Armata Praetoria

[Tanith Alde]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zx1ZtxUbGE


Marius was in his forge, it was small and cramped, worked into the hold of one of the few ships the SPQI could scrounge up. He was hammering away at a durasteel breastplate, attempting to repair it after it had taken several armor piercing shells directly to it. He sighed and set the tolls and the piece of armor back now leaning back, his chair creating slightly as the unhoiled hinges were shifted. He closed his eyes, he had dozens of these shoddy pieces to finish before their next engagement. Opening his eyes he shook his head angrily "No...That just wont do. This shows in now way who we are...What we stand for, its a shameful display" He stood up and grabbed a spare datapad as an idea flew into his mind.

He begann joitting down notes untill he had it, the idea for a suit of heavy armor. It would be difficult to manufacture, and certainly impossible to on a large scale, but perhaps he could armor the Praetorian guard with it. He exited his forge and practically ran down the corridor's to his Imperator's quarters. Asking admission the guard finally permitted it him, inside he fell upon his knee and presented the plans to his lord

"My Imperator....You may wish to look at this. With your consent I would like to begin crafting these for use by your praetorian's in their duties, I believe it will greatly benefit the SPQI"

 

[Imperator Tiberius]

[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Myron"]

The Imperator, himself, had also been busy with planning. These plans, however, were plans of war. Over the last couple of days, he had been studying the militaries of the galaxy, and the basics of their governments. And he knew that, with how fractured the galaxy was, how embroiled it was in the flames of the ever ongoing ancient wars of Jedi and Sith, he knew there was a great chance to expand. He only had to start with the weakest... Such as the False Imperium, First Order, or Jen'ari. Of course, there was the fact that they were all allies of the One Sith, the dominant power of the galaxy that was slowly winning. That could be handled.

Then, the Forge Master entered, lowering to his knees as Tiberius looked away from the datapad he was already looking over, setting it down and accepting the Forge Master's datapad. He smiled, motioning for the man he considered an uncle to come closer.

"Rise, Forge Master Marius. The genius you display in the designs of our wargear should keep you from kneeling like a common man." He would return his gaze to the datapad, smiling to himself as he scrolled over the details of the Armata Praetoria. It seemed to be similar in design to the Imperatoris Armaturam. Specially fashioned beskar and cortosis to absorb most kinds of standard blasters and slugthrowers... But he has yet to upgrade his sword, armor, and shield with them... That can come later. Right now, approving this is what mattered.

"Forge Master, you have found a way to fight even the Jedi and the Sith on more equal footing. I approve this armor." He gave the Forge Master a grin and a nod, his day made better by some good news.

 

[Tanith Alde]

"I kneel to my one lord. It is the way things are done" Marius said in reply. He would kneel to this lord, and his descendants for as long as he lived. He had been there during the first empire, he hoped to see it thrive when he died. "That was my first concern. I've contacted certain elements to acquire better resources for us, theres only so much I can fashion from durasteel. We will be clad in cortosis, and beskar even soon enough. This I promise you" He said with another respect filled bow to his lord

"For as long as I can remember I've served ye and yer family. First as a battlefield, then" He gestured to his leg, injured as it had been by the rocket "As your forge master. I'll do all that I can to make sure you succeed, and your descendats, should things sour for us. But I pray this will not happen" He said further. The Praetorian armor was heavy, destinctive, and most importantly, awe inspiring. Able to rally soldiers and intimidate enemies with the valor it so heroically displayed. A small victory, but a vital one

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]

 

[Myron]

As the two men spoke in front of the Myron, she tried to keep her curious eye from the datapad. Currently she stood to the side of the room, the two royal guards across the room trying not to make eye contact with the Godslayer. Before the Forge master had entered she was discussing the need for finding the other Arenzebites, so his entering had cut off her conversation with Tiberius. Which may have slightly flustered the girl, though in truth she feels he was just trying to ignore her at the moment with how stressful all of this was on the young imperator.

When the forgemaster kneeled to Tiberius Myron slightly smiled under her glare.

She must have admitted the respect she had for the forge master, despite how is attitude sometimes angered her he was a loyal man. For now she wouldn't speak. She would just listen to his requests, Myron had all the faith in the galaxy for dear Tiberius. He would prove a powerful man one day. She could just help him to do so, her requests for finding more her kin will come eventually.

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]
[member="Marius Severus"]

 

[Imperator Tiberius]

[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Myron"]
[member="Steel"]

As he read over the details and listened to his promise, he nodded and thought. He knew the nearby gas giant of Bespin had cortosis, a good amount of it. All they had to do was go over there and take it... It'd be a short trip, given how close Hoth was to Bespin. Myron's request to find more of her people was definitely going to happen, but it had to wait. Finding these materials was his priority. He handed the datapad back to the Forge Master, turning to the lead Godslayer.

