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Post by Sienna Haley on May 8, 2022 12:04:42 GMT -8
Sienna's finger had been tightening on the trigger when the man spoke her name. She froze, looking down the sight of the pistol in her hand at the men on it's business end. How- how do you know my name? Her composure returning as she tightened her grip on the handcannon but removed her finger from the trigger. This was a lot for her to take in. She couldn't be too trusting.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 8, 2022 20:18:16 GMT -8
He did relax too much as Sienna stopped moving to pull the trigger and demanded to know how he knew her name. He slowly shifted his sword, sheathing it as he stood up straighter, his thumb pressing the activator switch to turn the shield off and provide a properly unobstructed view of his face. If nothing else he could hope to call upon the favour of the gods and dodge the incoming projectile if she did decide to fire
Because I was there when your Father named you...
He unclasped the vambrace on his right arm, letting it drop to the floor as he rolled the sleeve back to reveal the emblem of the Knights of Zakuul that was tattooed there
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 10, 2022 20:15:43 GMT -8
Sienna's mind was racing as she saw the man put his weapon and shield away before showing a tattoo. Sienna edged closer to get a better look at it. If she were any less disciplined she would have dropped her firearm. One hand flew up to her mouth as the other slowly lowered the gun. It was the same tattoo she remembered her father bearing. Her knees went wobbly and then they went. She feel to the ground on her knees hand still clutched to her mouth in amazement. She thought all the Knights had been felled. Never once had she imagined to find them again. The soldiers behind her looked between each other and then loosened up, standing up themselves and relaxing. They kept their blasters ready just in case these three men did mean their leader harm. Sienna felt wave after wave of emotions. First was elation that she was not the last daughter of Zakuul. Second was sorrow, for her father who couldn't be here. Third was anger, why had these survivors not come for her, or helped her mother? And Fourth was confusion as more questions flooded into her mind. Though for now she lacked the voice to speak any of them. The pistol lay abandoned on the ground next to her while she looked up at the three Knights. AP-5 floated around its master, acting almost as sentury. If anyone approached too quickly they would meet the full wrath of its low powered stun beam.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 11, 2022 2:05:14 GMT -8
Leohaus and Trisale lowered their swords and sheathed them, but they still kept their distance behind their shields as Sienna seemed to collapse. Arlan, meanwhile, chanced moving closer, taking slow steps. Her soldiers had appeared to loosen up, but her droid was on protective duty and it would only take one false move for her men to tense up and fire on him again. He squatted down in front of her, but closer this time. Able to properly discern her features for the first time since seeing her in this hallway. She looked a lot like her parents. He missed them both dearly. They'd been the only family Arlan had when he joined the Knights of Zakuul
I'm sorry... about what happened to your Father... but most of all for what happened to your mother... I would have come to find you if I'd known back then...
He let out a sigh of regret
I'd heard rumours though... Looks like you got by pretty alright without me...
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 14, 2022 12:27:04 GMT -8
Sienna finally removed the hand from over her mouth in order to wipe away the beginnings of tears from the corners of her eyes. Yeah... She replied softly and reached inside her jacket. Grabbing the amulet that she had recovered of her mothers, she withdrew it and looked at it. The symbol engraved on it matched that which was on Arlan's arm. This- uhm... This was all I was able to recover of theirs. I- URGH. She exclaimed as she once again wiped the tears away from her eyes. The time she had spent as an orphan, a soldier, and a mercenary had taught her that showing emotions like this was weak. She took a deep breath before continuing. I don't blame you. Things fell apart, there was no way for you to know what had happened. Her other hand grabbed the abandoned pistol and un-cocked it before returning it to it's holster and looked the Knight in the eyes. Hers shimmered with tears of all emotions but she held them back through sheer will. There was something familiar about him, but it had over a decade ago, it was like remembering a fragment of a dream within a dream. But it was familiar at for now that was enough.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 15, 2022 15:48:27 GMT -8
The pair of Knights deactivated their shields as Sienna produced the amulet, with Trisale opening a comm link to tell Daminige and Xanrick to stand down. Arlan, meanwhile, focused on Sienna as she pulled out the amulet. He would have recognised it anywhere as Pemma's necklace. It pained him to see it and be reminded of his failure. But that pain was soon replaced with frustration that it was all that Sienna had of her parents. He shifted his position down onto one knee as she fought back the tears and holstered her pistol. He moved his hand forward, cupping her hand in his own
It is fine Sienna... Those cowards may have denied you your fathers blade and armour, but we're here now... He always believed the Phalanx was still out there, ready to be claimed. It's yours to claim. If you still want it...
