Chapter 143: The Great Ones Acolytes(2/2)
A whirlpool of void, and starlight expanded from a single point in front of the Elite. Once it reached a ten foot sphere of color it turned perfectly two dimensional flat, tendrils of inky black reach out and wrapped around the Elite and pulled them into the embrace of the magic spell. As the midi-chlorians in the air for the first time did not devour the spell. But they did tell the Elite to hurry. Once the gate opened the Elite stepped through and came to a battle field of epic proportions.
Millions of monstrosities acted as a tidal of wave of tooth, and claw. As they flooded over the city world of Coruscant. In the distance the Elite saw its kin, and its creator fight against the horde with only so much support from the denizens of this Rift. Then it felt it, the bond between creator, and Manifestation. The Elite took to the skies and flew towards its creator with a smile on its face.
'It's done, the CIS will not be attacking the Republic. But they plan to seize any system that the Navy leaves behind.' -Elite said, answering a question that it knew its creator had on its mind.
'Good! Work with the midi-chlorians and find the Fate born. The mutated have taken an unhealthy interest in me and I am no longer able to move from my position.' -The Creators voice spoke across the link. The Elite sent their confirmation and flipped through their Perceptions until they were led away by a swarm of lights.
Another festival of blood, oh what delights to be found.
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***Coruscant, Republic Senate Building.***
Lash had activated Transformation hours ago and was now merged with Saurian as the great monster reveled in the carnage that was happening around them. Millions of mutated monstrosities of the once citizens of Coruscant rushed towards them with reckless abandonment. Red Psionic Blades three in length bore from his vampraces, as his tentacles shot beams of Destruction – Runes across the landscape and bisected the creatures and turned the remains to dust. He inhaled and exhaled with Elemental Manipulation – Fire and created a blue white hot flame so hot it cremated what it hit. But no matter how many they killed, the mutations sent more. It was glorious!
“MORE! SEND ME MORE!” Lash and/or Saurian's voice yelled out.
Lash had lost track of any of his Jensaarai hours ago. The city was on fire and Lash was at a choke point leading towards the senate building that was being made into a rally point. He had released his one thousand Saurus Warriors, one hundred Saurus Veterans, and his now ten Saurus Elites into the field. Despite the numbers they all still stood. Though he knew if he didn't have the tear drop power stone he would have died by now. But thanks to it, he was never empty of energy for long. As long as he had energy he had a near immortal army of Saurus Soldiers at his call.
A roar rang out across the battlefield as they saw a giant monstrosity towering over its kin. Easily twenty feet tall, as its multi-limb body pulled itself forward. It stepped on its kin without care, though a majority of the man sized creatures jumped out of the way. Lash channeled his Space/Void Domain and used one of his spells in an unconventional method. He used Portal Creation but made it collapse in on it self. Yes, he made a temporary gravity well bomb.
The orb of darkness appeared right in front of the behemoth, it blinked then roared in surprise as it, and everything within a mile was sucked in. Flesh, bone, sound, and light was removed in the immediate area. Then with an audible BANG! The spell's energy was cut off and the incredibly dense orb of...Stuff landed in a crater. Lash flicked a spell of Decomposition at it, and it all soon rotted away. He stood up at his impressive eight foot height and looked at the horde who had paused in confusion. Then like a marathon start a crack from a blaster someplace else ignited another wave of flesh, and bone.
Portal Creation: Cool down 6 hours.
Lash really needed to get that to master so he wouldn't have to deal with cool downs anymore. Saurian urged him on and he plowed into the waiting crowd and spun like a top. His tentacles created short range beams of light imitating light sabers. An artful dance moved through the crowd as every creature nicked by the blades had Decomposition cast on them. They rapidly decayed for ones eyes. But there was always more. Always more flesh to bring to ruin.
