Almas

[Ki Vastor]

As the form of Darth Dominus came to life, Ki looked up and into his eyes. What she felt was a strange sensation, a bond there that she wasn't quite certain as to how deep or how intense it was. The melding of Nurgle's and her DNA, how she had carried the embryo for a time ensured that there would be an unbreakable bond between them.

 

A slow smile crossed her features, feeling pride at what they had accomplished. At the news that Vladimir Faust was now the Dark Lord of the Sith, her right eyebrow raised. When she had been with Black Sun she had admired the Bounty Hunter that he was. She wondered how he would go as the Leader of the Sith. She would do whatever was necessary though, knowing where her loyalties truly lay.

 

Ki listened to the other two before she spoke up, having inclined her head towards Oni before he took his leave and nodding her head slightly towards the large sith master as Haphaestus spoke of the Empire. She had led some of Admiral Phillep's men when the Empire had attacked Csilla... when she had still been his concubine, his slave, his apprentice. She had no love of the Empire.

 

"I will follow your lead Mi'Lord. While I do admire what Faust has accomplished as a Bounty Hunter, and have been inspired by his actions over the years, my loyalties are with you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

((I'm working on a render of the scene where the new body is in the cloning chamber and Ki, Oni, Haphaestus and Nurgle's sickly form are standing in front of it. I've got the "human's" right but it's the form of Haphaestus that I'm having trouble with. I'll put the link for the pic in as soon as I've completed it.))

[Darth Dominus]

(Wow, I can't wait to see it)

 

Dominus followed Reaper's form as the man departed. He saw the man's shadow cast onto the roof of the Dome. The Dome was completed again. In their haste, he had not even had a chance to look at, the combined work of the Alcazarins and his faceless droids. Life was active within the fortress of Darth Rivan. And he had in essence assured himself a second life, perhaps even immortality if he continually recloned this body. There wasn't much more for them to build, to prepare. It was time to reveal themselves, and time to take their rightful place. What he had tried to start with the Rosecrucians, he would fully committ to with the Alcazarins.

 

"I understand why you have reservations Brother Haphaestus."

 

His silvery skin shimmered and rippled as he concentrated. This opportunity had been thrust into their lap. They had to take advantage of it in some way at least.

 

"I . . . think we should wait to decide. I have to speak to other Sith anyway, and see where we stand. The first thing we need to do does not change no matter what we choose. We must arrive with a splash so to speak. We need to make our presence known. If Dominique was still in power, I would suggest hiding our abilities and our alliance. But with the changes in the Sith Order coming so rapidly, the Sith will look to the strongest and most steady. We need to show exactly what we have been doing on Almas for these months. The problem is where and who to strike at. We have no fleet, so it will have to be a small target, but still big enough to cause a galactic stir. Thoughts?"

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

The droid stopped the fight. Silas had proven himself enough. There was only so much a programmed, but Forceless droid could teach.

 

"I fear I have been informed Lord Nurgle has died and been reborn. He is Darth Dominus now, and he wishes you to join him in the main chamber."

[Haphaestus]

((I'd love to see it, Chris. You can take some creative liberties with Haphaestus--he's not quite as bulky as the picture I put in my sig; rather, I just chose that pic to suggest what he looks like. Also, his cape is black, not red....))

 

Haphaestus looked at Dominus. "What about the Black Sun? Or Mortati's personal business on Krayiss? These are both targets that would cause a galactic stir," he suggested. He wasn't sure how they were presently aligned, but he didn't know of any reason not to hit either. The Black Sun had changed loyalties several times in the recent past, so it was less of a target than Mortati's ilk.

 

Dominus was right, however--the time had come to do something. Nurgle's new form was untested, and that could not remain the case. Still, there was something inside the once-droid that wanted to report to Vladimir Faust as soon as possible. He repressed the urge without a thought. He would be patient and not give in to irrational, biological compulsion.

[Ki Vastor]

((OOC: Since I haven't got a droid figure that I can use that would suit, I've just got it so that Haphaestus is all covered and is a 'dark figure'. I'm not sure how you wanted Oni to look, likewise with Nurgle, let me know if changes are needed. Sam, PM me a description of how you want Darth Dominus to look and I'll have a go at a render of him too.

))

 

Ki's dark brown eyes sparkled with anticipation. She liked the idea of making a 'splash' on the galaxy. Her head tilted to the side as she thought on what was said. "Mortati... he also has a resort on Byss if I recall. We could take that as well and use it to fund our operations."

