Private The Light that pierces the Veil

[Ravenous]

Ravenous sat composedly on the ground the edge of a cliffside webbing out before him. Beneath him was a raging inferno spanning the width of the sea as it expelled embers from out of its depths. Despite the flames and crimson-colored sky, he felt cold and dark and alone like the air itself was suffocating him. His armor was gone, unable to follow him into the cosmic realm, and the left side of his face was missing a white void rising to take its place.

The flesh there was burnt and dead so it too was left behind as he ventured into the reaches of his dark power. He saw distant memories and emotions floating above the wasteland a blue aura surrounding them.

Steadily Ravenous raised a hand towards the glowing blue orbs as darkness filled his core and rage stemmed from his fingers in the form of onyx tendrils that stabbed a hole through the orbs causing them to bleed. Like a monster savoring its prey, the tendrils dipped the memories into the flame their contents rising into the air as they turned to smoke and ash. The fires below spurred at its quarry as they grew more intense, more powerful with each new meal. The sea of fire rose ever so slightly engulfing the shore that dared to stand in its destructive path.

To achieve the power needed to fulfill his goals Ravenous knew he needed to be something...inhuman something ruthless and incapable of inefficiency. Hell, he might even consider himself a droid once his work is done.

Mechanical hissing ripped the Dark Jedi from his meditation as his eyes shot open to meet his friend Arizelva. She seemed uncomfortable as if she'd never seen him before. "Problem?' Still recoiling the Togruta approached a datapad clutched in her hands. "The um..." She cleared her throat. "The Representative from ECO is supposed to be touching down in a few hours."
Ravenous grimaced as he sat up and stepped over his lit candles. "Thanks for reminding me. But you seem troubled, something wrong?"

As the man approached Arizelva continued to back up her eyes locked on the Wroshyr wood flooring. "N-no really it's nothing! Honestly!" Ravenous frowned as he turned towards his candles, extinguishing the flames with the Force. "Tell A'Sura Den and Telani to get ready to move. I like to be punctual."

Thirty minutes later he was down in the kitchens his cooks scrambling to prepare the day's meal. Ravenous ignored them as he proceeded towards the fridge his mind melting at the thought of an omelet breakfast. Swinging the metal door open Ravenous was met with despair as he faced down an empty carton of eggs. "Damn it!" Furious he slammed the door shut doing his best not to lash out with the Force. One could practically hear his teeth clenching as he stormed outside and into one of Kriselist's many showers. He looked around with a stoic expression on his face taking in everything he's done since he's arrived here months prior. When he found Kriselist it was a dying world plagued by poverty and crime. Trash littered the streets and the air quality was so bad that some of the city has begun to live underground.

With Ravenous influencing trade and controlling much of the cities economy and criminal element he's staved off the Planets inevitable fall but it won't last long not with the planet pushing itself into hell. If he wanted to actually save people he was going to need someone...lighter than he someone with the capacity to understand and cherish others. A devil can't save devils from the pits of hell...

...but an angel can...

Vigilant

 

[A'Sura Den]

It was uneasy to be around Ravenous after what he said about his mother who lost her life to give birth to A'Sura. And to insult his father who was a strong warrior in his homeworld. Days passed since last he met Ravenous but still honestly does not want to see him. But, there is work that needs to be done and evil to destroy. He wasn't sure on how Telani is doing.

From that fight, she was greatly stressed, filled with conflict, and much rage. He let her be just as he wishes to be alone. Ravenous surely went under the skin of his to allies on that fight.

Through his meditation he was able to release most of the anger from that spar and to be honest, it is deep in the consciousness in his mind and buried. He approached Ravenous without anger and with a clear and calm tone in his voice. "Ravenous, I'm ready. What kind of task are you asking of us today?"

