Ask Something About Bugs

[Bir Vuul]

Korriban was a world that harbored many negative emotions from the mad Kel Dor, or perhaps rather the man he once was. After his hiatus, sealed away on his homeworld unknown to all, he was convinced now that a return would not be such a blight as it once was. Much the opposite, he in fact hoped. Perhaps now he could benefit from time spent on the Sith homeworld. Upon arrival, he was presented with an unpleasant truth. Details were abundant about the ‘invasion’ and recurring plague and it seemed Korriban was not yet fully purged.

”Ah… The Mad Champion returns?” a dock worker teased. ”How unfortunate,” he finished, returning his attention to the datapad in hand. Bir was used to such behaviors, having experienced similarly jaded comments since his induction into the Order, so this was of little consequence. ”What gives us the pleasure, Vuul?”

”Called back! Called to serve! Called to cull!” Bir declared excitedly as he pulled the hood from his head, his face contorting into a wild grin whilst locking eyes with the man. ”...and kill,” With a roll of his eyes, the worker continued to scan through his docs.

”Says here you’re…. Oh,” A snide smirk spread itself across his face. ”You’re to report to the Academy and supervise the acolyte Nova Trent in an investigation,” He continued as he cleared the Kel Dor to proceed.

”Thank you, friend! Thank you!” Bir stated excitedly, offering the man something enclosed in his metal fist. ”For your troubles!” Bewildered but not one to deny a tip, the dock worker cautiously held his open palm beneath Bir’s, only for a writhing worm to be dropped in it. ”Best eaten fresh! Enjoy!” With that, Bir was enroute to find his ward.

”Poor kid has no idea what she’s in for,” the dock worker scowled as he dropped the worm to the dusty floor, squashing it beneath his boot. ”Next!”

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

After having survived the mess of Korriban, Nova had actually been convinced she could leave this all behind, yet somehow someone had decided that she was to return to it immediately, tasking her to go investigate some more sumors about a group of Joined who had supposedly survived and were apparently regrouping and hiding in the Southern swamps.

She had scowled at the instructor, obviously not pleased by such a mission, but she had only scolded her for even daring to react in such a way and since Nova planned on going through her trials soon, she had obviously taken her stuff and boarded the shuttle. Throughout the whole flight she had looked everything but happy, but even after having sworn to not deal with the Killik in the near future, she was once again confronted with them...

In her uniform she was escorted to the ports where she was supposed to meet the Champion who was to accompany her. Cheriss, her master, was bust somewhere else and so they had asked someone else to come. She had not looked his name up or anything and honestly didn't care who was supposed to come as she just wanted to get the job done. Find those freaks, kill them, done.

She tried to take a more neutral expressions before the Imperial Lieutenant pointed in a direction of a masked man not far off. Ah. So that was him. She walked off without saying another word, slowly ridding herself of those grim expressions and forcing herself not to cross her arms in front of her chest. She stopped a few feet away from him, respectfully reclining her head like they had taught her again and again and greeted him rather neutrally. "Champion Vuul, I'm Nova Trent" she stated flatly, although then forcing herself to a quick smile.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

Watching the young Acolyte approach, Bir beamed in her direction as he lowered the hood of his cloak. She was young but any who believed that youth was an indication of incapability often found themselves surprised at the potential they could attain. Whether or not she would be one such person remained to be seen but she had survived within the Sith this long so he felt optimistic.

”Champion?! Bah! I require no such titles, my friend!” Bir exclaimed enthusiastically, reaching out and taking one of her hands with both of his own, shaking it vigorously. His palms would still be greasy from holding the handful of wiggling worms, small remnants of their insides dotting the straw receptacle of his mask. ”I am Bir! No more! No less! It is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

He knew little of this woman, save that she had some experience in dealing with these ‘Joined’ that they were expected to hunt down and eradicate. Perhaps there would be a peaceful solution but he harbored doubts. No, it was more likely they would be walking into a slaughter. Releasing Nova’s hand and retrieving the sculpted bone staff-spear of his own making, the Kel Dor spun on his heels and began walking towards the shuttle that would carry them to the last known location of this missing tribe.

”Today we act as exterminators! We are the fire that shall purge those who threaten our people! Our world! Excitement! Exhilaration! Tell me Nova, my compatriot! What do you know of these traitors? What experiences have led you to be appointed to such a task?!”

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

She casually chewed on the gum she had in her mouth, not in a necessarily disrespectful way, but she had gotten shit for that before. She cautioned herself to stop, although once she did, she was not continuing out of different reasons. With an eyebrow quirked up, she stared at him speechlessly for a moment, his...bubbly manner somehow surprising her strongly.

