THE PAST
Locked overhead in battle was the silencer fleet against the republic and imperial forces , What little remained of the eternal fleet was also present , The ships repaired from zildrogs destruction of the fleet had arrived minutes prior , Quickly aiding the silencer fleet as the republic empire coalition waged war .
Alderaan burnt as stray fire from dreadnoughts impacted cities , Skyscrapers fell from their foundations , Killing many underneath .
The eternal flagship , The eternity was in a stalemate against three harrower class dreadnaughts and four republic Valor class dreadnaughts . On either side of the eternity was a cadre of eternal fleet warships assisting the behemoth of a capital ship .
Armies of skytrooper units deployed from their warships to lay waste to all opposition .
A single burst from one of the silencers annihilated six republic cruisers , Sending shrapnel Hurtling to the surface of the planet .
Dropping out if hyperspace were more and more republic and imperial forces , The leaders of the coalition having diverted all resources to snuffing out the eternal empire here and now .
Meanwhile , Across the continent was Nox and malgus , Battling not only the hero of Tython but Empress Acina , And having joined them was the newly formed Jedi council and the entirety of the dark council .
Hatred manifest burst off Nox in rippling surges of electricity , Bouncing from his fingers in forked snakes to strike against Lethris and Satele Shan herself .
Malgus was locked in sabre combat with both Tal'erial and the replacements of gnost Dural and tol braga . The replacement of gnost Dural was a rattataki male named tsol , Whilst the replacement for Tol Braga was a twilek female named Kassandra .
Arcann's yellow blade slashed out to bat against Darth Seren's red blade , A bolt of supercharged yellow lightning surging out and impacting the replacement for vowrawn.
Satele swung her double bladed lightsaber overhead as she resolved herself to stopping the monster Nox was becoming .
Her blade cut a visious curve through the air , It would have removed his head had he not leant back , The blade sailing Infront of his brow , He became aware of Kira Carsen's blade about to pierce his spinal column , His motion blurred with a quick burst of force speed , He twisted out of the blades path and slashed against the apprentices stomach , A mean trench of smouldering flesh gouging across her stomach , Leaving a Scorching scar before he mule kicked her in the chin , Sending her sprawling across the ground in agony as the resident Jedi healer moved to heal the girl .
He felt the Billowing rage rippling from Lethris as the male moved to cleave Nox's head from his body , at that same moment , Acina's purple bladed weapon moved to sever his legs from his body at the knees .
Knowing leaping to either side was useless , The same as going back and forward , Nox did the only thing that would ensure he remained unharmed for sure .
With a twist , Nox's feet left the ground as he cork screwed through the air horizontally , Both blades sailed above and below his body , The eternal emperor landing on his feet before he shoved his hands away from his centre of being .
A force push rose form his being , Tossing his four opponents away from him , Satele was sent crashing into the trunk of a tree whilst Acina and Lethris were sent sailing head over heal into the treeline .
Kira , Already injured screamed in pain as a thick tree branch embedded itself into her left arm , The Jedi healer panicking and picking the girl up and attempting to move her away from the battle .
Nox slowly lowered his arms to the side as he surveyed the battle , Malgus was still locked in a stalemate with tal'erial, Tsol and Kassandra .
Meanwhile Arcann had gotten the upper hand in his battle against Seren and vowrawns replacement,His blade descending in furious blows that shook the ground below , And with a final furious blow, His blade knocked the hilt of vowrawns replacement from his hands and sliced into the torso of the man . The victim gave no noises as his body fell in two , Arcann giving no Fanfare as he went back to whaling apon Seren .
Nox turned his attention back to Satele , The brown haired woman rising to her feet with her lightsaber in hand .
His countenance pinned Satele , A glare from under the soulless cold steel depicted his attitude .
A snarl ripped from his maw as the temperature dropped around the battlefield .
" So this is how it is Satele huh " Nox sneered as the soil beneath his feet began to decay , A field of death quickly spreading from his feet and over the clearing ,The trees around them withered , Their leaves falling from their branches only to fall to the ground in husks of ash , Bark decayed and fell from their holds , Cracking and splintering as the bases of the tress died .
Grass around him lost colour and shrivelled into nothingness , Sound became muted around him as light seemed to be alittle dimmer .
The field of effect spread far and wide from the point of origin , Everyone within beginning to feel sick , An instinctual fear running through their beings as a cold chill rose form their spines .
The blue blades of satelles weapon erupted from the hilt , Her haze hard as she wore her combat armour , Limping back into the clearing behind her was Acina , The empress having several abrasions and cuts and grazes .
" This is how it must be ... " Satelle glanced to Acina as the empress ignited her own double bladed weapon " I held hope that you would learn , But you declared yourself emperor , You're Treading a path that must be halted , We will do what we must "
" You can't comprehend it can you , You're so set in your beliefs and ways that you can't accept the possibility someone of my origin could have the best intentions, You can't accept it , It goes against everything you know and understand , I thought that little dry spell of yours when you went into seclusion helped you , But I see I was wrong . You're right , You will do what you must , And I will do what I must to ensure my child may live in a galaxy without fear " Nox's lightsaber sailed into his grip from his belt , Igniting in a crimson red blade that reflected off the black soulless lenses of his ancestors countenance " I will not let your naivety ruin my plans "
Lowering his blade , The red tip of the weapon scorched the dead soil at his feet , The blade pointed straight down as he leaned forward slightly in preparation to attack .
Lightning coated his entire left arm , Dancing across his fingers up until it arced from his elbow and into the air , Burning ozone in the process .
There was no signal , No agreed apon opening , One second he was there , The next his entire figure blurred before whistling booms of air announced his movement .
Just like himself , Acina and Satelle disappeared in After-images , Their blades meeting in the middle with a colossal thunderclap that rattled the ground around them .
They appeared as solid objects for that one moment , Nox's lightsaber held forward as it halted both double bladed weapons of his opponents .
Slowly his head looked from left to right before a growl rose from him , Heaving forward as his enhanced strength began to push both formidable opponents .
His feet became entrenched in the ground as he pushed off , Acina and Satelle's feet leaving trails of dirt as Nox began to push them back ,Adjusting his weapons orientation in the process as he attempted to push their weapons back into their faces.
