Post by Gigachad on Dec 14, 2021 10:24:13 GMT
Xi'lek sighed as his six appendages made contact with the organic floor below. He had just stepped off his transport and arrived at the orbital ring system of Chyrix,The Almighty's Crown. He should have been overjoyed,honored beyond words to set foot in such a holy place,without a single chip from his wealth no less.
And yet,he couldn't help but feel dread. This call to arms by Ka'thog was not going to be a cheery one,he had seen the news afterall. The truth was that the situation was evolving in ways he had trouble wrapping his head around,but guessed quite correctly that the chosen of The Almighty was anything but pleased.
He was snapped from his thoughts with a light tap on the shoulder. Turning around,he saw a peculiar creature withdrawing its tail after having just touched him. It seemed to be somewhat wormlike,growing much thicker the further it went from the tail tip until eventually sporting a black compound eye of significant proportions. The alien was floating above the ground by psionic means,channeling said forces through six winding growths of boney material on its back,at least so he presumed.
It lowered itself to his face and got closer.
Follow me it said telepathically before proceeding to turn its back to him and float to some unknown destination. From the brief time when their minds collided,Xi'lek recognized there was no real intelligence to the thing.
"Ah,a simple construct" He said to himself before following.
The two paced through the vast facilities of the ring,filled with ships docking and leaving but also what seemed to be gargantuan vessels under construction,their design an enigma to him. Stranger still,the majority of the ships coming and going seemed to not belong to the Collective at all,having a nauseous variety of sizes,designs and aesthetics.
Soon enough,they reached a personal elevator that would take them away from the outer ring. Xi'lek was relieved by this as well,not being keen on riding an elevator for hours with hundreds if not thousands of other lithorians.
After boarding the thing,the capsule began to race along the massive composite tether alongside many others of various sizes. Tiny floating creatures began to pace around the duo,playing music by either using an instrument or having their own body tuned for producing harmonic noises.
The lithorian decided to take his mind off the meeting and admire the view that was being projected on the walls of the capsule. The vast structures both behind and ahead of them were hypnotizing,with the various vessels flying between the rings appearing like birds in a forest.
They passed along various complexes or small settlements stapled along the length of the cable,with the largest one taking up their entire field of vision well before they actually entered its bowels. Once out the other side,they passed through the inner rings,entering and descending the inside of a space tower connected to them,passing through the thick mustard clouds of Chyrix.
The thing soon stopped,opening its doors to a terrace with an aerial craft parked on it,though still dozens of kilometers above ground. Xi'lek stepped out,acidic rain flowed down the metallic plates of his body harmlessly,being quickly neutralized by the protective mucus glistening his form. He looked out to see the lights of the ecumenopolis,stretching as far as the eye could see in all directions and beyond. He then glanced up at the sky and took a breath,even here the air of the world was thick and caustic,yet his lungs managed.
A bolt of lightning illuminated his destination,Kathog's Citadel,floating in the sky for all to see. The alien boarded the craft,noticing his floating companion instead remained in the elevator which promptly closed and left. The craft welcomed him into its bowels,sealing as well and taking to the skies,occasionally rocking back and forth from the storm currently dominating the region.
It did not take long for the thing to land,allowing Xi'lek to exit onto a landing pad built into the side of a gigantic palace. Looking around,he concluded that he was certainly on the floating landmass,noticing the space tower he was at previously,albeit faintly due to the sheer distance and poor visibility of Chyrix. He wasted no more time,entering the grand halls of this building.
He marveled at the sheer scale of the place;a quick glance at a mental map he received from a keeper revealed it to practically be a city in its own right,fitting from one who was regarded as The Almighty's herald.
The alien soon arrived in the throne room,finding a colossal figure sitting upon a throne of equal scale. This was not Ka'thog,his true form still slumbered in the very moon visible through the window behind that throne,having yet to complete its metamorphosis.
This was but a projection,an avatar created from his psionic might,yet no less intimidating. The throne itself was also a horrid piece of art,made from the carbonized and fused bodies of the Lord's many enemies. The processing crystals on Xy'leks back lit up as their many glowing eyes darted to him,they were still alive,perhaps even self aware.
"My lord,you have called for me"
The creature shifted in its seat slightly,letting out a cloud of steam through the sea of daggers it had for fangs
"You are aware of the situation,yes? I am not in the best of moods."
"Of course! I would be a fool not to,I've seen the reports,you can hardly go a minute without them. But perhaps you could enlighten me as to its true ramifications?"
