Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on Apr 23, 2016 17:02:38 GMT -8
Venom grinned malevolently as Valafar agreed to his terms, but the grin soon faded when he mentioned the real reason as to why he sought passage to the dammed crimson world of Rhommamool. Venom allowed Valafar the chance to rise to his feet and brush himself off. Venom deactivated his lightsaber and returned it to his belt.
"Powerful Sith artifacts, perhaps. But they are tainted by a Savage. If those truly are what you seek, you will need my help at getting to them. We must prepare to be on the surface of Rhommamool. It will not be an easy task, collecting these holocrons..."
Venom finally moved from his spot, approaching the Captain. His eyes returning to normal, as the taint of the dark side faded from within, though it left him craving its embrace once more...
"I don't expect you to understand, Cap'n. But know this, there is a fortune of holocrons on the planet. Enough to buy your very own solar system, I'd reckon. But it won't be easy...I will do my best to prepare us for what is to come. I'll understand if you ain't interested."
Venom waited for the Captain's response before he would proceed to prepare the crew for whatever they may encounter on the crimson planet.
|
|
Nathan Caldwell [Retired]
Member
This character is retired, though permission has been given to be NPC'ed as needed.
Posts: 125
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Nathan Caldwell [Retired] on Apr 23, 2016 17:14:06 GMT -8
Venom finally moved from his spot, approaching the Captain. His eyes returning to normal, as the taint of the dark side faded from within, though it left him craving its embrace once more..."I don't expect you to understand, Cap'n. But know this, there is a fortune of holocrons on the planet. Enough to buy your very own solar system, I'd reckon. But it won't be easy...I will do my best to prepare us for what is to come. I'll understand if you ain't interested." Nathan knew there was something off with Venom, however he didn't comment. Instead he listened to the Zabrak, then replied."Oh, I'm plenty interested. Don't think that I'm not. If there is as much value down there as you seem to think there is, I'll let you plan our little expedition. But first I have a few conditions. First off, your new pal, he's your responsibility. He slips and endangers my crew or my ship, I'll shoot him." He glances over Venom's shoulder to where the red eyed Zabrak was glaring at him."Politely." He added in reassurance."Second, we only take things of extreme value. Nothing that has anything to do with your fancy magic powers is coming on my ship. And third, if we survive this little excursion, when we get back to a place we can unload our loot, you and him get your cut, then you get the hell off my ship. I got no need for anything to do with the gorram Jedi or Sith. It gets crowded enough in my sky without the likes of them joining in. Are we clear?"Nathan locks eyes with the Zabrak before him. While he didn't want to kick Venom to the curb, this little dance between himself and their passenger made it perfectly clear that he was carrying a ticking time bomb. One that had the potential to seriously endanger his crew and ship. And he couldn't have that. He hoped that the Zabrak would understand.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on Apr 23, 2016 17:40:04 GMT -8
Venom let what the Captain had said sink in for a few minutes before responding. He understood where the Captain was coming from, with his request that Venom and Valafar leave once they unloaded whatever artifacts they acquired from Rhommamool. Valafar was a murderer and a Sith, or a the very least he had been trained by one. Nathan would never be able to fully trust him, so he wanted him gone at the earliest opportunity. And with the encounter between himself and Valafar, Nathan also knew that Venom was having a hard time dealing with a lot of personal issues. And to be as honest as he could with himself, he truly was struggling with his own inner demons. The emotions that had been unleashed upon the discovery of who Valafar truly was had caught him unexpectedly. He needed to find a way to cope. But at the same time, knowing that Valafar was the only other surviving Clan member made it difficult to just abandon him. Even if Venom managed to come to terms with everything, there was no guarantee that he could return to the reasonably peaceful life that he had been living on board the Serenity. This new found rage was changing him, again. He had managed to turn away from his darker nature once before, out of fear and self preservation. Now, with Xander long dead, he had nothing to fear from the remaining members of Clan Savage. Viox didn't care where he was or what he did, and his godson, Vallius, was off doing his own thing. He wasn't interested in being a Sith or a Jedi. Venom held the Captain's gaze.
"I understand, Boss. It was a good run, but I knew deep down it couldn't last forever..."
Venom then turned to face Valafar, who was standing a few feet away.
I know the layout of Rhommamool quite well. You obviously have some kind of plan as to where we are getting the holocrons from, so we need to work together to formulate a plan. The faster we can pull this off, the less likely we are to succumb to the Overlord's dark influence that undoubtedly still haunts the place."