 

[Telani]

Telani hadn’t taken that particular training session well. It had turned out to be a fabrication but it definitely made her look a lot more closely at what her boss was up to. She had a hard time calming down too, she’d tried some of that light-side meditation that she had sort of not really learned, she tried venting her anger on something that wasn’t really able to be hurt by lightning, which she still managed to hurt with lightning and walk away no less calm than before.

Her image of the organization she was currently a part of had been seriously and irreversibly tarnished. And she wasn’t pleased to be called on by Ravenous, at least not so soon after their training session. But she obliged and she arrived almost as soon as A’Sura did. But she didn’t speak.

 

[Vigilant]

The work of a thousand lifetimes.
​

"Prosperity is a gift for all... Generosity is the healing balm in our dark ages..." The steely, clinical voice spoke words barely audible to the human ears. Mantras, something to focus on the mind and assist in achieving clarity. In honesty, the droid knew not whether these were effectual, but it found them strangely sensual. These utterances, though pithy to some, seemed to have some effect on his processes. Vigilant was confident the circuits responded more definitively after a session of 'meditation.' "Mine is a self-determined fate... Unity breeds fairness..." Sometimes, it felt like the words continued to bounce around his brain when he was powered down.

------

Reclining in a charging port, barely a divot in the starship's walls, the droid master of an intragalactic company lay in a stupor as vulnerable as a newborn Bantha. Lrakus found the sight almost hilarious, indeed he might have joked with the pilots about it if he hadn't been posted as the droid's personal security officer. Ever the professional, the armsman from a backwater world stood at attention near the sole entrance to Vigilant's personal charging room. No one had boarded the ship except the determined crew and adjuncts, nonetheless, his hand rested testily on the butt of his holstered pistol. Space was unnerving and Lrakus didn't trust the starship to save them should the worst come to pass. At least on the ground there was some sense of control.

Although always insisting there was no need for such measures in a business aimed at helping the downtrodden, a few more levelheaded people in ECO had decided the company's CEO, spokesperson, and foremost diplomatic envoy required some degree of protection. The droid of course had the final say in all matters, but it rarely reversed any decision agreed upon by his subordinate advisors. Lrakus had drawn the longest wire for this deployment, and though it stung to see his luck fail in such a simple task, the Tionese guard had not had any plans for the week-long assignment. Though, if he had been asked, the human would have readily agreed this was a dull assignment during the travel periods.

The ship shuddered for an imperceptible moment, smashing the barrier between hyperspace and real space. With near inhuman reflex, the pilot had turned the appropriate light signals on and a message blared through the speakers. They were to be landing soon. Even as he pushed himself to his full and not insubstantial height, there was a distinct hiss and click from the charging room. His boss stirred.

-------

Vigilant arrayed itself in fine raiment. A robe of roughly spun, but richly coloured, Nerf fur draped over its angular frame, softening the appearance. An intricate mask adorned its featureless face, not a mask like most organics were familiar with. This mask afforded the droid expression, an almost human facial appearance and the ability to display emotions beyond that the plastisteel dome its true face was composed of allowed. Metal shod feet remained bare, although their soles were carefully padded so as to cushion the harsh reverberations of a robotic walk.

"The trappings of fortune." Vigilant murmured with no small amount of distaste. It could have walked free and naked beneath the suns, a mere framework of metal and wiring exposed to the harshest of elements and the mission would remain unchanged. Yet, Vigilant knew not what sort of man or creature it was to meet this day and the droid had been rather insistantly reminded that clothing could convey a message that words might not. The complexities of organic communication were baffling and there were fleeting moments where it considered the wastefulness of these extraneous efforts.

Nonetheless, the droid needed but a glance at an organic to remember the reasons for his labors. As the living machine stepped from the ship, it gazed over the world and though what stood before was a drab and bland wasteland, Vigilant saw the potential. "Look upon the world! Its majesty lies just beneath the skin, waiting to be revealed."

