Private Going on an Egg Hunt

[Darth Tennacus]

​

Location: Unknown Regions
Mission: Exploration
Ship: Wandering Pilgrim
Mentions: Darth Senthral
Image Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/spaceship-wreck--564427765780421342/

Signals could be difficult to track; the Galaxy was a large place. Planets would hum in the great silence; quasars would sound in depths of the unknown. Any mere thing could present itself an opportunity: a shimmer of curiosity that could lead to something wonderous. . . or ultimately terrifying.

For the Sith, the latter was what often fuelled them. Danger could announce itself in all sizes and shapes, yet still they would pursue anything considered beneficial to their progression and understanding. But the Dark Side never reigned here. Here, specifically in that galactic corner, where their vessel rode silently through the stars, reaching to something terrifying. They had acquired the first signal by happenstance, which led to another of curiosity: voices of unfamiliar tones sounding through space, seemingly of fear, terror and unknowing. For a while, the two Sith had been tracking the sources of these signals from their first observation, to which the terrible sounds of anguish retrieved by them only deepened in wonder and awe. It was unknown as to exactly what species these voices came from; Tennacus and Senthral had never heard of them. Even 77-B, with all its calculations and data, could not detect any evidence on what may have caused these voices to stir in such fright.

But after a while, such voices were silenced. Space returned to its quietness, leaving in the wake of such mystery a single source of signal, to which the Sith had dedicated much time in tracking. But now they had arrived after such a long exploration, drifting towards a ruptured vessel floating aimlessly through the stars. Its proportions were extraordinary, easily capable of reigning over the likes of a starcruiser, but ultimately crippled in its integrity. The ship was torn, shredded and damaged beyond imagine. Its shape, style and model appeared unlike anything Tennacus ever seen. In the blackness of space, it drifted in defeat, but from what the two Sith could not immediately tell. To damage a strip of such extreme stature made them wonder as to what commotion may have stirred.

The Wandering Pilgrim floated towards it, nonetheless. Its shape grew slowly in the cockpit windows.

". . . Incredible," Tennacus confessed. "I don't believe I have seen anything quite like it. Have you, Lord Senthral?"

Tennacus stared out of the window, breathing awkwardly through his respirator. The vessel had some form of orbital system still intact, with vast portions of shrapnel floating sporadically around it, to which the droid swerved between with ease. It was searching for a place to land, but a ship of such size took time. They would have to be patient.

For the moment, Tennacus turned his attention back to his Apprentice. "How fair your Loth beasts? I have not asked you in some time."

One of them Tennacus was particularly concerned about, but he waited to see if his Apprentice had anything to say about it.

Or whether he would hold it back.

 

[Darth Senthral]

​

Darth Senthral
Location: Signal Source, within Unknown Regions
Objective: Entertain curiosities, proceed with caution
Mentions: Darth Tennacus

"No, nothing akin even. This destruction is odd, not to mention I couldn't put my finger on what specifically has been destroyed here." Senthral did not do bragging and such. Yet even so he knew himself well versed in ships. He was always handy with a tool on them, and when you learn the smaller ships? One day you find yourself dreaming about the bigger one's. Even so? He didn't have the slightest idea what this ship even might have been classed as. It was big that was sure, but what it had been used for? That's usually what named a Ship Class. It's size was typically a secondary mention, if you wanted a big ship, you had to know what kind first.

A snap to reality was the question of the Loth Wolves. They had grown some, in mind as well as mass. Well one had grown in mind. The other was, an oddity. Well versed in the ways of the Dark Side, if rusty, not capable of the same he himself was. Yet that was to be expected, though Senthral did not know how to kill a being made of simply Dark Side. He did know that in a way, his and Tennacus' powers were superior to the orbs.

"Well. Truth be told I'm not sure of the Dark Side possessed wolf. It seems the effects that it has on them are occuring rapidly on it. To what that entails? I'm not sure. I'd advise slowing down, but the Possessor seems a mind of their own. A belief in their own knowledge on how to handle the situation. We shall see, though it's had positive effects on the other cub. I can feel the hatred arising for the thing that's no longer it's brother. With understanding comes forming emotion it seems. As all with sentience."

