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Post by Pox Bubonic on Apr 9, 2021 20:15:02 GMT -8
*Pod accepted a hail. We he cut the line at a wave of hand and a few shouts transfer to orbit began. Nothing out of the ordinary. All in the books. And ordered by the head of shipping and recieving. The transfer began in earnest. No outrageous amount but certainly weighty*
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Post by Pox Bubonic on Aug 9, 2021 19:40:23 GMT -8
Pox slaved away a his job, knowing full well that their was light at the end of tand lhe tunnel, both figurativel and quite literally. Yawning deep he glanced at the timeclock and realized another horrific 12 hour shift was coming to an end. He hurried his Head in his work. People certainly used a lot of this substance he mined. Too much and hence why he had this job. Pox whistled well he worked
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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.
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Post by Dragus on Sept 15, 2023 18:09:29 GMT -8
Streaking crimson lances of blinding red light disturbed the tectonics of the planet, casting a bloody pall over the horizon as black clouds of ash rose from the surface of Kessel in great plumes that obscured the star speckled tapestry of the night sky, followed by ground quakes that woke rivers of molten fire and split the earth in great venting fissures of toxic steam. The Tector-class Star Destroyer lingering in orbit was unleashing a rarely seen form of ruin on the planet, blistering the landscape with titanic blasts of concentrated turbolaser fire. The mines, carved deep beneath the crust down into the very heart of this unkind world, rattled and shook as the entire globe threatened to tear apart. Pyroclastic curtains rolled over the desolate dunes, swallowing up the open pit that served as the entrance of the spice mines, covering everything in a thick cloying layer of dust and kesselstone powder. The destruction reaped by the Night Lord served a dual purpose, concealing the approach of growling 125-Z treadspeeder bikes as their plasteel tracks tore up the terrain underneath, engines roaring hot as the red gammaplast armoured Sith Troopers riding them forced every last bit of speed from their mechanical mounts. As they neared the ash and dust choked caldera of the mines, the rear section of the grit spitting bikes catapulted jet troopers riding twi'lek on the back, launching them into the air as their NPJ-900 integrated jetpacks snarled to life. Coordinated with the military precision of a droid army, the Nu-Jake soldiers behind the red plate quickly brought down the last of the resistance standing between the Dark Apothecary and his prize.
Heavy laser cannons mounted on either side of the bikes barked, spewing super-heated emerald spears of concentrated light and energized gas, cooking Pykes in their protective suits as the fish-faced aliens were flash boiled and baked alive. The unleashed Raptor squads from the air did the rest, penning in those trying to flee as they took up high positions around the pit, their explosive rounds creating a fine red mist of gore every time they struck meat. Within minutes the entrance to the mine was secured, with the former overseers laying dead and decaying in the thin atmosphere slowly bleeding out into the void. Slaves lingered at the threshold of the entrance, uncertain what this new occupation meant for their already miserable existence. The answer to which did not require a long wait. Motion trackers mounted on armoured pauldrons assisted each NJ1 behind the red faceless helms they wore as they picked out targets, filling the mine mouth with a chorus of expanding blue cones with a kinetic punch as they had switched their blaster rifles over to the stun setting. A diverse collection of the disenfranchised collapsed in scores, rendered unconscious as the Sith Troopers continued their relentless advance. All the while distracting from the Y-45 armoured transport hauler descending from the sky towards the conquered caldera.
Held between the AT-hauler's powerful gantry arms was a massive black cauldron the size of an all terrain armoured transport, radiating a terrible wrongness that seemed at odds with nature itself. The Sith iron wrought pot was defaced with hatefully glowing red runes that seemed to shift under view, constantly changing from one moment to the next, written in the sorcerous glyphs of Pzobian black-script. A ghoulish figure in the pus stained robes of a hannite monk leaned over the clamp brace platform hugging the hauler's underside, thin lips of near translucent skin peeled back to reveal yellow bone nubs of teeth that had been filed to points, grit to the point where they caused an oozing trickle of corrupted blood to run down his chin. The cannibal leader of the hunger cults, Mephisto, dragged the back of a hand with risen veins that crisscrossed like blue spiderwebs across his filthy lips. His colourless umbaran eyes supervised as the Dark Apothecary's largest cooking cauldron was lowered into the pic-carved pit, ringing like the tone of a bell as its iron bottom struck the ground. The reverberating sound waves carried into the mines, condensed and intensified as they were focused through those narrow burrows. It drove men mad, they clutched at their ears as they ran willingly into stun bolts, piling into a growing mound that threatened to block the entrance with broken bodies.
