Dominion Through the gates of hell - AC dominion of first new nether hex

[Isla Draellix-Kobitana]

The Ashlans felt the calling like everyone else. The darkness of the nether had breached the material realm and threatened life itself. The main crusade must remain a priority, but what was the point of fighting for a universe that would be torn asunder from another dimension. At the very least they had to take steps to understand the existential threat they faced.

An expedition was created and sent to the newly opened hypergate at Koboth.

Clear a path and create a beachhead

After passing through the gate, any local hostiles need to be dealt with quickly to allow safe passage back and forth through the gate. This will involve taking action against any risks close to the gate, and beginning to set up an advanced base. This will give the Ashlans a stronghold from which to sally forth into the tainted realm. Only once the base is established and further resources such as fuel, soldiers and equipment can be brought through, will the Ashlan expedition be able to progress further.

Explore and catalogue

So little is known about this realm and if that does not change, then the mortals will be at a significant disadvantage going forward. We need teams to explore the area, looking for targets for further control reporting back on risks and future encounters we may face. The Ashlan science directive is very interested in new species, and living samples returned to their labs will be prized greatly and some scientists are willing to pay to be first in line for any spoils.

​

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Tags: Open

Hell, huh?

The young Mandalorian wasn't sure how to feel about it. Did that mean his mother and father came here? Well, not here hopefully. This seemed to be the type of place the worse people of the galaxy went to. Most he could hope was his parents were together somewhere fitting for them. Maybe he'd take the time to find them, when he could.

Right now? He looked over his armor one last time, just making sure he had everything he needed for the venture. Help the Ashlan make a beachhead to tame these unknown lands.

More importantly, cut off any of the Sith or the Maw from taking advantage of these lands. His lips thinned as he pulled on his helmet. Into the breach, once more.

 

[Kasia Celestyne]

​

"I have seen the face of Ashla's angels..." Kasia whispered to herself as her feet hit firmament on the Oblivion side of the gate. Memories of the flashes she saw during the transit sang through her blood.

She took a moment, looking around but not seeing before she remembered where she was. Mentally she tucked the memories into the back of her mind and took stock of her surroundings. Her left hand was at the neck of her blade, thumb pushing it out of its scabbard slightly. Her right hand twitched slightly but remained empty for the moment.

Roughly twenty yards away, she saw the gate. How she had traversed the distance she didn't know, but it put her among a group of rocky outcroppings. Taking a moment to commune, Kasia tested her connection to the Force. She could feel it strongly here, but also felt something akin to currents nearby where the Force tapered off into some abyss of emptiness.

Acting purely on instinct for the moment, Kasia knelt on the ground and placed her right hand on her heart, her left hand on the ground before her knees. She closed her eyes and repeated the oath she took at her knighting so long ago.

"In the name of Ashla, I swear that I shall serve the Light to the best of my ability until death relieves me of this sacred duty. I swear that I will protect the Light and all those who live within its embrace.” Her voice rang out, cutting through the hushed quiet of the rocky hellscape around her. “By the blessings of Ashla's Light, I shall carry out this oath, and never shall I knowingly nor willingly violate this, my solemn oath and obligation as a Knight of Ashla, the blade and shield of her Light. In Ashla's name, so mote it be."

With the final phrase uttered, she sent a surge of pure light energy into the land around her, attempting to anchor it for Ashla and the light siders who would be following her through the gate.

 

[Brimstone]

Tags: Eliz Krayt Cedric Grayson Kasia Celestyne

Brimstone stood by one of the three armoured transports he had been assigned, one contained his hades commandos and a platoon of engineers and the other two each contained platoons of the sons of Ession.

His armoured feet crunched through the glassy volcanic rock, it reminded him a little of malastare, it was very hot and dry here, he had made sure the men serving under him had come well prepared.

He looked over at Eliz, he had to give it to the mandos, no tricks like the jedi and no ridiculous biology like himself, and yet, always at the front line of battle with nothing but their wits, gear and balls of steel. Kasia was up to something, some prayer to their gods he presumed. Brimstone wasn't a believer but would welcome any support on this dangerous expedition into the unknown.

A bleep came through from his holo. Command had given the order to proceed. Brimstones shock troops were to advance, clearing a path to a large mesa nearby and set up a communications array that was to be the first fixed structure for the Ashlans, then if suitable, an advanced base could also be set up on the mesa.

