Public Eldritch Charity

[Kal]

Penvelon IV
The Tingel Arm

The upheaval that followed the collapse of multiple interstellar governments was a boon for some and a disaster for others. The mining colony of Penvelon IV, which had been wholly reliant on trading compounds used for hyperfuel refining to the Imperials for food and other essentials, fell squarely in the latter category.

In time the trade networks would reform, but the planet did not have time.

There were supposed to be emergency stockpiles, but the funding for those had been appropriated by the Baron-Administrator. The same Baron-Administrator had fled in his new yacht at the first sign of trouble.

That left nearly three hundred thousand people on the brink of starvation - but before disaster could strike, a charitable organisation set up shop and began distributing packets of processed F L E S H.

That was all well and good, but anyone who looked closely at the situation would notice discrepancies. Firstly, there was the Starblossom Trust itself, which had no registered employees and was headquartered in an empty office on Tattooine of all places. Secondly, the Trust had begun arriving before the crisis became evident to the locals, let alone most NGOs.

Finally, and most suspiciously of all, the amount of food handed out greatly exceeded the maximum cargo capacity of the transport shuttles that had supposedly brought it to the planet.

In fact, all of the F L E S H appeared to come from a single large warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"You know, you guys really don't have to stay here," Zhar Cthylla said, pushing a hovercart full of supplies. "The Service Corps is handling this just fine."

"Well, your father and I came out here to see you, dear," Kass replied, her pseudopods gripping the handles of another cart. "If spending time with our son means helping these people, that's fine by us."

"Just because we're on leave doesn't mean we stop being Jedi," Oukranos added, stooping to pick up a box that had fallen on the ground.

It was difficult enough finding time between their busy schedules to visit their children. Inevitably problems arose, with Zhar being called to an emergency situation on Penvelon IV, a mining colony which had been hit by an economic crash. Members of the Service Corps had been sent there to distribute food and other provisions, as well as to try and keep the peace.

When the family arrived at their destination, however, they found crowds of people already clutching packets of food. "Did someone else get here first?" Oukranos asked.

"If they did, they never told the rest of us," Zhar replied. Within minutes, people started running up to them, forcing the trio to halt and begin distributing the goods they had brought with them.

Kass noticed the different logo on the packaging of the other food. Out of curiosity, she managed to obtain one of the packets (there were plenty to go around) and examined it. "This is strange," she noted out loud. "The Starblossom Trust—that's not one of our organizations, is it?"

"No..." Frowning, Zhar grabbed another packet of the mystery meat and opened it, giving it a tentative sniff. "What is this stuff, anyway?"

Suddenly, the meat seemed to wriggle and move—or had it been only his imagination? Wide-eyed, Zhar took no chances and immediately dropped the packet. Its reddish contents spilled across the pavement, filling the air with a strange and briny smell.

"What did you do that for?" one of the starving miners exclaimed. "What a waste!"

Kal​

 

[Ryahtik]

A loud gasp erupted in the middle of a strange area. Sitting up, was a bald individual that was slightly scarred, as if hit by something rather sharp several times. Turning his head a few times, he tried to figure out where he currently was before slowly turning, only to cascade fall down what could only be described as...flesh like substance of a mountain. Giving a loud set of coughs which could only be described as a rasping of air, he barely could hear a set of footsteps coming over. A voice broke through but it was rather quickly drowned out by its own set of screams, falling over with a loud thunk with the balded man having now fully stood up and having now worn the others guard like uniform.

It felt tight around his body, it resembled what he could only describe, as some form of strange mercenary armor. Flexing in it to get used to the armor, he picked up the vibrosword from the side and proceeded to walk through this...building. Where was he? Hell if he knew, what were all these strange things around him? Who knows. Who was the person he potentially killed? Did not matter...no one he kills matters if this horror like atmosphere is caused by them. Turning the corner, he lifts the vibrosword up and examines its work, as if wondering how well it can kill and how much more advancement had occurred since his...untimely death.

Kassogtha Cthylla Kal

 

[Kal]

A bland human in bland civilian clothing with a generic-looking logo pinned to his chest - the same generic-looking logo seen on the packets of meat - approached the Jedi, a soft smile on his lips.

