The Madness of Ro' HoD – Ro' your boat
by HoD Ro' Matlh & Sogh Germite Ephilom

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Title   Ro' your boat
Mission   The Madness of Ro' HoD
Author(s)   HoD Ro' Matlh & Sogh Germite Ephilom
Posted   Fri Dec 04, 2015 @ 1:16am
Location   Mess hall, Deck 3, IKC FHew
Timeline   After HIchop and Tell's death
Germite sat in the deserted Mess hall with a bottle of Sonoran Firewater in front of him. It was already 2/3rds empty, and it wasn't his first bottle. He was singing an old Earth nursery rhyme to the walls with all the gusto of a battle song.

"Ro', Ro', Ro' your boat, gently down the stream!"

Ro' came through the forward door carefully, his disruptor in his hand. Germite did not seem to notice him.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a... but a..." Germite's brow furrowed. He decided to start again.

"Ro', Ro', Ro' your boat..."

Ro' stepped into the room. His eyes flashed to the galley where the body of HoS could be seen. It was a mess, as was much of the galley.

"Life is but a... but a..." Germite stopped singing and grabbed the bottle spitting the last word, "Dream." He then belched loudly.

Ro' stepped into Germites vision and Germite broke into a wide smile, "Ro' HoD! I knew you would find me eventually."

Germite gestured at the seat opposite. Ro' continued to stand watching him, disruptor levelled.

"I did what you said, " Germite provided, "I sealed all of the vents and released the gas. I went around and double checked all the vents. Guess what I found in the transporter room."

Ro' didn't answer, his face remained impassive.

"I found Lach, dead in his own congealed blood, and the transporter controls destroyed." Ro' did not respond so Germite went on. "Maybe it was an accident? Maybe the panel blew up and Lach fell on a sharp piece of metal? But then I went to the Targ room and found what was left of 'Iw'a'na'. Poor bastard. Targs had eaten so much of him I had to do a scan to check it was him."

"That's when I found something odd, well, odder than all these dead Klingons. The DNA was his, and it was breaking down, but the decay suggested he had been dead for weeks, and I know I had talked to him this morning, right here."

"I went to the Bridge to tell you, and found Bruce. He was dead, too, and the same DNA decay. I started searching for anyone else, and just kept finding bodies. Last one was HoS. Someone had planted a micro explosive in a cupboard and jammed the door. HoS only had one solution to everything; wrench the door open. Scanned him. The DNA traces were decaying faster than the carbon scoring left by the explosives."

"So, I worked it out. It wasn't HoS. Or 'Iw'a'na', or Bruce or any of them. Someone had been building Clones. The amplified DNA growth was leading to the accelerated decay after death. That's why you were killing them all; they were clones sent to replace your crew and steal your honour."

"Then I did the thing that had to be done; I scanned myself."

Germite picked up the bottle and drained the last of its contents.

Ro' placed the disruptor onto the bench, "ToH. You know what needs to be done."

Germite nodded, "Who does this? Why?"

Ro' answered quietly, "Jeeves, the computer, thinks it was the Corporation; that they took genetic samples while we were carrying their representative to the Maego/Capular conflict. I happened to stumble across my own double and killed it. They stole the ship," he waved to take in the walls and surrounds, "This at least is real."

"They must have got data on our newer members of crew at another time, and a memory graft to plant in us; that would be the hardest part."

"If you say so," Ro' replied, non-committally.

"I should be fighting you, or running away but..." Germite looked up at his Captain, eyes moist, "I owe House Matlh a debt of my life. Perhaps this way I can pay it?"

Ro' was quiet for a while, then said quietly but firmly, "Stand up!"

Germite staggered to his feet. Ro' moved around to stand in front of him and placed his hand on either side of his head, "A warrior should always die on his feet, unafraid."

There was a sharp crack and Germite's body went limp.

"I do not know if clones go to Sto Vo Cor," Ro' said to the cooling corpse, "but you have shown me the true face of Germite, and he is a man of honour who deserves to walk its halls."