Private Digging up the Dead

[Gristle]

Lothal

They were finally beginning to move again. They had sat stationary for fifteen hours, floating like a particularly hefty chunk of stellar debris as they waited for any remnant of observers to vanish from their sensors. As the life support was re-engaged and they removed themselves from the inner resin chambers where they had secluded, Gristle wondered whether they had completely evaded any pursuers, or whether there had been none to begin with.

Lothal was new to the Myka, though this could be said of the entire galaxy within which they now found themselves. Nevertheless, this was the first attempt the Ykaradan colony had made toward investigating territories held by major powers stronger than the meager planetary governments or rural institutions they had seen in the deeper portions of the Rim. From the reports of their scouts and from interrogations conducted on passersby, they had concluded that this territory had somewhat recently come under the acquisition of the Empire of the Lost and that at least one precious mineral was being extracted regularly from the world.

This precious metal was not why they had come, however, and perhaps their unwillingness to go anywhere near the hemisphere upon which such mines were placed had been sufficient proof to any passerby that they ought to be left alone. They did not possess transponders, and their communication systems were primitive comparatively, and so it was not as if though they would have known if they were being hailed regardless.

The real reason for their arrival was the presence of the ruined superstructure upon Lothal. The one that the Bryn'adul had built in ages past and which had served as their primary command post upon the world. The Myka had examined another superstructure before this one, and had done their best to excavate valuables from it so that they might utilize them in their future war efforts. Nevertheless, even the riches that could be extracted from this world would be minuscule compared to the knowledge that might be gained from its Draelvasier inhabitant. The Myka had been grilling their allies regularly for any snippet of data or information that could be gathered, and what might have been casual conversation among the alien races of the galaxy was sufficient to populate information throughout even the furthest extremities of the colony.

They had heard that there was a Draelvasier somewhere deep within the fortress, and they had come to meet them. Gristle had requested permission to take one of the smaller shuttle craft to make this visit possible, though he would have preferred if one of the greater colony ships had come with them instead so that they would not be required to engage in such subterfuge and stealth.

It was thought that the Draelvasier here had somehow evaded death. Gristle was fascinated by the prospect, though at least a portion of him believed that the rumors were cultural artifacts meant to imbue the persona of the "Last Warlord" with fearful adoration. Perhaps he was not real at all and was indeed a specter of kinds which had been fabricated to represent the indomitable spirit of the Draelvasier and their ceaseless quest to conquer and abolish unworthy life from existence. Whatever the case, they would learn all that could be learned from the deathless one, and in the process, perhaps they would learn something greater about the role the Bryn'adul had played in the galaxy and what their aspirations might be for the future.

After all, if the Draelvasier here had really escaped death, he might know the entire story from its beginning to its end.

The shuttle lanced through the air, Gristle communing with the handful of brethren who had chosen to join him on his quest. They too were curious as to what could be learned here, though their interests lay more toward the archeological site that was represented by the superstructure than by its inhabitant. Once the shuttle landed, these handful broke off into their own separate cadres, burrowing deep into the metal halls beneath as they went about the work of collecting whatever valuables had been left behind and could easily be pilfered, and cataloguing those that would intrinsically need to remain due to their immense size or attachment to the superstructure.

The search for the sole inhabitant would take some time - if they existed at all, and Gristle was on guard for the possibility of other interlopers here within the ruins. Nevertheless, he kept his guard up while making as much noise as possible...

It was less exhausting if the Draelvasier found him, after all.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

It hadn't taken long for Sethrak to find the interlopers. This superstructure was his home, he had spent years keeping Lothal out of enemy hands, hoping to rejuvenate The Bryn'adul. During those years, he commanded the remnants from this very structure, before finally having to abandon it along with the planet. The Drael were too weak at that time to hold a single planet. Incursion after incursion eventually led to the complete loss of control. The galaxy knew that he was too weak to prevent their trespasses. However, he would not allow this Superstructure to lose its' value. This place was his and his alone. Many scavengers learnt that lesson from the tip of a Val-Shae spear.