-------

While Vigilant began traversing the streets, a message had been forwarded to their contacts on the world, alerting them to the droid's movement in the direction of the meeting place. Lrakus heard messages being relayed over the comms, particularly about streets and alleyways best to avoid. This was the most stressful part of these jobs. It seemed for all his business know-how and technological intelligence, the droid was incapable of accepting the concept that others might be less than welcoming of him, or that he might be in danger just for walking too close to someone. The human sometimes wondered if there some fault in the articial being's self-preservation protocols, specifically that they might not exist in proximity to organic life.

Yet, for all of his worry, and a close call with a mugger, the duo managed to reach the reandevous point intact. He wondered what sort of person on a dismal world like this would want to make a deal with ECO. Sure, politicians were always looking for ways to make themselves look good, but ECO was just a startup on the galactic scale and he was amazed word had reached this far into the Inner Rim.

Now it was a waiting game. The human rested against a wall a few feet from his boss, the pistol now out of its holster and securely in his hand. His eyes shifted from place to place, straining to predict where a potential attacker might lurk. Then again, who's going to attack the CEO of some small evironmentalist company... maybe someone who didn't like recycling? No matter the reason, Lrakus was here to watch for threats and protect Vigilant, and he was going to do just that.

Ravenous A'Sura Den Telani

 

[Ravenous]

Now inside Ravenous swished a bottle of Balmorran Ale in his hand his bone mold mask lifted just enough to allow him to drink. The top floor of Intrepid Inc's Headquarters was a serene peaceful place that stood just above the dark swirling storm clouds below. Despite its intricate wooden corridors, and unique marble statues people rarely visited the apex of the spire apart from the cleaning droids and security teams anyway. It was always so quiet on those floors so...Isolated. It made sense though, after all, it was the floor on which Ravenous chose to quarter himself.

Staring out a vast glass window Ravenous counted the number of droplets on the pane taking in their motion and studying their energy. "Six thousand, three hundred, and forty-seven. Six thousand, three hundred, and forty-eight. Six thousand-" His counting was interrupted by a burning sensation on his skin and a guilty feeling in his mind. Slowly Ravenous began to pace around the room his golden eyes taking an interest in A'Sura Den 's presence. "Good morning A'sura. I trust you slept well?" Ravenous took a swig of the ale a cold dark feeling washing over him. His eyes switched to focus on Telani her anger coating him in apprehension. Bottle in hand he gestured at Telani "Better than this one it seems." Ravenous downed more of the elixir. "You know, they say Balmorran Ale is the best in the Galaxy but..." Ravenous licked the side of the bottle examining its moisture. "I'd say it's overrated. Alderaanian ale is where it's at." Taking one more gulp Ravenous wiped the drink from his chin before smashing the bottle on the hardwood floor. "Watered-down dreck I tell you."

Readjusting his mask Ravenous made his way towards a small panel on the wall. "Don't worry I didn't call you two up here to educate you on the intricacies of fine wine. I have an objective in mind." Dexterously Ravenous input a long numerical code activating a closet-sized compartment in the wall. Inside was a black mesh the size of his armor with multiple small outlets lining the spinal area. Stepping into the mesh his armor hissed as it depressurized. Like an iron maiden, the armor opened up releasing the toned but slender man inside. Brushing off his purple dress shirt and black slacks Ravenous summoned into his hand another bottle of wine.

"Today we're going to be meeting with a representative from an organization named ECO. As you can probably guess from their title they tend to do a lot of recycling and such. Assuming you've ya'know looked outside you can see Kriselist is in dire need of their services. It's a win ALL AROUND. Think about it! ECO furthers its humanitarian goals and gets notoriety, Kriselist gets the help it needs and can stop being impoverished, AND when the people get money WE get money and notoriety!"

Ravenous walked over towards a coat rack his beautiful brown leather jacket resting on its hook. "Obviously I want this to do well so..." Ravenous cringed at his two companions a plethora of scenarios running through his head. "A'sura be on time and Telani..." He pinched his forehead. "Put on some damn clothes!"