"Myron, I need you to send out a messenger for the Grand Master of the Ordo Sicarius. I have a mission for the one called 'Steel.'"

He would then turn back to the Forge Master, a plan for the occupation of Cloud City already forming. The Ordo Sicarius would hunt down political leaders who opposed their demands and eliminate them, while Myron would oversee the military dictatorship of the city as Tiberius, himself, 'negotiated' with the leadership for Cortosis.

His terms: Give us what we need, or you will be killed and replaced with puppet leaders to do our bidding.

 

[Tanith Alde]

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]

The Forge master nodded "If we are to occupy cloud city...Might I request the rites to use their facilities to begin forming our fleet? We can only use secondhand, scavenged and repurposed ships for so long" It was a slightly daring statement to detract from teh fleet, but he felt he could risk it.

"Ordo Sicarius...Can't trust them as far as you could throw them. They're whose to blame for the first collapse" He growled to himself, not too loud

Marius saluted and bowed, turning on his heel he strode out back toward his forge and resumed his tireless work

 

[Tanith Alde]

[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Imperator Tiberius"]
[member="Myron"]

Steel is a barely controlled, drug fueled killing monster, enhanced by bio-engineering and experimental surgical procedures. Her state of mind is amplified to turn a mere dislike for the enemy into raging hatred, or the wish to serve the Imperium into suicidal determination. It's main objective on the battlefield is to rip out the heart of an enemy operation in the most unsubtle way. By slaughtering all enemies in the vicinity they ensure the command structure is entirely destroyed.

This psychotic assassins is trained to be utterly ruthless and completely dedicated to the Imperium. In addition, specialized use of genetics and human biology result in the Mechanicus Assassin to be the most efficient killer making her almost superhuman . Her bodies is modified to make her a superb killing machines and include augmentations that strain the limits of their human physiology through the use of bionics and genetic alterations; the assassin is implanted with adrenal ducts, which speed up the brain's higher functions, allowing the assassinr to make complex calculations and tactical decisions in seconds. The adrenal ducts are also able to feed the brain, allowing the assassin to work briefly in a hard vacuum. In addition, a secondary heart is implanted in order to help the assassin's body cope with the various changes and to act as a fail-safe in case the primary heart is damaged in combat.

The Mechanicus Temple also makes use of a number of combat drugs that make the assassin psychotically insane and push her bio-engineered body to the limit in order to better his performance on the battlefield. As such, these assassins possess a hyperactive immune system to counteract the toxins in the drugs they use. However, should an Assassin's brain or hearts cease to function, advanced immune system will no longer be able to keep them in check. The chemical concoctions inside her will rapidly accelerate, causing her to violently explode. Sicarius assassins, being well-aware of this fact, often use it as a last-ditch effort to eliminate their target.

The large amount of drugs and modification used to Steel into an unstoppable killing machine are highly addictive and without them the assassin will surely die. This means that the assassin is completely addicted to death itself and the only way they can survive is by being placed in cryo-suspension, which sustains their bodies until called upon for the next assignment. As such, Steel is stored within cryo-crypts on secret ships scattered across the Imperium. These vessels remain at a constant state of alert and await the orders from the High Lords to be deployed to the battlefield.


Which was where the attendant was heading now. Sick. The Attendant always felt sick whenever he entered ‘the hive’. A long catwalk suspended in the middle of a cavernous hexagonal hall, the putrid green glow of endless status monitors and stasis tubes radiated an aura of death and decay. Not so unfitting for the legendary storage vaults of the Mechanicus Asassin

Despite his many trips to the hive, he could never suppress the shiver in his spine that always snuck up on him when he least expected it. Shaking off his unease, he moved slowly to monitor station #4432 to finish the rites of rearming and release. He stared up into the face of death, suspended in a foetal position within its fluid tomb. The irony was not lost on him. A skeletal, barely human husk gazed vacantly back at him, its augmentics continually twitching despite being comatose. Out of curiosity, he flipped through this unit’s combat history. Unit service life three years. Number of sorties, two hundred and sixty. Estimated enemy casualties inflicted, eight thousand five hundred and twelve.
Biological age, twelve standard years. But it was the list of wounds sustained in action that horrified him the most. Thoractic vertebrae shattered from a Wookie, left arm amputated after close combat with a Jedi, fifty seven separate blaster wounds. Three cardiac arrests and automated restarts, and it didn’t stop there. Holy Sith, what did it take to kill one of these things? With great trepidation, the attendant keyed through the unit’s start up routine and assigned Steel its next mission.

