Did They Send Me Iguanadon? When I Asked For Apatosaurus

[J3C0]

Mierin stood upon the bridge of her personal Star Destroyer the Crimson Wraith. Her hands were interwoven behind her back and her armor was draped over by a cloak. She smiled slightly as she looked into the void of hyperspace.

They moved through the darkness of space quickly, a single Star Destroyer dashing through the endless Abyss. She had always enjoyed traveling on starships, had always enjoyed traveling about the galaxy. It had not been something she'd been able to do in her age, yet as the Hand of the Dark Lord travel was most of what she did. The missions that her Master often sent her on were crucial to the One Siths plots and plans.

This particular errand was the epitome of that.

The plan set in place now would see to their eventual victory. Though of course it would take long until its fruition, yet that was always the case. The Dark Lord never planned for instant results, he never planned for immediate carnage.

Always he thought in the long term.

“Bring my apprentice to me. We will arrive soon.” Mierin spoke to her new captain, a Chiss named Lia'ra'Nuruodo who nodded to her immediately. “Remember Captain. The destroyer stays in place, we go on alone.”

The Chiss looked at her for a moment, and then nodded.

She smiled at him, and then turned away from the Captain. Aran, as the man had told her to call him was an intelligent man, tactical minded and logical to a fault Aran had fantastic qualities as a Captain and despite herself, Mierin quite enjoyed his company.

The Pureblood would have to see he survived.

 

[Mantorok]

Please do not adjust your displays, we are experiencing a technical difficulties.

Mantorok's world had lost colour. Simple to explain, an issue with the occupital lobe, perhaps? Maybe a certain parasite's tendrils snaking in, penetrating further, trying to establish control. It can be a bit bumpy here and there. I suppose minor malfunctions are bound to happen. The brain is delicate. Don't rush yourself there, Mister Worm. Take it easy, we have time.

Admittedly the Chistori was frightened.

Of course, this didn't translate as fear. In the small confines of his room aboard the Crimson Wraith the beast roared, slamming scaly fists into the bulkhead, crashing his considerable head against the metal in the theory that it would bring colour back to his vision. Mantorok was not a smart reptile. When colour did not return he retired to the cot that barely contained him, blood spotting his knuckles, trickling down his snout. He slept, in the vain hopes he would sleep away his ailment.

He did not, and as a Chiss entered the room to summon him the galaxy was without colour.

Of course, he didn't mention his issue. Like most males of any species pride stood in the way. Mantorok was strong, fearless, he didn't need colour to kill. Sickness was reserved for the weak and feeble.

The saurian was decked out in heavy armour, turning him into a solid brick wall, near-impervious to blunt trauma. His footsteps fell heavy upon the metal floor, thud thud thud. He might have been intimidating were it not for the presence of his Master, who was of course, smarter, stronger and much more terrifying (also not colour blind).

“WHAT DO YOU REQUIRE, MASTER?”

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

Mierin looked out the viewport for a while.

She did not speak to the Chistori, instead she viewed the brightness of hyperspace. The silence was almost deafening, only saved by the roar of activity that took place behind them. Eventually however Mierin turned away form Hyperspace, choosing to disobey the call of madness. Her smile disappeared as she regarded Mantorok.

“We will be meeting someone soon.” She said quietly. “I will require your presence.”

Mantorok was not exactly diplomatic, nor was she even sure he could properly comprehend speech. Yet he would be a tool, something to show their new friends exactly what the One Sith could bring.

Just as she turned to him the Crimson Wraith dropped out of hyperspace.

 

[Mantorok]

Silence reigned supreme as he stood beside his Master, the weight of being rendered colour-blind still weighing heavily on his obtuse mind. Would he tell her? Ask for help? Poor whimpering lizard?

No. Not a chance. Are you silly? Are you ridiculous? Are you both drunk and high on a combination of gin and peyote? The display of weakness required for such an act would be too great, surely she would slay him on the spot. That would be one ailment he would be keeping to himself. Besides? Who needs colour when you're this fabulous?

“WHO ARE WE MEETING?” he enquired as the star destroyer came out of hyperspace, arms folding across his impressive armoured chest. Say what you will about those brains, Mantorork would have made an impressive sculpture. What a physique.

He frowned, what kind of meeting was this? Diplomatic? Or of a violent nature? He was only really useful for one of those.

“AND WHY?”

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

Mierin paused for a moment, flinching as the loud Chistori screeched in her ear. She tried to silence him somehow, tried to make it so his voice was quieter, but somehow did not work. Mantorok was always loud, always screaming, it got on ones nerves. Yet she would suffer through it, if only to eventually receive a real apprentice, one that had true intelligence and power.

The parasite.

“A single mind.” Mierin hinted slightly. “A collective that will aid us in our expansion, and in the restoration of this ship.”

The Sith Pureblood turned away from Mantorok just as the Crimson Wraith dropped out of hyperspace. They surged slightly, though Mierin never wavered from her place on the bridge. Directly ahead of them was an old, likely abandoned space station, and directly behind that lay a massive organic looking starship.