​

 

[Geiseric]

Heinrich Faust | OPEN

​

His first footfall on the grey stone was solemn. Once he was through the gate, Geiseric planted his feet firmly on the ground of this new world. Barren grey rock stretched for miles in all directions, meeting great mountains in the distance. What lied here, under the deep mauve sky that twinkled with such alien stars?, he wondered. The Force here possessed animalistic chaos... so ancient, so unknowable, untouched by the struggle between good and evil. This place had not seen the children of the mortal realm perhaps since the time of the Rakata. It had never seen the Light of Ashla, but neither had it been gripped by Bogan's iron fist. The Crusade could not let this realm fall into those wicked hands.

A few days after arrival, the Crusaders had quickly learned that they were not alone.

The mysterious and turbulent lands around them had begun to wear on them quickly. Nightmares began to plague the forward operating base adjacent to the hypergate. Paranoia clouded the minds of even the strongest willed soldiers. And then they saw them... some called them spirits, others called them entities. Shadowy beings appearing in the corners of their eyes and the moments before sleep. Then knights began to report seeing one larger and bolder than them all, seeming to draw those powerful in the Force to gaze upon it. It was beyond understanding and description, beyond Ashla's illumination. Whatever it was, all agreed on the fact that it had to be destroyed.

Ashla demanded righteous quest from a few brave knights. Perhaps it sensed the threat, retreating back over the horizon. But even from its lair its aura still called to them. So it was to be slain. A brave troupe of knights led by Geiseric mounted their speederbikes, setting off into the wastes in search of knowledge, understanding, and retribution. Their blades would not waver, their wills would not be broken by this strange place.

​

 

[Isla Draellix-Kobitana]

​

Isla waited on the command bridge of her battlecruiser, she had not entered the hypergate with the others but waited on this side to monitor the gate and supervise military preparations. Once the beachhead had been established, it would be down to her to make sure that equipment was shipped in safely, along with reinforcements. He Seraphim frigates were perfectly suited to this task and three of them waited patiently just off her starboard. Their large open hangars had been converted to carry rapidly deployable ground structures and defences. The Ashlans had no idea what they may face once on the other side, so she done everything she could to ensure that at least this side was well prepared.

"Good luck in there everyone, and may the light of Ashla guide you all" she transmitted to her allies, she had grown closer to some of them on Salar's rest and the bond had gone beyond more than purely professional respect.

She looked across the holo at the station where the newest member of her bridge crew sat, Corala Gethsverg an ex galactic alliance intelligence officer. She hoped she had not made a mistake in this recruit, but her own sources spoke very highly of her. "Gethsverg, she enquired, do we have any information on any other groups that might be aware of this gate? I am hoping we don't have to deal with any uninvited guests?"

Kasia Celestyne Eliz Krayt Corala Gethsverg

​

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Eina L’lerim, the First
Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary; Liaison of the Fjölkyngi Smiðr Guild​

Objective II: Kill the evil spirit/demon and help the mortals
Location: Netherworld
Equipment: Estrian Armour and 2x Swords
Tag(s): Geiseric | Heinrich Faust | Open

[ This is my World ] ​

This area fell far from where the Sanctuary was located, but Eina was just hunting for a dangerous demon or spirit. This creature not only attacked their city, but also killed several Valkyrja, and she could not ignore this fact. It was for this reason that she herself set out after the creature to hunt them down and kill them, for good. The Valkyrja had to cross several different islands and areas, but she wasn’t tired, the Matriarch didn’t back down, and followed the demon's footsteps. She found several places where the evil spirit killed others as well, the time has come to finish this creature once and for all.

She was well acquainted with the various passages that led from one place to another, and it was made easier by the fact she was a Valkyrja. A great many demons and peoples knew them, they knew they were warriors and they were also servants of good cause, most of them; so no one tried to hold her back. Now was not the time to deal with the fact that Omni had woken up, found it disturbing, yes, but Omni had not yet threatened her people and home. This evil spirit, on the other hand, did. What bothered her was that she had already heard that countless gates were open and that mortals could come to Netherworld even more easily than before.

She felt exactly when her "mother" arrived as well, returning home. The Matriarch was born from the energy of Ingrid L’lerim and Adrian Vandiir when they were both dead, from the energy that was created when the souls of lovers were torn apart even more than before to give each other a pledge of love. It was thanks to this that Eina's Force signature was as if someone had mixed L'lerim and Vandiir's original Force signatures. She was the first Valkyrja, more special than the others.

