Reconstruction

[Dredge]

-All your rage, all your hate. And look where it has gotten you? Nowhere, you are a waste. Your fleet is gone. Your army may be strong but you are worthless-

A voice of hatred and malice oozed within the mind of Dredge, he was still and unmoving as teams of medics carried him off the heavily damaged omen. They were back on Kaalonia and it was time to rebuild what they had lost.

"You dare insult me? Do you think yourself higher than I? You are nothing, you are but a shadow of your former self. Krag died on Utapou and you are but the mantle of his power! A shadow!" Dredge spoke back to the voice in his head. The two were in a very dark and motionless void inside his head and it was time the two talked while the doctors and shapers worked.

-I am sith, I am strong, you are weak lesser. Why do you think you are alive right now? That you draw breath still!? I saved your life when you were killing yourself! I redirected damage to less active parts of your brain! Your body! You are worthless!- the voice in the darkness cast light down upon dredge and the two were going to have a long talk.

Placing dredge on a table the Vong overlord needed healing, his body needed to be repaired but the armor had to come off. Outside hundreds of workers and shapers began the process of healing the Omen. It would be a rough journey but the ship would return to bring terror once more

 

[Dredge]

Dredge looked up at the blinding light and a massive shadow cast down to show itself to him. "You are not Vulcanus! He is dead and you are but a shadow! If I am so weak then why have I survived while you perish!" Dredge looked up at the massive figure and roared a blast of defiance at him, the figure simply stood there watching dredge.

Outside the shapers began to pull the armor that was fused to Dredge's skin off. Layers of dead skin and flesh, black blood and bile ripped and Dredge felt searing hot pain beneath his body. The shapers spent a few minutes pulling the armor off piece by piece until the naked and burnt body of Dredge lay on the operating table.

-I am not Vulcanus you fool, I am beyond him. I have many names, and am known throughout the galaxy. You are but a worm scrapping by with a mediocre army and fleet. You have nothing to show for all your rage- the voice let out a howling bellow of laughter and a dark foggy hand rubbed the back of it's hand against dredge

 

[Dredge]

Dredge batted the fog hand away and screamed at the figure. "SPEAK THEN YOU FOOL!! SHOW YOURSELF TO ME!!" Dredge yelled and suddenly a large psychic blast of energy hit him and sent the construct of him flying to the ground in heaps of agonizing pain. Dredge writhed in pain feeling every ounce of his injuries upon the operating table. Whatever it was, the ghost or construct had been blocking out the pain of whatever was going on in the outside world. Dredge screamed in pain that he had never felt before, worse than even the deepest of burns. "I WILL HAVE YOUR HE-" a piece of psychic energy lashed out and covered Dredge's mouth completely, silencing him

-Silence fool- the voice said with ultimate command

The shapers began at his legs, starting to repair muscle and skin they worked hard to restore blood flow in the burnt black legs. Removing dead skin to reveal pink muscle the shapers were applying new skin and flesh to heal his grievous injuries. His feet had begun to look normal up to his mid shin.

-I am the dark side of the force. The very nexus that was your armor, your sword. I am that which has kept you living, and I am that who you have almost killed with your foolish actions.- the voice let out another lash of energy at dredge and the monster screamed writhing in pain on the floor

 

[Dredge]

-You claim to be strong Dredge, to be worthy of my power, yet all I see is a child throwing a tantrum. You have much hatred, but you must learn to control that hatred. To use it to build your power.- the voice manifested itself into a dark cloaked figure and appeared over Dredge as he screamed and squirmed on the ground in horrible amounts of pain

The shapers were up to his thighs now, removing dead flesh and adding new. They wanted to save Dredge, they had kept him alive over so many battles and wars, they were the best of the best and were loyal through the years of the horde and the fall that came afterwards. They were not about to lose him now, even after committing the equivalent of suicide through the force.

Dredge lay there on the ground in pain and desperation. His hatred burned into him and it hurt, it hurt like nothing before. But he was accustomed to pain, to suffering and rage. It all began to feel familiar to him, this was his hatred attacking him. The nexus of the dark side may of had dominion in his soul, but it still his. Dredge began to lurch out a hand and grasp at anything he could, fighting through all the overwhelming pain he felt

 

[Dredge]

-Do not fight me Dredge. I will be taking charge from now on; you are unfit and unworthy of my power.- another psychic blast of energy hit Dredge and the agony of his would multiplied. He screamed in sheer pain and distress clawing his nails into his own forehead, black blood streamed down his face and on to his body.

The now manifested dark being lifted up it's black fingertips and shot lightning at dredge's spirit. -Feel the power of the dark side of the force. Feel true power you insignificant welp.- the ring wraith esque figure cackled in delight watching dredge twist and suffer, it was a beautiful sight to him looking over his hosts mangled body.

