Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Sept 7, 2022 5:08:25 GMT -8
"Now there'z a good lad." He-Who-Hungers hissed, thumping his muscular tail on the deck with a 'thud' of approval. "Take my word for it. My judgement iz the only judgement worth consssidering. The other council memberz are too easssily vexed by the ssslightest inconvenience. They've been living cushy livez and have forgotten the most basssic tenant of the Sssith creed. Progresss demandz sssacrifice. Be it the losss of a few soldierz, an outbreak of uncontrollable disssease, or the venting into ssspace of a sssection of the ssstation overrun with monsterz. Thessse are necesssary stepz along the path to eventual successs."
Too many credit pinchers, that was the real problem. They didn't care for what they saw as a waste of resources, a weakening of overall security, or the random chaos that to the Great Devourer was just another Wednesday.
"There are a few black melonz among all the sssand, however, sssuch az dear Xipan." His heavy lid squinted and he raised his snout, rubbing the back of his neck with a claw as he attempted to focus his spice addled mind. "That doesssn't sssound right. Zatan? No, that'z not it..."
Scurrying to the Hungering One's side, the scab ridden vermin folk serving as his assistant interjected with a series of rapid squeaks. Allegedly the ranats had their own language but so far the dark apothecary seemed to be the only one who actually understood them. With a life of its own, Dragus' blade tipped tail swatted at his hench-rodent, who scampered back just out of reach, well aware of the hostility the fifth appendage often presented.
"Xitan?" Snarled the detestable draconian. "Are you certain, Squeakerz? Well, in any event, if you happen to run into Xipan you will underssstand what I mean. He'z got a good head on hiz shoulderz." He tapped a claw on one of his fangs. "He'z good at removing headz from shoulderz az well, which I think iz a more admirable quality." Briefly he turned his back to the crimson hued demon, raising a claw and directing an index talon towards the forming star pyramid being assembled. "What of you, Valekor?" He had difficulty with names... "What planz have ye for yonder obelisssk, hmmm?"
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 180
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Post by Valefor on Sept 9, 2022 8:31:59 GMT -8
While he didn't necessarily agree with Dragus that the Apothecary's judgement was the only one worth considering, he didn't disagree that some amongst the council were extremely risk averse. Undoubtedly a mindset built up over the years as they worked in the shadows ensuring their order did not get discovered by the Jedi too soon before their forces were built up I suspect they are just cautious, certainly overly so, but cautious all the same. The Sith Eternal have goals and has survived thus far by not creating too much of a wake in the Force... Chaos was just all part of the job and the work they did. But there were different kinds of Chaos. Some could be controlled or guided. While others were more chaotic, almost to mindlessness. Dragus certainly seemed to tip toward the dangerous end of that scale, so sending him off to another world would certainly guide focus elsewhere. Hopefully the Apothecary would not prove further prove too much of a liability to the Eternal.
He nodded in agreement then, as Dragus spoke of Xitan. A man Valefor had not met much, but he had certainly heard high praise sung of the Acolyte. But soon enough the Barabel was asking after the Star Pyramid under construction and what Valefor's plans were for it. Something he did easily have an answer for Andeddu had his Keep, Vader had his Castle, the Inquisitorius had their Citadel... And I will have a Star Pyramid. A mobile base of operations out of which I can train new acolytes of my own and practice great feats of magic that would otherwise be impossible from a static location... It shall be a magical tower unlike any other for me to operate from in the same vein as the Nullus Beacon...
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Sept 9, 2022 10:11:05 GMT -8
"Magic, you sssay?" Murmured the black scaled barabel, turning back towards Valefor before raising a scaled lid as the topic of conversation genuinely intrigued him. "Az it happenz, I'm sssomething of a magician myssself. Behold, the power of illusssion."It would have been hard to tell if the deranged drake was serious or not, for his presence was so steeped in the corrupting influence of the malevolent fey that it was difficult to determine if he was channeling its malign currents or if this was his simple state of being. Extending his right claw towards the winged crimson mage, he exposed his naked palm."Sssee? There iz nothing in my claw." He closed his curved digits, forming a fist with the same hand while raising the index talon of his left claw. "But when I ssspeak the magic word...Kazaam!" He shouted, then opened his hand to reveal a single human eyeball held in his palm. "Tada!"Technically it wasn't so much magic as it was slight of hand. His pockets were usually full of a few loose organs, which he slipped from his sleeve into his palm as he performed the trick.As they stood there in awkward silence for a moment, Dragus felt a familiar rumble in his gut as his hunger made itself known. Running his forked tongue over his lips, he plopped the eyeball into his mouth and sank his razor sharp incisors into it, shredding the ocular organ like a grape as its juices ran between his teeth and dribbled down his chin. As he was munching away merrily on the unsavory snack, the Nullus Beacon's PA system crackled overhead.Attention all Sith Eternal personnel. This is your director, Darth Astera. If anyone has eyes on Lord Dragus or are aware of his current whereabouts, report it at once. I repeat, anyone with information on Lord Dragus' present location is to report it to security immediately. I know what you took from me you thieving serpent!"That'z not good." Gurgled the Hungering One as he finished chewing. "I suppossse I had better be off before my preciouz winter rossse unleashez the battle droidz. It waz awfully nice meeting you, Valenor. When your mobile fortresss of magical might iz completed, you should bring it by Pzob. The alignment of the starz there iz quite conducive to sorcerouz endeavourz. Well, toodaloo."And without further adieu, the Great Devourer picked up his tail and proceeded with all due haste after the scurrying pack of ranats rushing up the ramp into the director of technologies personnel omicron shuttle, leaving a fair bit of filth rimed refuse in their wake.
