Please accept my submission for the competition mentioned above. It depicts Lexic testing a prototype cockpit for the first time.

It’s been several weeks in isolation from everyone he knows within the Clan and Lexiconus finds the silence to be peaceful and calming. The Quarren was lost in the strange cities of Coruscant, prying and speaking with others about information regarding a weapons dealing market. So far, no luck had came to Lexic as he walked through a nightclub that was bustling with rich merchants, exotic dancers and addicts of all kinds from drugs and alcohol. A table near the sports holovision caught his eye as being empty and Lexic walked across the dance floor of odd aliens and humanoids. While walking between two Twi’leks who decided to grind close together in a sensual trance, a Chiss prodded Lexic and escorted him to the side of the dance floor where smoke and a steep set of stairs descended.

“I have to warn you, you are asking all the wrong questions today, friend. People out there are concern who you are and whether you work for law enforcement. You seem to be asking around too much, even though it’s just for something simple like raw materials.” The strange Chiss whispered into the Quarren’s gills as the two descended further into the nightclub. The pair then entered a small room where heavily toxic fumes graced their nostrils and made them cough heavily. Pushing through one door into a dance floor where things were more sensual, clothing seemed to be completely optional and it appeared to be an all female area. The Chiss led Lexic directly through to an office as the back, completely ignoring the female crowd as if they weren’t there. His teal hands blurred over a numberpad at the side wall and the doors wooshed open, as Lexic and the Chiss quickly went inside.

“I’m sorry for that, normally I don’t come down here but I needed the information. That stench out there is a hallucination drug you inhale from a pipe, second hand smoke is not uncommon however so sorry for that. Here we have the manifest for the weapons dealers and their loads coming in and out. Once I heard something robed was looking for this shipment, I knew the *Brotherhood* would be involved somewhere. Your people truly reach far and wide.” The Chiss handed the Quarren the datapad that detailed a raw shipment coming from Hapan and into the outer rim for refinement near Mustafar. He took the pad for reference of the spaceport and paid the Chiss with a bag of credits from his medical pack.

“Oi! Time’s up in there fellas. Get out before I force myself in!” An old voice shouted through the door that surprised the Chiss as he quickly darted around Lexic and quickly opened the door. A humanoid who the Quarren could only guess was a human stepped inside, with heavy scarring across his face and blinding one eye. His head was bald with burn markings as his shoulders were destroyed by some sort of animal attack, from what Lexic could gather.

“Oi squid! What are you doing in my office?” The man demanded his voice at the Quarren with his fists tightly clenched, this wasn’t exactly the best thing to do in Lexic’s current mood. He raised his arm and slowly squeezed the air as the human’s neck began to constrict and tighten, causing him to choke and stumble.

“Do not speak to me in that tone again, or I will have your hands stitched inside your stomach.” Lexic began to walk out with the datapad as his grip on the Human’s neck continued for several minutes until the Quarren wasn’t in sight and disappeared into the smoke.

“The Sith are a weird bunch, I figure he isn’t your normal Sith though.” The Chiss contemplated to himself in confusion, at least he wasn’t dead from this ordeal.

As members of the Inquisitorius Order were called forth from all stretches within the Shroud of the Brotherhood systems, various members received the highest honours you could get from the Voice and the Grand Master. Very talented members were declared Grand Inquisitors and Chief Inquisitors combined, with only them trusted with the most secretive missions and information known to the Brotherhood. On the tropical planet of Judecca, many members such as the Emperor Xen’Mordin, Kell Dante and Lucyeth are regarded as the most precious for Clan Scholae Palatinae’s best Inquisitors. Lexiconus Qor, a new incomer to the Clan and House Imperium, was recently given the title of Chief Inquisitor and ordered to come into the Clan’s Inquisitorius Library located deep under the Missing City.

With the hot mist and fog cloaking his shuttle and blurring his vision, Lexiconus first thought it a struggle to meet with his other partners inside the Inquisitorius Order. Feeling lost within the broken and crumbling walls of the city, the Quarren held his chances onto a single datapad describing the directions to take for the entrance of this hidden bunker. An old and small alcove in a resident building was all Lexic saw but on the side several markings of Aurebesh told him the entrance was here. A stone platform on the wall protruded out and Lexic considered this to be the activation key for the door, as he placed his hand on the stone and pressed it in. Suddenly, vibrations and bricks descended into the floor to reveal a darkened corridor and stairs, it seems the Quarren was right about this. As he stepped in and activated his flashlight from his bag, he was thankful for his own navigational skills learnt from many years in the wilderness. Lexic became excited at the prospect of one day exploring this planet by foot, trekking off into the lands where man and technology hasn’t touched yet. But first the Inquisitorius Order demanded his attention as he finally descended the stairs and into a grated catwalk above the production factory for arms and weaponry.

