A Quiet Lake Archive -- Cadomedd, Rik, Et Al
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Kaytren Li
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sun Dec 15, 2019 1:28 am
A Quiet Lake Archive -- Cadomedd, Rik, Et Al
(Content belongs to its original writers to preserve, re-format, or do with as they please.) <3
I will not be made useless. I won't be idle with despair. I will gather myself around my faith, for it's Light the Darkness most fears.
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Kaytren Li
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sun Dec 15, 2019 1:28 am
Re: A Quiet Lake Archive -- Cadomedd, Rik, Et Al
Page 1 of 1
A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:52 am
by Cadomedd
A quiet lake outside of the main capital city of Adervez. Every inch of the body of water was wrapped up in fields. It was the perfect spot to take a load off.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:53 am
by Cadomedd
For 30 years life was quite simple for that tent by the lake. Every morning the tent’s flaps would greet the rising sun, and every evening the would close to welcome the moon. For the past 30 years, that tent stood tall. When the blizzards came the tent never collapsed, when the summer storms blew in that tent held its ground. But today, today everything that tent knew would change.
It all started off like any other day, the warm morning light hugging the tent’s leather outside, the birds singing in the breeze, and the gentle sound of waves were crashing on the shore. It was perfect.
That’s when the sky broke. A metal monstrosity descended out from the clouds. Its engines roared like thunder. The tent shook. It was scared. The birds were gone. The lake began to churn. The tent began to buckle. The steel beast inched closer and closer to the tent. One by one its pins began to fall. With one final snap, the tent collapsed, falling to the weight of the sky behemoth.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:58 am
by Cadomedd
The beast’s engines stopped. The sound of silence filled the void. The world was still until the hiss of hydraulics echoed across the field. The monstrosity extended a ramp from its insides making it’s home at the heap of leather and twigs that it just destroyed.
“I think you landed on someone’s house, Drix” shouted a voice deep inside the metal encased eyesore.
“Was there anyone inside?” replied a second voice that sounded like someone talking with lungs full of pebbles.
“They’re probably dead, now.” said the first voice.
“Well, why don’t you go check!” growled the raspy one. Trying so hard to hold back his true feelings.
With a few quick footsteps, a scaly leg protruded out from the steel beast’s mouth. Its green scales shined bright in the sky. This creature was known as a Trandoshan, a race of lizards that lacked pleasantries but made up for it with aggression. The Trandoshan crept further into the sunlight, its face now completely exposed to Nelvaan’s summer sun. The lizard had to lift his hand to shade his jet black eyes from the encroaching sun, which meant the blaster rifle he was carrying now dangled loosely to his side. His exposed claws clicked on the ramp’s surface as he made his way towards the trampled tent.
In front of him, the lizard saw the leathery corpse of the tent splattered on the ground, it’s broken pins strew everywhere. He walked around the side of the monstrosity following the outline of the fallen tent. The trandoshan stopped in his tracks. There in front of him clad in leather was a large mound, maybe 7, maybe 8 feet in length. It looked like someone draped the tent over a boulder.
“Uhh…Drix!” shouted the Trandoshan feeling rather uneasy.
“What!?!” howled Drix, his Zabrak scarred head jutting out into the Nelvaanian sun.
“There’s something real big under here!”
“For kriff’s sake, Xul! I don’t want to see another one of your turds”
Drix rounded the corner, the morning sun reflected off the word hate that was stitched into his leather vest. Drix was what you would call violent, everything about him exuded angry and rage. With each step Drix took Xul could feel the scales on the back of his neck crawl. Drix hated coming out of the ship, and Xul knew it.
“That was one-time” Xul mumbled under his breath scared to look Drix in the eye. “But, I think we might have landed on someone” The Trandoshan’s finger pointed to the mound.
“What the hell is that?” asked Drix slowly approaching the boulder-sized mound.
“I don’t know…” stammered Xul “Maybe a bantha”
“Yes, that mound is a 15-ton furry beast,” said Drix with the heaviest of eye rolls. The Zabrak squatted down next to the leather-clad mass taking his blaster pistol out. He prodded the mound, his gun felt resistance on the push. It was something fleshy, fleshy but muscular. He prodded a little harder the mass stayed still.
“Well, whatever this is, it's dead” Drix stated rising to his feet. “Come on, Xul, Mr. Q wanted a scouting base set-up by nightfall.”
Drix walked back into the ship. Xul, however, continued to stare at the mound. His jet black eyes squinting. The mound looked like it was moving like it was breathing.
“Xul!” Drax shouted
Xul’s head snapped back around.
“Coming!” Xul replied quickly making his way to the ship. As he rounded the corner he took a look back at the mound.
“XUUUUL!”
Xul shook his head and went back into the ship.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:43 am
by Cadomedd
The sun continued its regular path through the sky, and the tent watched the two outlaws set up camp. They laid out relays, power couplings, large boxes of who knows what. These two worked until the sun was replaced by bright floodlights. Their light drowned out the night sky and illuminated the death stick smoke coming from the two men sitting in the center of their makeshift camp.
“And then I said…”
“I’m only here to play Sabacc” Drix muttered. “You’ve told me that same filthy story for the past five years, Xul”
“You gotta admit it’s a good one” Xul replied starting to lay further back on the crate. That’s when Drix, with a swift kick, knocked the Trandoshan to the ground.