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 180
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Post by Valefor on Sept 12, 2022 18:42:20 GMT -8
He suppressed an audible sigh as the Apothecary perked up about magic and proclaimed himself to be something of a magician. While Valefor had some respect for those whom traded under the title of magicians, doing so without aide of the Force, this certainly was not such a situation. Mercifully, however, their meeting was interrupted by the very angered voice of Darth Astera as she demanded information on Dragus' whereabouts Yes, no, you really should be off. I have no intention of having to choose sides... And like that, the Barabel was making his escape. Valefor stood watching for a moment as the omicron shuttle lifted off out of the hangar bay. Good riddance to be sure. Dragus was undoubtedly a capable Alchemist and commander in battle. But the creature certainly had a few screws loose. He turned back and headed back inside of his Shuttle, sending a message out to a cleaning crew to deal with the mess and a second one advising the Director of Technology about Dragus' departure. With the messages sent, Valefor returned to his work of indexing all the necessary materials and force nexus' across the galaxy that he would require the use of
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 180
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Post by Valefor on Sept 20, 2022 3:05:48 GMT -8
Construction had been ongoing as the days passed by, with the Freedon-class Star Pyramid taking more shape as the superstructure was assembled. Soon enough, work would be beginning upon the interior spaces as deck plates were put into place. The shipyards of the Nullus Beacon did not ease up and were going full steam ahead to ensure this ship's master would have her sooner than laterAs the newest member of the Sith Eternal, Valefor was still establishing his presence and place within the Order. Sure, he would soon be at the command of a Star Pyramid with a crew and associated legions. But even then, he would still need loyal servants to carry out his bidding without question or risk of betrayal. As such, he was busy inspecting the summoning circle to rectify his lack of servants. The Hangar Bay had been locked down and access denied to anyone but the Supreme Leader, allowing Valefor to work in peace.
While not a perfect solution, Valefor had taken the liberty of ridding the Beacon of some of Dragus' failed experiments to repurpose their blood for use in his ritual. While a number of other drawing mediums were possible for use, Valefor had always found blood a most potent and effective ingredient. The essence of life always had the strongest bond with the Force and could propel otherwise relatively weak spells into maelstroms of strength. Something that would be important here.
He stepped back from the Circle and lowered his head, his eyelids closing caused the green glow of his eyes to dull. He called upon the Force then, drawing it to him as he focused his thoughts toward the summoning Ritual. His amulet glowed brighter in intensity as Valefor started to recite the the incantation for the DwomutsiqsaWoyunoks hadzuska koshûjontû.
Dranas nairi diâ nuniji wos ki zûtaikima,
qutzi sosûti anas ani kayti arsia
ki na j'us kiha shanwi
kaj is ki driyiworiWith each verse he drew the Dark Side in and channelled in to the runes upon the floor. As he reached the end of the incantation, he repeated it again, this time a little louder, his head lifting as more and more energy flowed through him into the circle. The light within the room dimmed as clouds of black smoke emitted from several points around the Circle. As he reached the end of the second repetition, Valefor raised his voice louder and with more command to repeat the incantation a final time. A phantom breeze blew within the Hangar Bay having no real known point of origin, whipping the smoke up into a vortex. Electricity crackled through the air as a physical manifestation of the Dark Side, striking from within the vortex of smoke. A red flame soon arose from within the smoke, pushing the vortex to increase in size.
