Private Meat Is Such A Sweet Treat [Kalak]

[Darth Carnifex]

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Raykka
Ikash System

The Crestfallen emerged from hyperspace, a sleek black dagger against a panoply of vibrant green and blue celestial gas ensorcelling an equally vibrant world. Engines burning hot, the sharp vessel nimbly navigated the clogged lanes churning both to and from the acrid world below. Gargantuan vessels, rivaling the Empire's greatest battlecruisers, lumbered along the divide between the upper atmosphere and the void of space. Several smaller vessels rose to meet the Crestfallen's descent, a warbling of encrypted codes being transmitted back and forth before the Raykkan ships peeled away to leave the dark vessel alone in its travels. ​

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For a great many kilometers it skimmed over polluted pastures, barren deserts, and vigorous jungle foliage. Such trivialities gave way to a sprawling cityscape, the grand tunneled city of Gadana stretched out before the dark ship as it passed overhead. Looking down, one could see the squalor and poverty the upper levels of the city endured. The further down one went, the more opulent the city became. It was everything Coruscant was not.​

Yet even further the ship pressed, screeching past skyscrapers and other monolithic edifices well into the industrial heartland of the planet. There, at its epicenter, was the final destination for the shuttle's journey. A massive structure, rising higher than any other on the planet, crowned with smoke stakes that belched a filthy black smog into the sky. The shuttle slowed, idled, and then finally landed on one of the many landing pads that ringed the building's exterior. Steam whooshed out as the hydraulic pressure eased while the ship settled down, a boarding ramp extending from the shuttle's underbelly to connect with the durasteel deck. The thundering footfalls of the three beings who emerged from the shuttle rang out across the platform, though they were spotted by the Raykkan guards before they were ever heard.​

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The Sith Emperor, draped in modest black robes, flanked by two of his crimson Crownguard in their segmented armor. Each held a Force Pike in their arms, which were held at rigid attention as they fell into line behind the Emperor. On their hips were lightsabers, broadsabers to be more accurate, though they made no move to take up those weapons. Hours before, the Emperor had alerted the Makesh Cartel's representative to the Sith Empire, Overseer Kalak the Raykkan , of his imminent arrival. He hadn't spoken of why exactly the Emperor had decided to meet with the Raykkan in person, but one could readily assume that the Emperor did not do anything without a purpose. ​

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Perhaps the several vacuum-sealed crates being off-loaded from the shuttle's cargo hold might have something to do with why he was here.​

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

Darth Carnifex

Every single time the Dark Lord of the Sith and Overseer Kalak met?

It was on Bastion... or any other Sith world.

This was a special occasion. Humans weren't often welcome on Raykka. It was simply one of those things. Even if they were welcome? It as always on the higher levels. The fact that the Sith Emperor was guided down and down? It spoke of his status. Of the regard the Raykkans offered to him. Not even him would be invited to the last level, straddling just against the planet core, but that was not expected.

"My Lord Carnifex." Kalak was right there at the landing pad. In the distance? There were screams, moans, cries of hunger. It was like being in the middle of a battlefield. "Welcome to Raykka."

Except it was deep under ground.

The Stars? They were all gone. You couldn't make them out anymore.

Maybe that was when the Dark Lord would realize that no matter how friendly he was with the Raykkans? He was currently right in the middle of a very ancient civilization. As close to their core as an outsider would get. How many could Carnifex slaughter, before he would succumb? Luckily that thought wouldn't matter.

The Raykkans were very appreciative of the human who was so pleasant to their goals.

"Can I show you to the dining hall?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Overseer Kalak."​

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The Emperor continued walking until he was within three meters of Kalak's personage before stopping, the pair of Crownguard at his back simultaneously stopping with him. He placed both hands on his hips as he looked down at the smaller alien, and then cast his gaze around from left to right around the landing platform. The sounds that drifted over the wind did not perturb the Sith Emperor, he found himself more naturally at home on the battlefield, his mind more at ease in the heat of fighting and killing. ​

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"Quite a wondrous world Raykka is," he complimented, "Different from most worlds I have visited." There was no lie in the Emperor's voice, for even though he had been to the swamps of Nal Hutta and the glittering cityscape of Nar Shadda, there was not a single world like this controlled by the Hutts. ​

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"Lead the way, Overseer. The dining hall is the perfect place to unveil the gift I have brought you and your kin." He gestured to the sealed crates being brought up on hover sleds.​

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Kalak the Raykkan ​

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

Darth Carnifex

Those hungry eyes cast towards the sealed crates.

Some saliva dripped down. When it made contact with the metal it hissed, acidic as it was. "I do always love your presents, my Lord." Kalak breathed, before steadying himself. The amber of his eyes fading a bit into a nice yellow. "Follow me then." And there they went. Kalak went flop. It was comedic to see him go. Instead of walking like a normal being, the Raykkans bounced during their stride. Big leaps and looking like weird monkeys. Ones with sharp teeth that bit your throat out if you weren't careful.

