Operation Dragon Sun: Part 1: Journey to the Krayt Graveyard
((I'm interested in some partners for this mission, any volunteers would be appreciated.
This RP is the first part of Glathn's quest to build a planet-destroying super-weapon called the Serpent of Sorrow. We are going to the Krayt Graveyard on Tattoine to retrieve 40 Krayt dragon pearls from the sands.))
Glathn walked quietly to the docking bay. He saw the Space Dragon, his modified Aethersprite. However, he walked straight past it and instead stood by one of the many Infiltrators available for mission use. He had on him only his saberstaff, when faced with krayt dragons a weapon that used the movements of krayt dragons wasn't going to be very useful, but he'd taken his two blasters with him as extras. He thought about it again, in his head.
The Serpent of Sorrow. This plan had been formulating for a while. But it was the Quixoni crystals that had helped Glathn see the way forward. 40 Krayt dragon pearls, eleven Quixoni crystals, one planetary vaporiser, one warship. One Serpent of Sorrow.
He'd spread word that he needed assistance on a mission to Tattooine, he waited to see if anyone would come.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus briskly entered the docking bay. He was to go to Tatooine to help the apprentice of his superior, High Prophet Aequitas. The mission would not be too difficult, as long as they didn't run into any living dragons.
Crozeus ran the start up for his personalised snub-fighter, giving a nod to Glathn in greeting.
High Mage Serratus
Glathn saluted Crozeus.
"I have containment pods here on the Infiltrator for the pearls. We can equip on the planet's surface and I'll fill you in on the specifics. See you there."
Glathn climbed into the Inflitrator and took his place in the pilot's seat. He started the ship up and started to come away from the planet's surface. He started flying away, slowly at first before gaining speed.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus also clambered in. He booted up and took off after Glathn, the superior speed of the Revenge catching him up to Glathn quickly. The automatic hail bounced back and the tractor beams of the Interdictors shut off, just long enough for the two small craft to jump to hyperspace.
------------------------
Once again, Crozeus found himself above Tatooine. He had been here for his own training, both under Celestial and Aequitas. And here he had fought a Krayt Dragon. He hoped Glathn was prepared, it took a lot of punishment from two Sith to bring the great beast down. Crozeus set his ship down not too far from the immense Krayt grave-yard, and waited for Glathn who was just above him.
High Mage Serratus
Glathn touched down a few seconds later. He was back on Tatooine. He'd not been here since his self-imposed exile. It was here that he'd studied the three major species of krayt dragon, lesser, greater and canyon.
The canyon krayt, as Glathn learned, produced a red pearl, 10 of the pearls needed would come from this type. The lesser and greater krayt's came in a swirl of colour, a white core, spreading out to a blue inner layer, a second green layer before finally a translucent black. Glathn required 20 of the lesser krayt's and 10 of the larger pearls of the greater krayt. He unloaded the containment pods and walked over to Darth Crozeus.
"The pearls have to stay unscratched, unsmudged, undamaged and unchipped. Each of these pods is equipped to hold two greater pearls, two canyon pearls and four lesser pearls."
He handed two of the containers to Crozeus.
"Ready?"
High Prophet Crozeus
"Unfortunately." Crozeus grinned, and while Glathn started to run off, instead crouched down to meditate. The area came into his mind like from a bird's eye and Crozeus felt for the pearls, feeling them in small clusters. Visions started pouring hrough his mind, including one of a Greater dragon, alive, tucked away in a corner. Crozeus consdered warning Glathn of it, but then decided he would let him deal with it. If he did happen to run into it.
After a while he stood up and wondered to one of the areas. He found far more skeletons than he expected, and the idea of 40 pearls became more of a reality. He picked up a few and judged them to be accurate, preferring to wonder idly around, collecting his thoughts in this most eerie of places.
Crozeus had, by now, acquired around half of one pod.
High Mage Serratus
((You forgot your crystal tally.))
