Specimen Retrieval Expedition (Myrkr - Non-Mandos and Non-Mando Faction please PM - Open to Mando Fa

[Doctor Agnusdei]

It was a calm and quiet day on Myrkr. The birds sang, the insects chirped, in the distance could be heard the hunting calls of Vornskyrs. It was a picturesque scene worthy of portrayal in art museums across the galaxy.

That is, anywhere but where the tall, black figure stood. Nothing sang, no insects chirped around him. The aura was palpable and felt as if a heavy weight lay upon those around. The good Doctor was not Force sensitive, but for some odd reason, yet unexplained or discovered, the very Force almost... refused to touch him. The Force, of course, was not present on Myrkr, but the oppression was still there, permeating between the barriers of the metaphysical and physical as it always did.

Around the eerie figure stood a handful of workers, most holding stun weapons, as they searched the undergrowth. A perimeter had been set with hired mercenaries, some of them even Mandalorians. A pair of young Twi'lek women before the black-clad figure with it's carrion-bird mask of pale, sickly white. The tall, lanky creature leaned upon a simple cane, ornamented and black as night with a bright, silver handle. It gazed over the workers and guards, the body language unreadable; the face, unseen.

"The locals pointed us this way, Doctor. We've been searching for around three hours," one of the Twi'leks, the twin named Arruna, stated calmly, responding to the unheard, but felt, inquiry. She and her sister wore field clothes - simple, rugged pants and shirts - along with heavy duty boots. Arruna wore her buttoned shirt closed while Siena wore hers open to reveal a tan undershirt and the metal slave collar that both wore. It was just another way to tell the two of them apart for Agnusdei.

"And have we found anything yet...?" Agnusdei asked carefully in a careful, precise, and clipped accent. Gone was the raspy voice from his time in the One Sith. It was a ruse, a trick; something to keep a little something hidden at all times.

"Not yet, but we still have some area to search, Doctor," spoke Siena, pulling a map out to set on the simple camping table that had been brought with them. "Sectors three, five, and nine are being searched. Sectors six, seven, and twelve are untouched so far. We've finished with the other sectors with no wolves found yet."

Agnusdei said nothing for a long moment. The twins shared a glance, worry slowly knitting their brows. Agnusdei never lost his temper, but meted out punishment regardless. To him, it was a necessary thing. Success brought reward, failure brought punishment. It mattered little to him that his preferred method of reward was to simply allow the individual or individuals to live.

A gesture from the tall, strange creature brought relief to the sisters' faces. It meant 'carry on' or 'very well, continue'. It meant they would not face punishment. It meant they need not fear death... or worse.

They turned to their work with added fervor. Agnusdei's task would be completed... or they would pay for it.

 

[Doctor Agnusdei]

Time went on, minutes passed. Then hours. More sectors were cleared and more were moved into. The search widened and the net broadened outwards. The task continued.

Arruna scrounged through the maps while Siena rummaged through the undergrowth. Both were natives of Ryloth, both knew how to search the wilderness, to an extent. The ambient vegetation held large amounts of metal within their cells, making standardized scanning near useless. The Ysalamir native to the planet rendered any Force abilities useless, completely blocking such things entirely. All searching had to be done manually and slowly.

The creatures they sought were small, very small, and reclusive. A myth in many ways, a legend in others. They did exist, however, and the whole foray here on Myrkr was to find them. From their discovery Agnusdei would create untold brilliance that only his mind could yield.

It was a twisted, warped thing, Agnusdei's mind. Not evil. At least, not inherently so. To Agnusdei, there was no light, no dark. There was science and progress alone against those who would attempt to prevent it. Science knew no boundaries, no limits, no morals. Therefore, Agnusdei cared little for such things. Progress often required sacrifice. Those that could not understand the way of things were but pawns to be manipulated at best.

Test subjects at worst.

Arruna pulled aside another map and scanned it as Agnusdei stood quietly, eerily nearby. He still stood silently, leaning on his cane and gazing out at the search parties. Siena returned then, scraps of foliage in her hands. She set them on the table and stood back.

