Board Thread:Archive/@comment-24866242-20140529214808

David Murdok posted June 29, 1998 02:28 PM

Unable to achieve the relaxation he needs to meditate, Slayne stood from the chair and went to his bedroom. He quickly donned his giri, a pair of simple cotton pants and a silk kimono, bound about the waist by a six foot long black cotton belt, tied in a traditional knot.

He gathered his Katana and put his boots on, the only idiosyncrisy he allowed himself... split-toe boots, made from the skin of a kimodo-dragon. He fastened them and tucked his customary knives into the sheaths built into the top of each boot. He turned toward the door, then looked up at the ceiling.

“Computer, give me the location of the least used Holodeck on the ship, then display a map of the shortest route to the Holodeck from my quarters.”

Beep-beep. “Working...... the least used Holodeck is on Deck 17.” A holographic map appeared in front of him, which he quickly memorized.

“Now display the 5 shortest routes from the Holodeck to Cargo Bay 12.... followed by the 5 shortest routes to the Bridge from both the Holodeck on Deck 17 and Cargo Bay 12, connecting to the previous routes.” The display shifted, showing the requested information, which Slayne quickly memorized.

Nodding, he headed for the door. Walking from his quarters, he took a round about route to the holodeck, avoiding the route the computer had shown him. Arriving on Deck 17, Slayne walked to the Holodeck, which appeared to be one of the smaller ones.

He stopped at the computer console outside the Holodeck. “Recognize Murdok, David S. password Five-Three-Seven-Nine-Dragon, Enable.” After the computer beeped in recognition, he continued. “Access personal data file Slayne 432. Incorporate all facts contained in file and create simulation. Inform me when you are finished.”

“Working....... Access Granted.... Downloading files now....................... File transfer complete....... Building Simulation................................................................ Simulation Creation complete. Enter when ready.” The computer’s voice responded.

Slayne removed a small noteputer from his pocket and plugged it into the console. He began to type commands into it.

In a soft, japanese female voice the computer responded to his commands. “Hai, Tai-Sho Murdok.”

Nodding, he stepped to the door, looking in before entering. He walked in and was immediately surrounded by familiar surroundings, his home on New Samarkand, the headquarters of the Draconis Combine’s elite DEST units. He walked in slowly, glancing around and nodding in approval. “Computer, Terran Ming Dynasty Vase on the table by the door. Place a House Kurita symbol in the tiles of the main room.....” He went on for nearly 3 hours, perfecting the house, making it as real as the original, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

After the house was as it should be, he stripped the kimono from his torso and went to the Dojo behind the main house, nodding in satisfaction. “Computer, save environment and utilize for all Slayne programs with designation 400 through 500.”

Chirp-beep. “Environment saved.”

He moved back into the house, taking several deep breaths, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. “Computer... access personnel file for Murdok, David S. and then access ISF file on the death of Murdok, Omi Kurita. Combine and create simulation of June 23, 3054, Comstar Standard. Disable audible report. Enable.”

Beep-beep “Warning! The requested information requires G-12 Security Clearance or higher. Please provide access code.”

“Recognize Murdok, David S. Passcode ~ Duty to the Dragon above all...”

“Passcode recognized. Access granted....”

A few minutes later, the computer sounded again. “Program Complete.”

“Begin simulation at time index 348 mark 42. Disregard me for now.” The scene remained much the same, except for the inclusion of a beautiful Japanese woman sitting in the main room, braiding a young girl’s hair while a small baby boy plays with a rattle next to them. The woman and girl are talking. Suddenly, the paper walls of the room burst open as twelve figures wearing the Ninja Sneaksuits of the Combine’s DEST unit tear through the delicate material.

One of the figures quickly walks to the woman and speaks to her in harsh Japanese. “Where is your scum of a husband, whore?” When the woman does not respond, the man slides a Ninja-to sword from the sheath strapped to his back, slicing the woman’s neck open and cleaving her head from her body. The girl begins to cry, as does the boy. Two other figures quickly move forward and cut the children in half, then separate their heads form their bodies. They place the heads of the children on the table, then the leader picked up the head of the woman and starts to carry it out toward the front gate of the house.

Just as the figures are about to leave, a tall, powerfully built, oriental man walks into the house through the front doors. He stopped and looked around for a moment, then slid the Katana from the sheath and moved forward.

Outnumbered, the man charged into their midst, blind with grief and rage, slicing and cutting the figures, beheading many of them with one swipe. Finally, only three remained... the three which had killed the woman and children. The man moved forward, engaging one of them, battling fiercely, his movements only slightly slowed by fatigue. As he fought the figure, the other two ninja fled from the scene of the massacre.

Finally dispatching the ninja, the man moved to follow the fleeing figures when his eyes focused on the bodies of his family. His knees gave under him and he fell to the ground. Screaming in rage, he crawled through the gore and clutched the woman’s decapitated corpse to his breast.

His voice low, filled with pain and sorrow, Slayne said, “Freeze Program... restart from index 348 mark 42, delete David Murdok, center gate on me and disable safety protocols.” Before the computer could request command clearance to override the safeties, Slayne took out his noteputer and began feeding commands to it.

The scene reset, the gates of the house now where Slayne stood. He waited until the screaming died from inside, then walked into the house. Reenacting the scene, he killed the ninja.

He replayed the scene nearly fifty times. Then he looked up, covered with sweat, and spoke to the computer in heavily accented Japanese. “Computer, shift room to dojo, create twelve DEST Ninja agents and disable protocols. make the adversaries as real as possible.” Beep-chirp-beep. The room shifted scenes, resulting in the dojo with 12 very real, very pissed Ninja. “Excellent. Begin workout program.”

