Competition: Experiment: 458

Finished
Experiment: 458

Specifics

An indicator light begins to blink on the datapad in front of you. Curious you reach for the device, tapping the screen to find the following message.

Greetings,

I have a task for you. I need you to travel to the planet Sriluur to hunt and trap a Dark Wolf for me. You may kill as many as you like and bring me the carcasses, but I need you to bring me at least one alive, more would be prefered. I would do this myself but I am currently in the middle of, what I hope to be, a great alchemical work. When you have completed this task bring the creature to me at the Alabrek Citadel on Tarthos. Do not underestimate your prey or this place. It is the native world of some dangerous species as well as the Weequay. The Hutts also have a presence there, along with some others.

You will be rewarded for your efforts. Coordinates to the planet will follow below.

Happy hunting.

Platform

In this fiction you are tasked by Maelous to complete the above mission. The entry must be a minimum of 500 words. No Maximum.

Entries will be judged based on creativity and realism. This competition ends on Oct 13th.

.txt, .pdf, or pasted into the submission form.

Details

Dark Wolf: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_wolf

Sriluur: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sriluur

Competition Information
Organized by
Lak Nafri
Running time
2014-10-02 until 2014-10-13 (12 days)
Target Unit
Clan Naga Sadow
Competition Type
Fiction
Awards
Third Level Crescents
Participants
3 subscribers, of which 2 have participated.
Results
Member
Manji Keibatsu Sadow
File submission
Experiment_458.docx
Textual submission

Experiment: 458
Manji Keibatsu Sadow
The Consul of Naga Sadow's study, nestling within Sadow Palace on Sepros, was a dark, forboding place, illuminated only by a few red glow-lamps and the luminescence beaming from various alchemical containers scattered across the worktops. Behind an expansive desk that had seen any number of occupants, Macron Sadow sat, his scarred, ghoulish face lit up by the glowing datapad before him.

As he frowned, flicking through the latest batch of reports from his subordinates, a small symbol began to blink insistently on the upper corner of the screen. Macron's eyes flashed to the symbol, and widened- it was a call-sign that he hadn't seen in what felt like years. Tapping the symbol, the madman felt a giggle creeping from his vocal chords.

"You took your time, Master..."

-*-

The stinking vista of Sriluur's capital city, Al-Campur, stretched out before Manji as he strolled down the landing ramp of the Kyataran fighter he'd 'appropriated' from the Keibatsu hangars. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, the Sadowan waved curtly at the rusting droids hovering nearby in case he needed refuelling.

"Fill 'er up," he shouted, raising his voice to be heard over the background thrum of the bustling spaceport. "You'll get the creds if she's still in one piece when I get back!"

Without waiting for a response, the Keibatsu continued walking, pulling up the hood of the oversized, dust-coloured cloak he was wearing as he pushed his way through the crowds of people pouring into the spaceport terminus. Humans rubbed shoulders with representatives of most of the other races of the galaxy- crime bosses that they were, the Hutts didn't discriminate, offering jobs to any being with the capacity to do them. Large, imposing Houk predominated, and armed Gamorreans stood at either side of the terminus as a makeshift security force, testament to that philosophy.

Manji couldn't explain exactly why now had felt like a good time to leave the house he'd built on the outskirts of Inazawa and to travel back to Sepros; he'd simply felt something in his bones, the lust for adventure, battle and danger. More than that, he'd felt a need for kinship, to reconnect with the friends he'd left behind. The feelings weren't new, but they'd been stronger than usual, and something had compelled him to leave Kyataru.

Just a short trip, he thought. Maelous wants some help with this hunt- I'll bring him back his hounds, have a few drinks for old time's sake then get back to Kyataru.

Manji was jolted out of his idle musings as the walls of the terminus receded around him, revealing the disgusting splendour of Al-Campur in greater detail. The Vong had left devastation in their wake, but he could see the skeletons of reconstruction- the Hutts had reclaimed Sriluur as theirs in the wake of the Vong invasion. Buildings were piled up on top of each other in a higgledy-piggledy fashion, covered with graffiti, rubbish and all the signs of people living a miserable existence. Plumes of smoke and fumes clouded the sky, the stink of 60,000 people creating vapour trails behind the few speeders and personal transports brave enough to zip between the overcrowded high-rises. The city stank like a cesspit, tainted by fumes from the copper processing plants that surrounded it, feeding off Sriluur's most abundant natural resource.