She had no idea how to place it, as he buoyantly shook her hand though, she sticked with madness for now. She blinked a few times, actually too startled to even retract the hand quick enough so that now she was left with a trace of slime and she had absolutely no idea what to do with that next. She opened her mouth to say something, although confusedly closed it again, wiping her hand against her pants and then glanced up again.

Bir...what an odd name. Or well and oddly fitting name for an odd fella like him. But no seriously though. What was wrong with him? Was it even save to have him come with her? She started doubting that while she resumed chewing. "Well then...Bir. Hi. A pleasure indeed". The smile that followed was indeed amused as she was realizing that he at least didn't seem like the sort that would constantly correct her.

As he continued talking, she noticed how over the top everything he said was and she wondered how quickly those talks would get exhausting, but for now, she still found it amusing. "I...was on Korriban when those fucking bugs hit. Guess that's what qualified me to track the rest down" she shrugged with a sigh, "Have you encountered them before?". This could actually make a difference, because by knowing their weak spots, outplaying them was easier.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

Paying little mind, or rather none at all, to her reactions against his mannerisms, Bir continued on up the loading ramp of the shuttle before plopping himself down in a seat and quickly securing himself for the trip. He was used to those he worked with being taken aback by his approach to any sort of situation. He had accepted he was a mad man ages ago and he would now embrace that fact rather than fight it.

”Bugs?!” Bir replied, snapping his head over to the Acolyte. If she could see his eyes behind his goggles, and if she could read emotion from the beady black orbs of his people, she would see a pang of hunger but alas she could not. Not with her own eyes, at least. If she was intuitive however, she would soon recognize he had little knowledge of the threat they were going to confront but that had never stopped him in the past. ”Of course I know bugs! I know them better than most, certainly I do! Squishy, squashy, tasty morsels! I shall take them in my hand and devour them like all the rest! Together, we shall feast! You’ll see! You’ll soon see!”

As the ship began to lift off and take them to their destination, Bir giggled with glee. How exciting it was to return to the servitude of the Empire.

”Tell me of this encounter, my dear girl! Tell your friend Bir of what you had experienced in the past!” The flight wouldn’t be long but the concept of it being spent in silence was not one the Kel Dor was willing to abide.

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

So after they had sent her on that creepy, isolated ship in Raxus' orbit to investigate the shady disappearance of all the workers aboard and obviously the reason behind the lost contact, she had then been forced to drop down on Korriban to fight the pest once again, this time defending the academy, however now she was literally sent after them a third time with an apparent mad man in tow? She was an acolyte, not a vermin exterminator. She was pissed. But this wouldn't take her far and so she decided on humor, as far as this was still possible.

"Ehh...my dude those things are huge" she tried to warn him, but she could see how his excitement or whatever it was rose. Her eyes widened as he described the...practice of eating bugs, a shiver now actually running down her spine while she suppressed a gag. Was that what had been on his slimey hands?! She didn't even want to know, but she'd keep him at a fair distance. "I-" she tried, not even knowing how to explain it, but maybe it was better if he'd just discover all that for himself. "Yeah no, you don't have to count me in there" she still felt the need to clarify that she would never, under no circumstances, squash and eat bugs...especially no giant, armored and armed psycho-killer bugs.

They moved to their shuttle and Nova passed on the coordinates they had given her. How the hell had he been chosen for this mission when he had no idea about what they were facing? Was that a cruel joke. She frustratedly let put a sigh, not wanting to express her annoyance too much, but she wasn't very optimistic about this all. She raised an eyebrow again, his gleeful giggling actually making her chukle again. It surely had something amusing but she wondered whether they shouldn't have reviewed some details...but perhaps it was good to tell him about the threat at first. "They are rather aggressive, connected through a hive mind and always tried to kill or turn me into one of them. We should be careful. You can't tell if someone is joined or not and...wait, do I really have to start at zero?". If he was really completely uninformed and still convinced he could just take them as a little snack, they had a problem.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

”Certainly not! I will simply not feast alone! Unacceptable! Rude of me, is what it would be! No! No no! We shall dine together! You shall see!” Bir continued enthusiastically, his wild smile not diminishing for even a moment. For far too long had he been alone on Dorin, with no one but himself to keep him company. While Nova was disgusted at the concept, and entirely reasonably so, it was going to take more than a simple hand wave of denial for him to retract his offer. Ah, but there was still much time between then and now. Though her acknowledgment of the size of these creatures certainly made his mouth salivate beneath his mask. He’d be well fed for days if this was true! How exciting!