Satelle in return , Stepped back , Breaking the lock as she spun her weapon around , Attempting to catch Nox off guard with the other end of her weapon as it cut through the air towards his abdomen.
Quicker than she could see , His weapon hand flipped , The red of his blade appearing as a sheet of red before the blade settled against her own.
Acina took this as her chance , Vanishing from the spot as she sped around Nox and made for a decapitating strike to the back of his head .
She failed to notice however , His offhand lowered to his side whilst his open palm faced backwards towards her .
Pain overcame her rational senses as a crackling boom of lightning assaulted her ears , Catching her square in the stomach , Scorching her armour as it drove her to her knees in agony .
As the lightning coursed through her body , She could feel it sapping her strength , Tearing her connection to the force asunder , It stopped a moment later , However it left her heaving , Sweat pouring down her face as her skin burned and muscle ached .
Nox reverted his attention back to Satelle , Blades connecting in a flurry of strikes as he defended himself from the Jedi grand master's assault .
He leapt to the side as she made a mad dash in his direction , Lightsaber a whirlwind as she spun the blade in her grip , White and Blue mist like vapour poured from her as she drew heavily apon the force , Her lightsaber became a blur of blue , Leaving trails of light as she sped up .
She turned to face Nox once more , Using her oneness with the force to even the odds as she burst forward , Spinning her Lightsaber overhead as she spun before she made a stabbing motion for Nox's chest .
" So this is your resolve " Nox spoke neutrally as he ducked under a decapitating sweep from the grand master " You really call for my death this day huh "
" What I want is irrelevant, it is my duty to the republic to put a stop to you " Satelle winced as she spoke .
" So that's their ultimatum huh , I see , Very well then " Nox clenched his lightning covered left fist as he prepared himself .
" I'm sorry " Her voice came out as barley a whisper as she closed her eyes momentarily , The haze rising over her growing in intensity as a tangible storm began to swirl around the mature woman , Acina made distance between the grandmaster and Nox , Leaping to engage tal'erial as she trusted Satelle with ending Nox .
' That's new ... maybe her seclusion wasn't as wasted as I thought , Revan had been doing more than I thought he did ... teaching his descendant ... clever '
" Not ... yet " Nox replied as he weathered the storm taking over the area , Arcann and malgus were shielding themselves alongside their opponents.
The woman's pupils glowed with white light as she gave a half hearted glare to Nox , Lowering her centre of mass with her offhand Infront of herself and her lightsaber hand out behind her , Ready to surge forward with her lightsaber .
' You're not the only one gifted with knowledge Satelle ' Nox thought as he in turn drew apon the force , Flooding every cell in his body as if the flood gates had been opened .
Several things happened as Satelle took a step forward , A sniper bolt burst through the foliage a blinding speeds from a hidden Cipher nine , Rockets descended apon Nox from above courtesy of the hunter , Lethris appeared on the opposite side of the treeline ready to re-engage , Both Lightsabers in hand and ignited , The Jedi leapt from the underbrush leapt behind Nox with his blades Infront of himself ready to skewer Nox .
He chuckled to himself , Directly to his left was the blaster bolt from nine , To his right , A barrage of rockets and immediately behind him was Lethris ready to end him , And to his front , The collimation of her family lines power , Satelle Shan resolute in her beliefs .
In turn , As everything was about to impact him,. Nox chuckled , The force responding to his call as the technique he wished to use was ready .
Everything around him slowed to a crawl , The blaster bolt about to cleave its way into his ribs froze centimetres to his left side . The rockets to his remained stationary whilst both Lethris and Satelle were stuck , Frozen in place as Nox boosted his own perception of time to the nth degree . He moved , And as he did so the sound of howling winds tore into his eardrums as he movements created a vacuum , Oxygen had yet to fill in where he had previously , He raised his right foot high into the air , Muscles tensing before he slammed his boot into the ground with all the force he could muster .
Turning to the bolt sent at him courtesy of Cipher nine , He made use of the energy absorption abilities of tutaminus in his open palm , Nox slammed his hand into the bolt of Plasma , Absorbing the bolt slowly as it swirled into the micro whirlwind of energy in his palm , Eaten away into nothing as it's energies were added to himself .
He rounded to face Lethris the hero of Tython , Plunging his red blades lightsaber into the man's right pectoral and through the other side of the man's back .
He let go of the lightsaber as he finally turned to face Satelle , Walking up to the woman through the frozen whisps of her cyclone .
" I'm sorry Satelle , But as I said , I won't simply let you ruin the future , not because of some misguided idea of the senate , You lost this battle long before you even decided to engage " He gazed directly into her blue eyes as he slowly raised his arms directly towards the sky , Grabbing hold of a valour class cruiser with the force before making a dragging motion downwards .
With a resolved sigh , Nox walked away from the gathered Jedi , First stopping Infront of Acina , He raised his right gauntlet to the woman's face , Pushing his middle and pointer fingers into the woman's temple before dragging said digits down her face , His fingers left trails of carved flesh as he moved , Moving over her eyebrows , Ignoring her eyes as his fingers fingers reconnected with her cheeks , He continued the carving downwards before finishing on the bottom of her chin . Blood had yet to pour out onto her face , But one could see the open vessels on her face , The red lifeblood all too ready to pour out when time would inevitably return to its natural state .
" You will bare the scars of your decisions for the rest of your days "
He wasn't yet finished however as he rose his hands to either side of his body before bringing his hands together as hard as he could onto the woman's ears .
He then moved to Darth seren and Arcann , Picking up a thick branch from the ground before levelling it between the sith pureblood's eyes , He reared his arm back before plunging the stick forward and through her cranium , Not stopping until the stick jutted clear through the back of her head .
" Such a shame you were so short sighted " Nox shook his head before making his way to Tal'erial and malgus , Tsol and Kassandra appeared to be about to deliver a decisive blow to the hulking sith lord as tal'erial held him in place .
He walked up beside tsol and Kassandra , Right index finger Puncturing directly into tsol neck , Moving to Kassandra , He stood behind the woman before reaching forward , Grabbing the front of her jaw with his right hand and the back of her head with the left .
Closing his eyes , Nox reverted his perception of time back to its original state , Everything beginning to speed up , And with a heave , Snapped the rattataki jedi's neck with a thunderclap as her head reversed .