Smiling wickedly, Mephisto leapt over the hauler's railing and dropped like a stone towards the particle slick ground, his rapid descent slowed at the last moment by an exertion of unnatural power. The darkside bled from his core, cushioning his landing with a pillow of air that dispersed the second his gore stained boots struck the dusty floor, kicking up a particulate bloom that clung to his soiled cloak. Silent as a wraith he rose from his crouch to stand, his left hand resting on the man-hide wrapped handle of the saw-toothed edged sword thrust through a loop on his belt. Famine's Fang pulsed beneath his touch, responding to the insidious currents of the malevolent fey that seeped through his flesh like blood from a stuck corpse. He turned his cadaverous grin towards the crimson clad troopers enacting the Eternal's red tithe, a wet gurgle rising from his phlegm filled throat as he issued commands with a hoarse voice charged with power but spoken as little more than a whisper. "The Devourer comes. Pile the kindling high at the base of the black cauldron, the corpse fires must run hot." He dragged a bloated black tongue over his near non-existent lips, already salivating in anticipation of what came next.
At gunpoint slaves were forced to stack the unconscious bodies of their fellow man, woman, and child at the bottom of the massive iron pot. They stacked them half a dozen horizontal body lengths high, tossing the still breathing meat sacks unceremoniously into place, smothering and suffocating those fortunate enough to be at the bottom. This took the better part of an hour, long enough for the guest of honour to arrive as a shrieking two headed black beast descended from the sky on large leathery scaled wings, landing on four massively muscular legs that ended in claws the size of sword blades. The battle hydra's two drake like heads snarled and expelled purple contrails of poisonous breath that blackened the dust and corrosively ate away at any organic matter it came into contact with. Seated on the great beast's back was a lone rider, his talon tipped toes resting in stirrups on either side of a large reek leather saddle. Cloaked in a robe of black rishii feathers with the top half of a bird bone skull resting atop his scaly black snout was none other than the Blood Wyrm, Dragus the Insatiable, Dark Lord of Famine and Master of the Alchemical Arts. The black scaled barabel's lizard legs bent and pounced, propelling him up into the air as he flipped end over end, landing no more than a dozen paces from where Mephisto stood.
The Dark Apothecary's scaled fifth appendage slithered from around his backside, rising in the air like an animate serpent before coiling over his shoulder, exposing the serrated spike that capped his overlong tail. The face of the blade glistened in the gloom, well oiled in a fresh coating of poisonous ichor of his own design. His black lips split to display a snout full of razor sharp incisors that sprouted from black gums, shredding the flesh of his mouth as he ground them together in irritability. A forked tongue flickered from between his forest of fangs, misting the air in front of his flaring nostril slits with a crimson mist, as beads of vitae ran down his chin and congealed across his neck. A bloody right eye beheld the hunger cultist, seeing the elevated hannite in the thermal spectrum as a cold blue stain on a fading orange background. The rakatan ocular implant set in his left socket captured the morally bankrupt umbaran's image in its amethyst gem, seeing the unseen as only one as attuned to the supernatural as the Hungering One could. A leathery creak sounded as the corners of Dragus' lips curled upwards and outwards in an impossible sneer that extended beyond the borders of his snout, displaying the full thicket of daggers that sprouted from his jaws, stained pink from his latest meal.
"Let'z begin." Hissed the smiling saurian, licking away the drops of bright crimson beading on his light swallowing scaled lips. "All thiz delightful death and dessspair haz worked up my appetite."
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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.
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Post by Dragus on Sept 16, 2023 9:13:42 GMT -8
Turning his snout over his feather clad left shoulder, the Great Devourer appeared more hungry vulture than scaled drake lord, with the bird skulls yellowed beak curling over the end to form a curved jagged point. The scaled lid set over his natural blood red right eye narrowed as his brow creased considerately, a fiendish thought flickering through the foul alchemist's darkside addled mind. His mismatched gaze beheld the monstrous battle hydra Draygore, growling in raw primal aggression that was barely contained through the Famine Lord's mental domination over the creature, requiring much of the black scaled barabel's focus simply to keep the beast in line. The two were quite the pair. Like Dragus with his vibro-dagger affixed tail, the battle hydra's fifth appendage ended in a whip like bladed stinger that wept an acidic crystallized poison, wilting the kesselstone powder blanketing the ground as it pooled in bubbling puddles, reeking faintly of rancid decay. It was at this time that the twisted terrorsaur recognized that his alchemy enhanced super-soldiers had finished stacking bodies at the base of the black cauldron, meaning it was time to begin in earnest. A sickly cackle escaped his mirthful mouth of glistening daggers as blood from his own shredded gums trickled back down his throat, before his tongue swept from side to side, spraying spittle and crimson flecks as the order was given.