As Valefor finished the incantation for a third time, the vortex of smoke reached its peak in size and maintaining it's size for a few seconds. The air then died down, causing the smoke to form into a cloud of near shapeless form. Valefor lowered his gaze from the ceiling down to the smoke, watching as flaming red trails erupted from within and a massive black hoof crashed down onto the deck. The smoke pulled back to revealing the infernal form of Azaal. An endless billow of smoke emitted from the flaming core of the Smoke Demon as he stepped forward and took a kneeLord Valefor...Azaal... Welcome to the physical realm...What is your will?Explore the Beacon and become familiar with it. Draw upon its power to become stronger, before I send you off to Roon...By your command...Azaal disappeared in a cloud of smoke, drifting upon the currents to fulfil his master's will. Valefor, meanwhile, moved toward the shield and looked out at the Star Pyramid and the progress being made upon its constructionSoon...
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Sept 23, 2022 8:58:14 GMT -8
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! A piercing moan shook the outer docking arms of the Nullus Beacon as Shemona the whale-ship circled the star fortress, swimming through the void as it drew closer with every rotation. Despite the armoured harness mounted on the space whale's back having been designed so that the space rats of Clan Skrittlespike could control the gargantuan beast, they seemed unable to get it to follow instructions as its let out another terrible wailing cry that was in actuality a mating call.As it happened, Shemona was currently in heat. Communications were ongoing between the fortress and the whale-ship, as emergency frequencies were flooded with the rapid squeaks of indecipherable rat-speech. Tinker rats and human shipwrights in vacuum suits scattered as the Victory-class sized whale locked its large glowing orange eyes on Valefor's nearly completed star pyramid. A primal instinct deep in Shemona's ovaries caused her to near the obelisk, scraping its exterior hull plates as she nestled it with her armour plated head. ❤︎
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 180
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Post by Valefor on Oct 13, 2022 16:14:36 GMT -8
Despite the run in with the Whale-Ship known as Shemona, which many had agreed to ignore the occurrence of, the construction of the Freedon-class Star Pyramid was finally finished a couple of weeks later. Transports hurried to and fro with deliveries of supplies, equipment, and people who were being placed under the command of Lord Valefor. Once stocked up, the Felstorm would move from the dry docks into a reserved position around the Beacon. Unlike his fellow Sith Lords, Valefor did not intend to maintain a lab/residence within the Beacon itself. Ignoring the nuisance of Dragus' creations which had been loosed within the Ships underdecks, having two labs presented unnecessary maintenance and risked loss of data and samples.
Valefor guided the Shadowgore across from the Drydock Hangar Bay into one upon the Felstorm. As soon as the TIE/fr touched down, assistants were already waiting and got to work transporting any equipment and materials onboard to the main lab. Allowing Valefor to head to the Bridge of the Star Pyramid where the ships Captain and Command Crew were overseeing the operation. The Command Table was filled with a number of holo displays showing off progress for those wishing a more simplified overview.
Soon He could begin the next phase of his work: gathering the resources and materials to begin construction of his Gauntlet
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Oct 23, 2022 6:13:50 GMT -8
It was always cold on the catwalk that ran the top of the hangar. Transports streaking in and out of the hangar through the atmospherically sealed energy barrier kicked up gusts of void chilled wind as they entered or left. Braun Heisenberg pulled the lapels of his Sith Eternal long coat closer together as the pale flesh on the back of his neck was besot with goose pimples from an icy blast of air as he walked across the scaffolding like railing towards where his starfighter was mounted. A tinker-rat and an SE engineer fought over a hydro-spanner on the platform above Braun's TIE Avenger, though he could tell by the low whine of the twin ion engines that his baby was already in the first stages of warming up. The corner of his lip rose in a smirk as he stepped onto the platform the two techs were arguing on, startling them as his polished boots squeaked on the grated floor. He slid off his long coat, folding up the long length of dark leather before draping it over the edge of the platform railing, fully exposing the modified vacuum sealed flight suit he had on underneath. The two grease-monkeys stopped their arguing as they realized they were in the presence of one of the elite, a top ace from Draggy's Dozen. They bowed their heads and stepped aside, motioning from the pilot to the ladder that descended into the ball cockpit of his fighter.Sneering now, Braun walked to the edge of the platform and turned around, slowly climbing down the rungs of the ladder into the dark embrace of his personal starfighter. Lights flickered on as the sophisticated suit of sensors inside the advanced craft detected its pilot, using both biometric data and by reading a series of micro-chips that had been surgically implanted in his body. He supposed he should consider himself lucky with the limited physical augmentation he had gone through to serve in his current position. There were rumors circulating that less fortunate members of other squadrons had undergone experimental surgeries, resulting in some pilots being transformed into little more than brains in a jar, permanently encased in their fighters. There were worse fates, of course, though personally he couldn't think of many. He