The Warlock knew the structure better than any other location in the galaxy. He could walk through it blind if necessary. So when a small group of trespassers arrived, making noise, and displaying an immense lack of caution, it was easy for The Warlock to detect them. It was almost as easy for him to begin to tail the group, moving in the shadows, observing them as they made their trek through his fortress. As he observed them, he recognized that these were the Myka, the new insectoid species that had allied themselves to The Drael. At least, that was his assumption. But why had he not been told that he would have visitors?

He concluded that he would have to find out up close if these were indeed The Myka.

Continuing to conceal himself in the shadows, he moved to the front of the group. Then, he entered The Nether Realm, the place between The Nether, and The overworld. It was something he did often, yet still did not fully understand. The specifics changed from location to location. Usually, this plane would be a mirror of the real world, but with some changes. He could typically hear the sounds of The Nether. That was the case here in his fortress. A mirror world. He could see those within the overworld, and he could hear the cries and the winds of The Nether itself. As for the alterations, the fortress became much more maintained in Sethrak's eyes. Where crumbling walls and rusted equipment could be seen in the overworld, in the mirror world, the superstructure appeared new. It was very confusing to the warlock during his first few journeys into this realm. But he had grown accustomed to it now.

When Sethrak entered The Nether Realm, he became transparent to those in the overworld. Ghostly, even. That was the reason he entered the realm this time; The Warlock revealed himself to The Myka, stepping out in front of them when an opportunity presented itself. To them, he would appear ghostly at first. Once he was sure they could see him, he returned himself to The Overworld, restoring his usual appearance, and calling out in his native tongue, "Why are you here?"

 

[Gristle]

Gristle lifted a piece of rubble, examining the composition of materials that made it up and attempting to piece together how it had fit into the wall before him. The superstructure was altogether quite put together despite the absence of maintenance that would have kept it optimal, but in these crumbling pieces he could divine a prophesy of complete ruination within the next decade. Without caretakers, all buildings crumbled, but this one had been built for an environment that was no longer present, and that too would take a terrible toll.

An apparition made its presence known before Gristle, but he did not recoil in fear or terror as many might. The Myka were not superstitious whatsoever, nor religious at all, and they had not yet been exposed to enough of the culture of the galaxy in order to develop their own strains of these common cultural facets. Without anything to fall back on as comparison, Gristle and the others simply waited to see what manner of entity was approaching them and whether it was something real or a hallucination wrought by technology.

The specter retook corporeality, and the question was answered. The other Myka all returned to their explorations without worry or fear, leaving communication to Gristle. He had originally requested that a translator of sorts be available so that the communion that he sought would be smoother, but the bloodthirsty nature of the Draelvasier had meant that at least a majority of his kindred believed he would make a more suitable diplomat than his softer-hearted kin.

Draelvasier was difficult to parse. Neti had been hard enough, but they'd had plenty of time to tear understanding and linguistics from them during the captivity, and the presence of a Grovemind had made matters all the easier after that. Gristle could only barely understand the intonation of a question, though the actual makeup of the words being spoken were beyond him.

That was to be expected - that was why he had brought along a useful tool that had been plundered from another superstructure elsewhere in the galaxy. The advantage of so many worlds that had fallen to the Bryn'adul was that their tidbits and machines could be scavenged without a significant amount of resistance or trouble. The occasional war beast had fallen prey to them as they scoured these structures, and the leftovers of the past regime were introduced to the slavering maws of their successors.

Gristle extended his palm, showing a Draelvasier Mind Stone within it. Its activation was more simple than its use, but use of telepathy and similar Force related abilities had been vital to understanding the Neti, and it would seem vital to understand the Draelvasier now.

"Can you understand, Last Warlord?" The Myka chirped in his native language, simultaneously fixating on the words themselves as he attempted to broadcast them out by means of the Mind Stone. This technology was alien and strange, but if they could parse even some degree of understanding, then perhaps this expedition would be worthwhile.

"We are the Myka of the Ykaradan colony. We have come to ally with you as you ally with us. You are the deathless one, yes?"

Sethrak