Days of preparation went into the first annual Death Touch Squadron Samhain/Halloween party: readying of the Castle and grounds of House Mjolnir; purchasing of supplies, food and drink; acquisition of equipment; and cleaning/assembling/construction of costuming. Finally, November 2nd arrived with great anticipation had by all.
Kas’Duj and I returned from errands to find the bonfire already blazing. Then he, Sov’Tah and T’Loria had to go meet Ten of 12 and Guinan to lead them through the asteroid belt to a safe landing at Castle Mjolnir. Kordestai, Sov’Tah’s mate, and I were tasked with keeping the fire burning. The microburst that struck us soon after the others warped away had other plans. It was a battle, pure and simple: keeping the fire going during the rain, and keeping the surrounding grounds from igniting from the high wind. Weapons of choice for our hour-long battle were a rake and an umbrella. We were successful and by the time the others returned all was well.
As 4:00 pm neared, preparations reached a fever pitch with setting up of all the various stations. First on the menu was gagh (spaghetti) preparation, beginning with frying up hamburger. After Kordastae fired up the grill, I oversaw the charring of the patties (constructed from some poor guy named Angus) and jumbo gagh (hotdogs). Sov’Tah made chili, slaw and punch. Kordastae assisted with the French onion dip and other needs. Ten of 12 sliced tomatoes and assisted with the garlic bread. I ran back and forth keeping everything going, including removing cooked meat on the grill and replacing it with raw.
Ultimately there were four basic stations. On the bar were libation offerings (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) which you could consume out of either black or red cups. Beside that on the stove was the gagh station (boiled gagh, seasoned blood sauce, cheeses, and garlic bread). Outside was the snack/dessert station complete with several kinds of chips, all manner of candies, veggie plate for our Vulcans, French onion dip, snack crackers, and desserts (thanks to Nivek for making the red velvet cake, his first!). The last station was the most visited: the meat station: hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, chili, slaw, condiments, lettuce, tomato, onions, sliced cheeses.
Around 4:00 pm the attendees began to Feast! The majority of the revelers were from House Mjolnir. They included IXL Captain Grakus vestai-Mjolnir (aka Kas’Duj in his new Romulan persona), Lt. Sov’Tah tai-Mjolnir (as Red Riding Hood), Lt. T’Loria tai-Mjolnir (as the Big Bad Wolf), Lt. Kordastae tai-Mjolnir (as Red’s pet cat), IXL Lt. 10 of 12 tai-Mjolnir (as Sonic the Hedgehog), Lt. BeQ’cha vestai-Majjas (cloaked), IXL Lt. Nivek tai-Majjas (cloaked), Lt. Kembri tai-Mjolnir (as the Queen Bee), and IXL Lt. Suran tai-Mjolnir (cloaked), and me (an honorary member). Others in attendance were Guinan, an El-Aurian, and the human, Chris. The ships that were represented were: IKV Executioner, IKV Raging Wolf, IKV Fanged Moon and a new Borg sphere that has not been assigned its designation.
The night air was chilly, but the bonfire burned warmly thanks in large part to Nivek who faithfully fed the flames. Marshmallows were skewered and sacrificed over those flames, as was at least one jumbo gagh, which Guinan sat contentedly munching on after it was appropriately blackened.
Around 8:30 pm, we adjourned to the Great Hall in the Castle for a meeting. The human Chris maintained watch over the fire. The swords and shields hanging on the walls made the ambiance of the Great Hall very warrior-like. We gathered in a circle and Grakus began to speak. He welcomed the attendees. He officially unveiled the Dark Star Quadrant Ship of Honor 2012 banner to the group. Qapla’!
He called K’Embri forward and commended her on her service and hard work for the ship. He then announced her promotion to 1st Lt. vestai. K’Embri has gone above and beyond to serve KAG despite many health setbacks. She is an inspiration to everyone around her. Qapla’!
After Grakus completed the promotion ceremony, I requested to speak. I thanked House Mjolnir for the generous use of the Castle Mjolnir and its lands for the Samhain/Halloween celebration. I encouraged all ship commanders present to purchase a human-style skull and paint or affix a red trefoil (Grakus added that he put a black circle behind the trefoil, and that if you wanted you could paint flames on the sides of the skull) on its forehead to symbolize the Death Touch Squadron logo. I also encourage all DTS commanders who did make the event to do the same. Place your Death Touch Squadron prop proudly on your KAG tables wherever you go as a symbol of squadron solidarity. I also thanked everyone who came and wished all the attendees and their respective ships much success!
After the meeting we exited the Great Hall and returned to the bonfire to continue feasting. But the frigid weather drove us back indoors after a while. Grakus doused the fire and the rest of us carried all the food indoors to continue celebrating. By and by folks began to leave for their respective home coordinates, especially Guinan and Ten of 12 who had a long journey ahead of them. Eventually, Sov’Tah, T’Loria, BeQ’cha and K’Embri embarked on a game of Phase 10, while Kordastae and I chilled. Grakus worked on his AERs.
Events of this kind demonstrate what I like to call “the Joy of Kahless.” After Worf knocked the clone down, Kahless asked, “What is wrong? Is there only anger and bloodlust in your souls? Is that all that is left in the Klingon heart? We do not fight merely to spill blood, but to enrich the spirit. Look at us. Two warriors locked in battle, fighting for honor. How can you not sing for all to hear? We are Klingons! Yes! Let it out! Let the joy in your heart be heard. We are Klingons!”
I submit that this joy is also found in celebrating with fellow Warriors. Coming together as a squadron presented all of us with challenges of one sort or another, but the end result was victory. Holo-images were taken, much food and libation were consumed, much wood was burned, great fellowship and camaraderie was had! It was glorious! The bar has been set for next year.
IXL Colonel Keela zantai-Septaric
CO, IKV Raging Wolf
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