"Dragaryz!" He snarled spitefully, exhaling a steaming cloud of his own poisonous breath that formed nightmarish apparitions in the air before quickly dispersing into the thin atmosphere. Draygore's twin long armoured necks curled as it focused its two draconian heads on the Sith iron cooking pot, expanding their massive toothed filled maws as cobalt blue flames of alchemical fire surged up their throats and roared from their monstrous jaws. The sorcerous flame struck the stacks of human kindling, immolating the outer layer into scattered ash while those further beneath the cauldron were transformed to burning coals, crackling as fat ran into liquid tallow and exuded greasy wisps of black smoke. The intense heat of the flames swallowed up any fleeting screams as the oxygen fed the cook fires warmed the pot. The runes etched into the darkside enriched metal grew brighter as the transformation of so much life into death super-charged the spells woven into the ruinous instrument.
As could be expected of the devilish drake lord, who feared nothing so much as solitude, he had brought along a necessary retinue knowledgeable of the task to follow. The Children of Decay hurry-scurried like a verminous tide from rusted LAAT gunships parked around the lip of the sixty foot high caldera surrounding the scar in the planet's surface. Scabrous ranats of Clan Skrittlespike dragged carts of bleached bantha bones gathered on thrice cursed Roon and began to assemble a raised platform around the steaming cauldron. Parasite ridden rodents quickly erected bone scaffolding held together with repurposed sinew and intestinal ropes, creating a ramshackle base upon which the Hungering One could stand. On talon tipped toes the villainous velociraptor ascended the platform until he stood above the cauldrons lip, taking in a deep breath of the pungent vapors released as the metal at the bottom of the pot began to glow a furious orange. He licked lips already wet with blood as scalding salivation seeped between his fangs and spilled over his lips to run down his chin in long gooey ropes that soiled the front of his feathered cloak.
Slowly twisting around like a boneless serpent, the Famine Lord nodded his beak helmed head to a pair of mutant ranat-ogres standing sentinel at the entrance of the mine. The two mentally limited but muscularly gifted products of rat science and sorcery acknowledged the Blood Wyrm by throwing open the large creaking mine doors. Emaciated hands covered haunted sunken eyes as slave unused to the light squinted as they were forced from their hole, made to walk a gauntlet of jeering rat-men that pelted them with rocks and pricked them with rusted spear tips. Kessoline vapors further obscured their vision, which was well, for if they were able to witness the horror that awaited them they surely would have risen up in panic, as any baser animal would. Instead they were led blindly up the platform, until the first few rows passed by a pleased Dragus and spilled into the cauldron. The fortunate first few to fall into the pot were near instantly vaporized, their physical bodies transmorgrified into liquid meat, blood boiling as flesh flowed like brackish water. As the pot began to fill with cadaverous fluid, the stench tickled the mad alchemist's flaring nostril slits, wetting his appetite and causing his belly to groan impatiently.
While the pot began to fill with congealed slaves, the Dark Apothecary reached a clawed hand into the satchel of alchemy supplies that hung beneath his left shoulder. He added things to enrich the growing cauldron of human stew, much of which you might expect. A pinch of salt and pepper for flavour, a dash of exonium to give it some bite, an entire carton of porg eggs, two dollops of creme fraiche...the list went on. Albino furred storm vermin with beady red eyes pushed repulsor sleds of glitterstim up the ramp, dumping several truck loads worth of potent narcotics into the growing mixture. With so many ingredients added to the slave soup, the boiling corpse waters began to cool, requiring regular injections of Draygore's alchemical flame to reignite the cracked cadaverous kindling beneath. Mephisto, high preist of the Hunger Cults and one of the Famine Lord's most devoted servants, appeared at his side with a bundled tarp nearly five meters in length. The ghoulish umbaran in gore stained mouldering robes pulled the zeyd-cloth covering from the object he carried, revealing a long handled ladle crafted in the same vain as the cauldron, consisting of solid Sith iron from the hell-forge beneath the Black Temple on blessed Pzob. The cooking instrument contained a portion of the old magics, painstakingly smithed by the barabel's own claw.
