*Pirate Noises*

[Darth Abyss]

Deep Space, Bridge of the Irrlicht

Since the last engagement of the Eldritch, the personal ship of Darth Abyss, almost two years had passed by. Back then the vessel had suffered heavy damages, and upon return to its safety the ship had proven as almost impossible to repair. Whenever the Prophet's engineers had fixed one issue, another jumped up to once again render the ship unusable. It had taken considerable resources, but according to his men working on the Eldritch the repairs of his beloved ship were nearing completion.

Once those news had reached him, Abyss had begun to plan the second awakening of the Eldritch. The damages hadn't just left marks on the ship itself, put upon his crew. While many still were on his payroll, some of its core members had either died or disappeared. It was up to his engineers to fix the ship's systems, but it was duty alone to find new individuals to replace those he had lost.

For that the Mindeater had invited two potential recruits onto the Irrlicht, the vessel he had commanded as replacement. It wasn't as impressive as the Eldritch, nor did he feel the same connection to it as to his personal ship. Yet it was more then enough to put the two to the test. His contacts had arranged transportation for both, in the form of shuttles that would pick them up and deliver them to the current position of the Irrlicht.

On the bridge of the pirate ship the hollow lord already waited his guests. Little was left of Darth Abyss, a metal husk with nothing inside but the dark emptiness. His face was a unmoving wooden mask, framed by a fixed grin composed from sharp metal teeth. On his head rested a crude crown, and the parts of his body not shrouded by his ragged, ghostly robe were littered by arcane rings, amulets and trinkets.

Resting on the ground with his legs crossed, only illuminated by the dim blue and green of the bridge's terminals, the husk remained unmoving, his very presence a hungering, oppressive force that could even be felt by those without the gift.

[member="Kniibi"] [member="Drax-57"]

 

[Drax-57]

Drax sat in the transport shuttle as they made their way to the ship. The men who had picked him up said only telling where they were taking him. It was good to have a job again. He had been going from place to place for too long.

He checked to make sure that his E-11 was still calibrated, to pass the time. The Empire makes so cheap weapons, but he had to admit that they were effective. He couldn't recall the last time it failed him, but maybe that was because of his age.

"Alright, here we are. You go talk to the Captain, ASAP."

Drax nodded and left the shuttle. He was inside a massive ship, unlike anything he had seen. He was almost in awe. He made his way through the people working and made it to the bridge. Once on the bridge, he saw [member="Darth Abyss"]. The man, or whatever it was, was far more terrifying in person. He could understand why he was so feared and respected. The two often go together.

"Darth Abyss, it's good to be invited to this crew. To be honest, I didn't think you would want an old man like me."

[member="Kniibi"]

 

[Kniibi]

[member="Darth Abyss"] | [member="Drax-57"]

It wasn't Kniibi's first time being contacted by pirates, but normally it was because she did something to upset them. This pirate ship was different from the rest, however. The very presence of its captain gave Kniibi a chill, but if she ever needed to escape, she had Bom'loo, her WED Treadwell customized for not only repairing, but also a bit of stunning protection. She liked puns. Strapped to her back was an E-11, made just a bit lighter to accommodate for her very small stature.

Approaching the bridge with her droid closely behind, it accidentally bumped into her feet and nearly tripped her. "Tando dook'wab yaytah!" she whisper-yelled at it, watching the Treadwell frantically adjust its treads.

When she was finally facing Darth Abyss, she looked up towards him and raised her arms. "M'um M'aloo, Dathabyss." She was still picking up on her basic.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Welcome."

The words filled the room, yet the jaw of the husk remained locked in its mocking smile towards the newcomers. Abyss voice was as clearly not that of a human as his appearance, a distorted, almost distant sounding echo that dripped through the limits of reality from a place beyond the plane of the living. Slowly the creature rose to his full height, almost two meters, without even pushing himself of the ground. Instead his hollow body was seemingly pulled into the air by invisible hands, while the strange aura around him only grew stronger. At first he addressed [member="Drax-57"], the empty eye sockets fixed on the aged mercenary.

"Age and experience often go hand in hand. Yet I first want to see that experience put to the test before I make a decision."

Then the husk turned his head, now looking at the small jawa. He couldn't but notice the skeptical faces of his crew when the small alien walked in, but no one dared to say anything. By now they had seen their Prophet's liking for the uncommon and the downright obscure in action countless times, and his judgment was enough to put their minds to at least some ease.

"M'um m'aloo. Glory would you be so friendly to translate for us?"

While Abyss knew the greetings of the Jawa's, something you more or less had to when occasionally selling scrap on the black market, it was where his knowledge of their language begun and ended. To make communications easier he would rely on his A.I. which confirmed his request by suddenly appearing behind as a holographic depiction of herself. Whenever he would address [member="Kniibi"], she would translate, and the other way around.

"I had my doubts about inviting you, but your kind is known for their mechanical talents. I would like to see them put to the test as well."

Behind him the avatar of Glory disappeared, and was replaced by a map of nearby asteroid field with a route leading right through it. There today's test would happen, by doing exactly what his crew would have to in the future: Attack, stun and board a ship. The map continued to build up, with small depictions of the Irrlicht and another unknown ship, possible angles and other obvious clues to what would happen later.

 

[Jorco Czeku]

Sadly Jorco was a little late to his invitation. The transportation had almost left without him at the last second. Already worried some from this giving him a bad first impression for a Sith pirate. He felt as if he was putting his life on the line now with being late, worried that [member="Darth Abyss"] wouldn't be all too happy about it. The simple gangster leader has his blaster holstered to his side, an old DH-17.

As they arrived Jorco was led quickly to the bridge of the large ship, much more grand then his own. There he saw the Sith and the two others who were invited. Clearly he was the last one here. Worse was that he could sense the dark side energy within the the Sith greatly. Jorco never really used the force like a Jedi or Sith. It more so helped with reflexes and talking to others.

"Ahh, Darth Abyss, grado sie cappa deo. ahe na gupanu epa nevu shatana." (Ahh, Darth Abyss, my apologies for being late. I had some, business that I needed to take care of at a moments notice.) The green alien said in his native tongue. Noticing he was speaking Rodian he added, "Um perhaps galaxtic basic would be best, yes?" Although he knew the language, his grammar wasn't the best.

[member="Kniibi"]
[member="Drax-57"]

 

[Kniibi]

"Okay!" Kniibi said, relieved that she didn't have to put her understanding of basic to the test in her first impression. "I am a good pilot!" She didn't want to describe herself as an ace necessarily, having seen true ace pilots in the past. "Good tinkerer! Yes! I will follow the map, Darth Abyss!"

The more time she spent there in front of the Sith Lord, the more comfortable she felt. She was still frightened by the Sith, but the threat of being strangled by the force at any moment was diminishing.

[member="Darth Abyss"]
[member="Drax-57"]
[member="Jorco Czeku"]

 

[Drax-57]

From the looks of the ship, he could tell that boarding it would be a challenge. But that was what he was good at.

"You get me inside that thing and it's a done deal."

[member="Kniibi"]
[member="Darth Abyss"]
[member="Jorco Czeku"]