Kyelin

From Stardust, To Stardust

By the way, duck, it is pure chance if you do figure out how to use the weapon. I'm going to roll a die and make my response, depending if you do decide to investigate further. Be extremely careful, friend :P

Edit: I promise to be totally neutral in my decision, but to make it more fair on both of us, maybe we could get Keyguy to perform the roll? That way it's completely unbiased. Just a thought

From Stardust, To Stardust

No response was made, as the magical field intensified, and the Witch made no movement.

"Those who came before you were the same. They felt pain, fear and despair. So they used it against us, in an attempt to pry our secrets from us. And they failed, for the pain we feel is not physical. Our bodies we're lost long ago, long before your kind took to the stars. Our pain is that of a Disharmony with our Essence, a feeling of a shattered mind, broken and forgotten in the Void, a million realities screaming to be attended to. Your weapons, your powers can only hurt or destroy our tools... Nothing more."

As Dr. Vahlen asked for the translation, the being's eyes narrowed.

"So, you wish to follow in the footsteps of those who came before you? Such an aspiration will doom your race, in ways you cannot comprehend. Once, we held that throne, a shrine to our hubris We were infinitely more powerful and wise than you. And we surely crumbled, our kind burnt to ash, much like yours will be in the End. Only a God can wield what is wrought by the Pieces. The Outer Lord, Crawling Devourer... And the next in line: Govra, Queen and Maker of the End."

"Our goals require the same path, but lead to different endings. So, perhaps, we should walk it together? I will translate for you, and in return, you forfeit my body? The Cathedral, Unrelenting Retribution, Destroyer of the HIgh Ol'tiu of the Perveus Arm? Then, we will see who indeed is the more worthy..."

Facility A-1:

The cannon of the Cathedral was almost bare bones, just a smaller power generation setup and strange reflective crystals, four lined up in a row. They glowed, and seemed to absorb the light from the survey team's head torches, storing it in the center. It seemed to pulsate, and was otherwise inactive. It could be possible to understand it further if they were to begin taking apart the tubing and struts connecting it, but it was incredibly risky. It would be almost pure chance whether they could work out it's function, or detonate the entire ship.

The Depths of Deception

I posted, sorry I've been gone. I fell out of interest for a bit on all my RPs, too tired and annoyed to be honest.

The Depths of Deception

At the moment Rareth gave the order, Opus dropped the rope over the human's head. HE had a split second to be shocked and stunned before the agent pulled the rope tight, using the railing of the catwalk as leverage. He was hoisted into the air, as the rope pulled taut over his neck and was tied into place. He choked and gasped for air, pulling at the rope feebly, before losing consciousness. Opus then drew his blade to begin the fighting in earnest, and took off after his second target, a Masulu who had gotten lost in the maze of warehouse crates and materials.

As the grenade went off and vaporized the fools who should have been paying attention, there was a smile under his mask. So long had he been waiting to get into the action with this team. Hopefully they wouldn't disappoint. As the second mark ran through the rows of crates to get to where the action was, Opus leaped from the catwalk, sailing towards him, he registered he was being chased, and fired off rounds wildly, trying to intercept his assailant. Unfortunately, he was a bad shot, and Opus plunged the blade tip deep into his neck as he landed , as the blade sliced and sawed through his thoracic organs like a hot knife through butter.

Blood choked and spluttered out of his horrified mouth, spraying the agent's armor, as he took the rifle out of his hand and held his body close, his armor shielding the assassin from the hail of bullets from the elevator rebel squad. Opus fired the plasma rifle back from underneath the dead guard's arm, forcing them into cover and drawing their gaze towards him. With their attention on this dirophyd, the rest of the team could ambush them easily.

From Stardust, To Stardust

So I finally got a response to you duck. Yay

From Stardust, To Stardust

Interrogation Chambers

There was no response from the Witch, it just sat there and watched her briefly through the thick glass, eyes narrowing and widening as it studied her, before suddenly, it spoke. But not out loud, it spoke all around Dr.Vahlen, in her mind, rendering the translation spell useless.

"Names... An organic creation, used to give meaning to their existence, as if they had an actual preordained purpose or their life actually mattered. Such labels are useless to us. We exist, in a state so much greater, and yet more terrible, than you can ever hope to enjoy. We have pierced the Veil of Eternity, as you fumble at it's precipice, afraid of what lies Beyond. We have peered into the Depths of Time, while you wither and die, failing to see the majesties around you. We are your Masters, and you are our Servants."

Facility A-1

The mummified bodies fell out of each pod one by one, suspended by the tubes that hooked viciously into their backs. Underneath their dark, wrinkly skin the piping could be seen to wrap around their bones, especially around their rib cages, their toothless mouths open in silent screams that ended long before the scientists analyzing them had left the safety of their caves and crude fires. Each specimen was the same, and showed a violent and painful looking process where their insides had turned to machines, for some unknown purpose. It was almost certain that these creatures had faced the Ethereal Gathering and lost. With luck, the Union would not fail as these poor people once had to defeat them.

