War is always the same

[grammaticus]

The world of Kalee was a land eternally locked in bloody war. The Kaleesh themselves, a proud warrior race, were at any given time locked in dozens of tribal wars, fought across the width and breadth of the planet. Honor, glory, resources, vendettas, lust for power, all these things were the driving force of society and culture on Kalee. Those warriors who rose to prominence, who made a true lasting impression on the world, became the gods that the tribal people prayed to.

Outsiders were frowned upon by the warrior race, however, those who proved themselves in battle often went on to make a name for themselves...


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The grand temple was old. Four massive pillars dominated each corner of the aged structure, with the main pyramid built upon ascending levels, each smaller than the last, with a single stair case set in one side. Despite being the smallest level, the top floor of the temple was still massive in of itself. Spread out across it, thousands of Kaleesh warriors, wearing the armor and colors of a dozen tribes watched in anticipation as two warriors fought in the center of the crowd.

One, a warchief of one of the Kaleesh tribes, and a human male, wearing borrowed armor. Scattered around the combat circle, eleven bodies lay where they had fallen, all killed by the human warrior in combat. With the death of each of those warriors, the tribes of the fallen were each given the choice, to follow their chieftains killer or have another warrior step forward. So far, none had come forth after seeing Corin Zanith, Sith warrior of Athiss fight. To his name, he now had the loyalty and allegiance of eleven clans of Kaleesh warriors, nearly a fifth of the planets current forces. Now, he fought for the control of the last.

Ducking under the Lig sword of the chieftain, Corin was forced to jump backwards as the Kaleesh warrior pressed his assault. Over the course of the previous eleven duels, Corin had earned himself several new scars and wounds, and they were now taking their toll as he fought his final battle. As the two warriors continued to trade blows, slashing and parrying each other, the surrounding warriors called out in their tribes war chants, cheering on their preferred champion. Earlier in the day, the calls had been overwhelmingly in the favor of the other chieftains, but as the warriors watched the human dispatch them one after another, Corin's name had begun to be more common.

Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of non stop combat, the Kaleesh warrior made a slight mistake, putting too much weight into his swing, and as Corin parried and side stepped the attack, he had his opening. Flipping his grip on the sword, Corin shoved the Kaleesh chieftain, throwing him further of balance, before driving the end of his Lig sword through his back. The cheers around the floor fell silent as the chieftain lurched from the strike, the blade emerging from his chest. Twisting the blade, Corin pulled it from the corpse, letting it fall to the ground, before falling to his knees as well, his head bowed, and blade held before himself.

Emerging from the crowd, a Kaleesh spiritual leader, wearing a bright orange cloak dedicated to one of any number of gods. Walking forward, the priest reached out his hand, and Corin placed the hilt of the sword in the mans hand. Inspecting the blade, the mans mask betrayed known of his emotion, as he inspected the blood on the blade. After several moments, the spiritual leader raised the blade into the air, before calling out to the assembled crowd. "The chieftain of the Rendor tribe has fallen to the outsider! Shall any warrior of the Rendor tribe step forward, and challenge the victor in the eyes of the gods?" Silence dominated the temple for several moments, before the spiritual leader lowered the blade, giving it back to Corin. "Rise then, great warrior, and take control of the Rendor, as you have taken control of the others." Bowing his head deeper, Corin slowly rose to his feet.

Turning to the assembled crowd of warrior, Corin spun in a slow circle, taking in the numerous masked faces staring at him, before finally speaking. "I, Corin Zanith of Athiss, stand before the Gods of Kalee, and their chosen sons and daughter. When I arrived here nine moons ago, I was an outsider. Shunned, hated, and despised, I was forced to learn your way. Now, I stand before you. Tested in battle, bloodied before the gods, and the mighty tribes of the Kaleesh. I have proven myself a true warrior of Kalee, now, I ask you all to follow me. Follow me to war, as we unite the tribes of this world under our banner. Stand with me as we forge a new Kalee, stronger, and more prosperous than ever. Aid me, as we reap a toll of lives to bring eternal honor and glory to all the gods of now and in the future. Pledge your steel to me, and I shall deliver to you the galaxy!" Before he was even done talking, the assembled warriors let out a deafening cheer, raising their swords and spears into the air.

Corin let the cries fill his being, allowed the sheer power of the emotions flooding the temple flow through him. Even now though, he began to plot the next steps of his campaign, knowing it had only just begun.

 

[grammaticus]

War. One of the oldest things in the galaxy. Across thousands of species, and millions of worlds, war tended to be one of the few common traits all species seemed to share. Among them, the Kaleesh were not exception. War was one of the central tenets of their life style. From birth to death, a male Kaleesh was dedicated to nothing but training for war in all its facets. Divided in tribes, the sons and daughters of Kalee had known nothing but war for thousands of years.

Only when united under one single warlord, was peace known on Kalee. When a single warlord rose to power, and conquered all those in his way, did the Kaleesh people know 'peace'. Corin was the most recent of such warlords. After securing the loyalties of thousands of warriors, Corin had led the Kaleesh under him in a war across the entirety of the planet. Bloody battles were fought across the entire planet, with millions dying in the process. Finally though, Corin was able to unite the various tribes under one banner, his banner.

Now, Corin turned the might of an entire world towards production. Despite their appearance, the Kaleesh were not simple tribal savages. They had the technology and knowledge to construct advanced weaponry, armor, and even starships when the need arised. However, most Kaleesh were content to merely stay on their homeworld, and fight each other. Corin brought change to that. Studying the ancient designs the Kaleesh used for their old warfleets, Corin revised and edited the craft, updating them with the aid of Athiss engineers and technicians, Factories, long since abandoned were brought back online, and mines were expanded to meet the new demands. All Kaleesh old enough to work were doing so. New weapons and armor were being developed, and for the first time since the fall of the original Galactic Empire, Kalee was a world dedicated and committed to a single purpose.

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Corin stood on top of the cliff face, his sith armor stood out among the Kaleesh tribal attire. Standing with him, dozens off tribal cheiftains, those who had willingly bent to Corin, and been made lieutenants in his growing army. Now, all stood silently as they watched the great project underway below them. Spread out across several miles, millions of Kaleesh warriors were spread out. Spread out across the open field, dozens of construction sites dominated the plains.

They were based on an old Kaleesh ship design Corin had found in one of the temple archives in the southern hemisphere. He had called technicians from Athiss, and together they had made a modern blueprint of the vessel. They then began a process of updating the designs for modern times. Now, Athiss engineer teams oversaw the construction effort of the first batch of Kalee warships. When they were finally completed, they would mark the beginning of a new era for the Kaleesh people.

As the chieftains thought of the implications of this new age, Corin could only think of the wars to come. When the fleet was completed, and Corin's superiors decided the time was right, Corin would lead the Kaleesh armies in a new war. A war, where Corin would finally earn the glory and honor he deserved...