"The Corridor is lost to us. We're lucky to have acted swiftly and secured all our harvesters but between the pirates,Eclipse Lord and Aedelshaven administration the region is completely impossible to operate in. Seeing as Collective mining at Garren's Clarity is Tran'kars operation,we will move to The Fountain instead."
"I see,but do you think our vessels will be able to perform there as they are? I hear the ancerium is very diffuse there"
"I do not,that's why I have requisitioned ones made specifically for this task. You've no doubt seen them. This will take time however,especially since our infrastructure is flooded with aiding civilian craft. Every planet in the system has its orbit crowded,I never expected my call to attract so many……"
"Regardless,I am in dire need of good news. How has your operation gone?"
"Rather splendidly. That pulsar based refinery was a great investment,its ability to turn ancerium to hyperfuel exceeded all expectations and mister Eston has proven to be a great business partner. Our reserves are well stocked,we could start selling considering the sudden price increase"
"I will consider it. But for now I have a new assignment for you."
"I will perform to the best of my ability. What do you ask of me?"
"We've been bringing in carcasses of this….."Meat Drinker" for study after our engagements. They match the creatures that Naz'kid Qhoz'ul and Uq'eik had encountered and dominated in their expedition. To put it simply,I am intrigued. Given the situation,it may be best to look into this organism to the best of our ability.
Sadly,Qhoz'ul has yet to return from his venture to the Hyperes Group and Uq'eik is outside my reach in the Invilis Corridor."
"But Naz'kid isn't?"
"Yes,she is here,but in a system outside my authority. I want you to inform my subjects that they must find her,coerce her and bring her to me for proper screening. The information in that little head of hers is more valuable than you can imagine as of now"
Their conversation was interrupted however,with both receiving a psionic ping sent directly to Ka'thogs palace. It was from a maximum security holding facility;one of their detainees,a renowned servant of Tran'kar had escaped and was at large.
The towering beast darted its gaze to Xi'lek,its mouth contorting to give off a look of disdain.
"This is no coincidence. Go now and tell them to use whatever means are necessary. We cannot allow Tran'kar to have that insight,I will not let them steal this opportunity from me."
"Go physically? My lord,are you certain this the best course of action,it would be quicker to-"
"We cannot reveal our intentions to any who might listen in. You must get as close to Naz'kid as possible before springing to action,that means keeping psi chatter to a minimum. Have I made myself clear?"
"It shall be done. I will depart at once"
And yet,he couldn't help but feel dread. This call to arms by Ka'thog was not going to be a cheery one,he had seen the news afterall. The truth was that the situation was evolving in ways he had trouble wrapping his head around,but guessed quite correctly that the chosen of The Almighty was anything but pleased.
He was snapped from his thoughts with a light tap on the shoulder. Turning around,he saw a peculiar creature withdrawing its tail after having just touched him. It seemed to be somewhat wormlike,growing much thicker the further it went from the tail tip until eventually sporting a black compound eye of significant proportions. The alien was floating above the ground by psionic means,channeling said forces through six winding growths of boney material on its back,at least so he presumed.
It lowered itself to his face and got closer.
Follow me it said telepathically before proceeding to turn its back to him and float to some unknown destination. From the brief time when their minds collided,Xi'lek recognized there was no real intelligence to the thing.
"Ah,a simple construct" He said to himself before following.
The two paced through the vast facilities of the ring,filled with ships docking and leaving but also what seemed to be gargantuan vessels under construction,their design an enigma to him. Stranger still,the majority of the ships coming and going seemed to not belong to the Collective at all,having a nauseous variety of sizes,designs and aesthetics.
Soon enough,they reached a personal elevator that would take them away from the outer ring. Xi'lek was relieved by this as well,not being keen on riding an elevator for hours with hundreds if not thousands of other lithorians.
After boarding the thing,the capsule began to race along the massive composite tether alongside many others of various sizes. Tiny floating creatures began to pace around the duo,playing music by either using an instrument or having their own body tuned for producing harmonic noises.
The lithorian decided to take his mind off the meeting and admire the view that was being projected on the walls of the capsule. The vast structures both behind and ahead of them were hypnotizing,with the various vessels flying between the rings appearing like birds in a forest.
They passed along various complexes or small settlements stapled along the length of the cable,with the largest one taking up their entire field of vision well before they actually entered its bowels. Once out the other side,they passed through the inner rings,entering and descending the inside of a space tower connected to them,passing through the thick mustard clouds of Chyrix.
