Public - | INTERLOPE (CH.1) ] Expedition to the Forgotten Moon

[Vergessen Contii]

Now Playing - Dirge From Dark Side

Location - Erdhenne

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---

Occupation was quick to begin on the moon that encircled the planet Gefängnis. Vergessen Contii's squadrons of mining droids landed on the planet and immediately began burrowing into the planet's crust for preliminary inspection. While the majority of the moon's expanse is empty, strange structures appeared over the horizon of mountains, in which the location was quickly relayed to Contii himself.

Contii freely exposed the location of the hidden moon for unspoken reasons. He requested the support of any capable expedition teams for the purpose of procuring rare and ancient artifacts. This message had spread out to nearby star systems in order to recruit the maximum number of bodies that he deemed... Necessary.

After the initial scout of twenty percent of the planet's surface area, Contii made a personal appearance. A small group of twelve cybernetically enhanced "made men" accompanied him, along with another one of his species named Wächter. In contrast to Contii's frightening visage, the keratin formations on Wächter's body formed into elegant symmetrical blades, two folding over his eyes like a pair of guarding angel wings, and another pair of ribs which curled into vine-like patterns up his torso. He wore regal yellow garbs and his hair extended down to the end of his waist.

"My lord, the stockpile container will be landing in two hours with your equipment. Until then, I suggest a few of your Made Men accompany me to go further scout the formations we discovered."

"Yes, whatever... I'll bide my time in the meanwhile. Such a concentration of negative energy... As if the planet itself was screaming in agony. It's like an earthquake in my head... But that's good... I can... Feel it..."

Contii held his head in his arms for a moment - a curled and psychotic grin filling the edges of his lips. "Oh yeah... That's the good stuff."

"You're here... Aren't you?"

 

[Velia Takeeris]

To travel this far from the core had its fair share of risks, armed vessels willing to attack anything passing by, criminal organizations being more in charge than planetary authorities, an absence of any sizable population- and in turn, one could be easily isolated, trapped and alone. This dreary atmosphere didn't let up when travelling near Gefängnis; large vessels hauling away slaves was something Velia had heard of before, though could never confirm to be true. Well, exported from the planet was more like it, but with such tales and the general climate, she didn't dare try to set foot on the planet itself. It was too dangerous to explore alone or without proper guidance, with it being unbearably hostile just from the very sun scorching the surface.

It would've made one thankful to be on the hidden moon in orbit instead, but it seemed to be equally inhospitable. Seemingly unpopulated, relatively unexplored compared to other planets she had been on and had no real value that she knew of, nevermind the dangers of exploring an unknown environment. Coming prepared with her own protective gear was mandatory just to survive, though it hadn't slowed down her pace at all, the slow yet steady pace was still all the same. She had waited a while to arrive, a little bit longer was of no concern.

Given how much of the moon was emitting... negative, energy, arriving here years later would've been preferable. Despite any personal feelings, it didn't disrupt her focus on the real reason coming here; ancient artifacts, ones which Velia was fascinated with figuring out the history of.

So, Vergessen had another expedition team member. She had arrived beforehand and, now with his presence, barely made herself known, especially given how Lord Contii was titled such. In such a system, on such a world, he was royalty and held a lot more power than she was willing to dare insult... walking on eggshells was for the best.

Though being so delicate also involved quietly observing, too hesitant or concerned to say a word. "This moon is far too lively with pain." she thought to herself moved her head to look off into the distance "Perhaps, a bit too risky to come out this far." The otherworldly sense of the force crept in the back of her mind, it felt far too dangerous indeed.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

Now Playing - Spiders' Canzone

"Oh my... Now what do we have here? A dainty little flower has taken root in such an inhospitable planet..."
Contii absconded from the presence of his guards towards Velia. His eyes were fixed on her, even as his head bobbed up and down with his anticipating gait.

"I'm joking. I'm sure you're a capable partner in this cooperative effort to secure important artefactual history -- blah blah blah... Corporate speak. Here's the bottom line... We'll have a stockpile here in the next two hours. Thermal image scanners, spare food and water... Knick knacks... Everything you need to do the best you can."

"I'm looking for something important. This powerful negative force radiates from one set of structures east from here. Looks kind of like a few grey pyramids... We're going to do a bit of spelunking in the area."

