Council of Captains
The Verge Flotilla
In their wild experimentation and subsequent neglect, the Gree had ravaged this world. Now, the ruins of their empire were all that remained.
Atop the platform of the northern hypergate, his people's makeshift camp spread out below him, High Priest Ukhaztesh gazed up at the vessel of his communion. He had never been so close to reaching the Gods; he could feel their pull, an insistent tugging at the back of his mind, as if strands of his brain matter were being slowly sucked through a hole in his skull. Their whispers were strong here, their power made manifest by the things that spilled out whenever the way was even partially opened. But after the... mistake with the southern hypergate, Ukhaztesh knew that there was only one more chance to reach their realm. He must not fail. He must not.
The next weeping prisoner was brought forward, and the High Priest raised his bloodied knife. Beyond the hypergate, something stirred.
In the valley beyond, Zanibar patrols tromped across the dunes of dust, pallid eyes alert for any intruders. Meanwhile, sightless Drakags prowled the shadows, their massive jaws salivating as they stalked their warm-blooded prey. Beneath their paws, in the ancient Gree tunnels, guardian droids tromped along routes assigned thousands of years before, following their programming to eliminate any non-Gree who trespassed in their hallowed halls. At the southern hypergate, a howling nexus of dark energy continued to spit out sparks of power... and disgorge hideous, wormlike abominations, meter-tall crawling things covered in the slime of blasphemous birth.
Evil had come to Seline, and if it was not stopped soon, the entire planet would be consumed by the Outer Dark.
Without knowledge, without warning,
Drive we to no lands of morning;
Far ahead no signals horning
Hail our nightward bark
Long ago, the Jedi Order maintained an outpost on Seline, built as part of their mission to prevent the resurgent Sith Empire from unlocking the secrets of Gree technology there. Although the outpost was long abandoned by the time that Palpatine's Galactic Empire took power, it was well-built, and decay is slow on Seline. Within the starport, ancient Jedi starships and other equipment may still be found, along with priceless datalogs chronicling the history of the outpost. But even in this tranquil place explorers must beware the wildlife... and Zanibar scouting parties, alert for intruders.
Past the headlands grim and sombre,
Past the shores of mist and slumber,
Leagues on leagues no man may number,
Soundings none can mark
Directly between the two hypergates and the two pylons, at the dead center of the ruined valley, lies a reinforced bunker containing the Gree Power Transfer System. In ages past, when the hypergate network's security system was active, the bunker was a refuge from the radiation pulses that fired out from the pylons to dispatch intruders without damaging the intricate machinery. That system could certainly put an end to the Zanibar... and anyone else caught in its way. Reactivating the security system, however, would be no small feat after millennia of neglect. For one, it would require re-charging both pylons...
Past the myriad voices hailing,
Past the moaning and the wailing,
The far voices failing, failing,
Drive we to the dark.
In the past few weeks, thousands have gone missing from the region surrounding Seline. Imperial colonists, farmers and miners from beyond the Sith border, merchant crews, even military patrols, all have vanished without a trace... until now. The Zanibar believe that pain and blood open the way for their gods, so many of these prisoners have been brought here to give their lives in the dark reawakening. Others will be ritually cannibalized to sate the Zanibar's daily appetites. Rescuing these prisoners both slows the ritual and protects the innocents stolen from their homes.
While the olden voices calling,
One by one behind are falling;
Into silence dread, appalling,
Drift we to the dark.
Much of the Gree technology on the surface has been looted over the millennia, but some of the ancient and valuable components lay hidden in less obvious places. Beneath the western power pylon, a series of maintenance tunnels leads into the bowels of the Gree facility. The tunnels connect reactor chambers, massive power conduits, and abandoned storehouses of lost technology. It's rumored that one or more irreplaceable Gree navicomputers, each of incredible value, lies hidden down there. But the dark tunnels are infested with Drakags, sightless but horrifyingly deadly...
Hopeless, helpless, weird, outdriven,
Fateless, friendless, dread, unshriven,
For some race-doom unforgiven,
Drive we to the dark.
A week ago, the Zanibar cultists made their first attempt to open the way for their gods. Although much blood was spilled and energy unleashed, something went wrong at the last moment. Instead of making a stable connection to realms beyond, the southern hypergate collapsed into a tiny, glowing star of Dark Side energy. This powerful but unstable Dark Force Nexus immediately began corrupting and mutating local wildlife... along with any Zanibar who strayed too close. Harnessing this power could give a Darksider a potent - if temporary - boost, but the longer it stays open, the more dangerous it is.
Hearts wherein no hope may waken,
Like the clouds of night wind-shaken,
Chartless, anchorless, forsaken,
Drift we to the dark.
This time, the Zanibar will succeed. They have built a village, packed to the brim with zealous warriors ready to die for their gods, around the lower platform of the northern hypergate. Every hour, thirteen prisoners are flayed alive at the base of the gate, their skins painted with blasphemous runes in their own blood and hung around its circumference. Already the hypergate hums with growing power, searching out a destination beyond known space: the cold, dark expanse between the most distant stars. If the Lurker Beyond comes forth, then surely Seline is doomed... along with everyone on it.