As Nova continued with her explanation of the bug people, Bir pondered silently with a leathery hand curling around his chin. To him, it sounded simple. A hive was only coordinated so long as the monarch of sorts remained. Kill the queen, the hive disperses. It was a simplistic approach, one undoubtedly taken by many others as they swept through this plague. Why fix what wasn’t broken, he concluded.

”No! No, this is plentiful! Wonderful! Undoubtedly bountiful! Knowledge seeps from your mind like… like…” Bir paused for a moment, a rare break in his beaming grin as it transitioned to a scowl of one deep in thought before breaking back into his permanent smile. ”Like a hive overflowing with honey! Poetic, no?!” Bir exclaimed excitedly, practically shaking in his seat. "Find the queen! Kill the queen! Rest her crown on your head! Yes! Queen of the Killiks, you shall be! You'll see! You'll see!" he continued, clapping his hands together repeatedly.

From the cockpit, a quiet groan could be heard from the pilot of the shuttle as he shook his head. ”For the love of... would you please shut up…” he whispered under his breath. Fortunately, they would be arriving in a short time. He couldn’t help but praise the speed of his carrier, given his passenger.

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

Okay, so all aboard the coocoo train. Was that it? Maybe the nature of this mission was a different one. Maybe this was a test. Nova had often struggled with obedience, so maybe they wanted her on this mission with this obviously mad champion so she could prove that she was capable of listening and following orders...

Ooor she had lost a bet she didn't even know of and now she was the one being forced to keep and eye on him and prevent him from doing stupid shit, like eating damn Killik. "No. No absolutely not. This hive-mind shit is infectious. I'm pretty sure you'd become one of them by devouring them".

Right after her explanation, she immediately questioned why she even tried logic again. She shook her head and let out a sigh while he happily pressed on. Wait. Was he even rhyming now? 'Perfect' she sarcastically muttered under her breath. Now Nova was getting certain about how she would lose her mind after this mission as well. Great.

Was there a way to have this end in an unfortunate accident? From the sounds of it, this mad man was a literal danger to probably everyone around."No...no no no. We are not eating them. We can't and shouldn't. No honey, no Queen, we should simply exterminate the Joined and Killik we might still track down" she clarified once again, catching herself trying to use logic once again. No logic Nova, you've got to find different ways.

As the pilot was chiming in, she couldn't help but to feel a decent amount of gratitude. She rarely ever felt such things, but truly this had been about right and she was not planning on messing around with someone of a higher rank, out of respect, obviously. "Okay. So we'll arrive soon. Are you good with tracking?" damn, why was she even trying to open another conversation? Internally, she kicked herself.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

”Tracking!” Bir exclaimed, snapping to face the Acolyte once again. No one survived in the wilderness, any wilderness, without a degree of skill in the subject. Not even sheer dumb luck could keep someone alive for years in solitude amongst the mountains. ”I most certainly do! Indeed! Be it the tiniest morsel to gargantuan beast, I can follow who or whatever to the edges of the galaxy!” Perhaps he was embellishing. Certainly he was. It didn’t matter. Tracking a mindless hive and members of a primitive village who were unwillingly forced to join them seemed within his skill level.

The shuttle shook as it began its descent a short distance away from the perimeter of the village that had been struck by this plague. Wasting no time, Bir immediately unsnapped the harness and stood upright, or rather as upright as his hunched posture would allow, and made for the ramp before it had even touched the dusty surface of Korriban. Shielded eyes scanned the scene, few villagers could be seen as they went about their daily tasks but through the Force, any practitioner could sense what was going on behind them.

Nova had specified that it was near impossible to determine if a sentient had been corrupted, forced into becoming a… what was the word? A joint? What, like a knee? Or an elbow? It worked, Bir supposed. To kill a Queen, you would need to sever her at the appendages first he surmised. Yet he deduced that perhaps simply wandering into a struggling village and erupting into wanton slaughter was counterproductive at the moment. For now, he would be as charming and charismatic as he could.

”Hello! Hello, friends!” Bir bellowed to those in the distance, his words being carried away by the wind and whipping sands. To those in the village, all they would see was a shirtless man standing at the foot of a boarding ramp waving maniacally in their direction with a long staff made of bone in his other hand. Shooting a look back to Nova, Bir motioned his arm dramatically for her to follow. ”Come, my young and eager friend! Let us become acquainted with our subjects! Such nice and delightful people, I’m sure!” Whether it was wise or not, Bir then took off in a hurry to introduce himself.

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

After she had posed her question, she internally prepared to receive another vague rhyme that would emphasize nothing but his madness, but no...His reply sounded rather satisfying...given that he was right about his skills. "Good" she statedbrather flatly, her gaze flicking over to the viewport and watching the shuttle's descend.

