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The Weapon Part Two

Posted on Wed Sep 27th, 2017 @ 3:12pm by Chief Warrant Officer Daytona Ral & Hermes (Mercury) & Lieutenant Commander Eneas Clio & Lieutenant Commander T'Pral Jordan & Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott

Mission: When Iconians Deserve to Die
Location: Magna Roma (System 892, Planet IV)
Timeline: Current

After they landed and everyone was dressed and ready to go, the group exited the ship and headed for customs, such as it was. The agents looked them over, checked their Starfleet IDs and the Baroness' civilian one. Hermes also had a civilian ID. Daytona made up a passable excuse for why three Starfleet officers had hitched a ride on a private vessel and the Baroness used her excuse of being a potential investor in the planet's economy. She even managed to come up with a good explanation as to why she was travelling with three Starfleet officers. Whatever they said, it seemed to work and the group was allowed through customs and T'Pral was allowed to keep her sidearm. There was a brand spanking new tourist information booth and Daytona walked over to it and downloaded several different brochures for different parts of the capitol city, making sure that at least one of them boasted about a temple to the god Vulcan. All the while he kept observing his surroundings. Was anyone taking an undue interest in the group? He couldn't be sure. The three women were attractive and were attracting some sidelong glances from men and some of the women passing through, with a few openly checking them out. Hermes had his hood up. Hermes attracted similar attention. So far though, no one had matched his face to the one they'd seen on a statue of Mercury. Daytona rejoined the group.

"Commander," he said, displaying the map on his PaDD. "The nearest temple to Vulcan is...here. The information officer said that this was a good time of day to visit because it would be quiet. He also complimented you on your beauty...and then said there had been a number of 'very healthy' attractive women passing through here recently, on their way to visit the capitol. He saw my bracelet and commented that the designs on it reminded him of what he'd seen on the women's 'wrist bands'. I take this to mean there are Amazons about. I asked him if he'd seen anything else he thought was strange come through here. Nothing matched the description of a Minotaur, but that doesn't mean they didn't smuggle one or more down here somehow."

"If he's seen Amazons, either Hera or Athena is here. Most likely." Clio didn't comment on the reported compliment; she didn't much care if some random stranger thought her to be pretty. "Whoever is here with the Amazons... we can let them wander a bit. We came here to see Hephaestus if possible, so I think we should go to the temple first. Unless, of course, someone spots a minotaur."

"They are rather difficult to miss," Daytona said dryly. "Actually, I've done a little research. Hephaestus used Cyclopses...Cyclopi..."

"Cyclopes," Hermes said.

"Ah," Daytona said. "Okay, Cyclopes then. Hephaestus uses Cyclopes as his assistants. If we actually meet Hephaestus, can I assume there might be one or more Cyclopes present?"

"Maybe," Hermes said. "They'll be protective of him because he treats them well, but they are not particularly violent unless provoked. Just remember that we created the Cyclopes to function effectively. That means that we genetically engineered them to have depth perception despite having only one eye. However, they are basically manual labor, though some became skilled crafters under Hephaestus' tutelage. They can fight and well if the need arises, so be prepared. They are very strong and tough to hurt, but they also have slower reflexes than you, don't react as quickly, and can't move as fast as you can. As I said though, they are not violent unless provoked. I really like to avoid a fight with them, if we even encounter them. Killing Vulcan's minions is not going to leave him well disposed towards our request for his services."

"Well," Daytona said. "I'm not sure we really need to worry now that I think about it. Federation officials have been visiting this planet regularly since the Magna Romans discovered warp technology. I'm pretty sure if Cyclopes...or Minotaur for that matter were present, someone from the Federation would have made note of it in a report. The Federation has never encountered either."

"We aren't here to kill anyone or start any fights. Someone else starts one, fine. Finish it. Any of you start one and I'll knock you on your ass." It was, perhaps, a bit of a hard line to take, but Clio didn't want to risk angering Hephaestus. They needed his help to stop the Master... and possibly Hera, if Hera was up to no good. "It's likely the Hephaestus has at least a few Cyclopes in his employ. They can be reasoned with, so we try that first."

"Alright then," Daytona said. "The Temple of Vulcan is this way I believe."

Daytona led the way out of the spaceport. Daytona marveled at the city. It matched the information he'd reviewed before coming here, which described the city as being a combination of ancient Rome and mid-21st Century Rome. The older buildings, especially the Temples, were beautiful, but the more 'modern' buildings had their charm as well.