sat in the worn leather seat, feeling the foam inside mold to his back while joysticks and triggers on the arms swung from their side position to the front, allowing his arms a comfortable place to rest as he took hold of each control with the gloved hands of his flight-suit. Leaning ever so slightly forwards, he flipped a few switches, running vital last minute checks before sliding his helmet over his head. A click sounded as the helm locked in place.Sensor data, mission updates, and plenty of non-useful information trailed across his view as his suit fully integrated with the starfighters advanced systems. Settling himself properly, he manipulated the foot-pedal on the floor to throttle up the engines. The sounds of the hangar were quickly replaced by the growing shriek of his twin ion engines screaming behind him, spewing radioactive particulate from its exhaust as Braun watched the engines warm from blue to green, then start to creep into the orange as the frame of his starfighter fought against the magnetic clamps holding it in place. With a last flip of a switch, the clamps unlocked and his starfighter shot forwards, streaking towards the open hangar door at an accelerating pace. His TIE Avenger passed through the energy barrier containing the hangar's atmosphere and leapt into the open void, breaking the sound barrier with ease once he hit cold vacuum. He continued to throttle up, watching the engine reading go from orange to red, awakening the warning klaxons that blared through the speakers built into his helmet. He ignored them and pushed a little more from the engines, his hand gripping the accelerator so hard that he thought he felt the handle begin to crack. The force of the acceleration pressed his body back into his seat, making it feel as though his body were heavier than it were.With a gentle twist of his right flight stick, he was able to take the agile fighter through a breakneck spin past several of the Nullus Beacon's spires, drawing the notice of their point defense lasers tracking system as he flew too close to the towers of high ranking Sith that had claimed parts of the star fortress as their own personal fiefdoms. He circled for a time before banking hard and proceeding towards the perimeter of the station where a number of targets had been set up. His sensors picked up the signature of the first, while the starfighters cameras magnified the small meter wide bullseye, partitioning his view so that he could keep an eye on it in the bottom left corner of his HUD. Rather than decelerate as he got close, Braun maintained his speed, even as his starfighter continued to blurt warnings at him that he had nearly red-lined the engines. As the target came into range of his laser cannons, he fired a single bolt, pegging the target square in the center, vaporizing a hole straight through the dot in the middle. He then twisted the yoke again, spinning the starfighter the other way while relying on maneuvering thrusters for small adjustments. Transparasteel panels along the surface of the station rattled as he raced past them, finally pulling back gently on the throttle as he eased the engines out of the red.Following a laid out course, Braun found his TIE Avenger guided towards the dust cloud that obscured the star fortress and the planet of Roon. He could hear the sound of space grit as it scraped the paint from his fighter craft, forcing him to slow and be more careful as he attempted to avoid small helmet sized rocks that could easily shatter his cockpit window. Occasionally he opened up with blasts from his laser cannons, shattering debris he wasn't confident he could get clear of. Larger meteorites and asteroids he was able to get around, using them as shields against the smaller debris that floated through the field. It was impossible to stray near the surface for too long. Mynock swarms would become unsettled and attempt to cling to his ship, or exogorths would feel the rumble of his engines against the surface of their homes and emerge from crags in large asteroids, before attempting to bite his ship in half. Snickering, he launched chaff in their face before throttling up and slipping just out of the reach of their closing jaws. He followed the course back out of the cloud and towards the station again, just as his sensors picked up a new threat.A drone fighter had been launched from the station and was now on an intercept course for his starfighter. He grinned behind his helmet, calm and cool as a cucumber as he stared down his next target. It was an old vulture droid, poorly suited against his newer more sophisticated Imperial fighter craft. Yet as he got closer, he saw the vulture peel off to reveal another behind it, which peeled off in the opposite direction to reveal a third, then a fourth, and a fifth. Good, he preferred a challenge. Switching over to concussion missiles, he flew straight down the center towards three of the five droid fighters and got a target lock on the center, just as his own sensors informed him the same thing had happened to his own fighter. He thumbed the trigger then pulled back on the yoke, angling the nose up and streaking away as three of the five mantas sent missiles streaking after him. His own concussion missile struck its intended target and shattered the droid in an explosion of mechanical bits that scattered across the void and joined the dust cloud around the station. Braun's fighter warned him of three missiles streaking towards him, quickly closing the gap.Pushing forwards on the yoke, he put the starfighter into a dive and streaked between the two missiles that began to take a long turn as they banked and came back around. Switching to laser cannons, he peppered the two droids remaining responsible for the ordnance on his tail, blasting their shield-less frames with emerald green beams of energized tibanna. One exploded, then the other, forcing Braun to swerve at the last minute, narrowly