---

Now Playing - Smells Blood

Two hours later...

The stockpile arrived in the form of a large drop-pod. Three large hatches opened sequentially around the pod, exhausting smoke as they folded open.

"Exo-skeletal generator array is operating at full efficiency. For this particular outing I've reinforced my suit of armor to burn my skin from the inside the closer we go towards the source of negative energy. Rage-induced meditation can be maintained in the energy field's boiling pool of dark force power... This suit will allow me to home in on the source..."

"Oh, I'm talking to myself. This external compartment on top of the pod holds our food supply, and gear that will help us on our journey."

A few of the Made Men that were organizing suddenly approached Velia.
If she were to look closely, she could notice the uncanny proportions of each man. Some of them had bulging skin that sagged in different places - some had a plastic sheen to their expression. They then immediately began helping Contii arm the generator relay of his suit and prime the sharp pincers that now wrapped around his torso. Was it some kind of torture device? Maybe it administered something.

"Take this moment to gather what you need and generally collect yourself. We'll be marching east as soon as possible."

 

[Velia Takeeris]

She had turned her head to face him, utterly frozen, though observant and seemingly unaffected. "Of course, I'll be ready." were the only words ever spoken for the next two hours, in a cold professional tone. Not willing to show any semblance of discomfort- or even emotion -despite the uneasiness of being under the employ of such a unique and otherworldly person. Though she had raised her brows as he spoke, finding the vocabulary used surprisingly casual.

As the hours passed, she waited.

The preparation that followed was incredibly brief, though what she required- if anything -was simple. Miscellaneous gear was placed on her person without delay, though with that meant there was spare time to keep observing, to which revealed the horror of how that suit was seemingly built to stab its wearer.

"Will your own well-being and health be of any concern? Considering this rage-induced meditation and..." she took several steps around Vergessen as the armoring process was undergone, only briefly glancing at the Made Men that busied themselves "...those, pincers. I'm not sure there are many with familiarity of your species biology, so if what you're wearing harms you in any way that is lethal it might be difficult to manage..." Velia trailed off. She would inevitably be sensing a lot more suffering through the force today than she would've wanted. Too late to turn back now.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

Contii was internally exhausted with the probing, but he humored her with the facts, just so things could stay on track.
"The tips are made of surgical steel, and are coated with an antibacterial substance I concocted. It sedates the puncture area's blood flow, but it stimulates pain all the same."

"Watch."

Like a bear trap, the pincers slowly opened up with a mechanical clatter, before snapping shut around Contii's ribs. He gasped in pain and writhed for a moment - his head was hanging back, the remaining white of his iris being clouded with inky darkness. It was a frightening sight, especially with the small flickers of distortion in the air from the force.

"It's a bit overwhelming right now... But my wincing should stop the more I get used to it again."

"My lord, the Made Men are all equipped with the necessary cybernetic attachments. We can proceed immediately."
The Der'vergeben "servant" Wächter stared daggers at Velia for a moment, and then beckoned her with a simple hand wave.

"Stay among the made men, their bodies are sturdy enough to absorb a plasma bolt, should we encounter any hostile lifeforms or difficult terrain."

---

The group marched east towards the strange structures beyond the horizon. Several Made Men scouted ahead of the team, while the remaining dozen stared at Velia the entire trip. Contii was relatively silent - occasionally hollering at strange, ruined fragments he found along the path. These fragments were carved with a strange language, while some were simply pieces of destroyed buildings.

They finally found themselves nestled between a pair of rocky hills, separating them from pyramidic buildings segmented with stretching pathways.
The few Made Men that decided to scout ahead had not come back, and Contii was growing increasingly suspicious.

"Velia, have you picked up anything alone the road? Made any valuable deductions?"

He was probing with a tone that could be read as smug to some. Whether it was by reflex, or Contii really intended to push people's buttons was difficult to differentiate among people he meets.

"I'm assuming since my men haven't come back, they've encountered some sort of obstacle. Maybe a trap, a roadblock... An enemy..."

His pincers suddenly clamored shut again, but Contii bit his tongue and allowed the darkness to swallow his eyes again.
"No... I can feel it... Uhuh... Uuhh... Two sources of energy where the force is localizing. One source is moving about... The other must be an artifact."
"The other is some kind of entity. Everybody, prepare your armaments. Velia... Go hide behind a rock and revise your equipment choices."