T'Pral had remained silent as she watched the people and their surroundings. All of these Terran myths were apparently true. Did that mean there were other real 'gods' from Earth or even Vulcan? Had there been or was there really a Thor, Lokai, Anubis, Ra, or even Vulcan Gods of War, Death, and Peace from the time of the awakening?

Having grown up on Earth, Clio was familiar with Roman architecture, but she was impressed by the buildings they saw as they left the spaceport and entered the city proper. She took a few moments to look at it, until a familiar prickle ran down her neck. While she'd never been as powerful a telepath as a Betazoid, she damn sure knew when she was being stared at. A quick glance didn't immediately reveal any potential perpetrators, but the feeling refused to leave. Slipping past T'Pral, she caught up to Daytona, making sure to drop her voice to where only he and the rest of the team might hear. "Someone's watching us, and I don't mean the usual curious stares from the natives."

Schwein was seemingly enjoying the scenery as well when she took a deep breath. Half way through it, she coughed a bit and cleared her throat, less than amiable now that she smelled THAT smell again... It was like a cross between an unwashed man that had lived in a bullpen for years. Coming up alongside Hermes, she muttered a warning to him. "I smell a minotaur nearby. It might be in some sort of holographic cloak."

"Wonderful," Daytona said, also in a hushed voice continuing to walk and look around as though he was just a tourist. "The last thing we need is protracted battle with a Minotaur in the middle of downtown. Even if T'Pral could simply adjust her phaser to the highest setting and disintegrate the damn thing in one shot, we'd still have to explain to the locals why we killed it, which would give us away. The point is moot, anyway. According to Mal, the beasts are resistant to directed energy weapons. That's why the Pomtoli developed the frictionless blades in the first place. Besides that, if we don't kill it quickly, the local constabulary might get involved, and then there will be bullets flying around as well."

Daytona shook his head.

"Okay," he said. "I don't think those things travel alone. I don't get the impression they're smart enough. It must have a handler, either an Amazon or maybe a local polytheist from one of the fringe groups, the ones who want to oust the monotheists...possibly a priestess of Juno...that's Hera's name here. I guess we have two choices. Try to lure it somewhere quiet and hope we don't attract attention killing it or..."

"We could ignore it," Hermes said. "We won't be giving anything away by going to Vulcan's temple and trying to contact him. They could just be watching us. Once we're in the Temple, we'll be considered guests of Hephaestus and this Minotaur and its handler likely won't attack us there. We can re-evaluate once we get to the temple."

"He's right. There's no reason to draw attention to it, and I don't want to explain to the locals how we magically conjured weapons." Clio had the friction-less kopis, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself either. "We continue on our way, like we don't know a minotaur is lurking somewhere in the square. Once on Vulcan's holy ground, we should be safe."

"Agreed," Daytona said. The group kept right on walking, making it's way through the streets of 'Rome' to the Temple of Vulcan. Soon, they found the temple, a fairly large rectangular building with Doric columns surrounding an enclosed cella and an a-frame roof. The temple was well maintained, faced with an expensive looking marble analog. For the most part a classic Doric perypteros. At the peak of the roof, above the outer entrance, was a cast stone fire pit with flames roaring high. Below the fire pit was a relief of Vulcan with a hammer. Once past the top of the steps, similar reliefs, along with reliefs of Cyclopes, on the walls near the entrance, and around the sides, and presumably on the back as well.

"Well" Hermes said. "This is a bit...extravagant for Hephaestus. Hmmm...most of his priests are smiths, highly skilled smiths, as are many of his followers...or that's the way it would have been in the old days. With this level of technology and industrialization, hmmm...I suppose the 'smiths' who worship him are captains of industry here. \The actual priests may be skilled in the old ways, but I'm betting the ones responsible for building this place are wealthy businessmen. Add in the companies that provide heat in winter, he's the god of fire after all, and at least some of the weapons 'forgers', and you get this thing. Shall we go in?"

"Commander," Daytona said. "Would you like T'Pral and I to go in first and check things out? If there's an Amazon ambush waiting for us, she and I can likely hold our own long enough to make our exit."

"Only two reasons for Amazons to be here, really," Hermes said. "First, Hera...Juno is Hephaesus'...Vulcan's mother. If she's visiting then there might be Amazons providing security. Other than being in extremely good shape and often stunningly gorgeous...oh, and I guess extremely arrogant, they don't really stick out here. Second reason might be if they were here picking up weapons forged for them by Vulcan and his Cyclopes, but that is unlikely at this juncture."