 

Her thoughts turned to another matter, her son, Aiden. It was time to send him away. She didn't want her son being in a location where he could come to harm. She would speak to the servants and have them sent to guard her son and to educate him when the time came. Ki would miss him, though it was for the best that she send him away. He was a Prince of Hapes as well as the son of an Alcazarin. He needed to be safe and protected.

[darth shadowlord]

A brief comm was sent to Nurgle from Darth Shadowlord.

 

--Comm-- Master Nurgle. It is said you contain knowledge of the ancient ways of the Force. If this is true, I wish to study with you for a time to learn some of these ancient ways of the Force. Darth Shadowlord. --End Comm--

[Darth Dominus]

(Since this place is secret, we'll assume the comm was sent out over the Holonet or something. )

 

Dominus responded with a heavily encrypted communication disguising the origin completely.

 

"Meet me on Tatooine."

 

Dominus turned his attention back to the discussion.

 

"I have no love for the Black Sun. They seem a logical target. But from what I've heard, Mortati has disappeared. Usually that means death, he is a crime lord. Attacking a place the leader has already abandoned isn't quite what I had in mind. What about the Black Sun Citadel? If we leveled it to the ground, that would certainly be memorable."

[Haphaestus]

((Heh, I like Haphaestus' hat .... Interesting interpretation of the situation and characters.))

 

Haphaestus nodded his helmeted head, the faint whir of servomotors rendered completely inaudible by the thick flesh that covered his neck joint. "I agree," he said. "The Black Sun is composed of only mercenaries and bounty hunters--they will not be able to resist the strength we can bring to bear upon them."

[Darth Dominus]

Dominus was satisfied with this course of action.

 

"Very well. Let the preparations begin. Ki, if you wouldn't mind, I think we should all head there in your ship. It will be better if we arrive at once. We will try to gain entrance first. I want to delay violence as long as possible, that will make it much easier. The most important thing to remember is that we must work together, and not forget our training. We are not common Sith anymore. We are something greater."

[Ki Vastor]

Ki had fallen silent, thinking on what they were saying. She had ties to Black Sun. True Black Sun had split into two parts in recent times from what she had heard, though that didn't make her decision any easier with the loyalty she had towards Piccolo. He had been the only one from Black Sun to come after her when she had sent out a mayday call.

 

"Which section of Black Sun has the Citadel now? In the past, I worked for Black Sun, I was familiar with the layout as Kabal and Smash had it. I do have a debt of honor towards Piccolo for coming after me when Phillep first took me prisoner. It was only for Phillep telling him I was dead that he didn't complete the rescue. He is the only one I won't attack due to that debt. Anyone else is a target." She smiled at the thought of the chaos that would ensue. "I could try and gain access to begin with since I used to work for them. I could at least attempt to get us in there."

 

She shifted her gaze between the two men. "I have no problem with taking my ship. It should be familiar enough to Black Sun if we were to land close by them as it had belonged to Kabal before his death. It is also custom built by Kheldar vos Correlli."

 

... With all the weaponry he included... There was only one thing she didn't like much about the Lady Indiscretion and that was the lack of Force due to the ysalamari lined in the walls.

 

"There is one thing I need to do before we leave. I shall meet you at the ship."

 

She paused only long enough to hear what they had to say in response, then turned to head to her room to gather up her son and the servants. She would organise their transport elsewhere and say her farewells to Aiden now.

 

Ki lifted Aiden into her arms, her son smiling up at her. She cooed to him, rocking him in her arms before she gave instructions to the servants. The young mother talked quietly with her son, nursing him as the servants packed then carried him towards the ship. The servants would purchase a small freighter once on Coruscant and then disappear to a safe location. Information and updates would be sent to Ki from time to time to let her know how Aiden was going. She carried her son back to the exit while the servants followed. She would leave Sheeba and her foal here where they were safe and free.

 

Using the mask and covering Aiden carefully so that the poisonous gas would not harm him, she headed for the ship, quickly boarding it and settling her son in her room. She had her droid run through all the checks to prepare the ship for take off while she waited for the others to arrive. As soon as they did they would depart.