Venom motioned for Valafar to follow him out of the cargo bay.
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on Apr 23, 2016 19:30:42 GMT -8
Valafar followed Venom out of the cargo bay, Valafar had to contain his excitement, as the most unlikely of allies, Venom, had just managed to convince this crew that going to Rhommamool was still in their best interest. However Valafar couldn’t shake the thought that somehow Venom was also trained by a member of Clan Savage, which he had eluded to very briefly by saying he would return to his former master with his head if he refused Venom's offer. Valafar stopped to enter his cabin so he could don his Imperial Knight armor and equip his lightsaber. Once he was done he signaled T3 to follow him. Valafar would then meet back up with Venom in the ship's Common Area.
“Shall we begin?” Valafar only asked to show gratitude, even though he would continue. “Alright T3 bring up the map of Imperial Council Hall” Without delay T3-07 brought up a non-modified map of the Imperial Council Hall, one that didn’t contain Valafar’s original plan to get his master’s holocron.
Valafar decided to let Venom to come up with a plan, so that he could get a sense of how intelligent he was when it came to planning a “heist”. Valafar had a feeling that this mission was about to became much more interesting, as well as truly test the limits of his abilities. Having spent the last several years confined within a facility, with no real interaction with anything, Valafar knew his abilities were going to be tested. His master was always sure to keep Valafar's abilities at their peak. Whatever the Sith’ari had planned when they were finally plant side would, undoubtedly, will test their ability to work together. Valafar had a feeling that he could trust Venom to a point, now that he was in the same boat as him, so to speak. Trusting the rest of crew might prove to be a dangerous chance, but what choice did he have now? He had always been trained to go at it alone, but being at a disadvantage, he needed all the help he could get. Even if most of his help was highly expendable.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on Apr 24, 2016 17:32:17 GMT -8
Upon Valafar's entrance into the Common Area, Venom was already seated at the table, puffing on a Sweet Williams Cigar. Wisps of blue tinged smoke circling his horned head. All traces of rage had subsided, leaving him feeling strangely empty. Though he disregarded the feeling, he knew it was only the beginning of what was to come. Venom watched at the little T3 unit displayed a holographic map of the Imperial Council Hall. Memories came flooding back at the sight of the Hall. It had once been the epitome of the Tyrian Triumvirate. A combination of the ingenuity of Governor Kalen Grauswein and the Tyrian people them selves. But that was before Xander Savage and the remains of his Royal House came onto the scene. Venom studied the map closely, then spoke.
"There are three points of interest in the main building itself. The vaults on the tenth floor. They used to contain the Triumvirate's treasury, so there is no reason to believe it didn't house the Empire's treasury. If no one has managed to get to them, they may still hold a vast amount of wealth. The Library on the thirty second floor would also make a good target, as the majority of the Triumvirate's knowledge was stored there, so I imagine much of the Empire's gathered knowledge would likely have been stored there. Many of the lesser holocrons would likely have been stored there as well. And the Penthouse on the top floor would be the best place to hit. It was formerly Governor Grauswein's domain, and I imagine Overlord Savage claimed it as his own after. Whatever the former Governor hid there that wasn't discovered by the Overlord may still be intact, as well as any of the Overlord's personal effect. His personal inner chambers will be the place that holds anything left. If we want powerful holocrons, that is where they will."
Venom paused for a moment, viewing the map. He placed his hands on the outside edged of the image and fanned outwards, causing the image to zoom in. He then highlighted the four temples at the north, south, east and west corners of the Council Hall.
"And finally, two of these temples are of note. The northern temple houses a shrine, said to contain the remains of Governor Grauswein. I know for a fact that my former master gathered up several of the Governor's personal effects and stored them within the temple itself. The eastern temple is also of note due to the fact that the former Foot of the Triumvirate, Lord-General Praxus, is entombed there, along side the remains of Lady Deathstalker. Two of the most influential Sith to ever grace the planet. Aside from that, I don't see anything else of value...unless you wish to venture to Novax Field. Though I would advise against that..."
Venom trailed off and leaned back in his chair, glancing up at Valafar. He took a drag on his cigar and inhaled. A few seconds later he exhaled a plume of blue-grey smoke. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again.