Chaos ensued .
Satele's eyes widened , One second Nox was I front of her , The next thing she new her eardrums popped as a spray of dirt , Pebble and Strome assaulted her , Grazing her skin as the ground underfoot cratered .
As her eyes remained closed , Screams registered in ears , She cracked open her left eye to take in the situation .
What she saw made her panic , The cyclone of energy around her dissipating as Lethris looked at her with a troubled stutter and Garbled words . Sticking out of his chest was the hilt of Nox's blade that immediately deactivated itself, Leaving a clean hole through the man's chest that one could see all the way through .
As he collapsed a scream of pain tore her attention from the Jedi master as Acina collapsed to her knees in a spray of blood and Gore , Her hands covered her face as her hands became caked in blood, Blood leaked from both she ears as she screamed to the high heavens .
A series of thuds we're heard on the other side of the shrubs , Tsol and Seren collapsing to the ground at once , One still alive as he held his spurting neck whilst Seren was simply deceased soon impact , The stick in her head snapping off as she slammed face first into the ground .
The final sound that registered in her ears was a thunderclap , Her eyes turning to where she recognised the form of Nox to be as kassandra's head was now reversed , Blood spraying from her neck as she collapsed to her knees , The vomit of blood coating Nox as he now cut a far more intimidating figure than ever before .
Tal'erial seemed to have frozen , Just as malgus looked wide eyed with panic , Arcann interestingly enough appeared not to be surprised , As if he had experienced such a thing in the past .
Slowly Nox turned to face her , His entire front now coated in blood as it dropped from his countenance, The black lenses of his mask glowed vibrant purple as he faced her .
Absentmindedly, Satele registered the continued screams of Acina , The empress now having collapsed onto her back as she wailed .
" You should have remained in exile " Not ten seconds later , The ground quaked across the land , A valour class dreadnaught falling from the sky as it carved its way through a mountain and into a city .
He turned to Arcann and malgus , Nodding over his shoulder as they got the message .
Turning to the pureblood tal'erial , who's fight seemed to have fled him , He looked at the sith apathetically " You have lost , The Jedi council and dark council have been halved in their numbers , Collect your empress and leave "
Tal'erial seemed to make an educated move , Leaping to Acina , Gently cradling the woman into his arms before speeding from the battlefield and into the underbrush in the direction of Cipher nine .
" And you satele , I expected more form you , To think that you would bend to the senate even when you knew they were in the wrong , Pathetic . It's a good thing Theron is with me I'd hate for him to turn into someone as spineless as you . Oh I'd hurry and get medical attention for Lethris here , He doesn't have much time as it is " Nox called his lightsaber to grasp " The galaxy as a whole will benefit from my rule , I know you see this as much as I , You're just too much of a shut in coward to stick up for yourself , Now take you failure of a hero and get out of my sight , Before I cleave your head from your body and send it to your Jedi order "
He watched the Jedi grand master leave , Taking Lethris in she arms as she fled the battle , Allowing Nox to sag slightly as fatigue of using force speed to such a degree in tandem of using the force to augment his own perception of time so her had full control of such blistering speeds , Was taxing , But he hid it well , Walking to a waiting eternal shuttle a few hundred paces away .
The three present boarded the shuttle without any words passing between them , Rising into the atmosphere as a silencer atomised another portion of the republic navy .
" Pull back , We're heading back to Zakuul space " Nox ordered as the gathered fleet immediately began to leave , The republic and imperial coalition continuing to fire apon the faster ships to no avail .
The shuttle they were on landed in one of the eternities hangers as both left the atmosphere of alderaan , As soon as the shuttle setting down , The eternity jumped into hyperspace .
" I take it you have decided you are indeed with us Malgus " Nox turned his attention to the traitorous sith who stood with his arms crossed Infront of his chest .
" I am , It would be ... unfavorable for me to find myself at odds with you " Malgus replied as Nox nodded at the siths words ,The shuttle bay doors opening , Allowing for the three do them to drop from the shuttle and into the hanger .
Lana and Theron stood waiting for them , A non to pleased look on the heavily pregnant Lana's face as she tapped her foot impatiently .
Theron looked worried as Lana came forward , Her eyes scanning over Nox for any damages , He wasn't sure what she could see but the frown that made it's way to her face brought a small smile to his face .
" Are we to retaliate " Lana asked as Nox came forward , Shaking his head in the process .
" There is no need just yet , Both the empire and the republic have been dealt a critical blow in these last week's , This will allow us to prepare , For now me make for Iokath , I have a barsenthor to break in " Nox chuckled to himself as Lana closed her eyes , Took a deep breath before nodding her head .
" If they attempt something like that on you again I'll take the silencer fleet and level kaas city myself " Lana retorted , Her anger at the situation bleeding I to her words and Nox came up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders .
" I am sure you would , But now , You need rest , Come along " Nox urged the hormonal woman along with a gently push .
" Commander ... my mother ... is she " Theron began as Nox stopped and looked towards the former CIS agent .
" She is fine , Scared , Sad , But fine , She was the only one to walk away without any injuries " Nox reassured the man who slumped in relief .
" Thank you ... commander " Theron smiled , Nox nodding in response before continuing onwards with Lana .
Arcann , Malgus and Theron stayed behind as the two entered the elevator and ascended to a higher floor within the flagship .
" Come malgus , We have several topics to go over before you can truly begin your duties " Acrann urged the sith traitor to follow .
Leaving Theron alone to his thoughts he sagged , Relief continuing to flood him at knowing his mother lived on .
THE PRESENT - KESSEL
Approaching the planet from the swirling maelstrom of storm clouds behind , Asteroid bounced around behind the curtains of black , Lightning flashing , Illuminating vast distances with its blue hued arcs .
The planet below was coloured brown as clouds washed over the world , It's atmosphere was tinted a slight shade of green and brown , No doubt the toxins in the atmosphere were to blame .
Rotating the orientation of the X-70 B , Nox became level with the portion of the horizon he was aiming towards .
Craters of asteroids littered the continents of the planet , Deep gouges delving deep into the surface of the world .
But he didn't pay attention to any of these , His black star flecked eyes peering at the planet through the force itself .
