Roon

[Darth Furion]

Julio had managed to get to the weapon shop in good time. A half hour early. To his surprise, the owner of the small shop gave him a small smile.

 

"Ah, yes, I was just about to send for you. The modification was simpler than I had originally though. Here you go."

 

Such arrogance, like the last. Is this place filled with stupid schutta like them?

 

He took the weapon in his hand and examined it. It wasn't much heavier, and the barrel hardly showed signs of modification. It would pass any cursory inspection, should the occasion arise. He was quite happy with the job.

 

"Excellent. And how much would I owe you for effort?"

 

"It's on the house. It's not often I get to perform such modifications on weapons, and it was a rather pleasant change for me."

 

On that note, Julio just nodded his head and started to say something when something came across his mind. Not really his mind, but his feelings.

 

Something's not right.

 

"Thank you for the escort, gentlemen, but I would like to return to Mr. Mortati and...erm..." He struggled to remember the name the old man had called her. "....Rose. As soon as possible, if you don't mind."

 

"We have been instructed to keep away from Mr. Mortati's office until his business with Ms. Rose is completed."

 

"Ah, I see, well, If you point me to the cantina, I'll just wait there until they are finish."

 

The guards escorted him to the cantina and followed him inside.

 

"Can I buy you gents a drink?"

 

The guards were taken by surprise with the sudden generosity of this stranger. They debated on weather or not they should have a drink on duty or not.

 

"Come on, guys, one drink isn't going to kill you. I'm sure you don't get a lot of down time with the kind of job you have."

 

They looked at each other and shrugged. Yeah, one drink wouldn't hurt. Julio ordered three Kashyyykan whiskeys, his favorite and rather potent drink. When he reached for the drinks, he popped open two capsules of a sleeping drug and tipped them into two of the drinks. He dropped the empty capsules on the ground with a fluid motion as he passed them to his proverbial jailers. They took a sip of it, the overbearing strength of the drink masked the taste of the drug, and within minutes, they began feeling drowsy.

 

"Oh, I just forgot, I wanted to pick up some candy."

 

The guards just sat there, all their will used to keep their heads up.

 

"Don't bother yourself. I'll find it. You just chill out here."

 

He payed his tab and left the cantina. Now, where is N'vy? Something was wrong. He knew. From time to time, he would get these feelings that normally said "Get the hell out", and this is one of those times. Something wasn't right. Nothing felt right ever since he picked her up at the bar. He started wondering the market square, being careful to avoid any authority looking figures. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw here. She looked disturbed and was backing toward the wall. He started to make his way toward her, when he saw a false door open up behind her and a hand pull her backwards. He started to walk over to the wall.

 

Don't attract attention.

 

He reached the wall and felt around for a way to open it. Nothing. He spotted a small little grove in the left side. He felt around to see if he could pry it open. His fingers wouldn't fit. He extended his sleeved vibroblade to try to pry it open. The blade snapped in half in the middle of applying pressure.

 

Well, the hell with this.

 

He got out his blaster and gave it a few good shots. The silent shots grabbed no attention.

 

I love this modification

 

The door gave a small sigh and gave way a little. Now he could just barely see a crack, big enough for his fingers to fit through. He would get through that door.

 

No door will stand in my way.

Edited April 7, 2007 by Guest

[N'vy]

The hand's of the beast, for that was all this thing could possibly be, held her tighter then any restraints could as it moved swiftly down a tunnel. It was much faster then her and perhaps more graceful with the way it was able to take corners at such a high speed. She heard a faint sound from the direction they had been coming from, like something breaking.

 

She was put down; the room was dark but her eyes adjusted faster then a normal human's and could see much better in the dark regardless of ambient light present. The thing that had pulled her in moved back towards the area they had just come from. She scanned the room and moved to draw her dagger when a feeling of complete ease came over her body. Something about this place she was in comforted her.

 

__

 

The door opened and from within a tall humanoid, which appeared to be nothing more then sentient shadow, reached forth and pulled Julio in. From the back of the humaniod's arm a blade extended from his very flesh and positioned itself at his throat. It spoke to him in basic that was far to broken to be comprehensible”¦but it pressed the blade's razor edge to his throat when finished speaking as if to prove a point.