"As the sole surviving member of the Odinforce supersoldier program, I may be of offense inside so perhaps I should keep watch outside." Schwein added as she surveyed the area. "Though as a medic..."

Clio gave Daytona an amused look. "Daytona, I do hope you aren't suggesting I can't handle an Amazon or two. But yes, I'd like you and T'Pral to check it out. The Baroness and I will stay with Hermes and watch for anyone approaching."

"Yes, Ma'am," Daytona said. He turned to T'Pral. "Shall we?"

"Yes. Let us proceed," T'Pral said, stepping off towards the entrance to the Temple of Vulcan.

Daytona and T'Pral entered the temple. The inside, at least, was more like what Daytona had expected from his research. Not so 'impressive' inside as it was from the outside. It was rather warm. There were fuel burning lamps mounted on the wall, flames flickering, causing shadows to dance around inside the temple. There were few people about, only a few priests, one of whom stood next to a fire and worked a piece of metal on an anvil of sorts, hammering away at it, occasionally putting back on the coals to heat it again. When the 'priest' moved in such a way that Daytona and T'Pral could see his face, they realized that he had not two eyes, but one larger eye centered above his nose.

"Magnificent, isn't he?" came a voice from behind them. "Lord Vulcan sent him here as prove of his triumphant return!"

T'Pral turned to look at who had come up to them, impressed that someone could sneak up despite her hearing on her and Daytona or had she been so focused on the cyclops forging a piece of metal that she had ignored the approaching person? Either way, she instantly scolded herself mentally for not being more alert. "He is impressive but may I ask who you are?"

"I am Casticus Decimus," the man replied. He was in his twenties and looked fresh-faced and impressionable. "I am an acolyte here at the temple."

T'Pral bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you. I am T'Pral and this is Mr. Ral. We have come here with friends to tour the Temple and so far it is rather impressive."

"It pleases me, and more importantly, Lord Vulcan, to hear you say so," Casticus said, reverence obvious in his voice. "May I ask what brings you here to this holy place today?"

"To tour the place and learn more about Lord Vulcan," T'Pral said simply. "Perhaps you could show me around the temple while my friends discuss the temple among themselves," she said, smiling--something T'Pral didn't do often but she felt it necessary to place the man more at ease and a smile often did just that to others.

Casticus was clearly charmed by the attractive lieutenant's smile, as evidenced by his blushing cheeks and shy smile.

"It would be my honor to be your guide and to tell you stories of Lord Vulcan," the young man said. "Please, come this way."

Casticus lead T'Pral over towards one of the walls, which had reliefs depicting various stories about Vulcan.

"Vulcan is our God of Fire, in all of its forms," Casticus was saying. "From the smallest glowing ember to the raging volcano. This includes, of course, the fires of the forge, making Vulcan the God of Metalworking as well. Over here..."

Daytona tried not to laugh as the young acolyte (he was more adolescent boy than man, to be honest) tried in earnest to impress T'Pral. Daytona wondered what young Casticus would say if he knew that one of her parents had come from a planet of the same name as his 'god'.

He'd probably try to mount her right here in public. Well, he has good taste in women, at least.

Daytona tapped his commbadge.

"You can come in, Commander," Daytona said. "There's a Cyclops here, but so far he seems harmless."

Until he sees Hermes, anyway, Clio thought to herself. She hadn't studied the pantheon in a long time and couldn't recall if Hephaestus and Hermes got along or not. She supposed they'd soon find out. Motioning for Hermes and Schwein to follow her, she headed inside the temple. To her surprise, it was considerably warmer than the outside temperature, almost warm enough that she'd be willing to shed her jacket. She watched the young Cyclops for a moment, amused by his apparent attempts to impress his visitors. "He must not get many visitors here."

As Schwein entered, she removed her hat respectfully and tucked it under her arm. When she saw the cyclops though, it was like she was a little girl - she gave a little squeal of delight and rushed right over to watch him work, grinning and bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did so. "It's a real cyclops! And so handsome and strong too! So wunderbar!"

The Cyclops at first took no notice of the visitors, merely continuing his work. However, when Schwein ran up to him and started gushing, he turned and looked down at her. He smiled and winked...well, he might have blinked. It was hard to tell since he only had one large eye instead to two smaller eyes as was the norm for most humanoid species.

Hermes looked about him as he walked through the temple. Occasionally, he would whistle or make some other noise that indicated his sense of awe.

