The Path for Vengeance

[Astoach]

Well it was an awfully swift ending, especially for a brute such as Kresh, but Astoach's eyes danced between the rays of explosions racing across the distant structure, as the heat ignited the fragile works and expanded the metal, cracking the structure, and the visual aid of the security camera network that remained function, he concluded the deed was done. “Good to hear,” Astoach tutted, leaning back into the commander’s seat and watching the bright fireworks of metal shrapnel pouring down into the pools of lava. The occasional mustafarian could be seen to tilt and fall away, devoured into the lake of magma, and detonating an organic reaction the sent the liquid blaze spewing chunks of smoldering meat and rock wildly. It was quite the spectacle, one that granted voluptuous enjoyment to the man, isolated within the safe confines of the tower.

He outstretched a hand to the terminal, flicking a switch and activating full security lockdown. Blastshields erupted over the doors, igniting full measures as the complex began to transform into a lava-bound prison. “I can’t,” lied Astoach in a false, hurried tone. “The lavashields are on a manual override activation switch, connected by a wireline between the security tower and the mining complex. I think they’re trying to lock you in it and damn you to death by the lava flow. You won’t be able to cut your way out of there in time. Everything, the windows, the doors, the ventilation even are probably sealed and the complex is sinking, if those external protection have gone down. You’re a dead man unless I can gain access to the terminal from down here.”

[member="Kresh"]

 

[Dravek]

"Then gain bloody access to the terminal!" Kresh roared into the comlink. He only had a little more to go in the whole he was creating with the dead Jedi's lightsaber. Sparks flew out into his face and chest, but he didn't care. He had to get out. He had to escape. With a final, primal bellow, Kresh rammed into the blast door, launching it into the sudden river of lava that had washed over the catwalks. The heat outside was intense. It choked the very air from Kresh's lungs. Have to. Get out.

At this moment Kresh became very thankful he was a lasat. Adept climbers as they were, Kresh turned and jumped onto the wall of the meeting building. Scaling it faster than any human could, he triumphantly reached the top of the shaking building. He was safe from the lava flow for now. He would have to hop from building to sinking building to get to the high ground of the rocky outcropping.

[member="Astoach"]

 

[Astoach]

The toy had escaped, at long last. Astoach smirked beneath the mask - no, he sneered back at the lasat, lost in the distant horizon of volcanic destruction - he had learned his lesson. "Easy for you to say after you botched the mission," croaked Astoach, who at long last rose from his throne of a mere desk chair and set about finishing his work. He unclipped his chip from the terminal, sinking it back into the depraved depths of his pocket, interweaving midst the contents of youngling braids. His fingers crawled into the black satchel, resting upon the small of his back, and claimed the paper-packaged charges resting within, tossing them to and fro with little concern across the black masses of plastoid and steal that composed the inner workings of the tower. "They've completely reinvigorated encryption channels you moron." Now he was just making stuff up. "I'm going to override the, uh... terminal coolants, these computers up here should be so big and old that if I overheat them they should detonate. That might freeze activate some external-" He had quite enough of his own bullcrap at this point, evidently, and followed up with a short, surmise of whatever he was about to spew. "You know what? I'm done explaining, just get out of there. Did you kill him?"

[member="Kresh"]

 

[Dravek]

Rage mixed with the adrenaline in Kresh's body. "I botched the mission? What have you done to help kill the Jedi? You couldn't even gain access to the terminal or whatever stupid thing you were supposed to do!" The pure heat of the lava river started to singe the lasat's hair. "And of course I killed the Jedi! I actually do my job," he grumbled. Kresh really did value Astoach's contributions; he would always seem to be able to provide locations of Jedi and Sith that Kresh would be all to eager to hunt down. But then there were times like this, where Astoach seemed to be infuriating Kresh simply for the fun of it. He would not let himself die for Astoach's amusement.

Spotting a taller building close by, albeit still sinking, Kresh sprinted and leaped as hard as he could, attaching to the wall and scampering higher to the roof. Only a few more buildings to go, then the safety of the high ground. Grimacing as the flow of lava shot up bursts of heat, nearly scalding him, Kresh jumped over to the next building, causing it to shudder and sink faster. He would have to hurry. Roaring loudly, Kresh ran and lunged for the obsidian rock wall overlooking the mining village and slammed into it, barely catching himself from falling into the lava.

[member="Astoach"]

 

[Astoach]

[member="Kresh"]

"Indeed, I emphasized the need for subtlety for a reason, Kresh. You shirked my plan and charged in, didn't care much for quiet, and now you've spurred them into fear, they're irrational. My plan helmed with your stealth and you refused me and now I can't help you. Your job isn't just to kill Jedi, you make them suffer, and look at you, killing him quick, not savoring it. You rushed it, wasted the precious drops of tortured suffering, and left that corpse behind. You buffoon, must I-" Astoach had long since trailed from the watchtower, stepping stealthily over crags of black rock and beaches of ash as the elongated pillar of steel rose in the sulferblown horizon. He shifted a hand into the black shroud of his cloak and clutched the detonator. He prayed in silence, "Keln'shar, Omagthra, Oolgman, and Solthe, Four be praised, silence be brought down like a pillar of ash." Ignition, the tower detonated, and as the fiery skies alit with the new flame of the tremendous explosion that consumed the tower, Astoach only stepped into the ship, the Vengeance, and smiled beneath the syntheleather casket of his mask. He feigned a gasp and exhaustive weeping of hyperventilation, all vented into the commlink. "Kresh, you want to whine to me about not doing my job? Look what you did! I NEARLY died in that you imbecile!" He pulled away, muting himself for a brief fit of successful laughter until he forced silence upon himself once again. "Just meet me back at the ship, we're leaving. I don't want to see so much forsaken lava ever again."

 

[Dravek]

Kresh grimaced. If Astoach didn't shut up soon, he would crush his skull with the hardest swing of his electrostaff he had ever swung. He was just getting plain annoying at this part. Thundering against the black volcanic rock, Kresh was soon in range of the Vengeance and jogged over to it, hopping over small lava runoffs in the process. It would be nice being back on the ship, away from scorching lava, but Kresh always felt disappointed at the end of a hunt. Now they'd have to spend valuable time searching for new prey.

Grunting, Kresh hopped up on the landing ramp and went to his quarters to remove his armor and clean his weapons. Cleaning his weapons was always soothing. Spending a few hours wiping every last bit of volcanic ash would occupy his time quite nicely. Let Astoach pilot the ship, if he kept complaining about Kresh.

[member="Astoach"]