The thing soon stopped,opening its doors to a terrace with an aerial craft parked on it,though still dozens of kilometers above ground. Xi'lek stepped out,acidic rain flowed down the metallic plates of his body harmlessly,being quickly neutralized by the protective mucus glistening his form. He looked out to see the lights of the ecumenopolis,stretching as far as the eye could see in all directions and beyond. He then glanced up at the sky and took a breath,even here the air of the world was thick and caustic,yet his lungs managed.
A bolt of lightning illuminated his destination,Kathog's Citadel,floating in the sky for all to see. The alien boarded the craft,noticing his floating companion instead remained in the elevator which promptly closed and left. The craft welcomed him into its bowels,sealing as well and taking to the skies,occasionally rocking back and forth from the storm currently dominating the region.
It did not take long for the thing to land,allowing Xi'lek to exit onto a landing pad built into the side of a gigantic palace. Looking around,he concluded that he was certainly on the floating landmass,noticing the space tower he was at previously,albeit faintly due to the sheer distance and poor visibility of Chyrix. He wasted no more time,entering the grand halls of this building.
He marveled at the sheer scale of the place;a quick glance at a mental map he received from a keeper revealed it to practically be a city in its own right,fitting from one who was regarded as The Almighty's herald.
The alien soon arrived in the throne room,finding a colossal figure sitting upon a throne of equal scale. This was not Ka'thog,his true form still slumbered in the very moon visible through the window behind that throne,having yet to complete its metamorphosis.
This was but a projection,an avatar created from his psionic might,yet no less intimidating. The throne itself was also a horrid piece of art,made from the carbonized and fused bodies of the Lord's many enemies. The processing crystals on Xy'leks back lit up as their many glowing eyes darted to him,they were still alive,perhaps even self aware.
"My lord,you have called for me"
The creature shifted in its seat slightly,letting out a cloud of steam through the sea of daggers it had for fangs
"You are aware of the situation,yes? I am not in the best of moods."
"Of course! I would be a fool not to,I've seen the reports,you can hardly go a minute without them. But perhaps you could enlighten me as to its true ramifications?"
"The Corridor is lost to us. We're lucky to have acted swiftly and secured all our harvesters but between the pirates,Eclipse Lord and Aedelshaven administration the region is completely impossible to operate in. Seeing as Collective mining at Garren's Clarity is Tran'kars operation,we will move to The Fountain instead."
"I see,but do you think our vessels will be able to perform there as they are? I hear the ancerium is very diffuse there"
"I do not,that's why I have requisitioned ones made specifically for this task. You've no doubt seen them. This will take time however,especially since our infrastructure is flooded with aiding civilian craft. Every planet in the system has its orbit crowded,I never expected my call to attract so many……"
"Regardless,I am in dire need of good news. How has your operation gone?"
"Rather splendidly. That pulsar based refinery was a great investment,its ability to turn ancerium to hyperfuel exceeded all expectations and mister Eston has proven to be a great business partner. Our reserves are well stocked,we could start selling considering the sudden price increase"
"I will consider it. But for now I have a new assignment for you."
"I will perform to the best of my ability. What do you ask of me?"
"We've been bringing in carcasses of this….."Meat Drinker" for study after our engagements. They match the creatures that Naz'kid Qhoz'ul and Uq'eik had encountered and dominated in their expedition. To put it simply,I am intrigued. Given the situation,it may be best to look into this organism to the best of our ability.
Sadly,Qhoz'ul has yet to return from his venture to the Hyperes Group and Uq'eik is outside my reach in the Invilis Corridor."
"But Naz'kid isn't?"
"Yes,she is here,but in a system outside my authority. I want you to inform my subjects that they must find her,coerce her and bring her to me for proper screening. The information in that little head of hers is more valuable than you can imagine as of now"
Their conversation was interrupted however,with both receiving a psionic ping sent directly to Ka'thogs palace. It was from a maximum security holding facility;one of their detainees,a renowned servant of Tran'kar had escaped and was at large.
The towering beast darted its gaze to Xi'lek,its mouth contorting to give off a look of disdain.
"This is no coincidence. Go now and tell them to use whatever means are necessary. We cannot allow Tran'kar to have that insight,I will not let them steal this opportunity from me."
"Go physically? My lord,are you certain this the best course of action,it would be quicker to-"
"We cannot reveal our intentions to any who might listen in. You must get as close to Naz'kid as possible before springing to action,that means keeping psi chatter to a minimum. Have I made myself clear?"
"It shall be done. I will depart at once"