Play Testers Wanted Pt. 07

"Holy shit!" I gasped my voice still recovering. In form it was a massive serpent or worm with great segmented sections that were armored like a fucking Star Destroyer.

'Did the Je'Daii master send you?' It asked its mind slamming into mine.

'Yes and no.' I replied gritting my teeth. 'My fate brought me here. You stand between me and home.'

'The Gate belongs to me!' It roared. 'You cannot have it!' The head split open as it pulled back protective sections displaying five slithering tentacles that gleamed and dripped a foul-smelling ichor. The ends of the whip shaped organs possessed a wicked looking mouth with rows of serrated shark like teeth.

'Can I borrow it?' I asked and the thing roared in laughter.

'No!' It said as its tentacles crackled with raw power.

I dove to protect the ladies behind me. I pulled us down into a crouch and created a protective dome over us. I cried out as the hellacious blast of Force lightning slammed into my shield. I found myself screaming as the intense waves of power crashed over us. I felt my concentration begin to buckle as the assault ended.

"What the fuck was that?!" I growled as I prepared to strike.

"Force storm!" Umber declared. "A more advanced version of Force lightning."

"How did we survive?" Juuna asked as she brought out her lightsaber.

"I created a shield over us. It is time to end that thing!" I snapped.

I teleported beyond it creating a crossfire. I slashed at the nearest tentacle as the trio activated their lightsabers and spread out. We had it surrounded as we split its attention between multiple foes. Death Kiss sliced deep and the abomination let out a weaker wave of dark side energy. I absorbed it and sent it right back at it in the form of Ebony Flame. The gout of fire lashed all five of its tentacles withering them a bit. Emboldened the ladies slashed away. To our surprise it was able to raise individual armored sections to defend itself as it charged up for another release of Force storm. This thing raised all of its segments and we all heard and felt the build up of power. We raced together and huddled once more as I waited until the last moment to erect the shield. I watched as it raised itself up and loosed the Force storm. I endured it and watched as the wave raced down the steps and stopped before it hit the forest. Those evil little critters! They were our solution. Once the storm had dissipated, I ordered a controlled retreat.

"Don't worry," I declared loud and clear. "It won't dare follow us. It is a coward."

We raced down the steps as the thing dove beneath the ground. I called a halt at the base of the stairs just as the burrower broke the surface and stood between us and the forest. It rose up triumphant and prepared to blast us with Force storm. I directed the ladies to spread out and wait.

'Death! I am Death Incarnate!' The thing sent weakly. 'What is happening?'

"Now. Saber throw!" I ordered as they ignited their weapons and I watched proudly at their spinning weapons struck true. "My turn." I hurled Death Kiss as strong as I could. I sliced through one of the tentacles before returning. "Again!"

Death Kiss' effect paralyzed the burrower as the three blazing lightsabers cut and damaged other tentacles.

'Why? Why can't I... UNNN!' It sent as I sent Death Kiss in one last time but it was the Echani that landed the killing blow and yet it persisted long enough to speak to me before it perished.

'Different mask, different robes, but I tell you truly I've tasted the power of the Ebony Flame before. I yield to the Master of the Pride of Korriban.'

Its body sunk into the ground without another word or a chance for me to question it further. I fought the rage of its words. What it had failed to do in combat it succeeded with conversation. I was not the captain of that ship. It was a derelict orbiting a pulsar. It was a dead ship without a crew and haunted by flashes of jagged reality. I had already been aboard her and left. There was no going back.

"Excellent strategy," Trianna praised me. "Luring it within the range of those insects so it couldn't tap into the Force and unleash that terrible discipline."

"I agree." Juuna stated hugging me.

"I will miss you." Umber added as she embraced me. "It is time to return."

One last group hug and I had them stand together so I could teleport them back to the temple. It left the catamaran alone between the Sea of Grass and the strange forest. Maybe some other adventurer would find it one day and make use of it. Who knew? I walked up the steps to the pyramid and joined Traci who was already hard at work trying to open the main doors.

"It is being a bitch... Master." Traci growled. "Not only did they build things to last but their security protocols are top notch."

"Do your best." I told her. "Got it!" Traci declared as I swapped out my brand-new lightsaber and returned Death Kiss to my inventory. "Let's go home."

I twirled the hilt of my weapon in my hand eager to see what, if anything, was guarding the gate. The metal shrieked as the ancient doors ground open. A blast of stale air hit me head on and with it the stench of death. Instinctively I reached out to see if there were any living minds within the confines of the pyramid.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Je'Daii!" The voices screamed.

"How far to the gate?"

"A mere one hundred meters Master." Traci indicated. "The main control board and portal are located directly ahead."

"Any idea what or who is making those sounds?" I asked stalled at the threshold.

"Not yet," Traci said as she winked. "The Kwa didn't believe in using artificial intelligences to run their great works. Only a living mind would do or was capable of handling the power and calculations."

The image of brains in jars flooded my consciousness. Why keep the entire body when any number of things could go wrong? Yeah, much easier to just plug them in series and poof instant organic computer. I clutched my lightsaber tight and stepped into the pyramid. Traci followed me and explained that there were many sleeping minds and one controlling personality. The minds took turns maintaining the machinery over thousands of years.

"Welcome Master Ghost Fire." The voice greeted me with the same warmth as one of those male Nexu.

"Nice place you got here. I like what you've done with it." I replied and to my surprise it laughed.

"You don't belong here." It added as I saw the first flicker of lights or machinery. "You want to go home, good."

"Great, I thought I was going to have to..."