Lash and Saurian barreled through a city street and found a skyscraper above that was on its last legs. They sent a pulse of Nature through the building and found it empty. With a flick of a Telekinetic Cut and the buildings remaining supports were removed. The hundreds of thousands of pounds fell into the city streets below. Crushing the monstrosities below, and temporarily blocking the path down this street. Though a few minutes is all it would buy as they sure would climb over it, or go through it.
'Release me' -Saurian's voiced called across the link. Yes, that could work. A three hundred foot tall monster could wreck these things.
'NO! We can't do that here. How are we going to explain that? The Republic will attack us.' -Erik the gamer's voice called to them.
'If they attack us then we'll kill them too! All will submit!' -Saurian's voice snarled across the link.
'I thought we were saving you for a big surprise when Palpatine tries to kill us?' -Erik pleaded his case across the link. Lash played mediator between the two, though he was a little confused as to why this conversation was even taking place.
“When did I became the voice of reason?” Lash asked out loud as he reaped another few dozen lives.
'Please, don't you hear the call!? The festival of blood is all around us. RELEASE ME!' -Saurian all but begged to them both.
“Wait! Hold on a minute, what call?” Lash asked loudly as he floated up into the air then zipped back towards the choke point. He'd left it for a few minutes and sure enough it was over run with creatures. He dropped down once more and started to hack and slash.
'How do you not hear it!? They call to us, they call to me!' -Saurian's voice clawed at the edges of their link. He nearly tore it asunder and arrested control then and there. Lash clutched his head and screamed in pain. Then in a brief moment he saw one of the creatures look at him, and grin. Never before had the monstrosities showed any sign of emotion.
Something was wrong! They were under somethings influence. Lash flew up into the air and catapulted himself towards the senate building. He crashed more than landed, creating a crater and a minor quake. This did nothing to help the senate building as a few remaining statues toppled over. But Lash didn't care as he tried to calm his partner down.
'Saurian stop and think about this! You are the rock, the anchor that keeps us level. You have always been methodical even in the middle of a slaughter. Were being influenced!' -Erik screamed across the link, and Lash curled up into a ball as he felt his Transformation slowly turn into Shapeshift the old monster would not be denied.
'I! DONT! CARE!' -Saurian screamed across the link, and in that moment it was over.
A billowing cloud of smoke and shadow boiled over and swallowed the surrounding area. Then as quickly as it appeared it was gone. There in its place was a towering monster. Saurian stood at an impressive three hundred feet tall, and nearly six hundred feet long. His four tentacles writhed and shifted on his back just as long as his own body. His massive bladed tail whipped around and slammed onto thousands of monstrosities that swarmed towards them senate building. It a moment of pure revelry he roared! Intimidating Shout, and Rallying Call activated. Every monstrosity for over ten miles froze in shock and had to do a hard reboot. While every neutral to friendly contact in that same ten miles found ten percent of their total health, and energy renewed.
Then came a roar atmospheric engines, Acclamator assault carrier, and Venator attack cruiser ships broke the smog filled skies. Dozens of them, and every single one of them trained their weapons on the giant three hundred foot tall monster. Fortunately for them the kaiju didn't take it personally. It tucked and rolled on it self and steam rolled through the city streets. Turning the horde into paste. Though it was soon proven that such a move was unwise as the city streets of Coruscant were not designed to take such a creatures weight. Saurian fell through the different buildings down the bottom level of this current floor. Creating a mushroom cloud.
Not one to be deterred by a minor setback. Saurian climbed out of the crater he had made. The breathed blue white hot flames down the city streets like a tsunami of living flame. Hundreds of thousands of monstrosities turned to ash. While millions of pounds of durasteel, and duracrete turned to slag. Saurian barreled through wrecked buildings with little worry. He was following something, he heard the call and he would come. He climbed up and over a skyscraper and found an open chasm into the floors below. Like ant hill the monstrosities poured from the chasm.