Agnusdei's head turned slowly, the inhuman, beaked mask gazing at the scraps with wide, dead eyes. The ambient light played across the glass, giving the lenses a slightly flickering appearance as he stared at the table.

"They are close..."

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The Field Marshal looked upwards from the bush, as the Twi'lek girls passed him. He moved quietly, even silently. The Wolf, was a predator in every way. He was quiet, he was deadly, and he was efficient when he hunted. The Twi'lek girls were good at moving through the jungles and navigating- but they were not prepared for such a fighter. Preliat had forgone armor, and instead was wearing nothing but rugged pants and a strap across his chest. War paint adorned his face, and he sat in the grass below the girls.

Bugs and creatures crawled and nipped at his skin, but he didn't stir until the two girls passed. The Field Marshal stalked upwards to a passing expeditionist, with no sound, no way to tell that he was there. And then, he striked. A swift movement brought his body out of the grass, and his forearm across the man's throat. And to his peers, it would have appeared that a ghost came out of the tall grass and underbrush, and dragged him down. He was choked out in a matter of a few violent and quick seconds.

The search parties, readied their weapons.


Then, Preliat wrapped his hands around a man's helmet, and shoved it against a nearby tree. It did not kill him, nor really hurt him, but did jar him incredibly. The Mandalorian threw his wrist against the other Mandalorian's neck, choking him until he was nice and unconscious. He let him drop, and then dipped back into the shadows of the heavy canopy. Radios began to chirp, as Preliat moved further inward. They were explaining the loss of the two mercenaries, and also relaying to [member="Doctor Agnusdei"] that something was fighting back.

Preliat, meanwhile, readied his Beskar tomahawk his spear.

If they wanted a savage, if the galaxy had designed for him to be so cruel, then so they would have it.

 

[Doctor Agnusdei]

Agnusdei sighed as the reports returned to him that something or someone was causing trouble. They were attacking his guards and mercenaries for whatever reason. The men weren't there to truly attack anyone, but to keep the Vornskyrs away. It was problematic, in many ways. On one hand, whichever idiot had decided to attack his research group hadn't bothered to check anything in the ways of paperwork. On the other hand, said idiot may end up being a worthwhile experiment in the long run. It was a delicate situation indeed. One with many outcomes. Multiple possibilities.

The good Doctor simply stood and waited. He gave a quiet order to his perimeter detail to leave the intruder alone and to retrieve their friends. Once done, he placed two fingers alongside the beak of the mask, pressing a pair of studs in the material. Immediately after, his voice could be heard clearly by those relatively nearby as the external comms amplified the sound.

"I must admit, I am quite disappointed. If you were curious, you had but to calmly walk into camp and ask questions," he said, his voice clipped and proper. "There is no need for violence. The necessary authorities know I am here. Come now, no need to simply hide among the shrubs and crickets."

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The camp grew quiet, as Preliat sat in the tree above it, overlooking it. To his right and to his left, lay two black coated Vornskr lay at his sides. They hissed and waved their tails, but Preliat raised a finger to his lips and gently jumped down. He looked around at the camp, and glared at the man who was presumably in charge, [member="Doctor Agnusdei"].

"I am more worried about the safety of your Mandalorian company. You see, you're upsetting these gentle creatures..."He crouched down, and mentioned a Vornskr forward. The canine creature came under Preliat's painted hand, nuzzling and feeling rather loved."To which they hunt in packs, and outnumber us four to one. They're also nocturnal, and to say, waking them up and poking around is a bad idea...is an awful idea indeed."Preliat finally sat on the ground, scratching the beast on it's head and saying some sensitive and sweet words in Mando'a.

"My name is Preliat. And you're going to tell me why I don't leave and let your guards and your expedition fall victim to a rather gruesome end."

He smiled up at the doctor. He succeeded in making sure the people didn't advance further. In the brush surrounding the camp, twigs breaking and soft growls could be heard. Preliat, seemed indifferent. In fact, he was almost...content with his current state of being. He looked at the Mandalorians, who knew right away who the man was. They seemed visibly more respectful and walked a bit straighter around him.