"But I need your body more than you do." It stated cutting me off. "I promise you won't feel a thing, ever again." Cue psycho music.

"How does the gate work?" I asked and in typical villain fashion it explained the basics assuming it was going to defeat me.

"It is loosely based off the esoteric art of astral projection. Instead of sending out your mind to find a location and then teleport we seek out the destination and open a portal."

"Holy shit!" I cursed as I suspected where the Kwa had learned how to astral project. "You ran into them too! That is how your race was made extinct."

The outer blast door slammed shut with a deafening clang. I wasn't getting out that way. A few more steps and I got my first glimpse of the machinery that powered and maintained the pyramid and the gate. It reminded me of the Krell works in the movie Forbidden Planet.

"Truly wondrous," I praised the ancient Kwa. "Your people may never be surpassed for their skill and ingenuity."

"Words aren't going to save you." It replied. "I will walk out of here and make love to all of those hungry young females."

'Traci, I need you to update the Svartalfar bracelet with all of your current memories.' I sent silently.

'I have been doing so since this version of me was created. Finished.' She declared.

'I'm sorry.' I informed her but she was willing to sacrifice for my survival. 'Wish me luck.'

I hooked my lightsaber on my belt and sat cross legged on the floor. I lowered my head and awaited the inevitable mental assault. Give me a pack of Nexu armed with only a twig and wearing a diaper any day compared to the crushing weight of a mad Kwa. I shrieked as it tried to rip my mind and soul from my body. Now that it had created the mental link, I could see its physical location. Blind teleportation is a bitch, but it had just taken that off the table. I had only one shot at this. My hand struggled to detach my weapon from my hip. I went through my strategy over and over until it was the only thing occupying my thoughts. Stand... teleport... activate... kill. It was my mantra as I slowly stood as it desperately tried to stop me. I almost stumbled when I was on my knees. Stand up! I rose in slow motion. Each inch cost me a bucket of sweat and intense pain. I was standing and moved my thumb to the just below the activation stud.

"Teleport!" I howled as I gathered the energy I needed and shouted a second time. "Here I come!" I howled just before I teleported Traci in my place. The pressure was off me instantly. It was up to her now.

"That was close." Traci giggled from all around me. "You really are a naughty man. We swapped places just as you planned, and the self-destruct went off just in time to eliminate him before he could reverse the process."

"Self destruct? I didn't build anything like that into you." I stated and she laughed.

"Oh yes you did." Traci chuckled as she explained. "That personal energy shield you installed in my chassis. I set it to malfunction. It maintained it field integrity as its area collapsed like a trash compactor. The droid body was reduced to the size of a baseball."

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked. "We can..."

"Master, you have the original me on your wrist inside the dark elf construct. Besides, I have the entire knowledge of the Kwa to keep me busy. I'll be fine." She paused as she scanned the records. "I knew it! The Kwa have been to Earth before. You'll never guess where. I'll leave that as a surprise. I've locked onto coordinates. Powering up the gate. Event horizon forming. Get going before..."

I leapt into the portal with her last words echoed in my head.

"...change my mind."

The rush of power as the night embraced me as one of its children was a clear sign that I had arrived. I hesitated to pull down my HUD fearing that I would once again find all my gear locked away in a greyed-out state. I brought it down and to my delight everything was available, and I had points aplenty to spend for the latter portion of my time of the planet Tython. I slipped on the Yautja/Vibranium hybrid armor Shuri had made for me but left no weapon chosen for now.

"Traci? How are you feeling?"

"Not half as good as you." She laughed. "We are home."

"Earth. But where and when are we?" I asked as I led the way out of the pyramid and the ancient gate.

Midnight in Atlantis:

The stranger had appeared a year ago. He spouted wisdom and a means of deflecting a great threat to the people of Atlantis. Even though the scientists had declared it would not strike Atlantis but further south. The celestial visitor's arrival was no danger and yet the honeyed words of the stranger had enchanted the king. The king was so enthralled by the masked figure that a great work had been begun and now that the satellite will make planetfall a real danger faces the entire continent. The power required to alter the new moon's path might topple an empire and for what.

"Father... please... stop this while there is still time. The other strangers speak wisdom! We must not aid this masked fiend."

"Riches and wealth undreamt of my son," the King declared. "I have seen this Vibranium with my own eyes. With it no other nation would dare raise a hand to us."

"Those few nations that are our equals respect Atlantis the Great. She is loved. She doesn't need to be feared as well."

"Get out of my sight you pallid little worm!" Doom roared. "How dare you speak of love. Nations only understand fear and power. We will raise Atlantis to a new height."

"My Lord... my King..." A breathless figure raced into the throne room. "Forgive but... the forgotten pyramid is alight with power. It's time of slumber is over. A figure emerges, surely this is a sign!"

"So many portents in my lifetime." The King moaned in confusion. "What does it all mean?"

"Pyramid! What pyramid?" Doom snarled.

"I can sense him." Varnae the court wizard declared. "How is this possible?"

"Send a welcoming party to the pyramid. Have him come before us." The King ordered as he slumped into his throne. "Leave me all of you! I need time to think."

As the members of the court filed out the stunning woman striding next to Doom smiled. Mystique felt his presence as well. Somehow... out of impossible odds he was here. Ghost Fire was here! The tide had shifted oh so subtly. Did Doom know? Could he feel him as well?

"I'll be damned." Viktor Von Doom cursed. "That son of a bitch is here!" He whispered. "He won't escaped me a third time."

Fade to Black.