Dominion Snail Smashers - BotM Dominion of Crakull

[Romi Jade]

She spanned the room in a quick sweep, largely unfamiliar with anything she happened to linger on -- this was not your normal raider group; there was something much more sinister behind it.

Great, yet another group to be worried about.

She felt solid until suddenly she didn't. The depths of her stomach grew light just as she whipped around as the clergy wove their hands and tore through their metaphysical barrier binding them to this realm. She had reason to hurriedly break herself from her cuffs, but the precious seconds it would take...she braced herself instead.

The tension she felt in her temple sprawled along the entirety of her head in seconds.

Ughh

She strained her core as if to fight against the pain, curling into it, she spazzed forward.

Matching power with a group would take a boon and this wasn't Pantora -- She'd only ever carried on a marathon mental battle with two Sith before. This was a group she was largely unfamiliar with.

There would only be a slight window which would require giving in some. Magnitude could be matched by precision and skill.

If they wanted what was in her head, she was going to show them the worst and most painful memories she had to disrupt their focus and stave them off for as long as she could. Learning how to manipulate, share, and protect memories was a skill Jend-Ro Quill taught her.

Risking the information pertaining to the Enclave was something she'd fight to the death over.

A cycle that seemed endless. There was a psychic backlash that she got caught up in and she was distracted.

Then before she knew where in time she was, Vexander Graves appeared and and cut her binds.

Bracing herself on one knee, she inhaled and let the power build in her chest. Propelling upward she let go a high pitched sonic scream. A wail...a world shattering wail broke forth from her body like a sudden detonation.

Ssccreeeeeeeeee!!

Bringing up the pitch, the sound was charged out in a cone. She was a few decibels from rupturing eardrums -- it was a fine line she had to walk for the sake of those on her side; she rarely used it.

On a pivot, her body panned from left to right.

----

Cedric Grayson
Mikhail Grayson
Darth Solipsis
Dagon Kaze
Aaran Tafo

 

[Darth Solipsis]

Objective 3: Break the Jedi
Location: Orbit of Crakull, Holy City of Gehinnom
Tags: Romi Jade | Aaran Tafo | Dagon Kaze | Rebirth | Cedric Grayson | Vexander Graves

The Dark Voice reached out with his mind, the Jedi were strong willed and resisted valiantly as he probed deep within. Unlike the Heathen Priests at his each of his flanks, when the horrific memories came to the forefront, his first reaction as he had taught Beltran Rarr was to feed on the negative emotions and consume their essence. In such fashion he would feed from the Dark Side, from the negative emotions that came with such memories, strengthening his resolve.

It was a clever gambit, the act of giving in strategically had stalled the powerful assault as they relived the horrific events over and over. They were spoon fed into a loop as time spanned an eternity, the minutes stretched on and on. The Heathen Priests gobbled up ever second they could from what was gleaned from the mind, the Dark Voice however began to grow impatient. His thirst for knowledge was more.. specific.

The Voice slammed his hand down against the armrest of his throne as he rose upward, halting his assault of their minds. The psychic backlash that momentarily broke Romi's attention and the unexpected intervention of the Jedi Master Vexander Graves had captured his full attention. Seething in anger, the Dark Side enveloped around him like a black shroud, a thick miasma rose in the air from gnawing presence as he extended his arm and pointed out.

​

The Palatine Guard sprung into action immediately, the overzealous warriors dropping their red cloaks at their master's bidding and springing forth to combat the Jedi. Crimson lightsabers sprung to life with a sharp hiss all around the chamber, the black armored guardians moving in for the kill.

To their surprise and dismay, the room was suddenly hit by the sheer force of Romi Jade 's powerful shriek as it sent the Heathen Priests flying back in withering pain, their ears unused to such agony. The Dark Voice too was caught in the terrible scream unaware, gripping his head momentarily as he subconsciously tried to drown out the powerful noise to little avail.

 

[Gren Blidh]

​

The smuggler's lips parted into a smile as his lone eye traveled from Alars Keto down to the captive Croke in his hand. The holocaustwinds of Alkonost ablaze blew through his hair as their speeder traveled further into oblivion. Indeed, much ado about nothing. At least at first glance. But Gren respected the power that these small creatures held, powerful enough to repel invaders many times their size - just not the Brotherhood of the Maw.

"I'm just a man with a habit of energy and rashness," He answered Kryll.