So, Saurian dove into the crack and burrowed his way through it. Leaving floor five thousand, one hundred, and twenty seven behind. (5127). Earth Swim activated and he slipped through the different floors like an eel. Before to long he found himself falling through the air. He activated his Telekinetic Flight Field and slowly fell with style. His giant six reptilian eyes saw what looked like a giant organic bridge made bone, and sinew connected the different floors together. An almost conveyor belt moved the vast amounts of monstrosities from one floor to another. Saurian activated his Rune of Destruction and turned the bridge to ash. Then he crashed into the next floor and burrowed down, ever deeper into the world itself.
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***Coruscant***
“What is that!?” Admiral Wulf Yularen all but screamed at his bridge crew, though the question was rhetorical.
Admiral Wulf Yularen all but stared in horror as he saw the giant creature shrug off their combined fire as if it had been caught in the rain. Then it tucked itself into a ball and rolled through the city streets like this was some kind of game!? Only for it to incinerate over three city blocks in plasma. Then to top it all off it dove into the ground and slipped between a crack that did not fit it at all! The only silver lining was the hole it had moved into stopped producing the horde of monstrosities.
“Sir, what are your orders?” The bridge officer called out.
“Move the Acclamators around the senate building, secure it and rescue any survivors. Deploy all group, and aerial troops across the planets surface. Establish a working communication network, and try to contact the Jedi Temple, Republic Army, Navy, and Militia command. Do it as soon as possible!” Admiral Yularen called out.
His smooth transition between being shocked, and back in command steady the rest of the crew. Like a well oiled machine the fleet moved in order. Within short order they were able to establish a communication link with Militia command. Though there was no word from the Army, or Naval. No one had any idea if the Supreme Chancellor was alive or dead, and Yularen was swift to dispatch ARC Troopers towards his home.
“Sir, we have adjutant Nazvo on the line!” An officer called out, Yularen turned on his heel and went towards the holographic display. Yularen took a moment to press, and smooth out his gray admiral uniform out, combed his short and pressed brown hair, and ran a finger across mustache. His eyes focused on the beautiful but very deadly Jensaarai, who had the ear of the new Mand'alor the Renewer.
“Admiral, I am pleased to see the fleets arrival. I'll keep this short. We have several rally points across the planets surface. We are sending the coordinates to you now. We have not secured the senate building, the Jedi Temple, or 500 Republica. Master Lash is on the surface. He was in control of a choke point not far from your present location but we lost contact with him shortly before you showed up.” Nazvo said in a quick, and precise manner as information came across the network. Yularen saw the designated point of where Master Lash was and he paled. Had he been killed by the creature?
“Adjutant Nazvo, I'm not sure if Master Lash has...” Yularen stretched out the sentence and Nazvo's eyes turned cold.
“Until you can show me a body, I'm going to assume he's alive. He destroyed twenty thousand battle droids in the simulator by himself. This is nothing to him!” Nazvo all but snarled at him, Yularen swallowed and cleared his throat.
“Of course! However, at this time the choke point appears to be vacant. We'll set up a new bastion there....” Yularen said, and Nazvo allowed the conversation to continue.
They continued to speak in rapid succession and soon a workable plan was set into motion. More and more ships were coming into the solar system. While close to a half a million clone troopers were deployed. Oddly enough they didn't meet the resistance they had thought they would. It was almost as if someone had flipped a switch and the never ending flood of flesh and bone was starting to tapper off. Despite the reprieve there were still millions of monstrosities on the surface. Plenty for them to deal with.
Though Yularen did worry about General Skywalker. He had tore off with his own star fighter even before they decided to return to Coruscant, Commander Tano was right behind him. He had learned while in transit nearly every Jedi in the different sectors that could leave, did leave. They had flown through the smog and had raced towards their home. Though Yularen secretly believed General Skywalker was more worried about a certain senator. He could only hope Skywalker would get there in time...
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(Ahsoka Tano)
“PADME!?” Anakin screamed out again. As he rifled through a ruined building. Ahsoka was right next to him, and winced every time he screamed. She reached out with the Force and used Shatter Point to find a weakness in the building and avoided it. They didn't want to the building to collapse.