avoiding the debris cloud. The missiles on his tail were not as fortunate and exploded as they clipped molten shards, exploding behind the TIE Avenger as he came at the two remaining drones. They were attempting to evade, but it was like a ranat seeking to escape a nexu. You could only scurry so far. Switching back to missiles, his reticule turned from green to red as he got a lock and he pressed the trigger, sending a missile streaking into the back of one vulture, tearing it apart in a fiery blast. That left only the last one, which appeared to be racing towards the hangar they had both come from. Putting more power to the engines, he accelerated after the drone, firing stray shots as he attempted to box it in.The glowing blue energy barrier of the hangar with its oppressive illumination made it hard to see the tiny drone streaking ahead of him, so he relied more on the magnetized view provided by his TIE Avenger's camera, occasionally firing a solitary shot to see how close it came to the drone so he could line up a more accurate follow-up shot. More warning runes flashed inside his helmet, informing him he was too close to the station to continue firing, but he ignored them. The seconds felt like long minutes, but each breath seemed to bring him a little closer to his prey, the distance between them shortening quickly as the barrier was just ahead of them. Gritting his teeth, Braun squeezed the trigger and directed three bolts into the back of the vulture droid, splitting it open as it hit the hangar barrier and scattered across the deck as a burning ball of fire and smoking debris. Technicians and crew leapt out of the way and fire suppression systems kicked in, dousing the blaze in chemical foam. Braun was forced to pull back as hard as he could on his own controls, almost buckling his TIE and giving himself whiplash as he rapidly slowed, kicking loose any dust particles that had adhered themselves to the surface of his starfighter. He'd have a hell of a report to write, but it had been worth it. Chuckling, he guided his fighter craft back towards the magnetic mounting clamps and allowed station techs to tractor it in the last few feet.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Jan 12, 2023 11:19:44 GMT -8
After docking with the station, the Covenant of Blood's airlock began to cycle. With an audible click followed by the creak of a poorly lubricated door on rusty hinges, the outer airlock swung open to reveal an interior set of magnetised blast-doors. These too began to retract, slowly rising up into the ceiling to reveal the unlit interior of the ship to the rest of the station. As those massive doors began to rise, a strong gust of foul air blew from within the Covenant, spoiling the station's atmosphere for several decks with the unmistakable stench of blood. Shrieks echoed from further in the malevolent dreadnought, making the crimson armoured Sith Troopers standing at their posts inside the docking arm all the more nervous. One raised his blaster rifle and stepped near the murk that seemed to expand from the cofferdam connecting the Beacon with the evil warship, swallowing whatever light it came into contact with. The trooper activated the lumen in his helmet and a bright yellow cone of light projected from his helm-lamp, violating the sacred darkness as it penetrated the shadow soaked hall.
A cadaverous monster lumbered forwards as the cone of light came upon it, startling the trooper who opened fire with his blaster rifle, spewing crimson bolts of energized tibanna at the thing he had seen. Blaster bolts peppered the creature, setting its skin ablaze as it crossed the threshold into the star fortress, engulfing the figure in orange flame and black smoke. Even as the stench of sizzling flesh mingled with the heavy aroma of scorched ozone, the eight foot tall thing lurched towards the trooper, reaching a fire wreathed gauntlet that came to rest on the top of the trooper's rifle. The trooper attempted to step back and pry his weapon loose, but the flaming figure's grip was like iron, utterly unbreakable. In a single motion the blaster was ripped from his hands and tossed over the towering brute's flame crackling shoulders. Illuminated more clearly by the station lights and the blaze that shrouded it, the hulking thing was revealed as a Sith Elite Warbot, an antiquated model of battle droid that appeared more nightmare knight than mechanical automaton. Charred scraps of meat flaked from the metal gladiator's thick armoured plate, disintegrating into ash on the floor.
Krell was pissed. He'd spent the better part of the trip from Sullust to the Nullus Beacon stitching that cloak of flayed sullustan skin. Now thanks to a stormtroopers itchy trigger finger, all his hemming handiwork was ruined.
A synthetic growl rumbled from the vocabulator built into the former tomb guard's metal cranium. The faceplate of his helm flipped up to reveal the yellowed bone of his original skull encased beneath, permanently stuck in a rictus grin. Glowing red lenses of photo-receptors plugged into the bone sockets of the nightmare knight's skull focused on the trooper, who continued to back away in terror. There could be no peace until they were made even. Reaching a thick right arm sheathed in layers of Sith iron plate, the servant of Famine wrapped the barbed metal digits of his gauntlet around the handle of his crystalline ostrine great-sword 'Morkai', pulling the huge 6ft long blade from its drexl scale scabbard. A rime of frost covered the length of the sword as the materials it was comprised of seem to radiate cold, literally bleeding the warmth from the environment. In one fluid motion the sword split the air, finding its mark in the left shoulder of the Sith Trooper before cleaving him diagonally in twain. Plastoid parted like blue-butter before a lightsaber blade. Both halves of the man dropped onto the floor, forming a steaming pool of blood and spilled viscera.