“What kind of dreams does a monster like you have?” He wondered.

 

[Imperator Tiberius]

[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Steel"]
[member="Myron"]

He would give a soft sigh, plopping down in his chair as he nodded to Marius, giving him permission to use Cloud City to build their first true warships. Myron was right about one thing, he was rather stressed out by all this. But his zeal to the SPQI, and to the promise he made years ago, kept him going. Outside, through the window he looked through, he could see a few men finishing up with putting down a Wampa snow beast. Their training, and the advanced equipment they already had, made it comparatively easy compared to other things they had to do. Not a single legionnaire was lost, but a few broken bones were likely suffered, still.

He would shake his head, rubbing a hand over his face as he turned to the woman who may as well have been his sister, Myron. She was the head of the Godslayers, the elite of the elite, all pureblooded Arenzebites. Four-armed creatures, the Arenzebites of this tribe had been with the SPQI since the first empire, before the Supernova happened.

"Well, Myron, you got something you wanted. It may not be us finding your people, but its something. We'll be headed to Bespin, soon."

 

[Myron]

The woman snarled her sharpened teeth as the imperator mentioned the creature, a slight crack in the floor could be heard as she dug her foot into it.

If it was one thing the forgemaster and her had agreed on it was that those monsters caused the fall of the first legion. It was the godslayers that needed to be put back into place, not drugged assassins. Either way she turned her head to Tiberius as he spoke to her, her distaste with the Orda Sicarius obvious in her posture.

Though, the new fleet certainly wouldn't hurt at the moment, she had mentioned it once or twice in the past. Myron pushed her red hair to the side and stepped closer to him.

"Aye, with your permission I would accompany Marius to cloud city Lord Imperator." With that Myron fell to a slight kneel.

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]
[member="Steel"]
[member="Marius Severus"]

 

[Imperator Tiberius]

[member="Steel"]
[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Myron"]

He sighed at the rivalry he knew had existed. He had already put contingencies and failsafe protocols in place in case anything from the past tried to repeat itself. He, unlike his ancestors, was prepared for this. He nodded to her, rising to his feet once more so he could stride to where his armor, shield, and sword were all mounted. He would pull off the main torso piece, turning to her with a grin as he made to slide the piece of armor on and lock it in place, not needing to change clothes since he tended to just walk around in his jumpsuit when not on official business.

"You will be the head of the occupation force as I 'negotiate' with the leadership of Cloud City. We need the Tibanna and the Cortosis they manufacture there. After that, we will track the Cortosis to is source, where they get the ore from, and claim it ourself." By now, he already had his boots on, and was currently slipping on his left vambrace. He knew that there would likely to be rebels to put down, but he also knew the Myron would have it handled easily enough. After making sure the first vambrace was ready, he went about sliding the second one on, giving her a stern stare into her pink eyes as he conveyed his seriousness through his voice.

"Nobody here likes the Ordo Sicarius, but we need them, nonetheless. Do not start a civil war, please." As he said please, he tightened the last strap, slipping on his helmet afterward and sheathing his sword, followed by fastening his red cape and his shield being attached to his left arm. He would proceed to the front door, nodding for the others to follow. He knew Steel would be able to easily find him, so made no move to wait.

 

[Myron]

As they left the Imperators chambers Myron quickly turned off the main path. She was on her way to the Ordo Sicarius grand masters hive, or so he called it. Myron always thought of the mechanical creature as a disgrace to the culture of the SPQI. Though, there was something unique about it that Myron recognized.

She strode through the icy base alongside a male auxiliary who was ordered to give the plans to Steel. She just came along to make sure he wouldn't be killed by Steel on an accidental case. As they stepped outside of the main temple her bare feet would feel the chill of the snow.

Steel was quite far off from the main city, it was the Imperators idea to section her off in case of an attack. It wouldn't be a short walk though, but that didn't exactly matter to her. She was an arenzebite.

Once Myron was outside of the main base and away from the people Myron looked at the man she was accompanying, knowing it would take a good 30 minutes to reach Steel's hive at this walking speed. She quickly grabbed him in her arms and leaped at least 20 feet into the air, landing into the ground and beginning to sprint at about 35 mph with some tainted breathing, but nothing too noticeable, this was certainly not her top speed. With each leap her feat would leave small cracks in the frozen earth.

In short time the godslayer made her way to the hive. She landed one last time and jolted to a stop, digging her feet deep into the snow as to stop her momentum...which inevitably threw snow all in her face.