 

(I'll leave it to one of you to post leaving. :: As for the hat - I needed something else to cover the head as I didn't have anything else. I'm still looking for something that would work in it's place, though the hat does add character. )

[Silas Onnd]

Silas nodded at the droid and took his leave from the chamber. He made a quick inventory of his wounds, nothing major, maybe a few cracked bones, but nothing a few hours in a bacta tank wouldn't fix later. His shoes made a satisfying clink on the metal deck as he made his way to the main chamber. He opened the door and saw Nurgle, now Darth Dominus standing with a group of other people he recognized, but didn't know the name of.

 

He bowed to his master and nodded to the others, wandering what was going on.

 

((Sorry posting took so long. I'll be more active now that I don't have competitions every weekend.))

[Cyrus the Virus]

Marcellus had found solitude amongst the shadows”¦ on his own the former Sith Lord began to tap into the powers that he knew in a past life. Like a creature of darkness the man probed the shadows with grace as made swift and precise movements, in means of travel and training. His strikes with the vibroblade were flawless along with his form, as he practiced constantly while awaiting further instruction.

 

All the while, Marcellus had grown agitated by the situation and the delay of his training. He hadn't chosen to follow Darth Oni to be placed on the back burner and ignored”¦ Marcellus expected greatness and this man was holding him back. Something needed to be done”¦ Oni needed to step his game up.

 

Stepping forth from the shadows the malicious being approached his master. ”œAre we going continue yet”¦ or what?”

[Haphaestus]

Haphaestus followed Dominus to Ki's ship. He was ready to leave at first notice. He had the desire to test his new Darkstaff against live opponents, and Black Sun agents seemed like the perfect target.

[Guest]

"There you are Marcellus. I was just looking for you." Oni said, a bit surprised by his Apprentice's sudden appearance. He motioned the young lad behind him, having the droid change their destination from the sparring room to the small forge room they had visited earlier. Reading the small comm sent to him by Dominus, Oni had decided to take a different course with Marcellus's final trial.

 

As they entered the small room, Oni left but simple words for his Apprentice. "Construct your lightsaber, Marcellus, and meet up with me afterwards. Everything you need is here in this room." And with that, Oni turned, heading in the direction of the others and leaving the faceless droid to guide the young lad back to Oni afterwards.

 

((Sorry it's short, but it's been a wild weekend, and i'm running off of very little sleep.))

[Silas Onnd]

Silas' writer sat on his couch watching Everybody Love's Raymond, wondering if Sam had fallen into a coma...

[Darth Dominus]

(Sorry for the wait)

 

"Silas you will come with us as an observer."

 

Dominus took leave of them all for a moment as he prepared himself. The ruined body of his old Nurglebot android was in his laboratory. Dominus used the synthetic flesh and out covering of the droid to cover his body. When he returned to his allies, Dominus had the appearance of Nurgle again, frail and old. It was a ruse, but it would serve their purposes.

 

"When we arrive, I will attempt to gain entrance into the Citadel. It will become clear if things go sour, and at that point you will attack from the outside. Ki, you should use your custom ship to damage Ronin's Gravebreaker as soon as it becomes apparent the battle has started. His ship is very powerful. Let us go. May Darth Rivan be with us."

 

Ki's ship headed for Coruscant after making several jumps to disguise its route.

 

(Not sure if you are with us Reaper, if not, come when you are ready. Bring Marcellus if you wish.)

[Terra]

Terra's ship the Slade came out of hyperspace over the planet Almas. Terra set a course down to the planet's surface into the Slade's computer. Terra was very careful not to set her course through the poisonous gas clouds that covered the Almas outer atmosphere.

 

The Slade made its way down to the Almas surface, right outside the Citadel of Darth Riven just as Nurgle had instructed her to do through the secret message he had sent her. Terra strapped on a rebreather, just in case that the air outside was not breathable, and opened the Slade's cockpit.

 

This had better not be a trap. I hope Nurgle will let me in.

 

Terra jumped out, and ran towards the citadel, and made her way to the Alcazar, breathing through the rebreather that she had equipped herself with. She carried with her the assorted weapons she had brought with her.

[Darth Dominus]

Several faceless droids moved to block Terra's path.

 

"Do not move human, if you value your life. What is your purpose on Almas?"

[Terra]

Terra looked at the droids in surprise as they blocked her path.

 

Guard droids interesting”¦ How I hate droids”¦

 

”œDo not move human, if you value your life. What is your purpose on Almas”

[Darth Dominus]

The droid had not been notified of this development. But he knew his master was away. Perhaps he had not had time. He would have to act with caution. The faceless droid motioned for her to follow. The Fortress of Darth Rivan loomed before them.