 

It moved down the tunnel with him in tow, deeper into the complex with every step.

 

__

 

”œMy dear girl, how we have missed you.”

[Darth Furion]

The tunnel was dark, but he had an innate comfort in the dark. Even though the creature threatened his life with the blade to his neck, he was at peace in the shadows, where he belonged. He spotted N'vy, slightly, his eyes rapidly adjusting to the light. It was still obscenely dark, but he could make out silhouettes now. Seeing that they hadn't immediately killed her gave him a sort of twisted hope. They had grabbed her first, and he felt it wasn't a random kidnapping. No, this was planned, to some extent. he just happened to wonder into it.

 

Why did I come here. I know nothing about this planet. I know nothing about this....girl. What hold does she have on me. I should have left her. At the cantina, at the office, anywhere. This ins't like you Julio. You're better than this. You're slipping. You should have never left the village.

 

He felt himself getting angry, starting to boil. He kept himself in check. Whatever these creatures were, they were faster than him. And they saw much better than him in the dark. For him, it wasn't as much about seeing as knowing. Knowing where the target was and knowing when and how to strike. But seeing helped. He saw that N'vy wasn't as tense as she should be. You get good at reading faces hunting slavers for eight years.

 

"What do you make of this?"

 

Her voice was a paradox to him. On one hand it held the weight of their lives. A sense of panic that would be expected in this situation. On the other, it was calming, smooth. He thought for a second, observing all he saw. He decided to avoid basic, since it seemed these creatures were semi-capable of understanding it.

 

"Well, they haven't killed us yet, that's a good sign." He spoke in Twe'lik. "And, I don't think they really plan to. Well, at least not you. They missed you. Me, they may not find a use for. Hate to have to make my last stand here." He gave her a sly smile. Then looked back into the cavern, quiet contemplation coming over him.

[N'vy]

”œJust, so you know, I can't really speak Twi'lik.”

[Darth Furion]

He heard her scream. Reflexively he turned and placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword. He heard them surround him. Must have been about a dozen of them by the sound of the scurrying. He stood there, hand still on hilt, waiting for any sign from Rose to make an escape. The creature that had crept up on her apparently didn't find him as a threat, because it continued to face Rose. It stared at Rose for a second. Rose shot Julio a look. A look he felt had his life in it. He didn't here the creature sa a word. How did she communicate with Rose? It clearly did. That was no random look she made toward him. Somewhere in her mind she was weighing options.

 

Oh great. This is just great. F***ing great. Now I'm stuck between god knows how many crazy ass spiders with the speed of nothing i've ever seen and look like the night, and this little desert fox who, contrary to her title, is cold as Hoth when it comes to my well being. Should have left her ass in the cantina. I could be working on a bounty or something now. Well, i'm here, let's just pray to Khorne she finds use of me.

 

He refused to take his hand off his sword. He wasn't going to start anything, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let himself get cut down with out a fight. He waited on the next move. Staring into Roses eyes, he new she was still making a big decision. What the decision was, he didn't know, but it involved him. This he was sure of.

 

"Rose?....."

[N'vy]

”œJulio, let go of your weapon”¦”

[Darth Furion]

Julio didn't really get what was going on. He got the fact that the humans in the compound had found the tunnel he and Rose had been taken from, and that they were killing the spider like things. But what he didn't get, was the spider's hold on Rose. Something was said without words, if that was possible. He believed that Mortati might have killed them if they stayed there too long. Something about the man radiated death. These spiders didn't seem nearly as hostile as the pale old man in the office. Rose had asked him to ease off his weapon. And he complied, somewhat. He double checked the systems for his blaster, making sure nothing was damaged in his kidnapping. Without moving a muscle, he made his diagnostics, and found the blaster to be fully functional. Shouting came from the tunnels. The beasts were dying. More screams, now humans joined the ranks of the dead.

 

Oh goody, we get to have some fun.

 

Rose took his hand and began running deeper into the caverns. They ran through the room filled with ambient light, lead by one of the more soldier like creatures into the dark tunnels. Rose's eyes adjusted quickly, while Julio's took a moment. Her superior ability to see in the dark helped him navigate in the tunnels, as long as they remained holding hands. Occationaly, one would loose grip, and it would take a second to find each other and continue.