Masking his disgust behind another swathe of ragged cloth that covered his nose and mouth, Manji stamped down the grubby steps leading down to street level. He'd done his research on the flight over; Sriluur hosted a thriving black market, selling everything from prohibited blasters, to red sand, to the eggs of a menagerie of rare creatures. He was sure to find somebody dealing in dark wolves- and if not, they'd know where he could look. Warrior-born though the Keibatsu was, he’d spent enough time on Sepros to know exactly where he could find what he was after.

-*-

The cantina looked like any number of others across the galaxy- a stained, dirty dive full of customers as greasy as the beakers in which the local foul liquor was served. The faded sign over the door, written in Aurebesh, gave no clues as to what the locals called the place. Heads turned briefly as Manji stepped through the door, pulling back his hood, then turned away when they realised the Sadowan was not (outwardly, at least) a threat. Striding to the bar, the Keibatsu caught the eye of the grizzled Weequay leaning against it.

"I'll have the least poisonous thing you've got," Manji smirked. The Weequay scowled in response, pulling a glass from under the bar and filling it with a brackish, foaming liquid.

"There y'go," he snarled in Huttese, slamming the glass down on the bar. "Only slightly toxic. For humans."

Taking the glass, Manji perused it for a second, then his one-eyed gaze flicked back to the sneering Weequay.

"I was after something a little more... exotic," he said, lowering the glass. "Less... legal. If you follow?"

A strand of the Dark Side, snaking away from the aura that permanently surrounded the Keibatsu, trickled into the Weequay's head. His expression twitched into a frown.

"You mean... the Black Pit?" he muttered. "I don't know... the Hutts don't like-"

"What the Hutts don't know can't hurt them," Manji said, forcing his will into the bartender's mind. The Weequay's face relaxed, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Follow me," he muttered, turning away from the bar and towards a steel door almost hidden between the shelves of alien liquor.

-*-

Snarling, snapping creatures leapt up at the walls of their shielded pen, angrily trying to attack the bipedal beings holding them captive. Wiping a smear of dirt and grease from his face, the Houk beastmaster on the right side of the forcefield grinned widely at Manji, gesturing towards the dark wolves within.

"There y'are, sir," he growled. "Dark wolves, as you wanted. Will y'be wanting them wrapped up?"

Raucous laughter burst out from the insalubrious mishmash of aliens standing around this particular part of Sriluur's black market. All clad in makeshift armour or overalls and with an assortment of weapons through their belts, they were paying special attention to the robed figure in their midst. Without sparing them a glance, Manji turned to the Houk beastmaster, meeting his gaze.

"Deliver them all to my shuttle," he said quietly, his voice cutting through the aliens' hilarity.

"A-all?" the Houk spluttered, his expression darkening. "You know how much these beasts cost, offworlder?"

Behind the two men, the aliens exchanged glances, beginning to slowly move into a loose circle around the Keibatsu. The Houk continued unabated, waving his hands in the air.

"They're twenty thousand creds apiece! Now, if you've got that kind of money to burn, we can talk, but looking at you..."

Manji let out a barely imperceptible sigh. His hands shifted inside the voluminous sleeves of his robe, edging towards the hilts of his sabers.

"Twenty each is ridiculous," he said, lip curling into a sneer. "I'll give you eight for the five of them."

Silence dominated the room. Then one of the aliens, a bulky Trandoshan, stormed forwards and grabbed Manji by the shoulder.

"You insssult usss-" he managed to say, before the Pontifex whirled into action, a swirling black-and-silver vortex of death. The Trandoshan's severed arm dropped with a heavy thump to the floor, but before he could even draw breath to scream, twin lightsaber blades thunked into his eyesockets, ending his existence.

For a moment, only the deadly thrum of lightsabers filled the silence, then a torrent of blaster fire sprang into life as the aliens drew their weapons and opened fire. Manji leapt towards them like a black-cloaked shadow of death, his weapons carving intricate figures-of-eight in the air as he ripped them through flesh and bone alike. The Houk beastmaster cowered back against the pen, the dark wolves within unleashing frenzied barks and growls at the carnage going on outside their sanctuary. One by one, the aliens thudded lifelessly to the dusty floor of the black market, until only the Houk remained, the tip of Manji's blade hovering directly in front of his throat.