Dragus stirred the contents of the ginormous pot, pushing down struggling slaves shrieking in the scaling hot broth, mixing it all with the flare and flourish of a master chef. Satisfied as the pungent potion began to simmer, he secured hold on a glass tincture between his thumb and index talon, prying its cork stopper free with a nip from his bleeding jaws. Contained within the translucent container was an unnatural luminous green substance, otherwise known as the Uricinis-Helix, the Dark Apothecary's secret mutagenic elixir. All that was required was a few drops, no more than three lest he spoil the recipe, causing an immediate reaction in the chemical composition of the heinous concoction as it changed in hue from dark red to pestilent green. The fumes given off even caused the Hakusar's head to spin with pleasant hallucinations of winged ewoks encircling his tyrannical figure. Pulling the overlong ladle from the Potage Aux Esclave, the saurian Sith took a delightful swallow of the putrid substance and smacked his terrifying jaws in rapturous serendipity.
His finest work to date, a meal befitting the summa-verminoth he wished to court. He knew he was done when the near endless lines of slaves finally ceased, vacating the cavernous depths to completion, save for the spiders that called it home.
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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.
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Post by Dragus on Sept 18, 2023 10:25:15 GMT -8
His appetite temporarily sated by his sampling of the Potage Aux Escalve, the dreaded drake lord supervised as tanker tugs finished pumping the last of his miraculous meal from the black cauldron used to prepare it. How exactly he planned to deliver the spice enriched soup to the summa-verminoth was still some manner of debate, but he was determined to be present when the creature wetted its own palate with his master-crafted recipe. It was at this time the comlink device he kept in his satchel of alchemical supplies began to chirp rather annoyingly. "Emperor'z black bonez!" He cursed, rifling through the densely packed pouch until the talons of his left claw encircled the device and brought it to his ear-hole. Jedi confirmed in Kessendra, my lord. He heard, followed by a pause, and then... Your orders? Dragus practically spat the sopping salivation pooling in his lower jaw at this unexpected surprise. A stream of spittle and blood flecks escaped his black lips, accompanied by a full wracked rattle as his scaled body seemed to convulse ecstatically, vibrating all the way up to the serrated spike capping the end of his swaying tail. A Jedi? How fortuitous! He hadn't seen their like since the Sith Eternal's invasion of Ryloth. At the time he had been denied an opportunity to get them into his apothecarium as his favourite (but sometimes short sighted) Acolyte Xitan had immediately whisked them away after their capture. They no doubt were serving the Sith now after being subjected to the Eternal cults indoctrination, which was frankly a shame as it seemed to him like a missed opportunity to perform a thorough dissection and study. Well, he'd not stand idly by this time when a chance at fresh research was abound. He replied in his usual manner, soaking the comlink device in a crimson mist from his lisping lips."A Jedi? How interesssting. I rather thought their kind had gone extinct, but it appearz az though I waz pleasssantly missstaken. How wondrouz!" He hissed, unable to conceal the pleasure in his seductive serpentine voice. "Do be a dear and take care not to kill it. It'z been ssso long sssince I've had an opportunity to ssstudy one of their ilk. Thiz iz sssurely a gift from the Eye to itz mossst fervent follower. Sssubdue it if you can; I'm on my way."Switching off the comlink, he stuffed the device back into the satchel on his left hip and snapped the index and thumb talon of his right claw, signalling the battle hydra Draygore he had rode in on. The two headed draconian beast lowered its long necks, allowing the villainous velociraptor to ascend up to the reek leather saddle affixed to its back. A swirl of sinister emotions bled from the Famine Lord's wicked aura as he patted the monstrous mutant's armoured hide."Can you believe it, Draygore?" He queried his mount, his mismatched gaze practically glowing in the dark caldera of recent death. "A Jedi. Eye be praisssed. Come, let'z not dally while thiz opportunity presentz itssself."Beating its massive thirty meter long wingspan, the black scaled battle hydra lifted into the sky, kicking up kesselstone dust as it rose above the crater in the planet's surface and began the journey west towards the capital of Kessel.
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Sept 20, 2023 15:21:52 GMT -8
The trio of C-9979 Modular Frigates descended from orbit, passing through the atmosphere of Kessel and down towards the closest trio of mines. The Frigates descended into the pits and touched down before the front doors swung open. But instead of mechanical cohorts deploying out, there was a loud screech before the Necronids swarmed forth from their temporary mechanical homes. Necronid Workers were the first to exit the transports with Queen Teva and her Spatharii Guards being some of the last to leave the transports. Valefor strode down the landing ramp alongside the new Necronid Queen of Kessel. His hand patting the giant crest upon her head before she scurried off to find a place to build her hive.
