Garqi

[Blue but beautiful]

-Posting as Shedao Shai-

It was like wading through the quagmire of mechanistic guts of some abominable beast - Shedao Shai thought to himself with a great deal of disgust.
For every abomination they tore down, several would appear to take it's place. This did not mean they were at a great disadvantage however, while the machines on foot were quick to engage, so were the Yuuzhan Vong and undoubtedly the latter were more durable.
Whatever these abominations were, many of them looked like they had been sitting underground for millenia!

The larger mechanized blasphemies were another matter all together. Standing tall amid a well placed circle of defense, a tall fortress-like structure lumbered toward the university that had been claimed by the Yuuzhan Vong.
Let them destroy it further, by all means - that would be ironic - but this world was not theirs.

The thought had barely played through his mind when a nearby projectile took a liking to him. At first glance, it looked like a rock of some sort, but as it landed - parried off the side of his amphistaff, the shell expanded and out came several spindley protrusions, probing the ground as if to gain balance while it's singular photoreceptor focused on it's surroundings.
Shedao Shai's eyes narrowed to dark slits of rage...as if these abominations did not mock life enough as it was!

Before the mechanized creature could transform it's self further, he whirled his amphistaff to fall flat, rigid against the back of his arm, it's neck coiled at his wrist. With one sharp flick and a slight twist from Shai, the amphistaff struck out to slice the object in two with the keen side of it's 'blade.'
It sputtered, sparked and as if to mock him further, continued to attempt to go about it's designated task.
This time he drove the tail of the amphistaff down through what he assumed was the topside of this thing. Again it sparked, sputtered, but this time the photoreceptor faded from a bright red to nothing, leaving only a smoking shell in it's wake.

Shedao Shai could see clearly now, that the tall lumbering droid was almost certainly attempting to regain the ruined university, as the majority of the battle had headed out away from it.
What was so important that he and his subordinates had missed it?
His mind told him, that this was just a futile attempt on the part of the infidels to take back what the Yuuzhan Vong had taken from them. It would be like them, would it not, to make abominations do the work that cowards were too petrified to do themselves, thus saving their miserable lives. The idea made him shudder with disdain.
But then his gut instinct told him that perhaps this was wrong...certainly that sniveling brenzlit of an Intendant had thought this was not the work of the infidels they had encountered so far.

He turned to the small tactical Villip mounted on the shoulder-pauldron of his living armour, speaking directly to his direct subordinate, Deign Lian.
" How many Tsik Vai do we still have at our disposal?" He did not wait for an answer, the little runt would only waste time with idle words,
"You will give the order to pass out half, have them dispatch netting beetles around the largest abomination before it gets further. It will make it an easy target for the Yorik-et. " And give us time to destroy them while we find out what it is they intended to take.

Another of the strange projectile machines whizzed past his person, he dispatched it swiftly this time with another well placed parry. It fell into two smoldering pieces at his feet, which he crushed under foot before it had chance to begin moving again.
Let them come, the sooner they arrived, the sooner they could be destroyed.

[kazura]

Closer and closer the university came into view. Kazura continued to watch the battle below, ahead, and around. The yuuzhan vong couldn't help but bring a smile to his lips. They threw themselves into battle like fools. For every droid downed a yuuzhan took it's place. In a numbers war who could really win out in the end with such tactics. It was a pity that this droid army was so old and few on the numbers needed.

Incoming enemy aircraft. One of the other droids working here in the cockpit spoke and displayed the image of the many manta ray looking ships coming from for the legs of this droid. What were they planning to do? Pathetic little vessels as they were! Their small size easily allowed them to evade blaster fire and some of the other flyers that were already being downed by various other yuuzhan vong craft but they did not attack the war droid directly instead they seemed to launch beetle weapons of some kind that were directed straight for the droids legs?! The fools they couldn't stop him he was too close now!

"Destroy them! Anything they try to do to this vessel is a meaningless display now that it is so close to our objective!

Kazura did not count however on what the beetles were designed to do. The sticky mass of their netting upon the legs started to form restraints about the joints and in between only mere steps away from where the droid needed to be!