The traces led Eina to the nearby mountains, along with the presence of the evil spirit. She soon arrived at the part where she felt the presence of this creature; it was a cave entrance. The Valkyrja was about to enter when she heard approaching voices. Since she had been to Realspace more than once, she immediately got to know the sound of speeders. She went to one of the nearby ledges and looked down from there.

Indeed, a group of people approached in her direction on speeders. Mortals…

 

[Hei Sogecki]

Locations: skies above the Netherlands
Equipment: his rifle, his cybernetics, stun lance, vibrosword, rations
Mounts: Young Rancor-dragon "Loki"
Tags: Geiseric Heinrich Faust Eina L'lerim-Vandiir

High above the parched earth Hei and his young mount soared on the thermals, the hot ground making for excellent flight conditions. The creature was only half grown but cast a big silhouette with its already 30ft wing span. He observed around him, the dusts in the distance made it hard to get a good bead on anything more than a few kilometres distant. Below him were the speeders of the Ashlans. He knew very little of these Jedi, they differed a lot from the Jedi he was used too being much more aggressive. He wondered whether they knew how close their aggression and ambition would drive them to the dark side, he would keep that thought to himself though, he was a guest here on their expedition and they had thus far given him no reason to doubt they had anything but pure intentions.

He himself was here as an explorer, he would help them defeat the darkside where they found it, but he was mostly trying to find new creatures to document. This was an undiscovered world and it gave him a thrill to think what he might find, there was talk amongst the Ashlans he had accompanied of some eldritch horror that was stalking the wastes. No doubt it would be like most horror stories and turn out to be flesh and blood, however horrifying it may appear. If he could capture it he would, but beastmasters knew that not every creature could be tamed and may be too dangerous to be allowed to roam.

He made a low humming noise as he reached into his mounts mind "Loki, down" Obediently, the beast furled in its wings and dropped from the sky toward the speeders, he held on tight as they both picked up speed before Loki snapped open her wings and rushed mere metres over the heads of the speeder riders. As they banked into their turn, Hei's hud pinged up a life sign in the distance on a hill, he zoomed in a close as he could to see the figure, rapidly cycling between visual spectrums. "Slow Loki, we shouldn't rush ahead into the unknown" he mentally told his mount as he felt her becoming excited, feeding off of his own intrigue at the unknown contact.​

 

[Geiseric]

Heinrich Faust | Hei Sogecki | Eina L'lerim-Vandiir ​

The speeders roared across the wastes, nothing for miles around in all direction except the looming mountains that grew larger and larger with every passing mile... along with the aura of the spirit. When they reached the foothills they chose to dismount and continue to trek on foot. Their quest would not lead them much farther.

"We are nearing the spirit's lair, can you feel it?" Geiseric asked to his fellow knights as he led them up the rocky incline. The ground here was loose and cracked with fissures that threatened to send them back down the hill if their footing was not perfect, but Ashla still guided them, even in this realm.

The spirit's aura had a noxious strength here. They had entered it's domain, and it had sensed them. The Force seemed to be drawn here, making it hard for one to turn their attention away from the spirit. They could not leave here until it was destroyed.

At the mouth of a large cavern, Geiseric knew they had reached their destination. Darkness awaited them...

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Eina L’lerim-Vandiir, the First
Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary; Liaison of the Fjölkyngi Smiðr Guild​

Objective II: Kill the evil spirit/demon and help the mortals
Location: Netherworld
Equipment: Estrian Armour and 2x Swords
Tag(s): Geiseric | Heinrich Faust | Hei Sogecki | Open

[ This is my World ] ​

Eina may not have been present as a life form on the sensors, as she had no heart, no organs, and nothing in her that would have made her alive. She was merely a soul, Force energy, an entity born from Force. She just had a physical and solid shape right now because it was used several times in Netherworld more often than the immaterial. She lived, yes, although the existence was perhaps a more accurate term. But it was only because of the Force, not the things that brought mortals to life. Precisely because the Valkyrja lived thanks to the Force, they turned into a simple sculpture in a Force-free area.

In any case, the woman did not move, waiting for the mortals in front of the cave entrance. She definitely had to warn them of the danger. When the group of mortals arrived, the woman in black armour was waiting for them there. Eina was in completely black armour, at the bottom the armour was smoky, seemingly immaterial. She wore a whitish mask that had no mouth part, only her eyes were visible from this, which were blue.

Since the woman did not hide her presence in the Force, she has a definite, strong neutral presence in the Force. She was very tall, two meters tall, with a physique that looks skinny and ethereal.* There were two swords on her back in sword sheaths, these behind her shoulders seemed to be X-shaped there. However, the woman did not move. When the team arrived, she nodded at them. She didn't even wait too long, but addressed them. Since telepathy was the natural form of communication for Eina, she still chose it instead of the words spoken.