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 17, 2022 15:59:49 GMT -8
Sienna smiled and nodded resolutely. He may not be here to see it, but her dad's dream would come to pass. She stood up quickly and offered a hand to Arlan to help him up from his kneeling position. Ours to claim.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 18, 2022 3:57:51 GMT -8
He looked up at Sienna from his knelt position. He'd been in this position once before with Trist, with the man saying the same thing. The flashback was brief, but it brought a smile to Arlan's face as he accepted Sienna's hand and rose up himself. He rolled his sleeve back down to cover his forearm
Together then... For Zakuul...
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 20, 2022 21:56:41 GMT -8
Sienna beamed at the man for a moment longer before turning back to face her mercenaries. Alright, go and meet the other crews that are docking now. Kellim, I need you to coordinate the searches Apee and I will stick with these folks and locate the bridge! There was a moment of hesitation from the group. Not out of doubt of their leader, but they had not had the same life changing experience with the strangers. But ultimately the Captain never steered them wrong and could take care of herself. The Rodien that Sienna had singled out snapped a quick salute before they all filed back into the turbolift. Sienna turned back to the Knights of Zakuul. So, any ideas?
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 21, 2022 3:00:46 GMT -8
As Sienna gave orders to her group, Trisale and Leohaus made their way along the corridor, collecting Arlan's discarded bracer. He turned toward the pair and strapped his bracer back in place as Sienna turned back around and asked if they had any ideas as to where the the Bridge would be. Given the ships design, they couldn't have been too far away. Arlan pulled out a small holoprojector disk and activated it, causing the scan of the Phalanx to appear and zoom in on their current position
It should be somewhere around here... If we head along the corridor next to the turbolift and take these two turns, that should get us there...
The indicated pathway highlighted in yellow before Arlan turned the display off and indicated the appropriate corridor to follow
After you...
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 26, 2022 7:27:51 GMT -8
Sienna nods and gets her blaster carbine back to the ready before taking point. They may have found these Knights to not be hostile, but who knew what else could be lurking in this dormant ship. The trip was short, though all the while getting reports from her mercs that they were securing different portions of the ship. But soon Sienna lead the group to a grand door. One that was sealed. Apee, see if you can get this thing open, will ya?
Mreep-worp.
Okay, okay, I wasn't doubting you, but it is old tech.
The droid indignantly floated over to the nearby console and began its work. And before long the doors hissed open to reveal the bridge.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 26, 2022 18:25:26 GMT -8
Arlan activated his tower shield and unsheathed his sword as Apee managed to interface with the console and opened the doors to what should be the bridge. The room was dark and unlit, like much of the ship had been. But at the far end of the space, a viewport outside was visible. The weak light of a far off star giving the hull a dim glow
Stay close...
He moved forward into the room. He had no real reason to be concerned. The Phalanx had, presumably, sat dormant for generations. Whoever had been in this ship should have been dead long ago. However, there was the possibility that there had been a droid crew that was just waiting to ambush them. But that seemed unlikely. Nonetheless, he still had a bad feeling and was going to exercise caution.
The shield threw off a orange glow, which reflected off the control consoles as Arlan moved deeper onto the bridge. No alarms or failsafes, or traps had triggered. Which was good
Well... it seems empty... Reckon Apee can get some power routed here?
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 27, 2022 7:49:37 GMT -8
Well, what do you think, Apee? Sienna looked over her shoulder at the small probe floating close by. The probe simply floated over to the first bank of controls and started its interfacing. He does like a challenge. And a challenge it seemed to be, it took the small probe some time to fully grasp the ancient and alien technology before it. But before long the computers hummed to life and light from the monitors began to fill the empty room.
Beep-weep-woup
Huh, sounds like we have to find the captains controls and reverse the lockdown to get full power restored.
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 27, 2022 23:39:42 GMT -8
Sounds familiar...
Arlan moved to the back of the bridge, studying the space while Leohaus and Trisale had spread out to examine the various stations and consoles. Despite its age, most of the setup was quite similar to vessels of the current day and age. Arlan turned back toward Apee and Sienna as the power came back on and she stated they would need to find the Captains controls
Hmm, I think that should be through here...