"I would suggest two teams. The Captain, Zoe and Wash as one team. Myself and Valafar here as the second. The Captain heads for the treasury and the Library. We take the Penthouse and the two Temples. We only grab what we can carry, and we don't disturb the remains of anything. There is no telling what restless spirits still haunt this place. And personally, I really don't want to find out. Place scares the hell out of me still..."
Venom then glanced back up at Valafar again, thoughtfully. Still smoking his cigar as he waited for his fellow Zabrak's response.
|
|
Nathan Caldwell [Retired]
Member
This character is retired, though permission has been given to be NPC'ed as needed.
Posts: 125
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Nathan Caldwell [Retired] on Apr 24, 2016 17:39:35 GMT -8
Nathan and Zoe had followed Venom and the other Zabrak to the Common Area. Nathan merely listened to Venom's plan. It was a solid plan. He would get the major pay day he needed, and the two Zabraks would find artifacts of value to them. It was a win win for all of those involved. Nathan merely glanced over at the other Zabrak as Venom finished speaking, curious of his reaction. Venom's plan was a good one, there was no denying that, but there was no intel on what they'd be facing off against. And that bothered him, more than it should have. He didn't like going in blind, but given the circumstances, he really didn't have a choice. If Venom came through on this for him, he'd forgive the Zabrak and possibly allow him and his...compatriot to stay. Only if this panned out though. If everything went to hell, like it usually did with plans like this, he'd leave them both on the planet...either way there was a lot riding on the success or failure of the mission.
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on Apr 30, 2016 18:20:19 GMT -8
Valafar listened to Venom’s plan, and was impressed at how sound the plan was. Valafar knew why Venom had setup the two teams the way he did, and it was amusing to him. Valafar thought for a moment, he was trying to think of a way that would allow him to get away from Venom so that he could compete his master’s mission. He remembered what his master had said about working together with this crew, and how this was also a trial.
“Hitting multiple sites at once is a good idea, except for the simple fact is that this Overlord would most likely have hidden all of the most valuable Holocrons, in a place that only someone that knew how the man thought would be able to locate. If Venom's interpretation of this man is correct, we may not find anything of value. Plus there’s a good chance that not all of the traps are of the physical kind. I would suggest that everyone prepare themselves mentally as well, to minimize chances of any remaining essence of this Overlord being able to infect anyone else.”
Valafar knew that letting them in on the part of his Master’s essence still being present might have been a terrible idea, but if he didn’t and if they found out by themselves, their level of trust in him would be lowered greatly. Valafar also knew that if the crew’s trust in him was lowered anymore than it already was, they would most likely leave him behind and that would make the rest of the mission more difficult than it already was. Valafar could sense the Captain’s mistrust growing by the minute, not only mistrust in himself, he also sensed an uneasiness from the Captain in regarding Venom. Valafar was intrigued by this group of people more so then he should have been.
|
|
Nathan Caldwell [Retired]
Member
This character is retired, though permission has been given to be NPC'ed as needed.
Posts: 125
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Nathan Caldwell [Retired] on May 27, 2016 14:04:45 GMT -8
As the crew discussed their plans for collecting their major pay day, the Serenity exited hyperspace over the crimson world of Rhommamool.
There wasn't anything spectacular about the world, aside from the fact that at this very moment, they were approaching the planet upon its ten year rotation of Osarian, the neighboring planet. Every ten years, the planets orbit would carry them so that they were within a million kilometers of them. Centuries before their current arrival, during the initial arrival of Lord Kalen Grauswien, there was conflict between the two planets. Osarian, being a wealthier planet in nearly every aspect of the word, despised the desolate crimson wasteland. Even during the Tyrian Triumvirate's reign there had still been conflict between the Sith of Rhommamool and the Jedi of Osarian. Eventually the Osarian Jedi were either slaughtered or driven off during the days of the Imperial Sovereign House of Savage. Not known to many in the galaxy, once Osarian was liberated, it became a hive of Imperial activity. And unknown to the crew of the Serenity and Venom Starkiller, Overlord Xander Savage had established a defensive measure that only operated at full capacity every time Osarian and Rhommamool came within their million kilometer range. A disruption field was currently in effect and the Serenity was about to stumble into it...
Wash's voice sounded over the ship's internal comms.
Attention travelers, we have exited hyperspace on Rhommamool's doorstep. We are making our final approach to the abandon Imperial City of Exodus. We'll be on the ground within twenty minutes.