Glathn had been to the place many times before and had an intimate knowledge of its workings but even he could not accurately predict what could happen here. He quickly acquired two greater pearls and several lesser pearls. Though he sought to fill his pods, he could use the credits and didn't throw away any excess. He started wandering toward Blood Rock, as he had called it, where a group of pearl-seeking explorers had perished many years ago. Suddenly, from the sand, burst a greater krayt and a canyon krayt, poised to attack.
"Oh damn."
The greater krayt struck quickly with its head. Glathn jumped high and landed on its head but the canyon krayt charged and knocked him over. Glathn was sent sprawling into the sand. When he looked up, he saw the canyon krayt coming for him. This krayt was different though. It had black stripes.
Glathn stood up suddenly and leapt forward at the charging krayt. He flipped gracefully and landed on the creature's head before turning around and driving his now-drawn saberstaff into the beast's nose. This was one of their few weaknesses. The blade entered the krayt's brain killing it instantly. The greater retreated as its companion was killed. Glathn sliced the now-dead krayt open. He quickly retrieved the dark red pearl. Something was different about this pearl and Glathn was compelled to add it to his saberstaff. He quickly disassembled the Nagi staff and placed the new pearl in between the two Quixoni crystals. He drew the newly remade staff.
Its length had been increased even more and the combination of blood-red crystals seemed to give off a dark, bloody aura. He liked it.
Crozeus watched Glathn taking down the Dragon with interest. He clearly knew the creatures, unlike he and Celestial did. He would prove to be a valuable asset to the Church indeed. Crozeus still wandered around, gathering pearls. To his surprise he had filled a whole pod. Suddenly, the sand was disturbed and a small Dragom baby, Crozeus guessed of a Canyon by it's stripes, broke cover and scuttled across in front of him. How cute, Crozeus thought, as he reached out and crushed its skull with a thought.
((I prefer not to put in numbers in an rp))
High Mage Serratus
((If you say so.))
Glathn sheathed his saberstaff. He started sifting through the sands again. He soon found some canyon pearls. He slipped them into a pod. He now had a full one, which he saw Crozeus had too.
"Two down, three to go."
As he kept sifting, he began to find other artifacts, no doubt those who had perished in the Graveyard had left these remnants behind. He found a couple of cortosis gauntlets which he put on, so as not to lose them. Next he found a Mandalorian blade. It reminded him of the one he had lost in this very...
"Oh my god."
It was his cutter. He'd grown up with it on Hoth, it was like an old friend. He'd thought it lost forever after it was knocked away by that greater krayt. He dug a little deeper into the sand and found his tauntaun-skin sheath. He attached it to his garment and sheathed the blade. He was beginning to like this mission.
High Prophet Crozeus
((God in SW?))
Crozeus was impressed by the apprentice's findings. Most of the bizzare items he found were useless to him, and he ignored them. But he did notice something poking out from beneath the sand. It was a lesser pearl, and it had a glow to it. Crozeus pocketed it. He soon filled his other pod and headed back to his ship to attach them on, before returning to help Glathn.
High Mage Serratus
((What would you say say? Just typical of me, I guess I didn't think that one through.))
Glathn too had filled a second pod and loaded both onto the Infiltrator alongside Crozeus's. They both returned to the sands to start sifting again.
High Prophet Crozeus
((Oh... or What the....))
Crozeus suddenly lifted his head, sniffing like a dog. He felt something, stirring on the wind. At Glathn's surprise, Crozeus whispered "Raiders" and ignited his lightsaber, before running away.
High Mage Serratus
((Dur...stupid Glathn.))
Glathn stopped.
"Raiders...Raiders...Raiders..."
His mind suddenly whirred into action.
"Raiders."
He drew his saberstaff and ran after Crozeus.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus sprinted, full pace, for about three minutes before he came to a small valley. He took cover behind a dune and peered over the top. Sure enough, a small party of raiders, about twelve of them, wondered around. Strange, Crozeus thought. Why was the presense he detected so strong? Ah. More raiders emerged, about thirty more, with six banthas as well as handlers. In their centre was a larger raider, in dark robes. A chieftan. Crozeus wasn't out of breath and he looked to Glathn, who had just caught up to him.