As soon as it touched the ground, she unbuckled her safe and immediately sprang up to ran after him, actually dreading what would happen if he was let loose on the villagers without a concrete plan, but she was a second too slow. She opened her mouth and closed it again, reopened it, and closed it.

This...wouldn't work. She couldn't convince the madman to hold back right now and be less...himself, and so she rather had to focus on damage control. Speaking of, Bir immediately greeted the Natives in the most inappropriate way possible by waving at them like a maniac from the ramp of their shuttle.

She facepalmed herself, now actually scowling. She would have prefered keeping a low profile and testing the waters instead of doing...what the fuck he was doing. "Wait, let's-" she hissed, but he had already taken off. Her promotion was at stake and so she just knew she couldn't simply knock him out, but he was absolutely tempting her.

She had no idea what he planned to do, but as he was the Champion, she decided to let him for now. She alighted bith a deep sigh, forcing herself to keep her features neutral as she followd him with quick steps. If some of them were joined, they would maybe act suspiciously and so she decided to let him do the talking while she would analyze, however ready to interfere if he was getting out of hand.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

If there was one thing that Bir always looked forward to, it was meeting new people. So many unknown vantage points to this thing called life. So many stories and legends that would otherwise go undiscovered. So many soon to be friends to be added to his extensive list of colleagues and acquaintances! Thrilling! So as Bir finally approached the edges of the beleaguered village, the mad Kel Dor did not initially comprehend the glares of disdain and resentment to his arrival. Yet as he approached, most of the villagers scurried away to their homes.

”Wait! Where are you going?! Come back! Come back!” Bir declared with a stomp of his foot in unison with the spear end of his staff being stabbed down into the craggy surface. At first, none of these so-called friends appeared to want anything to do with their new arrivals. That is, save for one man who approached with a blank stare and gaunt expression. ”So rude, your friends! How is this any way to receive guests?!” Bir continued to fume, disgruntled beyond comprehension.

”Invaders are forbidden here, sentient,” the villager stated plainly, devoid of any sort of emotion. It was as though they were speaking to an incredibly primitive protocol droid comprised of flesh, muscle and bone. ”You must leave. You will not be warned a second time,”

”Leave?!” Bir retorted with a huff, leaning forward in a low stance as he glared upwards at the chin of the villager. ”I think not! Absolutely not! We are here with purpose! Grand purpose! We will not simply slither away!” As he spoke, the Mad Champion motioned his free hand as though it were a snake, slithering away through the grasses of swampland. ”We are here for the Queen! The Queen, we demand it!” Yet the man remained unmoving, without falter. Turning back to Nova, Bir crossed his arms with contempt.

”Are there no civilized souls left in the galaxy, I wonder? Such a shame!” As Bir spoke, the villager seemed to suddenly change his disposition though no facial changes could be seen. As deadpan as before, the man began to advance on Bir believing he had the element of surprise. Yet just as his hands were about to wrap themselves around the Kel Dor’s leathery neck, he would too feel an invisible pressure bearing down all around his skull.

”To simply run away from visitors! Who could shun delightful folks such as us, my dearest Nova?! They should be delighted at our arrival!” Bir continued his manic ramblings, paying no mind to the writhing and screaming man at his back, desperately clinging for the invisible hands clasping down on his skull. If one listened closely, they’d hear soft popping as his skull began to crack. ”Surely there are others here who can see that our presence is a blessing! Surely, indeed!” By now, blood had begun to seep from the villager’s eyes and ears, his screaming becoming deafening yet Bir remained unphased even as he turned to face him once more. ”One as rude as you must learn manners, I’m afraid!”

With that, the villager’s head finally popped, sending blood and brain matter spattering around them. Bir’s chest was now flecked with the substance, as well as small pieces of flesh and bone. If Nova was standing close enough, it was likely that she too would not escape the spray. With the man’s corpse collapsing to the ground, head shrivelled and fractured, Bir would raise his staff into the air with purpose before marching on. ”Forward! We may yet find someone who may assist us!”

@LadyRen​

 

[Nova Trent]

Nova followed the mad champion, not expecting too much of his attempt and pessimistically as always crossing her arms in front of her chest while she let him do the talking, however, the talking soon escalated as Bir was suddenly forced to defend himself against the admittedly weird villager...

...but what the hell where the other villagers supposed to think now that he had casually killed off one of their own kin? Could this be getting any worse? And where the fuck did his obsession with the Queen come from? They were not after a queen...if they'd stumble upon one, they'd be fucked and nothing else.