 

[Mantorok]

Of course, her hints did nothing to aid Mantorok in getting a clue.

A single mind, I mean he understood the words (and thank Force she didn't use the term hive) but it didn't make sense. What did she mean? A network? Were the Sith picking up allies from every alley? Organic and artificial? That's the only way he could understand it. Let's no go any deeper, we're not dealing with the sharpest knife amongst the One Sith Apprentices.

She turned away leaving him to stare out of the port, still living in a worrisome monochrome world. Should he tell her? No. No. Mantorok can deal with Mantorok problems.

Wavering on his feet the Chistori turned to face his Master, teeth bared as per usual. “WE WILL BE FIGHTING?”

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

She began to walk away from the Chistori, letting out a loud sigh as he once again screamed at her.

“No.” She said flatly, signaling the dinosaur to follow her. “Fighting them would be unwise. These creatures are...dangerous. More dangerous than I.”

That was perhaps exaggerating a bit, but the creatures within the Nest ship had a habit of...influencing others. They were not always alone, and when they were they had a strange control over those they spoke it. Joiners they called them. It was an interesting conundrum really, how to stave off their effects.

Of course Mierin could do it quite easily.

She just hoped that Mantorok would be able to control himself around them. The Killiks unique pheromones made them dangerous creatures indeed. Quickly she headed towards the hangar bay of the ship, moving straight towards her Daisya Infiltrator.
[member="Mantorok"]

 

[Mantorok]

Dreams dashed for another day, no violence for Mantorok.

He huffed, a great sigh from both of his nostrils and he began to follow on. The Chistori had had his arse kicked from Point A to Point 5.6 by Darth Mierin, so it was hard to picture an entity more dangerous than her. He would likely believe it when he saw it, and only then.

So he followed, where the hangar bay awaited them and then from that point a smaller vessel. Adventure awaited, also boarding ramps but that's not nearly as interesting as adventure.

They boarded the stealth ship, the word still awash in black and white as Mantorok pondered further.

“THEN WE JUST TALK?”

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

Mierin let out another sigh as the rumbling of the engines began. The Daisya Infiltrator moved only for a moment, and then it felt as though nothing was happening. She pondered for a moment if keeping Mantorok around was worthwhile, if it would not be better to simply hang him up somewhere and wait for the worm to grow.

No. That would not do.

Mantorok needed to grow in the use of the force, his body needed to be trained along with his mind. She would have to deal with the foolish Chistori until the parasite could take over.

“No.” Mierin said finally. “We convince.”

That was an important distinction. Talking accomplished nothing, what they wanted was something else. They wanted to dominate the Killiks, to bend them to the will of the One Sith so that their unique abilities could be utilized in their shipyards.

 

[Mantorok]

Convince.

At least it sounded imposing. That would do at least. Mantorok had hardly signed up for missions of diplomacy, although who knew what was in the fine print when you signed up to be the vassal of the Dark Lord. Oh ho ho, silly easily manipulated Mantorok.

A sudden growl.

Shooting pain in his head.

The Chistori rumbled backwards a few steps, whirling around as to not let Mierin see him. It was agonising. Colour began to return but not in the correct manner. At first there were only yellows, then nothing. Then greens. Nothing. Reds. Nothing. He saw colours that he had never even seen before, colours that he couldn't even comprehend and it all came with a screeching agony.

Mantorok roared, claws clutching at and drawing down the sides of his head, leaving great bloody gashes on their way down. Colour flickered. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. Back to shades of grey as the parasite delved further, not quite conquering his realm of vision.

Still with his back to Mierin the Chistori (still reeling) tried to speak, acting as if nothing had even happened. “CAN...YOU TELL...ME M-MORE ABOUT THESE...CREATURES?”

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

“They are named Killiks.” She began to explain.

She had always liked the Killiks, mostly because they were around even in her time and they were something familiar. The little bugs had always had an...interesting nature, though they worked together like nothing else. They held a certain communication, something that as unexplained even today. The entire hive worked together as a single mind, a beautiful coordination no one else could achieve.

“They share a single mind, each and every single one of their Hive think as one.” She explained. “It is unknown how, but they all share a single goal, a single objective, even across entire star systems the Killiks work together.”

The One Sith should envy such things.

The Daisya landed on the station, its hissing seals moving into place as oxygen was pumped into the room. The Ramp to the ship lowered, and Mierin moved out of the ship in an instant. There was no time to waste. She had a goal here, and it needed to be accomplished.

 

[Mantorok]

Killiks.

Since joining the Sith Mantorok had been exposed to far too much knowledge for the average Chistori brain to handle. Species, weaponry, history, philosophies. Piece by piece this knowledge had been crammed in, absorbed and retained but not for the benefit of the beast, rather for the worm.

After all, it's difficult to gain galactic information when you're a very small brain worm. Even in this technologic age there still aren't datapads small enough for the parasites.

The idea of this single mind caused a spark of concern within the beast, so they were untrustworthy.

Upon landing upon the station and disembarking a new query popped up within the creature's mind. His head still pulsed with mild spikes of pain, but he chose to ignore it, asking more questions like a curious child.