The Brotherhood was a motley crew of outlaws, barbarians and ne'er-do-wells from all corners of the galaxy, so Gren's answer likely wouldn't be met with any confusion. Many had their own motives for joining, perhaps ulterior, but there was a common thread between all of them. They were bound by no morals or rules but whatever power and ecstacy they could achieve for themselves.

"And you?"

 

[Cedric Grayson]

"Razorkahn," the Nikto mumbled the name with a hint of bullying amusement. "Maybe you come see me after you drop him off Razorkahn. You look tough, and my last mate exploded when we took the planet," she offered a large toothy grin, then set off, not waiting for the duo to follow after her. She would lead them deeper into the bowels of the world ship, into the lower sections that few dared to tread.

They arrived at the makeshift jail just around the time Romi Jade issued forth her psionic scream. The Nikto women fell to the floor as the door opened, her clawed hands pressed to her temples as she quickly lost consciousness.

Cedric wasted little time in reacting, easily undoing his unlocked cuffs with a slight expression of telekinetic will. Those same energies were manipulated in such a way as to form a crystalline barrier around himself and his nephew, the shimmering sheathe of transparent energy protecting the duo from the effects of Romi's attempt at liberation.

"Well," Cedric muttered as he grabbed his blade free from Mikhail's belt. The roar of Bogan's Lament was nearly as loud as the scream as he stepped purposefully into the room, "I don't think you'll be enjoying her company neveu. Sorry about that."

He took a brief moment to gather his bearing, eyes narrowed as his gaze bounced from the hairless guards to the Jedi near the center of the room. He didn't recognize Vexander Graves , but he certainly knew Romi Jade .

Why was she here? He'd not been told it was her who'd been captured -- why? Had they thought such knowledge would have hampered his ability to carry out the mission? Would it?

The exile shook his head. He'd come here to rescue other Jedi, and Romi just so happened to be another of those Jedi. There was no greater purpose here. No divine providence present.

"Cover's blown. If you get hurt I'll be very upset with you," he briefly placed a firm hand on Mikhail Grayson 's shoulder, drew upon the will of the empyrean, and willed it into his legs. Bogan's Lament roared as he hurled himself through the air, and the blade sputtered as it was imbedded deep into the chest of one of the palatine guardsmen.

"We've not much time!" He snapped as he withdrew the blade from the now-corpse. "NJO ships are on the way for exfill. Follow my nephew." He gestured toward Mikhail, then flourished his blade rather obnoxiously at the closest guards as they recovered from their ear-piercing stupor. "I'll buy some time. Romi-"

His words were cut off as two of the guards engaged him. Crimson clashed with cyan, and he quickly found himself on the defensive, moving his blade in tight economic movements to bat aside the blades of his attackers. They were physically strong, but wholly unskilled. He only needed to defend himself until they provided him with an opening.

Aaran Tafo , Dagon Kaze , Darth Solipsis

 

[Mikhail Grayson]

There was an inaudible gulp and overwhelming sensation to vomit as the Nikto came onto him flirtatiously. The cringe was powerful with this one and he did his best to avoid conversation the remainder of the way, especially when he realized his uncle had been a bit too right for comfort. As they approached the chamber where the Jedi was to be taken, the doors opened to an earpiercing scream that rocked his world.

Of course, his uncle Cedric Grayson flung into action immediately but not before sending a final jab at his expense in regards to the Nikto as the youth fought to catch his bearings. He forgot how much his uncle was a smart-ass, he'd have to repay him later on. He paused, momentarily looking up to the form of his teacher and mentor as he gave him words of caution and concern before jumping in to aid the Jedi.

Mikhail shook his head violently as he regsined his full composure and fired away at the Palatine Guard who easily deflected away his shots with skill. "Guess that didn't work out.. uhh." He waved on toward the Jedi as his uncle engaged the guardsmen in combat. They would have to be quick while the creepy folks in black were distracted, hopefully they'd be able to get ahold of Dagon Kaze soon for extraction.

 

[The Messenger]

One guardsmen down, nine to go.

Deacon Mardok slowly began to recuperate and focused all his mental might on drowning out the powerful screech as his eyes refocused on the events around them. The Jedi were getting away. This was unacceptable, his hand rose as his upper lip curled into a snarl. Lights and panels ripped from the very walls, uprooting and hovering at his telekinetic command before flinging forward toward the Jedi assembled. "Do not let them get away!"

Two of the Palatine Guard flurried in their assault against the incredibly skilled Cedric Grayson , originally relying on their brute force before realizing his immense skill with a blade. They were trained for this day, while no Jedi Knight they had been taught the finer points of combat and decisively switched to Form II Makashi in an attempt to overwhelm the Jedi Master in surprise.

