The Blood Hound
The door to the Nutcracker slid aside with a loud hiss. The Sithling came in, carrying over 250 pounds of Lupine in man form on her shoulders. Sweat beaded from her face and neck and her hair stickily clung to her neck, though neither of those things were the result of the weight she was lifting.
Some might have laughed at the woman for thinking so, but she was beginning to develop a healthy distaste for the Unknown Regions. It was where they had come as war on wings for an empire that should not exist. And it was there where now, a mission had ended in complete and utter failure. Confederate lives had been lost and for what? She had her opinion on it, now that it was more or less over for the time being, and she was going to have to sit down with the Dominus for a serious discussion about it once she was back.
Being in the Unknown Regions, not even within First Order Space, meant that all communications were down. There would be no way to send a message over to the Citadel, not before they were closer to the Core worlds. At least another fifteen hours, perhaps more.
The planet didn't even have a name. Only coordinates. It was a rocky and hot one, filled with underground caves that extended forever. Dozens of Knights Obsidian had arrived, all ready and prepared for battle. Half of them were still under those tunnels, buried, and would probably never see proper burial on their home worlds.
The Aeshma had become better at their dealings. Had become better at hiding their tracks, their presences, and their surprises for the Confederates which they hated so much. It had been a death trap before any of the Knights Obsidian ever set foot on the planet. A smaller group might have caught it earlier, might have worked better together. But the mayhem that ensued after that first underground explosion had people running in panic, especially those who were newer. Still they had trudged on, trying to see it through, trying to get to the core that was so many miles beneath the ground, where a splinter cell was supposed to be. Their mission? Eradicate them.
But by the fifth explosion, it was clear there would be no eradication. The orders had changed. They were supposed to make their way out and return home. Their intel had been wrong from its very core. But by the time the orders had changed, it was too late.
When Madalena had opened her eyes, there was mostly darkness around her. Darkness and the smell of the dead. A regular human might not have known it, but she could detect the subtle changes in the blood that no longer flowed inside most of the bodies. Someone else had survived as well, an Executor by the name of Marius. They checked through the piles of corpses together, and found only two more living ones; Executor Lechner and Archivist Malson.
Madalena and Marius carried the both of them back to the surface. It was a small mercy that Marius had arrived on his own ship as well. Madalena took Executor Lechner with her since she knew his sister as well as where their home sip was. Marius left with Malson. His ship was faster than Madalena's, so she asked him to contact the bigger Confederate ship that was already on its way back to Confederate space to let them know of the death count and the survivors.
Baal had been growling and livid once she entered the ship. She carefully re-adjusted Lechner's weight on her shoulders so she could free a hand and give Baal a soft pet on the head, letting him know she was alive and fine, even if there was no reason for her to be. Her own injuries amounted mostly to surface cuts and bruises and the mildest of concussions, but it was not something she needed the bacta for.
Executor Lechner was a whole 'nother pile of problems though. His injuries were more severe, and Madalena thought she could scent internal bleeding, but she wasn't entirely sure that her mind was not just making it up. But whatever his injuries were, there was bacta tank that she was more than happy to dunk him into. Sure, he had been rude or had outright ignored her existence the very few times they'd briefly met, but… But that was not a reason to leave him behind. Besides, Alwine would never forgive her.
With more effort than she cared to admit it had taken, Madalena had him stripped off his armor and clothes in no time, and with the aid of the Force, had slowly lowered him into the healing water. It would take at least a few hours before he was able to come out of there himself.
With a sigh, Madalena moved on to get herself out of her now damaged armor as well, and hit the refresher. Half an hour later she was clean, and she and Baal moved to the kitchen, where both of them would feed.
Whenever it would be that Executor Lechner awoke, he would find Madalena napping with her sketchbook on the couch in the second personal room, and Baal, a Loth wolf that was still growing and by now reached well over half of Madalena's height, sitting in front of his tank, staring at him.
Some might have laughed at the woman for thinking so, but she was beginning to develop a healthy distaste for the Unknown Regions. It was where they had come as war on wings for an empire that should not exist. And it was there where now, a mission had ended in complete and utter failure. Confederate lives had been lost and for what? She had her opinion on it, now that it was more or less over for the time being, and she was going to have to sit down with the Dominus for a serious discussion about it once she was back.
Being in the Unknown Regions, not even within First Order Space, meant that all communications were down. There would be no way to send a message over to the Citadel, not before they were closer to the Core worlds. At least another fifteen hours, perhaps more.