A haze of black shifted from within the world , Rising in columns , Through the atmosphere to coalesce into the atmosphere , Soaking the stone of the surface in it's dark energies .
It wasn't a force nexus , That was easily evident , It was more akin to the bleeding lifeforce of a being that refused to truly die , Despite being cut up into pieces , The beings will to live was so great that his lifeforce still oozed form his corpse , Fueling him in his undeath .
The ship hurtled through the atmosphere , Sediment bouncing off the hull of the ship harmlessly as the lord on board aimed at the greatest focal point for the bleeding life energies .
Vents of gas rose high from the same cracks as the life energies in the cracks of the planets surface .
He activated the landing gear of the ship as he slowed and began to lower it to the ships surface .
A hiss from the landing gear , Signifying the ships safe landing , The entity lowered his hands from the control stick , A sigh escaping him as he slumped into the fabric of his seat .
" This place is weird " Vaylin announced her presence with a sway of her hips , Sauntering into the bridge with a small smirk on her face , A flaring pain in her abdomen forcing her to stop her Sauntering and resort to small steps as she approached.
Stretching in his seat , A yawn escaped Nox as he slowly rose from his seat , Turning to the woman as the ancient entity wore a simple black gown , This allowed Vaylin a rather nice view in her opinion as she ogled his pectorals and abdomen .
" It should feel odd , Considering It's in a sense alive ... or was " Nox mused as he walked past Vaylin , Existing the bridge and heading towards the cargo hold .
" Oh ... " Vaylin began to contemplate Nox's odd piece of information as she followed him towards the cargo hold , A wind current rising throughout the ships inside as the ramp was lowered .
As the entity she loved moved to activate the Scorpio proxy , Vaylin leant against the entryway of the ship , Staring down the ramp towards the planets surface , She sniffed at the air before gagging slightly , The toxins at the planets air disgusted the woman , Plugging her nose as she animatedly waved the disgusting smelling air away from herself .
" Scorpio " Nox's voice diverted Vaylin's attention back to the man as the proxy body of Scorpio turned on , The original body half way across the galaxy splitting it's consciousness between another of its proxies .
" Your majesty " Scorpio respectfully bowed her head as the man smirked slightly .
" Good to have you here " Nox stood back as the droid stepped out of the crate it was stored in .
" The location of this unit is odd , Where are we " Scorpio asked as Nox turned and motioned for her to follow , The man wearing a simple robe descending the ramp with the droid obediently following close behind .
" We are currently on Kessel , The mining world within the akkadese maelstrom " Nox looked at the barren wasteland around the ship with a contemplative look .
" I assume there is a good reason for you to be on such a ... deplorable world " Scorpios clipped tone amused the entity .
" Oh yes ... I do , I have unfinished business to attend to you see ..." Nox didn't elaborate further as he stared intently at one of the vents , A few hundred metres in diameter.
Scorpio watched Nox with interest as the man seemed to space out absentmindedly, Staring at the vent intently for several seconds before the droid cleared her throat .
" Is there something you wish me to do whilst you attend to your business" Scorpio diverted Nox's attention , The man blinking once or twice before his thought process continued .
" Ah yes , I need you to do several things before I return , I want you to find and determine the makeup of Kessels spice that the locals mine , The amount the mine and exactly how they do so ... Find a strong undiscovered source of coaxium so we may mine it covertly away from prying eyes . I also want you to make contact with the resident species energy spiders , Either find them and begin peaceful relations , A deal with them so they may provide us with what we wish or a large amount of their webs so we may extract glitterstim , Other than that ... you may do as you wish " Nox Informed the droid as he turned towards the ship , Ascending the ramp until he came face to face with Vaylin .
" I must split from you momentarily, You may do as you wish in the meantime , Stay on the ship or mingle with the locals , I will find you when I have done what I need " Vaylin looked crestfallen , Nox seeing this raised his hand to cup her chin , Leaning down to capture her lips in his own . The woman greedily accepted his attention , Her hands rising as she wrapped her arms around his neck .
The two continued this for a few moments before they seperated a small frown marring the woman's face as Nox stepped away , Already feeling as if the distance he made was too far from her , The warmth of his body leaving her as she felt a sense of cold wash over her .
Nox shrugged off his robe and tossed it to the side , Leaving him wearing a pair of black knee length pants , He began to walk to the ramp once more before stopping and looking over his left shoulder .
" When I say you can do anything ... I mean anything , This world is sparsely monitored , But there is a large prison under the republics jurisdiction , Security is reportedly a joke and most inhabitants are ... Well nobody would miss them " Nox informed the woman , Feeling her mood raise significantly before he continued onwards down the ramp .
" I will depart immediately to perform your tasks , Is there a timeframe you need this completed by " Scorpio asked as Nox passed by her on his way to the nearest vent , Falling in toe as the man's hair billowed in the air current picked up .
" I may be gone for some days ... say a week before you must return to the ship , Also of there is a security breach of any kind ... I expect you to subdue any issues that may arise " Nox stopped Infront of the crack in the surface .
" As you wish " Scorpio stepped back as her exoskeleton broke apart , Hundreds of thousands of microscopic nano droids beginning to ascend into the atmosphere in a black cloud of metal , Heading northwards towards the nearest colony .
Nox could feel Vaylin watching him , In turn sending comforting waves of energy towards the woman who soaked in what he sent her way .
Looking down into the hole that dove deep down into the surface , Nox activated his force sight as the obscuring cloud of rising toxins became see through .
The entity stepped over into the vent , Simply dropping down into the darkness as the heat from the vent passed by the man harmlessly . He landed on an outcrop of rock , The stone cracking as he landed on its flimsy surface . Quickly he and to its edge , Looking towards another outcrop hundreds of metres below , Once more dropping over the ledge and towards his second target .
He continued this process several times , Dropping kilometres at a time in some leaps as passing well below the deepest depths mined by locals as he was surrounded by darkness , No light reached where he was , The sediment of the vents now so heavy it was akin to wading through waist deep sand .
Landing on one last outcrop , The entity could see that the vent opened up into a colloidal cavern below , No doubt the empty magma chamber of a long dead volcano .
But deep down below that , Nox could see another opening , Dropping down into the surface with an unimpeded drop that descended down until it opened up exactly where he wished to be .