“HOW DO WE CONVINCE?”

Hush up, Mantorok, you don't want the Killiks to hear!

 

[J3C0]

[member="Mantorok"]

“That, my dear apprentice.” Mierin mused as they moved into the central meeting chamber. “Is the simplest part of this.”

She said the words as they arrived within the room. The Killiks had not yet boarded the station, so they still had time to talk. Yet Mierin quickly wanted to make sure everything was in order. The Killiks were a particular bunch, and she wanted to make sure that nothing would spook them or set them off in anyway. After all she more than anyone needed this to happen, she needed them to agree.

“Convince one, and you have them all.” She said finally as the doors parted.

Into the room walked three Killiks, though one would have been enough. Their tall insectoid forms seemed lithe but strong, their powerful exoskeletons rippling and spiking out from their bodies. Mierin merely frowned.

Ugly things.

 

[Mantorok]

Aw, dear apprentice, getting attached are we?

In all fairness it wasn't as if Mantorok hadn't done this kind of thing before. He was a thug, he worked for crime lords who would insist on taking the big dinosaur to negotiations. His usual job was to stand and appear imposing, maybe even growl once in a while. Did Mierin mean for him to take part in these affairs.

By gum I hope not.

His yellowing beady eyes focussed upon the three insectoid creatures that came to greet them, he managed to stifle any aggressive verbal ticks. No growls just yet, let's not threaten. Maybe later.

Mantorok looked to Mierin, for her to take charge of this conversation. You don't want him to do it, do you?

 

[J3C0]

Mierin stared at the Killiks for a moment.

Despite what she had been told, they were ugly creatures. Well, she had actually been told they were quite ugly, but she didn't expect them to be so...revolting. Her lips turned down into a frown, but she tried to focus on their good aspects, mostly the fact that their massive eyes seemed to take in everything and anything something she rather enjoyed.

“Greetings.” She said loud enough for the Killiks to hear.

“We are here by your request, why have you summoned us?”

Oh that was going to take some getting used to, a single Killik referring to itself in multiple person, how odd.

 

[Mantorok]

Strange, how Mantorok was less judgemental about the appearance of the Killiks. One might have put it down to alien understandings. I mean, sure, if you're going for the technicalities then yes, Darth Mierin was also an alien, but...humanoids.

You know? Humanoids.

Mantorok, obviously having nothing to say folded his arms across his considerable chest and let out a snort of breath through his nostrils. Huff huff.

Noooo, nooo, Meester Mantooroook nooo speaaaaak.

 

[J3C0]

Mierin didn't look towards her apprentice who by now was probably either very confused, or simply not understanding what was going on. Both options were likely given that Mantorok was never really that intelligent.

“We have summoned you here, simply to bid the Killiks to join us.” Mierin said calmly to the insectoid standing before her.

Confusion reigned across their insectoid features, twitching antennas and a cock of the head told her that story. The Sith Pureblood smiled slightly, they had not expected the direct approach, they had not expected her to come right out and say it.
“We want your hive to work for us. To become one with us.” She spoke calmly, convincingly “There are benefits to such things.”

Her words flowed like the snake once again, tainted with the force.

 

[Mantorok]

Poor Mantorok.

While he simply stood lost in a haze of rather forward diplomacy. I mean, what was there that Mantorok the individual could learn from the Killik? Really, honestly. Of course The One Sith had gains to make but what was in it for the Chistori. Virtually nothing.

But it wasn't just him now, was it?

Maaaaaaaaantoooooooorooooooook....

A high-pitched whirring erupted inside of his head, causing the large saurian to stiffen. The parasite had become excited, very excited. The prospect of a hive mind? In tandem with those symptoms? It was a recipe built for power.

Was that why Mierin had brought him here?

 

[J3C0]

The Killiks tilted their heads.

“Subservience is nothing that we want.”

The Insectoid spoke in that strange tone again, and she simple smiled. No, nobody wanted subservience. Of course people didn't really often have a choice in the matter, Killiks were exactly the same. There was no choice, they would serve or they would perish, it was that simple. She smiled at the thing for a moment more, and then regarded it with a cold impassive expression, all joy disappearing from her face in an instant.

“No. It is not.” Her voice was ice. “Yet with Alderaan soon falling, it may be upon you anyway.”

That shocked the creature, it even took a step back.

No one expected the One Sith to go for Alderaan, no one expected them to fight for such a world. Alderaan wasn't of any strategic value, only symbolic. The Republics Richest world, and the home of the Killiks.

 

[Mantorok]

It didn't take long for the conversation to get serious.

Of course, they talked themselves into activating Mierin's conversational trap card which upgraded the pair of Sith from time wasters to a serious problem. Of course, Mantorok and the parasite would merely stand by and watch, only one of them showing a genuine interest to this turn of events.

HINT: Not the Chistori.

His headache subsided, and with it slowly trickled back the colour of his vision. A relief that caused Mantorok's teeth to become bared in an unnerving grin. Of course, this coincided with Mierin's last statement, making it all the more menacing.