 

[Darth Tennacus]

​

Tennacus pondered on the thoughts about the wolf as the ship strode slowly through the blackness. It didn't surprise him to hear of its complications; but there was little he could do about it at the moment. The unfortunate truth was that there was not much known about them, save for their abilities to possess another living vessel, and/or drain them entirely of their lifeforce. Incredible, but complex creatures. The secrets that may have known as concerning as it was exciting.

"Interesting. Two brothers fighting: one of the Light, and one of Dark. Doesn't it remind you of something?"

There was a brief pause, before 77-B said:

"My lords, I have located a landing point. Do you wish for me to proceed?"

"Of course," Tennacus answered.

The droid never answered. The Wandering Pilgrim continued further in its trajectory, slowly submerging itself into the depths of its great machinery, passing by all manners of complex technological installations. Strange lights drifted and danced from cracked illuminations. Dislodged machinery floated over and under them, despite the fact that they were now moving within the front portion of the ship's interior. It was a prime example of how vast and unknowing the vessel was, the Sith ever uncertain as to what was laying ahead of them.

77-B took the Pilgrim into a cloud of dust, but it soon became apparent by the droplets streaming along the transparisteel that it was present with water, as if they'd unknowingly descended into some unknown atmosphere. The path ahead was blinded by the obscurity, and showed no promises of changing anytime soon.

"77, what exactly are we looking at here?"

"I believe that it is some kind of artificial atmosphere, My Lord. Exterior temperatures show a rapid increase from the vacuum of space, as if something is producing its own climate."

Tennacus frowned. "That doesn't appear meaningful to a deep space exploratory team. Not unless they were intending on being out here a while." The Sith looked to the panel on the dashboard. "What are the temperature readings out there?"

The droid scanned through the data in a pause. "Five degrees Celsius."

Tennacus looked to the droid.

"And climbing."

and "Something must still be alive down there, then. Unless they have managed to develop a sentient program which can alter the weather when necessary."

The droid narrowed its optical scanner. "Like seasons?"

"Like seasons."

Tennacus stepped away from the scanner, leaving 77-B to pilot them through the clouds in focus. When they eventually arrived out the other side, it appeared that they were gravitating vertically into a large opening, where the pressure suddenly stabilised upon entering its yawning jaw, descending towards a rough but stable terrain of rock which appeared to be the ground. The Wandering Pilgrim was cautiously lowered, and the engines were deactivated as 77-B went through safety protocols.

"Radiation levels appear. . . low. Temperature is reading at twelve degrees Celsius. Gravity readings are reading with 1.9 G's, with a magnetic malfunction located seven-hundred and one feet North of this location." The droid paused. "No signs of atmospheric toxicity. Air appears breathable, but I recommend you keep your masks on, nonetheless. No visual signs of life."

Disappointing.

Tennacus turned to his Apprentice. "Lord Senthral, I suggest you gather some supplies that will be suitable for this investigation. As much as this place appears abandoned, I'd rather not take the risk. The Force is silent, but something doesn't is disturbing, nonetheless."

It was true - all of it. In the midst of that rocky, strange climate, where life had not appeared to reign for perhaps a thousand years or more, the Force was ever quiet. Not a tinge of it within that artificial atmosphere. Not even an insect scurried along the damp rocks; and yet there were webs gathered in strange places.

Tennacus proceeded to exit the Pilgrim first with certain caution, arming himself with his Zersium rifle.

 

[Darth Senthral]

​

Droids often only spoke in cold hard facts, and yet where they lacked guts? They could never make up for that. Maybe Senthral was a superstitious man, but his guts spoke of yielding caution wisely. Not only that, but his nose knew that acrid smell of danger. So his Master's words were heeded well. He geared up, DL-22 at his side, and loaded with modified gas cartridges he had made himself. They would kick up it's power by a trifold, he had tested them enough, and they caused only a greater level of overheating. It was a worthy trade-out, he was a fair shot, and only blasted when necessary anyways.

A small probe droid floated into the room, JO-1, and it was lugging along some sort of small port for itself. Senthral took the port calmly and strapped it to his shoulder, a sash came down over his right shoulder, and when he patted it roughly the port opened. JO-1 let off a contented whistle and landed in the port, locking itself in. JO-1 was his eyes behind himself, and through such had given him an idea for the Loth Wolves. Whichever came out on top, he would grant them better eyes than they already had. His bets were on the possessed black wolf, but maybe the white wolf would surprise him.