Nathan, with the rest of the crew minus Wash, in tow, he entered the Cargo Bay. He strode over to a set of lockers containing small arms. Nathan was dressed in his brown duster and black gloves. He was ready to hit this target hard and fast. The only advantage his crew had was there would be no authorities interfering with their heist. Nathan punched in a code and opened the locker.
"Alright. Zoe, collect what we'll need to do this. Venom, load up with that you need. We'll take the Mule and load up what we can and bring it back to the ship. If our loot requires a return trip, we'll make a second one. I'm only allowing two trips on our end and a single trip to pick you up. So signal us once you and Valafar have collected what you need. We go into the city nice and quiet like. Despite being abandoned for years, I don't know what waits for us, so we'll try to minimize our presence as much as possible. I don't want this going sideways on us..."
To add extra emphasis on this, he selected at DXR6 Heavy Carbine from the locker.
"We've got twenty minutes until we'll be on the ground. Zoe, prep the Mule. We'll leave the ship as soon as it sets down...-"
The ship shuddered violently, cutting into Nathan's statement. Klaxons blared loudly and red warning lights flashed. The ship shuddered again, nearly causing Nathan to hit the deck. He righted himself.
"Gorram it! Zoe, get the Mule prepped! I'll check on Wash."
Nathan darted out of the bay, leaving Zoe, Venom and Valafar behind to go check on Wash on the bridge. Upon arriving on the bridge, Nathan noticed Wash was struggling to maintain control of the ship. Outside the main viewport, the planet was rushing up to greet them. Faster than normal.
"What's going on? You have a stroke or something?"
Gritting his teeth, Wash answered.
"Nah Nate, upon approach, we seem to have hit a disruptor field. Our stabilizers are shot. I'm doing all I can to keep her in the air, but we're going down. I'll try to put her down nicely, but I'd buckle in for a rough landing..."
The ship shuddered again as it broke through the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Nathan moved over to the comm system.
We've hit some complications. Buckle in for a rough landing.
Nathan silenced the intercom and spoke to Wash again.
"We got a pin on where the field is coming from?"
Clutching the vibrating control yoke to keep the ship as steady as he could, Wash replied.
"Sensors managed to ping it coming from Osarian, however I couldn't get a lock. All sensors are down due to the field. We're going in blind."
The ship shook and shuddered as it broke deeper into Rhommamool's atmosphere. Nathan took the opportunity to seat himself at the comms console.
"So even if the ship gets repaired on the planet below, we aren't leaving until the gorram field is disabled...I'm going to attempt to contact Vallius. It we may need his Stormtroopers to disable that damned disruptor field on Osarian..."
Nathan prepped a comm package for Vallius on board the Marauder-Class Corvette, Pious Inquisitor. And he desperately hoped it would reach him.
Inquisitor, it's Reynolds on the Serenity. We've run across some trouble and we could use some help. We are on Rhommamool. There is a disruption field that caused up to crash on the planet. We believe it is originating from the neighboring planet of Osarian. Get here as quick as you can and shut it down.
Nathan then sent the package on its way and hoped it would reach Vallius by the time the Serenity was repaired and ready to leave the planet. All he could do now was hang on and hope for the best, as the ship soared through the planet's atmosphere and headed towards the shandy dunes below.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 16:57:18 GMT -8
Location: Unknown Regions, on board the Pious Inquisitor.
Vallius strode down the corridor of the Inquisitor, heading for the bridge. He had been summoned to the bridge after the ship had received a comm package from Nathan Reynolds on board the Wayfarer-Class Medium Transport Serenity. Normally, Vallius wasn't too concerned with the daily trifles of the smuggling crew, but because of his god-father's connection with the crew, he was now interested in what was going on with them. As he entered the bridge, he walked pack the few crew members that were still busily working. The ship's A.I fragment was running the ship almost fully on it's own. The construct greeted him and updated him on the status, as the leader of the small Stormtrooper contingent was busy elsewhere.
"Greetings, sire. We have received a distress signal from the Serenity. It was sent a few hours ago. It appears as though they went to Rhommamool. According to the signal, they hit a disruptor field emanating from Osarian. They are requesting that we aid them and shut down the field. Though given the former inhabitants of Osarian, it certainly could be dangerous. The ship is prepped and ready to jump to Osarian. What is your suggested course of action?"