"Greetings. You may have been looking for the pre-cooked packets. They are being distributed over yonder." Pausing as he realised they were Jedi, the airy look on his features was replaced by something resembling a focused expression. "You are here to help too? Have you brought medical supplies? If yes, that would be advantageous."

Kassogtha Cthylla​

---

Lazily swirling through the air in his true form, Kal eyed the growing F L E S H mound with satisfaction. There, that was sufficient. At an unseen signal, work-teams descended upon the mass with hacking instruments, excising chunks for processing. It was hardly elegant, but the end product was nutritious and clean - exactly what the locals needed to stave off disaster.

He was almost ready to withdraw from the operation, content that it could run itself, when a message reached him.

A Pawn had been unmade near one of the mounds - unmade and stripped. A violent trespasser? How unexpected.

Another unseen command gathered up some of the more useful tools at his disposal and sent them off the comb the facility for intruders. The Grey Ones were no more dangerous than 'the bland men', but they were innately telepathic - if one of them were slain, the others (and more importantly Kal himself) would know immediately.

Ryahtik​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"Is it really moving?"

"I don't know."

"I think it's just jiggly, like gelatin. But it does smell rather odd for meat..."

"Greetings. You may have been looking for the pre-cooked packets. They are being distributed over yonder."

At the sound of a voice behind them, all three Cthyllas looked up simultaneously. They had been clustered around the fallen packet, their heads bent together as they examined the spilled contents.

"Uh, no, actually," Kass was the first to speak up. "We're with the Service Corps. Or at least, our son is. I'm sorry, but what animal is this meat from?" She grabbed the empty wrapping with a pseudopod, holding it up for the man to see.

"You are here to help too? Have you brought medical supplies? If yes, that would be advantageous."

"We have medical supplies," Zhar said, walking over to the cart full of boxes and beginning to offload them.

Going to help his son, Oukranos kept an eye on the man in the Starblossom Trust uniform, studying him. He was so utterly nondescript, even his facial features were forgettable. This whole situation was getting weirder by the minute...

Kal Ryahtik​

 

[Ryahtik]

The vibrosword he seemed to have was in reality, something more gruesome. Flesh seemed to have dripped from it, bits of...material so to speak seem to move around on it. Twisting it slowly side to side, he felt the armor of his seem to respond to his every movement. The thing he killed...was nothing that he had seen before, much less explain as to what it was. Pressing a button, he noticed it vibrated in a fashion that would resemble cutting a cooked nuna for the holidays. A carver of sorts? It was oversized and looked as if it was made to tear through...flesh. A distinct clank made his eyes dart to the side but almost as quick, he vanished from view.

The Sith had to learn quickly that stealth was to be their ally, their friend in most operations. While angered, he could not control his emotions to hide from plain sight but while calm from his...small blood lust, he could control his very emotions. Shimmering out of sight and made two steps out of the walkways path. There he could get a very good and unusual visual of the person coming towards him, his gentle gaze examining the...strangeness of the creature. There was almost no knowledge of this...thing, nor did he understand what exactly he was staring at. The Galaxy had indeed...changed greatly.

He concluded that he needed more info before attempting to kill more of these things, something that differed from the others. These were alert regardless, ready for something. The more he noticed of them, the more he needed to be prepared to fight them. Having an oversized carving weapon would be the least effective thing here...he needed a true weapon. Slinking through the shadows, he had to time it right but he would soon see the mass...and attempt to understand "WHAT" this is.

Kassogtha Cthylla

 

[Kal]

The bland man quirked his head in response to the question.

"The meat is synthetic. Some people prefer not to eat products derived from animal husbandry." The man bent down to pick up the dropped packet, turning it slightly and pointing to a section of text at the back. It did indeed read 'synthetic meat', though it was not made clear what meat kind of meat it was, nor where it had been produced.

There was, however, an expiry date.

Zhar's actions, on the other hand, brought a faint smile to the man's lips. "This is good. The local medical system is currently operating suboptimally. Your assistance is appreciated."

The bland man seemed completely unperturbed by Kass' alien appearance.

Kassogtha Cthylla
---​

The trespasser had yet to be found. This was not, in and of itself, problematic.