David Murdok posted July 07, 1998 04:12 AM

As Slayne prepared to engage the 12 ninja, Kat entered through the door to the Holodeck, intent on a workout. She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, and watched Slayne as four of the twelve warriors stepped gracefully forward, engaging him with their Ninja-to swords drawn. Faster than the eye could follow, Slayne swung his Katana in two long swipes, drawing it back to his shoulder, the blade covered in blood. Two of the warriors fell over, sliced horribly across the midsection, dead before they hit the ground. The other two hastily moved back, cut diagonally across the chest. Stepping gracefully to the side, Slayne avoided the attack of a fifth ninja, then swung his katana down in a diagonal cut. As he brought the blade back to the ready, the ninja's head rolled to the floor, the body falling next to it. Seeing this, Kat smiled slightly, a disturbing expression for it's evil appearance. As she watched, his sweat soaked torso became more visible as he moved into the light. She could clearly see that his entire upper body was covered with stylized tattoos. The left side of his torso was tattooed to the top of his wrist. The tattoo resembled nothing more than a boiling cloud, with flecks and lines of gold defining the different levels within the purple mist. His right side was obviously more recently tattooed. On his chest was a Traditional Dragon, breathing fire out of its mouth, its tail and sinuous body stretching around his torso to his back. On the lower part of his massive chest was a depiction of a woman and two small children, one a young girl the other a baby boy, being consumed by the Dragon's Fire. Behind the woman and children stood a large man, his left side tattooed in minute detail, raising a Katana at the Dragon, obviously preparing to fight the beast.

Glaring at the remaining seven ninja, Murdok glanced up, talking to the ceiling. "Computer, freeze program, and rewind to time index 348 mark 42." At this, Kat stood a bit straighter, but still did not say anything, continuing to wait. As she watched, the scene in the holodeck shifted to a quiet evening, the oriental woman sitting with the young girl and baby boy in the main room of the house from earlier. Slayne stepped back, seeming to be awaiting some occurance. Kat, frowning at his actions, turned to leave, sensing that this was a private moment.

As she stepped closer to where the holodeck door should be, there was a crash as the same twelve ninja crashed through the delicate paper windows of the house, weilding their ninja-to swords expertly. At the noise, Kat instinctively dropped to the floor, the blaster which hung from her hip in her hand in the blink of an eye.

Tears streaming from his eyes, Slayne stood in the background and watched, as the family is slaughtered, though every fiber in his being cried out for him to stop the massacre, as he could not before. Kat turned slowly, straightening, lowering the blaster to her side, though not returning it to the holster.

Mere moments after the woman and children were butchered, a large oriental man with the left side of his torso tattooed much like Slayne's, entered the room, looking about. Seeing the mutilated bodies, he drew the katana at his side and rushed the nearest ninja, rage etched into his face as deeply as the tattoo on his torso. Kat stood there, unable to move, as morbid fascination forced her to watch the scene unfold.

Suddenly, from the corner where Slayne had vanished, a clang sounded as he dropped his precious katana to the floor. Very softly, his voice barely louder than a hoarse whisper, he said, "Computer, end program and save as Slayne 432."

As the room returned to the yellow grid pattern of the inactive Holodeck, Kat slowly turned her gaze to Slayne. The computer responded in a soft female Japanese voice, "Acknowledged."

Frowning at the strange voice, remembering a bad experience she recently had with holoprojections, Kat looked at Slayne.

Standing in the corner with his katana at his feet, Slayne slipped slowly to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Very softly, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper, "Why? Why was I late that night?" His hands reached to his face, covering his tearstained cheeks.

Pushing off the wall, Kat walked slowly toward him. "Slayne?" she whispered quietly, unsure if she should disturb him.

Looking up with a start, Slayne rose to his feet, his hands wiping uselessly at his tearstreaked face. "Forgive me, Kat-sama... I did not realize anyone else used this room." He bowed slightly at the waist as he spoke, the light glinting off the gold of his tattooed torso. Waving his apology away with a hand, Kat walked closer to him, studing his tattoos. "Tis one o' th' lesser used rooms. I thought only Ry an' I knew aboot it."

"That is why I thought to use it, Kat-sama. Forgive me."

"Nothing t' fergi'... I shoulda checked b'fore I came in t' see ifin it was in use. Tis understandable, yer desire t' b' alone... Tis why I said nae until now.."

As she moved closer, her hand reached gently toward him, touching the Dragon on his chest with feather light fingers. "Tis lovely...." she said softly. Her fingers moved slowly, lightly, to touch first the man, then the woman and children. Flinching slightly at her touch, Slayne explained, "That one tells the story of how the Dragon destroyed my life and how I fought to regain it... it is not yet complete."

Pulling her hand away selfconciously, Kat replaced her blaster into the holster, then nodded to the center of the room. "Was.... tha'... was tha' th' dragon?"

Nodding, his face filled with pain for a moment, Slayne turned away, his gaze falling on the spot where his katana still lay. "Yes... that was the team that killed my family..."

Kat's voice, though even, contained a touch of hate. "Wha' hae happen t'them?"

Turning his gaze to the center of the room, Slayne answered in an even, matter-of-fact voice. "I killed the team and placed their heads on the gates of the Special Teams Headquarters compound... as confirmation of my resignation from the Dragon's service."

Chuckling coldly, Kat said softly, "Wish I had thought o' that..." Turning suddenly, she faced the center of the room. "Computer, run Kat 11/10."

Eyes turning cold, he turns to her, looking in her eyes. "No, you do not. I have been running from them ever since. That is why I am not so certain that joining your 'team' is the right thing. It places you and the others at extreme risk."

The computer, oddly, replies to Kat simply, "#Blackjack#"

Waving his comment away as the scene shifts, Kat replies, "Screw risk... This is my Dragon......." 