~ Please turn back, there is a dangerous entity in the neighbourhood that is dangerous to mortals. Come back in a few days, by then the area will be safe! ~ she said, and if anyone had ever heard the voice of the Empress of the Eternal Empire, well they could now hear the same voice in their mind, but not in a cold and military tone, it was rather a kind and care request.


*2 metres = 6'5 feet; 80kg = 176lb

 

[Corala Gethsverg]

Corala hadn't been on a battleship in years. Not since her falling out with the GA. She stood, arms crossed, cybernetic eyes gazing into the empty void of space. She had never thought she'd be aiding jedi in this little voyage of theirs, yet here she was. She hadn't forgotten how she was betrayed by her own government, a casualty of war to defend their precious jedi order. She remembered their names well, and for that reason, she had her own score to settle with those bastards.

But for now, she on simple reconnaissance, see what this crusade was up to, and decide on where to go from there. Long as they were fixated on the Sith, that was all that mattered to her. That didn't make them the 'good guys' in her mind though, oh no, they were just the newest threat she was going to be keeping her eyes out for. Which was why when it came to the awakening of these Hypergate devices, she bite down on her lip, moving beside the admiral as she gazed out at the view port. She knew, certainly, but how forth coming could she be? These devices were supposed to be dormant, and yet....they were already primed and ready to go. But why? How? "Several factions are aware of these devices, both of jedi and sith, but it was long believed this creations were dormant. Plain and simple, they should not be functional."

So why now?

She held back the truth that the GA government had researched these constructs for years, only to produce no results. It's what troubled her so much now, that someone or something had found a way to make it work.

She didn't want to even think about what could make these ancient gates work, or who was behind it. For now, she clenched her jaw, cybernetics taking in the data, and depositing it into the stored compartment of her brain.

She wasn't going to be sleeping anytime in the next month, that much was certain.

Isla Draellix-Kobitana

 

[Solan Halcyon]

As Sala's feet touched the soil of this netherworld, she breathed in both the air as well as the force energies surrounding her in its odd place. Thumbing the hilt of the sword on her back, she joined the knights and crusaders she'd followed to this creature's lair. Feeling the words of another spirit reverberate through her mind, Sala listened to the warning with caution and curiosity, though there was certainly no way she was turning back, "What is this dangerous entity? Its aura is insidious and foul, so you must know we cannot turn." Entering the entrance to the Lair, Sala removed her sword from its sheath, her flowing light-side energies causing the blade to faintly glow white in the darkness.

​

 

[Hei Sogecki]

Locations: Mouth of the cave
Equipment: his rifle, his cybernetics, stun lance, vibrosword, rations
Mounts: Young Rancor-dragon "Loki"
Tags: Geiseric Heinrich Faust Eina L'lerim-Vandiir @

With a snap, the large wings of the Rancor-dragon caught her descent and she landed heavily. The cyborg on her back climbed off and stroked her neck as if to reward her before pulling a small shrieking porg bird out of one of her saddle bags and feeding it to her. "good girl, those landing are getting smoother" he said to the large beast as it chewed and swallowed its treat.

He looked at the Ashlans and then looked curiously at the entity in from of them. He spoke with the calmness of a Jedi but with a slight metallic tang to his cadence due to his construction. Despite appearances, any force sensitives, including perhaps this new creature, would be able to tell that he was a strongly force sensitive living creature. "Good day, I am Sogecki, you seem to know of the creature we are seeking? may I ask who you are?" he scratched his mechanical chin with his hands and an observer could see the colours on his visual sensors change as he continued to cycle through different spectrums. "you do not appear to be organic, nor do you appear to a droid, and you have the force about you?, you do not match any of the species I have recorded"

Hei Sogecki looked at the Ashlan's that he was accompanying to try and determine their reaction to this creature, he felt no malice, but his skills at reading surface thoughts were very weak and he could easily be deceived.

​

​

 

[Geiseric]

Heinrich Faust | Hei Sogecki | Eina L'lerim-Vandiir ​

Geiseric reached for his lightsaber as soon as the apparition made itself known, though he didn't remove it from his hip. He eyed the newly arrived spirit. She showed neither malice nor aid in her aura, and behind ethereal mist was a strange beauty. When Sogecki stepped towards the woman, Geiseric made no initial attempt to stop him. If what she said was true, then perhaps she did wish to help them. But this realm was strange, backwards even, and one who wanted to survive had to assume the worst. This could be a manifestation of the spirit they sought to kill, making a last ditch effort to ward them off out of fear.

