Post by Darth Vader on May 22, 2007 15:30:36 GMT -5
“Glitterstim Spice. That’s what had brought me here in the first place. The Outer Rim is not often a place that good, upstanding core-worlders have ambition to go, especially not a wealthy businessman from Coruscant. Ironically enough, it was that very business that had brought me to the planet Kessel, the galaxy’s only source of that oh-so-valuable Glitterstim, used both medicinally and therapeutically. I had been reluctant at first, and at this moment I wished I had followed that instinct, but when I was informed that I would be overseeing the droids who had taken up what was previously prison worker’s physical labor, I was far more open to the idea.
“Now, I find myself running through the darkness. Blindly, I skittered over the rocks, always fearing for my life. The light atmosphere made it hard to breathe, most of the time, but that was what oxygen masks were for. Had I been thinking about it, I could have taken any of a number of glow rods in the various equipment rooms that I passed, but at this particular moment equipment was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was escape. I had to run, run fast, run for all I was worth, never stop running until I was out.
“Even I couldn’t tell you what had happened, at that point. One moment, I was up on my feet, running figures through my datapad as I watched the profits from this little exposition multiplying, and fast. I can remember feeling the smile spread across my face, it must have been at least a parsec wide, as I thought about how good of a choice I had made.
“The cut-out on the power was quick. I don’t remember what happened afterward. In fact, the one thing I do remember was the noise – the endless, chaotic noise that surrounded me. I was frightened by all sorts of sounds from explosions to… I can’t place it. It was something odd, something I had never heard before. I was on the verge of panic as I reached down toward my belt, peeling my glow rod off of it and turning on that little bit of light.
“What I saw was strange. It was a humanoid figure, though it clearly wasn’t human. I could tell by its posture, its scales and, most notably, its incredibly thick tail. It appeared to be sentient rather then some wild beast, as it appeared to be wearing clothes – an immense dark cloak, which it wore like a robe. I didn’t get a good look at it. As soon as I had seen it, it gave out a harsh scream – so loud and awful that it that it shattered my glow rod. I’m pretty sure it damaged my hearing as well.
“So, what could I do? I ran. As I did, I heard a ding coming from my waist, signaling that my oxygen was low. I could only think of one thing to do. I headed for the nearest room I could find in the absolute blackness. That’s where I’ve barricaded myself for now; with luck I’ll be safe here until a rescue team arrives.”
There was a banging sound on the door. “What’s that?” The banging sounded again. “Oh my… It’s here! Its outside the door! I’ve got to find another way out!” The banging increased in frequency and volume. “Oh, no! It’s breaking through! What am I going to do? I have no weapons, where can I find a- The door’s breaking open! I can see it, I can see its face! Oh, it’s hideous! It’s almost through now, it’s – AUGGGHHH! YAAAAA!”
Lando Calrissian couldn’t stand the cries of pain, the sound of the mutilation as the poor man lived his last horrific moments. “Turn it off,” he commanded, a slight tremor in the normally unshakable man’s voice. He just sat there for a moment, one hand over the other shaky hand as clasped them over his mouth. He had become the owner of the space mines recently, so that was one of his employees that had been carved up down there. If this continued, he would lose a lot more lives and perhaps even have to shut down the whole mining operation.
“Mr. Calrissian?” one of the men who had brought him the report asked.
”Arrange for a proper burial at least,” he ordered.
“No can do sir,” the man replied. “We couldn’t even get enough of a tissue sample to properly ID the poor b******. I lost half of my team down there recovering just that much.”
Lando’s head sunk even further, prompting a ‘Sir? Do you think we can handle this?’ “No,” Lando admitted as he got up from his seat, “But I think I know some people who can.”
“Now, I find myself running through the darkness. Blindly, I skittered over the rocks, always fearing for my life. The light atmosphere made it hard to breathe, most of the time, but that was what oxygen masks were for. Had I been thinking about it, I could have taken any of a number of glow rods in the various equipment rooms that I passed, but at this particular moment equipment was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was escape. I had to run, run fast, run for all I was worth, never stop running until I was out.
“Even I couldn’t tell you what had happened, at that point. One moment, I was up on my feet, running figures through my datapad as I watched the profits from this little exposition multiplying, and fast. I can remember feeling the smile spread across my face, it must have been at least a parsec wide, as I thought about how good of a choice I had made.
“The cut-out on the power was quick. I don’t remember what happened afterward. In fact, the one thing I do remember was the noise – the endless, chaotic noise that surrounded me. I was frightened by all sorts of sounds from explosions to… I can’t place it. It was something odd, something I had never heard before. I was on the verge of panic as I reached down toward my belt, peeling my glow rod off of it and turning on that little bit of light.
“What I saw was strange. It was a humanoid figure, though it clearly wasn’t human. I could tell by its posture, its scales and, most notably, its incredibly thick tail. It appeared to be sentient rather then some wild beast, as it appeared to be wearing clothes – an immense dark cloak, which it wore like a robe. I didn’t get a good look at it. As soon as I had seen it, it gave out a harsh scream – so loud and awful that it that it shattered my glow rod. I’m pretty sure it damaged my hearing as well.
“So, what could I do? I ran. As I did, I heard a ding coming from my waist, signaling that my oxygen was low. I could only think of one thing to do. I headed for the nearest room I could find in the absolute blackness. That’s where I’ve barricaded myself for now; with luck I’ll be safe here until a rescue team arrives.”
There was a banging sound on the door. “What’s that?” The banging sounded again. “Oh my… It’s here! Its outside the door! I’ve got to find another way out!” The banging increased in frequency and volume. “Oh, no! It’s breaking through! What am I going to do? I have no weapons, where can I find a- The door’s breaking open! I can see it, I can see its face! Oh, it’s hideous! It’s almost through now, it’s – AUGGGHHH! YAAAAA!”
Lando Calrissian couldn’t stand the cries of pain, the sound of the mutilation as the poor man lived his last horrific moments. “Turn it off,” he commanded, a slight tremor in the normally unshakable man’s voice. He just sat there for a moment, one hand over the other shaky hand as clasped them over his mouth. He had become the owner of the space mines recently, so that was one of his employees that had been carved up down there. If this continued, he would lose a lot more lives and perhaps even have to shut down the whole mining operation.
“Mr. Calrissian?” one of the men who had brought him the report asked.
”Arrange for a proper burial at least,” he ordered.
“No can do sir,” the man replied. “We couldn’t even get enough of a tissue sample to properly ID the poor b******. I lost half of my team down there recovering just that much.”
Lando’s head sunk even further, prompting a ‘Sir? Do you think we can handle this?’ “No,” Lando admitted as he got up from his seat, “But I think I know some people who can.”