The Rebel Faction

Like locusts over a field of crops in the heat of summer's day, they descended on dagobah, and just as before, they set in motion a plan to etch thier mark onto the galaxy once again. Hoth had been molded into K'taruuk's vision of a new world, his Retak, not the poisoned rock that had been his prison for so long, a prison guarded by a blind jailer who held the key to free him and his people from thier isolation. In his own desire and will to be free, his terror-led insurgency had become a force to be reckoned with outside of Swarm Space, however, it was of little consequence. His grand army seemed pitiful in comparison to what it could be, that is if he could free his people and unite them under one true banner, his banner, his empire.


The atmospheric laser lit up the punjent cloud above Dagobah with an evervescant glow. In around a week, the laser and its processor counterparts would have done they're jobs and transformed this stinking mudhole into flourishing paradise of lush greenery and exotic wildlife of thier design.

From hereonin, Dagobah would serve as the foremost staging point for the Swarm's final push out into the galaxy. The consolidation of everything K'taruuk had mustered was taking place here and now, and would soon spill out over and consume every world in it's path. After Dagobah fell, everything else would come crumbling down in a heap of death and destruction.

All was indeed going according to plan.


....................


Retak-Several Days prior

"I am growing impatient of you Slimor, you can't hide his location from me for much longer . . ." Said the Imperius . . .his line of stern questioning met with an equally imposing silence.

"You must think me as a fool. Well I can assure you, I may preach about our need to distance ourselves from our aggressive feelings, but I am no weakling!"

The Imperius lashed out with his razor talons, and took a firm grasp around the scrawny neck of the much smaller Slimor. His grasp was tight and unrelenting, and with little effort, he held the smaller Retakkenari aloft increasing the pressure between his claws.

"Now, I'll ask you for the last time, give me the Coordinates of K'taruuk's secret fleet.

Gasping for a breath which would no doubt be his last, the often weak link in K'taruuk's long chain of authority, broke.

"Alright!" Gargled Slimor from behind the talons of his Ruler, "Alright, the coordinates are in the main brain vault, under code clearence, one beta twelve." Gasped the over exasperated soldier.


"That's all I wanted to hear." As the final word ebbed away from the High Imperius' lips, he lunged forward, jaws akimbo, and in one snapping motion, tore the head from Slimo's shoulders, and swallowed it hole.

"That price you pay for Insolence."

K'taruuk's Gragnak bone-clad desk was cluttered with papers and datapads of every shape, size and description. He sifted aimlessly through the mass of information which seemed to pertain to issues of battle. Maps, tactical strategic layouts of sectors and more combat information than one would want to touch with a ten foot lightsaber.

With his muscly claws K'taruu rummaged through and produced a small glowing datapad from underneath heap. On it was an image, a representation of the God's of the swarm. As Swarm lore went, the ancient ones that created the immense atmospheric technology that he now weilded, resided in another dimension from this one, and existed in a form of pure energy with powers far beyond the greatest force-using being. Among the battle plans and tactical readouts lay numerous passages of scripture and incantations taken from the sacred historical archives. They held prophecies of a time when the God's would fall and be replaced with a mortal who would in turn become immortal, drawing the powers of the old gods into him, and becoming the new all powerful being to rule over the Hive. The chosen one would rule.

To the casual reader, the signs of the prophecy were vague, however they stood out to K'taruuk as clear as crystal. First, the chosen one would go through a change, which consisted of five stages or trials. First first came the trial of blood, as the passage read;


The chosen one will undergo five stages of metamorphosis if he is to ascend to the highest plains.



Dragon blood will be spilled into the rivers of shadow.

The plains will burn and crops will perish as the black viens of darkness extend across the lands.

An Empire will fall and give rise to a new.

A sacrifice will be made one and many will cease to exist.

The Gods of old will cease to exist.



These five acts give passage to the chosen one.




He tapped his claws along the transparisteel viewscreen on the pad, in deep thought. His brow frowning in transfixed wonder.

K'taruuk, unlike any other Retakkenari had recieved much training to shield his mind from the collective consciousness of the Hive when he was in the care of the Eldar council in his youth. However that was a chapter he, normally, would be hesitant to recall, but not as of late.

