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(6.1) Within the Serpent's Lair
(6.1) Within the Serpent's Lair
Ganthery Military Proving Grounds
Core World of Acatmen
Reich of Humanity
November 2nd, 1936
This hot sand covered world at one time was lush and green. Its had vast oceans and mountains that reached for the sky. Its people were proud and strong, with a deep rich history. They helped the Reich in both wars against the Varl. Only to be betrayed when they fought for independence. Their punishment was that their entire world would be filled in with sand. It took the Reich nearly a decade and hundreds of cargo ships. But finally all traces of the live that once thrived on this world had been covered and destroyed. While, that is what the Reich had thought. When Ogon, Brigr, Angel and Ashla crashed on this world. They uncovered the Reich's little secret of what happened here. And more importantly they found the life that the Reich had hoped to destroy. The Reich might have made the buildings and cities vanish, but the culture and hope for freedom remained. Now, there are whispers on the winds of the coming of the One.
Ogon watched Birgr and Angel leave the shuttle all dressed up as Reich soldiers. He felt a bit like he was missing out on the fun. But he also knew better. He was Bothan and the Reich didn't look kindly on aliens. He had to make sure that the shuttle was secure before he went in to hiding and waited for the others to return. He checked the two bodies of the two Reich soldiers. He made sure that they were tucked away needly. He walked over to the storage compartment where his armor was hidden. He moved some things around to ensure that it was not clearly seen. taken apart and also hidden away in a supply closest. He pulled a few key components just in case the suite was discovered. He hid them behind a panel within a I beam. It would be hard to get to in a rush but the suite was completely useless without it. It was a fair trade off considering the situation that they were in. He was not the fire support on this mission. All he had to do was wait and then hit a button and then pilot. Birgr and Angel had the hard mission.
Ogon made a last minute check of everything before starting to head for his hiding place. He peaked out one of the small view ports. They were tented so he knew it would be safe for him to get a peak or two. The base seemed like a standard military style spaceport. It seemed to have two sides. The side they were on was divided from the other side by a triple fence line and guard towers. There were roving patrols along the fence line and check points before anyone entered this part of the base. There also seemed to be something very odd about the base. As Ogon moved from one view port to another, he noticed both sides of the base had their own runways. This struck him as odd because the runways were not designed like he was used to. These were heavy runways with black marks on either side but not in the middle. As he continued to search the area he noticed the ground vehicles moving about. There were those with wheels and those with tracks. He also noticed some with large cushions under them. He even saw large humanoid walkers on patrol. From what he saw this close to them, they came in all sizes. From slightly larger than man size to over nine meters tall. Most had one shape in common. They all appeared humanoid, with two legs and two arms.
He didn't see the massive robots from the space training mission before the storm. But these Walkers seemed pretty nasty on their own. He also noticed the six legged walker that the party saw on Fra. Though these seemed to be designed differently than the one they saw on Fra. These seemed smaller and more agile. Clearly these were either a different class or an improvement on the design they saw before. He saw rocket troops coming and going from the base. He calls them rocket troops because they don't use repulsers to move around. They use older jet packs instead. It was something that Ogon thought very strange. There was a clear lack of repulser technology here. Sadly there was one piece of equipment which did have that technology. Their assault shuttle! Ogon decided that they would not get the shuttle if their plan failed. He took a moment to rig a dead man switch to the reactor. If in twenty four hours, he doesn't reset the switch. Then the explosion will take out both sides of the base. There would be nothing left of the shuttle for them to gain.
Once the dead man's switch was hooked up, he decided to give the area one last look before departing for the restroom and to hide. He looked up and down the row of hangers here from safely inside the shuttle. He noted that only a few were open and the rest were closed. Those that were open were empty. The hangers that had their doors closed were under heavy guard. More importantly, he noticed the large number of jamming antenna's atop of all the hangers. “We are at a military testing site. Great, more security and more paranoia. Wonderful” he commented. He saw a group of techs dressed in white coats over top of their military uniforms walking towards a building. A truck filled with armored soldiers pulled up to an area near the runway. Ogon saw a shuttle come in for a landing. Its wheels made a loud sound as a bit of smoke filled the air under the shuttle. The shuttle taxied to where the truck was waiting. When the shuttle stopped, the troops moved to encircle it. They were loud as they moved yelling their commands. Once they were in place, another command was given and they turned around to face away from the shuttle. They stood their like statues as a group of men walked out to greet the shuttle. One was dressed in a pilot's uniform. A group of men walked off the shuttle. None were dressed in uniforms, though two carried brief cases.