"Be wary, this spirit may not be what it seems," he voiced rigidly as he reached to pull his curious comrade back.

"The Force is with us, Spirit. We do not fear any entity on this plane. If you truly seek to deal with the beast inside this cave, you would aid us."

 

[Heinrich Faust]

Location: near the forward camp

Tags: Geiseric , Hei Sogecki , Eina L'lerim-Vandiir

There was a call... naught but a whisper...

The Ashlan Crusade had taken their time setting up the forward camp. Efforts to clear the area had been largely effective, as the surrounding area seemed to be mostly barren. And yet, somewhere, in the deepest recesses of their minds, was the ever-lingering essence of the unknown. That singular, silent motion of the endless, clouded void, creeping its way into the hearts and minds of those at the forward camp. They had started as nightmares, growing as a festering wound, pervading every inch of the Ashlan position. Only those of the strongest disposition had a chance of withstanding its deepening effects.

Heinrich moved alongside Geiseric as they made their way to the source of the strange energy. Looking to his comrades, Heinrich drew his lightsaber.

"I know not what we face, but whatever it may be, Ashla will show the way."

As they made their way further, they were presented with the visage of a spirit. Whether this was the source of their torment, Heinrich did not know. He was unsure whether to attack, or to remain still. In the end, he was far from the first to speak, giving him a bit of reprieve in the dissonance of uncertainty.

"As was said, we walk in the Light, for the Light. If you are a spirit of benevolence, then you will show us the way."

His grip tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber as he spoke. It wouldn't likely be able to harm the spirit, but there was comfort in knowing that it was steady within his hand. This battle would likely be one of the mind and soul, not of blade and blaster. Whatever the outcome, he stood there, waiting...

​

 

[Pietro Demici]

Location: near the portal

Tags: Isla Draellix-Kobitana , Eliz Krayt , Brimstone , Solan Halcyon , Corala Gethsverg

The Nether...

What a strange and troublesome place. There were benevolent entities that walked this plane, but there were many more that were, at the least, troublesome. At most, dangerous. Pietro knew that to step into the Nether was to step into death itself. To cross the threshold into the greater unknown was to take a leap of faith that even the cardinal had to second guess. Such an undertaking was not to be taken lightly, as the threats were often unforeseen, and largely unknowable. Nevertheless, he had resolved to join the movement; to take the dive into the great unknown. No matter what awaited them, he knew Ashla would light their path.

"We must secure our perimeter. The threats here are numerous, and more deadly than anything we could hope to face in our world. I will take the Holy Guard and work to create a buffer between us and whatever may lay in the great beyond."

He turned to those that had accompanied them through the gate, giving a resounding nod as he continued.

"Every one of you has proven yourselves on this day, for to step into the very bowels of hell itself, to traverse the timeless gap between reality and the now, is one of the bravest things one could do. Every one of you is a beacon of light. Each soul here has shown that they have all of the courage of a thousand armies. We know not what awaits us, but it does not matter. In the end, we know one thing... ASHLA IS WITH US!"

​

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Eina L’lerim-Vandiir, the First
Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary; Liaison of the Fjölkyngi Smiðr Guild​

Objective II: Kill the evil spirit/demon and help the mortals
Location: Netherworld
Equipment: Estrian Armour and 2x Swords
Tag(s): Geiseric | Heinrich Faust | Hei Sogecki | Open

[ This is my World ] ​

Mortals. Sometimes they seemed so short-sighted to the woman. Perhaps it was all because of the fact that Netherworld was so different from Realspace in so many things. There was really nothing to beautify things about, the Valkyrja was a Force Entity. They were far from being a simple Sithspawn, whether she or her species. Yes, the Force Entity covered reality much better.

~ I'm Eina, the First. Matriarch of the Valkyrja. This is not Realspace, Mr. Sogecki. Here you will encounter few flesh and blood living beings. Most beings here are made up of energies only, or formed from the Force itself. ~ although she addressed the answer only to the droid-like creature, everyone could hear the answer.

The First met many mortals in this place, most of whom died because they were unable to understand that different rules applied here than in their own world. She sighed wearily, meaning she made that sound because they didn't have to breathe as a Force Entity. Eina turned to the man speaking for the second time.