More C-9979's would be on their way from Hypori soon, delivering materials and supplies to provide for the new Hive until it reached self sufficiency, but also to build a new Forge. Spice and Coaxium would be much more valuable in a processed state and carrying out that process on site would be more efficient than shipping it off-world first. Thus soon the Spice Forge would be born. The funds from the Spice Trade would help cover the costs of the Coaxium refining Operation that was needed to fuel the Eye of Astera once it was constructed.
With some time on his hands, Valefor surveyed the scene of Dragus' latest experiment and slaughter house. Despite the lack of bodies, there was plenty of evidence about what had happened here and within the other mines. Dragus' forces had descended upon Kessel and thrown the Slaves into disarray as they were rounded up or herded towards their doom. A shame really, they would have made a good source of food for the Necronids. However there was little point in fussing over spilt milk. Several smaller transports were already delivering down the supplies necessary to get the new Hive through until the C-9979's arrived from Hypori.
He'd stay around for a couple days to oversee the Hive's settlement and the opening stages of the construction of the Forge. An Overseer and several Anubian Guards would then see to the Forges completing and its long term operation
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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.
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Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Sept 24, 2023 5:32:44 GMT -8
Green vapours of kessoline obscured the approach of a modified Minstrel-class space yacht as the Commorragh descended towards the growing Necronid Hive, repulsors kicking up kesselstone dust as it neared the uneven ground marked with bubbling pools of chemical residue. Its landing gear extended at the last moment, crunching into the rock as the hydraulic systems accepted the weight of the craft, hissing as mechanical joints vented trapped atmosphere. Doors to its landing bay swung open and clattered against the surface, exposing the dimly lit interior, as beady red eyes seemed to wink to life. Hurry-scurrying from the bowels of the ship like a plague of vermin were the rat-kin of Dragusblight, those mechanically inclined tinker rats and warlock enginseers of Clan Rustrot. Chief among them was the Verminlord of the clan, more machine than mouse, Skaltera Brassclaw. As the name suggested, the cyborg rodent's right paw ended in a pneumatic vice that rang with skull rattling resonance every time the vile appendage snapped shut. Its left unaltered gnarled paw rested on an arcane electro-cane, topped with a firkraan crystal that occasionally crackled with electric discharge. One of the Dark Apothecary's poorly planned experiments had left the Chief Warlock Enginseer in a dire state, forcing him to accept cybernetic augmentations, extending his life beyond a ranats typically short years. He fixed the glowing red photo-receptor of his right eye on a pair of ranat-ogres dragging a hover-sled of equipment.Verminous rat science and ingenuity had improved upon the basic equipment the Pykes had used prior, allowing the raw coaxium harvested by the necronid swarms to be refined on site, quickly producing a supply of the Dark Apothecary's ultra-coaxium. Unlike ordinary refined hyperfuel, which shared the same glowing blue of hyperspace, this new variant was a murky red more reminiscent of blood. Skaltera lowered his snarling bronze snout, permanently fixed into a hateful expression, and inhaled the carcinogenic kessoline vapours bleeding from a filthy green puddle near where the tinker-rats worked. Mechanical lungs filtered most of the toxins, though it still left the Chief somewhat light headed, his lazy beady left eye almost vacant."Get to work!" He snarled in near indecipherable rat-speech, aiming the head of his electro-staff at one of the slower slave mice. Lightning coalesced around the crystal head before erupting from the end as Skaltera slipped a clawed thumb over the trigger. A thunderous electrical bolt struck the rodent worker and boiled the polluted blood contained inside their scabrous flesh, instantly immolating the ranat as the vermin's greasy fur caught flame. Snickering sinisterly, the Chief turned his wicked expression towards where the Fabricator General stood, overseeing the implementation of Queen Teva's hive. The Verminlord nodded his half mechanical head in deference to the demonic Forge Master, displaying the appropriate respect towards one as equally elevated as his own master.
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Oct 1, 2023 16:13:53 GMT -8
Not long after the Commorragh had landed and the Ranats began unloading their equipment, Necronids of Teva's Hive came running out of the nearest mine entrance. In the hours since their arrival they had been busy bridging the shafts together to ensure easier traversal. Queen Teva was already building a map of her new lair and mapping out the paths to ensure the most efficient paths and transportation of materials. But for now, she was directing a good dozen or so of her children to swarm the newly arrived equipment and take over transporting it into the nearest mines to keep safe. Once the first wave of transports arrived and the Spice Forge could be constructed in earnest, then the new equipment would find itself put to use.