 

"We need to get out of here. They're just going to sweep the whole cavern. If you're spidy friend was right, they may be looking for you."

 

Rose continued to run, following their guide to who knows where. All Julio could here now was feet running and heavy breathing. She was thinking.

 

"Rose! We need to get back off this ship and get the I am Groot off this rock! We can't hide in these caverns for long. Before long, they are going to get smart and seize my ship, if they haven't already. Not to mention we have the hanger guards to get past, and those really friendly Mechs. You remember those, don't you? Sweet guys really."

 

He was trying to lighten the mood while keeping it to the level they needed to not die, but he felt his sarcasm wasn't having it's desired effect.

 

"Look, ask this thing if there is a tunnel leading to the hanger."

[N'vy]

At the word thing there shadow of a guide was upon him, clutching his throat with a powerful grip and holding him up against the wall. There was a flicker of light as his eyes glowed red and glared into Julio's, demonstrating his displeasure with being called a thing.

 

”œYou'd”¦Do well, to watch your tongue”¦Boy.”

[Darth Furion]

A sly smile graced Julio's face. He could ignore the spider for now. He had a new enemy. Rose's shots hit there mark and disarmed one of the three.

 

Damn. Shoot them in the face. They can't shoot you if they have hole in their face.

 

With a thought, the blaster extended from his right hand. He didn't even way the consequences of the battle. He just rushed. The time for subtlety was over. Just time too kill. And he had plenty of reason to kill. He fired at the one in the middle, hitting him dead in the chest. He started to charge, readying his left hand on the hilt of his sword.

 

Why the f*** did you take us to this planet

 

A second shot hit the chest again. The man fell. The uninjured one started to fire. A shot grazed Julio's shoulder, making him flinch. He didn't stop charging.

 

You have been nothing but a burden on me.

 

He reached his assailant, drawing the blade into him. The force from the charge ripped the man in two. Instead of attacking the final injured one, he continued to charge behind him. Focusing on his injured hand, he didn't turn to shoot Julio. Julio gave him a kick to his back, forcing him toward Rose.

 

Make yourself useful.

 

"Kill him." He said it in the most casual way possible, making the act sound as simple as any menial task.

 

He continued toward where the three came from, leaving Rose to her own.

 

She needs to finish what she started. She'll be stronger.

[N'vy]

Rose turned her emerald gaze to the man before him. He was done, out of the fight and possible out of commission for some time longer and yet-he wanted her to just kill him as if his life was so insignificant, so meaningless.

 

”œHe's already down. There is no need.”

[Darth Furion]

"You should have killed him. He'll tell others which way we went."

 

She gave him a glance. A small look of anger and little shame. It made an impression on him. Along with the small shockwave that went through the cavern. She grabbed his hand and started to lead him down a foreign tunnel. He noticed she was in pain.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

She continued down the tunnel, running through the pain. He could see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

How many will be at the end of this tunnel? A sly smile came across his face.

 

"Before we go through here...I need you to tell me where we are going as I am sure you can tell we aren't staying here."

 

He thought for a moment.

 

Where would we go? We could go to Tatooine. No, she obviously detests the place. Not back to Coruscant. Naboo, there is a place. Or Manaan. Onderon. It really doesn't make a difference. If we need to escape, we need to go to

 

"Nar Shadda. Best place to hide. We could even get a little work there."

[N'vy]

Rose nodded her head, agreeing that Nar Shadda would be one of the best places to lay low for a while. She pulled out her blade and placed it between the wall and the light; prying open the secret door with relative ease-it had recently been used. The hanger was complete chaos and it was obvious the fighting had beat them to the upper layers of the compound.

 

Just to the right of the door was the enormous humanoid figure beneath the tarp. She led Julio to it and cut the ropes holding the tarp down. She paused dead as she gazed upon the figure with its onyx colored body and angelic wings. At it's side a vibro sword of massive proportions. On each arm was a double stacked cannon that appeared to use physical bullets. It was kneeling, allowing easy access to the cockpit. Something about it captured her full attention”¦

 

Daddy! I want to go with you!

 

A small, young girl ungracefully made her way to the very same mech. A huge smile graced her face, showing off her baby teeth as she approached her father. A well built, albeit lithe looking figure with olive skin and emerald eyes that blazed with passion just as hers do.