On an expiditon into the depths of Retak's caves, the Eldar council's historians unearthed a shrine of sorts containing ancient artifacts never before seen or recorded, pertaining to the Swarm's past, present, and in some cases, future. It was when they returned from their travels that something happened. In his slumber, under cover of darkness, a number of the Sinsaar assassins attempted to murder the young K'taruuk in his sleep. They were foiled only by the timely intervention of the then Imperius, Kalnak. The assassins retreated, but not before fataly wounding the Imperius.

As Kalnak's life force drained away, and his voice ebbed from the Hive mind, he revealed to K'taruuk the ancient prophecies that foretold of a Chosen one born unto a barren world who would destroy the Gods. He said K'taruuk was that chosen one, that Golden child, and in thier own fears and insecurities, the scientists, theologins and sholars had conspired to end his life.

As the Imperius, who had been Mentor and leader to K'taruuk for all his youth, died in his arms, the young Retakkenari exacted revenge on the High counil that had conspired against him. In an utterly hienous rage, he savagely tore each one limb from limb. Eight, extremely strong members of the council perished horribly at the hands of the young K'taruuk, whom glistened with a power never seen before in the heat anger.


Reeling from the death of every high ranking offical, the swarm were left in the incapable and unstable hands of Kalnak's son Mernak.

Mernak was born and bred to succeed the Imperius, however when the time came to step up, he did not do well in role, instead bumbling his way through until the current Imperius took the reigns of power after his eventual death.

So, unbeknownst to many, K'taruuk had lived through the reigns of three Imperius', not the two which he had been known for. So in all actual fact, K'taruuk was around two thousand years of age. The oldest living Retakkenari was far older than he let on.

Before the death of Kalnak, K'taruuk was given the key to a vault, which he would open when he reached two thousand years. In that vault, K'taruuk gained sole access to the Eldar council's discoveries of the expedition into the caves more than a millenia ago. In the vault lay the secrets of thier race, thier origins, why the individual tribes are scattered throughout the quadrent.

It was all here . . .K'taruuk simply couldn't make sense of it all.




A buzz came at the door, and it opened with a swishing and a swift breeze of air.


"Ah, Doctor Mixenhine, just the Intellect I need to see.

Do come in." K'taruuk said, smirking, as the door hissed shut.

Dakkon sat quitely, almost pensively aboard the Infiltrator. It had been a long time since he had really done anything in service of the Order. Come to think of it, his last official action on behalf of the order was with Arai. Or, against Arai rather. Her fall had crushed Dakkons spirit, and it had not recovered, despite coming into contact with Kami.

He shook away the thoughts, Kami had tried to kill him also. All of his old life was gone now. Fearsons was dead, as far as he knew or cared, Arai was dead, Kami was missing, Claire had been long gone and even those who hadn't been his compatriots at one time, were gone. All that was left of his old life was Jade, and that frustraited him. The last vestige of his former life was now his greatest responsability.

Shrugging mentally, he rose and leant out the hatch.

"Anybody know what time we're leaving?"

“No problem Misery” said Tobal, addressing her with the only name he knew. It was rumored that she had another, but seeing as she had not told him, he would not use it.

“I think we are about ready to leave.”




With silent grace, the two arrow-shaped ships exited the ESD, and maneuvered for direction. Then, they stretched out and vanished into the emptiness that is hyperspace.



Scurry

It was silent inside the infiltrator, Tobal had not been around Misery often, and thus he was at a loss for any casual conversation that might interest them both. … A Jedi does not always need to talk … if you find yourself with nothing to do, meditate …

The words of one of the many books Tobal had read in the library came back to him, and he nodded slightly at the wisdom. Sounds like something my father would say he thought to himself.

"All is in place, I trust?"


"Yes, we have finally re-established our contacts on coruscant, Malastare and Tatooine. Our supply lines are firmly in place with the Hutts on both Nal Hutta and Tatooine."

"Excellent. What's your progress on the construction at Bogden."

"My men are working at full capacity to complete the structure, although our followers are few. Our death stick recruitment isn't exactly flourishing in this era . . ."

"Find another way to distribute the toxin, and do it quickly, I will not wait forever Montross."

"What about your clones?"

"They won't be ready for a long time, even with hyper accelerated growth. You'll have to see to this on you're own this time.


I will look forward to when we meet again, Lord Montross."


"So do I High Elder, so do I."