Kazura's smirk became an irritated sneer as the droid's legs refused to move forward and droids about were trying to tell him so but he knew now he had to take matters into his own hand. A few choice presses of buttons about and a clear dome rose up around Kazura and the computers he was parked in front of from the floor of walker. Pieces of the wall inside started to pull away revealing gears and machinery that pulled back around the dome. Outside the face of the bridge converged into dual engines upon the wings that formed and a pair of thrusters upon that back.

"If you want something done right!" Kazura began as he ejected the small fighter and the engines upon the wings light up with energy to keep the craft afloat as he then took off toward the netting. Two metallic arms on either side pulled forward from behind the dome cockpit along with blaster cannons beneath and rocket launchers atop. The computer controls and seat Kazura sat in turned around facing forward.

"Now to get serious." he spoke as he took control of the vessel

Kazura zoomed toward the closest set of beetles. What the vultures and Maf missed of the beetles he took much better precision firing upon as he stopped the vessel at the first netted joint kept ahover by the two jets on the wings. The palm of one of the three fingered metal hands opened and a blowtorch tool extended. Kazura then started to use it to burn away the sticky netting. These pitiful organics would not stop him from achieving his goal.

"All cannonball droids! Converge on the university! Roll over any invader that gets in your way!" Kazura ordered over the com.

The cannonball droids upon hearing the orders ceased to fight the yuuzhan vong warriors with their inferior modeled brethren and rolled back up into their black armored and spiked balls and rolled forward through anything that got in their way in earnest toward their commanded location. Kazura proceeded to the next leg as he got this one to move again.

[Blue but beautiful]

-posting as Shedao Shai-

This truly was an insult. The tsik vai had evenly distributed the netting beetles, who set to work immediately, weaving their sticky fibers between and around the legs of the biggest abomination of them all. This was, what Shedao Shai supposed was the control center of it all...in a sense, a living blasphemous representation of one of their own war coordinators. He snarled at the very thought, this would end here and now!

Indeed, the netting beetles did their work well, the droid had almost been pulled to a standstill, and for the most part, teetered a few moments before finally grinding to a halt. This did not last long however, a loud whoosh of expelled pressure could be heard over the sounds of combat, and into view a smaller fighter-like craft could be seen rising from the towering abomination that seemed to cast a shadow on all around it.

The fighter turned in mid air, thrusters firing to propel it about the legs of the stalled turret, mechanized arms extending to reveal what appeared to be the infidel equivalent of a form of plasma weapon.

In the midst of ripping the foul and tainting innards from the scorched shell of a still-moving battle droid, Shedao Shai was forced to ignore it's mechanized 'cries' and pre-programmed threats silenced as his spike-booted foot came crashing down upon it's fragile head. Instead his attention was drawn to the fighter craft that had just begun burning it's way through the netting beetles handiwork.
The first abomination!

The pilots of the Tsik vai were clearly of the same thought, for now they pelted and strafed the stricken turret-droid with plasma fire of their own. The fighter was giving them the run around, it's movements matching their own, but sheer numbers would prevail in the end, they had to. There was no other outcome, this was their world now.

Naturally, Shedao Shai had ulterior plans should all go to waste. Grashals could be re-grown, slaves sourced from elsewhere. These abominations however, would be obliterated from the face of the galaxy as was Yun-Yuuzhan's wish!
He opened communication through the tactical villip mounted on his shoulder-pauldron, the sound of one of his subordinates responding almost instantly.
"Dispatch the Yorik-trema immediately, I will have need of them soon." He hissed tersely, he did not have the patience to listen to the pious response.

Twisting his heel, grinding the metallic features of the droid beneath it into the ground, Shedao Shai turned once more to the battle, confident in his plans.