“Master please! I'm not getting anything on the sensors! R2 says there are no life forms nearby except for the creatures.” Ashoka tried to calm him down, and was only ignored. As Anakin dug through the building with his bare hands.
“PADME!?” Anakin called and again as he moved a piece of rubble.
“STOP SHOUTING, YOU MORON!” A man's voice called out and Ahsoka looked up to see a Jensaarai in tattered armor. Her hope for Master Lash was dashed as the animal spirit design didn't match him. Still she was happy to see another Force User.
“Who are you!? Have you seen Senator Amidala!?” Anakin jumped to his feet and raced towards the man who scoffed.
“Yes, I seen her. I also saw those things take her and her entire security forced beneath the city floor.” The Jensaarai called out, and Anakin stumbled and dropped to his knees. Ahsoka went pale with fear at the idea of it.
“What!? Why didn't you?” Ahsoka asked.
“Why do you think I look like this!? My armor is made out of Beskar alloy, and those things shredded it like tissue paper. By the time my team got to the building they were gone.” The Jensaarai said simply, as a few more wounded Jensaarai appeared.
“Where did they go!? Tell me where!” Anakin jumped to his feet and nearly pulled the man from his feet before he was Forced vaulted across the ruins into a wall.
“Woah! Woah! Stop, please!” Ahsoka called out as she held up her hands between her master and the Jensaarai.
“Tell me where they took her!” Anakin shouted, and ignited his light saber. A dark crimson glow surrounded him. Ahsoka's Force sense screamed at her to move away from him.
“Enough!” Another Jensaarai called down to them and a sense of calm fell over them all, including Anakin who let out a shuddering breath.
Ahsoka looked up to see a woman in armor that looked like an avian creature. Metallic wings came out of her back and she flew down as if it was perfectly natural. The other Jensaarai deferred to her judgment. Her visor was up, but Ahsoka felt their eyes on her. The woman tilted her head to one side as if she saw something interesting. Then she moved to look over at Anakin. Her wings stayed out, and were poised to move if needed.
“She was taken over ten hours ago. The cracks lead to the lower floors. That is all we know. I don't know if either of you have ever spent any time on the lower floors but can people can go their whole lives and never see the sun down there. Now its over run with these things, and there are over five thousand floors. I don't know who she is to you. But it would take a miracle to find her.” The woman said simply, and something seem to crack in Anakin as he dropped to his knees and started to sob. Ahsoka knew that Anakin and Padme were friends but she didn't think it had gone this far.
“If you want to do something? Go to the Jedi Temple. Our last report says its still fighting off their forces, and they are losing badly.” The woman said, and Ahsoka snapped to attention. Then raced over to Anakin.
“Master please get up, we have to help them!” Ahsoka called out, and Anakin looked up at her... He blinked slowly, then nodded. He slowly got up and turned to walk towards the temple. “Master, our fighters over this way. It will be faster.”
Anakin moved mechanically with a stutter and stop. But as more time passed he started to smooth out. Ahsoka turned to look back at the Jensaarai as they moved in the opposite direction. The woman came straight towards her and knelt down so they were nearly eye level. “The dark side surrounds him, he's about to snap. Watch yourself padawan.” The woman said.
“Master Skywalker is the strongest person I know. He'll get through this.” Ahsoka said with a tiny smile.
“If you say so, may the Force be with you.” The woman said.
“And you.” Ahsoka said then raced towards Anakin.
Anakin had jumped into his fighter and was in preparation. R2 who was in the astromech droid spot whistled at her. Then gave a slight warble as the star fighter turned on and took off straight towards.... No! Ahsoka stared in horror as the ship took a nose dive straight into one of the open cracks in the ground. Ahsoka raced towards her own speeder only to find it was sabotaged. Anakin had sliced through her main console with his saber. She was grounded, and hundreds of miles from anyone. She stamped her foot, and looked to her own astromech droid who whistled at her in confusion. The thing ejected as they both raced after the Jensaarai. Thankfully the woman had waited, seemingly to understand the situation.