'Do not make the same mistakes as the Jedi. You are a beast, you only need to realize that. Let your instincts through and bite down on power with those fangs of yours.'

After Tennacus' own exit he then followed, blaster in hand, loaded to kill if needed. His lightsaber hidden within cloaks, and yet at his side and secured, ever ready for usage. JO-1 sounded cautioned beeps, just reading into his creator's own mood of course. "The screams subsided, I doubt there's anyone living left to fear whatever there was once for them to fear. Let us note that, and carry caution as close as our weapons." Fear irked him deep down, but it was being channeled into the Dark Side. Readily available if needed.

​

 

[Darth Tennacus]

​

Fear. Tennacus could sense it through the Force, albeit strangely. He reached out to the Dark Side after they concluded their exist, listening to what the Force could tell them. Faint voices sounded through its darkness; strange tongues shouted and roared, and the sounding of beasts scorched the air. Voices of things long gone, but the elements carried in them the memories. The Sith Lord lowered his head, opening his eyes towards a large, yawning doorway to the east.

"Be on your guard," Tennacus warned. "Something terrible happened here."

Their venture came not without its struggles. They walked down corridors fit for beasts thrice - perhaps more - their height, and passed by technological wonders whose services had long expired. Here and there, Tennacus scanned the machinery and relayed it back to 77-B, but the droid could not identify anything stored within its data archives. Tennacus had asked Senthral to do the same with JO-1, but the droid too remained oblivious on the technological expanses. The language carved into the dark alleys and walls were indecipherable, and many a door they came across would not open. JO-1 scanned them for any relevant details, but the droid returned with scans of insufficient data. Whatever was once in there was long destroyed; the machinery inside carrying nothing of particular interest. JO-1 claimed they may have been some sort of repair rooms, while others he confirmed to have indications of cargo storage; but all containers inside were empty or destroyed, with all contents extinct. But 77-B continued to feed them the signal emanating from an unknown source further within. Something was still functioning to program it, and the two Sith were not leaving until they discovered it.

After many a vigorous climb through ruptured hallways and collapsed tunnels, the two Sith and the droid arrived before a door they could not open manually. It was exceptionally large, stained black and boldly carved with various ridges and crevices. Whatever lights once functioned there had since perished, so they relied on JO-1's floodlight to keep them alert of their surroundings, but his narrow ray made it awkward to identify the wall in its entirety. Not even their lightsabers would have illuminated it to the length required. No fault of the droid's.

"Lord Senthral, can you have JO-1 widen his floodlight?"

Tennacus stood idle as droid and master cooperated, turning his gaze back down the pathway behind them. Strange mechanisms still cranked through the large ship, but Tennacus was concerned something else was making the noises. But the Force told him nothing.

Strange.

The Sith was alerted by the sudden increase in luminosity without verbal requirement. It shun halfway down the path he was looking, and when he turned back around it revealed the great dark door in its entirety. Tennacus had to take a step back to bask in its entire form. . . and try to understand what was present on the door's materials.

"77-B, are you reading this?"

The droid was observing through JO-1's optics. "Confirmed, sir. I must say that I have never seen anything quite like it."

Neither had Tennacus, or even Senthral or JO-1 for that matter. Tennacus dared to step closer, raising his gun in a gesture to the markings. It was some sort of mural carved into the door, portraying the likes of some being that must of been of significance. The details were quite remarkable, given that it appeared to serve no function. JO-1 scanned each ridge to see if they served as a panel or handle, but the entire mural was a great artistic depiction to behold.

"77-B, are your records returning any results of its anatomy?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. If I am not mistaken, the depiction is symbolic in nature, and does not to serve any purpose. The species may have been one of vanity to revere themselves as divine beings."

"And what of the markings beside it? The anatomy of their designs is far different." Tennacus leaned closer. "It almost looks like some sort of external source latching onto another lifeform."

"Many species do that, my Lord. None of their anatomies are even remotely close to this."

Tennacus creased his brows. "Latch onto another life form?"

"Like I said, it may just be symbolic. There are many flora and primitive species who revere unidentified entities as gods. Enough to put them on their walls. There are even flora that can kill a being by grabbing onto them. Nevertheless, I advise you, Lord Senthral and JO-1 to proceed with caution. If you look to your right, there appears to be some sort of touchpad along the exterior frame. Have JO-1 switch to a thermal scanner so I can observe the elemental dilution between the keys."

