You Must Be Strong As A Tyrannosaurus

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]
“Titan Industries produces all Yuuzhan Vong bio-technology for use by the One Sith. This includes Hydra Staff's, amphistaffs, armor, and hundreds of other things. They have several facilities here on Coruscant, we head to the closest one.” Mierin knew exactly where they were, she was after all the one who had been tasked with overseeing Titan Industries and ensuring that they remained trustworthy.

It helped that the CEO of the corporation was Tsavong Kraal, a Voice of the Dark Lord in his own right.

Yet she needed to ensure that even he remained loyal, and thus she paid frequent visits to their facilities and breeding pools here on Coruscant. Many of the shapers there knew her, and if she wanted an Amphistaff for her apprentice, then she would have it.

The only question was if they would have Mantorok.

 

[Mantorok]

Yuuzhan Vong, at least he had somewhat heard of them.

Of course, it wasn't in the greatest of lights. The only times in recent history the Vong had been of note to the Chistori was in some mostly forgotten corner of the galaxy, where they had dramatically failed in destroying a religious sect of Force users. There had been a fair few mercenaries with their fingers in that pie.

Not Mantorok of course, he was at least smarter than that.

“I SEE.”

The Chistori frowned, of course given the way his reptillian features sat, it appeared as if he were constantly scowling. He couldn't help it, smiling only made him look sinister...well, that or hungry.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE YUUZHAN VONG?”

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

Mierin kept moving through the temple until they eventually reached the Hangar Bay near the Training room. The Sith Pureblood entered one of the nearby shuttles, stretching herself and hanging off one of the ropes. She grabbed onto it and steadied herself as the shuttle launched itself from the hangar floor.

“They are useful tools.” Mierin said finally answering Mantorok. “Their lack of presence within the force is...disturbing, yet it provides a boon to us, allows us to throw them at the Jedi in order to easier bring them to an end. Our acolytes are strong, but the Yuuzhan Vong warriors are stronger, not to mention they are made to fight Jedi.”

That was an accurate representation of a Yuuzhan Vong Warrior.

They were made to kill Jedi, made to kill force users in general in fact. Their weapons were perfectly suited for such things, their abilities trained to kill force users. Seeing a Yuuzhan Vong kill an enemy was beautiful, but also terrifying.

 

[Mantorok]

Standing besides his Master Mantorok nodded.

Mierin's greater knowledge of the Yuuzhan Vong intrigued him slightly, they were made to fight, no, not just made to fight but made to fight Jedi, who in their own rights were the most annoying warriors in the galaxy. Healing, flipping, mind tricking preachers. He longed to bound into their temples on equal footing, then he would tear them limb from limb, soothe his bloodlust.

So the thought of using the Vong's own technology, specialised for slaying the Jedi only made Mantorok stand there salivating as he clutched the grab rail.

This time he give Mierin a brief respite, choosing not to ask any more questions for now.

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

Mierin and Mantorok quickly made their way to the Yuuzhan Vong facility. They found their way into the breeding pits with only a few minutes to spare, winding downward until they stood inside of something that very much resembled a field. She frowned slightly as she looked around, amphistaffs where everywhere, hanging from branches and growing longer and longer.

It was still odd to her how these things were created, it made her...uncomfortable.

Her eyes floated over to Mantorok, golden glow shifting onto him with a slight unimpressed look on her face. She shifted slightly, and then pointed out the amphistaffs to her apprentice.

“Now, it is up to you.” She prodded him.

He would have to find his own staff.

 

[Mantorok]

Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and scary organic snake branch growths.

No, that's not quite as snappy as I would have liked. The very sight of the breeding pits gave the Chistori a hint of discomfort, a vong speciality, given that most of that species was painful to look upon. They were like the bondage bunch, only with more disfigured faces than you can shake a stick at.

He didn't salivate at the prospect of wading into the figurative jungle, but what could be gained from this venture would be worth it.

Mantorok snarled, somewhat displeased as he cautiously waded into the fray.

Upen closer (but not too close) inspection the beast found that these were no vines, but rather...well...snakes were the only word he could use to describe it. He found that they seemed to hang in trios, from leathery growths that could swiftly be thrown into the gross category of Yuuzhan Vong equipment.

His steps were careful and those beady yellow eyes darted from vine to vine, trying to find one that caught his eye, and naturally it was one of the bigger ones that did so. Upon the approach the amphistaff reared its head and offered a threatening hiss. Just posturing, or something more deadly? Thankfully Mantorok knew not of the deadly venom within otherwise he might not have approached the living weapon.

The moment Mantorok was in ranged it lashed out, fangs leading the charge as the serpent made an attempt to bite the Chistori's face (rude), thankfully with the aid of a decent reflex he managed to avoid what would have likely been a killing blow by simply stepping back. Of course, he snarled in response to the amphistaff's aggression but it had been made clear that it was not to be his weapon.