The shapers were continuing their medical warpath reaching Dredge's thighs and pelvis. His more male extremities had been ripped away and burnt where the armor was fused onto. Everything had to be replaced in order to reform proper waste disposal methods. That would however not be described and would be tastefully left to the imagination.

Dredge coughed and felt the virtual electricity light up his skeleton flashing through him to show the blue and white images of his skeletal structure. He screamed in pain but the gag muffled it. He fought and fought but it was like trying to fight back a flood with a paddle. It was all simply too much. Dredge screamed and reached for his mouth and began to work the psychic gag around him.

 

[Dredge]

-feel my power you worm! Feel the nature of the dark side!- the black cloaked figure laughed watching dredge scream and pry at the gag, he was a superior force. Not bound by the rules of life and death, of age and mortality. It was a simple being of pure hatred and dark energy. It could not be compelled to do the right thing or stop. It was what it was, and it was in it's nature to torture dredge. It was in his nature to hate and to rip and tear at ones soup until he had complete control over his actions

Fixing his pelvic region the shapers were at his upper hips, his body began to once resemble what it was before the armor, before he took up the mantle of Krag. His upper half still scared and burnt black and dead Dredge's chest slowly rose and fell barely clinging onto life. A small moaning cry shot out from outside the medical wing and Dredge's adopted daughter Samantha as she liked to be called was crying over the injuries of her father. The Yuuzhan Vong normally did not feel too many emotions like love and desire, it wasn't completely alien in their culture but these Vong had been exposed to a lot more in this galaxy then that of the first generation.

Dredge screamed in pain as he began to work the psychic gag howling beneath it he continued to keep at the construct that was warding and damaging his soul. A small piece of the ward began to come undone around his mouth and no matter the pain Dredge felt he screamed defiance ripping painfully at the piece of energy. He was not about to be silenced by a construct of the force

 

[Dredge]

The shaded figure began to look at Dredge in almost amusement, he was fighting even still. Through all the pain and damage to his body the overlord was still fighting to keep his soul. -Very good Dredge, very good. Feel your hatred, let it fuel me. Let it burn into me.- the construct was chuckling and kept up the energy of lightning upon Dredge's soul. The nexus wanted him his soul, it wanted Dredge to be one with it. It deemed him no longer worthy of his power and guidance through the force. -Give into dredge! Give into me!- the voice said laughing wildly keeping up the stream of energy


The shapers began to remove and replace damaged organs inside of Dredge one by one, Yuuzhan Vong physiology was very different from humans but they all functioned on the basic principle of blood and organs. Dredge's chest cavity was open and his heart appeared to be beating slowly. It looked healthy still unlike his other organs that were slowly being replaced before they failed him completely. They replaced a lot of the flesh and skin around his abdomen as the worked to save his life.

The little girl Samantha approached her father and gently grasped at one of his burnt and dead fingers. Clutching at it tight tears began to roll down the little monsters face at the sight of her father. "Father?" She said trying to get some response from him.

Dredge was now tearing at the gag more furiously, screaming in pain and rocking on the ground. The Vong overlord used his hatred but it was no match for that of the darkness itself. Dredge began to weaken, but then he heard a voice that radiated through the dark like ripples on a pond. "Father?" It asked him and he immediately recognized the voice as his daughter. Dredge felt power surge through him. A primal emotion and rage not of his own hate but of a just cause to protect his daughter. He had never grasped the idea of love but it was starting to come to him, he loved his daughter and the time he spent with her. That just protective rage flowed through him and he ripped the gag from his mouth to scream out in defiance still.

 

[Dredge]

-No! You will not beat me!- the wraith looking figure shut off the energy of electricity and fire sprouted from it's long and black fingers. It howled in frustration and began to burn Dredge with the very fire he wielded at once point. -You are weak! You are worthless!- the voice screamed again and poured more hot flame on dredge. He was still lying on the ground twisting in all of the damage the spirit of the darkside was inflicting.

Shapers wiped sweat from their collective brows and replaced all of Dredge's broken and damaged organs. The process had been going for hours now and there was still work to be done. Outside shapers and engineers worked tirelessly on the omen. It needed so many repairs and it was becoming a mounting cost to fix it, but they had the resources and precious metals available on the planet for them to harness, and a workforce of thousands always helped as well. Samantha kept holding her father's hand tears still running down her face as she sobbed like the child she was. She did not want to see her father pass, not like this at least. Not on a operating table. It was time to fix the arms and chests but the doctors had a hard time prying the girl from her father

