Percival Io
Missionary Man
Iego, the Scar Worlds
Percival, accompanied by his two "brothers" Galahad and Scott, had come to Iego to oversee relief efforts there. House Io had already launched humanitarian missions on several other planets in the region, providing food, medicine, and other supplies to refugees struggling to return to their homeworlds. The more ravaged planets had been rendered nearly inhospitable, and the House had sunk billions of credits into terraforming projects in hopes of restoring them to their former glory.
Iego, however, was a bit more complicated. The Planet of a Thousand Moons had several biospheres in need of repair, each one unique and complex. Right now they were on the mysterious planet itself, and not having a very good time of it. Scott in particular was in a miserable state, dangling upside down with half his body caught in the jaws of a reeksa, one of the few plants that had managed to thrive regardless of the Bryn'adul invasion.
"You'd think it would spit him out," Galahad remarked, watching from below with detached fascination (and admittedly some degree of amusement). "After all, many of his components can't possibly be appetizing to this creature. Our Vong-based DNA certainly wouldn't be to its taste."
"You would think that," Percival muttered as he climbed a nearby tree, trying to get a good vantage point from which to hack at the reeksa.
"Will you hurry up and get me down from here?!" Scott whined, trying to wriggle his way free of the carnivorous plant.
"Nearly there..." Once he was high enough, Percival unclipped the lightsaber from his belt and swung, severing the plant's stalk. Scott fell to the ground with a thud, his mangled legs still trapped inside the reeksa's mouth. Luckily, he couldn't feel pain.
Another nearby plant hissed in anger upon smelling the spilled chlorophyll. Percival roared at it, the sonic organ in his throat emitting a sonic blast that ravaged the reeksa, turning it into mulch. By the time he turned around, Galahad had freed Scott from the maw and was administering stimulants that would speed up the recovery of his lower limbs.
"The closest settlement isn't much farther," Percival said, deactivating his blade. "Will you carry him in the meantime?"
Galahad promptly picked Scott up and hefted him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He followed Percival's lead as they headed through what remained of the wilderness.
One of the first things they encountered upon walking through the town gates was a gathered crowd. The intersection was so choked with the native Diathim, their gleaming white skin pale as starshine in the evening twilight, that it was night impossible to get past them. Percival, suppressing any outward expression of irritation, turned to Galahad. "Is this some local custom?"
"Not that I'm aware of." Galahad inclined his head toward the throng. "It looks like something is drawing their attention."
"We need to find a way through—" He broke off upon turning to find Galahad and Scott no longer following him. Whirling around, he finally spotted them among the crowd, and with a sigh he moved to join them. Might as well find out what all the fuss was about.
Percival, accompanied by his two "brothers" Galahad and Scott, had come to Iego to oversee relief efforts there. House Io had already launched humanitarian missions on several other planets in the region, providing food, medicine, and other supplies to refugees struggling to return to their homeworlds. The more ravaged planets had been rendered nearly inhospitable, and the House had sunk billions of credits into terraforming projects in hopes of restoring them to their former glory.
Iego, however, was a bit more complicated. The Planet of a Thousand Moons had several biospheres in need of repair, each one unique and complex. Right now they were on the mysterious planet itself, and not having a very good time of it. Scott in particular was in a miserable state, dangling upside down with half his body caught in the jaws of a reeksa, one of the few plants that had managed to thrive regardless of the Bryn'adul invasion.
"You'd think it would spit him out," Galahad remarked, watching from below with detached fascination (and admittedly some degree of amusement). "After all, many of his components can't possibly be appetizing to this creature. Our Vong-based DNA certainly wouldn't be to its taste."
"You would think that," Percival muttered as he climbed a nearby tree, trying to get a good vantage point from which to hack at the reeksa.
"Will you hurry up and get me down from here?!" Scott whined, trying to wriggle his way free of the carnivorous plant.
"Nearly there..." Once he was high enough, Percival unclipped the lightsaber from his belt and swung, severing the plant's stalk. Scott fell to the ground with a thud, his mangled legs still trapped inside the reeksa's mouth. Luckily, he couldn't feel pain.
Another nearby plant hissed in anger upon smelling the spilled chlorophyll. Percival roared at it, the sonic organ in his throat emitting a sonic blast that ravaged the reeksa, turning it into mulch. By the time he turned around, Galahad had freed Scott from the maw and was administering stimulants that would speed up the recovery of his lower limbs.
"The closest settlement isn't much farther," Percival said, deactivating his blade. "Will you carry him in the meantime?"
Galahad promptly picked Scott up and hefted him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He followed Percival's lead as they headed through what remained of the wilderness.
One of the first things they encountered upon walking through the town gates was a gathered crowd. The intersection was so choked with the native Diathim, their gleaming white skin pale as starshine in the evening twilight, that it was night impossible to get past them. Percival, suppressing any outward expression of irritation, turned to Galahad. "Is this some local custom?"
"Not that I'm aware of." Galahad inclined his head toward the throng. "It looks like something is drawing their attention."
"We need to find a way through—" He broke off upon turning to find Galahad and Scott no longer following him. Whirling around, he finally spotted them among the crowd, and with a sigh he moved to join them. Might as well find out what all the fuss was about.