Ogon moved to another view port trying to get a better view of the men. He felt that their might be something worth while about them. He heard from somewhere in front of him, “I can't believe you did this to me!” It was then in that moment he felt something drive in to his gut. The force of what hit him caused him to double over in pain and fall to his knees. Ogon looked and saw the metal floor under his hands. A metal and leather boot slammed down on his right hand. The blow smashed the tiny bones causing a cracking and snapping sound. Ogon wanted to scream but fought back the urge. He looked up to see a young man holding a sword, “I remember when my father gave you this sword.” A kick to Ogon's side forced him to drop to his left side. Another cracking sound of the ribs breaking. The blow gave Ogon a better view of the room. There was five uniformed men in the room. All dressed in a black and dark gray uniform. It seemed like a Reich uniform by didn't match what he saw on Fra. They all had red armbands with the word 'PSI' in black. The young man was dressed in some kind of royal outfit. There were four clergy against the far wall watching what was going.
The young man looked at the sword, “I remember that day. I looked up to you as my father presented this sword to you, claiming that you were the defender of the Reich. You are nothing more than a common traitor” the young man spat at Ogon and broke the sword over his knee.
Ogon closed his eyes as another blow to his back. Ogon opened his eyes to see he was back on the shuttle. The heat of the day told him that he was in reality but he knew that the vision still held to his mind. 'No, NOT NOW!' he cursed in the back of his mind. He fought to maintain his senses against the flooding vision that was being driven in to his mind by the Force. Ogon knew that if he was caught at the mercy of the vision than the rescue mission would be in danger. This was the worst time for the Force to do this to him. He senses alerted him to the sensation of being moved even though he was laying on the deck of the shuttle. He looked at his broken human hand, 'No' he screamed from his mind hoping that he could force the vision to stop. It was a futile effort and he knew it.
Ogon's head cleared as he heard voices around him speaking and the sounds of chains being moved. He struggled to his feet only to loss his balance once more. As he fell, his arms were pulled upward and outward from his body. He hung on his tip toes by the chains as he saw the men in the black gray uniforms around him. There was another surge of pain from one of the guards driving a fist in to his side. “WAKE UP TRAITOR!” the guard said. It was hard for Ogon to see from his eyes. They pulsated with pain as did the rest of his body. There was a clergy standing next to the young man and speaking. He motioning towards Ogon as he hung, saying something about salvation and waiting to question him further for others. The young man only looked at Ogon with hate in his eyes. Ogon knew that this had to end and the only ending was through it.
With a wave of his hand, Ogon muttered in a very low voice, “There are no others. Let the sentence continue.”
The young man repeated what Ogon said, “There are no others. Let the sentence continue.” The clergy did not seem to like the comment. Ogon was not surprised that no one else detected his action. After all, they only saw what they wanted to see. The young man turned to the clergy with anger, “I gave you the interview you wanted. I gave you all that you asked for. I will give you no more. This traitor will pay for what he did to me, the Reich.” The young man pushed aside the clergy and walked up to Ogon, “Why don't you tell us how long you were betraying your own people.”
Ogon couldn't control his mind as he softly spoke, “not our people My Lord. Only you, My Lord. You broke the promise that your father gave.”
The young man looked away and nodded as Ogon felt the pain once more. It was if every part of his body sensed pure pain and flooded his mind with the sensations. Ogon by sher force of will held his tongue as he fought again against the vision. 'Not now!' Once more he was back in the shuttle shaking while the sounds of crackling filled the air around him. Ogon knew he had to get in to a better hiding spot. He knew he had to move. On shaking hands and knees, Ogon crawled towards the front of the shuttle. His broken hand caused him a great deal of pain and the broken ribs made breathing nearly impossible. The pain from the vision was all too real for his mind. He could feel darkness forming at the edges of his mind. With each wave of pain, he heard the crackling sound. It didn't take him long to link the sound to the pain.
Another wave of pain washed over him forcing him to fall back to the ground. Once more he was back in the room. He saw the mixture of grounds and clergy within the room. They are all dangerous. However, they were not the most dangerous threat within the room. He could sense it moving about watching him. He knew that no one else could sense it. It was so close to him, that the hate and anger could almost touch his very mind. He couldn't see it, nor was it visible. But as sure as Ogon knew he was alive, he knew it was there. The young man grabbed Ogon's hair and forced him to look in to his eyes.
“You were like family to me. And you betrayed me. Tell me why!” The young man said coldly with so much anger that Ogon could clearly feel it.
“We tried to change you. warn you. You left us with no choice. You were supposed to be a guiding light for all. You betrayed the pact. Instead you became just as evil as the rest. We don't blame you. We pity you for what is to come” Ogon said softly through each painful breath.
The young man motioned and the pain filled Ogon once more as he moved back. The pain filled Ogon's mind forcing his real body to roll and jerk. “Pity me!” He laughed, “what were you going to kill me?”
“Never, My Lord. Your death will come by your own hand.”
The young man moved forward once more, “then why pity me?” He asked with a sense of curiosity in his voice.