[kazura]

"Pathetic organics!" Kazura said to himself as he weaved around the legs and where he could through small gaps in the netting all the way firing at the thicker messes of the sticky substance with dual forward blaster cannons just under the bubble cockpit. The yuuzhan vong ray looking ships were presistant despite. Good that would make destroying them all the more fun. They stayed under the walker droids allowing themselves to be fired upon by superior fire power to catch him!? If it was death the invaders desired they had certainly met the right droid he thought to himself as he smiled wickedly and typed quickly on a small key pad to his side. A small holomonitor showed a rear view image of the ships behind him firing their plasma weapons at him. An aiming reticle targeted the closest incoming ship.

"That's the way you want to play yuuzhan? Very well." he spoke as he adjusted the reticle and typed more keys quickly. He could only pity these creatures they had no clue as to the genius of this vehicle's design or his own. "How about this!" he spoke as he pressed down upon the last button of the sequence.

Small ports opened on the top and bottom of the back of the ship just above the four thrusters. Out of them fired missles but instead of moving to hit their target as the closest yuuzhan craft and those behind it tried to move to evade the missles exploded half way sending shrapnel flying at least what appeared to be that. Small pieces of the shrapnel attached themselves against the skin of the yuuzhan ships as they fell upon them. Small red lights glew over them and then beeped faster within the time of 5 seconds they exploded in unison sending a few of the pursuing ships flying away or crashing into their exploding comrades in front.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Run puny organics! Run!" He spoke as he turned and slide the plasma tourch across the netting joining two of the legs together and as it fell the strenght of the massive droid's legs started to break the rest starting to the university which was only 3 mere steps away and now it was in position over the decrepit old building. It's massive legs bent to lower itself uncaring of the destruction it caused upon the highest levels.

"Ready the drill and dig!" Kazura issued his orders over the com. A large port opened from under the large droid and large drill lowered itself down to the rubble and rocks.

Kazura pleased to see that the surviving cannonball droids had arrived where they were told too proceeded to land his craft a between them and a small ways from the drill. The bubble screen hatch pulling away allowed him to step up and out of the craft. It's fate was of no consequence. The yuuzhan would destroy it anyway. What was truly important lied below. He supposed now he should thank the invader and the jedi that brought him here. "She had better thank me for this. I'm doing her a favor after all." he said as the cannonball droids moved with him toward the drill.

[Blue but beautiful]

Tln'aa Shoolb was ushered from the grashal by an particularly sinewy subaltern, with a considerable amount of haste. He had been offered no explanation other than if he wished to remain here to perish here dishonourably with the invading abominations, he was more than welcome to.
The intendant noted idly, that perishing here would be favourable to the ignoble death he would receive if his hand in this was ever proven. But he was far from cowardly where death was concerned, he would go gladly...if that death was honourable.
Naturally, he did as the subaltern wished, making his way from the mollusk-like grashal, out into the quagmire of ash and dirt that was raining down from the sky, kicked up by the huge drilling abomination, blasts of plasma from the tsik vai that harassed it and of course, the fallen abominations themselves.

Part of him had not expected the mechanized beings to reach this far, but he did well to hide his surprise. It would not do to display such a thing before this subaltern. At this stage people were all too willing to tread on many toes to get to where they wanted to be, warriors included. He would keep his toes firmly out of the way.

"Go, the Yorik-Trema await past the main built-thing the abominations are trying to capture." The subaltern instructed, then ducked back into another nearby grashal. For what reasons, Tln'aa Shoolb did not wait around to find out. When he was aboard the landing craft, he had a message of his own to spread.

---

-Posting as Shedao Shai-

As the craft began it's gradual ascent, Shedao Shai took a moment or two to contemplate the move he had just made. Clear on the faces of the warriors - now sharing the scant space in the belly of the Yorik-trema that transported them off the surface of Garqi- was the confusion, perhaps even faint disdain as they assumed the worst. That their commander had lost his mind.

Shai's thoughts however, had turned to how the gods would view this sudden action of his. He was no coward, yet it appeared he was running from battle -
No, he thought, not a coward and even less a fool.

To stay would have been pure folly. The machines, so intent on reaching their destination in a methodical and logical manner, would have forever tainted their training grounds with their blasphemous antics. Let them keep the built-thing they so desired, for now anyway.

