Several hours after the incident, Floggle's eyes painfully fluttered open. He found that he'd awakened in the cramped medbay of K'taruuk's gunship, which consisted of simply two biobeds and limited supplies. Apparently he'd been in there ever since the operation on the convoy, recovering from his various injuries surffered from flying through the cold void of space, without a flight suit.
Slowly he sat up on the bio bed, every part of his skin ached and stung. Whincing through the pain he walked up but collapsed onto the floor, unable to muster any strength to walk.
The ship's medic rushed in an immediately propped Floggle up and back onto the bed.
"Please Doctor, you must conserve your strength, you're still suffering the after effects of harsh depressurization. You must rest while you can, we're beginning soon."
"Beginning what?" He said.
"Why, the first test of the laser. I must not have said . . .we're already here."
.............
Almost seventeen hours passed, and all the necessary precautions had been taken in ensuring the test would be as effective as possible. One thing remained, and that was for Floggle to flick the switch to begin the procedure.
On a small repulsorlift chair, the doctor hovered into the conference room, in the centre lay a large table in the shape of an octagon, and in the centre a direct holographic feed of the laser site on the surface of hoth.
Bandaged and taped up from his injuries, the doctor came to a halt at one of the sides of the table. Across from him sat K'taruuk, and around him, six of the technicians and scientists who set up the giant processors below on the surface.
"We have reached the end and we're ready to begin. Your efforts have landed us here my faithful doctor." Said K'taruuk, motioning towards Floggle. "It's your privilage to begin the countdown, and then we'll simply sit back, and watch the laser work its magic."
K'taruuk tapped away at a console on the table which brought up a button panel beside floggle, bearing the activation switch.
The bandaged hand of Dr Mixenhine reached out and depressed the button, begging the countdown.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Commencing Start-up sequence . . .initiating laser calibration sequence . . .5 . . .4 . . .3 . . .2 . . .1Laser primed and calibrated.
. . . Beginning primary firing sequence in 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Firing Laser.</font color=yellow></font size=1>
Through the holo-feed in the conference room, everyone stared onwards at the planet, as a small circle of yellowish light began to propagate in the upper atmosphere and grow outwards. Within minutes the entire circumference of the planet had been enveloped in the bright off-white light.
.........
Three hours later, the scientist party, along with K'taruuk and the doctor had left and returned to the holographic conference room to watch the final stages of the laser's cycle. As the participants in the project filtered through into the room, they were greated by the unsettling sight of a decaying hoth. The yellow covering that was present only three hours ago had now been replaced by a red burning haze, almost as if the world was on the verge of tearing itself apart, which due to the steady and swift onslaught of the sun's radiation it was doing, at least partially.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Laser cycle complete.</font size=1></font color=yellow>
The yellow beam of the laser began to power down and the planet say, boiling on its axis, absorbing the scorching rays of the sun, unshielded from harm.
K'taruuk reached to the panel on the table again and typed in a second series of commands.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Atmospheric destabilization complete. Phase two uploading. . .
Initiating Atmospheric Reconstitution
. . .powering climatizing processors.</font size=1></font color=yellow>
Floggle, obviously puzzled, switched glances from the holo-feed to K'taruuk who's face wore something resembling a maniacle grin.
"You didn't want this laser to save your world did you?" Inquired the doctor.
K'taruuk's eyes slowly gazed up from the projector and bore a hole through floggle as his grin fell from his face.
"My friends, please leave the doctor and myself alone for a few minutes. We have something to discuss."
The procession of scientists fled the room in prompt order.
"That whole thing about you're world only having so much time left to live was a lie wasn't it."
K'taruuk, lifted his head to face the doctor and paused before responding.
"My dear Doctor, you bear to much reliance upon compassion and care. It's a weakness that alot of your species have. By spinning such a story, it was the only way to get you to go along with it.
But don't you see doctor, you've opened up a technology that would be far more beneficial. Imagine it, thousands of worlds, deemed uninhabitable for the swarm. With this weapon we can transfer conquered worlds into whatever we desire, in essence I'll have the power to sculp the worlds in this galaxy into any form I so desire!!"
"You're insane." Stated the doctor.
"Maybe so, but I'm in charge here, and as long as you're in my employ, you do whatever I say." growled K'taruuk.
"Then I want no part of this."
"I'm afraid you can't leave now doctor, you're far to deeply dug in to be let out . . .you'd be a massive liability if I did that.
Guards! Take the Doctor and secure him in his quarters, there he'll remain until I need him."