~ Then you will do very badly, and you will not be the first one who will be killed by Netherworld. Like I said, this is not Realspace. Everything works differently here, often the physical laws of Realspace don’t apply either. Not to mention that the Force is also chaotic. It is foolish not to be careful in this place. Here, almost every being you see that you encounter was strong enough not to become one with the Force and remain itself for centuries, millennia. The area may seem peaceful, but this world is much more dangerous than where you came from. ~ she offered kindly. ~ A demon, soul, took on the appearance of a dragon, we call them Ormslíki. I hunt for it myself, because it did a lot of horror at Hǫrgr, our home. ~

From the third man, she could see exactly that his hand was clutching the lightsaber's hilt. Eina had seen during the battles that most of the time the servants of the Light were the first to draw a weapon, not the servants of the Dark side. Somewhere she found it sad that these men could be so bloodthirsty.

~ This is my world, mortal, where I am trying to help you, because the Light here will not help you. It is a land of the dead and spirit-like beings. If you are truly servants of the Light, show humility and understanding to the world you have intruded. I am just trying to protect your life when I ask you to leave the entity to me. And you immediately threatened me and wanted to draw a weapon on me. ~ she pointed elegantly with her hand to the man's hand which was holding the lightsaber.

The First waited a few moments for the man to retreat, to be more peaceful and not too hostile.

~ My people are well known in the Nether we're defending and protecting the weak, and those who are not able to fight from such creatures and other demons. In my eyes you are also those who need to be protected, because this is not your world and you're no know the Nether. You may be strong in Realspace, but you don’t know this place, the laws of this place. But if you want to go anyway, I will not stop you and I will have to go with you to take care of you. ~ she "said" in a slightly motherly voice.

 

[Hei Sogecki]

Locations: Mouth of the cave
Equipment: his rifle, his cybernetics, stun lance, vibrosword, rations
Mounts: Young Rancor-dragon "Loki"
Tags: Geiseric Heinrich Faust Eina L'lerim-Vandiir


Hei Sogecki humbly bowed his head to the creature in front of him. "Then it appears we are lucky to have found you here, be it the will of the force or some other guide from your realm bringing out paths together." He was genuine in this statement, what could be better for a hunter that did not know his prey than a native guide. "whilst I will gladly kill any dangerous agents of the darkness, my main goal is understanding creatures that I have not encountered before."​

He turned and looked at the Ashlans, wondering what they were thinking about the situation, and his eyes followed Eina's hand to Heinrich's saber, it was almost instinctive for Jedi to reach for the sabers, but the reaction of the creature made him feel that this was not the time. He held up his hand to Heinrich as a suggestion that he backed down. He wasnt a good melee combatant and would rather be a few kilometers away from his enemy if things went badly.

"So how DO we deal with this thing?" he eventually asked back to Eina, "would you reject allies? or leave us unprepared if we were to continue on our chosen path, I have dealt with a number of dragon like creatures from various planets, they are particularly dangerous foes even if they aren't for sensitive creatures"
​

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The exile breathed a quiet sigh of relief as his body parted from the gate.

The engineers claimed this thing to be a hypergate, a means by which the Crusade could travel to realms otherwise unheard of. Cedric had initially scoffed at the idea: hypergates were things of myth and legend lost in ages long since passed. Nonetheless, he could not deny the thing's existence when he was looking upon it with his own eyes.

Worry, curiosity, and confusion compelled him to traverse the gate. What lay beyond would almost certainly be a threat, another malignant force intending to do his people harm, and so he had to meet it personally. Clad in the reglia of his station, Cedric breathed in the filtered air on the other side of the portal, his eyes narrowing with caution as he looked out across the dusty landscape.

No threats yet.

"You serve the goddess well," Cedric murmured, placing a plate-bound hand upon Kasia Celestyne's shoulder as she finished her prayer. "There are few Jedi that can truly claim the title of Ashlan. So many of such little faith, but the chosen walk with us as the Goddess has willed it." The fingers squeezed, and then he drew away. "This place is...is it another galaxy?" his gaze would shift from Kasia to Eliz Krayt . "...Or is this the Netherworld? Another portal from the immaterial into reality? Another monument to the arrogance of mortals?"

Disgust lined Cedric's tone. "We'll need to get to the bottom of this. If this place is connected to the empyrean, the portal will need to be destroyed. These tears are what is bringing the galaxy closer toward apocalypse."

He paused, nodding toward Pietro Demici and echoing the Cardinal's words. "The Ashla is with us brother. Even here."

 

[Hei Sogecki]

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