By the time he reached Legacy of Torment, he would see to it personally that there was little left of the pitiful mockeries and all traces that they had ever been there. The south most built-things and all the warriors that had elected to stay and die with honour to allow this plan to go unphased, were a just sacrifice. The means justified the end and Yun-Yammka would reward those who had embraced death for the cause in the afterlife.
Rrush'hok ichnar vinim'hok - Die well brave warriors He thought silently, certain that the gods would heed his thoughts.

The necessity of those who stayed was simple. The abominations clearly had an overseeing source, one that would notice the sudden shift in the amount of warriors that had been removed. Therefore, he had sent word out to only those he still deemed as too useful, some had protested - no doubt concerned about incurring the wrath of the gods along with him - but others had not dared question his judgment. A wise move, so he thought.

***

Moments later saw the tall and elaborately scarred Commander step out into the humid air contained within the cluster-ship that was Legacy of Torment. Comprised of several parts of many older ships merged with new, this Kor Chokk vessel had served Shedao Shai well as his flagship. Deceptively serene looking as it was to the infidel eye, one might have described it as a floating city comprised of asteroid and mineral. Naturally, and like most things Yuuzhan Vong, this was far from the truth.

Shedao Shai made straight away for the command chamber, barely taking two steps through the fully open-irised porthole when he barked out his orders to the warriors, who had risen to their feet to salute him the moment he had entered.
"Tactician, You have the location of our grashals and the holding grounds of the slaves?"

The tactician who bore a spiraling spike of coral implant from his elbow, confirmed what was asked of him, "Yes fearsome one"

Shedao Shai inclined his head slightly in the faintest action of acknowledgment, before then turning again to address those who waited at their command posts to exact the orders to follow.

"Concentrate your fire on that vector, continue to do so until further notice, let not one of them survive." He rasped as though overcome with rage.

Not one of the warriors within hearing distance contested the order.


Planetary bombardment was regrettable, but would serve it's purpose well. When they returned to claim back what they had originally taken, the place would serve well enough for a training ground for the lesser warriors until worldshaping could begin.

With fire in his eyes, he looked on through the viewspider provided, steadfast in his determination to retake what was rightfully theirs.

[kazura]

The massive drill kicked up dust and rock about university courtyard and the droids that had followed him here acting as his personal guard for the few yuuzhan vong that actually did get through.

Kazura stood upon the balcony of what had been the dean's office watching the dig with his hands in his lab coat pockets. Three of the spiked black droids stood at his sides and behind him. He listened to the status of the battle from the battle droid coordinator aboard the massive digging walker droid. Things as expected were turning for the worse for the rusted and aged droids. A shame they had never seen their true potential in the time they were meant.

Kazura's head turned as his eyes caught something in the sky. Something heading up to the atmosphere of the planet. He returned his attention downward to the dig. How much deeper could this thing possibly be. The time he had signifigantly decreased. Leave it to a beligerant race like these yuuzhan vong to do something unexpected and run away though he doubted that was all they were doing.

The drill came to a stop as the droid spoke over his comm.
"Doctor, the drill has drilled inside of an unknown cavity. Scans of it seem to reveal it as an underground bunker.

"Excellent prepare the internal elevator. I'm going below." Kazura spoke back to the droid. It was good timing as the sounds of blaster fire coming from outside the university were becoming much less audible. Kazura pulled his hands free from his coat pockets and in his right hand he held a tiny remote device he spoke too. "Come to me." The bubble domed flyer responded by reactivating itself and flying slowly up to it's master. Once it was level with the balcony Kazura crawled back into it just in time to see the door open with yuuzhan vong warriors and the three droids move to attack them. He did not bother with closing the dome for the sake of speed as he moved the small vessel back toward the walker droid. (to be continued)

[Blue but beautiful]

((ooc: to be continued as in you have more to post but haven't had chance? or TBC as in "i'll continue after the next post" ? ))

[kazura]

The unmistakable sounds of bombardment could be heard outside of the walker droid as he made his way to the internal elevator of the drill. Yuuzhan vong did not use turbolasers or proton bombs so he could only imagine that this would be a smaller version of Sernpidal. These invaders were delightfully savage organics. They cared little for their own if they managed to destroy an enemy and certainly did not fear their own deaths in the process. They would have been worthy opponents to these droids in their time if they had come earlier.