 

A smile graced his lips as he reached down and lifted her into his arms as she was about to latch onto his leg.

 

”œI'm sorry Rose, you can't come with me this time”¦It's time for some adult business. When I get back, I'll try to talk your mommy into going to Naboo with us”¦So you can visit my old home and enjoy it as I did when I was your age.”

[Darth Furion]

Julio put his foot in the loop of the cord, rising to the cockpit. It was....roomy to say the most. It would have been comfortable should there be only one. Rose was already in the pilot seat.

 

"Great...." the sarcasm practically drenched the air.

 

It felt like a cage. He hated cages. No one deserved a cage. Death was better. But it wasn't a cage, it was a ship. He took his seat behind her.

 

"Do you know the co-ords?"

 

She simply nodded, already prepping the mech for takeoff. The door shut, buttons were pushed, and they were off.

 

So much i've put in the hands of this little fox. And there is something about this ship, this planet that's special to her. She was searching for something here and didn't find it. Her journey won't stop here. But for now we must hide, from whatever enemies she, and by extention myself, have made here. Damn you, Rose. Why can't I just throw you out of this cockpit and go to Nar Shadda? I've abandoned before, left others to die. What makes you so special?

[Mr. Mortati]

The ship yards were brought into a state of activeness as several smaller ships began construction at the same time as a larger defense platform began construction. A manifold of ships left the system in route to their new project.

 

Of course, the money for the order was collected before hand.

 

Far beneath the surface, construction began on various types of mines. One of the types was produced at a far quicker rate then the others, as Mortati had personally requested that the it be installed in the Roon defense system immediately.

 

__

 

The Cargo Hauler, Requiem, returned and spent the better part of two days unloading its goods and restocking everything since it hadn't been home in such a long time.

 

__

 

New security is installed; consisting of multiply shield generators in the entry tunnel to ensure that no uninvited guests are allowed in. New choke-points and kill zones are added, as well as several automated weapons systems capeable of telling friend from foe.

 

__

 

A new weapon goes into mass production for the Leo's and Aries Mobile suits.

 

__

 

Mortati is seated at the head of a massive table covered in food. There is a glimmer in his eyes as he and a few others devour the food in celebration of the greatest business week in the history of the company. His mood is only heightened when an officer reports to him that the Mech had been tracked to Nar Shadda.

[Mr. Mortati]

Construction on the first Imperial ship begins while a new set of mines are placed in space. These are different from the normal ones, being placed in deep space near the fringes of the system. They are used to detect ships in hyperspace, rip them out with built in grav-wells, then ionize them while Mortati's crew sweep in for the kill.

[Zeke]

Zeke's ship entered the system and made its way past all of the defenses with relative ease; even the newly placed ones that he hadn't heard anything about. He took note of all of the new emplacements, the fact that a portion of the fleet wasn't in the system, and the Super Star Destroyer that was being constructed in the shipyards. It appeared that business was good, but money wasn't important any more so it made no difference to Zeke outside the fact that he felt Mortati would be more willing to give up the droids with no payment.

 

His ship broke the atmosphere and he sent in his codes to open the single hanger entrance. It twisted open and allowed him entrance. As he moved downwards he could hear shields activating and deactivating; another new feature that he hadn't expected. The ship touched down and Zeke stood up, lifting the baby into his arms, and moving towards the exit ramp. As the ramp lowered he saw the pallid, disturbing face of one of Trowa's greatest and most ambitious employees.

 

”œMr. Mortati.”

[Mr. Mortati]

The Mammoth Beast of a ship that was to be the Imperial flag ship, their Super Star Destroyer was officially completed and released from the docks. It was manned by a crew of Mortati's men, so it could be transported to the drop point for Imperial pick up. Payment had been rendered; which left Mortati staring at the sudden jump in his bank account for hours on end, constantly wiping away drool. It was even better then when he had extorted the Jedi leader.

 

The next ships began production.

[Mr. Mortati]

All that remained, as three of the Imperial ships entered hyperspace en route for the same planet the Super Star Destroyer had gone too, were three Imperial II Star Destroyers.

[Ronin Wartide]

Ronin put in a Comm to Mortati, requesting he build ships for Black Sun if he hadn't started already.