“What the hell, man!” Xul shouted wiping the dirt of his torn pants.
“Shut up, Xul and grab us a meal kit. I’m starving” Drix said taking a long toke of his death stick. The Zabrak had been working with Xul for the better part of 5 years now. Each and every day was grueling, it was like working with a monkey who happened to be a lizard. The only solace that Drix got was dinner. Somehow the Trandoshan understood that meals were meant to be eaten in silence. The Zabrak closed his eyes and relished in the smoke filling his lungs.
Xul begrudgingly made his way back towards the steel ship. His gait slow and lethargically. Drix has always been a hard-ass, but recently it’s been a lot harder to deal with him. Ever since they started working for Mr. Q, Drix has been a different person. Xul lumbered over to one of the large crates, with a click he opened it up.
Empty.
Xul blinked. He put his head inside the crate.
Empty.
Xul kept staring at the box, scratching his head.
“Hey, Drix.”
“Yeah?” replied Drix with his eyes still closing, praying to some unseen power that there wasn’t a problem.
“Crate 3A…”
“What about it”
“That was one of the food crates, right?”
“Yes?” Drix sighed exacerbated by the whole thing.
“Well, it’s empty” Xul said bracing himself for the what was to come next.
Drix sat up in his seat turning his body around to face Xul. “What do you mean, empty?”
“I mean it’s empty”
Drix made his way over to Xul. He looked down at the black void inside the crate.
“What the hell, Xul!?” yelled Drix slamming the crate lid down.
“What? Do you think I did this?” Xul exclaimed defensively.
“Well, I didn’t,” Drix said moving in closer to Xul. “And I don’t see anyone else around, do I?”
Drix and Xul locked eyes. Both of their hands turned into fists. The night air stood still. The lake didn’t make a sound.
“Do you guys have any salt?”
Both of the men spun around, guns draw, to see a mountain-sized wolfman sitting on a crate stuffing his face full of food. The bright floodlights illuminated this surprise guest, his fur was dark blue with strands of gray throughout. His face was scarred yet somehow radiate with happiness. He wore what appeared to be a floral print shirt. Its colors glowed brightly under the night sky. But the one thing that stood out amongst all of the oddities was his eyes, they were bright violet and pierced your soul.
Drix took a shot. The bolt of plasma flew through the air illuminating every inch in its path. With a flick of the wolf’s wrist, the bolt plummeted into the ground sending bits of debris tumbling into the air.
“Is that a no?” The wolf said putting another forkful of foodstuff into his mouth.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:16 pm
by Cadomedd
“Who the hell are you?” Xul stammered holding his gun in his shaky hands.
“Name’s…”
Drix took another shot, and once again the bolt of plasma seemed to almost bounce off the mass of blue fur.
“Would you stop that?” asked the large blue beast turning his violet gaze towards the Zabrak.
Drix has had enough. How dare this pile of fluff walk into camp and eat his food, and not die. The Zabrak howled with rage as he unloaded his blaster rifle into the blue fuzzball. With each click of the trigger, his war cry grew louder and louder.
Pfszzzt
The blaster rifle was covered in steam overheated by the thug’s outburst. Drix stood in silence, the gun almost falling out of his hands. Nothing holes. There were no wholes in the floral print shirt, no dead wolfman, not even a singed strand of fur. Drix’s eyes began to slowly shift from rage to what some might say fear. The wolfman ate another bite of food.
“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted” The large wolf man glares at Drix but gently turns his head back towards the Trandoshan. “The name’s Cadomedd, but most people call me Cad”
With one loud slurp, the beast finished his meal and jumped off the crate. Cadomedd was truly a giant. He stood heads above Drix and Xul, his shoulders were broad, his smile was full of fangs and the beast’s shadow draped over both men like a foreshadowing blanket.
“Now I have a question for you” smiled the wolf man his floral print shirt billowing in the night’s breeze. “Who is Mr.Q?”
“Kriff you!” Drill shouted started to walk away from the large wolf-man.
Cadomedd rolled his eyes and turned towards the trembling trandoshan. “Seeing as you are the people who landed a spaceship on my abode. I think it’s only fair that you answer some questions of mine.”
Xul was taken aback, the man looked like a beast but he spoke in a very warm baritone. It was rather soothing actually. The trandoshan holstered his blaster pistol.
“Mr. Q is our employe-“ Xul said before Drix’s fist cut him off. “OW!” yelled the trandoshan’s rubbing his face. “What the kriff, man!?”
Drix threw a haymaker into Xul’s stomach. The trandoshan could feel the wind leave his body. He stared up at his old partner and winced. Xul dropped to his knees.
“Listen to me, poodohead,” Drix said getting real close to the trandoshan’s face. “We aren’t telling this walking carpet anything, except where he can show -“
Before Drix could say another word the Zabrak found himself weightless as if punched by the air himself. The Zabrak flew through the air careening into some crates on the opposite side of camp. Xul stared at the large wolf man’s extended hand now turned into a fist. The beast made his way towards him. Xul braced himself for the worse but found himself up on his face. Cadomedd dusting some dirt off his shoulders.