"As soon as I'm below self destruct this walker. Take as many of the invaders with you as you can.." Kazura said simply with a faint smirk as he entered the elevator and pressed the button to start down.

"Yes doctor. By your command." was the final acknowledgement of the commanding battle droid.

Once the elevator had made it below ground he could still feel the slight shakes of the ground through the bombardment of hot molten rocks. Indeed such an adversary. Once the elevator finally opened the stagnant air rushed in. It was dark but not for his eyes. A few scant seconds after his departure off the elevator the lights and power flickered out as another sound rumbled from above.

The bunker was full of broken shelves and equipment save for a statue and a pedestal in front of it. On the pedestal was what he had come down this far to get. A pyramid shaped data storage device. A holocron most likely of the person the statue represented.

"Not so the hero anymore are you count.." Kazura spoke as he approached the pedestal and the duraglass covering over the holocron. He moved his arms and hands out on either side of the pedestal. Of course the long dead sith wouldn't have made it this easy. (tbc)

[Blue but beautiful]

(( OOC: What a rude abomination you are, not even answering my question you shall suffer for this outrage!))

- Posting as Shedao Shai-

"Enough!" The order rang out over the command deck of the Legacy of torment, a harsh rasp easily definable as the ships commander made his way once more to the waiting biot.

Watching the viewspider with a certain amount of fanatical satisfaction that only came with rank, Shedao Shai approved of what he was seeing. Anyone on the surface in that particular vector, would have been killed, obliterated by the first wave of bombardment. The second would have only sealed their fate, incinerated their remains.

"Commander, the largest of the abominations has been destroyed." One of his subalterns reiterated for him as he viewed the scene a mere second later.
Shedao Shai offered nothing more than a nod of acknowledgment as an intense expression of pure and sinister glee crossed his gaunt face, the subaltern saluted out of respect and returned to her duties.

She was to be surprised then, when Shai uttered what he did. Not deigning to look his subordinate in the eyes - his gaze was still firmly fixed on the drop-like shape of the veiwspider's sac, harsh orders fell from his mouth,
"Fire on them again, widen your range."
The sinewy commander was not unaware of the gaze shared between his subaltern and that of his second, Deign Lian, he would be certain to bring him up on that little matter later also.
He uttered a low growl of disapproval and the subaltern was wise to go about distributing the orders before he had chance to give movement to his anger.
Lian's words of late had been ones of dissent in the ranks, doubt in his ability...such words became like an infection in enclosed spaces such as this ship...and infections were what he could seldom afford.

Molten plasma belched forth from Legacy of torment's plasma cannons, streaking bright orange fire through the darkness of space - heading straight for the celestial form of Garqi. Worlds could be cleansed, reshaped....abominations had no place in the plans of the Yuuzhan Vong. Shedao Shai intended to see this task done one way or another.

"Again..."

This time, no one spared their comrades a second glance.

[Elmira Val]

Deign Lian sneered inwardly at Shedao Shai's order. For a long time, he had found his superior's idealistic tactics to be highly inefficient, preventing him from taking the most expedient and immediate solution. Wasteful. Did he really have to continue until the last speck of machine was left sparking and broken? Some day, he thought, your stubborness will cost you your position.

"May I suggest a different course of action? The largest abomination is clearly out of the way, there are more effective uses for our firepower...."

He lowered his gaze a bit, anticipating another beating. It was times like this he wondered if he enjoyed suffering in his current position.

The subaltern was in no mood to share in his self-inflicted misery, and turned away, attending to the control deck now flashing in various neon colors.

[Blue but beautiful]

-Posting as Shedao Shai -

"May I suggest a different course of action? The largest abomination is clearly out of the way, there are more effective uses for our firepower...."