Another automatic door stood at the end of the walkway which was labelled also in Aurebesh, and one look at the datapad told Lexic he was heading in the right direction once more. As the Quarren stepped inside the automatic door to see a crafting desk with tools assembled on the walls, he gulped his dry throat and pondered why he was directed to this dead end. The room had four clean walls, apart from the shelving system that held the tools neatly on magnetic strips with the crafting table built into the floor stone. It appeared to the Quarren that the room was built around the table, and the workers just chiselled a table from the lump of stone there, but he questioned whether it really belong there. With the factory below active and making weaponry, Lexic wondered why no one was up here fixing weapons together or dismantling them, and then he clicked this is the true entrance for the Inquisitorius. Kneeling onto the floor and feeling around the base of the table, the Quarren felt a chilled wind coming from the base of the table, and them a shining red square caught Lexic’s eye from under the table. He pushed the square and the table slide across the floor to reveal a secondary staircase that was metallic and led into darkness. Wasting no time, the Warrior quickly stood and descended down the stairs into a dark corridor with an orange glow coming from the end. The table slowly slid back into place with a clink as Lexic was determined to reach this library even if he was lost to time down here. Then it finally dawned on Lexic as the walls ascended straight up into the mist above his head, filled with various holo tomes and books of old. Every shelf, every wall and every cabinet you could see filled with the binding knowledge of secrets and covert tactics.

Across the way from Lexic was Xen’Mordin who stood waiting hesitantly for the Quarren to approach, his mask in his hand and two books in another. Uncomfortable with the idea of keeping his Consul waiting, the Warrior rushed over and saluted with pride.

“Lexiconus Qor, Chief Inquisitor of the Inquisitorius Order reporting for duty, sir!” Xen smirked a little before losing his smile and planted the books into Lexic’s moist hand.

“At ease Lexiconus and welcome to the Inquisitorius. Now your first task is to get aquainted with what we do and how we do it, to do this you’ll need to study our ways and thoroughly understand them. I hope you enjoy reading, because we won’t be leaving until it’s done. Get to it!” Xen ordered his Aedile, who rushed off to a reading table to begin, he felt this was going to be a long night.

News spread fast across the systems of the Shroud about the disappearance of the Justicar and members far and wide discuss in hush whispers, and in secretive locations about their next plot against the Dark Council. Across the Cocytus System there are many members who seem to be acting more strangely than before, and on the Isle of Deacht on Judecca Lexiconus Qor saw this first hand. First landing on this calm and pristine island coated in jungles and thick bush, the Quarren could tell this was going to be a diluted version of the wilderness he could deal with. The transport shuttle hissed softly as it landed on the sandy shore next to the House Imperium citadel, and as the ramp unfolded a muscular Human with a murky blonde haircut awaited with a casual stand in his military fatigues. With a sharp smirk on his face, the middle-aged man noticed the Quarren walking down the ramp with his medical backpack and approach with a hand extended.

“Lexiconus Nosolar Qor, allow me to be the first to humbly welcome you to House Imperium. I am Kell Dante, Son of Palpatine and your Quaestor. If you’ll walk with me, we can begin to discuss your duties.” Dante said softly as they shook hands and walked across into the town of Deacht. Lexic smiled and nodded softly as he strapped his backpack firmly to his chest and reloaded the harpoon for his rifle.

“Here in the Isle of Deacht, we have a militaristic view on things such as management, diplomacy and justice as a whole. There’s been some questions as to why i’ve chosen another for this position but i’m sure in time, we will prove to them it was a justified choice.” As the duo finally reached the roads of the town, they were met with a squad of soldiers armed with rifles and full armour. The group saluted the both men before following them from behind, their protective eyes darting everywhere in vigil.

“As you can see, this is not normal protocol. We usually don’t like to arm ourselves in our own home but it’s come to this through push and shove. The Justicar and his office have gone without a trace, the Council has gone quiet with reasons why, and I can only speculate something bad has happened. We will not let the people know they’re actually gone, but at the same time they might find out and we need to protect our assets from the men and women who decide to act against the Clan and the Brotherhood. You will be this guardian for the House.” Dante lectured further as they reached the central point for this town, where the main House offices sat. The building itself looked futuristic, but the furniture resembled a tribal look with intricate patterns and natural materials. Once inside, the soldiers split up to protect the entrance and the side offices while three soldiers stayed behind the two Sith who marched further inside and to a conference room with a hologram centred on the main table.