With that thought , Nox stepped over the ledge , Ending up into a freefall ,Manourvering himself as he aimed for the opening vent of the magma chamber .
A sick smile opened up on the man's face as he dropped into the darkness , A cackle rising from him as he narrowed himself , Flattening his hands against his side before diving into the vent , Disappearing from the sight is an energy slider that lived within the chamber , The only thing signifying the man's presence was the shifting trail of sediment that showed clearly where he had passed .
ELSEWHERE ON KESSEL - KESSANDRA SETTLEMENT
Wearing a simple set of grey armour , Having foregone her regular clothing , Vaylin walked through the settlement with analytical eyes .
Her face looked relaxed and inviting , Her stance appeared open and unprepared whilst her usual molten eyes were sky blue .
Her almost mythical beauty drew the attention of many around her , Both important individuals and their ... property looked her way as her brown hair was braided and ran down the front of her chest until the end of the braid settled over the armour covering her fight breast .
On her right hip was an MK-2 blaster pistol made within the armouries of Zakuul specifically for her to use in undercover missions , And hidden under the backpack hanging onto her shoulders was her lightsaber incase she needed it .
She puckered her lips slightly as she walked , Passing by a republic officer as the man cast a look in her direction as she passed .
Looking to some of the more shady individuals within the walkway , She approached one of the men , A zabrak male of brown colour and a small ring of horns on his head .
" Excuse me " Vaylin sauntered up to the man obviously in command of the crew of aliens around him .
The zabrak looked to her as she approached , Eyes passing over her fair skin as he looked her up and down . Despite all the visible vulnerabilities the woman showed , His base survival instincts screamed at him , The micro hairs on his body standing on end under her gaze , He shivered lightly at the dead pale look of her eyes .
To simply walk through such a cesspool as Kessel , You either had to be crazy or formidable ... perhaps even both , And he was betting she was a mix of both .
" What can I do for you ... ma'am" He nervously asked , Watching as her eyes pinched slightly before a disarming smile came to her face .
" I'm looking for some ... organic wares , Perhaps you can point me in the right direction " Her fingers snaked out and danced across his chest armour , Much to the zabraks hidden alarm , As well as he wasnt sure if she realised of not, But he could feel the armour bend and warped under her touch , Leaving small grooves in it's surface as her fingers raked across its steel surface .
Gulping , Knowing exactly what she wished , The zabrak looked towards the branching street to the right .
" You'll want to take a right down there ma'am , Halfway down that street you'll see a rodian named seed , He's the one you want to talk too " The zabrak told the intimidating woman .
Her hand fell to her side as she squinted up at the stocky zabrak , A tsk escaping her lips before she simply went in the direction he left in .
Slumping as she left , His second in command came up to him with a raised eyebrow .
" What was that about " The man asked as the zabrak turned to watch the woman disappear into the crowds .
" Gather our things and our guys , We're leaving... now " The man ordered before storming off to his ship located on the outskirts of the town .
THE MINES
The black metallic cloud of metal slammed into the ground five hundred metres from the nearest individual , The metal Cratering the ground before the metal shroud coalesced together as they came together to form Scorpios form .
Stalking out of the falling debris cloud , The droid observed the mine up ahead with her photoreceptors.
Cloaking herself ,The droid began to shimmer and shift , Disappearing into thin air as she waltzed towards the mine .
Stopping Infront of the entrance , The droid scaled the overlooking tower with a sentry guard looking out towards the distance with his blaster in his grip .
Silently , With the grace of a cat , The droid manourvered herself , Flipping over the railing in an unnatural show of agility , The balls of her metallic heels connecting with the floor of the walls walkway .
Remaining crouched down , She observed the less than ideal situation going on behind the republic's back . Slaves moved crates of spice from within the opening of the mine , Making sure they were sealed shut so they didn't react to the sunlight , Stored and stacked under a tarp kept up by four mounted poles .
Using her agility , The droid leaned forward , Form shimmering slightly before she pounced , Sprinting at inhuman speeds into the mine , Weaving and passing by the unprepared slaves that wouldn't have cared regardless .
Swallowed by the mouth of the cave , Scorpio leapt , Rotating in the air before her limbs dug into the roof of the tunnel , She immediately began scurrying across the roof deeper into the cave , Passing overhead of the unsuspecting slaves silently akin to a shadow .
Following the largest trail of slaves , Scorpio soon appeared in an open cavern , it spanned an impressive distance as towers were erected to assist in the mining operations , Tubes fed from the surface provided both limited amounts of oxygen and supplies to continue unimpeded .
In the centre of the cavern was a towering crystalline tower of lime colour , Her scanners depicted the tower descended hundreds if not thousands of metres deeper down into the planet .
Vents of superheated air occasionally burst from around , Sometimes killing a slave that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the offshoot .
Covertly , The droid approached an exposed vein of spice jutting from the wall , Nearby slaves beginning to place equipment around the vein to begin mining .
Producing a small tube from within her constantly shifting metallic body , Scorpio's five fingers split in half into ten as they dug into the surface of the high reactive mineral , She managed to remove a sliver of the mineral , Removing the cap off of the tube before sliding it into and resealing the tube .
Placing the tube back within her chassis , The droid slunk back deeper out of the potential prying eyes of the guards and slaves .
Standing to full height , The droid analysed the offshoring tunnels from the central chamber , Deciding to continue on with the next part of her given mission , The droid chose a less populated tunnel to delve into , Sprinting full speed towards the dark tunnel that dove deeper , And with a herculean leap , Cleared the traffic of slaves and landed Infront of its unlit mouth , Entering without a care in the world as she began her search .
WITH NOX
Slamming into the button of the chute with the force of a comet , The area around Nox shook and shuttered , Crystalline structures falling from the roof only to be obliterated by the own collision with the ground , Breaking away like glass as the structures splintered and broke .
Rising from his crouch completely undamaged , Nox's eyes flashed in all directions rapidly as he took in all around him .
A single statue sat against the northern wall of the cavern , Half destroyed by the whims of time , From it's opened stone mouth , An eternal scream visible on its sculpted features . Lime green glowing ooze dropping from the left side of the statues mouth , Dropping down from the statue to pool in a mote of the same liquid, Obviously having been building for hundreds if not thousands of years .