Tennacus stepped aside, allowing JO-1 to do its work. The droid switched to thermal scanners, scanning for differentiations in the white, bulging keys along the frame. They represented something but Tennacus left it to the droid to find out what it was. After a moment, one of its limbs unfolded and begun to push the keys in a particular pattern, creating a band of strange luminous lights which stranded from one key to the next. Loud, obnoxious gears sounded up over their heads, echoing down the long tunnel behind them. Lights suddenly started to flicker with life, feeding the tunnel with a greyish blue hue that rode down the dark gullet, igniting it in sudden illumination. It was not grossly bright, but it was enough that JO-1 no longer needed its expanded floodlight. After a moment the droid killed its light and left Tennacus and Senthral to watch the lightshow unfold. Nothing drastic appeared to happen. The door also did not open, which Tennacus questioned, but the droid only claimed that it was simply following a pattern and did not confirm it would open the door at all. The uncertainty was concerning, especially given the mystery surrounding the ship. For all the Sith knew, they had just armed a bomb.

Tennacus turned back to look at the droid. His breathing changed in that cool, damp tunnel. "JO, I really wish that you would confide in Lord Senthral before you--"

A large, deafening hum shook through the tunnel. The lights blinked up over them rapidly, and the walls trembled with the sounding of mechanical twists from beyond. Tennacus lifted his gun in caution, but the threat was not coming from the walls. JO-1 gestured its metallic limb down the hallway, where a bundle of luminous lights moved exceptionally fast towards them.

"Contact."

The Sith did not waste time in waiting for them to close distance. His Zersium rifle was lifted immediately, and several shots were unloaded towards the strange lightshow. The rounds moved straight through them, crashing into the distant walls, stirring even more distress upon the already beaten vessel. Whatever was coming towards them was large, and the Sith Master had ordered his Apprentice to switch to lethal rounds so the two were firing bolt after luminous bolt towards the source. But nothing. Whatever they were, they were fast. The Force was ever silent, but Tennacus believed the beings were made of some sort of energy, perhaps a discrete strain of the Force itself. There was nowhere to run, and the things were growing taller and larger as they approached, leaving the Sith no choice but to resort to his lightsaber. He dropped his rifle and ignited the crimson blade, swinging as the heaving things rushed towards him, but he simply passed through them as he brought down the plasma weapon, the large entities seemingly intangible in their existence. They moved through the door like ghosts, sinking into the mural. Tennacus deposited his lightsaber and returned to using his gun, raising it to the sound of the humming, creaking door. Lights blinked through the bulging white buttons, and a hiss of air depressurised the doorway to slowly lift away from the floor. Tennacus stepped away, keeping his gun risen. A pool of smoke rushed out from under the seal, drifting over their feet. As it passed by them, it was exceptionally cold.

"77-B?"

"I saw it, sir."

Tennacus stared towards the open doorway. It was black - completely black. So black that not even JO-1's floodlight could penetrate it. "What was that?"

77-B took a moment to respond. "It was a projection of a past event within the tunnel, sir. I believe JO-1 activated the playback feed when it attempted to open the door. Whatever those portrayals were, they were once present where you are right now, and appear to have gone into the room that just revealed itself."

"Are you getting any life readings?"

77-B never responded.

"77-B?"

The droid crackled through static. ". . . Not in the sense which you are thinking, Lord Tennacus."

Tennacus stared through JO-1's lenses. "What does that mean?"

"There are no movements, but there are readings. They're. . . too numerous to count."

"77-B. . . I need you to be a bit more specific than that."

"Give me a moment, sir. I am just trying to calculate the readings. This is quite unlike anything I've ever been assigned to analyse before." Another suspenseful pause came between them, the eerie silence only stirring the Dark Side further with emotional conflict. "S- ir. Do you read me?"

"Just about."

There was another suspense pause of crackling and static, and then it went clear. "The readings confirm that the signal source is through that room within another extension that concludes this tunnel. There are. . . over ten thousand lifeform readings within a range of nine-hundred meters of the signal source. Irregular heartbeats indicate some form of dormancy. The room before you shows no current life, but a quick analyse of the room confirms carbon-based entities within there, nonetheless."

"I'm sorry," Tennacus started. "Did you say ten thousand?"

"Affirmative," 77-B calmly replied.