His face flecked with blood and grime, the Keibatsu grinned brightly at the beastmaster, his eyes wide and unsettling.

"So," he said, his voice jovial. "Eight thousand creds, yes?"

-*-

Sweat dripped to the floor of the Ragnos Cathedral training room as Maelous went through his forms almost unthinkingly, the crimson lightsaber an extension of his body through the Force. As he brought the blade scything upwards to sever an imaginary foe cleanly in two, he heard hurried footsteps thudding towards him.

"Aedile?" said the worried-sounding servant, clutching his datapad like a talisman. "There's a delivery for you in the hangar, sir..."

Deactivating his blade, Maelous turned to face the servant with a scowl.

"Of what? And who from?" he demanded, irritated at having his workout interrupted.

"Dark wolves, sir. He said he was called... um... Dokugan-Ryu," the servant stammered, clearly ill at ease. "He said that'd mean something to you..?"

KPN Manji Keibatsu Sadow (Krath) / House Marka Ragnos of Clan Naga Sadow

Placement
1st place
2nd place
John Brown
Member
John Brown
Textual submission

Mandeo's shuttle slowly began to descend onto the planet of Sriluur, he looked through his map scanner and saw 3 other sentinent being's nearby, most likely. He reached out to his gearpack and pulled out his BlasTech DL-18, along with his 10 inch blade. He lifted his robe over his head and nodded toward his obedient droid, "When I say prepare....get the cage and have it open" ,He walked off and quickly exited his shuttle, 3 beings stood over a fire, They had thick skulls and had yellow skin, they tremendously huge and they stood proud as the Dark Jedi approached, A young one who was about Mandeo's height looked over with curiosity and 2 other ones, presumably his older brothers had angry glares. The tallest sneered and Mandeo reached down onto his wrist a translator activating and he spoke in a heavy grunt, "State your buisness off worlder.....This is our territory and we sure as hell won't let you come and take it", Mandeo's face twisted as a cold smile formed on his face. "Gentlemen, I assure you that I don't need this worthless area.......I have a house in Kel Rasha a fine city", A small smile grew on the corner of Mandeo's mouth as he could basically feel the anger radiating off the strange creature. "Also could you tell me where I can find a cute pack of Dark Wolves", Mandeo understood in a moment that he'd have to kill this odd species, but he doubt it would be easy unless he could form a strategy.

He reached into his robes and took out his lightsaber, he ignited it quickly and charged as the creature had it's back turned, The youngest one cried out but to no avail as the Dark Jedi impaled the creature straight into the chest. He pulled back and watched as smoke arose from the fresh wound and a hole lay in his chest. The second oldest of the nomads, got up and charged Mandeo. "Bring it on big guy" ,Mandeo swung his lightsaber but the creature wore armor and it burned through but didn't affect the large specimen. Mandeo felt the alien grab him and he launched the Guardian across the area. The Dark Jedi had surprise on his face as the brute strength of this species was highly dangerous. He quickly recovered and reached out to the Force, lashing out furiously with his hand, The beast fell back but it only served as a diversion. He once again reached out to the Force and with inhuman abilities leaped over to the alien. He swung and Mandeo dodged with lightning speed, and his lightsaber slipped out of his hands. "Dammit....", He edged dropped down avoiding a devastating blow to the face and retrieved his lightsaber, he gripped his lightsaber with two hands and swung forward impaling the alien who groaned and reached out to the younger one. "I needed to draw blood.......My lust for blood and power only grows stronger", He progressed on deeper into the world of Sriluur.

He heard howls and ignited his lightsaber the blue hue lighting up the dark place, "Damn wolves...I swear to Sadow if I turn into chow...ohhhh", He began to quiet down as footsteps became immediately apparent. A figure leaped out of the shadows and Mandeo cut through the figures arm, drawing a loud scream. He moved forward and sliced through the head of the figure and felt a heavy foot bury into his back, "Dark Jedi why do you continue to become involved in our affairs? Now you must die..." ,Mandeo grunted and felt the foot bury deeper into his back. "My master won't be to pleased to find out what you did to me", The unknown man moved off and Mandeo shifted as a great sense of danger flooded his body. He reached out to the Force and pushed off the ground with his enhanced strength than kicked out from behind connecting with the man's chest. A blast went off and Mandeo felt it hit his back. "Ahhhh......urgghhh!!!. He reached into the Force and felt his wound slightly heal, The bounty hunter lay on the floor, and Mandeo took the chance, but he heard a low growl and stopped in his tracks. A beast with a huge stinger tipped tail and large sized claws, they also had a thick hide on their shoulders and back.