“Sir, we will be outside on guard if and when you need us. Just say the word, this door will be locked at all times.” Private Adams said once the duo entered, and quickly shut the door behind. Dante smiled as he worked his fingers across the holo-keyboard on the table to show the topographical map of Judecca. Several locations were placed in red, while others had a white dot beeping slowly, as Dante marched back to face Lexic.

“Here you will see this is clearly Judecca, with Ohmen here and the missing city about 4 clicks south west between each other. All of our assets are the white dots, these are the place we will protect with every piece of force and machinery we can spare.” Dante then zoomed in on a red splat located near the Missing City and placed measurement lines for reference.

“This is the last known location of a band of Dark Jedi we called brothers who decided to act against the Clan and form their own unit. We will not give them mercy, but no deaths are needed as they still are our brothers. We will capture and subdue all we can, and chase them down if they decide to retreat further into the continents.” As Lexic slowly studied the maps and it’s position, Dante tapped the Quarren’s shoulder and looked at him with determination.

“Can you do this for me, Lexiconus?” Lexic looked at the Quaestor for a second to find his expression a calm and collective persona, something he could actually tolerate for once. He then took the Quaestor’s hand and shook it firmly, a smile growing on his own face.

“I will protect and serve this Clan to the best of my ability. No one will overthrow the Emperor while we deliver justice. No one can escape my tracking skills when i’m pursuing them.” Together as Quaestor and Aedile, the pair shared a confident smile before turning back to the hologram and studying it further.

A quif of the wind rustled against the polka-dot shorts that sported the strong, tiger-tinted thighs of Lexiconus as he clunked his hands against the warmth of his white coffee. His eyes darted down the southern hall, which seemed ghostly as the charcoal banners curled and glided across the marble floor. Still not a soul in sight to collect a warm drink on this frosty winter’s morning, as the dew of the fields close by crawled through the open windows. The Quarren was unsure of what to do here, as he regularly use to chat with Daedric about the current affairs of the battleteam. The Warrior turned on his blue knitted squid slippers and pulled up a leather-faux chair in the cantina, then sat near a circular glass table and proceeded to groggily search for brown sugar. He scooped up two sachets between his dry fingers and tapped them lightly against the ceramic of his favourite silver mug. As the thin paper bags of sugar crystals tapped the rim of his steaming mug, a small clink could be heard from somewhere afar, living as just an echo. At first the sound was just part of the ambience inside the citadel, new building with new machinery.

“It just needed warming up.” Lexic thought to himself, ripping the heads of the satchels and slowly pouring them in the concoction of stimulants. The pieces of sugar that disappeared into the fluids scratched and grinded against one another so clearly, and yet the same sound was heard into the ambience around Lexic. The very same grinding of something heavy, and the scratching against something afar, stuck inside his head. His cerulean eyes darted across the immediate area and assessed the dimly-lit and abandoned room, nothing out of the ordinary. Another shiver shot up his spine as his mentality was getting the better of him, he thought it was silly to think something was monitoring him in such a well-armed fortification. However considering the lack of Force-users in this normally bustling room, his conscience began to ponder on the possibility of invasion. Suddenly like a shock to his body, a cracking shot through the air from the southern corridor and caused the Quarren to spill his luke-warm coffee onto the table and his shorts. His wide and twitchy eyes darted down the hallway, trying to pierce through the wispy veil curling and rising like a dance of phantoms.

From inside this unnatural cloth from the morning, a pale complexion arose and limped down towards Lexic. It’s muddy and bony hands extended and clawed the air, as chains snaked and constricted it’s arms with padlocks. Coming further into clarity, the figure was covered from head to toe in a snow white cloth that was unnaturally spotted with rustic stains. It’s twig-like legs slowly moved as the feet of this spectral grazed against the tiles, the same chains twisted and locked into place by strange chests of unknown origin. A raspy and wheezy whisper echoed from under the cloth as the figure limped closer and into the dim lights of the cantina. Unarmed and unprepared, Lexic whom became stunned in paralysis did not move from his soaked chair, and dug his fingers into the fabric of his seat. The clinks of the chains, and the grinding of the boxes against the flooring became all too familiar now, as the phantom now limped directly in front of the petrified Quarren until it was in reach. As if from exhaustion the being fell into Lexic and snarled out in a grotesque and frothy manner, shoving it’s face directly against the shrieking expression of Lexic. Then a small titter arose from behind the sheet as it were slowly pulled upwards.

“It’s amazing was a bit of chicken blood onto an old cloth and some mechanical gear from the hangar can do. Right, Lexic?” Bentre Stahoes appeared from behind the rags and chuckled louder this time, as he sponged the spilt coffee from the chair, then stood and tapped the Warrior’s shoulder.