Arlan deactivated his shield and reached out, calling upon the favour of the Gods. The door in front of him stood resilient for several moments, before the force enacted upon it was too great. The controls activated and flew open. Arlan quickly brought his sword forward as he caught sight of a figured in the darkness
Son of a....
He caught himself as he took a moment longer to take note of the glass tube and liquid that filled it. Holding its occupant in a suspended animation
I think I found the Captain...
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Post by Sienna Haley on May 31, 2022 18:08:11 GMT -8
Sienna quickly moved over to where Arlan stood. She saw it too, and raised the carpine and flipped the light affixed to it on. The flash light illuminated the room, showing the interior and the man in suspended animation more clearly. Woowh. Sienna shivered at the sight.How- How long has he been like that?
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on May 31, 2022 22:31:14 GMT -8
Thanks to sienna's light, Arlan was able to get a better look in the room and the tank keeping its occupant asleep. He lowered his sword as he moved forward to a control panel and started working some of the controls
Hard to say... Could be weeks... months... years...
He managed to scroll through a few menus, working through till he found the system activation log and a run time clock. He stared at the read out, his brows knitting together as he processed the number
That can't be right...
He went back a few menus and made sure he was following the correct prompts for the latest cycle and came back to the same readout screen. He checked and rechecked the positioning of the timers
Either I'm reading this wrong, or.... This guy has been asleep for about three and a half thousand years....
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Post by Sienna Haley on Jul 4, 2022 19:06:36 GMT -8
Sienna shivered at the sight again. She moved over and looked over Arlan's shoulder and confirmed what the knight had said. Her eyes then went back to the suspended figure. Uhh, well, what should we do about him? Can't imagine he's going to take the change of times too well...
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Post by Arlan Orion [RETIRED] on Jul 5, 2022 15:00:58 GMT -8
Arlan lifted his gaze up to the Knight suspended in the tank. 3500 years was a long time to be asleep, and a hell of a lot had changed in that time. Who knew just how things had stood before this long sleep had been started. Arlan was fairly familiar with that period of Zakuulan history, during the reign of Emperor Valkorion. He turned his gaze to Sienna
Well, we can't exactly just leave him like this... Ok, we probably could, but we shouldn't. He definitely won't take the time change well, but it's also possible those controls we need will remain locked out if we don't wake him up...
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Kurōn
Member
Reborn Again!
Posts: 83 
Affiliation: Unknown
Traffic Light: Red
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Post by Kurōn on Feb 13, 2023 13:36:13 GMT -8
Flashes of light, memories and visions danced within the mind of the slumbering clone. Intense anger and pain, the sense of loss, of triumph. Everything swirled within his mind, though it didn't feel like his own thoughts. The exact moment in which he began to exist and differentiate himself from the foreign memories was unclear. But he was here now. Though everything felt strange. Like this wasn't his body. Like it was meant to be elsewhere. It nagged at the back of his mind. He was supposed to be a powerful and feared being. Hated and respected, all at once. I am the Sith'ari! No, that didn't seem right? That was the other presence within, the suppressed one. He was the dominant one. This was all his, not the other's. My name is Viox Savage and I am the Black Emperor! Again? No. That couldn't have been true. Who ever or whatever the Black Emperor was, it wasn't him. Am I Xander? No. That name brought immense anger and hatred. We are not him. I am not him. I am...me...? Is that right? Whatever he was, he wasn't any of those things. Names and faces flashed through his mind. Vladimir? No. That is the brother to him. Venom? No. Former pupil. Vasari? No. Another pupil. Larissa? No. Sadness and a great sense of loss accompanies that name. We loved that one. Or, he did. I do not. Everything was a mess. Nothing made complete sense as he was bombarded with names, faces, memories associated with them. Great battles were fought, right before his eyes, though he never moved. It was strange, but some of it actually made sense. I want to conquer! I want to attain the unattainable. I crave power! Those things seemed true. At least to him. And the other one seemed to agree. There was also these strange whispers, associated with the other one. Familiar yet very foreign at the same time. Who or what were they? They were unimportant. Or were they? He cannot function without them anymore. But I can. They do not hold