Meanwhile at the base of the spire

Filling out from the large freight elevator a contingent of four droid bodyguards flanked Arizelva as she approached Vigilant and his escort. An onyx umbrella shielding her from the rain the Togruta tended to a datapad blue light flushing her face. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, a small black chip finally exited from the tablet breaking the stillness. Apathetic Arizelva handed the chip to Vigilant her gaze still fixated on her work. "This chip will grant you access to the top floor. Insert it into the port above the buttons and the elevator will automatically start." The Togruta gestured to the droids.

"They will be your escort to the top. Once you're there Ravenous will take it from there." Arizelva turned and walked off her body swaying to avoid the puddles on the ground. Unexpectantly a strange force compelled her to turn around to address Vigilant. "Mind yourself around him Ya hear? I don't wanna go into details but Ravenous can do...things...weird things. Just keep him talking you'll see what I mean." Professionality demolished Arizleva scurried off, much faster than before mind you.

 

[A'Sura Den]

"Well isn't a word I would use...More like peaceful sleep with meditation. " He responded to Ravenous comment on his sleep.

"This is a humanitarian kind of work? I honestly didn't expect this. And by the way, with my other work as a Jedi, if I am needed I am NEEDED. Can't help if I'm late, Ravenous."
----------------

OOC: Sorry for the late and short post, Kinda on a wordblock

 

[Telani]

Put on some damn clothes. That was a surprise. So they were meeting with an ECO representative, so clothes were most likely to be preferable. Not that she’d be much more modest anyway.

“Very well then. I’ll see you two there.” Then with her usual speed, which was almost enough to leave behind a sonic boom but not quite, she left. She grabbed her corset-coat. Basically a corset with a skirt, which was two long rectangle so of black cloth, with a cut down the front and back. (Think trench coat)

Then she went to the meeting place and waited,

 

[Vigilant]

"Rain, the ally of so much industry and civilization, yet ultimately the enemy of the unfortunate." Vigilant could not recall where it had heard the quote, or if as some of the business partners had suspected, its overactive mind produced them as some emotional outlet. The droid had mixed feeling about the environmental phenomenon. This was a feature of all nature of course, and almost every world required it as part of a natural cycle. Further, rain accomplished amazing feats that allowed civilization to exist, cleansing lands, feeding crops, and perhaps most importantly it played a role in the organic creative process. However, for all of this, the rain was an enemy to the downtrodden. The relentless cold could slay many and force those that survive to seek shelter in unsafe areas. It could lay the labors of organics to ruin within hours. Possibly worst of all, it insulated organics from each other, cajoling them to remain in their homes and avoid contact with others, ultimately weakening the social bonds that bind a civilization together.

As it stood in the light downpour, Vigilant wondered how many people in this region were fighting to find a place of dry warmth to escape the drizzle. Toit, the water was nothing, though splashing on its frame and streamed through its clothes. The cloth had been given a treatment some time ago to keep it from absorbing liquids, another expense Vigilant had been hesitant to accept. Occasionally as the robot waited, Vigilant would gaze up into the clouds, the rain falling onto its mask and imagining what the sensation would be like for an organic. The somewhat less sophisticated circuitry of its mask was occasionally shorted by the sprinkling, warping the contours of its face before resettling into the original condition.

------

Bloody hell, when is that guy going to show? Lrakus thought to himself as he wiped more of the rain from his face. Too much longer and I'll be looking at some safety compensation. Blasted rain!

In an attempt to distract himself from the incessant dripping down the back of his neck, he gave his pistol a cursory glance and rubbed his trigger finger over the pristinely maintained barrel. He liked to imagine he looked pretty cool with the weapon out like this, like one of those old desert-holos with their gun-slinging heroes shooting up criminals in small cantinas. That would be fun right around now, been a while since I ran the training course.... Maybe I should do that when we get back, bet I could take first place again, so long as Ylarog hasn't gone and run the course with those stims she's always gushing about.