"This is much more elaborate than his temples on Earth," Hermes said. "I suppose this is a logical progression. Smiths were not wealthy in Ancient Greece and Rome on Earth, so the temples to their god were not as...fancy as this. But here his sphere of influence has expanded to captains of industry who can afford to worship their gods in style. I think I'm going to stop in at my own temple and see what's become of my legacy."

At the sound of Hermes voice, the Cyclops raised his gaze from Schwein and locked his eye on the messenger god. The Cyclops' eye narrow for a moment, then he seemed to briefly enter a trance-like state. When he came out of the trance, a gong sounded three times.

Casticus, who had been falling all over himself to impress T'Pral, who he clearly had a crush on, stopped talk and stood still, also briefly entering a trance-like state. When he came out of it he motioned for T'Pral to come with him and walked over to Hermes.

"Lord Mercury," Casticus said. "Lord Vulcan would like to know your purpose here."

Hermes hesitated, then spoke.

"I come seeking his assistance in a matter of grave importance," he replied to Casticus. "Please tell my half-brother that my party and I must speak with him in private. I say again that the matter is very urgent."

Casticus looked to the Cyclops. The Cyclops blinked and there was again the sound of a gong ringing three times. Casticus turned back to Hermes.

"Lord Vulcan will hear what you and your party have to say," the young acolyte said. "However, he is working on several projects at the moment and cannot promise he will have time to work on your request immediately. Please, follow me."

"Well, Commander," Hermes said to the others as he set off to follow Casticus. "So far so good I'd say."

"I'll take whatever success we can get." Even without meeting Vulcan, Clio knew that his agreement to speak with them was half the battle, though she suspected that talking him into making them a weapon would be difficult. While her own people held the pantheon in high regard, she knew it was Athena/Minerva whom they'd favored more than the others. Casticus didn't appear to know, or perhaps he simply didn't care. She wondered if Vulcan would have an opinion about it, but kept the thought to herself as she followed Hermes and Casticus.

Looking back at the others, Schwein turned back to the cyclops and winked at him. "Keep up the good work! Thank you for the memories!" She then rejoined her friends and followed Hermes and Casticus. "We did not expect to get an audience so easily, did we?"

"No," Hermes replied. "But this temple is a really impressive display of devotion. I gather that inspires a great deal of attention from my brother."

The group was led down a spiral staircase that had been hidden behind a secret door. Casticus led them into a large chamber below the temple where several large, extremely muscular, and very sweaty Cyclopes worked on various projects in forges. There were vents filtering out the smoke, but the heat in the chamber remained intense. There was a fire pit in the middle. Casticus brought them to it.

"Oh great and powerful Lord Vulcan..." Casticus began.

Hermes snorted and was about to make a snide comment until Daytona stopped him by elbowing the messenger 'god' in the ribs, hard enough to get his attention.

"Ow!" Hermes said. "Oh alright. I'll keep quiet."

"Oh great and powerful Lord Vulcan!" Casticus continued. "As you have commanded, I have brought your brother and his...friends to this holy place so that they might commune with you."

At first nothing happened. Then a burst of flame shot up from the fire pit. It receded a bit and formed into a large humanoid head with curly hair on top, a mustache under it's nose, and a beard on its face. When it spoke, its voice boomed.

"Herm...er...Mercury...Brother..." it said. The enormous head stopped and looked at Casticus. "Boy, do your god the great favor of buggering off back upstairs, would you? There's a good child. Run a long now."

Casticus bowed and took his leave. The big head turned to Hermes.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble your being here is going to cause me with my mother?" the head said to Hermes. "This had better be important."

"It is," Hermes said. "But first, these people with me aren't the simpletons we used to impress so easily. I'm sure they've figured out your using some kind of holocommunicator by now, so these theatrics really aren't necessary. Brother, they really need our help. It's very urgent. And it's damned hot in here. Can we talk somewhere more hospitable?"

The giant head scowled.

"Fine," it said. All of the flames in the forges died down and the temperature began to lower. If the Cyclopes were upset at the interruption in their work, they didn't show it. They simply took a break, some sitting down, others drinking from earthenware jugs, some chatting about...whatever it is that Cyclopes chat about.

"There," the giant head sneered. "Is that better?"

"Why, yes, brother, it is, thank you" Hermes replied. "Brother, these people, they are allies of a child of my son Pan. They face an Iconian, one with demonic powers and worst intent. Whereas we manipulated and engineered genes to create beauty...well, most of the time, he manipulates genetic codes to create monstrosities. This is Lieutenant Commander Eneas Clio. She is the warrior chosen to defeat this demon, but she can't do it without your help. I will allow her to explain what it is that she needs from you."

