Private The Forlorn Visitor

[Darth Ptolemis]

THE FORLORN VISITOR

Atmosphere I.

Equipment.

Tag: Dimitri Voltura
​

The mute asteroid tore graciously across the dark vacuum of interstellar space, surrounded by nothingness, a five days' journey from the nearest hyperlane exit; about halfway between Kinooine and Shiva IV. The robust, jagged asteroid itself is approximately 50 kilometers (~31 miles) in diameter, with peculiar caverns creeping towards its center. Its surface is completely arid, dark, and devoid of any life. Solar winds carry only the dusts of ground-down rocks across its ledges and plateaus. The temperature is that of the surrounding space itself; absolute zero. It is in a sluggish, rotating motion around its own axis, one side apparently facing the general direction of the galactic core every twenty-three standard hours. The uncharted and ominous object flying through the edges of the galaxy is absent from all galactic records and is most likely a temporary, extra-galactic visitor. When one stands on its surface, a somber, rippling, barely detectable hum is audible, emanating from its core in regular intervals.

A small, ebon scout ship sits silently beside a hastily set-up, modest research station. The structure itself bears no signs as to the identity of the owner or owners of the operation. It is completely windowless and is made of a durable, light fabric and is tethered to the ground by stabilizing spikes that have been drilled into the upper crust. A couple of light poles provide negligable luminosity for the station's immediate vicinity. An eerie, oppressive silence grips the interior of the makeshift building. Lights flicker, as in every room and corridor, a lifeless body lies in their own pool of blood; each with a bone-chilling visage snap-frozen on their blood-shot faces. Their throats are slit, but no other signs of struggle appear to be present. The foreboding feeling of this remote location festers into a grotesque, frightful atmosphere as in the central room, a hooded stranger stands solemnly in front of the main computer, calmly sifting through the research findings. His face obscured by the folds of his all-black clothing; his gaze fixated on the machine's display.

The shadowy figure's monotonous labor is broken by a slight twitch of his head. His typing stops. He inhales deeply and exhales slowly. Following a final click of a key, an image pops on screen and he takes a step back, folding his arms together.​

There he stands, contemplating the projected image, surrounded by bled-out corpses in white coats.​

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Darth Ptolemis​

Oo~FATHER SUN~oO​

The shuttle puttered toward the asteroid.

The Dragon stood behind the command seat as the pilot veered the ship in a more direct trajectory.
"My lord, are you certain this is the right place?" the pilot asked the Sith Lord behind him.
"Indeed I am, Captain." Dimitri answered him as he stared at the large space rock looming closer.
"But how do you know?" the pilot asked, glancing at the Sith.
"I just do." the Dragon answered coolly, turning his crimson gaze upon the pilot.
"Yes, my lord." the captain said, a blush disappearing into his collar.

The shuttle settled down next to a research station, where the duo noticed another ship.
"Interesting." Dimitri mused. "Keep the ship ready to take off at any sign of trouble. If you have to take off without me, do it, and notify Darth Solipsis about what transpired." he ordered the pilot.
"It will be done, my lord." the captain answered.
Dimitri gave a nod before turning and leaving the ship.

Stepping onto the rocky ground, the Force whispered ever louder to the Sith Lord.

The armoured warrior turned toward the station. Without breaking stride, he moved into the building. The Darkness hung like a cloak around him, radiating power as he went, yet he moved like the predator he was - silently, deadly, despite his large profile. Dead bodies occasionally appeared as he moved through the corridors, painting a haunting image that the Dragon was more than familiar with.

He silently appeared in the doorway of the central room. His crimson gaze first fell upon the projected image of grotesque beings before it shifted toward the shadowy figure that seemed to be regarding it as well.

"Did you conjure them, stranger?" Darth Hydrus asked into the silence.

 

[Darth Ptolemis]

THE FORLORN VISITOR

Atmosphere I.

Dimitri Voltura
​

The hooded stranger's mind was feverishly trying to get to grips with the reality of what it was seeing. How are there anthropomorphic statues on an extra-galactic asteroid? Who sent these researchers here? Why did they erase all data? Well, not exactly all. They left a couple of clues behind.

Out of nowhere the raw, untamed Force flowing through the shadowy figure began to pulse ever stronger in his veins. Of course he could not truly understand what the Force was, or even what this primal feeling meant. Was it a warning? A message? Whatever it meant, this sensation was unlike anything he had felt before. So unusual were the circumstances that he felt the urge to unfold his arms and take a step back; and so he did. His gaze dropping towards the ground, wincing slightly at the sudden feeling of the unknown, thought patterns thrashing in his mind to make sense of it all. Before a solution was born, there he was.​

"Did you conjure them, stranger?"

As if a long-lost key finally found its crooked lock, likewise did the realization click with the Fondorian; the Force itself spoke to him before, and what he felt wasn't a warning, or a message. It was an immutable singularity slowly heralding its arrival; like a chant shouted from the top of a frozen mountain rolling ever downward, finally growing into an avalanche; a terrible presence … of the Dark Side.

Orlov slowly turned his hooded gaze to behold the person, whose power was so profound it even broke through into the minds of the untrained. At this crucial juncture, Orlov immediately understood; the fabric of his being will either unravel right here in this very moment, or will be utterly, completely changed for all eternity. Was it fear he felt? Or a passion for survival? He did not yet know. But staring into the eyes of Fate, now manifested in the form of this ominous man, was the only logical choice to seize. He turned his body completely toward the terrifying figure in the doorway, took off his hood and slowly lifted his head to speak, a blend of fascination and apprehensive respect painting his tone.