 

[Doctor Agnusdei]

"Considering the local clan heads are aware of my presence and have given their permission, one would think such would be sufficient," Agnusdei stated blandly, his tone even and calm. The Vornskyr didn't bother him, he'd dealt with them before. The mercenaries he'd hired could cope with them as he'd made certain they were adept enough to do so. A pack of the creatures this close by didn't faze the tall, black clad Agnusdei.

If anything, it emboldened him.

Vornskyrs hunted with the Force and were one of the few creatures known to do so exclusively. A pack this large wasn't native to this area, which meant they were from elsewhere outside of the local land. Could the savage before him have brought them in such a short time? Perhaps. However, none wore collars or any kind of device and non seemed tame to the good Doctor. This meant that either the half naked man before him had found the pack nearby and brought them here or was some sort of animal whisperer that Agnusdei needed to study and, possibly, dissect.

Agnusdei let his educated guess lie with the former. If he'd found a pack that large nearby and brought them here, that meant the creature he sought was nearby. If the creature he sought was nearby, then his work would come to fruition very, very soon.

That said, the savage lout interrupting his research needed dealing with.

"I'm hunting what your people believe to be a myth, child," he said dismissively. "I'm not taking anything of worth nor am I searching for secrets locations or hidden bases. My charts have the search sectors outlined clearly and the notes my assistants have written clearly state we're here for that supposed myth. As for your... pets."

Agnusdei turned his head to glance at the creatures but once before letting the blank lenses rest, gazing at Preliat's eyes. The light flared once on the glass before dying down to a low, eerie glow as if a fire burned behind the eyes of the mask far, far in the distance.

"You'd best go and get larger ones if you care to threaten me, boy. Run along and speak to the local elders. They know I'm here. Go play with your... friends elsewhere and leave scientific advances and groundbreaking research to your betters."

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Doctor Agnusdei]

Agnusdei then turned back to the work party and gestured once with his hands, ignoring the Mandalorian animal whisperer. Arruna and Siena knew the gesture and the message behind it. Back to work, it said. I have no patience, back to work.

The twins poured over the maps, determining the new search sectors based on the evidence found. The perimeter guards revived their unconscious comrades and kept a wary, careful eye on the Vornskyrs around. They could easily wipe the pack out in a blink or two of an eye, it was what they were specialized in. However, the less trouble there was, the easier the job would be. Shooting one would set the whole pack off, which meant there would be trouble. They held fire, but watched. Keen eyes alive and on alert for movement.

Agnusdei himself simply picked up a piece of the debris from the table. A small stick, barely an inch thick and a dozen long. One end seemed to have been buried, the other end showed tiny claw marks. He surmised that it was, perhaps, a way of marking territory or, possibly, of sharpening claws in some manner.

Either option mattered little. They were close and that was all that mattered.

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

His hand went around the snout of the beast, cooing him in a soft spoken Mando'a tone. The Mandalorian looked upwards at [member="Doctor Agnusdei"], smiling."The battle at the prison here, disrupted the ecosystem something awful. Not to mention the fact that people are constantly sucking up the lizards for fighting force users is also...disturbing. And if you're wondering why they are so..calm."He stood, flexing his bare muscles for a moment, stretching them. Running in the jungle was tiring, however a good workout. Not that Preliat had a shortage of physical activity- his entire life had become a physical activity. He at the doctor."Every pack has a leader. I simply proved myself stronger than the alpha- though I can't tell you how many others don't exactly feel the same way as the dozen or so that I have...following me. They don't listen to me, but they do understand when I am not attacking someone or something. Though I would not advise antagonizing them."He stopped and looked around the camp, pacing.

Like a wolf.


"Threats are for men who do not want to take action, in my opinion. And it shall be nightfall soon- prime hunting time for my friends here. I can help you, actually. I know that you have permissions and that you're here for whatever reason...but I can definitely help you- if you let me."