sway over my mind like his. Then there was a gnawing, draining sensation. Blackness, but all consuming. It hungered for him. But he would not go. Perhaps the other would, but he would not. The void beyond the black was empty. Barren. Desolate. No, that was not his purpose. The other's purpose may have laid beyond, but not his. What is my purpose? I cannot answer that, for I do not know. The other one seemed to have a great purpose. But I am not him and he is not me. I shall find a purpose.Who said that? Not me. I do not know if I can. Something prevents me from...speaking? Everything was jumbled. Twisted. Finding the right words was difficult. And then a jolt coursed through him. What was that? It...hurt. And then another, and another. Becoming more constant. It felt as though he was waking up. The other one in here wants out, but I have control, he does not. As the electricity coursed through him, everything began to wake up. Muscles moved, involuntarily at first, though with some guidance, he moved them. Eyes opened. Everything was blurry. Distorted. Hands clenched and unclenched. Hearts began beating faster. Anger coursed through him...Feeling a strange sensation flow through him, all he knew was that it needed to be expelled away from him. With one almighty push, there was a loud crash. And the sound of a voice could be heard. His voice, not the other one. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he lunged forward and impacted with something solid and cold. It was armor. Swinging wildly, his fists connected with something solid. And pain shot through him. Letting out an angry roar, he pushed with the strange sensation again. There was a loud crash as something fell. Breathing heavily, taking in the sweltering heat, an audible SNAP-HISS was heard. A lightsaber. Still partially blinded from the tank's liquid, he hunched down, preparing to strike again. The buzzing hum whizzed past his left ear, and the extreme heat with it. Reaching out and grabbing something cold and solid, he twisted and pushed. A surprised "Oof" was heard and the buzzing of the lightsaber stopped. It was hot and his hearts were racing. Quickly rubbing his eyes and shaking his head to clear his vision, it finally cleared. Dark, lava scorched rock and brilliant orange streams greeted his eyes. Looking around, an armored being was on the ground several feet in front of him, and the other was laying on the ground several feet off to his right. Neither moved. Slowing his breathing, and his beating hearts, he looked around. Aside from the tank he had just emerged from, plus several others that were buried, the room they were in was nothing more than a cave."Where am I?"His throat burned and his voice cracked, but the words escaped his lips. A familiar sound, yet foreign to his own ears. Whatever, that wasn't important right now. Relaxing a little, he looked around again, trying to clear his head and think. Before he could, a holographic image appeared before him.I am Viox Savage, Sith'ari to the Blackguard Imperium and leader of the Zabrak clan, Clan Savage. I have prepared this as a contingency that is unexpected, but not unforeseen...as planned, I have created multiple clones of myself. Something to contain my essence, given the rapidly decaying state of my current body and mind. It is a temporary solution, but an effective one. It staves off the rot from within and the accompanying madness, for a time. If you are hearing this, you have awoken earlier than anticipated. You will be disoriented and confused. While I cannot predict the possibilities of why you are awake ahead of schedule, I will do my best to guide you.Watching the way the skeletal looking man moved and spoke, he listened. A clone? Woken up before schedule? What was all this? But before any of the questions that were left swirling in his mind could be voiced or answered, the image continued to speak.I have integrated a shard of my A.I's matrix into this message, making it a sort of interactive guide. While it is incapable of interacting with the environment around it, it is capable of interacting with my physiology. And it is capable of limited verbal interactions. But before I get to that, whatever the reason you are awake, I would suspect that my foreseen demise has finally transpired. Either I am dead or soon will be. Despite this, you can assume my mantle. And I am willing to help you attain it, so long as you follow my instructions. Located to the left of the cloning cylinder, is a small chest. Inside it are clothes and a lightsaber. Take them.Rather than question it, he turned and moved over to the chest. Opening it revealed a tunic and cloak, as well as a double-bladed lightsaber hilt. Disregarding the tunic, he donned the belt from the tunic and and cloak. Grabbing the saber hilt, he clipped it to his belt. Turning back to the hologram, he spoke."What next?"Without missing a beat, the hologram continued speaking.Remove this projector from its cradle and take it with you. It will prove useful.Without hesitation, he stepped