The planet didn't even have a name. Only coordinates. It was a rocky and hot one, filled with underground caves that extended forever. Dozens of Knights Obsidian had arrived, all ready and prepared for battle. Half of them were still under those tunnels, buried, and would probably never see proper burial on their home worlds.
The Aeshma had become better at their dealings. Had become better at hiding their tracks, their presences, and their surprises for the Confederates which they hated so much. It had been a death trap before any of the Knights Obsidian ever set foot on the planet. A smaller group might have caught it earlier, might have worked better together. But the mayhem that ensued after that first underground explosion had people running in panic, especially those who were newer. Still they had trudged on, trying to see it through, trying to get to the core that was so many miles beneath the ground, where a splinter cell was supposed to be. Their mission? Eradicate them.
But by the fifth explosion, it was clear there would be no eradication. The orders had changed. They were supposed to make their way out and return home. Their intel had been wrong from its very core. But by the time the orders had changed, it was too late.
When Madalena had opened her eyes, there was mostly darkness around her. Darkness and the smell of the dead. A regular human might not have known it, but she could detect the subtle changes in the blood that no longer flowed inside most of the bodies. Someone else had survived as well, an Executor by the name of Marius. They checked through the piles of corpses together, and found only two more living ones; Executor Lechner and Archivist Malson.
Madalena and Marius carried the both of them back to the surface. It was a small mercy that Marius had arrived on his own ship as well. Madalena took Executor Lechner with her since she knew his sister as well as where their home sip was. Marius left with Malson. His ship was faster than Madalena's, so she asked him to contact the bigger Confederate ship that was already on its way back to Confederate space to let them know of the death count and the survivors.
Baal had been growling and livid once she entered the ship. She carefully re-adjusted Lechner's weight on her shoulders so she could free a hand and give Baal a soft pet on the head, letting him know she was alive and fine, even if there was no reason for her to be. Her own injuries amounted mostly to surface cuts and bruises and the mildest of concussions, but it was not something she needed the bacta for.
Executor Lechner was a whole 'nother pile of problems though. His injuries were more severe, and Madalena thought she could scent internal bleeding, but she wasn't entirely sure that her mind was not just making it up. But whatever his injuries were, there was bacta tank that she was more than happy to dunk him into. Sure, he had been rude or had outright ignored her existence the very few times they'd briefly met, but… But that was not a reason to leave him behind. Besides, Alwine would never forgive her.
With more effort than she cared to admit it had taken, Madalena had him stripped off his armor and clothes in no time, and with the aid of the Force, had slowly lowered him into the healing water. It would take at least a few hours before he was able to come out of there himself.
With a sigh, Madalena moved on to get herself out of her now damaged armor as well, and hit the refresher. Half an hour later she was clean, and she and Baal moved to the kitchen, where both of them would feed.
Whenever it would be that Executor Lechner awoke, he would find Madalena napping with her sketchbook on the couch in the second personal room, and Baal, a Loth wolf that was still growing and by now reached well over half of Madalena's height, sitting in front of his tank, staring at him.
If [member="Gerwald Lechner"] walked around the ship, this is what he would see:
Every piece of wall within the corridor and personal chambers was covered in paint. Not merely paint, but murals, extending from the floor to the ceiling. The paintings show jungles, luscious forests, rivers, distant lakes and mountains. The level of detail is so great that sometimes, when a person stands still and just breathes while looking at the murals, they seem to almost move with every breath.
Various creatures could also be spotted; black owls decorated the tree tops while wild horses would be seen running in the distant fields. Among the bushes of flowers that were closer in perspective to the viewer, rose goblins could be seen gnawing on small pink flowers. More creatures could be seen, some hiding and some in plain sight, some common animals that most worlds could claim to have, and others seeming more like mythical beasts out of legends.
A few more steps into the corridor, and there was the painting of a woman. Her body was made of delicate curves though it was clear her arms and legs were strong, but whereas detail was drawn on every piece of wall that Madalena had gotten her hands on, the woman's face lacked in detail almost entirely, allowing only for a few shadows and big green eyes that omitted the emerald glow. Her hair dark and long, and Madalena had managed to make it look as though it had been captured while blowing in the wind.
On the wall opposite to the painting of the woman, two wolves could easily be seen; one white, and one gray. They were both sitting, somewhat distantly apart from each other, yet both had their backs turned to the viewer. Around them, was a circle that was either a clearing or a protecting ring, made of local growth that seemed to be on par with the rest of the flora painted on the ship.