A few seconds passed as he continued in these personal thoughts before he snapped himself out of it. Blast, stop daydreaming Force damn it! Head in the game, come on. His eyes gravitated towards the various walkways and potential threat vectors. After assuring himself that nothing had changed, he glanced to the droid, already planning an apology should his boss have noticed his lack of attentiveness. He was relieved to see the droid seemingly captivated by something in the sky. Lrakus gazed upward for a moment but found it a poor decision when his eyes were suddenly blinded by raindrops. Cursing under his breath he massaged his eyes. Irritated and red, they opened and he peered hopefully for their contact. Nothing.

"Think we should call in, they do-"

------

After what seemed a passing moment for the droid, so wrapped in its own mind, an elevator opened and an escort arrived. It seemed this organic wished to remain detached, perhaps some attempt at professionalism. Certainly, Vigilant understood the desire to ensure that cooperation between a company and planetary power remain within the realm of professional decency, but it wondered if perhaps there was something deeper at play. This world was scarred by perhaps centuries or even millennia of misuse, how much more so have the people suffered. The droid felt great pain for these people and it had to contain the impulse to reach out and attempt to comfort this one organic.

Accepting the chip, Vigilant replied with artificial cordialness, "Thank you kindly, mam." As the togruta explained the purpose of the other droids, Vigilant felt a small hint of amusement arise. As she concluded, the droid looked to the artificials that were to be its entourage and it smiled. It was about to speak to Lrakus before Arizelva released a rather odd warning. She raced off before Vigilant could inquire further, and her retreat struck the droid as most saddening, reminding it of the harsh condition of this world. "Too long have they lived like this." It whispered, only just audible above the patter of rain on his metal body.

Its face turned once more to the droids and Vigilant raised its voice to be better heard, "Let us go, I should not wish to delay our meeting." As Vigilant began to walk towards the lift, its head tilted down and it spoke to Lrakus over its shoulder. "It would seem our host has provided for the security. You are free to return to the ship and await my return." With that concluded, the droid's head raised and it walked forward with a steady, wide gait.

------

It took the human a few moments to catch and comprehend what his benefactor had told him. During that time the droid convoy had already begun to move. When his brain managed to make a coherent sentence of the sounds, the guard practically bolted towards the group.

Slippery little.... Lrakus was not about to be shoved off that easily. Most of the security detail agreed this must be some sort of game for the droid. It happened whenever the opportunity arose and then some. With a glance around, he stepped into pace right behind the droids, uncertain if the escorting units would allow him near, but more importantly uncertain if he wanted his back to a potential attacker. Stepping into view of one, Lrakus could only see his own reflection off of the faceplate, glistening with droplets like a thousand eyes.

"Umm," he started awkwardly, trying to decide if the droid was even capable of understanding what he was going to say, "I'm his bodyguard, company policy, I go where he goes. Uh.. so, I'll be coming with you guys. No negotiating."

Vigilant spoke without looking at his companion, "No need to worry about these ones, like faithful they do their duty at all costs. I suspect they shan't harm us, so long as we stray not from our path. That was an impressive display, I shall pass on word to your superiors." Lrakus would have sworn there was a smugness in the droid's speech.

Going to be one of those days huh... At least he can't get into any trouble now. He hoped when they reached wherever they were going, it would be a closed space he could keep an eye on everyone from. It was hard enough watching the one he was supposed to be protecting, without throwing in a bunch of other people he might need to deal with as well. He was curious though to meet the man interested in ECO on a world like this. That would be pretty soon, so he hoped, quick in and quick out.

Ravenous A'Sura Den Telani

 

[Ravenous]

Ravenous let out an elongated sigh. "Why can't she ever walk normally? Eh, either way." Ravenous shoved his hands into his coat pockets his comlink beeping incessantly. "Yes, what is it?"