“C’mon sport, you’re late to our long scouting mission. We’re cleaning up the last of Chelidon’s men and I know you’d never miss that.” The Devil’s Shroud leader then left the cantina with a peach, Lexic still hanging with a shocked expression.

The darkness of night and the looming fog from the swamps nearby crept and slithered across the fields in front of the Great Haunted Mansion of Terror. The corpses of grass and trees littered the yard with broken pieces and a landscaped land forgotten to time. The high rising and rustic fences that blocked the land creaked while the fog blew through them, and evidence of a gate for the mansion was the only thing left. The building itself gave off an ancient and isolation feel, from the lack of lighting, the unkempt walls and no indication what this place is called. The porch in the front held a single rocking chair that was already in the process of rotting away, as leaves and twigs piled against it. A singular pair of boots and a metallic water bowl reminds us of a past life this luxurious place used to be. Lexiconus pushed the soft wood door aside and stepped into a rather small hallway with tiny family portraits and no aesthetic decorations remaining. From the corner of his eye, the Quarren saw some sort of shadow move past in the nearby parlour. He quickly turned his head and only spotted the heel of something big. Then he felt the cold hands against his neck and he sprang from the floor.

“Boo! Ha!” The voice behind him shockingly shouted as it giggled. Lexic quickly turned with a fist ready to find Bentre Stahoes behind him.

“Got you that time, Squid! C’mon let’s go ghost hunting. There’s definitely a ghoul in here.” Lexic nodded in response to Bentre.

“Agreed, I saw someone coming from the parlour and they ran away. If we can be quick, we can catch them!” Lexic replied and ran ahead of Bentre into the parlour, with the Human following with surprise of the Quarren’s haste.

They swung around the corner with swiftness and found themselves entering an old and dirty kitchen area, with broken shelves and windows, and the floor covered in leaf litter and mushrooms. A quick and bright flash of lightning crack through the broken window, which caused Lexic to quickly jump into Bentre’s arms.

“Gah!” Lexic clung to Bentre’s arms tightly as he looked around in fear. The Human just growled and dropped him onto the floor.

“Stop being a girl, Lexi and let’s pick up the pace!” Bentre was displeased and stepped over the shivering Quarren as he noticed a shroud disappearing into the garden shed. With determination on his mind, the Sith quickly flicked his lightsaber to life and rushed forward across the kitchen and smashed through the backdoor. Bentre tumbled across the sandy yard along with the shards from the door and grunted as a piece lodged itself into his leg. From behind him, Lexic slowly looked up to notice the spectacle and chuckled to himself. The Quarren got to his knees and grumbled under his breath about justice served, while picked some edible mushrooms from the kitchen and nibbling them. He crawled across the floor collecting mushrooms until he came across a broken cupboard with tin cans inside. Lexic saw some of them were rusted and no good for eating, but as he fiddled with the heavy cans of mold and worked his hands into the back, a shining label caught his eye. One of a chocolate base with yellow custard topping and orange slices on the top, Lexic felt his stomach rumble as he dreamed of the chocolate.

“Cake!” The Warrior shouted as he grabbed the tin, then used a scalpel from his bag and quickly opened the tin, digging into the cake with his tentacles in joy.

“Lexic! Get your butt over here!” Bentre shouted from the garden impatiently. The Quarren dropped his tin and quickly rushed over from the floor, his eyes glancing over the deep wound caused by the door shrapnel. With a sigh, he knelt near Bentre’s leg and began to yank the pieces out of the Knight’s bleeding leg.

“You have got to be more careful, rushing through locked doors like that can be very lethal. Glass cutting your veins, infected wood poisoning you, even parasites could wriggle their way into those valuable legs. Although I could borrow them from you.” Lexic gave a chuckle as he pictured modelling Bentre’s amputated legs in modelling and the catwalk. Then from the shed a giant beast burst through and limped over to the duo roaring and spitting in pure anger. The Quarren let out a very high pitched scream, similar to that of a girl who met her favourite celebrity. Bentre saw the beast and let out his own wilhelm shriek as he clung to Lexic and shakingly aimed his lightsaber. Then a hysterical laughter came from within the covers.

“You should of seen your face, it was so funny!” The voice was familiar to Bentre and as the cover was pulled away to reveal Tasha, the blue Twi’lek who played a jester on multiple occasions. Rage slowly began to fill the expression of Bentre as he felt a need for revenge.

“Oh you are going down Twi’lek!” Bentre roared out as he tackled the female to the ground and tried to wrestle her into restraint.

Manually added by Knight Bentre Stahoes

Manually added by Seer Locke Sonjie

Manually added by Seer Locke Sonjie