The reactor core was nothing more than a white energy sheet, rippling at the edges and blending the lines between this universe and the next. Glowing points of exotic particles fell from it's edges, and the floor panel would glow as they hit the ground, accelerated and directed to their required destination for power generation. This machine was indeed a portal of some kind, though it wasn't for transportation. No living thing could enter that chamber and survive to get close, as dangerous beams of light shot out and were also absorbed by the walls.

From Stardust, To Stardust

So, my post is lost to the void that is the internet. I will try again soon. Sorry :S

From Stardust, To Stardust

The Ethereals are antagonists, but prefer to work behind the scenes towards their dastardly goals. New Condia got way out of hand, I was kind of hoping for a quick an decisive victory, gathering style XD

The Depths of Deception

With a simple nod, Opus was underway, selecting the human guard as his target. Grabbing the offered surgical wire, he triple bound it together in a thick rope, and began to move among the crates, careful to avoid detection and moving silently, with purpose. One guard caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and snapped towards it, weapon ready. But all he saw was empty wall between two crates. Letting out a perplexed "huh...", he went back to his duties as Opus hid behind the cloak gauntlet, separated between them by the field's shimmering glimmer.

Once clear, he hopped up the crates, and stalked the chosen quarry along the catwalk, like an animal stalks it's prey, before the guard set his rifle down and sat on a box, lighting a cigarette. The agent tied the wire into a loop at the end, and made eye contact with Rareth, nodding and letting her know he was ready.

From Stardust, To Stardust

The Core

A set of heavy metal doors dissipated as the exploration team approached the Core's Chamber, their helmet lights flickering and waving throughout the pitch black hall. Columns ran either side of the walls, and in the center, was a sight that made them freeze in their tracks, unsure of what they were looking at. Hanging from the ceiling via hundreds of tubes and beams was a large sphere like device, almost three times the height and breadth of an Iscandarian. It's surface was a gunmetal grey, and glowed slightly, with veins where wisps of purple haze escaped in thin trails, fading from it. Three red lens-like devices in a triangular formation quickly glided over it's surface from the side to stare at the intruders, and narrowed menacingly, almost burning a hole into their very being.

This Witch, however, was unable to do anything, and sat in mere silence, watching them as they secured it. The Magi watched it, fascinated, as he paced in front of it, and it's 'eye' tracked his movements, widening and narrowing as if it was studying him. He got a sudden chill, and urged his team to hurry up the transfer, uneasy about the fact he could sense hundreds of beings dwelling within the Core. Hundreds of powerful and evil beings. Fortunately, Teams 2 and 3 hadn't had such a harrowing experience as moving the Core.

Team two found that the Matrons and Sisters were equally as hollow as the ship, with almost no apparent electronic or mechanical systems, save for a smaller version of the Cathedrals generator in it's torso and a weird, solid glass-like disks in each one. It was more like armor than anything else, except there were no bodies to fit inside these suits. The outer casing coursed with thick, black fluid, that accidentally sprayed a soldier with no harmful effects and was more disgusting than dangerous. Beside the hooks were cases full of the blade like weapons, intricately shaped in varying sizes and full of bizarre, dangerous looking systems too complex for them to understand. Fortunately, they were wise enough to not tinker with said internal components.

Meanwhile, the third team's scan showed what appeared to be humanoid figures inside the dark pods, all dead and hailing from an unknown species. Tubes seemed to enter their bodies from various entry points along the spine, neck and head. From the dust and lack of care on the metallic sheen of the pods, they had been there a very, very long time.

Mars

"I'm starting to see what's going on here... This is most definitely a space-faring species. They are terraforming this planet, that's why the algae is present." Sage was fascinated by their crude drawing, their knowledge of at least basic interplanetary travel was obvious. "So, perhaps the third planet is their main territory? They appear to have colonized this entire system... This is good, Madam Tiy."

Happiness crept over her face, and she looked the human who drew it in the eye. The Warden stood up, pointed to herself, then to the sky, and made urgent movements. With a little luck, these beings would be willing to help, if they could understand her motions at all.

Various Locations across the galaxy

After their victory at New Condia, the Sazkarjhit and Iscandarians saw little of their new enemy over the next few weeks, which soon turned to months. However, worrying signs began to show. Lone ships such as freighters, exploratory vessels and civilian star ships would disappear at the edges of their territories occasionally, with no warning or distress beacons. All that was found was the empty vessel, abandoned, with signs of gunfire and blood accompanied with scorch marks and black ooze on certain decks. But surprisingly, no damage to the ships at all, they were found to be in total working order and definitely space worthy.

Another disturbing occurrence was the detection of mysterious ships by both civilization's fleets as they moved about, which would disappear as soon as they began to approach. One incident had over five hundred unidentified vessels on screen at one point. It was clear what was going on: They were being watched, and studied themselves.