She ran a hand through her hair as to push all the snow off. With an aggrvated huff she then placed the boy, who looked petrified, down on the ground and couldn't help but to giggle a bit as she noticed his wide eyes and fluffed back hair. Sure she was a titan of war, a killing machine, and godslayer; she wasn't soleless though. That's how she differed from Steel.

Myron wiped her hair once more and pushed a large amount of snow off of her. It was a little chilly but her skin wasn't about to get cold from a little snow. She then stepped through the door, her footsteps no longer being absorbed into the earth, but echoing across cold steel. It was ironic as the base matched the woman who hid away inside, or more so machine.

The legatus was having a diffucult time seeing as it was practically pitch black, but she could guide her way easy enough with her sense of smell.

Then she heard it's creeking. Fantastic... She thought and rolled her eyes.

As they approached the crypt she could feel the technicians heartbeat elevating, he was afraid. She looked down to him knowing very well he couldn't see her, and patted his head muttering "It's okay." Just barely enough that he could hear it.

As they reached the crypt a smaller light lit up, Myron could now see, she noticed the mechanical cyborg hanging from wires in some kind of frozen tube and perched her head, letting her hand rest on her greatswords hilt. She had met Steel before, but she never knew her like this. Myron would be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit scared.

Suddenly there was a loud screeching sound and a puff of steam which came out as the water drained from the tube, releasing the creature. Naturally Myron stepped closer towards the boy who released him, that was what her lord Imperator sent her for afterall.

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]
[member="Steel"]

 

[Tanith Alde]

The creature inside dropped to it's knees, water and liquids dripping from her shoulders onto the floor of the tube. Her head hang lowly and her chest rose and fell in slow labored breaths. The mechanicus assassin lived again. The Imperator had a mission for her

A slow, manic laugh seemed to echo throughout the chamber. A mechanical voice spoke from the Intercom "Pod: Steel. Status: Unsealed" The manic laugh grew in intensity, coming from the assassin. It's head would slowly rise to meet that of the two humans before it "What is the mission?" Came a mechanically detached yet at the same time utterly maddened voice.

The sicarius assassin slowly rose to her feet, stepping out of the tube. She was naked for now, though showed no shame for it. Her gender was both obvious, and irrelevant. She reached out an arm and an attendee droid brought her a deep crimson robe, which she now wore for the sake of her visitors

She stepped clsoer to the two, red eyes gleaming in the dark as she studied them "You are known to us....." Came her first growled reply to the Godslayer, but now she turned to the Auxilliary "You are not known to us. You thread on sacred ground......." The mechanical voice had taken on an angered tone. None were permitted entry to her temple, out side of a small cadre of specialyl trained and indoctrinated men

As she gazed at the two of them her cybernetically altered mind scanned through a dozen ways to kill each of them in a second, and then a hundread in how to do it in two, a thousand in three....

She reached out, running a glawed hand along the auxilliaries neck "You should not thread where you are not welcomed. By our ancient covenants your life is forfeit. Whay say you for yourself?" The assassin asked with a cruel, humor less smile


[member="Myron"]
[member="Imperator Tiberius"]

 

[Myron]

Myron thrusted her own hand out and grabbed the sicarius's hand with a strong grip, so strong she may have bent the metal frame by accident. She knew what was about to happen, in fact she knew very well. Being a godslayer herself Myron had killed thousands in battle and knew of many, many ways to end a life.

She rose her gaze to meet the creature. Such an abomination of war, if only Tiberius was to listen to her they may have found some of the arezebite in place of these machines.

The young woman still held it's wrist. It struggled with her for a moment but it would quickly learn that fighting the bare strength of a godslayer was pointless.

"Welcome back to society Steel. And yes, M'lord Imperator had this technician come with me to run tests on the technology running here. I am to accompany you back." Myron looked her up and down and then pulled the machine rather roughly from it's sockets. She was growing very impatient despite her calm personality. As Steel registered to standing again the godslayer spoke once more.

"I'm assuming you got the mission?" She asked, her sharpened teeth visible even in this light.

[member="Steel"]
[member="Imperator Tiberius"]

 

[Tanith Alde]

[member="Myron"]

Steel might have looked frail but she was anything but (I can like the tech submission for this) . Reinforced with duraplast, titanium and cybernetics galore she was much more than human. She wrested her hand free of the Godslayer's grasp, aided by the bulky enviromental suit she had to wear's poor dexterity. Kill Orders? The godslayer was immune in programming, Steel was not permitted to kill her. It would have been so easy, one quick swipe and the Arenzebite would have suffocated...