So he backed away.

What followed was a journey of angry hissing and serpentine rejection. Some of the creatures responded like the one before, attempting to lash out at the apprentice whereas others chose to ignore the Chistori completely (which in all honesty irritated him far more).

Until there was one.

Not the biggest of the bunch, but just under a solid three metres. Upon Mantorok's approach the living vine raised its head, eyes glinting with curiosity as Mantorok approached. It of course, gave a wary hiss as the reptile came nearer, claws raised as if he were ready to wrestle but there was no lashing out to be seen.

Closer and closer until the pair were almost fang to fang (no homo).

Slowly the Chistori further raised his four fingered claws, wrapping them around the currently flexible form of the amphistaff. There was no big hurrah or ceremony behind it. The moment that Mantorok held his two handed grip upon the serpent there was a visceral sounding snap as the creature broke itself off from the polyp that held it.

Just like that, easy as you like, they were bound.

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

The ordeal took quite some time, longer than it had taken Mierin to find her Hydra Staff. Perhaps it was because Mierin was more powerful, and thus the creatures were more attracted to her. Though it could also have been that Hydra Staff's were simply more willing to bong non-Yuuzhan Vong. She pursed her lips for a moment, looking towards Mantorok and watching him as the snake like staff moved around him.

She smiled.

Another step taken, another move forward.

“Next, your armor.” Mierin said calling out to Mantorok. The Chistori was of course powerful and had armor in the form of his skin, but it would not be enough. During the coming battles, during the war with the Republic Mierin and Mantorok would face many more challenges that would far outweigh the dangers they had seen so far.

 

[Mantorok]

Mantorok almost marvelled as his new weapon coiled up the length of his arm, wrapping around the limb many times, as if it was becoming a part of him. It was in a way, wasn't it? Concepts like this however were above Mantorok's head.

At least for the time being.

He turned back to face his Master as she suggested armour. Had the beast held any eyebrows upon his face he might of raised them, but as such he did not. His head reared back, slightly, almost as if offended. He came trundling out of the veritable jungle of death, staring the Sith Pureblood down as if to say:

Armour? I don't need kriffing armour!

Then he said:

“ARMOUR? I DO NOT REQUIRE ARMOUR.”

Close enough.

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

Mierin looked back at her apprentice.

“Your skin apprentice, while Impressive, cannot withstand the blade of a lightsaber.” She began to walk away from him again, her eyes shifting over to another hallway of the facility before looking towards a nearby alcove. Without regard to whether or not Mantorok was following her, because he of course would be, Mierin made her way towards where the Vonduun Crabs would be.

“We fight more than simple soldiers.” She said calmly. “We fight Jedi, Sith, and even Mandalorians.”

“The Armor will protect you against some things, but we will have to give you something more fitting eventually.” After Alderaan, she herself had decided that she would rather not wear the unique armor again. The strange crab like creature had a weakness that she would not suffer through again.

Ever.

 

[Mantorok]

Well, it wasn't exactly a false statement.

His training sessions with Mierin up to this point had been a testament to that, his scales had been littered with numerous cauterised wounds from the bite of the woman's blade. Really the Chistori knew that he needed the extra protection, it simply caused an element of embarrassment.

“FINE.”

Ignoring the hole in time and space that Mierin had just made, Mantorok huffed. Vonduun crabs, like most Vong technology was disconcerting to look at. All this living organism stuff, it was high concept, beyond the mind of a simple Chistori.

“THAT WILL PROTECT ME?”

 

[J3C0]

“Yes.” To an extent anyway.

The creature was powerful to be sure, strong enough to withstand most slugthrowers and powerful enough to stand up to direct hits from a lightsaber. Vonduun Skerr Kyrric was strong, very strong, but it had its weaknesses. Baffor Pollen would cause it to swell and consume the user, but ti would not be a use issue...at least not yet.

She frowned slightly, then looked to her apprentice.

“Treat it kindly, as a symbiotic pairing.” Mierin said quietly. “Not only as a piece of armor.”

It was alive after all.

 

[Mantorok]

Given that Mantorok couldn't glance into the future, and that Mierin had actually broken the space time continuum in a previous post, he was unaware that the peculiar organic armour would actually end up saving his life from a very nasty close-encounter of the shotgun kind.

He frowned.

Surely there would be some form of fitting process, or rather given the organic nature of the armour a bonding. It didn't look pleasant, the creatures themselves seemed to have sharp protrusions, and whether that was to be inflicted upon the wearer or not was left in the balance.

“VERY WELL, MASTER.”

Dinosaur decked to the bells in Vong technology? You'd better run.