"Simple procedure. We run down there, and kill 'em. Unless we take 'em all, they'll just bring back more. Any suggestions?" Crozeus twirled his saber in anticipation.
High Mage Serratus
Glathn checked to make sure he had his lightsaber, blasters and knife.
"Let me deal with the banthas and handlers. Thirteen years of hunting tauntauns gives you a way with gutting animals. Aside from that, I say we split them fifty-fifty."
High Prophet Crozeus
"OK."
Without another word Crozeus vaulted over the dune, gripped a raider with the Force and hurled his lightsaber towards it, impaling it. It writhed and screamed for a while and Crozeus hurled his double blade to a group of more. His wrist blade he flourished and advanced on the chieftan, keeping his other blades airborne and killing with the Force, a rare technique few knew how to do.
High Mage Serratus
Glathn vaulted down after Crozeus and landed in the middle of the banthas and their handlers. As Glathn had guessed, these bantha had the characteristics of feral bantha, they had been bred for protection.
He plunged his knife into the head of one of the bantha and decapitated three of the others with his lightsaber in a single cut before whipping out his blasters and shooting the last two in the head.
He then turned on the handlers and repeat the procedure, for every bantha he did the same to its handler.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus was in his element, eyes blazing red as he killed indiscriminately. The Tusken fell before him, breaking apart as they were cut repeatedly in seconds. The chieftan had managed to stay away from him as his warriors died, but he was running out. The last two turned and fled, and Crozeus' lightsabers hummed after them, and cut them down as they fled. Crozeus turned to face the leader, and with a cruel smile jerked his hand back.
If possible, the chieftan seemed surprised to see two blades poking through his back. Crozeus took his head and ripped the blades through him, causing him to fall in half as well. He harnessed his lightsabers and wondered over to Glathn, who had finished off the last of the bantha. Crozeus surveyed the carnage and whistled, his eyes fading back to blue.
"That was fun. More so than collecting pearls, if such a thing is possible. Let's head back."
High Mage Serratus
Glathn chuckled.
"What happened to fifty-fifty? Anyway, give me a second."
Glathn felt out with the Force and removed what few objects the Raiders were carrying with them. He sifted through the selection of objects. There were enough dragon pearls to fill the last pod, several gaderffii, a few cycler rifles and finally a curious lightsaber-like device. Glathn raised an eyebrow.
"What is with the influx of strange weapons lately?"
He called over the pearls and filled his last pod, pocketing the remaining pearls for personal use. He then took two gaderffii, a cycler rifle and the strange device, strapping the gaderffii to his back while looking at the device. He activated it, but instead of a lightsaber blade, the device split into two segments which were connected by a long collapsable metal pole. A lightsaber-blade-like violet-coloured scythe blade came out of the end.
"A lightscythe?"
Glathn gathered his load before turning around to return to his ship.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus eyed him with amusment in his eyes as he loaded the pod onto his ship.
"You'd better give that to me, actually. The Church could have a use for it. Don't worry, I'll tell them you found it, and I'll give it back."
High Mage Serratus
((The lightscythe is an important plot device, it belonged to his father, Darth Grim and it was traded for scrap metal with a Tusken Raider. If you want, you can present it to the Church and they can tell me it was Darth Grim's and then later when he discovers Darth Grim was his father and he'll be all "What!?" and stuff.))
Glathn tossed him the lightscythe.
"Be sure you do that. It's an interesting weapon. I'd like to study it more."
He pulled a gaderffii from his back and twirled it around.
"I like to be well-versed in the use of many weapons, I don't like being dependent on just my lightsaber or just my hunting knife. Anyway, let us go back, we have done what we came here for and more."
High Prophet Crozeus
((OK, it will be an experiment for me ))
"Sure thing."
The Masar's Revenge once more took off from Tatooine and jumped to Kuat. They arrived as subtle as when they left, and when they dis-embarked Crozeus left Glathn to handle the pods. He wasn't going to the Church first, however. He was going to the workshop, the pearl still clasped firmly in his hand.
High Mage Serratus
Glathn prepared a cart and carried the pods off to his quarters. He had completed part one of his plan.
))