- I don't know who you are, but I feel what you are. – His voice echoing along the eerie halls, his pale dead eyes piercing through the suspense. – These here died by my hand, but I regret naught. – Without blinking, he continues. – For something far more sinister is entombed here, and knowledge is all I crave. – At this point, the Fondorian raises a ghostly right arm, pointing at the image on the screen. – These statues are very close to this station. – He slowly lowers his extended arm. – I believe this whole asteroid might be a … necropolis … for these beings. The researchers wiped most databases, but my judgement was swift and absolute. Some files remained that tell of a particularly strange tunnel breaking off into the abyss from the graveyard. Even should I die by your hand at the end of all this, permit me to see this final mission through - for the asteroid returns to the galaxy only every 1200 years. A couple of vac-suits and a four-wheeled rover is just beside the station, still within the safety of the pressurized dome.
​

The choice is yours.​

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Darth Ptolemis

Oo~DANCE OF NIGHT~oO​

- I don't know who you are, but I feel what you are. – His voice echoing along the eerie halls, his pale dead eyes piercing through the suspense. – These here died by my hand, but I regret naught. – Without blinking, he continues. – For something far more sinister is entombed here, and knowledge is all I crave. –

Dimitri's brow lofted slightly.
"Do you now? And what have these souls done to deserve sudden death?" he asked. In truth, he was impressed with this strange young man. He stepped into the room proper, approaching the holo-projection. "What do you know of these?" he asked, motioning at the picture.

– These statues are very close to this station. – He slowly lowers his extended arm. – I believe this whole asteroid might be a … necropolis … for these beings. The researchers wiped most databases, but my judgement was swift and absolute. Some files remained that tell of a particularly strange tunnel breaking off into the abyss from the graveyard. Even should I die by your hand at the end of all this, permit me to see this final mission through - for the asteroid returns to the galaxy only every 1200 years. A couple of vac-suits and a four-wheeled rover is just beside the station, still within the safety of the pressurized dome.

The choice is yours.​

Crimson eyes regarded the young Force sensitive.
"I do not kill without honour, Boy. Like you, I wish to learn what is buried here. Stay your own hand, and you need not fear death from me. So shall we?" he asked, motioning with a hand for the stranger to take the lead.

Following the young man outside, Dimitri got into the rover after suiting up.

As they traveled over the desolate rock, Dimtri glanced at the stranger.
"What name do they call you?" he asked him calmly. The cryptic Force sensitive greatly intrigued the Sith Lord - enough to humour him to investigate the strange statues on the asteroid. "What exactly do you hope to find once we start digging?" he then added.

If the young man truly proved himself competent, he might be an asset to the Order.

 

[Darth Ptolemis]

THE FORLORN VISITOR

Atmosphere II.

Dimitri Voltura ​

They travelled without moving.
​

"What name do they call you?" he asked him calmly. The cryptic Force sensitive greatly intrigued the Sith Lord - enough to humour him to investigate the strange statues on the asteroid. "What exactly do you hope to find once we start digging?" he then added.

– My name – he looks away from the man sitting by his site and pauses for a second as he drives on the rocky asteroid with only the two headlights cutting a swath through the icy, overbearing darkness – is Orlov Ansonnir. And I think this… thing, this power we share… Has something to do with this place.

The air is cold between the two, yet somehow the series of events that led to this moment fill the Fondorian more with curiosity than fear. – I know power. – Orlov continues. – And I've revealed who I am. – Blobs of darkness pass by them as they travel. – You are … different from the people I've met in my life, I know that completely. Will you tell me who you are? – Orlov listens, and acknowledges the stranger's answer in silence.

The headlights fall on something irregular in the distance. Shapes that seem out of the ordinary. Unnatural. The eerie, repetitive hum from before is getting more and more audible; like a beacon, pulsing louder with proximity. The asteroid's tangible presence permeates the atmosphere, and upon their arrival to the dig site, the shapes take on the form of the previously seen statues. There are dozens of them scattered out in a seemingly random pattern. A sense of dread pushes once from the heart of the premises, and no more. The pulsating hum is never heard again.

The site has a couple of cargo boxes and archeological equipment littered around it, but nothing significant. Only two days could have been the lead of the researchers, or less. Orlov parks the rover in the middle of the site, right between two of the grotesque statues. As he exits the vehicle, he flicks his flashlight on to take a closer look at one of the statues. – Tentacles… – He muses, almost floating towards the statue as a result of the extremely light gravity. – I don't know if I've ever seen a member of this species before. – He circles carefully around the carved stone, and then he understands. – Isn't this a graveyard? – He asks on the suit's built-in comms.

As he carefully inspects the statue, he accidentally kicks something. He turns back, only to see a ring of inert marker posts around a large, unearthed hole; a rope is affixed to a couple of them, clearly a means for lowering oneself into the abyss. The Fondorian looks at the man, and without hesitation, grabs onto the rope and jumps into the hole, gently floating down into the tunnel.

Some kind of milky gas appears to crawl lazily along the tunnel wall, up towards the surface. As he slowly lands, an otherworldly sight unfolds in front of him. He lets go of the rope as he takes in what's in front of him. The claustrophobic, excavated room he finds himself in funnels into a grandiose, imposing, obsidian gate. At its center, a glowing red orb is floating. It illuminates its surroundings, revealing six frozen corpses in vac-suits lying on their backs next to each other. Their arms appear blackened and rigid, pointing towards the sky.

- This… power. I feel it again. Pulsing from beyond the gate. – He turns to face his newfound acquaintance. – It is familiar. I've known this ever since I was a boy. This… darkness brought you here too, didn't it? – He hesitates for a moment, attempting to calm his cognitive dissonance, but his craving for knowledge floods his mind. – Is this… the Dark Side of the Force?​