as a hulking guard opened the cabin door, and threw a small package on the floor. Without a word, he left. "What's this?" As she held up what appeared to be a shimmering gown with edges of what appeared to be some type of very smooth metal. "I refuse to wear anything from this person." * * * "Still looking fit, I see." Said a grinning Padishah as Kari entered his quarters, still wearing her old uniform rags. "What do you want with me." "I just want to you to see this." "No, death first." "Guards, secure Ms. Croix while I prepare the holo-vid." Without looking at the screen, Kari knew it was her homeworld Antares. The Guards forced her to watch as her homeworld was destroyed by Photon Torpedoes and Ion Cannon blasts, watched as the Antarian Defense Fleet mobilized behind the second moon Treamon and be destroyed by a vicious volley of inter-ship weaponry. This Padishah must die for his crimes. "As you can see, I penetrated your pathetic defensive fleet, and completely obliterated your homeworld, tell me now, what are the command override prefixes for the U.S.S. Intrepid, tell me now, or I will destroy Beta-Phalixis. It matters not to me, I will let them live if you tell me, or is Zyrain's ship worth 100 million souls?" "All right, I tell you, only if you let them live." "What are they, tell me. NOW!" "11362N7RSZ" "If your lying, I'll have your mind purged, and I think you've studied the effects of what a Tellarian Mind Probe does on the human mind." "Bridge, make course 118 Mark 361 and prepare for assault on Beta-Phalixis." "You said, we had a deal, they wouldn't die, if I told you." "You should know better than to trust me. Guards, escort our guest back to her quarters." * * * "I have to get off this ship, and there isn't a better time than now. Only one guard behind me, if I can time this right, knock him out, put him in my place, and look for an escape pod. I may make it." Kari bent over and started moaning in pain. "What's wrong, are you sick." . In a blindlingly fast move, Kari delivered two Crescent kicks to the bridge of his nose. The guard died before he hit the floor. A long drag to her cubicle, and swapping the dead guard's uniform for her own took 10 minutes. * * * "Sargent Pierson, report to Cabin 13, you were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago." "Who is this?" Said Kari, in a surprisingly husky voice. "Erika Koch, you fool, now get over here, your late." Five minutes later and an unusually slim guardsman knocked on cabin 13's door. "Enter" and the guard entered. "Your not Pierson, who the hell are you?" "Your worst nightmare." Kari withdrew the deceased guardman's 12.5MM Microjet Pistol. "I'll give you money, anything you want, just let me live." Whined Erika, "Anything at all, here." She opened a panel in the side wall and took out a Platinum box. "Inside are 3 million credits, it's enough to make a man rich as avarice. Take it and go." "I want you to die." And die she did. "It appears Erika had an expensive taste in clothing" said a grim Kari as she plundered Erika's cabin. "What's this? A Micronuke, isn't that illegal, Oh I shall just have to put it to good use and nuke this cabin." Ten minutes later a tall dark haired woman reached the shuttle bay, and took off with a Scout Marauder named 'Katarina'. * * * "Milord, there is an unauthorized vessel launching out of Shuttlebay." "Who is it, scan them, and prepare Cannon Mount three and four." Snarled Padishah. "Milord, vessel appears to have only a single passenger." "Scan it, and identify if the vessel has a Single Frequency Pulse at 5.59 THZ." "Milord, said vessel has a pulse at that frequency, what are you orders?" "Fire a Warning shot, no, make that two warning shots across her bow, skim them close, we can't make it look like the prey is getting away scot free, now, can we?" "What, your letting them get away? After the trouble it took to capture her in the first place?" Said Leftant. "No, my dear Mr. Lewis, she is only the bait leading us to bigger prey." "Milord, there has been an explosion in cabin thirteen, minor hull damage reported. Milord, Internal sensors do not detect the bio-scan of Erika Koch, anywhere near that cabin." "Patch that hole, and have Security scan the area. Tell them I'm on my way." Said Padishah as he sprinted toward the lift. "Milord, what about the escaping ship?" "Put us in cloak and follow it, and stay at least 2 jumps away." * * * "Erika had quite a nasty taste in clothing. Let me hope that it'll be enough to make me look like someone else." Said Kari as she slid into an ankle length skirt of black metal mesh, slit nearly to the hipbone, high heeled black leather boots with broad tops, a black leather jacket with wildly flared shoulders and a spread wing collar. "This and a slight hair dye, and some new makeup, and no one will ever think of Kari Beth La Croix is the same person as the dreaded Pirate Melkani. "ISM Katarina, to Stardock, request permission to land." Announced Kari to the sys-com. "ISM Katarina, permission granted, follow lane 6 and let the tractor pull you in." "Confirmed." Said the computer in a severe monotone "Computer tell me when we have arrived and secured on Padd." "Confirmed." * * * "So what did she want?" "It all started about 6 hours ago, just before I was about to go off work, this black-haired vixen in like 6 inch heeled boots walking into the shipyards, saying she wanted to sell a ship, a sparkling new Scout Marauder, I would rather have sold her some of the good ole SRS Penetrator,you know?, But she said she needed this ship sold pronto, and wanted 15 KCR for it, and I said fine, then she said she wanted an Antares Shiloh, and she wanted like this old Gunship mod, That adds like 4 more turrets and removes the Transwarp mod, real nasty stuff. "Did she give her name?" Said a somehow familiar stranger. "Yeah, the name on her galati-bank account was 'Lisa Viveron Melkani' late of planet Beta-Phalixis." "Did she say where she was headed?" "No, she didn't." "All right thanks." With that Padishah attacked the man with his Tri-Knife and slit his throat from ear to ear. "Someone call Security, there's been a murder, someone help." Yelled a voice in the back of the bar. Amidst all the hustle and bustle. Padishah walked out of the bar, dropping the Tri-Knife in a matter disposal unit on his way out. "Padishah to Matador, Padishah to Matador, is the Jaunt system working yet?" "Aye, Milord." "Take me in." "Aye." And the stranger disappears into a haze of bluish white electrical fury. End Part IV- Next Issue: Who is Lisa Melkani, and is Erika dead, or is she hidden aboard the Matador, and was she sleeping with that guard or what. And where is more of those raunchy sex scenes you've come to expect. All this and more, in next issue. Release date: Estimated: December 1, 1991 Read:(1-250,^145),? :