Valefor made his way across the mine pits toward where the Transport had landed and Skaltera was stationed overseeing the unloading operations. The Ranat had certainly seen much better days, though his presence here did raise some questions. Questions which he hoped to try and get some answers to. He stamped the butt of the Hastae against the compacted dirt of the ground as he joined in overseeing the unloading operations
So we meet again Skaltera... Thankfully you're not trying to unload a mountain of garbage this time. Fallen out of favour with your Master? It seems you've got time enough to deliver this equipment but not enough to focus on other projects... Very curious...
Ranats, as far as he had observed, were very akin to children. Tease them enough in the right way and they seemed incapable of holding their secrets back
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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.
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Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Oct 2, 2023 6:53:58 GMT -8
Were the brass jaws of the Chief Warlock Enginseer's mechanical snout capable of scowling, they would have done so at the teasing jibe delivered by the demonic Master of the Forge. Instead, electrical forks sparked between his fixed electrum coated fangs, bleeding acrid smoke that reeked of scorched ozone. Exhaust piping protruding from the Vermin Lord's mechanical backside chocked the slave-mice working diligently behind the half metallic rodent, pumping carcinogens into the air as the whirring gizmos in the cyborg ranat's chest kept his twin mechanical hearts beating continuously.
"Nonsense!" Synthetically screeched the vocabulator unit wedged in Skaltera's brass collared throat, as even its robotically delivered speech couldn't completely contain the ire and cruelty contained within Chief's tone. "The Great Devourer has too much respect for the heights of ranat science reached by Clan Rustrot to relegate my esteemed services to an unworthy task. Nothing is currently more essential than the production of ultra-coaxium since the decline of Dragusbl..." CREAK! A rusty grind of unlubricated joints shrieked from Skaltara's jaw as it snapped shut, silencing the boasting rodent's vocabulator before he completely spilled the beans.
He had already been goaded into saying too much. The Hungering One's instructions had been quite clear: none were to know about the disaster currently unfolding in the infinity way. That was easy enough for Skaltera's master, whose own fortunes weren't exclusively tied to the under-empire, but for Clan Rustrot it meant an end to their very way of life. Such apocalyptic events hadn't befallen the great ranat race since the coming of the Eye that eventually led to the great migration to their new capital of Dragusblight. Even with the recent aid from the forces of Pzob, it had barely stemmed the spider tide. The tinker-rats of his clan had even unleashed the Doom-Wheel of Spinning Destruction on the spider hordes, only to have it explode shortly after launch, taking most of the shadow-squeaks of Clan Moonblade with it. Now it was down to a war of attrition between the storm-vermin of Clan Skrittlespike and the charon menace. Every hour, millions of vermin-kin entered the gate, swallowed up to never be seen again. Seismic charges and hyper-matter bombs had been rigged along the stalagmites above the ranat capital, in case the worst befell the city. Setting off the charges would likely cause the planet of Roon to implode, unless his calculations were off, but what were the odds of that?
Just then, a terribly brilliant thought hurry-scurried through the Chief's half rotten grey-matter, causing electrical sparks to skip from his metallic whiskers. The gnarled digits of unaugment paw gripped the still smoking firkrann head of his electro-cane a little tighter.
Before abandoning the Heap on Hypori after the completion of the Haemonculus Occulori, Clan Rustrot had located the Kwa infinity gate buried beneath its surface. At the time they hadn't known how to activate the gate, otherwise they might have gained a foothold in the infinity way prior to the spider invasion and avoided this entire mess to begin with. But if Lord Valefor was anything like Skaltara's master, awareness of the ancient gate beneath the capital of his Forge Empire would drive him to irresistible curiosity, perhaps enough so to locate the gate and activate it. Then once the spiders began to flood through, he'd be forced to commit the mechanical legions under his command to dealing with the threat as well, thereby taking some of the heat off of Dragusblight and possibly sparing its destruction. It was a risk of course, especially if the Great Devourer found out, but right now the cybernetic Vermin Lord didn't see any other options.
"I admit, I miss the smells and sights of the toxic caldera surrounding the Heap. The climate suited me, and the radiological contaminates in the soil produced fertile spawning grounds for vat-grown ranat-orges. But it was time Clan Rustrot returned to Dragusblight." Now here comes the hook. "I'm only sad I didn't get a chance to further study what we unearthed." His snout turned towards Valefor's winged form, his photo-receptic eye glowing a wicked red. "Run a scan for cosmic radiation on the eastern edge of the caldera surrounding our former settlement, if you are curious." The lens of the prosthetic eye blared a little brighter. "I'm certain you won't be disappointed with what you will find."