"You must be mistaken," Tennacus argued. "How can there be ten thousand different readings. Are you telling me there are ten thousand of those holographic things laying dormant in the flesh?"

"Not quite," 77-B argued, "but there is ten thousand of something in there. My calculations detect the area is contained and air pressurised, preserving whatever is inside. While I cannot clarify what is in there at the moment, I have traced the signal source back towards a power module still active. If you can get JO-1 to hack into its mainframe, I can upload the data to my archives and translate it to understand what we are dealing with. But that depends on if you are willing to enter a room with ten thousand unknown entities that are very much alive and hostile."

"Why do you say hostile?"

". . . Because two of the holograms appear to end within the next room."

So they never made it, Tennacus thought. "Can you restore power into the next room?"

"I can, but the last room has some sort of disturbance. I may not be able to keep a connection to you until JO-1 hacks into the module. I'm afraid you are on your own after you step into that room, my Lord."

Tennacus took a moment to decide, then said, "Alright. Feed power through."

"Good luck, my Lords."


The room was not just present with two dead beings as 77-B had suggested. Upon the droid's wireless connection to the tunnel's power module restoring light into the next room, it became quickly apparent that there was a mass grave of deceased entities piled and scattered across the curved stretch of room, mummified by the elements present on board their ship. Tennacus stepped between them with certain caution, nudging one here and there to confirm they were dead. Many of them were present with cavities within their chest plates, armour ruptured as if some internal force pushed itself out. Tennacus believed it might have been some sort of depressurisation problem, but the rest of their suits appeared intact, making him argue against the fact the moment he thought of it. He'd advised Senthral to remain cautious as they crossed through the large room, appearing before yet another large doorway at the end.

JO-1 was about to coordinate its way through the panel of buttons quite effectively, forcing the door to fold up over their head, revealing the large expanse of room hidden behind the pressurised seal. There were no internal lights by the looks of it, but light from the former room flowed in with reasonable illumination, revealing a vast expanse which stretched off farther than their eyes could see. Connection to 77-B had been corrupted, so it was left to the two Sith to handle this on their own. Tennacus was about to enter further, but JO-1 urged him to stop when the layer of dense cloud started to drift out of the doorway behind them, exposing a mass alignment of eggs assorted into various rows of hundreds sat close to one another. Tennacus looked to the eggs with curiosity while JO-1 monitored them with its lenses and scanners, eventually confirming that they were all present with some unknown reading of life; and as 77-B had confirmed, were in some unknown state of suspended animation.

The two Sith and the droid passed between them cautiously, conversing over what they might have been, but came to no agreements they could see as reasonable. Tennacus believed it might have been some sort of colony ship, but the decor along the exterior walls made things even more confusing.


JO-1 was about to coordinate its way through the panel of buttons quite effectively, forcing the door to fold up over their head, revealing the large expanse of room hidden behind the pressurised seal. There were no internal lights by the looks of it, but light from the former room flowed in with reasonable illumination, revealing a vast expanse which stretched off farther than their eyes could see. Connection to 77-B had been corrupted, so it was left to the two Sith to handle this on their own. Tennacus was about to enter further, but JO-1 urged him to stop when the layer of dense cloud started to drift out of the doorway behind them, exposing a mass alignment of eggs assorted into various rows of hundreds sat close to one another. Tennacus looked to the eggs with curiosity while JO-1 monitored them with its lenses and scanners, eventually confirming that they were all present with some unknown reading of life; and as 77-B had confirmed, were in some unknown state of suspended animation.



The two Sith and the droid passed between them cautiously, conversing over what they might have been, but came to no agreements they could see as reasonable. Tennacus believed it might have been some sort of colony ship, but the decor along the exterior walls made things even more confusing.

The further the Sith descended, following the trace of the signal, the more the architecture morphed, with high rising pillars of vases stacked awkwardly towards the dark ceiling. JO-1's floodlight revealed a broad, gargantuan sculpture mounted within the centre of the room, portraying the likes of some humanoid entity with strange symbolism etched into its structure. Tennacus asked Senthral to have JO-1 scan the structure for later analysis while the two moved on towards the power module. Tennacus could see that it was further ahead, but he could also see that it was not vacant in its presence. The Sith raised his weapon yet again, crouching between the eggs and vases, aiming through the thermal scope of the rifle.