“Now before you were so rudely interrupted, you were telling me about Mr. Q?” Cad said his fangs glistening in the flood lights of the make-shift camp.
Xul gulped.
“He’s our employer. He wanted us to set-up a scouting base on Nelvaan. He has plans on setting up shop here.” Xul said bracing himself after each sentence just incase either the stranger or Drix would exact some sort of punishment.
“Relax, Xul” Cadomedd said placing a calming hand on the trandoshan’s shoulders. “Here take a seat.” The large wolf man grabbed a chair from the distance and set it in front of him.
“How do you know my name?” Xul said nervously grabbing the chair.
“I spent all day wriggling out from underneath the landing gear, and you and Drix aren’t necessarily the silent types,” Cad said with a smile. He walked over to another contain and took out a meal kit. He handed it over to Xul. The scaly fingers wrapped around the exterior of the box, and Xul could feel his breathing return to normal. If the blue beast was going to kill him he would have done it by now. He began to eat his food.
“Now, What kind of shop is Mr.Q setting up,” Cad said with a reassuring smile.
“He wants to get into the weapons game. He dug up some old records and saw that Nelvaan had loads of Quadanium alloy just lying about. With all of the stuff that’s happening out in the universe the boss thought that this might be an easy score.” Xul said surprised by how easy it was to talk to his new found furry friend. “This is going to be a starting place for a mining colony.”
Cadomedd stroked his chin as he stared at the trandoshan.
“What do you mean stuff?
Xul cocked his head in confusion. “I guess you really have been living in a tent. Every since the galactic alliance sort of collapsed it’s been kind of a free for all in the galaxy. Whatever land you find you lay your claim to. Mr. Q wants a piece of that action before more of the machines show up.”
Cadomedd turned his head to the night sky. Xul stared at him, was he checking to see if Xul was telling the truth. Nobody moved for three seconds. Cadomedd getting lost in thought of his early years out and about the galaxy. He just thought that things would have stayed the course once he vanished. I mean no one expects an entire government to collapse in 30 years, right? Cadomedd scratched the top of his head and turned back to Xul.
“I’m afraid you come at a bad time, Xul” Cadomedd said placing his hands on his hips. “Nelvaan's kind of using that stuff"
“For what?” Xul said with a mouth full of food. “Last time I checked you people were still living in tents.”
Cadomedd let out a slight chuckle. “For a while we did, but we Nelvaanians are smarter then people give us credit for. Over the years we caught on with the rest of the galaxy, but we kind of kept quiet about it.”
The Nelvaanian reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small device. “You see for the past century Nelvaan has been growing, and about 40 years ago we really started to book it.”
Cadomedd pushed a button.
Xul dropped his food as he turned around.
The mountain that was once in the background now was a bustling metropolis. The sounds of the city almost over took the two as they stared back at the glowing star. Xul’s mouth hung open. There were speeders whizzing around like fire flys, bright neon signs shined brightly in the night sky, the buildings were tall almost colossal tearing at the cloud line.
Xul’s mouth hung open. Cadomedd hit a button and the mountain returned.
“What was that?” Xul said mouth still agape.
“That’s Adervez” smiled Cadomedd “Shining beacon of Nelvaan, its capital city, and you two are trespassing”
Xul’s mouth suddenly closed as he stood up from his chair.
Cadomedd lifted his hand up, trying to calm the trandoshan.
“Now Xul, we can do this the easy way. Or the hard way.” Cadomedd said smiling ever so brightly. “If you couldn’t already tell I am a big fan of the easy way. I'm kind of known as a large fuzzball”
Xul nodded and stood still awaiting the beast’s instructions.
“Good. Now you and Drix are going to go back on your ship, you are going to take off, and you are going to fly away. Both of you will forget this day ever happened. If you do talk about what you saw, my I suggest telling it in the style of a fairy tale, cause that’s all Nelvaan is Xul, a fairy-tale.”
Xul nodded.
WOOOOOOOOOOOSH
Both Cad and Xul turned towards the noise. The steel beast that destroyed Cad’s home awoke once more. In one of the windows a Zabrak sat, his eyes glowing with malice, his nose broken. With a cruel smile the ship began to rush towards Cad. He sighed. He really hated doing things the hard way. Cadomedd grabbed Xul and jumped.
The beast flew through the air as if gravity no longer affected him. Xul began to scream. Cadomedd locked eyes with Drix. He was now floating at the Zabrax’s level. With one swift punch the windshield shattered into a million pieces, and with the screaming trandoshan Cadomedd threw him at his colleague.
The satisfying thud rang in Cadomedd’s ears as he dropped to the ground. With his arms extended he braced himself. The steel hull slammed into his exposed palms and began to push him into the ground. Cadomedd didn’t move, his muscles tensed and Cadomedd breathed. With each calm breath Cadomedd drew in strength, he drew in the force. The rush of energy filled his lungs. It had been years since Cad had asked for it’s aid. Most of the day he spent meditating, letting it pour of him like a waterfall, but today, today he turned that waterfall into a raging current.
The ship’s afterburners roared in the night, but they didn’t move. A large Nelvaanian with his extended hands held the ship in place.