It wasn't long before they were attacked by the creatures and Ahsoka got a crash course on monster slaying. Head, and heart. Both had to be destroyed to kill the creature. What Ahsoka hated was she soon learned that the creatures were once people. Especially when she saw a Jensaarai killed a mother who had been grafted together with their children in a macabre fashion. How, how were these things created!? Why!?
“Where are we going?” Ahsoka asked after an hour of walking and fighting.
“There is a rally point down this way in about twenty or so miles. Our assignment is to walk out in the open and play bait. Seems to be working pretty well. Or it was until a little while ago. For some reason the surface stopped getting reinforcements from below, we don't know why.” The woman named Torzel, Defender Torzel. Which meant she was a Master of the Jensaarai order, who had completed stage five training.
“Do you know where Master Lash is?” Ahsoka asked, and the whole unit stopped to look at her. Suddenly the center of attention she blushed, and almost looked down at her feet. But she felt a rush of energy and forced herself to stick her chin out in mild defiance.
“We lost contact with him awhile ago. He was defending the senate building. But no one has seen him since the Republic fleet showed up. Knowing him, he's probably looking for trouble, or finding a way to be useful.” Torzel said with a chuckle, and Ahsoka found herself smiling.
Before Ahsoka could ask another question her holographic communicator went off. She was surprised, it hadn't worked once since they broke the atmosphere. She was not the only one as the Jensaarai all stopped and activated their own. An automated announcement rang out. An emergency call to arms, and a map of their area with rally point coordinates. Within minutes an Acclamator assault ship flew over head and was in the process of landing on the same rally point they were moving to.
“First piece of good news in days. Communications was one of the first things these creatures took out. Despite the animalistic tendencies they are oddly organized.” Torzel said, and closed her communicator.
Ahsoka nodded her absently, but had been playing with her communicator in an attempt to contact Anakin. But she received no response. So she tried the Temple, and got no response. She tried any Jedi frequency and... Received a response!? A holographic image of Master Plo Koon appeared. Never had she been so happy to see the Jedi who had been both friend, and mentor in her younger years.
“Padawan Ahsoka, there you are! It fills my heart with great pleasure to see you safe... Well safe within this catastrophe. Where are you, and Master Skywalker?” Plo Koon asked, and Ahsoka's reply was stuck in her throat.
“Well....”
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(Padme Amidala)
“Milady.....” A distant and familiar called out.... Padme groaned, and desperately wanted to tell them to go away. “.....Milady please wake up....” The voice called out again. Padme attempted to turn over and bury her face back into her pillows. But all she felt was the stone cold ground and something wet and sticky on her face. Did she fall out of bed again?
“....Gre-Gregor?” Padme asked, and stuttered as her throat was so dry. “Can you get me some water?”
“....If I could I would, Milady. But I'm afraid I may find myself out of your service soon.” Gregor's voice sounded strained. Wait... That didn't make sense? Why would Gregor leave? Padme tried desperately to open her eyes but they almost seemed glued shut.
Then a pain like she had never felt before was driven into her brain, straight through her skull. She opened her eyes wide and screamed in agony. Only to realize to late that it was not some imaginary pain. No an actual needle had been forced into her skull. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Her scream resonated and shook the area. And a wet throaty chuckle was her only response.
“Get your hands off of her! Now!” Gregor's voice called out, followed by the sound of bones breaking and Gregor's own screams was all Padme needed to know they were in trouble.
She blinked past the tears to look around and she saw something that would haunt her dreams till the day she died. Bone, flesh, sinew, and blood was displayed like some freakish mosaic. She saw what could only be described as an assembly line of flesh, bone, and body part were pulled off of living people who were wide awake! They screamed in horror, or mute shock as their eyes had glazed over from the pain. Giant leeches were attached to their spines and pumped green liquid into the bodies.