However, a different thought crossed her mind: The way the villager had spoken seemed oddly familiar, actually, he might as well have been a Joined and actually, why did she even care? She didn't mind casualties as long as they'd accomplish their mission in the end, and from the sounds of it, his kill hadn't been unjustified. She shrugged and started moving, stepping through the puddle of blood and remains of his brain while her mood was at least slightly improving as she had witnessed that the Mad Kel'Dor could at least.

"Yeah...very rude people indeed" she wiped off the blood drizzles that had sprayed her and started marching again. "Yes...let's go. Next time though, maybe try to squeeze information out of their brains before you...well squeeze their brains" she suggested with a shurg, deciding on simply switching back to not giving too many shits about what chaos he'd cause while they were at it. "So this guy could have been joined. Others might too. We can either...well deal with the village or try tracking down some actual bugs". Was it a good idea to let him choose? Probably not. But she suggested it anyway.

@Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

”Maybe try to squeeze information out of their brains before you, well… squeeze their brains,”

The comment earned a wild snicker from the mad Kel Dor as he strode through the barren village, questioning eyes peering through windows upon these murderous new visitors. Such a delightful way to put it, he’d think silently to himself as he allowed the Force to guide him.

”Pop! Snap! Crunch! I was merely acting upon a hunch!” Bir then declared, his wild smile beaming once again. ”Do you not see? No, no you mustn't! But you will!” the Kel Dor continued as he spotted the face of a young mother taking shelter in her home. As their eyes met, the woman frozen in fear, the Champion would raise his hand and wiggle his leathery fingers in her direction before she would duck from sight after regaining some degree of composure. ”Surely if the village were all joined to the hive, they would have all attacked, no?! Yet they did not! No! They scurried to their homes and hid themselves away! They’re afraid, can you not feel it?!”

He would then climb to the top of a single level home that overlooked the village center, many homes in clear view. He could feel the lack of life in the Force. Those who remained here were few… So then where were the rest of the villagers? With the Hive, he surmised.

”My friends! We wish you no harm! We only ask for guidance! Yes! Yes! Show us where we must go! Tell us where your friends and family have gone! Let us end their suffering! Let us bring back that which we can! Let us end this looming threat!” he would holler across the empty street, watching for any movement though there was none*.

It seemed they did not wish to lend them aid after all. His first instinct was to simply burn the village to the ground with the people still in their homes, but alas he did not come here to slaughter those who required to be saved. His hand reached out towards the home of the terrified woman, tendrils of the Force wrapping themselves around her and whisking her through her window and out into the street.

”Please! Let me go!” she pleaded as Bir looked deep into her eyes. He could feel her anxiety. Her desperation to live. No… What was that? Her desperation for them to live.

”Your husband and daughter! Where have they gone?!” Bir demanded, twisting her mind through the Force as pained expressions plastered her face. She was afraid they would be slaughtered when the hive was purged, he could feel it. She was right to be afraid but even a mother’s love couldn’t protect against the Force. A single hand raised, pointing towards a canyon some distance away.

@LadyRen
*Your 9 roll​

 

[Nova Trent]

The mad Kel'Dor continued babbling again and after another rhyme, she directed her attention to elsewhere, not paying attention to each and every word. Yeah...he had a point. This fear, this defensive but not necessarily passive behavior seemed more human and told her they were not a part of the hive. So with a shrugg she followed him through the village.

The villagers were simply not happy to see them, especially after what Bir had done to the one that had stood his ground. Was it hopeless? Well, she wasn't optimistic about any of it. When he stated climbing, she walked up to the next house and firmly knocked against the door, not saying a word just yet but she could feel them on the inside.

Bir loudly called to the citizen again while she ignited her ,lightsaber without further ado and melted the locking mechanism. She then stepped in, ignoring the screams and being lightly amused by the terrified screams that followed, heading directly to the family that was cowering behind the couch.

"Don't you test my patience" she hissed as she simply grabbed the arm of their youngest child, yanking him out and pushing the parents and the older siblings back before she dragged him towards Bir. "Stop crying you coward, we just wanna talk" she snapped at her, hurling her over and next to the woman while the family pleadingly rushed after them.

She listened to the short conversation between Bir and the woman, keeping the child quiet by pressing a hand to her little mouth before the woman gestured towards the cayons. "Huh. See, problem solved. You can go" she told the child as she released her, not seeing a purpose in murdering her. The family seemed fine. "Well then thanks for your compliance" she sarcastically told the woman, having felt how Bir had extracted the knowledge instead of her giving it voluntarily. "Well, let's go then. The quicker we exterminate the hive, the faster we can go home.

@Tulos