Vallius mulled over what the A.I had just rattled off. There really wasn't much of a decision. Venom had a troubled history with Rhommamool, and given who they liberated the planet from, it could be a very difficult situation.
Vallius:"Get us there. When the Independent Alliance was in power after the fall of the Empire, Rhommamool was declared a restricted zone. If Reynolds is poking around there, it means he needs the cash a trip like that would offer him, or someone else is influencing him. Either way doesn't bode well."
The A.I bowed its head in acknowledgment.
"Understood sire. We will be underway at once."
With that, Vallius spun on his heel and left the bridge. He called back to the A.I as he walked away.
Vallius:"Inform me as soon as we arrive. And do not approach the planet until we have assessed the situation more thoroughly."
"Of course sire."
The Inquisitor altered its current vector, then abruptly disappeared into the swirling confines of hyperspace.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on May 27, 2016 17:27:16 GMT -8
The violent shuddering of the ship tossed Venom to the deck. As he picked himself up, the Captain left the room to go check on the pilot. Venom watched Zoe leave to prep the Mule. He glanced over to Valafar as the Captain's voice rang over the ship's comms.
"Looks like we best strap in. This isn't going to be pretty..."
Venom closed the locker and moved over to the row of emergency seats on the far wall. Reynolds had them installed for this exact purpose. Venom sat down in the seat and pulled the harness over him, clipping it shut around him. The ship shuddered and shook as it descended through Rhommamool's atmosphere. So far, this wasn't a good start. And there was no way of knowing what else lay in wait for them, as Venom had only been around during the initial invasion of the Royal House of Savage. He didn't know if anything else had been set in place to prevent people from reaching the surface. Hopefully this was going to be the worst part of the trip here, however he doubted that very much. Things were only going to get worse from here on in. It was just a gut feeling he had, and normally his gut feelings weren't wrong. The ship continued its violent descent towards the crimson dunes...
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on May 27, 2016 17:59:27 GMT -8
Valafar stood his ground as the ship violently shook upon entering the plant’s Atmo. He decided to take Venom’s advice and found a seat that gave him enough room that he wouldn’t knock into someone if they sat too close to him. Valafar knew that he didn’t need to give these people more reasons to not trust him. Aside from the issues that were cropping up already, he started to wonder just how difficult these tests his master had set up for him would be. Valafar thought on this while the ship continued it's decent to the planet’s surface.
|
|
Nathan Caldwell [Retired]
Member
This character is retired, though permission has been given to be NPC'ed as needed.
Posts: 125
Affiliation: The First Order
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Nathan Caldwell [Retired] on May 27, 2016 18:52:59 GMT -8
The ship shuddered again as it streaked across the sky. There wasn't much the Serenity's pilot, Wash, could do to keep it from crashing into the crimson sand dunes. As it sunk lower and lower towards the ground, Wash managed to keep the ship airborne long enough to get as close to Exodus as possible. While they weren't in the city, the could see the skeletal remains of the bio-dome that had once protected the Imperial City from the harsh desert elements off in the distance. A significant walk, but with the Mule it wouldn't take long to reach the city. The Serenity glided along the tops of the dunes for a few moments, before finally dipping low enough to graze the top of a taller one. The ship nose-dived into the crimson sand, skidding to a halt a few hundred meters further from where it initially impacted. Inside the ship, electrical conduits sparked and smoked. Nathan coughed and sputtered as he undid his restraints. The ship was angled towards its nose slightly. Nathan rose to his feet and aided Wash from his seat. The two made their way through the ship towards the cargo bay. As they passed through the Common Area, it was a disaster. Most of the cabinets containing the dishes, dry rations and other items had spilled all over the floor. Nathan stepped over most of the debris as he walked. Upon entering the cargo bay, Nathan noticed Venom and Valafar strapped along the wall in the emergency seats. Both seemed unharmed. But Zoe was no where to be seen. Nathan then ran towards where the Mule, a faded yellow A-A5 Speeder Truck, was being stored. As Nathan approached, Zoe popped out of the hatch, unscathed from the crash landing.
"Mule's ready to go sir. How's the rest of the ship?"
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone pulled through the ordeal unscathed. Aside from his ship, that is.
"Stabilizers are shot. Aside from that, no idea. But we'll run a diagnostic better once we get back. I got an itch for some loot, so let's get the Mule out and moving."
Reynolds hollered back to Venom and Valafar.
"C'mon ladies, let's get a move on!"