And sometimes even if you were careful.

They moved deeper into the facility.

Descending down.

The way the city was build only continued in the facility.

The center of the Cartel's power. In the distance they could hear the cries of meat being slaughtered. They passed halls with workers, grinding at iron and fire. At some point? They passed a strange garden. There only seemed to be trees in it. Silence otherwise. Except... except for the Darkside coming from it, reveling in the forestry shadows.

Eventually they reached a grand hall.

It already had a suitably large seat for Carnifex. "We still remember your measurements, my Lord." Kalak said over his shoulder. Which was meant as a boast, but for a species that ate everything (large or small) it might have been less than comforting. "Please be seated. I was just about to have dinner, you will join me, yes?"

Eager there.

Always eager to share his craft so to speak.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

In contrast to the Raykkan's bouncing gait, the Emperor moved deliberately and with resolve, keeping his pace behind that of Kalak's as to show him respectful deference as host. Much like the city that the Emperor had passed overhead earlier, the Cartel's headquarters functioned in a similar bottom-to-top manner. Carnifex occasionally glanced to either side as they passed a new chamber, some new quirk of the Raykkan culture to take in. Some would call it butchery, but the Emperor was utterly unphased by everything. He'd seen and committed similar acts before, though never in the name of deliberate consumption. Regardless, he enjoyed the efficiency in which the Cartel carried out their slaughter.​

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And the Dark Side thrived in this place, suffusing every level they descended and only growing stronger with every passing moment. It was nearly intoxicating, the odorous bouquet of power, control, and death. Such sensations culminated in their arrival at the Grand Banquet Hall, which had been arrayed for someone of the Emperor's size to attend comfortably.​

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"I appreciate your consideration, Overseer." Spoke the Emperor as he took his seat at the table, turning to look at his prize crates as they were hovered in. "It would be unbecoming of me to keep you from your promised gift." He clapped his hands, and the first of the crates was opened with a hiss of cool preserving air. Inside were corpses, neatly stacked on top of one another, still wearing the dark vestments of the Sith. "Recently my Empire had become infested with apostates, non-believers, and traitors to the Sith Order. The strongest were killed, too dangerous to leave alive. I gift to you their bodies for whatever use you may imagine for them. But, as I remembered your fondness for a more lively meal..." ​

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He gestured to the second crate, which upon opening revealed quite a few bound, yet still living, Sith acolytes and apprentices of varying ages, species, and gender. "The Masters had to be slaughtered, but their disciples were far easier to capture alive."​

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Kalak the Raykkan ​

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

Darth Carnifex

Kalak had been just about to launch into a series of grateful platitudes.

Instead?

He froze up entirely. His head sloooowly turning to take in that sight. First of the dead Lords of the Sith. His nose holes flaring, when that putrid bloody smell rose up in response. The saliva immediately started running. Sliding down to the ground, hissing in anticipation. This was not at all however. Because the Emperor was even kinder than that.

A second set.

Imagine a shark, whose eyes turn entirely black at the sight of its prey. Something similar happened with Kalak here. The amber flaring up. Taking a flop towards them.

It would have been comedic.

Except for the rows upon rows of teeth there. For a moment everyone involved would believe that Kalak would throw himself at them. Seizing the moment without a second pause. Then. He shivered and straightened himself out. "My Lord, I value our partnership keenly." Shivering again, before forcing himself to turn away from the prey.

This was very difficult. A regular Raykkan might not have managed it. Hard-coded in their DNA to kill weak prey as soon as possible.

"This is a gift worthy of an Emperor, thank you." Bowing there. "Will you let me cook some of the Masters for you?" A toothy sharp grin there. "After all, eat your enemies and you take their strength for yourself." This was a belief shared in a wide variety of cultures. It was just that the Raykkans took it to a whole other level.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor flashed his own predatory smile, although his was far less monstrous than the rows of teeth displayed by Kalak. ​

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"Why, of course. It has been quite a long time since I have sampled Raykkan cuisine, I have been understandable busy with other ventures." He knew full well what the Raykkans did to their food, where their food came from. Frankly, the Emperor wasn't too squeamish about what he ate. The meat of sentient creatures wasn't too different from the meat of beasts and other animals, though cannibalism was quite a taboo subject for many cultures including the culture in the Sith Empire. That didn't mean he wouldn't participate in it if he could, and he would be most rude if he had objected or declined Kalak's offer.​

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Besides, the ancient Epicanthix once devoured the heart of sacrifices once it had been carved out from their chest cavities. They too believed that eating the heart of another transferred their power into you, and though he doubted the mechanics of such a transferrence he did relish the opportunity to symbolically absorb the power of the dead Sith Masters.​

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Truthfully, he was quite eager to see how they tasted.​

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Kalak the Raykkan ​