 

"This is the home of Master Dominus. If he asked you to come here, you must be a strong warrior."

 

Perhaps I should test that theory.

 

Without warning, the droid kicked toward Terra's head.

[Cyrus the Virus]

Silence. It loomed over the room like the dead of night, within the hallowed halls of the chambers sat the confident Sith. Marcellus was proud of his rise to power, or at least his return to his former glory and now that he was about to begin this process another step had been taken. The soon-to-be Lord looked about the room and surveyed the equipment that he had been provided. Everything seemed to be there and all of the pieces had been laid in place, now the tainted soul had to decide upon a design. Would it be the traditional style, a lone blade in the wind”¦ or would he go for the more devastating saberstaff? Contemplation of task at hand had the mind of Marcellus wrapped tightly in thought.

 

The surprising thing about Marcellus is that he is very unconventional and because of this the tormented being set to work. He had the design in mind, now he just needed to shape it. Through manipulations of the force the Sith conjured all different sorts of metal and electronics into the air, where they twirled and whirled in the air as sparks began to leap from spots. Marcellus slowly extended his hands with a malicious look upon his face, the evolving material surrounding each of his hands”¦ from there they began to take shape.

 

”œHummm”¦.”

[Silas Onnd]

Silas decided that the wait was becoming too long, and he had other things he could do. He walked out of his quarters, and towards a hangar. He walked up a ramp and decided that he would bust his way out of here if he had too.

 

He powered up and began to fly out. He was about five minutes from atmosphere when he began to panic. He had to get out of here whether Nurgle like it or not.

[Guest]

"Indeed we may" Oni spoke to Cyrus, rising from his meditations. For too long now had Dominus and the others been gone, and Oni relied on his state of tranquillic like bliss to keep his patience's grip on a strong hold. Oni turned to Cyrus, inspecting his Apprentice's weapon of choice and finding it's creativeness quite unorthodox, but effective. He nodded his approval silently, before turning to lead them toward their awaiting ship, already having been readied by the Nurgle and Oni bots. They would be needed for what laid ahead.

 

"Let us pray they act abruptly." Oni spoke, motioning Cyrus to follow, for now was the time of their departure. What laid ahead was unknown, as was their purpose. Had it already been too long and had Dominus and the others won or lost the battle already? All was unclear to Oni, but still something urged their being present at Coruscant. Placing the Dark Axestaff upon his back, he went aboard once they crossed the poisoned pass that led to the waiting ship, both safe from the toxic air due to the set of rebreathers.

 

Within moments, the transport was air born, once again headed for Coruscant. Only this time not to conquer it.

 

((Sorry for the wait. Next post "Black Sun Citadel - Coruscant"))

[Darth Dominus]

The unconscious and injured body of Dominus entered the black lava chamber beneath the Dark Dome. His faceless droids had retrieved the severly injured Sith Master. The door was fused shut behind them. The wounded Dominus needed time alone with his Master.

[Haphaestus]

Completely on his own, Haphaestus respawned.

 

An unsuspecting pile of machine components suddenly animated itself, pulling itself together like a pile of rocks animating itself into an earth elemental, or a shapeshifter changing from an Umgullian Blob to a war droid.

 

But these had much more design. The components pulled themselves together, sheet metal welded itself with extreme heat. Photoreceptors reconfigured themselves and discarded dust hardened into glass. Weapons assembled from powerpacks which unbuilt and rebuilt themselves in seconds. Left standing was a complete HK-series assassin droid. Its eyes lit and its head turned experimentally.

 

Not bad, Haphaestus thought, stepping into Nurgle's lab and using the power of the universe around him to clad himself painfully in flesh and insert the extra Dark Side lightning-imbued crystal into the carefully placed slot he had formed. It seems that death has lost any hold upon me.

 

In his new, slightly improved form (Haphaestus had long since detected the flaws that existed in HK-series assassins and now eliminated them), the Sith Master walked over to the door of the lava chamber to reforge a weapon and armor, only to find it sealed. He touched the Force and found that the chamber was occupied by Lord Dominus.

 

The Imperial Inquisitor stepped away patiently. He would not disturb he that was Nurgle, even now that his reliance on the younger being had fallen to an all-time low. Still, he was nothing without Nurgle. He would wait.

[Sith Gene Starri]

Oops, wrong thread.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Guest

[Silas Onnd]

Silas broke the atmosphere just as he got the coordinates from the nav computer for the jump into hyperspace. He pulled the lever and the ship burst into the never-ending abyss.