As the two Zabraks joined up with the rest of the crew, and finally boarded the Mule, Nathan opened the cargo bay doors and climbed aboard. Nathan, Zoe and Wash were situated in the front cab, while Valafar and Venom were in the back. The Mule exited Serenity's Cargo Bay and took off across the crimson dunes, towards the dead city of Exodus.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on May 27, 2016 19:31:38 GMT -8
The ride into Exodus was quiet, aside from the directions Venom had to give Wash to get them to the Imperial Council Hall. Upon their arrival, Venom and Valafar would split off from the others and make their way into the main floor of the Council Hall. It was a quiet walk, as the small amounts of chatter between the Captain and the rest of the crew faded from earshot. Venom trudged through the crimson sand that had leaked into the building. The once immaculate polished marble floor was scuffed and faded. Its luster had long since faded. As the unlikely duo walked through the main atrium, Venom paused. He could feel the darkness that still emanated from the very building itself. It unnerved him, however, he shook the feeling of unease from his mind and spoke to Valafar.
"This way. We need to access the former TSF office. If we have any hope of getting up to the penthouse, we need to restore power to the turbo lifts. Otherwise we could be here a long time. And I don't feel like climbing..."
Venom approached the main door into the former TSF office. He pushed his way through the damaged double doors. There was very little light within the room. Venom looked around, taking in his surroundings. The main lobby to the security station had once been a perfect example of the wealth of the Tyrian Triumvirate and then that of the Empire. It appeared as though Xander had kept up similar appearances to the Triumvirate. Behind the main security desk, the wall was adorned with the bold letters 'ESF'. Beneath that, it read: 'Exodian Security Forces.' Beneath that was their motto. 'ESF: Your safety is our peace of mind'. Venom snorted at that. He found it in bad taste, considering what the Empire had done during the height of its influence. Venom motioned for Valafar to follow him. The two Zabraks walked past the security desk and down a hall, passing multiple offices as they went. Upon reaching a 'T' intersection, Venom pulled a small flashlight from his belt. He shone the light at the sign on the wall before him. It had 'Maintenance' pointing off to their left, and 'Detention Block' pointing to their right. Venom peered down the darkened halls.
"This way. Hopefully the geothermal power is still active. Otherwise we may be taking the long way up."
After walking for another several minutes, the came to a dead end, with a heavy blast door before them. Venom shone his light at the key pad on the left hand side of the door. It was dark. No signs of life left within the circuits. Venom glanced up at Valafar, who had ditched the civilian surveyor outfit and had donned his armor. Not having to hide his true identity anymore had made things somewhat easier.
"Alright big guy, this would be where you come in."
Venom waited to see if the large Zabrak would catch on with what he wanted him to do.
|
|
|
Post by Xander Savage on May 27, 2016 21:11:08 GMT -8
The essence that was Xander stirred. Visitors had arrived in his city. As Xander's essence spreads out, he grazes the mind of Valafar faintly. At long last his apprentice was here. And he was with another. Xander's essence brushes faintly against the mind of Venom.
So the Starkillers had reunited once more after all these years. It amused him greatly. Perhaps this would turn out to be much more satisfying than he had originally hoped. After all, his apprentice was only here to serve out his original purpose. He had only trained the boy, warped and twisted him to his will for one true purpose, though Valafar himself was entirely oblivious to his true purpose. Valafar was nothing more than a vessel for Xander to posses. He chipped away the Starkiller and molded a Savage out of what had remained. Valafar was a Starkiller by name only. After enduring Xander's torturous training regime, Valafar had been broke and pieced back together as Xander had envisioned him. And Valafar truly though he was gifted. He, a former Starkiller. No. Xander would not have taken the boy had he not foreseen the need for a vessel. He wouldn't have trained the boy, then prompted him to murder his own kind if there had been no need for him. Xander had been more than capable of slaughtering the entire Starkiller Enclave. Soon the boy would reach the penthouse. Soon Xander would be able to possess his vessel. Soon he would be able to resurrect himself. Soon. But he had to be patient. Patience was the key here. If he let his ambition and pride get in the way, he would lose everything. And he couldn't afford to deny himself his second coming. Once he was resurrected, he would raise his fallen Empire from its ashes and begin again. And this time he would succeed. While he had not expected his son to turn on him so soon, he had known his son would be the one to slay him. Everything that he had done since Count Kamy had revived him from cryo-sleep on Iridonia had purpose behind it. He was far to clever and calculated to allow his very own son to destroy his plans. No, he first incarnation of his Empire had served its purpose. And that was to slowly seep into his son's subconscious. Having successfully done that, he knew his son would join him this time, willingly. The whole goal of his galaxy spanning Empire was to make Viox crave power. And having him present at Kalen Grauswien's defeat had been the start of his journey. Allowing his son to strike him down had been the halfway point. Soon his son would make a full circle back to him. And boy, would he be surprised when Xander was back, in the flesh. Everything in due time...