The Sith troopers partner, another red clad stormtrooper standing sentinel, remained frozen in place. Some of it was shock, but mostly it was about survival. Any aggressive motion was just as likely to see Krell's massive sword used to split him in half as well. Instead, he politely saluted the warbot with one hand, while holstering his blaster with the other. Slowly, the trooper stepped away from his post before turning and proceeded back down the hall with all due haste. He'd inform his floor Sergeant about the incident. Any officer with a little time in would be familiar with the procedures when dealing with those that served the dark apothecary. Chances were that a ranat cleaning crew would arrive within the hour to see to the mess, and that was about it. No penalty, no punishment. What could they do really?
With a metallic grind the faceplate of the warbot flipped back down, locking into place and causing his photo-receptors to become focused like a coaxial laser through the slit visor of his helm. Krell returned Morkai to its sheath without bothering to wipe the blood from its length. Behind him, other creatures began to emerge from the unlit bowels of the Covenant. Ranats scurried in large packs, bedecked in stolen armour and carrying a myriad of modern weaponry that had been pilfered from the SoroSuub Corporate Headquarters. Albino furred storm vermin guided HS-19 cargo loading transport skimmers laden with crates of loot. Big burly gamorrean war-boars in primitive animal furs and rustic piecemeal armour emerged alongside huge mutant ranat-ogres that made even the brutish Krell look slim by comparison. They led a procession of down-trodden sullustan slaves in shock bindings into the station. Most were filthy, covered in all manner of foul effluence from their time aboard the Covenant, with many sporting open sores and signs of bacterial infection.
Most of the slaves would end up in the cortosis mines under Krell, who served as the Sith Eternal's overseer of those carcinogen choked depths. There beneath the surface of thrice cursed Roon, they would be worked to death, and then their lifeless bodies would be ground up into a paste and used as sustenance for the remaining slave fodder. Those were considered to be the lucky ones, for their suffering would be measured in weeks if not months. The less lucky among them would be used for other awful tasks that required an expendable labour force. Or, for those truly hated by the gods, they might be sent to the fleshpits of the dark apothecary, to be used in various ways for his morally bankrupt experiments.
As expected, about an hour after Krell had cut down the trigger happy trooper, a band of three scurrying vermin in sanitation department coveralls arrived, leading a leathery fleshed rakghoul by a chain leash. Around the mutant's neck was a barbed iron collar that bit into its thick skin, occasionally spilling drops of diseased blood upon the deck. As the sithspawn was led to the dead trooper, it was allowed to gluttonize itself on the spoiling meat, then was encouraged to lap up as much blood as it could. The rest they sort of swished around on the floor with dirty mops, not really cleaning so much as spreading the filth around.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Apr 17, 2023 5:16:47 GMT -8
Ring - Ring - Ring Klaxons sounded at the Nullus Beacon's star docks as swarms of tinker-rats joined sullustan slaves from SoroSuub and a mix of other specialists. Word had come down from up top to begin assembling five vindicator frames, with one of the five actually being meant for an immobilizer 418 model. Verminous warlock enginseers in exo-suits ordered teams of slave meat and ranat-ogres as the vermintide was put to work building the heavy cruisers.Nearby, a glinting wedge shape emerged from the dust cloud surrounding the star fortress and system, sliding out of the veil like a blade dragging free of its scabbard. The shining impervium prow of the Tector-class Star Destroyer 'Night Lord' had been stripped of its former black paint due to the nature of the Cloak of the Sith. As the dreadnought approached one of the station's docking arms, vacuum suited ranats with thrust packs could be seen circling the large warship, spraying it with a fresh coat of paint.When construction was completed the fleet would comprise of the Night Lord, four Vindicator-class heavy cruisers named after his brothers (Ie: Warlord, Necromancer, Prophet, Madman), and an Immobilizer 418 cruiser whose name had yet been decided.Solar panels for TIE could also be seen as the automated facilities began to weld steel and fill the air with acrid stench of industry.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Apr 20, 2023 4:59:11 GMT -8
After a period of long construction, the first of the vindicator frames was completed, though technically it wasn't a vindicator at all. The Immobilizer 418 cruiser 'Hakusar's Hook' emerged from behind one of the long docking arms of the star fortress now that the shipwrights had approved it for service. It joined the Tector-class Star Destroyer 'Night Lord' as the two vessels departed the Cloak of the Sith, entering hyperspace for a short jump towards Ryloth.