[Raynuk Montar]

Given the reclusive nature of the planet Roon, a direct hyperspace jump from anywhere to the planet was utterly impossible. More-so adding to that fact were all the defenses that had been implemented around Quietus' home planet. Coming out of hyperspace as close as it was possible to Roon, the Dark Lord was honestly surprised to see such defenses in place.

 

"What the hell is all this... hyperspace mines? Defense platforms... Son of a sithspawn..."

 

Quietus was a little aggravated that once again someone or something was standing in the way of his work. Walking over to the comm officer on the bridge, the Dark Lord nearly threw him out of his chair as he sent out a widespread comm message.

 

"To whomever the hell has put up these defenses around Roon, this is the Dark Lord of the Sith, aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Heretic. I have need to get to the surface of Roon, and I would appreciate it if you DIDNT try to blow me out of the sky. Force forbid you start an intergalactic incident with the Empire and the Sith against you."

[Mr. Mortati]

The defense platforms on the asteroids surrounding the planet, at least the ones close enough to the Imperial Star Destroyer, targeted it. Ion batteries and turbo lasers would rip into the ship if they bothered to try anything. Mortati had a deal with the Empire, but not with the Sith”¦For a moment he wondered if the man on the Destroyer was just throwing his weight around. Regardless, a response was prepared.

 

Three Imperial Ships were just lifting out of the Ship yards that surrounded Roon now. Combined with the Interdictor II and warships that were in orbit, it would be obvious who had the fire power. Of course, with the Sith on board that didn't mean much but it gave Mortati an air of comfort regardless.

 

"To the Heretic and Dark Lord of the Sith; what business do you have on the surface of this planet? There are no cities left, there are no people left, just mere animals and landscape. Provide an adequate reason and you will be given an escort closer to the planet then down to the surface.”

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus chuckled as he saw the various defense platforms and capitol ships move into a very nice defensive position. He turned to the crew and lowered his hand, signalling for them to stand down for the moment.

 

"We have no need to fight at the moment..."

 

Turning back towards the viewport, the Dark Lord again keyed the comm.

 

"First off, you can stand your defenses down. Had I any intention of a battle, I would have brought more then just a single Star Destroyer, I assure you. My reasons have nothing to do with you quite honestly, as I have no intention of interfering with your obviously lucrative business. For one, I grew up on this planet and had hoped to stop by my family's farmstead, or at least what is left of it. Beyond that, I intend to capture and remove a pair of shamunaars for re-population on another planet. They will... suit my needs quite nicely, I assure you."

 

As the Dark Lord surveyed the space around the platforms and ship-yards, he noticed that the three Imperial-Class Star Destroyers that had just been completed were marked with signs of the Empire.

Interesting... so Geki is rebuilding his fleet. And here are three Imperial Star Destroyers, freshly built and ripe for the picking...

 

Quietus again keyed the comm

"I see those newly finished Star Destroyers are for the Empire, are they not? Seeing as how I, as the Dark Lord of the Sith, am an ally of the Emperor Geki, I trust you would not be against my borrowing of them now would you? Especially if it put a few more coins in your pocket hmm?"

 

The Dark Lord grinned ever so slightly, knowing that the prospect of more money would indeed entice this entrepreneur of ship building.

[Mr. Mortati]

It was easy to verify that the vessel the Sith had arrived in was Imperial in nature, so when the Dark Lord requested to take the three Imperial ships it wasn't that odd-except Geki had specifically requested they be brought to a particular place and hadn't contacted him about an deviations from the plan. Apparently he was acting without consulting his ”˜partner.'

 

That didn't bother Mortati in the least, mostly because he had offered more money.

 

”œMy pockets go deep; do you have enough coins to make this deviation from the original plan worth my while?”

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus nodded to the crew to follow the squad through the defenses, watching the various defensive units as they passed by them.

"I have slayed hundreds and pillaged numerous planets. My pockets and stolen wealth could rival yours I would assume. I could offer you many things that would make your eyes light up like suns and cause you to loose control of your bowels. But of course, I know how much you would be risking by giving me the ships, mainly since the Emperor would hold you responsible. So I offer you this; I will give you 50,000 credits per Star Destroyer you release into my hands, and on top of that, should I manage to 'lose' any of them, I will personally pay you and your lovely ship yards to build another on my behalf for the Empire. I trust these terms are acceptable?"