If Gerwald makes his way to the personal chamber that was Madalena's bedroom and move the door aside, another painting entirely would be revealed to him. The same woman as the one that had been standing in the forest, but now she was standing on a beach made up of gray sands, and behind her, clouds that seemed both to be black and made of nothing at the same time, somehow eating everything they touched, taking them not themselves. While the paintings on the rest of the ship showed love and nature, fauna and flora, this one felt different when you looked it as well, feeling cold, and terrifying, chilling down to the bones. The woman on this painting, while looking at the viewer with the same detail-less face, was holding both hands against the dark clouds, as though to keep them away.
If Gerwald makes his way to the kitchen, he would see that it is entirely void of murals. Some minor decorations of the same pink flowers that the Rose Goblins were eating can be seen on the cabinets, but that is it. The bare walls are instead covered in meat that is being preserved and air dried, as well as a few shelves of hard cheeses. The Coffee and Tea shelf, which is open, contains the same black coffee and mint tea that he had on a ship that was called the Giggledust.
And then there is the room Madalena is napping in; there is a comfortable looking couch and a few chairs there, as well as a coffee table. Two mannequins hold up two sets of armor; one thatis her personal one, and one Knights Obsidian Strike one. The wall behind them is covered entirely in weapons; dozens of Czerka knives, a lightwhip, a few swords, a few spears, and two lightsabers. If he looks closely before waking her up, he might recognize some of the knives.
There is a bathrobe Gerwald can use when he leaves the bacta tank. Wherever on the ship he chooses to go, Baal will be following him. Not as a threat, but more like a dog that's sniffing out a trail with much interest, and would appreciate the occasional rub behind the ears.
Every piece of wall within the corridor and personal chambers was covered in paint. Not merely paint, but murals, extending from the floor to the ceiling. The paintings show jungles, luscious forests, rivers, distant lakes and mountains. The level of detail is so great that sometimes, when a person stands still and just breathes while looking at the murals, they seem to almost move with every breath.
Various creatures could also be spotted; black owls decorated the tree tops while wild horses would be seen running in the distant fields. Among the bushes of flowers that were closer in perspective to the viewer, rose goblins could be seen gnawing on small pink flowers. More creatures could be seen, some hiding and some in plain sight, some common animals that most worlds could claim to have, and others seeming more like mythical beasts out of legends.
A few more steps into the corridor, and there was the painting of a woman. Her body was made of delicate curves though it was clear her arms and legs were strong, but whereas detail was drawn on every piece of wall that Madalena had gotten her hands on, the woman's face lacked in detail almost entirely, allowing only for a few shadows and big green eyes that omitted the emerald glow. Her hair dark and long, and Madalena had managed to make it look as though it had been captured while blowing in the wind.
On the wall opposite to the painting of the woman, two wolves could easily be seen; one white, and one gray. They were both sitting, somewhat distantly apart from each other, yet both had their backs turned to the viewer. Around them, was a circle that was either a clearing or a protecting ring, made of local growth that seemed to be on par with the rest of the flora painted on the ship.
If Gerwald makes his way to the personal chamber that was Madalena's bedroom and move the door aside, another painting entirely would be revealed to him. The same woman as the one that had been standing in the forest, but now she was standing on a beach made up of gray sands, and behind her, clouds that seemed both to be black and made of nothing at the same time, somehow eating everything they touched, taking them not themselves. While the paintings on the rest of the ship showed love and nature, fauna and flora, this one felt different when you looked it as well, feeling cold, and terrifying, chilling down to the bones. The woman on this painting, while looking at the viewer with the same detail-less face, was holding both hands against the dark clouds, as though to keep them away.
If Gerwald makes his way to the kitchen, he would see that it is entirely void of murals. Some minor decorations of the same pink flowers that the Rose Goblins were eating can be seen on the cabinets, but that is it. The bare walls are instead covered in meat that is being preserved and air dried, as well as a few shelves of hard cheeses. The Coffee and Tea shelf, which is open, contains the same black coffee and mint tea that he had on a ship that was called the Giggledust.
And then there is the room Madalena is napping in; there is a comfortable looking couch and a few chairs there, as well as a coffee table. Two mannequins hold up two sets of armor; one thatis her personal one, and one Knights Obsidian Strike one. The wall behind them is covered entirely in weapons; dozens of Czerka knives, a lightwhip, a few swords, a few spears, and two lightsabers. If he looks closely before waking her up, he might recognize some of the knives.
There is a bathrobe Gerwald can use when he leaves the bacta tank. Wherever on the ship he chooses to go, Baal will be following him. Not as a threat, but more like a dog that's sniffing out a trail with much interest, and would appreciate the occasional rub behind the ears.