There was a large creature rested awkwardly within a grand tomb, idle and aged by perhaps millennia of decay. Tennacus received no heat signatures through the scope, so he led on towards the module it was laid before, confirming that the creature was dead before he had Senthral call JO-1 over to hack into its mainframe. Tennacus examined the creature further while JO-1 recalibrated the signal to reach 77-B back on board the Pilgrim. It was unknown what had killed it, but it was another who bore a cavity within its chest. Were these rooms just poorly pressurised? Tennacus looked around and answered his own question. Apparently not, given that the eggs were still very much intact. Some of them, however, appeared open.

It took a moment, but 77-B finally returned through the commlink with its mechanical voice, with thanks to JO-1. "My lords, do you read me?"

JO-1 answered for them.

"You were quiet for some time, I was beginning to grow concerned. I am just transferring the data from the module, but their systems are extremely complex to navigate. Is the room really that big?"

"I'd say twice as big as a battlecruiser's bay," Tennacus answered.

"Impressive. . . what of the ten thousand lifeform readings? Do I need my utilities reconfigured?"

Tennacus huffed. "Not yet. They appear to be eggs of some kind. Vases, too. It's too extensive to calculate them all?"

77-B took a moment to reply. "Yes - I'm just seeing that now, my Lord. The data is. . . questionable. Interesting."

"What makes it interesting?"

"The star chart present in their archives is nothing remotely similar to our own. If I am correct in my readings, this vessel did not originate in our galaxy, or any galaxy near to us; but a galaxy far, far away."

Tennacus looked down towards the eggs. He thought he heard one of them move. "What are they doing here?"

"I believe they are colonisers, my Lord. I have several systems here within our own galaxy they were targeting, but they veered off course when they ran into complications. It is my understanding that they come here to terraform."

Tennacus ignored the latter. "What complications?"

77-B took a moment to answer. "Contamination breach."

Something hissed among the eggs. Tennacus turned his Zersium rifle over to the hive. Two alongside one another were quivering. JO-1 put its floodlights on them, showing the translucent tissue of the egg sac which revealed something moving around inside. The door suddenly sealed behind them, but 77-B had hacked into the mainframe to feed power into the lights up over their heads. The egg sacs suddenly unfolded four petals, but nothing else appeared to happen. Tennacus stepped closer. There was suddenly a disturbance in the Force.

"Sir, I might suggest that you not-"

But it was too late. It happened too fast for any of them to react quick enough. Before Tennacus knew it, a strange organic creature lunged itself from within the egg, latching itself around his face. An appendage laced around his neck, and he felt something try and punch its way through the metal of his mask. His vision was obscured, making the situation more difficult to deal with.

At the same time, another had lunged itself onto Senthral, wrapping its limbs tightly around his head before he had a chance to do anything.

 

[Darth Senthral]

​

Splendor was alight in the apprentice. To experience things firsthand was something he prided himself in having done, and was excited by the prospect on the continuation of doing so. Though fear once more found itself prevalent when his Master and himself seemed pitted against an unstoppable enemy. Though it seemed to flee, he still carried due caution until they found out what exactly it was. Sort of, a hologram, but unlike the one's he had seen before. In slight differences, technological ones most likely. That and they could not escape paranoia, they were after-all somewhere unlike anywhere they'd ever been. There was scarce similarities from this place he could connect to others, and he'd been on large ships. Notably the Gehinnom.

Eventually they found themselves descending, lights had come on, and soon more with them. The things he saw there, the things they both saw. In comparison to the hologram's scare, and the unfamiliarity? It was all more than even a word such as, alien, could describe. Especially the giant structure of a humanoid face, who was it? Would they ever know? Perhaps it was of little relevance really, because it was not what they were here for. How did Senthral know that? Well, for a bit he wasn't too sure. Then the eggs came to mind, things surely linked back to them. Then something had burst from one, and literally went for Darth Tennacus ' mind.

Shortly after, and so shortly he had not a second to think - he too was blinded by a small beast. Something told him he had not the time for panic, and his lightsaber was in hand in less than time could comprehend. It was an awkward thing, igniting the blade of light towards his own face, but he had no other choice. Soon his mask would do him no good, and his face would be no more. Down the 'saber's blade came after ignition, cutting right through little monster and mask both. He felt searing pain down his forehead, but had not the time to scream. As the thing fell loose, he used what little vision he had in the confusion to perfectly slash the other off his Master's own mask. Knowing they both had been slain, he yanked his mask from his face.