Elsewhere in the docks, the finishing touches were being placed on the Warlord, Necromancer, Madman and Prophet. Crews of nimble bodied space-rats were already being selected to serve aboard the heavy cruisers once they were completed.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Apr 22, 2023 6:01:07 GMT -8
Teams of vacuum suited vermin scurried back inside the massive docking arms of the star fortress situated deep in the heart of the dust veil, disappearing into the dark depths of the Nullus Beacon now that their work was completed, leaving only claw scratches and filth as visible signs that they had ever been present at all. As the horde of rodents dissipated, the results of their labour were finally revealed for all to see. Sliding out of the Sith Eternal space docks were four Vindicator-class heavy cruisers: Warlord, Necromancer, Madman, and Prophet. Each possessed a hangar full of freshly minted TIEs and was crewed by scampering packs of ranats drawn from the various clans of Dragusblight. Each cruiser was given a unique version of altered alien to serve as shock troops and security, transformed by the Dark Apothecary's mutagenic elixir and the corrupting currents of the malevolent fey.
Departing from the station in pairs, the Warlord and Madman followed the string of locator beacons strung throughout the Cloak of the Sith, using them to navigate the treacherous region of space. The Necromancer and Prophet could be seen heading in the opposite direction, following a second set of guiding navigational buoys out of the sight and sensor obscuring debris cloud. Once clear of the field, the cruisers accelerated to lightspeed and jumped into hyperspace, heading to predetermined destinations.
Both the Warlord and Madman were destined for the Rishi system, where the Dark Apothecary maintained a lair on the ill fabled isle of Draggle Rock. The Necromancer and Prophet would be heading to the nearby satellite galaxy that contained Kamino, to replaced the Haemonculus Occulori once it job was complete, to further extort the kaminoan cloners while also providing protection for Hydra Station.
Strobing void-lights flickered out as the space docks of the Nullus Beacon went quiet again.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Dec 31, 2023 11:52:41 GMT -8
A day later after that nasty business with the evil spirit wolf, the Dark Apothecary could be found striding towards the end of the Nullus Beacon's eastern most docking arm, arriving just as a massive black obelisk emerged from the dust cloud enshrouding the secret star fortress. The Maw, his newly acquired Star Pyramid, loomed into view as its maneuvering jets brought it the last of the way towards the station, extending a large mechanical cofferdam that formed a seal over the air-lock at the end. Shrouded in a billowing man-flesh robe comprised of flayed faces sutured together in a morbid mockery of a Sithly cloak, loose enough to conceal the dastardly draconian's budding belly that contained a growing clutch of eggs, the sinful saurian stabbed a talon into the airlock controls and opened the door with a hiss of depressurization. Despite his recent uncomfortable ordeal with otherworldly entities, the Famine Lord felt good about future fortunes. With Rebellious replacing Garrax on the Council, he had another ally upon which to rely, or at least so he thought anyways. Nothing could deter him from his pressing pursuits, he could ill afford them too, for the fate of the galaxy largely depended on his next actions. A familiar verminous form hurry-scurried after the spike capped overlong tail sweeping dangerously back and forth behind the black scaled barabel as he crossed into mobile fortress, what the Rishilings and Ranat Clans were referring to as Dragustan. Squeakers dodged a lethal flick of his master's glinting tail-blade and came up beside the mismatched eyed alchemist.
"Have Krell prepare the Dark Choir to open a hole through hyperssspace, we're off to Eriadu, after we make one sssmall ssstop along the way." The hench-vermin nodded its crooked snout and squeaked to the affirmative, before scampering off towards the bridge. As for the Great Devourer, he found his way to the deck containing his personal harem and quickly entered the baths. Inside a large humid room comprised of black-stone tile was a large pool length tub, currently empty of fluid. Doors on either side of the large depressed rectangle hissed open as slaves were forced forwards at blade point, then driven to their knees just shy of the drop into the five foot deep pit. Behind them, the cloaked figures of the Famine Lord's Dark Missionaries appeared, placing the serrated edges of curved bronze blades against the naked necks of those same slaves, before quickly dragging them across the bared throats. Skin split and blood spilled into the pool, slowly filling its length, body by body. When the slaves were bled dry, their cadavers were dragged away by albino furred storm-vermin, while fresh slaves replaced them. They too were forced to endure the same fate, stuck like Gamorrean swine, their vitae filling the Hungering One's pool drip by bloody drip. This went on for some time until the bath was filled to the brim. Only then did Dragus disrobe and slide into the warm depths, sinking beneath the red waters until completely submerged.
There was nothing quite like a bath to ease his burdens and help him relax. The nostril slits on either side of his scaly snout blew blood bubbles just beneath the surface, while his forked tongue darted out from time to time, swallowing sips of rich vitae, all the more exquisite for the terror its suppliers had felt in the moments leading up to their depraved demise.