By the time the offer was made, Quietus and the Heretic had passed safely through the defense network and was holding a high orbit over the planet Roon, and for the first time in ages, the Dark Lord looked down onto the planet he had been born on.

[Mr. Mortati]

Mortati chuckled quietly to himself. It was cute when Sith spoke to him in such a manner, but he didn't mind. Pretend to be their lapdog and once they die, all of theirs becomes yours. A much simpler method then beating them; outliving them.

 

The offer had been recorded, should Geki care to hear what had happened.

 

"I'll have to speak with Geki about it."

 

Mortati and the SD's soon leave the system with separate destinations in mind.

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus watched the Star Destroyers as they worked their way out of the shipyards and made their hyperspace jumps. With Mortati now out of the way so to speak Quietus again took his leave from the bridge and headed towards the hanger bay. It was time to make a trip down to the surface to locate and trap a pair of shamunaars, just as he had done on Korriban with the tuk'atas. But his mind was still focused on Mortati, finding the level of control that one could instill over the man simply by throwing money at him rather interesting.

 

I will have to remember that in the future...

 

Upon arriving at the hanger bay of the Heretic the Dark Lord saw that the small contingent of troops who were to assist him on the surface was already prepared and in formation in front of their landing craft. Ordering them to prepare for launch, Quietus himself moved to the Darksoul and climbed into the cockpit, starting the engines and lifting off. A minute later, both the Darksoul and the Imperial Landing craft shot out of the hanger of the Heretic and headed towards the surface of Roon.

 

As Quietus streaked across the landscape, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of anger and greif at the sight of what his home planet had become. He was still very angry about the events that had lead to his leaving the planet, and was sad to see that the planet had fallen to destruction in his absense. The planet had always been beautiful to him, the backdrop of many childhood memories that kept him sane amidst the anger, hatred and darkness that coursed through his veins. After a while, Quietus clicked the comm on and spoke to the Imperial Landing craft that followed him.

 

"Down there, in the clearing."

 

The two ships circled around and began to land in the clearing that Quietus had spotted. The Dark Lord knew the planet well enough to know where the shamunaars would be dwelling, but the state of the planet had caused some difficulty in figuring out where he was and how far he needed to go. Climbing out of the Darksoul the Dark Lord scanned around the clearing as the troopers exited the ship and waited for further commands. Quietus stood in the center of the clearing, silently scanning his eyes around him, streching out with his mind to feel for the shamunaars.

[Zeke]

Zeke moved the trio of bodies into the small medical bay on his ship. There were only two beds in it, which meant he had to leave the dead Sith on the ground between the beds. He spent much of the trip studying the body that laid on the floor and when he finally arrived in the Roon system, he felt a surge of excitement as he knew that soon he would be able to run more experiments on the figure.

 

The excitement was quickly extinguished when he felt the powerful, undeniable presence of four different Sith Masters. He had met all four of them before and had only taken a liking to one of them. The former Dark Lord would be the only one in this system to hold his respect. The rest could go die and most likely would soon enough. Had he cared about this system as much as Trowa had, he might have been angry at their being here; but it was Mortati's problem.

 

His transport navigated through the defenses and past the Star Destroyer in orbit. Zeke didn't bother to conceal his presence as Rodell piloted him through the atmosphere and low over the surface. Scanner scramblers activated as he approached the entrance and by the time they were shut down his ship had disappeared; a precaution to prevent others from knowing where exactly the only entrance was to the vast underground city.

 

Rodell and Master O stepped out of the ship first as Zeke stayed behind to prep the bodies, or at least the remains of them, for transport off the ship and to the labs. Medical technicians boarded the transport and assisted in removing the bodies. A repulser cart was brought in to move the Sith, as his body weighted far more then any mundane humans would. Half an hour passed before he had all three bodies in a private lab outfitted with the various tools he would need.

 

Several doctors worked with him as he removed Haphaestus's droid brain and hooked it up to a computer system to down load all of the information on it. Various tests were ran on what appeared to be just the opposite of a cyborg; a droid given human flesh and blood to assist his machine parts. A test was run on the blood that flowed through his veins and it was matched up to the DNA sample taken from Nurgle.