“XUL!” Cadomedd shouted. “PUT DOWN YOUR EMERGENCY WINDSHIELD, AND GET OFF MY PLANET!”
Xul, now scrambling in the cockpit, threw the passed out Zabrak on the ground. He twisted and turned levers. The once wind filled cabin now turned into an airtight seal as slates of metal began to cover it. The trandoshan clicked open the communication channel. “Cad…Mr. Q will be back, and…I’m sorry”
With that the Trandoshan pulled back at the helm, as the ship began to tilt upwards. Cadomedd dove out of the way. The steel monstrosity broke back into the clouds. Leaving the way it came. Cadomedd waved the ship goodbye as he stood in the middle of the ruined camp. His eyes kept to the skies until the steel beast was another blip in the night sky.
The wolf chuckled as he began to stretch. That was sure an interesting day. He turned back towards his destroyed tent and began to set it up once more. The tent was happy about this. As long as the wolf-man stayed, the tent might have a shot at reincarnation.
::Cadomedd::
The Nelvaanian stopped in place. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a comm.
::Yes?::
::We need to talk::
The voice disappeared. Cadomedd stared down at his tent. He sighed. He wrapped up the bundle of sticks inside of the leather and threw it over his back.
“Here we go again.”
The blue beast smiled as he walked back to Adervez. Little did he know that the next chapter of his life was about to begin.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 pm
by Rik Idanian
Roughly two months ago…well no less than two…or greater than four… *ahem*
It was twilight. The sun’s first rays were just warming the mountainous horizon as a lone figure fell from the sky.
Why can’t life just be simple. Such were Rik’s thoughts as he plummeted from who knows where to where the heck am I and why can’t I remember anything!
To be more accurate Rik’s exact thoughts were simply a long, confusing, improbable string of disjointed expletives ending in a massive splash as he landed in the clear, cold water of a certain quiet Nelvanian lake. A philosopher Rik Idanian was not…
Not that he remembered at least…
Rik, now sopping wet and fuming at the incongruity of it all and just plain fed up with… well… the universe in general stumbled out of the lake onto dry land.
“What the HELL!!!" He shouted at the sky.
With the lake to his back and the rising sun over the mountains at his front Rik promptly sat down in the tall grass and crossed his arms.
“Nope. Not doing this. No way. DEFINATLY not!”He looked down at himself. His rough spun pants and a tunic that could only be described as “flowy” were dark with moisture and heavy as… well.. water soaked clothing…
“What the heck am I wearing?”Rik asked himself.
“Cloths obviously,” he answered.
“Oh, great time to decide to be a smart ass.”
“Shut up, you started it!”
“Great now I’m talking to myself.”
“Yep, it’s that bad.”
Rik stood and started pacing.
“Alright Idanian, hold it together. Don’t know where I am, how I got here, or how I got stuck with these horrible cloths. First where am I? No idea. Check not getting anywhere. Hmn… High ground…Right. Find some high ground and get my bearings.”
Rik glanced around until he found a tall boulder out in the tall grass. He ran to it and, with some difficulty due to his sodden state of being, made it to the top for a panoramic view.
“Man, great view. Picturesque mountains in front of a brilliant sunrise. Almost too good to be true. Quiet lake behind me, grassy fields to either side. Ok, I got this!”
He turned back around to face the mountains and sat on the rock a smirk spreading across his face.
"I have no idea where I am!"
He may have started to become a little frantic.
“Lost on a strange planet… no idea how I got here or why… not touching those with a ten-foot pole! The galaxy’s a strange enough place as it is without Crazy Rik coming up with weird and increasingly unlikely ideas of how he got here. What’s next? Oh ya! I’m wearing stupidly ascetic clothing and it’s wet and cold!”
He hurriedly stripped himself of his wet garments except for his base layer and laid them out to dry in the sun’s increasingly warm rays. Rik looked toward the sky as he let the sun warm him as well.
“What now?”
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:29 pm
by Rik Idanian
The rest of the day did wonders for Rik's nerves. There was something calming about that Quiet Lake and the mountain view. Though his stomach alerted him to his growing hunger and his throat began to dry with thirst Rik didn't move. A Quiet washed over him. A stillness. And then in a flash, his eyes were opened! He could see the pulse of life coursing through the earth, carried on the winds and dancing through the grass. The Force flowed through everything and Rik was one with the Force, and the Force was with him. The picturesque mountains in the distance disappeared before it's power and the truth was laid bare. Not mountains. But a thriving city. No towering peaks. But buildings that touched the clouds.
With stillness in his heart and a clarity of purpose he never before had remembered Rik Idanian stood and dressed in what were now dry yet very distinctive robes. His eyes were fixed on the city before him as he fastened on his belt. There was a cool, metallic object hanging from his side who's weight was new yet not foreign. It was as if a lifetime of experience had taught his body to expect its presence but his mind was not yet caught up. Rik took the cylinder in his hand and thumbed the button. Azure flames lept to respond and with a snap/hiss formed a blade. A lightsaber. His lightsaber. It was a concept altogether foreign yet as reassuringly comfortable as your own personal pillow.
"Well, this explains nothing." He said with a crooked smirk.
Rik Idanian, Jedi, holstered his weapon and shook his head.
