"HOUSE OF CARDS Part 1"

Theme

All was quiet as the sun threatened to break over the skies of Qo'noS. The estate of House Dronurr served as the seat of power for for the proud and ancient warrior House. It was as ancient as the family name which - though never so prestigious as the Great Houses who served on the High Council - was a proud and distinguished lesser House; purportedly dating back to the warriors who battled gloriously alongside Kahless himself.

The estate stood equally proud from the landscape of the wilderness far from the capital; it's tall main building standing as lasting testament to the name. A pair of braziers cracked quietly at the base of the stairs where Lexi paused on her patrol. This was her favourite time of day and she religiously patrolled the grounds every morning at this hour; an action considered by some to be beneath the Captain of the House's Honor Guard and better suited to grunts fresh from the Academy, but Lexi stubbornly refused to change routine for all the years she had served as Captain.

She stood atop the grand stairs that rose up from estate grounds as proud as the building behind her. Hands folded at her back, she drew a deep breath of the crisp morning air; savoring the tranquility of the estate before the staff began work in the gardens. Her pleasure on this morning was not to last however as the peace of her patrol was abruptly cut short by a chirp from her wristcomp.

The typically gruff voice of an old Klingon - Dronurr himself - greeted her, "Get your skinny little ass in that skinny ass little ship of yours and haul it to N'Vak - our mining facilty is under attack from that P'takh Mormesh! I will meet you in orbit to warp out IMMEDIATELY and we will crush the worm once and for all. For glory Lexi - for the Empire! Qapla'!" Lexi blinked as she heard the order and was already running to her ship - a sleek black Kortar class raptor which normally sat on a landing pad to the side of the estate; where visitors could see this powerful guardian of the House as they approached.

As she ran, Lexi hit an alarm trigger on her wristcomp which alerted her entire guard, who all sprang into a global state of battle preparedness. By the time she arrived at the ship - fueled with adrenaline and ready for battle, more than exhausted from the run - it's engines were primed and her guardsmen were rushing about as they prepared the ship to launch before her arrival. She boarded without breaking pace and headed straight to the bridge, "N'Vak" she simply ordered as their destination as soon as she was within earshot of the command crew.

The pilot turned to Lexi; her bright eyes even more piercing than normal through the dim red combat lighting of the small bridge, "The mine?" Asked the young pilot. Lexi snarled and charged forwards - hopping down from the raised command platform - and shoved the pilot to one side, launching the ship herself even as the boarding ramp was still closing. A few guards outside jumped to the ramp for fear of missing the battle that undoubtedly beckoned, one falling as the ships nose veered up sharply and it accelerated at an unprecedented rate to break atmosphere.

As the small raptor darted through the clouds Lexi stepped back from the pilots console and turned to the clearly inexperienced pilot, "That is the last time you question anyhing I say P'takh. To your station!" The impressionable young officer slinked back into his seat under the knowing smirks of the more seasoned crew who were used to the Guard Captains demeanor. Holding a scowl, Lexi turned slowly and walked back around to settle in her central command seat. By the time she settled, their ship had broken orbit and formed up on the wing of a much larger Negh'Var battlecruiser - the flag of Dronurr himself. Lexi looked about the bridge, "The slithering coward Mormesh is attacking our assets. We are to ensure he regrets this move. Qapla'!" The loyal and highly disciplined crew all pounded their chestplates in salute of their Captain. Though not a ship captain, Lexi's position as Captain of the Honor Guard afforded her the luxury of command over this one vessel when it met the needs of the House; a luxury she was adamant would not be squandered as she looked ahead at the viewscreen to see the Negh'Var warp out shortly before the stars turned to a blur as they followed. Lexi grinned wickedly with the taste of glorious battle on her tongue, rhythmically pounding her fist on the arm of her chair, "Qoy qeylIs puqloD, Qoy puqbe'pu', yoHbogh matlhbogh je SuvwI'..."

A sea of bloodthirsty grins washed around the bridge as more fist began to pound and the crew chimed in with her...

...Say'moHchu' may' 'Iw.

maSuv manong 'ej maHoHchu'.

nI'be' yInmaj 'ach wovqu'.

batlh maHeghbej 'ej yo' qIjDaq vavpu'ma' DImuv.

pa' reH maSuvtaHqu'.

mamevQo'. maSuvtaH. ma'ov.