If the trespasser was a spy, the risk was minimal. The facility was expendable, after all. Kal was more concerned about the possibility of a saboteur. After some consideration, he ordered a redeployment of security forces to the processing centre, as well as increased screening of export-ready packets. The last thing they needed was a poisoning.

Bland men clad in biosuits and wielding a mixture of cutting instruments and dedicated weaponry scrambled to obey his orders, though he retained enough manpower at the heart of the facility to continue production.

Harvesting flesh from the ever-growing mounds was labour-intensive.

All the while, the Grey Ones continued to comb the facility.

Ryahtik​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"The meat is synthetic. Some people prefer not to eat products derived from animal husbandry."

"Oh. But what kind of meat is it?" Kass pressed. "The label doesn't say."

While she spoke to the man, Zhar pulled Oukranos aside. "Am I crazy, or does this 'Starblossom Trust' and their wriggling not-meat give off weird vibes?" he asked.

"There is something odd about all of this," his father agreed. "But the people need food, and they are providing it."

"Oh, believe me, I know." Zhar had seen plenty of crises in his career with the Service Corps, after all. "But this is against protocol, and there are rules set up for a reason." He lowered his voice. "It could be a setup."

"Then what do you propose we do about it?"

"That you and Mom leave now and go check this out." He held out his datapad. "I looked them up in our records. All the food is coming from a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. See what you can find out there."

The two embraced fondly, before Zhar returned to his work. Oukranos tucked the datapad away and walked toward Kass, waiting for a break in the conversation before he announced, "Something's come up. We have to go, honey."

The urgency in his tone couldn't be denied. Kass floundered a moment, clearly not satisfied with the answers the bland man had been giving, before she reluctantly excused herself.

Kal Ryahtik​

 

[Ryahtik]

Kal would not need to wait long. A telepathic message would be sent out in probably one of the most horrifying ways. There was a distinct loud clank noise before an insane amount of information came in about the individual in question, what he looks like, where he was but the death was extremely sudden. A description of even his eyes were there, as if he was held up close.

As if an entire envoy of people had descended upon him, there was nothing but the shattered screams and amount of destruction that was caused. Every action seemed to be more violent than the last, a message of someone ripped apart, another decapitated, another impaled on a pillar...every death seemed to be escalating without an end in sight. If Kal could even feel in the Force, it would be as if a Beacon of the Dark Side erupted partly in his facility and it just kept growing, as if each death fueled his rage.

The direction seems to be heading for an exit, though how many more deaths he will give is unknown...no one seems to have even gotten close enough to keep sight on him before another was killed. It was as if...the more sent, the more they are unsure of themselves.
Kassogtha Cthylla Kal

 

[Kal]

"The meat meets or exceeds all applicable nutritional and safety standards," the bland man remarked, the non-answer unlikely to impress the Jedi. Then again, he was acting with minimal external direction due to the disturbances in the warehouse; little more could be expected from a half-living pawn like it.

"Have a pleasant afternoon," the bland man said once it became clear that two of the three Jedi were departing. There was nothing to indicate that the man was in any way suspicious about the nature of the 'something'.

Kassogtha Cthylla
---​

Pawns and Grey Ones alike died in increasingly brutal ways, but there would be no screams - neither group seemed altogether bothered by their deaths, except as it pertained to the subsequent inability to execute their duties.

Kal, on the other hand, was both baffled and frustrated.

What in oblivion was a homicidal Sith doing here?

At least the lunatic was not heading in his direction - he would hate to evacuate before the risk of starvation had been fully averted. After some consideration he ordered the withdrawal of the remaining living assets in the Sith's path - there was no need to expend them for no gain. There was nothing present that could stop someone like this, unless...

Unless he opted for a drastic response.

<Partial demolition order, effective immediately. Activate the incendiary charges in the northern distribution hub once the trespasser has fully entered it.> He could only hope the fire would not spread too quickly - it had always been his intent to burn down the warehouse, but not until sufficient food had been distributed to the locals.

Ryahtik​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Oukranos explained everything on the speeder ride to the warehouse. Kass fidgeted with worry. "A warehouse in the middle of nowhere," she muttered. "And they showed up before the crisis even started. Doesn't that sound like a setup?"

"Yes," Oukranos remarked, eyes on the skies. "But we won't know anything until we have a chance to investigate."

"You don't suppose Zhar is in any danger, do you?"