“Because you have fallen from the path” Ogon jerked once more as more pain washed over his body. “Lost in the darkness without a guiding light.”
Ogon fought once more as he realized he was still in the shuttle. He snapped his mind back to his body with all of his will. The fight over his mind was the most intense thing he had ever dealt with. Ogon, now forced to crawl, continued to make his way to the restroom just behind the flight deck. It was the only place he could hide. More weakened than before Ogon pulled himself along the floor of the shuttle with each painful moment. He felt another wave of pain once more and again he was ripped from the shuttle. Once more he was back in the darkened room. This time there were people in the a room next door. A large window was opened for them to see in to what was going on. He noticed that one man had a paper. He noticed the date on the paper, November 1, 1936.
He saw the large mirrors around the room. Each set up in such a way to ensure that the person where Ogon was right now had a clear view of his back. He saw the young man walking behind him. Ogon watched through the mirrors as the young man walked up to a hooded man with a rod. The young man spoke, “make him scream for mercy or I promise you, your family will follow.”
The hooded man nodded, “y....yes My Lord.” Ogon watched as the hooded man uncoiled a multi lash whip. At the end of each lash was a piece of sharpened metal.
Two other men approached Ogon's back and ripped the fancy shirt away which Ogon had been wearing. Ogon saw the eagle tattooed over the full length of his back. The bird was so detailed that Ogon could easily make out each feather and a tear off the birds right eye. The bird was so magnificent and majestic. Ogon knew in his heart, that all would be right. No matter what, it would all be right. This would soon be over and what will be done will be done.
“Nice ink, traitor” the young man said as he walked in front of Ogon. He turned and nodded to the hooded man. “Make this traitor scream for mercy!”
Ogon looked over the group of people watching him. There was a man dressed as a soldier with a bit of formality to his uniform. There was a sense of family between Ogon and the man, but history had driven a wedge between them. Behind him, he saw a young woman standing behind him. It was clear that she was the man's daughter. However her uniform was different from his. It was something that Ogon hadn't seen before. Though there was something strange about her. Almost as if Ogon was willing Ogon to see her and pay attention to her. On her chest, she proudly bore a emblem, though her eyes didn't reflect that pride today. The emblem was of three worlds touching each other in a form of a triangle. Behind them was some kind of strange looking fighter with white streaks running behind it as if to show motion to the fighter. The worlds were set in a gold triangle with the fighter crossing in front of the lines of triangle but behind the worlds. Encircling the entire thing was a green blue reef that almost joined at the top of the triangle. As his eyes feel to everyone else, each of their eyes were filled with hate and anger for the traitor before them. Her eyes drifted away as Ogon's glanced at her, almost in a sense of grief.
Ogon was sure that he had never seen the girl before. Nor could he read anything from her other than her displeasure of the show before them. The pain from the lashing against his back rocked Ogon back to the shuttle. His mind still gripped by the pain as he felt the lashing continue even though he was still on the shuttle. Ogon pulled himself across the floor of the shuttle despite the growing pain and the blackness as it forged forward in his mind. The safety of the restroom was so close, 'almost there! Just a few more feet' he thought as he felt each lashing against his back. Ogon fought hard not to scream out in pain from the lashings. It took all of his control not to alert the guards beyond the shuttle. He tried to closed his eyes hoping to clear his mind and end the vision. As his eyes closed, he saw the young man laughing as the lashing continued. Ogon lost count of how many times the whips crossed his back. Looking to the mirrors he could see how much punishment he had taken so far. He also knew there was more to come as the hooded man switched of whips. The whipping continued for hours if not even longer. There was a difference between breaking of the body or breaking of the spirit. Ogon wasnt sure which one had failed him. But finally Ogon could no longer hold back. The scream which was forced from his lungs seemed almost endless. He saw the people clapping as the young man cheered the scream. Ogon dropped his head from the exhaustion and from a sense of defeat.
Ogon raised his head once more and saw the shuttle before him. He was unclear if he had really screamed out or if it was within the vision. Between his broken hand which he could clearly see now and the pain that he felt, Ogon had a hard time telling the difference between reality from the vision. He painfully crawled harder for the restroom. 'Please' he begged as the darkness was closing in on his mind. He struggled pulling himself along the floor by the tie down points within the shuttle. His neck jerked as he heard the voice of evil. He felt sharp pointed prongs pressing against his neck as they pinched down on his neck. He felt a bit of blood dripping down his neck.
“Think this is over, Jedi?” Ogon could feel the grip on his neck and heard the voice. He noticed that he was alone in the room. “Tell me where the heart of the Tiger is Jedi. Do this and I will kill you now.”
Ogon knew he didn't know what the voice was talking about but knew better to deal or trust a Sith. “I would never tell you anything. Sith!”