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on May 27, 2016 21:26:52 GMT -8
Valafar had caught on to what Venom had meant. He retrieved his lightsaber hilt from his belt. He thumbed the activation stud. The blood-red lightsaber sprang to life. Valafar then moved closer to the door and made a huge slash from the top right of the door going to the bottom left of the door, he proceeded to make another huge slash going from the top left to the bottom right of the door. Valafar deactivated his saber, returning the hilt to his belt, then raised his left hand to the center of where the two slashes met. He began to focus, concentrating his energy towards the door. He sent a huge Force blast at it. The metal on the either side of the door began to push inwards, bending and folding backwards as if it was nothing more that plastiod casing. The resulting hole was large enough for even Valafar to enter unhindered.
“After you.”
Valafar motioned Venom to head in first. Valafar wasn’t going to allow Venom to get the drop on him again, as he still felt a twinge of pain with every step from their last encounter.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on May 29, 2016 11:59:14 GMT -8
Venom watched as Valafar slashed the door and forced it open. This confirmed that the towering Zabrak had been trained in the ways of the Force. More specifically, the ways of the dark side. The red lightsaber was a dead give away. Venom watched the Zabrak then motion for him to walk through the door first. He grinned. Last time this hadn't ended well for Valafar. This time, it seemed as though the large Zabrak wasn't taking chances. He was smart. If it ever came down to fighting him, Venom knew that he would only get away with his tricks once. However, he doubted that he and the large Zabrak would ever have to fight again. Venom spoke as he stepped through the freshly opened doorway.
"A might jumpy are we?"
Venom chuckled to himself as he passed through the threshold. As he did so, he felt an ever so faint presence brush against his mind. Normally, if he wasn't being incredibly aware of his surroundings and situation, he may not have noticed it. But because he was so on edge with being back on the planet. Venom froze, mid stride. While he couldn't tell exactly what had brushed the edge of his perceptions, he knew it had taken great care in being as discreet as possible about it. And his gut instinct was telling him that the former Overlord, Xander Savage, knew that he was back on the planet. Venom then found his legs and began walking over to the wall of circuit boxes and breaker panels. He spoke to Valafar as he searched.
"Xander Savage knows we are here. Don't ask me how I know that, but I do. Whatever essence or fragment of his being that remains is still conscious and is aware of our presence. We need to get moving if we have any hope of leaving this planet with any kind of treasures. If the Overlord is aware, that means he won't like that we will be stealing from him."
Venom found the appropriate circuit box and opened it. He flipped the breakers from the off position to the on position. After a shower of sparks exploded from one of the panels across the room, several of the glow-panels lit up, casting some kind of illumination within the room. Venom peered out through the cut down blast door and saw the lights slowly flickering to life all the way down the length of the hall. The geothermal energy production was still operating. And it was still powering the city. Or at the very least, it was still powering the Council Hall.
"Let's get moving. The faster we can get this done, the happier I'll be."
Venom strode out of the room and back down the hall, retracing his steps back to the main lobby of the ESF Offices.
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on May 29, 2016 13:03:04 GMT -8
Valafar watched Venom at the circuit breaker, and he felt the presences of his master in his mind. Valafar knew that this was the beginning of his trails that Overlord Savage had spoke of before they had arrived on the planet's surface. Valafar let a small grin slide as Venom was busy. Valafar listened to Venom's statement, and thought to himself that his master was already reaching and touching the minds of the fools he came with. It was about to get exciting. Venom left the room and headed back the way they came, Valafar followed knowing full well that he couldn't let it slip that Xander had something devilish planed.
"Did you think that Xander's essences has touched your friends?"