"Looks like I have a direction to go in at least. And an old friend to find. If anyone with know what's going on here it'll be Valor."
And with nary a backward glance, Rik set out toward the once again invisible city.
All times are UTC-05:00
Page 1 of 1
A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:52 am
by Cadomedd
A quiet lake outside of the main capital city of Adervez. Every inch of the body of water was wrapped up in fields. It was the perfect spot to take a load off.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:53 am
by Cadomedd
For 30 years life was quite simple for that tent by the lake. Every morning the tent’s flaps would greet the rising sun, and every evening the would close to welcome the moon. For the past 30 years, that tent stood tall. When the blizzards came the tent never collapsed, when the summer storms blew in that tent held its ground. But today, today everything that tent knew would change.
It all started off like any other day, the warm morning light hugging the tent’s leather outside, the birds singing in the breeze, and the gentle sound of waves were crashing on the shore. It was perfect.
That’s when the sky broke. A metal monstrosity descended out from the clouds. Its engines roared like thunder. The tent shook. It was scared. The birds were gone. The lake began to churn. The tent began to buckle. The steel beast inched closer and closer to the tent. One by one its pins began to fall. With one final snap, the tent collapsed, falling to the weight of the sky behemoth.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:58 am
by Cadomedd
The beast’s engines stopped. The sound of silence filled the void. The world was still until the hiss of hydraulics echoed across the field. The monstrosity extended a ramp from its insides making it’s home at the heap of leather and twigs that it just destroyed.
“I think you landed on someone’s house, Drix” shouted a voice deep inside the metal encased eyesore.
“Was there anyone inside?” replied a second voice that sounded like someone talking with lungs full of pebbles.
“They’re probably dead, now.” said the first voice.
“Well, why don’t you go check!” growled the raspy one. Trying so hard to hold back his true feelings.
With a few quick footsteps, a scaly leg protruded out from the steel beast’s mouth. Its green scales shined bright in the sky. This creature was known as a Trandoshan, a race of lizards that lacked pleasantries but made up for it with aggression. The Trandoshan crept further into the sunlight, its face now completely exposed to Nelvaan’s summer sun. The lizard had to lift his hand to shade his jet black eyes from the encroaching sun, which meant the blaster rifle he was carrying now dangled loosely to his side. His exposed claws clicked on the ramp’s surface as he made his way towards the trampled tent.
In front of him, the lizard saw the leathery corpse of the tent splattered on the ground, it’s broken pins strew everywhere. He walked around the side of the monstrosity following the outline of the fallen tent. The trandoshan stopped in his tracks. There in front of him clad in leather was a large mound, maybe 7, maybe 8 feet in length. It looked like someone draped the tent over a boulder.
“Uhh…Drix!” shouted the Trandoshan feeling rather uneasy.
“What!?!” howled Drix, his Zabrak scarred head jutting out into the Nelvaanian sun.
“There’s something real big under here!”
“For kriff’s sake, Xul! I don’t want to see another one of your turds”
Drix rounded the corner, the morning sun reflected off the word hate that was stitched into his leather vest. Drix was what you would call violent, everything about him exuded angry and rage. With each step Drix took Xul could feel the scales on the back of his neck crawl. Drix hated coming out of the ship, and Xul knew it.
“That was one-time” Xul mumbled under his breath scared to look Drix in the eye. “But, I think we might have landed on someone” The Trandoshan’s finger pointed to the mound.
“What the hell is that?” asked Drix slowly approaching the boulder-sized mound.
“I don’t know…” stammered Xul “Maybe a bantha”
“Yes, that mound is a 15-ton furry beast,” said Drix with the heaviest of eye rolls. The Zabrak squatted down next to the leather-clad mass taking his blaster pistol out. He prodded the mound, his gun felt resistance on the push. It was something fleshy, fleshy but muscular. He prodded a little harder the mass stayed still.
“Well, whatever this is, it's dead” Drix stated rising to his feet. “Come on, Xul, Mr. Q wanted a scouting base set-up by nightfall.”
Drix walked back into the ship. Xul, however, continued to stare at the mound. His jet black eyes squinting. The mound looked like it was moving like it was breathing.
“Xul!” Drax shouted
Xul’s head snapped back around.
“Coming!” Xul replied quickly making his way to the ship. As he rounded the corner he took a look back at the mound.
“XUUUUL!”
Xul shook his head and went back into the ship.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:43 am
by Cadomedd
The sun continued its regular path through the sky, and the tent watched the two outlaws set up camp. They laid out relays, power couplings, large boxes of who knows what. These two worked until the sun was replaced by bright floodlights. Their light drowned out the night sky and illuminated the death stick smoke coming from the two men sitting in the center of their makeshift camp.
“And then I said…”
“I’m only here to play Sabacc” Drix muttered. “You’ve told me that same filthy story for the past five years, Xul”
“You gotta admit it’s a good one” Xul replied starting to lay further back on the crate. That’s when Drix, with a swift kick, knocked the Trandoshan to the ground.
“What the hell, man!” Xul shouted wiping the dirt of his torn pants.