When it came off he quietly gasped for air, in the panic maybe the oxygen had left him. There was a searing burn down the center of his forehead, that had cut off nearing his nose. Perhaps there was still a bit of luck left in this galaxy, that he remained with a nose to smell his own burning flesh. Any farther down and he would never sniff the acrid air of foreign beings' eggs as long as he lived.

"Count all of our lucky stars Master, I doubt those are the only two unhatched. Unless still some remain. Of our stars that is. These little mongreloids?" He queried aloud, to none in particular. "Hopefully they sleep heavily." Lightsaber was unignited, and exchanged for that trusty blaster. As long as they didn't make it to his face, it would serve him better. With good aim they wouldn't make it a hop out of their eggs.

 

[Darth Tennacus]

​

It was an undetermined ambush, and not one they could fully anticipate. The origins of these things remained unknown, and their biology was most complex. The Sith came to discover that when the Apprentice freed himself and Master alike from their iron grip, with the likes of acid spluttering out of the gashes within their organic structure, sizzling through any and all elements within its way. Tennacus was quick to check himself for any drops, but the green potent liquid was thankfully not on him, allowing him to coordinate himself around the terrain more appropriately. His eyes scanned over the eggs, seemingly dormant in their places, as well as the vases present among them. Then his attention turned back to the deceased creature, curled in on itself like a dead arachnoid.

"What an interesting mechanism," Tennacus confessed. Yes, despite its potency threatening themselves, he strongly agreed with himself that it was a defensive trait worth noting. He looked back towards the idle eggs and containers, but he couldn't count just how many there really were. If what 77-B said was right, then they were in for a haul.

"77-B," Tennacus started. "Do their archives suggest what these things are?"

77-B took a moment to reply before saying, "Yes. They are some sort of carrier. An initial stage in their evolutionary development. There are also records of those vases, too."

"What does it say?"

"They're vessels of some sort. A biological weapon: life in the form of death."

"77, spare me the poetry."

"Apologies, my Lord. The data is quite complex; I don't know how to express it simply without offending your wisdom."

Tennacus paused, then said, "Try me."

The droid paused, too, but the sound of its limbs tapping along panels echoed through the commlink. "So, it appears that what happened here was some sort of scientific expedition. As I have already said, they were all the way out here to terraform. Before you ask terraforming what?. I will tell you. Whatever is within those vases is some form of microscopic pathogen: a seed to complex life. Those eggs appear to be a biproduct of an evolutionary chain that sets in motion in accordance to the host who pairs with it. I don't quite understand how they were made, but it appears that the occupants of this ship were not expectant of an attack. They picked these eggs up from some planetary body, but the name is not translatable. Those vases, on the other hand, are a product of the colonisers who died on board this ship. It is my understanding that they are, in primal terms, some form of gods."

Tennacus turned back towards the dead body within the technological tomb. It was a tomb only in the sense that it served as the creature's final resting place. In his opinion, Tennacus believed it looked more like some form of hibernation chamber. "Those eggs," he started, "Did they kill him?"

"Their archives would suggest so. They retrieved the eggs themselves, and saw to study them. But something went wrong, and they escaped. The last data input translates to a disturbance within that room you are in. Something sprung itself out of the coloniser's chest. Their biology suggests that they seed an embryo within a host that ejects itself upon necessary maturity."

"I see." Tennacus looked back to the vases, the eggs - the who layout. If this was some sort of terraforming party, then the science behind their studies was worth investigating further. "What about those vases," he added. "What do they do?"

The droid was silent for a moment. "Life, Lord Tennacus. Complex life."

"How much of this do you believe we can horde back to Seculus-B?"

77-B made a quick calculation. "Around 5,000. 2500 of each."

". . . What about all of them?"

There was no answer.

Tennacus turned to face JO-1's lenses. "77?"

"You would be putting yourself and Lord Senthral at great risk. The Wandering Pilgrim could strain under such abundances of cargo. We might not even survive the propulsion into light speed."

"I wasn't asking what could happen, I'm asking if it is possible?"

"Theoretically - yes."

"Then I suggest that you make your way here. Douse this entire place with a sleeping agent. You and JO-1 get to working on that. Lord Senthral and I will begin the extraction when you are done."