Valafar only asked the question to fake concern about Venom's allies. Valafar also wanted to see his reaction, so that he could plan a backup plan just incase something goes wrong. Valafar began to hear whispers that of his master. As they continued to walk down the corridor Valafar also saw images that he couldn't make out, this was beginning to bother him slightly. Whatever his master had planed it was going to happen some time soon he could feel it.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on May 29, 2016 13:19:01 GMT -8
As the duo exited the ESF Headquarters and made their way over to the main turbolifts, Venom answered Valafar's question.
"If Xander is already aware of our presence, he will be aware of theirs as well. With my training at the hands of Xander's son and your training, we are more open to noticing something like this. The others may not be aware of it yet. But the longer we stay here, the more likely they are to notice it. And the longer we remain, the stronger Xander's influence will become."
As Venom called the lift down to their level, a rumbling off in the distance could be heard. This prompted Venom to turn about and scan his surroundings. A dark shape moved from around a corner off in the distance. Venom squinted in the dim lighting to make out what it was. Several more shapes moved within the shadows down the corridor. Glowing red eyes peered back at the duo. Venom felt his stomach twist up as he realized what the creatures were. A pack of the ancient Sith hounds known as the Tuk'ata were moving towards them. Venom drew his blaster pistol and clicked the safety off.
"We've got trouble!"
The creatures bearing down on them growled and snarled. Venom fired several shots down range at them. To very little effect. Opposite to what Venom had expected, the creatures seemed to become more angry. Venom fired off several more shots. He glanced at the lift, hoping it was working and that it would reach the main level before the Tuk'ata overran their current position. As a handful of his shots connected with their intended targets, the great beasts shrieked and howled loudly. They were closing in rapidly now. Venom gritted his teeth and fired again at the creatures.
|
|
Darth Verenhimo
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 130
Affiliation: Blackguard Reborn/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Verenhimo on May 29, 2016 14:01:03 GMT -8
Valafar's right arm began to sting as though it was on fire, Valafar knew that sith hounds were nearby. This is was going to be trouble, five hounds was a small pack, which means that a much larger pack was also somewhere around here. Valafar quickly grabbed his lightsaber and waited for the hounds to make their move before pressing the activation switch, and attacking. Valafar knew from experience to never underestimate an opponent no matter the number of them or they size, this was a hard learned lesson.
"Sith hounds, don't let them get in too close their bite is far worse than their bark."
Valafar decided to give Venom a heads up since he was the only clan brother he has left. As Valafar waited on the hounds his mind quickly went back to the time that one of his master's sith hounds went rabid and decided that he was an appropriate meal, now every time A sith hound is nearby is right arm burns. Although Valafar did build up an immunity to the hounds' poisonous sting. He doubt that Venom had such.
"You might want to warn your friends, this small pack is part of a much larger pack. I'll provide cover while you contact them."
With that said Valafar moved forward so that the hounds would need to go through him to get to Venom. The leader of this small pack began to charge and pounce at Valafar, who quickly activated his lightsaber and struck the hound's neck cutting it's head clean off. The other hounds were getting quickly annoyed with the blaster fire from Venom. Valafar' s bloodlust began to came to the surface, a menacing grin came over Valafar's face.
|
|
Darth Wraak
Blackguard Imperium
Posts: 197
Affiliation: Blackguard Imperium/Clan Starkiller
|
Post by Darth Wraak on May 29, 2016 14:23:07 GMT -8
Venom watched Valafar leap into action. He watched the towering Zabrak ignite his lightsaber and charge forward. He hadn't expected the hulking individual to jump into the fray so readily, nor had he been expecting him to have Venom warn the rest of the group. Clearly Venom had underestimated his Clan brother. Venom fired off several more shots, then pinged Reynolds on the comm.
"Captain, we've encountered hostile creatures. Be on alert. There may be more lurking around this place."
Without waiting for a response, Venom closed the link and fired several more shots down range. Then the lift doors parted. Venom fired down range again, and called to Valafar.
"Ride's here. Let's go! I got you covered."
Venom entered the lift and took up a firing position, covering Valafar's retreat towards the lift. Blaster shots rained out of the lift, suppressing the Tuk'ata hounds advance. Venom then freed a concussion grenade from his belt and primed it. Valafar was taking his sweet time getting back to the lift.
"Fire in the hole!"
Venom bellowed the words, knowing Valafar would hear him and be able to react accordingly. His reflexes were aided by the Force, giving him an advantage over a normal individual. The grenade left Venom's gloved hand and sailed towards the remaining Tuk'ata...
|
|