A second pair immediately broke off from the assemblage and engaged the Jedi Shadow whom had freed the hostages. The first one flanked left and lunged forward, trying to catch the seasoned Jedi Master, Vexander Graves , while the right flanked guardsmen went low with a sweep of his blade.

Finally the remainder aside moved in to recapture both Romi Jade and Aaran Tafo quickly before they could aid their companions. Deacon Mardok's fist slammed against the table violently, his words rousing the recovering Heathen Priests as they attempted to come to their senses and recover from the damage set forth by the Jedi Master's scream.

 

[Tu'teggacha]

Objective: 2 (Enslave the Devourers)
Location: Explume Minor, Arena

A world away, Tu'teggacha watched as the newest addition to the armies of the Maw marshalled before him. He stood beside the Lugubraa elders, those mottled lampreys that had lived past the age of fifty - no small feat in their race's lives of constant violence and consumption. The elders had been impressed with the Brotherhood's show of power, and had agreed to pledge the Legion of Leeches to their service. Together they would ravage, despoil, and consume first the Unknown Regions, and then 'civilized' space. And the Taskmaster's dungeons would be full.

This was an army that knew no hesitation or restraint. The Lugubraa could eat anything, from trees to rocks to garbage, and be nourished by it... though they hungered most for raw, wriggling meat. The more they consumed, the faster they formed their 'splitling' offspring, forming on their bellies like tumors before dropping off as newborn Lugubraa. They grew to maturity within a week, ready to fight and kill; it was faster even than the reckless cloning techniques being used within the dark vats of Gehinnom. Tortured slave-soldiers might soon become all but obsolete.

Well, not quite; while the mad clones and Lugubraa were perfect for unleashing as expendable but potent killing machines, slave-soldiers had other uses. They retained the skills and muscle memory of the lives they had been snatched from, skills that could not be implanted into a mindbroken clone. They were slicers, engineers, mechanics, medics, heavy weapon operators, and more. They remained useful, and beyond that, Tu'teggacha enjoyed making them far too much to ever stop. His dark powers demanded to be unleashed. His vile craft demanded to be practiced.

There would be no slave-soldiers taken from Crakull or Explume Minor; though the Ebruchi would not mind the opportunity to torture and break a Croke, he doubted that the little creatures could be easily turned to the Brotherhood's service. Their innate Force talent for deception might allow their true minds to elude even his wicked arts. But as he looked out over the ranks of assembled leech-men, Tu'teggacha knew that new worlds would soon fall before the Maw, worlds populated with countless potential slaves. And this was the army that would deliver them to him.

His facial tendrils drifted into the ghastly Ebruchi equivalent of a smile.

 

[Vexander Graves]

Objective 3: Break the Jedi
Rebirth | Cedric Grayson | Romi Jade | Darth Solipsis | Aaran Tafo | Dagon Kaze | Mikhail Grayson |
Equipment: Jedi Shadow Robes | The Cyan Blade | The White Dragon |

​

The series of events that unfolded in Vexander's eyes couldn't have been preditected unless tapping into the Force through deep meditation... the Force Scream unleashed by Romi, the arrival of other Jedi to support the rescue attempts... and the chance to actually get an evac out of this wreched placed.

True, Vex could feel the dim presences through the Force of allies since he first approached the Gehinnom, but the chances to actually find all of these luminous beings in this precise moment was definite proof that the Light wanted them to proceed with this plan and escape.

Raising his lightsaber to the front of his body as a precaution, he proceeded to heed the words of the older Jedi... he was about to heed outside and just run away while Cedric Grayson covered their escape... when two guards broke formation to engage him with fierce devotion to these zealots.

It was quite clear that they were trained for this, and that they were eager to engage a Jedi with all their might, but what they didn't account for was that this man they were trying to kill was not someone you could just train to defeat.

With a quick motion, aided by the Force and his honed combat skills, he just performed a backflip... his enemies were quite quick with their moves, but the speed of the man their were facing was greater and it seemed quite calculated, their blades passed by his body by a few centimers but with enough distance to be left clear of danger.

A swift kick came from above at the first guard that attacked, since he was left in an open position when he lunged forward, and taking the momentum of the backflip; he just performed a hawk-bat swoop straight to his face... the sheer strenght of the motion would make the guard back off for long enough to deal with the second one who swept at his feet. With his lightsaber above his head, he just lowered both of his arms in a downward motion hoping to slash while his guard was down.