"I think he can handle himself. We did a good job raising him, didn't we?"

She snorted faintly, then fell quiet. Watching the passing scenery, she felt his hand reach over to touch her. She weaved a pseudopod between his fingers, grateful for the comforting gesture.

At least, until she spotted the warehouse - or rather, became aware of the Darkness permeating the area. "What in space is going on down there?" she whispered, leaning forward in her seat. "Can you feel that?"

"Yes. A Sith?"

"Seems like it. But if the Sith are here, then... oh, those poor people!"

They parked a short distance away from the northernmost part of the warehouse. While she tried to contact Zhar and warn him, Oukranos cautiously approached the building, trying to get a view of what was inside. Kass' danger sense suddenly spiked. She had just enough time to put up a Force barrier before the northern hub of the warehouse burst into flames.

The shield protected her from the initial incendiary blast. Pieces of charred shrapnel rained down upon her, bouncing off the barrier as the smoke cleared. "Oukranos!" she shouted, numerous eyes looking around frantically. There! He was still in the same spot, lightsaber in hand, having generated a barrier of his own. She raced toward him across the grass. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Just a little singed. Let's get in there and figure out what the hell is going on."

The two of them entered the warehouse together, weapons at the ready...

Kal Ryahtik​

 

[Ryahtik]

The pathway of bodies seemed to have finally ended. He had no idea what they were, why they were here or even care for it. He just wanted to leave, not ever come back and just simply. LEAVE! Walking through with a lot of gunk...or whatever it was, considering he was imagining their screams, it probably did not help he was thinking he was covered in...well something resembling blood...ish? Before the thought could even go through his mind, he heard the doors slam shut behind him. What in the-

Then there was a set of beeping, rapid kind of bomb like beeping. Turning, he saw one within about ten feet away from the Rattataki. His eyes were wide but then...relaxed. It was an annoying like glance, as if he could not believe he fell into some form of trap. As it progressed, the Sith merely stood there in annoyance as a thought crossed through his mind.

"Well....Shi-"

​

The explosion rocked the ground far more than he could have anticipated. The metal creaked around the structure as some parts of it melted or was turning into scrap in the surrounding area. Fires were still erupting all around, the kind that seemed to never run out. Laying on the ground, surrounded by molten steel and various broken containers, fixtures and the smell of horrendous meat burning away, laid the Sith with his signature in the Force now very low.

The Sith was trapped under multiple pillars of steel structure, part of it being the room as the weapon he had earlier was now gone, cast aside and destroyed in the inferno. His own face was now scarred, two large gashes now showing with part of his own lip seemingly split into two pieces, his own right ear feeling damaged. Laying there, he was not only in a lot of pain, but very annoyed that someone had outsmarted him better than most Sith of his time.

Curling his left hand, he felt the stinging sensation of his burns coursing through his body, having not felt such pain in a very long time. Gripping onto the steel with his right hand, he felt it burn as he could not move it at first as he let it go back down. Laying there, his annoyance started to turn into anger...angry at how this all had occurred, how simple it was to trick a Sith...and how much it had ENRAGED HIM!

-----------------------------------------------------------​

Rather violently, the Dark Side of the Force increased once again to its beacon like strength, only this time it was filled with lots of Anger, as if Rage itself had taken over. Nearby, very close towards where the pair, one of which was known as Kassogtha Cthylla would notice a set of steel be thrown harshly towards the side. Standing up slowly, was a very bloody, very burnt Rattataki, one that was seething from so much rage, it can be felt by simply looking at him. Not even realizing there was a doorway in his enraged state and from feeling so much pain, the Rattataki would grab one of the pillars of steel and with strength that could not be explained, picked up with sheer anger nearly a ton of steel.

Gripping it tightly, he used it like a hammer and swung it hard as it could. WHAM! CRUNCH! Part of the nearby wall that was blocking his pathway, would collapse from the sheer strike. The whole complex shook, something that even Kal could probably feel or see happening in his own facility. It did indeed slow down, nearly even kill this Sith. The problem is now it was in a deep state of Force Rage, something he had trained in for a very long time and was going to most likely use his facility as his personal stress ball!

 

[Kal]

Not long after the detonation, the bland men got to work with fire extinguishers.