She was tied to a wall with intestines! Intestines! The word needed repeating as she looked towards Gregor who had his right arm torn off, and was in the process of getting a new one from some sort of alien. It was grotesque, and didn't suit him. His Beskar armor had been removed and tossed to the side like to much scrap. The rest of the security force, and Jensaarai that had been with her were either fighting the assembly process or not yet been seen.
Blood dripped into her eyes and she tried to clear it. Then she once again realized that a metal pin was inside of her skull! She screamed again, and her torturer moved its attention back on her. This man, this monster stood at six foot even with pale white skin that was stretched across its skull. His lips, and eyelids had been removed so he had a frightening smile, and she knew he was smiling at her. His body, no his armor was milky black. It was like a carapace that was perfectly fitted to him. A centipede like snake coiled around his body and hissed at her.
A series of clicks, and hisses came out of the mans mouth. Saliva sprayed across her face, then he reached up and yanked out the needle in her skull without a word. Another scream tore out of her throat and the resonating energy rippled through the factory of flesh and bone. Then... Then a woman, one of Padme's servants walked over. A giant leech on her spine, and a glassy look to her eyes.
“Sabe!? Sabe no! Speak to me!” Padme called out to her body double, bodyguard, and friend.
A faint flicker of recognition registered in the woman's eyes. Then the leech secreted something and Sabe went back to her task. Her skin had all but been removed save for her face. One of her arms was replaced, with another. While her intestines spilled out and were dragged across the floor. Sabe pulled her own intestines out and secured Padme. Then with a groan she climbed up and and pulled her down. Padme dropped to the ground without a fight in her.
“The Great One has touched you, he has touched all of you.” The man the things voice sounded like a nail was being driven into her ear. “So weak, and pathetic you people were. But you... They... All of you are above the rest. Such power!” The vile things voice felt like maggots on her skin.
“I WILL KILL YOU!” Padme screamed at him, and the creature cackled.
“I look forward to it. We are both acolytes to the Great One. To see, to know that he has prepared so much for his children fills me with love, and pride.” The creature's voice was filled with fanatic belief. Who was he talking about!?
Then the entire structure? Factory? Body? Shook, it shook again and again. Then an inhuman roar called out. The roar was so far away, like a great monster that loomed from the darkness. But Padme felt it, and she knew she wasn't the only one. As an energy welled up inside of her. Gregor screamed and tore his body from the bone splints in the wall that held him up. The man-creature cackled and raised his arms up in prayer!?
“Yes! My brothers and sisters the Great One arrives! Blessed is his rage, long may he and the Great Mother reign! But now is not the time... We are early. But our time will come.” The man-creature strode back towards Padme. He held her face in his hands and pressed his teeth to her forehead in a gruesome kiss. “Goodbye sister, I will see you again.”
Another quake and explosion shook the whole body factory. The man-creature gathered up a few leeches, and made way with more of its kind as they moved to some kind of organic ship. In took off and left with not but a whisper. Then the unmistakable sound of light sabers swinging through the air were heard. Gregor tore at his restraints and freed himself only to fall to the ground without his arm, and legs. Sabe watched impassively as the leech on her back disconnected and Padme watched in horror as her friend went into shock and died then and there.
“Sabe!? HELP!” Padme called as she crawled towards her friend, then that was when she looked at her arms. Her arms were not her own. Oh no...no, no! This wasn't happening! This wasn't happening!
“THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!?” Padme shouted in horror, she was a patch work doll!
The outer wall was torn away and just like a living body, blood poured out. From the falling crimson rain came an eight foot tall armored monster that Padme had only met once. The repto-mamillian creature that she had seen Lash turn into glanced towards her. Then its six yellow green eyes went wide in surprise. It glanced around and seem to come to a decision.
“I can fix this...”
Galen