[2007: MAR-APR] *WINNER* The Spoils of Deception

[Toni]

The Spoils of Deception

By Toni Turner

Captain K'Toq was a charlatan. He had convincingly orchestrated his fraudulence to suck Anika into his scheme. And even though she was scorned, and fully intending to hold him accountable for his deceptions, he had instilled a hope within her that some part of his fallacy had been valid.

The raw, festering dishonesty at the center of his position had been masked by Anika’s belief that the Fek'Ihr was impregnable, that no Starfleet Ship could destroy her, and no enemy was too strong to defeat her crew. Yet, in the face of obliteration, the things she had learned from K'Toq's lies were the only promising factors she possessed to sustain her.

“Follow me, and we’ll become immortal, claiming the Universe as our own in command of the Fek'lhr,” he had boasted, and she, believing him, had turned her back on her other loyalties to do his bidding. But now that he cowered in the depths, longing for death, she wondered if her own dreams had made her so easily swayed by his unsubstantiated promises, or had it simply been the grandeur of his lies that had awakened her ambition. Whichever it was, she vowed to send him to Gre'thor, the Klingon place for dishonored dead.

Slumping into the Captain’s chair, she rested her elbow on the arm, rubbing her finger softly against her pursed lips, studying the Federation ship facing off with the Fek'Ihr. She had pounded it with all her resources, yet it was none the worse for wear. Straightening, she stood up abruptly, placing her hands on her hips in a callus stance, "Put the Federation Captain on the screen. I want to see him flinch in the face of defeat."

The view screen flickered, then a human male wearing the trappings of Starfleet appeared. "Salutations to the Fek'lhr, and her Captain, I'm Captain William Taylor, USS Phoenix Star."

Her eyes flashed, trying to determine any signs of weakness. "And I'm Captain Anika. What is it you want, Taylor?"

Captain Taylor's face broke into a half smile, "Captain, you surprise me. I was certain you knew why we engaged you, after all, the Fek'Ihr is a possession of Federation members, and it is our job to return stolen vessels, and those who would commandeer them without permission."

Giving an exaggerated laugh, “I present no opposing argument that we did indeed pilfer this ship, but I don’t intend to let you fulfill your duty. On the contrary, Captain Taylor, we intend to commandeer your ship as well."

Taylor frowned. He had hoped she would see that damage to the Phoenix Star was minimal, but in the light of her latest threat, he turned to a no-nonsense tactic. "And I cannot allow you to do that Captain Anika. Be reasonable. Your cloaking device is no longer functional. Your deflector shields are at a mere 40%, and your Disruptor cannons and Photon torpedoes are nearly spent. I do not wish to destroy the Fek'lhr, but if you fight, the ship, your crew, and you, stand to perish. Face it, Captain, your piracy is over. You have one hour to surrender your ship.”

The screen went blank, and she remained rigidly in place for a moment, then assured the bridge crew with a hardy laugh, "Little does he know of the weapon we have within our coffers.”

She started to again take her seat, but instead, she whispered to her second in command. “In 45 minutes, give the order to fire on the Phoenix Star.”

The burly, leather clad Klingon thumped his chest with his fist to show his allegiance. “As you wish, Captain, but is the weapon prepared for such a move?”

Skirting an answer, she smiled confidently, “Follow me, and we’ll become immortal, claiming the Universe as our own.” Turning to the crew, she loudly proclaimed, “Break out the Blood Wine. We must prepare for battle. I’ll be in my quarters,” she smiled cagily. “I want to look my best when next I face Taylor.” She waited for the crew to laugh at her attempt at humor, then left the Bridge.

With little time to spare, Anika hurried straight to her quarters, and when the door closed behind her, she banged her fist against it in frustration, then picked up a chair, dashing it against the wall. Unable to contain her anger any longer, she lashed out at the bound man sitting on the floor before her. “K’Toq! You liar! You cheat! This is all your fault!”

Digging her nails into his spiny ruffled forehead, she violently jerked his head back so she could see his full face. She purred with sarcasm, “Could you not accept my allegiance as loyalty? No, you let your own weakness defeat us." Narrowing her eyes, almost whispering her contempt, she leaned in close to his ear. “Did you doubt the fidelity of your own creation, or was it the fickleness of your own treachery that you regarded with suspicion?"

K’Toq gazed up at her, his weakness clearly showing in his eyes. "I loved you."

"Loved me?" She laughed bitterly. "Another lie flows from your lips freely. If that were true, why would you taint me, and plot to rob me of the command you promised? You courted me with lies, and bedded me with the falseness of your deceptions, and when I found you out, I seized my chance to take the Fek'Ihr, using the tactics you taught me. You claimed to be a warrior, yet you have dishonored yourself and your house, and for that, you will ferry across the River of Blood. These are the spoils of your deception, and I intend to let you savor them fully before you die."

She stood, towering over the mere shell of the great warrior he could have been. "Don't worry. You will not die alone. The product of your perjury will comfort you in your final moments."

Moving to the table, she picked up a bottle of Blood Wine that she had used mere hours ago to entrap him. Pouring the remains into a chalice, she returned to K'Toq, pressing it to his lips. "Drink your fill. We're going into battle."

He gazed into her eyes, perceiving the coldness within her. “Don’t do it, Anika. You cannot win.”

She scoffed, even though she knew what he said was true. “Cannot? Is that more of your dishonesty? You left me no choice in the matter. Now drink!”

K’Toq lowered his eyelids, knowing that there would be no honor nor glory in the coming battle, and drank the contents of the chalice. When he was finished, Anika smiled. “I’ve killed you.”

He retorted with a tone of sadness, “I know, and you have dishonored yourself with the poison that courses through my veins.”

“I’ve only dishonored that which you have already shamed. I told you that you would not die alone, nor will you abide in Gre'thor solitarily. I'll be with you."

He questioned, "You loved me?"

She answered quickly, "No! And I'll not howl into the sky once I gaze into your stilled eyes, but I will be your tormenter through the eons of time."

Sitting down beside him, Anika waited in silence until the poison began to take its toll, then watched as K’Toq's body contorted with spasms until he breathed no more. Almost in tandem with his death, the Fek'Ihr launched its attack. Anika heard the sickening rumble of the Phoenix Star's retaliation, felt the horrific heave of the Fek'lhr splitting open, and smelled the fires of her defeat. Realizing that her own death was imminent, she wrapped K’Toq within her arms, tearfully whispering, "I lied. I did love you.”