Anticipation was building in the air. Despite the casual conversating, Contii had begun to prime the generator of his shield.

Something's coming.

 

[Velia Takeeris]

She noticeably recoiled at the sudden moving of those pincers, showing a hint of emotion, eyes widening and taken aback by the violence of the suit. The... pain, was unimaginable, not even mentioning the very sight of him being affected by it all. She had to look away, though that simply brought her eyes over to Wächter. Regaining her composure, she replied "Right, of course, I'll do that." Yet again that was all that was spoken for a time, then they began their move eastward.

The history of both the moon and Gefängnis are what occupied her mind mostly during the travel, though occasionally looking at the ruins and their carved material. "What could it even mean..." the language was impossible for her to analyze, and drifting her hand near any ruined fragment would be short lived as they kept moving. She pondered the meaning of everything they had passed by while they waited for the scouts to return, simply pacing in place and thinking whenever the group's movement became still.

Though things began to feel very wrong.

"I could only theorize, but its odd we've crossed several destroyed habitats, yet the larger pyramids seem more intact- relative to everything else we passed so far. Someone or something could've intentionally destroyed what was here, I doubt a place this important would be abandoned so quickly. Again, just, theories, I'm not too familiar with the history of this system-" Her serious answer to that probing question and as well as her rampant speculation was- as long as it was -cut short. Not just by Contii's statements, but also by the clamoring of his armor. "Oh..." It seemed like that bad feeling had a reason after all, something was coming.

Not wishing to get involved in the slightest, the cathar made her way a bit further back from the group. At the very least, trying to gain a bit of distance from whatever was approaching imminently while treating Contii and any remaining personnel as a suitable barrier to hide behind.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

"Perceptive... Keep that wit about you. You're partially correct... There was intention in this destruction, albeit I fear whatever took place here could reoccur. I posited that this moon had been struck by a stray solar flare from the nearby star... We're exploring here before any ruins are further... Ruined."

"But then again, that sun wasn't always there."

Contii knew a little more about this place than he led on, but not much more. He was only partially interested in the history of this desolate ball of rock, but his full attention now lay squarely on the presence approaching them rapidly.

The readied Made Men scouted the area, picking up small vocalizations in the wind... Then, without warning, one of the droids' heads exploded spontaneously. It wasn't gunfire however, as Contii noticed within the split second of collision that it was a... Ball shaped object. It was a rock... Something had flung it so hard it destroyed this bot's face.

---

A few more lightning quick rocks were pelted towards the group, leaving golf-ball sized holes through Made Men as well as terrain. Up the rocky hill they were scaling towards the set of pyramids, a vague humanoid shape stood at the top taking aim. It was about to pitch another rock...

In the small moment it took for the shade to reel back and throw, Contii used his force abilities to push a few Made Men in front of Velia, taking the brunt of another thrown stone.

The stranger then decided to get more intimate with the team - collapsing into a low stance, before darting forward in a supernaturally fast sprint.

"Wächter! Go with Velia and hide somewhere... Nearby."

Wächter attempted to close the distance between him and Velia for her safety, but was quickly intercepted by the strange humanoid, who moved so fast that it appeared to teleport right in front of him.

It was a tall der'vergeben male - it was mostly unclothed, being covered by a literal cloud of darkness. The shade seemed to engulf the der'vergeben's entire body, looking like a suit of black ethereal flames. Despite the roaring cloak of black fire, the body looked more like a cadaver than a living creature. Its eyes stared soullessly into nothing, and the torso was covered with exposed injuries.

"..."

"YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE. PREPARE FOR ASSIMILATION."

 

[Velia Takeeris]

She hadn't a second to react or even say anything, it had felt like a high-powered slugthrower of sorts had begun shooting rather than rocks being thrown, the impact of a object thrown at such a high velocity left it more so a projectile. There was no time to look back, or comprehend where they were coming from, beelining toward any sizable rock or part of the terrain to utilize as cover. Hearing a mighty thwack of a stone hitting one of the Made Men was all the more motivation to hide.