Slipping back into the obscuring dust cloud, the Maw departed the Nullus Beacon, reentering the Cloak of the Sith on its way out of the Abrion Sector.
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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: 1,193
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Dragus on Apr 8, 2024 16:38:06 GMT -8
A loud rattle of chains echoed through a large and mostly empty corridor in the Nullus Beacon subbasement, ringing as Sith iron links attached to arm and leg shackles clinked together, announcing the presence of a chain gang. Leading the way through the dark was a hunched over Gamorrean hedge witch, whose wrinkling snout and cataract encrusted eyes made it clear she was leading them by smell and not by sight. The haggard and hunched boar-crone carried in her right hand a walking stick of Pzobian oak that was festooned with tiny lizard skulls strung about its gnarled head, while her left held up a burning lantern that wafted greasy smoke due to the purrgil oil it used as fuel. That lantern was the only source of light for the hobbling chain gang as they clinked and clanked together down the lonesome hall, followed closely by two menacing sentinels in crimson gamma-plate armour. The Nu-Jake on the right turned his carbine over and used the stock to crack the prisoner at the rear end of the line square in the back, eliciting a sharp cry of pain and causing the spike headed zabrak to stumble into the prisoner chained to his front. Keep up the pace, scum. Growled the speakers in the Sith Troopers spiteful helm, spoken with unrealized vehemence as the alien DNA spliced into his expertly manufactured genome made its presence felt, as instinctual predatory senses scented what was in their blood.
Few had cause to journey into the Beacon's lower depths, save for the beady eyed rat-men that toiled down there in the dark, among unspeakable horrors that either escaped the Dark Apothecary's laboratories or were simply discarded with disinterest. It was often said among the Sith aristocracy of the upper decks that one could enter the lightless lower levels and never find the way back to the lighted decks ever again. This was likely more due to the fact that the ranat clans were fiercely protective of their warrens and wouldn't hesitate to stab-slash any crew that wandered into their territory. The crew were almost as bad. Some of the less civilized crew members found the depths suited their more progressive mentalities; they formed their own gangs for protection, often warring against rivals in other departments of the Sith Eternal organization. Food was scarce, cannibalism a way of life, even among the rats. Most were guilty of some minor offense, but rather than face the disproportionately harsh judgment of their Sith overseers, chose instead to flee into the lower levels. That technically made them deserters, though truthfully that was the least among their crimes since committing to a life of lawless brutality.
This path they traveled currently was relatively safe; the old Hog-Hag's lantern revealed the carbon scores on the deck from the most recent patrol of a 13th Legions Infernus Squad. The reek of burnt tibanna still lingered in the air and the two troopers could taste ash in their mouths even through the filtered respirators of their matching helmets. Not to mention the truth was scattered across the deck all around them. They practically waded into a crypt with the amount of fire blackened bones they were forced to trot over. Skulls exploded into powder beneath their boots as the fires that had taken them had transformed their mortal remains into pillars of dust. So far they'd found nothing to give them pause or force them to find another route around, not like the last junction, where they had nearly stumbled into a Gamorrean suicider with a baradium charge strapped to its otherwise naked chest. A favourite method of the Famine Lord to dispose of old tuskers in his war party that were well past their fighting prime, he would arm them with axes and strap bombs to their chest, and send them into the lower levels while giving them one simple mission to carry out: kill anything you encounter. Those horned green berserkers had been the end of many an under-ganger and even the occasional ranat-ogre. Based on the sensor readings of the troopers equipment, the way appeared clear up until they reached their final destination.
There path led them to a large door with a frame nearly the height of the corridor, guarded on either side by a pair of red robed NJX in the onion skin armour of the Elite Praetorian Guard. The mag coils in their heavy plate hummed as they twirled their polearms, one a voulge and the other a bisento, then slammed the butts down hard on the deck. The sound served as a signal to whatever underling operated the doors, which swung inwards to reveal a chaotic laboratory covered in scattered equipment, few of which gave any indication what exactly this room was being used for. Grunhilda, the senior sow leading the way, put out her lantern as she marched her troop of seven charges up to a gleaming throne of polished gold that appeared large enough to comfortably seat a hutt. All manner of cable and wire and crackling copper coin was connected to the contraption, though for what purpose it wasn't quite clear. Rising up behind the device was a creature covered in the grotesque trappings of the mentally deranged. It was a barabel of the blackest scale, draped in a cloak fashioned from flayed human faces surgically sutured together to form a cruel vanity that garbed the predator from head to toe. With mismatched eyes, Dragus leered from within his morbid hood, studying the seven prisoners brought before him. He stepped past the strange throne he'd clearly been working on, forgetting the device for a moment while he became acquainted with the shivering group of chained sentients.
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