The rest of the statue looked little better , Having only one of its two arms remaining , Extended to its side with its hand facing what would have been upwards had to statue not fallen . It's fingers were long with two extra digits than it should have had and tipped with claws , At the centre of the statues chest was what was depicted to be a red gem held in place by a chain hooked around the statues neck .
Approaching the statue , Nox stood just beyond the surface of the obviously volatile pool of liquid .
" So that's what you appeared as in their dreams huh ... beast " Nox mused out loud as he looked directly at the unseeing eyes of the statue .
Feeling around the cavern , He could feel that this was the location for the highest concentration of the planets seeming lifeforce , like a flowing ocean it attempted to sit on his shoulders and push him down , Crying for his servitude to whatever it once was .
He resisted however , Standing tall as he breathed in the toxic air . His unmarred skin beginning to sizzle and shift , The hidden runes he had grafted onto his skin long ago flashed a bright indigo colour .
It was as if someone had pulled the plug out of a bath tub , The black , Viscus atmosphere around him began to twist , Slowly rotating around his standing body before picking up speed .
Sound began to pick up , Blasting , Cracking winds tore throughout the cavern , Another much like the sound of flowing water sounded from around him .
It didn't take long for a whirlpool formed around Nox , The energy around him being violently sucked into his body at a rate far faster than it was produced .
Whilst this occured around him , Nox knelt onto his knees , Crossing his legs , Placing his hands onto his knees , Nox breathed out a long breath , Consciously bridging and fortifying the connection he had to the cosmic force . Snapping forward , Nox blasted his consciousness from his body straight into the waiting clutches of chaos .
CHAOS
The shifting orange tint of the eternal sands of chaos blew heavily into his face . The swirling black , Red , White and Blue energies that made up his form swirled around him and broke off into rising whisps of energy that bled into and disappeared into the atmosphere .
Open immediately before him , The familiar descending path obscured by unnatural darkness , The kneeling statues the same as they had ever been , The whispers rising from within the crack of chaos didn't deter Nox in the slightest , Simply making him smirk .
Walking forward , Nox entered the crack in chaos , Arms crossed behind his back , Head held high , The entity marched into the dark .
The consistent heartbeat of his adversary shook the tunnel he walked , the mural on either sides of the wall remained the same a gusts of wind attempted to shoot him back out of the black tunnel .
Familiar lime snaking whisps of energy twisted and turned from deeper down in chaos .
Nox ran the fingers of his left hand through the snaking whisps , Watching as it shifted and parted around his fingers .
Once more , Nox soon stood at the end of the corridor , Looking down into the ethereal swirling vibrant green whirlpool that worked as the doorway to the realm below .
Instead of dropping down , Nox stepped forward , Finding purchase on what appeared to be nothing but platform of energy he absentmindedly created through the energies of the force around him .
He walked down the invisible steps one at a time before he stood on the precipice of the doorway .
Staring down into the gaping maw of shadow , Nox sighed , Dropping into the doorway whilst holding his breath .
REALM OF TYPHOJEM - LOWER LEVELS OF CHAOS
Starless void lay open before him , Endless in size as its lone resident almost immediately recognised his presence .
Its glowing red eyes found him as it's towering size turned to face him , Still larger than the planets he used to smash in his battles , Typhojem's rage rose to height it hadn't felt in eons .
" Hello shade , It's been some time " Nox's mocking tone carried throughout the void .
His answer was the terrible , World breaking scream of hate that escaped from the tentacled maw of typhojem .
The shockwave washed over Nox , Causing his form to waver slightly but was all together harmless .
Nox's gaze caught the sight of Typhojem's right arm , Or lack there of . Everything from the elbow down was missing , A skeletal arm had begun to manifest where the arm used to be , But was thin , Had no muscle and looked as if a relatively strong wind could tear it from its larger body .
" That's not looking to good , Not the same as it once was huh . Well ... unfortunately for you ... I'm here for the rest " Nox's Black eyes squinted as his featureless form shook and shivered .
Typhojem in turn began with the opening attack , His left hand spurred into action with a blast of planet rending lightning .
The bolts of hatred cleared the unfathomable distance between the two in moments .
Nox's form blurred as he was about to be hit , His humanoid form contorting and flying through the air at blistering speeds , The lightning arcs slowing to a crawl as he flew beside their superheated arcs .
With each bolt being larger than he himself was , Nox sped between each colloidal arc .
It appeared typhojem was not as Inept as Nox thought as it's eyes tracked his movements , And in a show of speed the belied it's size , Created distance between itself and the entity that had taken its arm .
A small grunt escaped Nox as Typhojem was once more at the same previous distance he was previously , The lightning now behind Nox continuing onwards unimpeded before fizzling out in the far distance .
The intelligent red orbs of Typho analysed Nox intently . It stilled momentarily before the force answered it's call .
" Finally , We battle " Nox smiled as countless Warping holes of swirling darkness appeared , Tentacled tendrils of dark green ooze burst from the gates , Barbed claws on the end of each tentacle , Lightning arced between each tentacle as they came from all directions , Speeding towards Nox .
Nox watched each tendrils spur towards him , Hundreds of thousands of each individual appendage wanting nothing more than to bury in his flesh , Pulling him apart until nothing remained .
He spied no hole he could pass through that was covered in some way , The impenetrable wall of death coming closer with each given second .
His smile quickly developed into a frown on his humanoid featureless face . He wasn't across however , Simply pleased with typhojem's apparent acknowledgement of the danger he posed . It was this thought that passed through his head as something within him shifted , As if the locks of a vault were disengaged with the vault door being flung open wide .
Typhojem watched with burning eyes , The endless mass of portals encircling his enemy lunched their attacks , Attempting to skewer the being before him .
The appendages neared the being at the centre .
But typhojem wasn't fooled , He could perceive the shift , The resounding Shockwaves billowing from Nox's form , Energy constructed body growing unstable .
Typhojem could see everything occuring as if it was right before his eyes , Below the man's eyes , Four slits bled into existence in trails of black .
In horizontal rows , The six eyes exploded open , Violet eyes of glowing power . It was this same moment that Nox's body exploded . A white dome of energy erupting from his body , The tentacles disintegrated apon touching the dome , Reduced to nothingness as the dome washed over each one .