towards the projector and picked it up. The image wavered and shrank down to a much smaller size.Upon interaction with the projector, it has analyzed your DNA. You will now be able to interact with this image. It's capabilities are limited to direct interaction with you and you alone. It cannot interact with the environment. Think of it as a...virtual intelligence. Now. I would imagine that whatever dangers are lurking near by have not been dealt with accordingly. Proceed outside and take whatever ship you can find. Don't worry, you'll know how to pilot it.Letting out a sigh, he glanced around once more. The bigger armored being as beginning to move. It was time to go. Rather than arguing with a holo, he did as told and proceeded outside. As the doors parted, a shuttle was revealed. Climbing up the ramp, he moved to the cockpit. The controls were surprisingly familiar. With little difficulty, the shuttle was powered up and rose up off the ground. Tossing the holo projector onto the copilot's seat, he piloted the craft skyward.Once you are in orbit, proceed to these coordinates.The image of a skeletal man in loose fitting robes was replaced with a set of coordinates. Wasting no time, he input them into the navicomputer as the shuttle cleared the planet's atmosphere. Moments later, it disappeared into hyperspace... |
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,416
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on May 14, 2023 9:59:07 GMT -8
Otherspace Beyond both realspace and hyperspace existed the pocket dimension of otherspace, a vast expanse of storm-grey nothingness, replete with a few swirling nebulas and stars serving as shining holes of utter darkness. On the edge of space near a super massive blackhole, the star courier known as the Grimblade first emerged, having barely survived the destruction of Salis D'aar. Stunned from his fight with Endor, Dragus was roused to alertness by a number of paws shaking his scaled form. He groaned, blinking blood from his natural eye while focusing the rakatan implant in the other. His claw talons gripped the deck of the ship and he forced himself off the floor, rising first to a crouch and finally coming to stand as he brushed himself off, releasing the dust caught in his robe of black rishii feathers. His signature rishii skull-cap had been broken in the fight, leaving only the broken bit of beak still sitting over the end of his snout. His overlong tail with its sinister tail spike curled behind the black scaled barabel as he took in his surroundings, quickly slipping past the worried paws of Lil'Bacca and Lil'Mort as he entered the lift up to the second level. As the doors slid apart and he stepped into the cockpit, the Dark Apothecary could see Lil'Havok and his ranat assistant Squeakers working at the controls. He stopped as he reached the cockpit window, staring out the transparasteel barrier at the endless void beyond."Where are we?" Rasped the reptilian, more curious than alarmed by their situation. The blind bear in the pilot's seat remained voiceless as usual, but Squeakers attempted to elaborate on their situation in a quick series of squeaks and squeals. Bringing a crooked claw under his scaled snout, Dragus stroked his chin as he listened, nodding his head as he hemmed and hawed. His eyes glanced over the sensor display, causing the deranged draconian to lean in and tap one long obsidian talon on the screen. "What about thiz? That lookz like a planet just beyond the blackholez gravitational pull." Neither of his furry minions were excited about that prospect. It would be extremely dangerous to approach. Even so, the mad alchemist would not be dissuaded from pursuing that course of action. "It'z the only land around and we need to ssset down to perform repairz, otherwissse we aren't going anywhere." He was referring to their hyperdrive unit which had been damaged during their escape. According to the cockpit readings and the amount of acrid smoke coughed up by the rear section of the star courier, it was clear their hyperdrive would need to be replaced, not simply repaired. Despite their misgivings, the furry duo followed the Famine Lord's instructions and guided the Grimblade carefully towards the planet, watching the gravimetric readings as reality seemed to distort around them the closer they got to the blackhole. Eventually the dart shaped transport reached the edge of the planet's atmosphere and dipped inside, streaking down towards the surface, descending to the rocky terrain below. From their vantage point in the air they noticed several primitive looking settlements scattered across the planet, though they were careful to avoid these for the most part. They didn't yet know who lived here. Eventually a landing spot was selected not far from what looked like a small village. The landing struts extended as the Grimblade lowered to the ground on repulsors, its engines cooling once the ship set down."Squeakerz, ssstay here and help Lil'Havok with the repairz. I'm going to take Lil'Bacca and