As the guards carted the betrayed Doctor floggle away, K'taruuk leaned over the holo-matrix that showed Hoth. The reconstruction of the atmosphere had already begun . . .soon, Hoth, or New Retak as it would be known from now on, would become a lush jungle world, and the seat of K'taruuk's new order.
Slowly he sat up on the bio bed, every part of his skin ached and stung. Whincing through the pain he walked up but collapsed onto the floor, unable to muster any strength to walk.
The ship's medic rushed in an immediately propped Floggle up and back onto the bed.
"Please Doctor, you must conserve your strength, you're still suffering the after effects of harsh depressurization. You must rest while you can, we're beginning soon."
"Beginning what?" He said.
"Why, the first test of the laser. I must not have said . . .we're already here."
.............
Almost seventeen hours passed, and all the necessary precautions had been taken in ensuring the test would be as effective as possible. One thing remained, and that was for Floggle to flick the switch to begin the procedure.
On a small repulsorlift chair, the doctor hovered into the conference room, in the centre lay a large table in the shape of an octagon, and in the centre a direct holographic feed of the laser site on the surface of hoth.
Bandaged and taped up from his injuries, the doctor came to a halt at one of the sides of the table. Across from him sat K'taruuk, and around him, six of the technicians and scientists who set up the giant processors below on the surface.
"We have reached the end and we're ready to begin. Your efforts have landed us here my faithful doctor." Said K'taruuk, motioning towards Floggle. "It's your privilage to begin the countdown, and then we'll simply sit back, and watch the laser work its magic."
K'taruuk tapped away at a console on the table which brought up a button panel beside floggle, bearing the activation switch.
The bandaged hand of Dr Mixenhine reached out and depressed the button, begging the countdown.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Commencing Start-up sequence . . .initiating laser calibration sequence . . .5 . . .4 . . .3 . . .2 . . .1Laser primed and calibrated.
. . . Beginning primary firing sequence in 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Firing Laser.</font color=yellow></font size=1>
Through the holo-feed in the conference room, everyone stared onwards at the planet, as a small circle of yellowish light began to propagate in the upper atmosphere and grow outwards. Within minutes the entire circumference of the planet had been enveloped in the bright off-white light.
.........
Three hours later, the scientist party, along with K'taruuk and the doctor had left and returned to the holographic conference room to watch the final stages of the laser's cycle. As the participants in the project filtered through into the room, they were greated by the unsettling sight of a decaying hoth. The yellow covering that was present only three hours ago had now been replaced by a red burning haze, almost as if the world was on the verge of tearing itself apart, which due to the steady and swift onslaught of the sun's radiation it was doing, at least partially.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Laser cycle complete.</font size=1></font color=yellow>
The yellow beam of the laser began to power down and the planet say, boiling on its axis, absorbing the scorching rays of the sun, unshielded from harm.
K'taruuk reached to the panel on the table again and typed in a second series of commands.
<font size=1><font color=yellow>Atmospheric destabilization complete. Phase two uploading. . .
Initiating Atmospheric Reconstitution
. . .powering climatizing processors.</font size=1></font color=yellow>
Floggle, obviously puzzled, switched glances from the holo-feed to K'taruuk who's face wore something resembling a maniacle grin.
"You didn't want this laser to save your world did you?" Inquired the doctor.
K'taruuk's eyes slowly gazed up from the projector and bore a hole through floggle as his grin fell from his face.
"My friends, please leave the doctor and myself alone for a few minutes. We have something to discuss."
The procession of scientists fled the room in prompt order.
"That whole thing about you're world only having so much time left to live was a lie wasn't it."
K'taruuk, lifted his head to face the doctor and paused before responding.
"My dear Doctor, you bear to much reliance upon compassion and care. It's a weakness that alot of your species have. By spinning such a story, it was the only way to get you to go along with it.
But don't you see doctor, you've opened up a technology that would be far more beneficial. Imagine it, thousands of worlds, deemed uninhabitable for the swarm. With this weapon we can transfer conquered worlds into whatever we desire, in essence I'll have the power to sculp the worlds in this galaxy into any form I so desire!!"
"You're insane." Stated the doctor.
"Maybe so, but I'm in charge here, and as long as you're in my employ, you do whatever I say." growled K'taruuk.
"Then I want no part of this."
"I'm afraid you can't leave now doctor, you're far to deeply dug in to be let out . . .you'd be a massive liability if I did that.
Guards! Take the Doctor and secure him in his quarters, there he'll remain until I need him."
As the guards carted the betrayed Doctor floggle away, K'taruuk leaned over the holo-matrix that showed Hoth. The reconstruction of the atmosphere had already begun . . .soon, Hoth, or New Retak as it would be known from now on, would become a lush jungle world, and the seat of K'taruuk's new order.