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Oct 8, 2023 22:54:27 GMT -8
As intended, his jibe had landed directly on target and the Chief Warlock Enginseer reacted like a hurt child. It was too easy, almost too easy. But just as quickly as he had spilled some beans, his jaw slammed shut. Whatever was happening on Roon, really was quite troublesome. Though, what exactly that threat was remained a mystery. If even his pet Ranats were not willing to leak that information, then Dragus truly feared what ever it was they were fighting
Ultra-coaxium won't do much without an engine and ship to feed it to, little one...
He gave a knowing smile and wink. Another jibe would do no harm. However, his mood changed as Skaltera seemed to wistfully reminisce about the Heap upon Hypori. It was the one lasting scar left upon the Dark Forge by the Ranat scourge. One he would excise with prejudice very soon. His gloved hand shot out then, wrapping his fingers around the rodents neck and yanking him up into the air. His eyes blazed green with Fel energy as he held the Chief Warlock Enginseer in the air, turning to dangle him out over the edge of the nearest cliff
Be very careful Skaltera... I'm not sure how much more Dragus can replace with his fetid machinery before you become useless to him... I would think twice about trying to goad me into a trap. Only a fool would attempt such an errand, and you seem like a fool to me. What is it that you hope to lead me to?
If Skaltera's errand turned out to be a trap, Valefor would survive it and enact his vengeance upon the Ranat Chief. He would give the fool a chance to reconsider his proposition
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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: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Oct 11, 2023 8:01:49 GMT -8
Metal groaned as the brass collar encircling the Vermin Lord's ruined throat strained under the pressure of Valefor's incredible grip, leaving indents in the alloy while causing the mechanisms in his throat to constrict and stifle his oxygen intake. Skaltera's only natural remaining eye bulged in its socket, appearing on the edge of popping out as his metal legs kicked helplessly as he dangled over the cliffs edge. The crystal topped electro-cane slipped from his grip, clattering down the cliff side where it produced a resounding echo, making it clear the fall would be far from survivable.
"Arg!" He choked, struggling to speak as oil and spittle spattered from his foaming brass snout. The shock of the assault soon gave way to fear, as the more calculating half of his cybernetically enhanced brain came to accept his current predicament. The glowing lens of his photo-receptor whirred in its socket, focusing on the frightful infuriated red mountain of muscle and wings that quite literally held his life in its powerful hand. It would seem the Forge Master was something of an expert on the ranat clans of Dragusblight, as the only thing that motivated them more than greed...was fear. As you can imagine, the augmented Chief of Clan Rustrot abandoned his attempt at deception in favour of self preservation. His screeching vocabulator struggled to spill the beans. "Kwa...Infinity....ate." Oil and sputtum continued to spill from his metal lips. "Infinity Gate! We found...an...operable...gate. Con...connect....connected to...the old Kwa...network!"
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Oct 17, 2023 13:13:52 GMT -8
As expected, the threat of death and bodily harm had extracted the truth from Skaltera, with the Warlock Enginseer almost tripping over himself to plead the truth. He kept his grip held tight, securely keeping the Ranat Lord suspended in the air as he considered the idea of an Infinity Gate existing upon Hypori. They were mysterious and powerful artefacts, so much so that the Kwa had left terrible beasts guarding many of the known gates. Any that sought to abuse them would find themselves punished for such foolishness. Valefor wasn't going to so easily be dispatched by a trap left by a people long since destroyed and reduced to such a feeble existence.
He turned his focus back upon Skaltera, his fingers temptingly releasing their grip upon the Vermin Lord. It would have been a mercy and kindness to end the Warlock Enginseer's life here and now. All he would have to do, is let go and that would be the end of it. The fall and sudden stop at the bottom would end the snivelling rats existence. But before he could contemplate it further, he swung his arm around and tossed Skaltera to the ground nearby. Valefor towered over Brassclaw, his eyes still ablaze with Fel flame
Be gone from this place Skaltera, and never set foot upon another Forge World! Inform your Master of your banishment, else your life will be forfeit the next time you set foot upon one of my worlds! Skitter and scatter, little rat! My patience for you and your kind draws painfully thin!