Lil'Mort with me to ssscout out the area. Perhapz the inhabitantz of thiz world can be bartered with or sssubjugated. I sssuspect we'll need their aid to leave thiz place."He returned to the lift and descended just as the boarding ramp lowered to the ground outside with a hydraulic whine. Dragus walked down the ramp, his feathered robe swaying in a cool breeze that blew in from the North, causing the satchel of alchemy supplies under his left arm to rattle as the contents inside clacked together. The burly bear Lil'Bacca stood to his right, wearing a simple man-hide hood over its chestnut furred head and a worn leather patch over a missing eye. In its thick hands it wielded a gnarled wooden club embedded with what looked like fragments of human teeth. The broad chested cyclopean ewok gave the club a few warm up swings. Joining him was his counterpart, Lil'Mort, an emaciated dark furred bear that carried the sacred ewok spear of powa! The primitive wooden handled spear with its stone tip was held in his withered right paw as he thumped it along on the Hungering One's left side. Approaching from the distance, the Dark Apothecary thought he could spot some of the locals heading in their direction. He held his right claw over his scaled brow and pointed his left index claw at the nearing figures."Here comez sssome of the nativez. Allow me to do the talking." He hissed, standing up a bit straighter as the amethyst gem set in his left eye zoomed in on the approaching party. "Diplomacy iz my ssspecialty."As the natives got closer, Dragus began to make out some of their physical attributes. The appeared almost insectile, arachnid really, walking on four chitinous exoskeletal legs with four matching arms protruding from either side of their torso. They towered over the members of the flock, including the saurian Sith who stood at just over six feet in height. The six members of the approaching welcoming party were at least eight feet tall, armed with crude looking spears and falchions, held by clawed hands covered in the same molted carapace as the rest of their hairy exoskeleton. Pure and unquestioned aggression was the mood of the gathering as they approached, clacking the mandibles of their disgusting insectile mouths as they communicated in clicks and squeals. Our heroic antagonist gulped as the towering brutes got closer, taking warm up swings of their own not so dissimilar to what Lil'Bacca had just done. Once the arachnids, unknown to the Blood Wyrm at this time as Charon, picked up their pace and began to charge. The eyes of the flock members widened and they backed up towards the ramp of the Grimblade, uncertain what to do in the face of these approaching giants.Not the villainous velociraptor, however, who planted his clawed feet and dug a hand into his satchel of supplies. He removed the scaled appendage a moment later, holding in his palm a translucent glass sphere containing a swirling luminous green gas. Cocking his arm back, the depraved drake lord threw the globular grenade at the approaching figures, where it shattered across the chitinous chest of the nearest charon, quickly releasing an expanding cloud of acidic green gas that ate away at their molted carapace. The arachnid that had been directly struck shrieked as its chest sloughed away in a pool of dissolving goo, stalling the charge and forcing the other five to back away, coughing as their eyes and orifices began to leak blood. The forest of razor sharp incisors inhabiting the Great Devourer's jaws glinted as he flashed a wicked grin, flicking out his forked tongue and misting the air with flecks of crimson. He snickered and retrieved a second globular, which he tossed into the center of the partially blinded pack. The glass sphere shattered on the ground and kicked up another cloud of altered dragon's-breath, causing the remaining five to drop to their knees and clutch at their throats, unable to draw breath as their lungs turned to liquid in their burning chests. Even their incredible size and physique wouldn't save them from Famine's Breath.Unfortunately for Famine and the members of his Flock, the next several encounters with the locals went about as well, with Dragus and his companions repeatedly being forced to defend themselves. Combating the giant arachnid charon proved a taxing experience, as physically each was more than a match for Dragus and had to be countered with his arsenal of diabolical weaponry. Lil'Mort had taken to arranging the decapitated spider heads on their own spear pikes set around the perimeter of the landing site. Time passed differently in the pocket dimension, as though frozen in place by the eternal twilight that gripped it, limbo in its truest self. While in realspace a matter of days had passed since the events of Salis D'aar, for the self proclaimed Feaster of Worlds, years had passed. Without a functional hyperdrive, the Flock had no means to return to realspace, though their leader was not to be discouraged, eventually jury rigging a new hyperdrive design of his own.