But running for safety had been forgotten upon the sight of Wächter being cut off by a cloud of black smoke... and the figure that had appeared from it.

She simply watched, eyes going wide and her hand instantly moving into her robes and grabbing the hilt of the lightsaber she had, albeit not taking it out yet. Her gaze was locked to the corpse-like creature, struggling to see it even as a Der'vergeben with how undead it looked as well as all the darkness obscuring it. The wounds coming in view made her tense up, now firmly planted in place out of concern over what she was seeing.

"This can't be right, it feels like a sapient being puppeteering a body, but how can that be possible? Its just a cloud of black, yet that strength in the force is undoubtable. That voice, that mind, it has to be coming from Der'vergeben, right?" Her thoughts turned to a desire to do something, to push Wächter away with a force push or try and get the creatures attention, but she was too stunned to say a word and too fearful to show her power. Contii- if staring in her general direction -would catch her sudden glance at him, as if waiting for him to do something. Desperate for him to do something.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

The veins of the cadaver stored within the black mist flowed with visibly tar-like fluid. The markings of the plates that organically grow on the Der'vergeben people layered on its face and across its torso like vertical stripes down its body.

The body that was occupied probably suffered greater in life than in death, as these naturally forming keratin growths would have prevented him from not only seeing and moving correctly but would also become more malignant across the body as it aged, as diagnosed by the spots further growing across its forehead and eye sockets.

Despite Velia's gaze of desperation, Contii looked back with a blank expression, as if this was going to happen regardless.
Contii whispered in Velia's direction, as if his smug expression could translate his next words for him.

"You underestimate my leading officer that much?"

---

Now Playing - "Combat Theme"

Wächter's face suddenly dropped - showing immense concentration as his eyes shut closed. All three of his arms raised in front of him, and the shade began to vibrate rapidly as Wächter began to mutter under his breathe. The earth split beneath them both as the subjugated corpse suddenly folded onto its own desecrated knees.

Wächter was using the force to localize the gravity's pressure right on top of the enemy. The source of his control over the force didn't belong to any government of morality. The feeling that flowed through his body and guided his power as the floor began to splinter rocks was...

Apathy.

"I don't know how he can manipulate the force so leisurely... He's not focusing any rage, but he uses his abilities with as much dominance as a Sith... It's infuriating on some level, but every other level of my ego is... Proud."

But the walking corpse simply denied the command to kneel. While on its way towards the floor, it grounded its foot into the dirt, improvising a very struggled sprinting stance. It kicked the floor beneath it, leaping a supernatural distance towards Velia while leaving Wächter to stumble in the ditch stomped into the earth.

The shade could sense the countless midi-chlorians that wriggled across Velia's body. The potential she had inherited from the universe was tantalizing to the shadowy alien. It landed only a few meters away from her, giving her room to observe it become suddenly docile.

"YOU ARE... NOT... OF VER'LASSEN ORIGIN... THEN YOUR SAFETY IS IMPERATIVE."

The shade released the body it had subjugated for what was apparently centuries. As soon as the shadow faded from the corpse, it quickly vanished into a fine dust.

"STERN'HERR COMMANDER ALBRECHT HAS HEREBY SERVED HIS CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES."
"YOU HAVE ENTERED AN ACTIVE WARZONE. PRECAUTIONARY SYMBIOSIS IS ADVISED. ASSIMILATION WILL ENHANCE SURVAVIABILITY PERCENTAGE BY FOURTY PERCENT."

Like a machine, it stayed motionless until it could be given another order. Any hopes for further conversation were extinguished by its prolonged silence.

Wächter had decided to slowly monitor the shade's motions after deducing it was safe to advance - climbing out of the hole he was left in with a hint of embarrassment blemishing his cheeks red. The body the shade had inhabited was now missing, and no further chaos seemed to occur across the field.

Contii stood still where he was, assessing whether he should finally throw his hat in the ring, or allow Velia to make an...

... Educated choice.

 

[Velia Takeeris]

Completely frozen in place even after the creature and its unfortunate host had approached, Velia still did not move. She would've been thankful for all the violence finally having come to a halt, if it not had been for the fact it actually spoke directly at her, as well as the unfortunate victim of its assimilation seemingly disintegrating. There was a careful, single step backward, away from it.