" Do you know how liberating it is to cast off the binding flesh that restrains my power . To manifest myself at my truest ...
No ... I guess you wouldn't " Nox's new form towered over the previous humanoid shape he had " Afterall you've never had to pretend to be weak , To wear the face of a smiling man that has the best intentions , To mingle with the lower lifeforms just to remain hidden between them , No ... you would never understand "
Six arms sprouted from his shoulder blades , Three on each side of his body , These arms were similar to a human's in overall shape and the amount of joints they had , His hands however were a different story , Seven fingers on each hand , Ending with sharp claws capable of tearing flesh from anything .
His legs were tense with muscle that coiled , Ready to spring into action .
Produced and jutting out of his spine , An innumerable amount of unnaturally elongated arms hung from his back , They dwarfed his body in sheer size , Taunt and tight as the pale flesh cling to each one .
One could see the bones underneath , The muscle clinging tight to each appendage . All along the length of each arm were joints at regular intervals , Allow universal movement in any direction , And at the end of each arm were the same Severn fingered hands that accompanied his regular arms .
Gumless lips with serated teeth ground together as the form of Nox straightened out , Black hair clung to the top of his head trailing behind his head , His six eyes staring at Typhojem .
Staring at his arms , Nox clenched the hand of his first right hand into a fist before returning his gaze to typhojem .
" It's incomplete ... but enough " Typhojem apparently wasn't too keen on seeing what this ... new form of Nox was capable of , Calling the full power he had to bear as reality warped to his whims .
Orbs of crimson energy blasted from Typhojem's chest where the jem of fury was one housed .
Spreading out behind him , The thousands of arms straightened behind him like a halo .
Some flew forward , Elongating as they grew further in length , Meeting the first of Typhojem's orbs head on , One by one the hands clasped the face of the orb .
They pushed the first orb out of Nox's way as he began to fly forward , Growing more accustomed to using his different arms .
He careened out of the way of the second and third orb , His arms trailing behind him like a coat trail , Following his movements .
Despite being over a hundred metres in overall height , Typhojem was still insurmountably larger than he was , He still housed a World breaking amount of power , And despite Nox dodging out of the way of the two orbs . Typhojem still had innumerable ways of attacking .
This was Typhojem's realm , And despite being a shade , Could continue to learn and refine his ability .
So when a ring of asteroids appeared around Typhojem , Nox's eyes widened for only a moment before narrowing .
A flick of the celestial beasts remaining hand chased the ring of asteroids to begin flying in Nox's direction , It didn't matter of they impacted each other , Turning each one to dust as the debris would continue on its course .
Continuing to fly towards his target that slowly grew in size as the distance closed , Two of his first six hands began shrouded in a red haze . His Hands coming close together , White light appearing within his fists .
He met the asteroids head on as his two red encased hands were flung Infront of him , Twin beams of bright , White and crimson burned from his palms , Feeding from two small vortexes in his palm .
The superheated jets collided with the asteroids , seering through their surfaces , Splitting them in half or outright causing them to explode under the power they were subjected to .
A line of explosions obscured both opponents from each other , The shockwave passing over both harmlessly .
Preparing himself for the inevitable collision he would have with his opponent ,a lance of energy appeared in Typhojem's left hand , His reality bending abilities coming into play as six miniature stars were formed up above his head , Their gravity causing them to elongate as they pulled on each other , They began to twist and comfort before circling around each other in a ring of superheated plasma .
As the explosive cloud finally evaporated, It appeared Typhojem's opponent hadn't been idle either .
In two of his six immediate arms were elongated blades of black energy , Longer than his body was but no doubt dangerous as they cut through the very fabric of shadow that surrounded him .
In the other four arms appeared to be four white balls the size of his palms .
As if he were using his right arm , Typhojem's nub wavered , The halo of stars overhead shifting before spinning at Nox .
" That's ... new " Nox thought , Puckering his imaginary lips before flying to meet the charge head-on .
Using both darkshear's in his hands , Nox spun with the first in his right hand , The blade elongating as he sliced , The shadow of the darkshear , Normally susceptible to light , Completely ignored the light projected from the incoming halo .
The writhing shadows that made up the blade came in contact with the halo , A screeching noise announced their collision , The shadow blade bent and warped but remained strong as The halo and darkshear battled for dominance .
It appeared Typhojem wasn't content with letting Nox overpower his ring of stars , The beast flying to the opposite side of Nox , Using his lance to strike out at Nox .
Three of Nox's eyes remained pinned on Typhojem , Tracking his movements , Nox raised his other darkshear and forced it to connect with Typho's lance of red light.
Despite being many times smaller than typhojem , Nox's strength did not fail him as he managed to divert Typhojem's lance away from himself .
With a snap , Nox's eyes widened as his darkshear began to crack , The light of the spinning halo slowly beginning to eat at the shadow blade .
The danger Nox was in became worse as Typhojem made a jabbing motion with his lance capable of splitting moons due to its size .
" Erm ... no I don't think I'll be taking either of these head on " From what Nox had seen , The warfare Typhojem was most used to was with other celestials and entities , While such beings were indeed powerful , They never had to evolve , To truly learn , Nothing stuck , Thus when they battled , Their patterns were more often than not predictable .
This was one such moment , When survival of the other was not guaranteed , Nox was willing and able to do just about anything be needed , And with a mind as ultimately twisted as he was , There was nothing he wouldn't resort to .
Thus , When he all but evaporated from inbetween typhojem and The halo of stars , He obviously hadn't been expecting such a thing as his own attack collided with his shade form , His wail of pain tearing at the dimension around him as it at at his stomach .
KESSEL
Vaylin Attempted to regain her balance as the entirety of Kessel shook , Whole mines exploded as their produce became unstable . Countless lives were lost in the ensuing explosions that tore the ground and threw the sediment and rock into the atmosphere .
Volcanoes exploded across the planet , Ejecting mass amount of toxins and gasses into the skies .
The prison on world threatened to be swallowed up by the shifting of the continent around them but ultimately held .
Another earthquake tore through the town of kessandra , It's inhabitants kneeling low in the ground with their hands raised overhead to stop anything from hitting them , People cowered in their homes , Slavers hid as their slaves gathered around them . People attempted to get to their ships only to be knocked out of the sky due to the flying clouds of debris .