"By the laws we agreed to, The Sicarius will serve, but it will recruit internally. This one was not recruited by us, thereby by our laws and your's, his life is mine to collect"


The machine spoke not out of ill will or malice, it spoke simply out of keeping with tradtions and laws that had been established. "You do not intent to break our covenant do you? Such would lead to disastrous consequences"

 

[Imperator Tiberius]

[member="Steel"]
[member="Myron"]
[member="Marius Severus"]

Over the intercomm that Tiberius had ordered placed throughout Castrum Reim (Fort Reim, basically), the voice of the Imperator crackled to life with a stern command. He knew the laws of this pathetic Covenant, and sometimes wished he would have bombarded the temples of these abominations from orbit. But, alas, he needed them.

"The assassin speaks truth, Myron. The Auxiliary's life is now hers. Leave the temple, and come to the primary hangar."

He would have turned to glare at the assassin, if he were physically there.

"But know, assassin, that it is by mere chance we found you. It is by my will that the Ordo Sicarius was founded once more, and not simply burned in nuclear fire from orbit. No matter what you say, or do, you belong to me. If I were to order your extermination, it would be so, with ease." He would glare at the screen that he was viewing on his datapad, knowing what the abomination thought of flesh, of organics. But, even it could not deny that his will, as was with all the past Imperators, was absolute, and that only a few hundred (Maybe a thousand, at most) mechanical assassins, most of whom are still in a near-comatose state until reactivated, could not fight fourty-two thousand elite soldiers and win. Especially if the Godslayers and Tiberius were there to lead.

"Remember that, Steel. Myron, gather the Godslayers and the Praetorians when you come by. Marius, gather all of your best forgers and what you can carry. We have a planet to occupy, weapons to build, and resources to capture. Reim Invicta."

(( I believe this should be the end of the dev thread. The dev thread for the ships should be performed after the thread where we occupy Bespin. ))

 

[Tanith Alde]

[member="Imperator Tiberius"]

The Forge Master of the SPQI had other things to do, he had some cortosis, not enough to arm a full squad of Praetorians, but enough to develop a prototype. He pulled up the designs for the Legionary and Centurion designs. The praetorian would first off work off of a Cortosis-Duraplast alloy, rather than Duraplast-Durasteel. In addition he would refine the cooling and power generators, and perhaps add in a hermetic enviromental seal....While he was at the he drew up the plans for an integrated life support system. Using ideas from his bionic eye he got to work testing out the helmet, working in flash dampeners and noise supressiors, so a praetorian could ignore a flashbang, or the ear shattering sound of artillary going off near them. The armor would be harder than the previous two marks, but do to the fact it was a cortosis alloy it would overall result in less weight than the centurion mark, though more than the legionary type.

 

[Myron]

With what Tiberius had said Myron dug her foot into the steel floor.

She looked to Steel and with a jolting thrust her hand erupted through the Auxiliary chest. She glared to the machine with an evil grin and cold eyes as she pulled the beating heart out of his frozen body and dropped it at it's feet. Her hand trembling as blood dripped off of it. Myron wanted the man to die at the hands of a fellow member of reim. He deserved the fate.

Myron was always wild at the sight of blood, it was as if something clicked in her. Once she felt the warm human blood dripping off of her skin and the smell filling her system she couldn't help but feeling an intense urge to thrust her greatsword at Steel. Though she would control her urges and look away. Her scarlet locks flipping with the intensity of her turning her head.

"I will not give you the mere pleasure Steel. His body is yours to do with what you will, but as of now you will accompany Reims fleet to Cloud City." She spoke looking away. Myron then clenched her bloodied hand and made the exaggerated attempt to step over the body as she left the hive with Steel.

...

After a short trip back the two returned to Hoth. Myron stood close to Steel as they entered the city to show the citizens that they were safe. She escorted the machine to the main temple and let him in the hands of the Praetorians as she went to gather her elite corps.

[member="Marius Severus"]
[member="Imperator Tiberius"]
[member="Steel"]

 

[Tanith Alde]

[member="Myron"]

Steel let out a mechanical laugh "I had not intended to kill him. He would be trained and converted as a proper attendant and caretaker, but alas you have ruined him now.........Such a senseless waste of flesh......" Steel stepped casually over the body without another consideration. Hiding it's arms in the arms of it's robes it would follow the lead godslayer without another comment, it's head bowed in contemplation "How does it feel? Knowing you killed an innocent that didn't need to die? One that you brought here yourself? I said his life was ours, Not his death"

------------------------------------------------------

The shuttle ride to the city was just as quiet as the aftermath at the temple, only quiet machinery wirring would alert anyone that Steel was even alive with how still she remained inside of it. Once inside the temple the Machine Assassin would slowly gaze around it, mentally updating it's record to account for changes over time