Death, in truth, was a mercy Skaltera did not deserve. Living was the much crueller punishment, especially if Dragus continued to prolong the Ranats life beyond its natural course. Or perhaps the Dark Apothecary might deliver the mercy Valefor had denied, and end Skaltera's life. Whatever happened, was of no concern to the Crimson Lord any longer
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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: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Oct 21, 2023 5:30:10 GMT -8
Steaming green caustic goo spattered across the dirt as Skaltera's thrown form landing in a puddle of kessoline residue, the half mechanical mouse instinctively curling into the fetal position upon release from the Forge Master's iron hard throttling grip. The Chief sputtered, coughing up oil and brass cogs loosened from his so-recently constricted throat. His remaining rheumy eye blinked in surprise that he had been spared an unpleasant death dashed upon the rocks at the bottom of the cliff below, but that relief quickly turned to low simmering rage, currently tempered by a healthy dose of fear as the quick witted rat was well aware the fast end he would receive at Valefor's hand should he express those feelings. Rolling over on all fours with the pincer liked brass claw he was named for sunk into the poisoned soil, the cybernetically enhanced rodent nodded his metallic snout, displaying obeisance in the face of demonic death incarnate. "Yes-yes!" He squeaked shrilly, scrambling across the ground as he groveled and scampered away. "I tell Master, Merciful Lord! I go! I hurry-scurry away!"
Fast pawed scrambling turned into a stumbling lurch as the Warlock Enginseer managed to get back to his feet and departed as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. Absent his cane he waddled with a whimsical limp, fleeing for the dark confines of Commorragh parked nearby. The other rodents in the vicinity took the cue from the Vermin Lord and scurried on mass like a plague of rats, pouring into the unlit landing bay of the modified Minstrel-class yacht, the doors swinging closed behind the last of the lumbering ranat-ogres. Repulsors shrieked as the sinister ship blasted off from the toxic grounds of the Spice Mines before the engines had properly warmed, causing fiery pops to squeak from the thruster assembly as it burned a bright cobalt blue.
On the bride, seated in a throne of brass and bone, the Vermin Lord of Clan Rustrot licked his wounds. Inside that villainous head of his he was already plotting his revenge for such indignation.
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Oct 26, 2023 13:05:10 GMT -8
He stood, watching and waiting to ensure the Vermin Lord had gathered all his minions back into their ship before launching off into space. Undoubtedly he had made an enemy of Brassclaw, but given how barely held together he seemed at this stage, such an enemy would not last long. But if the Warlock Enginseer did last long enough to carry out some plan for revenge, Valefor would not be so merciful again. The Ranat and his cohort would suffer long and hard, that much was certain.
As he finally tore his gaze away from the departing Yacht, he turned his focus upon the transports that were dropping down toward the surface. Aboard were the first of the supplies for constructing the home of the Kessel Necronids along with the foundations for the Spice Forge. A name befitting Kessels most well known export. Though primarily its function would be producing the Coaxium needed for the Eye of Astera.
Workers swarmed out of the tunnels as the transports touched down and began unloading the cargo within, obediently following Queen Teva's every command. With his work here done, Valefor loaded up into his own transport and headed back up to orbit to return to the Felstorm alongside the C-9979's that had delivered him to the surface initially. From there, the Star Pyramid would make the jump back to Hypori, where Valefor had work to oversee and plans to make of his own
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Nov 9, 2023 1:49:04 GMT -8
The Spice Forge
Construction continued across the mining pits as more equipment and supplies were ferried in by C-9979 Modular Frigates configured in their base form to provide the most amount of space. Flooring was poured, covering the mess that had once been the bottom of the pits, creating a level surface upon which equipment was raised and set into place. Of the space, about 2/3rds was dedicated to the production and refinement of Spice into various strains of end product. Meanwhile, the final third was where the Coaxium refinement was set to take place, with Dragus' equipment already being settled into place. Walls, additional floors, and finally a roof would all be erected over the coming days and weeks as the Spice Forge would finally come online and the Kessel Necronids would continue to thrive and grow with each day passing
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Feb 28, 2024 19:38:43 GMT -8
As the weeks and months passed by, the Spice Forge continued to grow and develop into an even larger building. Under Queen Teva's watchful eye, the Kessel Necronids grew in population and expanded across the arid world, re-opening mine sites that had sat abandoned since Dragus' slaughter. More of the Civil Authorised Tunneller caste of Necronids made up the population here due to the extensive need to create tunnels to mine precious raw spice and coaxium. Additional equipment had been added tot he Spice Forge as it grew, allowing the processing of regular coaxium to sell on neutral markets and provide to the ships of the Sith Eternal. The Ultra-Coaxium was certainly a powerful fuel, but had a limited use for which a ship could survive its use. Once the Eye of Astera's needs had been seen to and shipped off Kessel, A small supply was still produced and kept in secure storage so that once the mighty ring returned, its tank could be refilled with great ease and haste
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