“Shut up, Xul and grab us a meal kit. I’m starving” Drix said taking a long toke of his death stick. The Zabrak had been working with Xul for the better part of 5 years now. Each and every day was grueling, it was like working with a monkey who happened to be a lizard. The only solace that Drix got was dinner. Somehow the Trandoshan understood that meals were meant to be eaten in silence. The Zabrak closed his eyes and relished in the smoke filling his lungs.
Xul begrudgingly made his way back towards the steel ship. His gait slow and lethargically. Drix has always been a hard-ass, but recently it’s been a lot harder to deal with him. Ever since they started working for Mr. Q, Drix has been a different person. Xul lumbered over to one of the large crates, with a click he opened it up.
Empty.
Xul blinked. He put his head inside the crate.
Empty.
Xul kept staring at the box, scratching his head.
“Hey, Drix.”
“Yeah?” replied Drix with his eyes still closing, praying to some unseen power that there wasn’t a problem.
“Crate 3A…”
“What about it”
“That was one of the food crates, right?”
“Yes?” Drix sighed exacerbated by the whole thing.
“Well, it’s empty” Xul said bracing himself for the what was to come next.
Drix sat up in his seat turning his body around to face Xul. “What do you mean, empty?”
“I mean it’s empty”
Drix made his way over to Xul. He looked down at the black void inside the crate.
“What the hell, Xul!?” yelled Drix slamming the crate lid down.
“What? Do you think I did this?” Xul exclaimed defensively.
“Well, I didn’t,” Drix said moving in closer to Xul. “And I don’t see anyone else around, do I?”
Drix and Xul locked eyes. Both of their hands turned into fists. The night air stood still. The lake didn’t make a sound.
“Do you guys have any salt?”
Both of the men spun around, guns draw, to see a mountain-sized wolfman sitting on a crate stuffing his face full of food. The bright floodlights illuminated this surprise guest, his fur was dark blue with strands of gray throughout. His face was scarred yet somehow radiate with happiness. He wore what appeared to be a floral print shirt. Its colors glowed brightly under the night sky. But the one thing that stood out amongst all of the oddities was his eyes, they were bright violet and pierced your soul.
Drix took a shot. The bolt of plasma flew through the air illuminating every inch in its path. With a flick of the wolf’s wrist, the bolt plummeted into the ground sending bits of debris tumbling into the air.
“Is that a no?” The wolf said putting another forkful of foodstuff into his mouth.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:16 pm
by Cadomedd
“Who the hell are you?” Xul stammered holding his gun in his shaky hands.
“Name’s…”
Drix took another shot, and once again the bolt of plasma seemed to almost bounce off the mass of blue fur.
“Would you stop that?” asked the large blue beast turning his violet gaze towards the Zabrak.
Drix has had enough. How dare this pile of fluff walk into camp and eat his food, and not die. The Zabrak howled with rage as he unloaded his blaster rifle into the blue fuzzball. With each click of the trigger, his war cry grew louder and louder.
Pfszzzt
The blaster rifle was covered in steam overheated by the thug’s outburst. Drix stood in silence, the gun almost falling out of his hands. Nothing holes. There were no wholes in the floral print shirt, no dead wolfman, not even a singed strand of fur. Drix’s eyes began to slowly shift from rage to what some might say fear. The wolfman ate another bite of food.
“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted” The large wolf man glares at Drix but gently turns his head back towards the Trandoshan. “The name’s Cadomedd, but most people call me Cad”
With one loud slurp, the beast finished his meal and jumped off the crate. Cadomedd was truly a giant. He stood heads above Drix and Xul, his shoulders were broad, his smile was full of fangs and the beast’s shadow draped over both men like a foreshadowing blanket.
“Now I have a question for you” smiled the wolf man his floral print shirt billowing in the night’s breeze. “Who is Mr.Q?”
“Kriff you!” Drill shouted started to walk away from the large wolf-man.
Cadomedd rolled his eyes and turned towards the trembling trandoshan. “Seeing as you are the people who landed a spaceship on my abode. I think it’s only fair that you answer some questions of mine.”
Xul was taken aback, the man looked like a beast but he spoke in a very warm baritone. It was rather soothing actually. The trandoshan holstered his blaster pistol.
“Mr. Q is our employe-“ Xul said before Drix’s fist cut him off. “OW!” yelled the trandoshan’s rubbing his face. “What the kriff, man!?”
Drix threw a haymaker into Xul’s stomach. The trandoshan could feel the wind leave his body. He stared up at his old partner and winced. Xul dropped to his knees.
“Listen to me, poodohead,” Drix said getting real close to the trandoshan’s face. “We aren’t telling this walking carpet anything, except where he can show -“
Before Drix could say another word the Zabrak found himself weightless as if punched by the air himself. The Zabrak flew through the air careening into some crates on the opposite side of camp. Xul stared at the large wolf man’s extended hand now turned into a fist. The beast made his way towards him. Xul braced himself for the worse but found himself up on his face. Cadomedd dusting some dirt off his shoulders.
“Now before you were so rudely interrupted, you were telling me about Mr. Q?” Cad said his fangs glistening in the flood lights of the make-shift camp.
Xul gulped.
“He’s our employer. He wanted us to set-up a scouting base on Nelvaan. He has plans on setting up shop here.” Xul said bracing himself after each sentence just incase either the stranger or Drix would exact some sort of punishment.