Were she not looking another of the pantheon in the simulated face, Clio might have laughed at Hermes suggesting she might be a warrior capable of facing an Iconian. It was, of course, the plan, but she knew better than to think it would be a fair fight, even with help from Hephaestus. "Lord Vulcan, I appreciate you giving us an audience on such short notice. I know you're busy with your work, but we could think of no one else with the skills we require." Despite having become somewhat comfortable conversing with Hermes, she felt somewhat awkward in this situation. "The... demon we face has proven to be a formidable adversary. Because he is Iconian, he can survive incredible amounts of damage and even actively heal, right before our eyes. We have fought him and could not harm him with our weapons, which are more powerful than those we had when the Federation first encountered Apollo." Clio wasn't sure if any of the other Olympians had been present at the encounter between James Kirk and Apollo, but she suspected they would have at least heard of it. Surely Apollo hadn't kept such a thing to himself. She cleared her throat before continuing. "We require a weapon that would be capable of killing an Iconian. We have, thus far, been unable to design one ourselves. Even Pomtoli friction-less blades are not enough, and they are the most dangerous weapons I have personally learned to use. Please, will you help us?"

The giant head frowned.

"Such a weapon..." it said. "A weapon that could cause wounds that would not heal...that would be a marvel...and very dangerous. I could not allow such a weapon to remain in your hands after it has served its purpose. Do you, Enaes Clio, swear to me, the God of Fire and of metalworking that you will return this weapon to me once you have slain this demon? Mind, if you were to break your word, you would face the wrath of a god!"

"Um, they know you're not actually a god, brother," Hermes said. "However, Commander, my family and their allies are very powerful. If you were to cross my brother Vulcan, there would be dire consequences for you and your crew, possibly even the Federation or even the Cervan people. We may not be actual gods, but we have technology you cannot imagine at our disposal. Think carefully before you answer his question. You will literally swearing by your life and the lives of all you hold dear."

Clio looked between them, a bemused expression on her face. Bemused... but impressed nonetheless. "No need to threaten me, my crew, or my people. Keeping such a weapon on the Hera, among so many people unfamiliar with its technology... that's just asking for trouble." She didn't need to be a member of the pantheon or another similar advanced race to know that, especially seeing as how she already had weapons on board that had to be secured at all times. "Returning the weapon when we are finished with the task is, of course, part of our bargain. And I would expect you to secure it in such a way that no one other than yourself could retrieve it, Lord Vulcan. Or destroy it, if you see fit."

"In that case, Eneas Clio," the giant head replied. "It so happens I have two such weapons in my possession. Behold."

A sheathed sword appeared on the rim of the fire pit. Next a lance with a five and a half foot pole and an eight inch blade designed for both stabbing and slashing.

"The sword and spear of the Caberi," said the giant head. "If this demon is as dangerous as my brother describes him to be, perhaps it will take more than one of you to bring him down. You may take both with you. Remember, you have been warned. Failure to return these weapons to me will have dire consequences."

The giant head fixed its gaze on Hermes.

"You are one of my father's bastards and my mother despises you," it said. "Helping any friend of yours will bring trouble to my house. You owe me, brother."

"I understand," Hermes said. "And if I forget, I'm sure you will remind me."

The giant head scowled.

"Begone, brother," it said. "You and your friends. Begone before I change my mind."

There was a burst of flame that shot high into the chamber and a blast of heat that came with it, then the giant head was gone. The burst of flame reduced to a roaring fire and all of the forges were burning once more. Whatever had cooled the air wasn't cooling it anymore.

"Well," Daytona said. "We have what we want. We'd best get out of here before we die of heat exhaustion."

"Wait," Hermes said. "Let me remote transport us and the weapons back to my ship. If we carry them through the streets, we're going to attract a lot of attention."

"I was going to suggest that anyway. I'd prefer not to be lynched for stealing weapons from Vulcan's temple." Handling the items gently and cautiously, Clio handed them to Hermes so they could be transported. "And it's getting warm in here, even for me. We should move on quickly, before he decides to cook us."

Hermes handed the weapons back to Clio with a sheepish grin and pulled a PaDD like device from his pocket and tapped it several times.

"Here we go," he said. He tapped the final control and the away team was transported to Hermes' ship. Once there, Hermes went straight to the cockpit and prepared for take off. This being Hermes's ship, once they made orbit, they were very soon after on the approach to Artan Fortress. If Hephaestus' word was good, they had with them the means to eliminate the Master once and for all.

 

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