"No, nonono- I wont be accepting any assimilation, symbiosis or cooperation with whatever you are..." Despite all the years spent travelling the galaxy, from deep wilderness to isolated temples, nothing was quite like this creature. Velia desperately tried to fight off her own fear, trying not to give into any ideas of attacking first, of violence "Whatever happened to Albrecht wont happen to me, I'm not serving any sentence and I don't need any help to survive."

Without thinking and acting purely on reflex, the lightsaber was wielded, albeit not activated in any sense of the word, instead simply acting as a mere warning. Or, the closest one could get to warning an otherworldly creature. "Just, leave us alone." Said more so as an order rather than an answer, she glared, waiting for... whatever it was going to do next.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

On cue, as soon as the words "Just, leave us alone" were uttered, Contii lunged between the two in a vast leap. He swiped his lightsaber towards the shade, only for the space between them to distort. The creature had connected to Velia's hand for a short moment to produce its space pulling force ability. It did not have the opportunity to complete the symbiosis however, as Contii focused the force into pulling the shade off Velia's arm. It got flung into the air, where it floated idly and stared at the two from above.

"I know what you are. Der'Jäger... You're supposed to be a myth, but here you are, a living tear in space..."
"I wish to acquire you for evaluation."

"I WILL SIMPLY ASSIMILATE YOUR CORPSE."

It began to hover quickly towards the set of pyramids before them. Contii was quick to give chase.

"EVERYBODY! Pursue the target IMMEDITELY!"

 

[Velia Takeeris]

Overwhelmed by a sense of fear and terror, a red beam appeared- her saber brought down towards her arm. Whether that was to dissuade or hurt the Der'Jäger or perhaps to cut off her own arm wouldn't be known, as before she could think, the creature had begun to pull away and any action she was about to take was brought to a halt. Or, as it was revealed, the creature wasn't pulling away willing, instead being pulled away by Contii, who for many a second Velia didn't even notice, having been so caught up in the sudden rush of adrenaline by watching the cloud of smoke attempt to connect to her.

The usage of the lightsaber was now completely irrelevant, the creature floating high above had taken the highest priority, and its existence seemed to make anything else seem trite in comparison. Even as it moved Velia was in a trance of fear and adrenaline, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened.

With the thudding of footsteps she was suddenly taken back to reality, quickly joining what remained of the entourage following Contii as they gave chase. There was nothing to be said; moving in tandem at a sprinting pace, the only thought in her head was the unending desire to kill the Der'Jäger, for whatever it is, such a beast was too dangerous to let live.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

The team sprinted across the winding dirt pathway towards their destination. Wächter jogged behind Velia to secure the rear of the team, while Contii took long-legged leaps enhanced by the force towards the front.

A couple of the dismantled "Made Men" units began to vibrate to life. Their cybernetic extremities suddenly developed minds of their own, pulling themselves off the torsos of broken droids and crawling or clambering their way to less desecrated bodies. A few limbs affixed themselves to a total of four now rebuilt droids - two now dashing across the dunescape with feet for hands, while two crawled among the rocks with hands for feet, leaping from one high point to the other in pursuit of the Der 'Jager.

---

The team eventually slowed to a crawl as they investigated the looming pyramids before them. Between the four pyramids, two corridors bordered with marble ruins extended between the ascending structures. The winding road the team ran across lead to one of these corridors, barricaded by two large walls on either side, leaving them with only one point of exit.

"Very strange arrangement of infrastructure... It looks like four different entry points that intersect towards a... Platform?"

In the center of the pyramids a large mechanical platform lay unoperated in the middle. It looked big enough to fit a freighter ship - a frame of iron ropes and structural steel connected to the pad indicated it was an elevator type of mechanism.

"Down we go then, my lord?"
"Doowwwn, doowwnnnn we go..."

The droids went ahead to secure the perimeter in search of the shade-like creature. They sauntered down the large open corridors with no signs of danger ensuing. While they patrolled towards the other entry points of the super structure, the rest of the team took the time to prepare to descend. They deduced the Der'Jäger used its current intangible form to recede down into the ancient depths, leaving no trace of an extraction after their chase.

"Oh... Miss Takeeris, if you have any questions, n0w would be the time to ask them. I understand my true intent for this expedition is... Vague to you."