 

There were several distinct differences in the blood, but it was undeniable that both sets of blood were Nurgle's. The blood that ran through Haphaestus's body was that of Nurgle before he had lost his divine powers. Something had seemed”¦unique about the man, or rather pseudo man. Not only was he a droid that possessed a startling command over the force but he also had the flesh and blood of a God. The tests also told him of the various diseases in it. Suiting for the former plague God and a sickly old man.

 

He let the scientist continue running tests on it as he made his way to the charred bodies of Karrad and Jarmen. He looked over their bodies, taking stock of their injuries and making notes on what would have to be replaced. Where the wounds were only superficial he removed their flesh, but where it went deeper he simply planned to replace the entire region with cybernetics. Replacing their ruined body parts was simple enough, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

 

The alterations to their bodies had been made, but still they didn't have that spark of life that all living beings required. The scientists had long ago retreated to bed and he was the only one left in the lab. After hooking them up to several different types of machines, he took a seat between the two medical tables that they were on.

 

Focusing his energies he began forcing the dark side to flow through their reconstructed bodies. The darkness saturated their every cell as he pushed his energy into them. He could feel faint electrical charges sparking inside of them after several hours of continuous concentration. It would take much longer and he knew it, for what he was doing was an utter perversion of nature and would be a huge drain on his power”¦

[Darth Dominus]

A message arrived for the traitor Zeke.

 

"I live yet Lord Zeke. You killed one of my puppets. But I knew I was no match for your magic shadow powers, so in my cowardice I did not reveal myself. Your betrayal of the Sith Order aside, I require the body of my former General. Return the stolen body of Haphaestus. He is only not a member of the Sith Order, and it could incur you enemies you do not desire. If you return his body to Vjun, upon receiving it, I will send you vials of blood from my former apprentices."

[Zeke]

Zeke stood up, cracking his neck and stretching after having been sitting for hours on end. The spark of life had been ignited by the Dark Side, but it was still dim and would take time before returning to its former brilliance. In that time he would work on their physical appearance. He refused to have soldiers of his moving around with such obvious cybernetic parts. Before he could begin, though, he received a message from a most surprising figure.

 

He chuckled after hearing it. He had to admit, Nurgle had been clever. He knew something had been off about the way Nurgle was fighting and now it was rather obvious, though admitting he had done such was quite foolish. He shook his head and prepared a reply to be sent along with the body of Haphaestus's body. They would be on separate ships though, with the message and a figure to inspect the vials arriving first to help prevent”¦Problems.

 

The first shuttle left a half hour before the second; by the time the second left Zeke was already busy fabricating an entirely new appearance for his soldiers. Flesh was placed over machine and blemishes were removed as he created them in his image of masculine perfection. They might not like their new appearance, but they would accept it as he could return them to the state of death he had just returned them from.

 

The two shuttles arrived back in the system, passing the Star Destroyer with the DNA of several prominent figures on board. One was Kakuto's DNA, amusing considering the possibilities and how easy it would have been to destroy that shuttle right there so it never reached the hands of Zeke. When the shuttles made it through the brief scanner scramblers and into the compound, Zeke was there to great the pilot and take the samples from him.

 

He entered them into his computer for later inspection, but first set them to begin the cloning process of several of his famous, or infamous, specimens.

[Zeke]

Zeke walked through the private cloning facility. The lights were shut off; only the glow of the various tubes illuminated the room. His emerald orbs scanned the tubes and their inhabitants. Up until now the room had remained completely unused, having only been created for special subjects that would receive the utmost attention during their creation. The clones he was looking at were only half way through the entire process, but their bodies were taking shape and in a few more days would be complete-then he would begin altering their genetics just enough to slow their aging back to normal.

 

Before him were some of the most famous and infamous figures in the Galaxy. He had plans to go after several more samples soon enough. Each and every one of them had the same potential as the person they had been modeled after, but only a few of them would even come near such a high level of skill. He would have each of them tested and trained to see which ones tested the highest. After that he could begin with the second set of tests.

 

For the time being, though, he moved through the massive underground city and took his leave from the planet. Jarmen and Karrad would need some time for recovery, so he chose to take advantage of that as he left the system in his A-Wing.

 

__

 

Three ships were finished, three more began.