Dredge felt the fathers need to see their daughter grow up and thrive, he spat a curse in his native language then spoke. "NO!!" Letting the fire wash over him Dredge began to kneel, he was in the process of rising and was trying to get to his feet. The wraith figure pushed dredge down with a force blast but he got back onto his knees once more. "You will not have me!! I will see my daughter! I will have my revenge! And you nor anyone else will stop me!!" Dredge began to rise to his feet his will and sheer hatred becoming stronger with the bond he felt with his daughter

 

[Dredge]

The essence of darkness if it could look startled or surprised it would be at this moment, the wraith stepped back at the sight of a Dredge standing in the fire his will and rage shifting from hatred to protection and almost a love for his daughter. Almost as if there was one small sliver of light within the dark being that was Dredge. However the shock faded at it was replaced by a musing gold clap, -Very good Dredge, you are of stronger will than I imagined. Perhaps you can be of some use as a host- the darkside phantom chuckled again and kept up the laughter softly.

Another hour or so went by and Samantha still held her fathers hand, she grasped onto it and remembers the first time they met. The Moross crusade was bringing death to Aurum and all who inhabited it. They had slaughtered all in her village including her parents. But dredge saved her, he killed a few Moross forces and took her back to the Omen with whoever else he could fit upon the ship. He had saved her and since then he had become her father, he was strict and quite frankly evil but he still cared for the little one. Even as his mind slipped further and further with the armor he always made time for her. It was time to replace the arms flesh however. The Vong had sealed up his chest and they were approaching hour eight of the surgery. They ripped burnt black flesh off and replaced it with the new tan rigid flesh of the Vong

"You may not be mine to control! But you will not have me! You will not have my daughter and you will not have my people!" Dredge roared challenge and began to stamp forward towards the wraith only to be knocked back with psychic energy. "You are but a tool! I am the master and you shall bend to my will!" Dredge said standing back up, the power of the nexus would be his to wield and he would have it.

 

[Dredge]

-You control me?!- the voice mused with laughter and considered it. The wraith dissipated into fog and began to curl itself around Dredge. -Tell you what, let's make a deal. I give you my power, but you listen to me. Let me guide you. And show you the ways of the dark side- the voice of the nexus dripped it's honey stained words and chuckled little snips of laughter.


Dredge was starting to heal completely and his body looked like it once had, the flesh wasn't burned nor was it marred. The scars of countless battles were gone and it was a blank slate. The doctors looked to his mind and began to try and wake him. But they could not, he was lost within his mind. Samantha cried and clutched on her fathers hand and arm holding him tight. "Please, don't go dad." She said softly and continued to cry deeply.


Dredge thought of the spirits words for a moment, the darkside was truly powerful. He had gained so much through using it, but he had also been lost in it's rage that fed into him. He wanted to be done with it, but there was still so much work to be done. This galaxy was corrupt and it needed to be purged of everything to start again. "Please, don't go dad." Dredge heard Samantha's voice and a tear rolled down his face. And it was the first one he had ever let out in his entire existence. If it meant being able to make a galaxy perfect for his daughter and to purge it, he would do it. "I accept your terms." He said taking a deep breath in.

 

[Dredge]

-So be it- the essence of darkness plunged Into Dredge and soaked into his very being. Contorting with pain Dredge screamed out loud taking in all that power and hatred, the weight of all his sins bared down on him and flashed into his eyes. Ripping the head of the ancient king, killing millions of lives through the galaxy. Helping Kaine Zambrano, all of it flashed through him and it seared Into him like a spear through his chest. The fog enveloped him and his construct was gone leaving only the black void.

The shapers could not rouse him and they feared he was dead, doomed to live the rest of his life in a coma. They were not getting brain waves of any sort from him and they knew he was not coming out of it. Samantha wept and wept at her fathers side clutching on him tightly trying to shake him up. "We must do what he would want." A shaper said pulling out a long crooked dagger. Samantha protested loudly and screamed not wanting it to happen, "No! Leave him alone!" The little girl protested and stepped near dredge with the dagger aiming it over his heart.

As the shaper brought the dagger down on him Dredge's eyes popped open and he raised a hand not to stop the knife but to send out a joust of flames that roasted the shaper into absolute oblivion. Dredge roared and then collapsed back on the table. He looked over to his daughter and held her hand. Samantha sniffled and hugged her father tight. Dredge smiled and held his daughter tight. "You didn't leave me." She said with hot tears running down her face. Another single tear ran down Dredge's natural black eyes and he nodded. "Never my child." He placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes to be with his child in silence. The Vong smiled and was moved from an operating table and dressed in a gown to be placed in a bed to let his stitches set.


Dredge moved over in the bed and let his daughter crawl in with him. "I will always be here for you Sam. You are my daughter." Dredge tucked a blanket over the exhausted child and laid back in his bed to join her in a much deserved rest.