CHAOS
Lance's of light and blades of shadow shook Typhojem's void , Flashes of energy announced the explosions as supernovae exploded around the two combatants .
Their blades connected as the smaller Nox sped around Typhojem , Blitzing the towering giant , Flying at the beasts back in an attempt to slice off his wings , Said wings beat at their owners command , The resounding wave of energy tossing Nox away and into the distance .
As the distance between them increased , Two more miniature nova appeared at the centre of eight of Nox's many arms before being blasted towards typhojem .
The beast , Knowing just how damaging those attacks were , Hurled his lance at the nova , The spinning blade impacted both at the same time , A flash of white announcing the beasts safety as the exploding dome expanded from the Centrepoint .
Another lance sparked into existence in Typhojem's hand .
The cephalopod being looked around as his opponent appeared to disappear from his immediate senses .
The powerful force being's red orbs snapped from side to side as it turned and twisted .
" You know ... you house formidable power , I admit you may currently have a greater connection than I ... But you lack a few vital components needed to win this duel . Imagination ... Tenacity ... The sheer need to win . You know as well as I that as long as you can imagine it ... the force can do it . But you lack that component ... And that is why , No matter what you do ... I win " Nox's voice wrung around the Titanic being , It looked around , In all directions for the one it battled .
Far off in the infinite void it called home , It saw a spark of white , A small dot on the horizon . He had less than a second to prepare as the jet of plasma was then tearing at his body , Seering into his abdomen before the white light of the beam burst from his back an continued onwards unimpeded .
" Did you know ... " Appearing Infront of his head was none other than Nox , The tiny figure having a snug smile on his face as he cast a glance to the continuing jet of plasma that refused to dissipate .
On instinct typhojem made to create distance between the suddenly appeared entity , His error known immediately after as the seering pain of the beam of plasma cut through his stomach , His entire left portion threatened to seperate from his bottom , Barely kept together by the right half of his stomach as energy bled from the gaping wound .
" The current most destructive thing known to organics is the releasing beam of energy from a super massive blackhole , Known as a quasar . There is nothing that can survive it . I once had a basterdised version of a quasar sent at me from my lover ... had I not been so tied to the cosmic force ... I wouldn't be here right now . That gave me an idea ... I know exactly how a quasar is formed , So why not make a real one . Albeit it is far smaller , Weaker than had I been able to form a proper one with sufficient energy . But instead I used the latent energies around me to form the basic requirements to form one . I'm afraid , Had I had time to make a fully formed and self sustaining one ... You would have died almost instantly " Nox mocked .
Typhojem , Sensing the danger and foreseeing what came next , Immediately turned tail and attempted to flee back into the void .
" You're free to go and lick your wounds ... but not without me getting a little something for my efforts " With a twist of his hand , The black hole currently releasing the quasar jet , Began to twist and rotate .
Typhojem was half way through de-materialising himself into the void when a pain unlike any other seared itself into his mind , He could feel the seperation of his right wing from his body alongside the corresponding leg , The white quasar beam severing them from his larger body with next to no resistance . He didn't even have time to scream as the process of evaporating completed , Fleeing off into the endless dark as he left a wing and leg to the entity who had no doubt once more claimed victory .
Nox could feel the coalesced power of his new form begin to waver , A sigh escaped him as he forcibly reverted back to his more humanoid shape of swirling red and blue energies .
His control of the created quasar ceased , Carefully watching the beam sustain itself for a while longer , Before login it began to waver and shift , Growing unstable at its source as the blackhole began to swallow itself .
He ignored what remained of his final attack swallowing itself in favour of dragging the two now useless appendages of his enemy towards him through use of the force .
With either one slowing to a stop within arm's reach of either side of his body .
Reaching out , Nox clasped each appendage with his hands as the black Viscus muscle that made up Typhojem's limbs were cold to the touch .
Ethereal runes exactly the same as the ones on his real body flashed into existence on his immaterial form .
The limbs began to contort and twist as they lost their forms , The energy that made this forms swirling into Nox's palms , The process felt like hours but eventually he had absorbed the two celestial body parts , He could feel the energies that made up the limbs threatening to tear out of his form in an escape , But he ruthlessly squashed the power down and began to process of fully converting and adding them to his base power .
Whilst doing so he could feel his adversaries attention on him throughout the void .
A mouth beginning to materialise on his ethereal body , He opened it in a smirk as white light Shon within .
" I have taken all I need from you . But do not feel as if I won't come back and complete the process , It may not be today , Tomorrow or ten decades down the line , As I have far more pressing matters to deal with ... like a little sith playing his games throughout the galaxy . But when my more important matters are complete , I will return , And I will devour you , So sleep demon ... Sleep in your eternal nightmare , Know that I will come and take what remains of you at any moment . And know , When I return , You will be all but powerless to stop me " Nox's mad laugher reverberated throughout the void as he felt the demons restlessness , With one last high-pitched cackle , His form unravelled as he flung his consciousness back to his awaiting humanoid shell .
KESSEL
His hand shot up , Ripples of force energy rising from around him to halt the process of the falling cavern around him .
He reversed the process as the stalactites slowly ascended back into the previous position .
The ocean of energy that flowed within previously long since gone and absorbed by Nox , Having been the physical manifestation of Typhojem's energies remaining in the physical realm .
" Korriban ... kessel ...The final is ... Sessa " Nox mused as he felt his control of his power was once more shot to hell . He would have to regain his previous masterful control once more due to the sudden boost in his base power , This why he hadn't let go of the cavern , Maintaining it absentmindedly would afford him the beginnings of his control exercises .
His other hand reached out and twisted , Taking great care as he bent the fabric of space in his palm . Levelling his palm out , Three balls of a black metal sat atop his palm , Their density so high that light bent around their surfaces much like a black hole would .
With keeping the cavern around him , Nox split his attention to focus on all three balls in his palm , Slowly they began to levitate in his palm , All three following a small circle as Nox scowled at the small metallic balls , Nearly crushing them as he adjusted just how much power he was putting into holding them suspended in the air above his palm .
" Luckily I have a week before returning " Nox mused as he began to enter a meditative state to enhance the effect of regiment he was subjecting himself to .
It would be a full seven days before he would open his eyes again .