[Guest]

Dominus' comm sprang to life as the once Nurgle sat quietly within the dark chamber, it's message bearing great news. An encrypted comm arriving from an undisclosed position and untraceable due to it's being relayed from many locations.

 

[Comm]Lord Dominus, i bear good news. Ki is alive and well, and Ronin and his goons have been defeated. The Citadel of the Black Sun is now vacant, though it cost the life of my Apprentice. I will see you upon my arrival home, and update you accordingly.[/Comm]

 

With that said, all went silent as Dominus was once again left to his quiet time. But not long from now, would Oni be arriving home to Almas.

[Haphaestus]

Haphaestus quickly reforged his Darkmetal armor and a new Darkstaff, having found Darth Dominus mysteriously missing, then departed the world of Almas for an unknown destination....

[Haphaestus]

A pre-prepared pile of machine parts pulled themselves together, apparently completely on their own. They welded themselves together, linked in all the right places, and fused in an extremely complex art that had taken the galaxy millenia to perfect. It was an art that was memorized by the impossibly efficient mind that was a result of this very process, only immortalized by the dark side of the Force. It was a paradox that something that had been created could re-create itself, but the dark side knew no such bounds.

 

The form was basically that of an ancient HK-51 assassin droid, but with a few key changes. First, Haphaestus knew the advancements in droid technology that had come over the years, and he incorporated many of them into his design. He was a stronger, more efficient machine than ever. Second, he had never cared for the face of an HK-51, so he changed it to look much like a smooth, cold human face.

 

As Haphaestus reactivated himself, he clothed himself in Nurgle's flesh, generating the substance through the Force and his connection to the chaos god, and he was once again whole, and he bade his soul and consciousness to reenter the physical form, and it did so. The skin of his face followed the human form, and though it was crude, the face was almost passably human. It didn't really matter.

 

Haphaestus experimentally looked around and initiated a full range of motions, performing diagnostics as he did so. The new body was satisfactory, he noted as he strode towards the forging room where before he had made indestructable weapons and armor plates. But this time he would not do all of that, for he had learned.

 

It took him only a moment to focus the full heat of the forge into creating a new darkstaff for him--it was still his preferred weapon over a lightsaber or two. But he would not reforge armor, only a few key parts. He made himself gauntlets, a mask to cover his face (which was cold but not particularly intimidating), and a neck guard, and that was all. Next he rooted through the supplies that Dominus had left here and found himself a cloak with a hood, which he raised. He found large enough boots to wear as well, and trousers and a thin shirt enforced the visual possibility that he was simply a tall, powerfully-built human. It would do.

 

Devising a storage method to put his darkstaff on his back, Haphaestus, the servant of the dark side and the Emperor but the master of all else, left the room, then Almas.

[Darth Dominus]

When Abaddon nearly defeated Dominus, the spirit of Darth Rivan weeped. Once more, his new understanding of the Force would be thrust into oblivion. Once more, the peace and balance he hoped to bring to the universe would be destroyed. The last time, his vision was wiped out by the Jedi. This time it would be the hands of a Sith. But Dominus did not die. Their battle was cut short by circumstance. Dominus was buried beneath the collapsing tiers of Coruscant, and Abaddon departed, allowing his foe to live.

 

Dominus lived, and yet he did not live. His memory was gone. Darth Rivan could no longer reach him, and the spirit of the Sith went into hibernation once more in despair.

 

Dominus, a Sith and Alcazarin who had manipulated the minds of so many, found his own mind shattered. In his transient state, allowing the Force to flow as Rivan taught him, Dominus' mind had become vulnerable. When Abaddon struck him with the Force attack, his mind was torn apart. The creature that had once been John Felth, and then Nurgle, and finally inhabiting a new body, the soulless child of Nurgle and Ki Vastor, called Darth Dominus, was once more inhabiting a new identity. Calling himself Nothing, he wandered the streets of Coruscant as a beggar. He was a creature barely alive, with no sense of self, only interesting in the basic needs of survival

 

But Dominus was not gone, as the others had gone. He was dormant. Nothing remembered only one thing of his previous life: Almas. This message the trapped Dominus forced on Nothing, compelling him to seek the planet. And so after years of stealing, bartering, and scraping, he had saved up enough money for passage to the barren planet. The smuggler he had hired to take him there shook his head as he departed, leaving the man on the lonely planet.

 

Nothing stood on the surface of Almas.