Meanwhile in the elevator...

"Preeminent Ravenous, we are beginning our ascent." Said one of the droids in a sinister mechanical voice. The droids flanked Vigilant and Lrakus as they ascended up the spire their red-tinted visors all focused on Lrakus' pistol. It wasn't a question of whether or not the duo planned to get violent rather what exactly they intended to gain by coming to this dark desolate place. Sure Kriselist was depressing on its own but venturing into the heart of a dark omen? Whatever they were after must be important and not just to them at that.

In this line of work, you learn to be wary of intentions as they always seem to elude even the most trained eyes. And when your dealing with a droid then all you have to look to is programming which usually doesn't incorporate facial expressions and tone of voice.

Cutting back to our cape'n clad host...

Golden eyes stared down Telani with a murderous hunger to them, His breathing was long and spaced out and his fingernails dug themselves into calluses created from excessive fist clenching. "When I said to put on some clothes..." He shut his golden eyes waiting for them to burn out. "I should have been more specific..." Ravenous' eyes shot open their golden glow receded.

With an onyx chip in hand, the man inserted it into a small port on what seemed to be an ordinary wall. Quickly the wooden wall turned to the left until a wide enough walkway was present. Inside was a large room with a massive window that overlooked the dark swirling clouds below. There were smooth wooden walls and red carpeting that had been recently cleaned. Next to the door was a small faucet hiding a tank somewhere within the structure behind it. The main attraction however was the long obsidian table that spanned the length of the room. There were intricate designs engraved into the sleek stone and small projector systems that could be switched on if someone wished to see what was up on the large black screen overlooking the chamber.

Ravenous walked over to the large table and slid his mask into a small compartment normally used for papers and such. The Dark Jedi sunk into his seat his elbows propped up on the table as his folded hands held up his chin. "Oh wait..." Ravenous broke into a dry laugh. "You haven't seen my face have you A'Sura Den ? Get a good look, I don't leave my mask off for long." Ravenous ran his hand down the burnt side of his face a permanent smile present on his left. "You guys think I didn't notice?" Ravenous went back to his previous position. "Ever since that training exercise you've been dodging the hell outta me."

His finger aimed at Telani. "Especially you. So how about I take you off edge?" Ravenous put his thumb to his chest."Remember when we were on Lehon? You can ask me any question you want and I'll answer honestly."

Meanwhile down the Hallway...

After a minute of climbing the elevator reached the summit of Intrepid's spire placing vigilant and Lrakus above the clouds. The doors hissed as they opened allowing the group to exit. Two of the droids stayed in the elevator as their comrades escorted Vigilant down the hallway toward Ravenous. Marble statues peering at them the group approached the chamber in which Ravenous resided the wall now back in its original form. Sliding yet another chip into the wall the passage opened revealing the man inside.

He sat silently for a moment analyzing the beings before him until he finally decided to part his lips. "Welcome to Kriselist Vigilant. I hope your trip was well. Come, sit down. I know Krielsist can be a harsh place, I'm just glad you could make it safely." Ravenous sighed a melancholy expression possessing his face. "I hate to tell you this but Kriselist is the kind of place where half the shopkeepers are selling more than just groceries..."

 

[A'Sura Den]

Telani was being Telani and he can sense that she is 'better' from when they were spared. But her fashion sense is something that is going to be in question.

"Only a small corner. I immediately knew you don't want anyone to see. I looked down right after I saw the scar before your whole face was imprinted in my mind. " His face was deep burns. With a bit of respect, he overt his eyes on the floor instead of Ravenous. But then he brought up the sparing conflict. Ravenous explained that he and Telani were avoiding him. A'Sura was busy doing jedi work and also contemplating. Telani must have done the evading.

"Ravenous, you have lots of great wisdom and power, and that is why I'm following you. To Learn. But you know the things you said was 'upsetting'. To both of us"