“Relax, Xul” Cadomedd said placing a calming hand on the trandoshan’s shoulders. “Here take a seat.” The large wolf man grabbed a chair from the distance and set it in front of him.
“How do you know my name?” Xul said nervously grabbing the chair.
“I spent all day wriggling out from underneath the landing gear, and you and Drix aren’t necessarily the silent types,” Cad said with a smile. He walked over to another contain and took out a meal kit. He handed it over to Xul. The scaly fingers wrapped around the exterior of the box, and Xul could feel his breathing return to normal. If the blue beast was going to kill him he would have done it by now. He began to eat his food.
“Now, What kind of shop is Mr.Q setting up,” Cad said with a reassuring smile.
“He wants to get into the weapons game. He dug up some old records and saw that Nelvaan had loads of Quadanium alloy just lying about. With all of the stuff that’s happening out in the universe the boss thought that this might be an easy score.” Xul said surprised by how easy it was to talk to his new found furry friend. “This is going to be a starting place for a mining colony.”
Cadomedd stroked his chin as he stared at the trandoshan.
“What do you mean stuff?
Xul cocked his head in confusion. “I guess you really have been living in a tent. Every since the galactic alliance sort of collapsed it’s been kind of a free for all in the galaxy. Whatever land you find you lay your claim to. Mr. Q wants a piece of that action before more of the machines show up.”
Cadomedd turned his head to the night sky. Xul stared at him, was he checking to see if Xul was telling the truth. Nobody moved for three seconds. Cadomedd getting lost in thought of his early years out and about the galaxy. He just thought that things would have stayed the course once he vanished. I mean no one expects an entire government to collapse in 30 years, right? Cadomedd scratched the top of his head and turned back to Xul.
“I’m afraid you come at a bad time, Xul” Cadomedd said placing his hands on his hips. “Nelvaan's kind of using that stuff"
“For what?” Xul said with a mouth full of food. “Last time I checked you people were still living in tents.”
Cadomedd let out a slight chuckle. “For a while we did, but we Nelvaanians are smarter then people give us credit for. Over the years we caught on with the rest of the galaxy, but we kind of kept quiet about it.”
The Nelvaanian reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small device. “You see for the past century Nelvaan has been growing, and about 40 years ago we really started to book it.”
Cadomedd pushed a button.
Xul dropped his food as he turned around.
The mountain that was once in the background now was a bustling metropolis. The sounds of the city almost over took the two as they stared back at the glowing star. Xul’s mouth hung open. There were speeders whizzing around like fire flys, bright neon signs shined brightly in the night sky, the buildings were tall almost colossal tearing at the cloud line.
Xul’s mouth hung open. Cadomedd hit a button and the mountain returned.
“What was that?” Xul said mouth still agape.
“That’s Adervez” smiled Cadomedd “Shining beacon of Nelvaan, its capital city, and you two are trespassing”
Xul’s mouth suddenly closed as he stood up from his chair.
Cadomedd lifted his hand up, trying to calm the trandoshan.
“Now Xul, we can do this the easy way. Or the hard way.” Cadomedd said smiling ever so brightly. “If you couldn’t already tell I am a big fan of the easy way. I'm kind of known as a large fuzzball”
Xul nodded and stood still awaiting the beast’s instructions.
“Good. Now you and Drix are going to go back on your ship, you are going to take off, and you are going to fly away. Both of you will forget this day ever happened. If you do talk about what you saw, my I suggest telling it in the style of a fairy tale, cause that’s all Nelvaan is Xul, a fairy-tale.”
Xul nodded.
WOOOOOOOOOOOSH
Both Cad and Xul turned towards the noise. The steel beast that destroyed Cad’s home awoke once more. In one of the windows a Zabrak sat, his eyes glowing with malice, his nose broken. With a cruel smile the ship began to rush towards Cad. He sighed. He really hated doing things the hard way. Cadomedd grabbed Xul and jumped.
The beast flew through the air as if gravity no longer affected him. Xul began to scream. Cadomedd locked eyes with Drix. He was now floating at the Zabrax’s level. With one swift punch the windshield shattered into a million pieces, and with the screaming trandoshan Cadomedd threw him at his colleague.
The satisfying thud rang in Cadomedd’s ears as he dropped to the ground. With his arms extended he braced himself. The steel hull slammed into his exposed palms and began to push him into the ground. Cadomedd didn’t move, his muscles tensed and Cadomedd breathed. With each calm breath Cadomedd drew in strength, he drew in the force. The rush of energy filled his lungs. It had been years since Cad had asked for it’s aid. Most of the day he spent meditating, letting it pour of him like a waterfall, but today, today he turned that waterfall into a raging current.
The ship’s afterburners roared in the night, but they didn’t move. A large Nelvaanian with his extended hands held the ship in place.
“XUL!” Cadomedd shouted. “PUT DOWN YOUR EMERGENCY WINDSHIELD, AND GET OFF MY PLANET!”