The words cut through Shedao Shai like a ravenous coufee, and he stiffened in posture noticably, turning sharply on spurred heel to face his subordinate. Dangerous intent glittered in his eyes but his words came calm and precise,
"Oh? And what course would that be?" The question was pregnant with the promise of rebuttal and Lian would know this all too well by now. Shedao Shai would wait for the response, regardless of the one he aquired, the result would be a severe dressing down for the warrior of domain Lian.

Those around him paid no attention to the little exchange, good for them then, but it pleased Shai no end to bring Deign Lian up infront of so many, a good chance to change such talk as had been going around.
He would learn or he would die trying, this - Shedao hoped- Deign Lian would also know. There were always constants, and it was good to be reminded of them.

"Speak it." He encouraged with a subtle gesture of his left hand.

[Elmira Val]

Fearing his master's wrath, Deign Lian lowered himself, drawing closer to Shedao Shai.

"They can be used to take the rest of Garqi. There are several important military bases left standing, as well as cities..." he asnwered.

[Blue but beautiful]

-Posting as Shedao Shai-

Regarding his subordinate through slit-narrow eyes, he exhaled sharply and taking a step small enough to bring his feet a small distance away from Deign Lian's lowered head. A feral grin of disdain spread his tattooed lips wide, bearing his teeth in a form of snarl.

"Do you not think I have considered this, Deign Lian?" He hissed, spike-taloned hand curling into a trembling fist, " Perhaps you think our work - the gods work - a waste of time?"

This was it, the entire command deck knew not to respond in any form or measure to this kind of repremandment, they'd seen it all before. Some experiencing it first hand.

A solid flick of his spurred foot caught his subordinate beneath the chin, sending him sprawling across the deck and no doubt soon to be scrabbling for purchase in fear of a follow up. If Lian dared to rise, so help him, Shedao Shai would have backhanded him with his bracered hand.
"It is not your place to question my orders! The orders that stand!" that would see to anyone else who might have a quibble, "You dare to think me a fool, Lian...is that what you think? For all my insight you still pitifully lack the ability to learn!"

Shedao Shai cast one arm out in a wide gesture at the viewspider, "The cities will fall, the outposts will crumble under our heel....but the abominations that dare to attempt to humiliate us? They mock life it's self! And they will pay for their insolence!" He paused, trying to read what expression he could still see on Deign Lian's bloodied face, "....As will you."

This time, he lashed out with more force than the last blow, foot aimed straight for Lian's ribs.

[Elmira Val]

"No mas-" pleaded Deign Lian. The breath was knocked out of him, splaying him across the floor like a gutted eel. Another kick sent him flopping on his belly, pressed his face against the floor.

"Wouldn't the gods...want this world conquered first?" Deign Lian dared not meet Shedao Shai's gaze, or those of the crew of the Legacy of Torment. His sides burned with pain; he felt like he could split at the seams. His indignation would be paid back one day, he thought, scheming obscenities against his foul master.

[Blue but beautiful]

-Posting as Shedao shai-

Anger still boiling within him, to the point where his shoulders were visibly tense, hands still trembling with rage, Shedao Shai could not believe his ears when still Lian persisted with his line of thought.

"Is that not what we are doing?" He queried, voice a low and dangerous growl, "Perhaps you would have conquered these cities, these outposts first?" He was pacing now, not a good sign, but for Deign Lian at least, he would be safe for the meanwhile from another outburst.

"Then perhaps you would wish to question this..Deign Lian?" the rail thin commander spun sharply on his heel to face the prostrate figure on the floor, wiping his blood slickened foot across the deck.
"In the time that we were spread out conquering these cites and millitary targets, the abominations would be given time to regroup, time to create more of their blasphemous kind! With our forces spread out as they would be, they could pick us off as they saw fit...an abhorrent failure would be the result, and you..." Shedao afforded his subordinate a disdainful glance, "-I would kill you myself"

"Better to break them for their insult, then break their masters in person. I for one would preffer to witness that glorious event with my own eyes. "