Mandeo ignited his lightsaber and lifted it high in the air, than violently brought it down into the chest of the bounty hunter, he gasped his mouth in a o shape as the life sapped away from him. Mandeo looked around and guessed 2-3 wolves were around, He took out his blade and moved it to his left hand, the first wolf jumped and Mandeo jumped back at least 5 ft avoiding a stab to the chest, He heard the footsteps but as a young journeymen, Mandeo was unable to avoid the stab to the back, he felt the tail pierce his upper right shoulder and roared in rage but slowly dropped to the ground, as the poison sank in he dropped to the ground unable to move. The wolves surrounded him and the suggested Alpha, bit his cloth and pulled him. How could this possibly happen to me?.

Over 7 hours, he felt himself slowly coming back, He strained and than reached deep into the Force, and the wave of power swept over his body and he begun to have feeling into himself. Far off he heard howls and the wolves growling. They were most likely hunting prey....Say why didn't they kill Mandeo? Could the Hutts have possibly foreseen him coming and planned this? How the hell did they tame these monsters. Mandeo turned over on his stomach and reached down into his tattered robes, where is my lightsaber? He heard the footsteps and turned around leaning on one elbow. The devilish yellow eyes pierced the young Guardian, Mandeo looked around and spotted his lightsaber, without a seconds hesitation he reached out to the Force and called for his lightsaber, it flew and landed into his hands. "Now let's fight" , He smirked and winced as the laser blast wound he received early stung, He stood up and with terrifying speed tackled the leathery hide of the wolve, it fell down with him and they rolled splitting ways. He jumped up and swung his lightsaber burning through the hide of the wolves. He grinned and with blazing speed dodged the incoming attack and drew on the Force, he reached for the tail and pulled it closer to the wolve, it looked back in recognition and began snapping at him. Mandeo drew on his last piece of energy and pushed down, the poison tail of the wolf burying itself into it's owner. It slowly fell to the ground and Mandeo reached over to his slightly damaged comlink.

"Droid come in. Hello?" ,Mandeo breathed heavily as he waited.

"Yes sir!" , The droid's voice boomed through the comlink.

"I'll send you my coordinates but get here ASAP" , Mandeo felt the presence of another humanoid around and lifted his lightsaber in defense. A humanoid being with leathery skin had brown skin and had no lips, Mandeo remembered the Weequays he was warned about. It swung it's staff which has the tip of the deadly dark wolf. Mandeo naturally quick dodged it and swung his lightsaber cutting right through the staff, He kicked out and his foot connected with the Weequay's jaw, a crack sounded and he fell back, Mandeo laughed hysterically as the hype of battle fed him, The Weequay kicked out and Mandeo slipped and fell on his back his lightsaber landing coincendentally next to the Weequay, it picked the lightsaber up and attempted to deliver a death blow to Mandeo but a smoke filled the area and it swung wildly, "Gotcha now" , He rolled and located the blue hue of his lightsaber snatching it and burying it into the chest of the Weequay, He put his saber into his robes and spoke into his comlink, "I'm dragging the wolf into the ship now".

"Understood, Master Pyxis" , Mandeo dragged the wolf onboard and pressed a few codes, the door opened and he pushed the wolf into the cage given to him by a Dark side alchemist. He bended down on his knees and took the largest portion of the poison from the wolves tail. "Hey I want you to change this poison into a gas just in case this thing wakes up and keep a good amount for other use.....Prepare for Alabrek Citadel on Tarthos...We will be greatly rewarded for our sevices" ,Mandeo sat down and prepared for the jump into hyperspace.

About 2 hours he arrived on the planet Tarthos and descended onto the area of Alabrek Citadel where, Sith Warrior Maelous Ascarend resided doing his odd alchemy. "Now activate the gas" ,The poison filled the cage and it once again paralyzed the wolf. He pushed the cage easily off the ship because it sat on a cart, The Sith stood outside smirking in pleasure. "Great job, young one", Maelous took the cage and pushed it into the strange, building the dark side power lingering around. Mandeo boarded the ship heading back home.

Placement
2nd place