Xul, now scrambling in the cockpit, threw the passed out Zabrak on the ground. He twisted and turned levers. The once wind filled cabin now turned into an airtight seal as slates of metal began to cover it. The trandoshan clicked open the communication channel. “Cad…Mr. Q will be back, and…I’m sorry”
With that the Trandoshan pulled back at the helm, as the ship began to tilt upwards. Cadomedd dove out of the way. The steel monstrosity broke back into the clouds. Leaving the way it came. Cadomedd waved the ship goodbye as he stood in the middle of the ruined camp. His eyes kept to the skies until the steel beast was another blip in the night sky.
The wolf chuckled as he began to stretch. That was sure an interesting day. He turned back towards his destroyed tent and began to set it up once more. The tent was happy about this. As long as the wolf-man stayed, the tent might have a shot at reincarnation.
::Cadomedd::
The Nelvaanian stopped in place. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a comm.
::Yes?::
::We need to talk::
The voice disappeared. Cadomedd stared down at his tent. He sighed. He wrapped up the bundle of sticks inside of the leather and threw it over his back.
“Here we go again.”
The blue beast smiled as he walked back to Adervez. Little did he know that the next chapter of his life was about to begin.
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 pm
by Rik Idanian
Roughly two months ago…well no less than two…or greater than four… *ahem*
It was twilight. The sun’s first rays were just warming the mountainous horizon as a lone figure fell from the sky.
Why can’t life just be simple. Such were Rik’s thoughts as he plummeted from who knows where to where the heck am I and why can’t I remember anything!
To be more accurate Rik’s exact thoughts were simply a long, confusing, improbable string of disjointed expletives ending in a massive splash as he landed in the clear, cold water of a certain quiet Nelvanian lake. A philosopher Rik Idanian was not…
Not that he remembered at least…
Rik, now sopping wet and fuming at the incongruity of it all and just plain fed up with… well… the universe in general stumbled out of the lake onto dry land.
“What the HELL!!!" He shouted at the sky.
With the lake to his back and the rising sun over the mountains at his front Rik promptly sat down in the tall grass and crossed his arms.
“Nope. Not doing this. No way. DEFINATLY not!”He looked down at himself. His rough spun pants and a tunic that could only be described as “flowy” were dark with moisture and heavy as… well.. water soaked clothing…
“What the heck am I wearing?”Rik asked himself.
“Cloths obviously,” he answered.
“Oh, great time to decide to be a smart ass.”
“Shut up, you started it!”
“Great now I’m talking to myself.”
“Yep, it’s that bad.”
Rik stood and started pacing.
“Alright Idanian, hold it together. Don’t know where I am, how I got here, or how I got stuck with these horrible cloths. First where am I? No idea. Check not getting anywhere. Hmn… High ground…Right. Find some high ground and get my bearings.”
Rik glanced around until he found a tall boulder out in the tall grass. He ran to it and, with some difficulty due to his sodden state of being, made it to the top for a panoramic view.
“Man, great view. Picturesque mountains in front of a brilliant sunrise. Almost too good to be true. Quiet lake behind me, grassy fields to either side. Ok, I got this!”
He turned back around to face the mountains and sat on the rock a smirk spreading across his face.
"I have no idea where I am!"
He may have started to become a little frantic.
“Lost on a strange planet… no idea how I got here or why… not touching those with a ten-foot pole! The galaxy’s a strange enough place as it is without Crazy Rik coming up with weird and increasingly unlikely ideas of how he got here. What’s next? Oh ya! I’m wearing stupidly ascetic clothing and it’s wet and cold!”
He hurriedly stripped himself of his wet garments except for his base layer and laid them out to dry in the sun’s increasingly warm rays. Rik looked toward the sky as he let the sun warm him as well.
“What now?”
Re: A Quiet Lake
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:29 pm
by Rik Idanian
The rest of the day did wonders for Rik's nerves. There was something calming about that Quiet Lake and the mountain view. Though his stomach alerted him to his growing hunger and his throat began to dry with thirst Rik didn't move. A Quiet washed over him. A stillness. And then in a flash, his eyes were opened! He could see the pulse of life coursing through the earth, carried on the winds and dancing through the grass. The Force flowed through everything and Rik was one with the Force, and the Force was with him. The picturesque mountains in the distance disappeared before it's power and the truth was laid bare. Not mountains. But a thriving city. No towering peaks. But buildings that touched the clouds.
With stillness in his heart and a clarity of purpose he never before had remembered Rik Idanian stood and dressed in what were now dry yet very distinctive robes. His eyes were fixed on the city before him as he fastened on his belt. There was a cool, metallic object hanging from his side who's weight was new yet not foreign. It was as if a lifetime of experience had taught his body to expect its presence but his mind was not yet caught up. Rik took the cylinder in his hand and thumbed the button. Azure flames lept to respond and with a snap/hiss formed a blade. A lightsaber. His lightsaber. It was a concept altogether foreign yet as reassuringly comfortable as your own personal pillow.
"Well, this explains nothing." He said with a crooked smirk.
Rik Idanian, Jedi, holstered his weapon and shook his head.
"Looks like I have a direction to go in at least. And an old friend to find. If anyone with know what's going on here it'll be Valor."
And with nary a backward glance, Rik set out toward the once again invisible city.
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I will not be made useless. I won't be idle with despair. I will gather myself around my faith, for it's Light the Darkness most fears.