Ogon heard laughter right before his face and still he saw nothing. “Sith! Is that what you think I am? I was the last great Grand Master of the Jedi. I brought peace to the Order. Ended its weaknesses and now I am much more. Tell me Jedi, where is the Heart of the Tiger!?” He felt a great struggle in his mind over something he knew for a fact he didn't know. But then it happen. A memory flashed before his mind's eye. Ogon in the vision didn't know, but Ogon had heard of the Heart of the Tiger before. Someone had asked about it, and now that person's image filled his mind. His attempt to block it failed due to the pain and the suffering he had already endured. He heard laughter in the back of his mind.
Ogon's mind clear as he returned to the shuttle once more. He felt men moving his body and the pain still surged. There was a sense that more was to come. He renewed his efforts to reach the restroom and the safety within. He ignored the new degree of pain he felt as he pulled himself along the floor. His hand was still broken and he saw blood dripping down from his wounds. Never before had he ever endured so much pain and so much suffering. His body rebelled against his will to continued. Breathing was nearly impossible from the broken ribs and his vision was blurred. He felt as if the vision was killing him one painful moment at a time. With the door in reach he pushed his body upward with all his might. His hand reached for the handle that so many times before he had never considered to be such an obstacle. Now it seemed so impossible to reach. His body screaming at his mind for relief the tips of his figures just reached the door as he saw new wounds opening up on his hand. As if something was being pushed through them his body jerked once more. This time, the pain was joined with a massive wave of heat.
Ripping him back to the vision world, Ogon saw a wall of fire around him. The sun was high in the sky over the park where this was taking place. Ogon saw a civilian waving a news paper that read, 'Come watch the Sabbat Burn!' The date on the news paper was November 2, 1936. There were people standing on the grass while others watched from balconies. Most were cheering but Ogon felt that it was a forced cheer. Those in uniform and those standing on the same balcony as the young man were sincere in their cheers. He tried to move but his hands were screwed to the concrete post that he was resting against. The flames rose up from wood that had been placed about four feet from the post that he was bound to. The fuel for the fire had been stacked pretty high and the heat was intense. Ogon screamed out as his body slowly reached cooking temperatures. The fires burned him, but didn't consume his body. He felt his skin cooking from the heat, his breathing was made even harder. He was wrong, what he felt earlier was nothing compared to being cooked alive. Just beyond the flames Ogon looked down to see two cloaked men dressed like clergy. Their hoods hid their faces from him but Ogon felt their hate towards him. Each held a long torch that they had used to light the fire.
The flames kept their distance but the heat continued to rise. If only the flames would bring an end of the pain and heat. However Ogon felt no desire for such thing. He would face this till its bitter end. He screamed out once more as his eyes blurred till a point he could no longer see anything. Only shapes and shades of dark and gray which was all masked by a large wall of orange and white. Even though his voice was nearly gone, Ogon tried to mumble something. His voice failed but his mind rang out clearly, 'the key.' Ogon knew that his mind was once more protected. He focused all his will on this one task and allowed his body to scream and entertain the crowds.
“Who is she Jedi? Your feelings betrayed you. Tell me who she is and where is the heart of the Tiger. Jedi, they learned the lesson about fire and Jedi. There will be no burning your body. You will be trapped. Tell me what I want to know and I will ensure you are consumed and freed from this world.” The voice was close to him. Ogon could feel its hate and anger. The being was fueling the crowd as they watched his death.
Even if he wanted to speak anymore, his lungs and vocal cords were already burning from the heat. His screams were becoming distorted. He felt the darkness close to him. It was pushing in to his mind even further. Ogon fought back with so much strength that it shocked even him. Ogon could still feel the hatred and anger trying to push once more back in to his mind. Even at death's doorstep, Ogon held up his will and prevented the being from reading more from him. The heat started to boil his eyes as his vision failed completely. There was a popping sound as his own screams went silent. He felt his mouth open and his lungs pushing outward against the heat but heard nothing. The popping sounds continued as his skull and the liquid in side it started to boil. Death was not fast enough, but it did finally come. Even as death cast his hand over Ogon, he heard in his mind, “TELL ME WHO SHE IS!”
Ogon felt a cool hand on his shoulder that startled him. He was back in the shuttle, or at least he thought so. His eyes failed to focus and his hearing was filled with a buzzing sound. The echoes of the pain was still there. He heard something around him but couldn't identify it. He blinked over and over again to see a ghostly image slowly form. There were no details, just an image of something before him. A shadow stretched from the ghostly image to his shoulder. He felt movement once more and more sounds of something. He blinked over and over again till his vision somewhat returned. He saw a Bothan dressed in a white lab coat kneeling next to him. Under her coat was some kind of dirty stripped pants. In her hand was a clip board and her other hand rested gentle on his shoulder. He heard her voice, “are you okay?”
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