Unfortunately, the Sith had survived - and seemed determined to match or exceed the property damage of the explosion itself. How rude of him. He would complain to the man's supervisors, but he had no idea who the trespasser was.

Perhaps the Jedi - he had been too distracted to flag their approach - would resolve the issue.

The outcome was uncertain. It was time to see whether his associates had any available assets.

He had his doubts. He would likely have to make do with the remaining local assets.

<I trust you are qualified to handle irate Sith? This one seems particularly unreasonable,> Kal 'spoke', the words worming their way into the minds of both Jedi - from a distance. Kal knew better than to tangle with Sith unless his hand was forced.

Kassogtha Cthylla | Ryahtik​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Oukranos and Kass were swiftly surrounded by flames. Warehouse workers clad in the same uniform as the bland man grabbed fire extinguishers, trying to combat the blaze. They worked quickly and efficiently, without speaking to each other, almost as if they were part of a hive mind.

If this wasn't strange enough, a figure emerged from beneath the wreckage. Kass felt the Dark Side like a black hole surrounding the bruised and battered Rattataki. Seemingly unaware of the presence of the two Jedi, the man grabbed a pillar and swung it at the wall, apparently blinded by rage and desiring only to destroy the warehouse.

Well, that just about killed her theory that this whole operation was a Sith ploy. So what was really going on here?

<I trust you are qualified to handle irate Sith? This one seems particularly unreasonable.>

"Did you heard that?" Oukranos asked Kass.

"Yes," she replied, her confusion mounting. The presence inside her mind felt strange, quite unlike anything she had ever sensed before. But her curiosity would have to wait until after they had subdued the irate Sith. She and Oukranos moved to surround the Rattataki, their lightsabers pointed at him.

"Stop!" Kass commanded. "Don't move!"

Of course, she didn't expect him to surrender without a hitch, but she still always had to try.

Ryahtik Kal​

 

[Ryahtik]

The voice echoed out, causing a momentary lapse from his force induced rage. Standing up rather rigidly, he turned to see the strange...mass of problems along with...some other person. He could see though the lightsabers pointed at him, the eyes would widen and his movements mirrored a bit of his surprise. Jedi?! Rather violently, he threw the giant pillar directly at the pair and jumped on top of it to ride the momentum on purpose. When it got close to them, he used the Force to jump upwards over the pair onto the warehouses somewhat remaining roof.

This was now out of hand, one horror was enough but now some strange blob of mouths were here! He was still infuriated but all the training he had to hone it, he knew to keep it at bay for just a brief moment...besides, he had an idea what he had to do. It would not be difficult to follow him if they wanted to, they could sense him very easily, it was like a giant flashlight.

Kal Kassogtha Cthylla

 

[Kal]

Kal had known many Sith over the years. He called some friend and others ally.

This one was proving to be far more unreasonable. In fact, it seemed problematic even by Sith standards.

Observing through the eyes of his minions, his annoyance further increased. It saw the Jedi and fled (rather than doing battle with them as more feral Sith seemed compelled to do), yet the escape seemed temporary. It was as if the creature was driven to foil his efforts above all else, but Kal could not for the life of him understand why.

Perhaps the Sith had lost family to a meat processing plant in the past, or perhaps it abhorred the concept of growth.

Whatever the case, it seemed unlikely to stop any time soon. Fortunately, his remaining combatants had been gathered together to guard the primary growth chamber - numbering around two dozen, the Grey Ones were clad in the usual living armour and equipped with strange staffs, electrified whips, and even flamethrowers.

Drifting into the floor of the chamber, Kal began creating a rift to the Netherworld - an escape route that could be utilised at a moment's notice if the trespasser detected his presence.

Kassogtha Cthylla | Ryahtik​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Kass leaped out of the way of the pillar in the nick of time. Oukranos did the same, dodging left before he could be crushed.

The Sith had used the pillar's momentum to leap up into the warehouse rafters. It seemed unlikely that he was going to come down, though as long as he was up there, it seemed like he was comparatively in far less of a position to cause mischief.

Still, Kass wasn't taking any chances. She threw her lightsaber upwards, using the Force to guide the blade so that it would cut through the rafters the Sith was balancing upon - hopefully bringing him crashing down to the floor.

Ryahtik Kal​