Thirty Otherspace years later... In a dark citadel raised by the enslaved charon army of the new Emperor of Otherspace, the members of the Flock gathered in the highest reaches of the tower, in the crowning chamber known as the Occulorum that looked out into the endless void of death threatening to consume the planet. The centre of the room was dominated by a massive structure of swinging brass and spinning copper, an animate collection of cogs and gyroscopic lenses that acted as a viewing portal into the celestial heavens beyond, essentially a telescope on a magnificent scale. The rest of the room was adorned with an assortment of crystal objects, mostly consisting of nihil smokestone, one of the few recognizable elements in the pocket dimension that acted in a similar capacity as meltmassif. Through his scrying orbs the Great Devourer was still able to keep tabs on realspace, even if it was still physically beyond his reach. Shockingly it seemed almost no time had passed on blessed Pzob, while decades had accrued for Dragus and his furry minions, even if their physical forms seemed equally frozen in perpetuity. Those years had no been spent idle.In addition to conquering the charon race and homeworld, as well as building his Seeing Spire which was commonly referred to as the Citadel of the Eye, the Dark Apothecary had been working his craft to develop a new hyperdrive unit for the Grimblade. Consulting the Ewokinomicon for assistance, the saurian Sith unraveled the mysteries of this parallel dimension and uncovered the secret of the Anti-Force, which in this strange realm worked similiarly to how the darkside operated in realspace. The scheming serpentine lord spent a decade studying the unique energy field before beginning work on the hyperdrive unit in question, which he forged using a combination of alchemy and dark science. While he remained confident the device would work, he still lacked another essential ingredient to make it operate: fuel. Despite his best efforts to track down purrgil or find an alternative fuel source, nothing as of yet had yielded any results. In fact, while the other members of the Flock were carving out fiefdoms for themselves on the charon homeworld, Dragus spent those tireless years labouring to create a new source of fuel. Now the members gathered in a grand council, awaiting the Hungering One's news.Seated at an open half circle table were his flockmates. The cyclopean bear Lil'Bacca, reclined on a throne of spider chitin, casually picking course hairs from the arm of the seat as he appeared bored. The furry avatar of war had spent the decades unifying the tribes of charon into a fearsome fighting force worthy to serve the Eye. The arachnid natives had come to venerate the one eyed ewok in the same way the tribal gamorreans of Pzob worshipped the true Lord Bacca. Seated beside him was the bone thin wisp of a black furred ewok, Lil'Mort, wearing a robe of molted spider carapace over his sunken features. The ewok's dark eyes lingered on the smokestone palantír placed around the Occulorum, while his right paw remained firmly locked like a claw around the wooden haft of the ewok spear of powa! The sacred spear still remained in his possession, even after three decades of death and misery in this colourless dimension. Blind Lil'Havok was seated beside an ornately garbed Squeakers, who was wearing a crown of thorns and crossed his paws over finely spun robes of charon silk. On the opposite side on the table, the rishii song bird Squawkers, roosted on a spider-leg stand. The kidnapped sentient bird had truly developed into an official flock member during its time in Otherspace, even if its body had not aged a day.At the opening of the table stood Dragus, both claws leaning on a lightsaber-cane he had constructed in those long years of isolation, which he appeared to carry more as a sign of station than for any physical impairment. In fact the years of work had treated him well, offering the Famine Lord much opportunity to master the properties of the Anti-Force and bend it to his malign will. He practically radiated dark power as he stood before the flock, dressed in a spider carapace long coat that revealed his naked scales underneath, his former feathered robe long since disintegrated over many long years of service. Even after thirty years in limbo, the rakatan amethyst gem set in the Blood Wyrm's left eye still glowed with an awful baleful light, allowing the Dark Apothecary an unblemished view of the Eye well beyond his current reach. It called to him, even here in this pocket dimension of un-life. Dragus' feral grin stretched impossibly beyond the borders of his scaled visage, displaying the rows of sharpened daggers that filled his black gums, spilling hot salivation down his chin that ran in gooey ropes towards the floor. Grey lightning cracked the sky behind the drake lord, setting a dark tone for his announcement."Ah, it iz good to have you all gathered here." He nodded, blowing wisps of coiling smoke from his flaring nostril slits, souring the air with a rancid note of rotten spider flesh. "Too long haz it been." His grin deepened and he flexed his claws, eliciting a machine gun rattle of sinuous pops from his bestial joints. "Not to worry, I haven't called you all here becaussse I misssed your presssence, though indeed I have. No, I called you all here to relay my successs. I have finally achieved the imposssible!" His tail spike came down on the ground, striking it hard enough to draw a shower of orange sparks as the Sith iron blade splintered the stone. Reaching into his spider carapace coat, the black scaled barabel removed his claw, revealing in his palm a small vial of glowing red liquid. "Behold, my brilliant sssynthetic versssion of Clouzon-36, what I have appropriately coined Clouzon-37!"The members of the flock cheered, banging the table with their paws and whooping in the celestial tongue. Though each of them had made a home for themselves in this alternative reality, they were all eager to return to realspace where they could sate their unusual appetites on a variety of sentient lifeforms as opposed to the arachnid flesh they'd been forced to substitute with for the last three decades. |
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