Blogs - AK151

7 comments by AK151 on May 3rd, 2013

0 comments by AK151 on Dec 31st, 2012

ModDB has some weird formatting issues whenever I try to copy/paste something. It for some reason mashes everything together and compresses it, and whenever I press the "enter" key when trying to re-format it, it always takes me back to the beginning of the document. So, because of these issues, instead of posting the entire writing here, I will intermittently update this specific blog whenever a new chapter is released, and I will post a link to where the chapter is. 

Chapter 1: Fanfiction.net

Chapter 2: Fanfiction.net

Chapter 3: Fanfiction.net

2 comments by AK151 on Dec 22nd, 2012

A small re-write of the Skyrim story. I'm feeling pretty decent about this, so I might just continue this. As always, please comment and give me some feedback if you have any. Enjoy!

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My eyes opened slowly so as to keep from being blinded by the light that was sure to assail them the moment they were not under the protection of their lids. But the light was dim, dim enough to feel comfortable. It was overcast, so maybe that meant some rain? After sight came sound, the sound of hooves hitting the ground, mingled with the creak of turning wooden wheels and the occasional bump as they struck a stray rock or the like. I was in a cart. A horse-drawn cart.

"Hey, you," a voice to my right sounded, jarring me from the daze common to those just waking up. My head throbbed as a head throbs when it has been hit with enough force to knock its owner unconscious. With the jarring voice came a slightly clearer picture of the world. The cart was in a forest, probably traveling some forsaken or rarely used road. What was of interest was the driver. He wore a brown vest with dark red sleeves and collar. If I wasn't mistaken, it was the armor of the Imperial legion. If I was correct, we were sitting in an Imperial legion cart. I tried to move my hands apart but they were bound, which in itself unnerved me. We were prisoners. I realized then that I had yet to see who "we" was, and my eyes turned to inform me.

Across from me sat a Nord with long, untrimmed blonde hair like myself. Unlike myself, he was cloaked in armor. Its coloring was blue and brown, and under the leather was a slightly visible coat of chain-link mail. The coat was unfamiliar to me, but looking to my left, I saw more men and women in the same armor. My gaze returned to the man in front of me, who was staring at me. I realized it was his voice that had jarred me so.

"You're finally awake," he continued. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

I tried to jog my memory, but the blow to my head did more than knock me unconscious. I was still dazed from the hit.

"Damn you Stormcloaks!" another voice growled, coming from next to the man who had just spoken, at the edge of my vision. My head turned slightly to get a glimpse of him. He was wearing nothing but rags, and his eyes were gaunt. His brown hair was disheveled and looked uncared for. "Skyrim was fine, until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy!" So it was the Empire. And Stormcloaks? I jogged my memory a second time, hoping to come to a realization. Then it hit me.

The Stormcloaks were rebels. Their leader, Ulfric Stormcloak, had murdered Torygg, high king of Skyrim. All of them were fully devoted to the downfall of the Empire. And I was sharing a prisoner cart with one.

"If they hadn't been looking for you," the thief, according to the Stormcloak across from me, interrupted my thoughts. "I could have stolen that horse and been half-way to Hammerfell." A horse thief, paired with soldiers that could be considered terrorists? Imperial justice was vindictive, if anything. But if I was in the lot too... "You there!" The two words jolted me as I realized I was being addressed. My eyes met his. "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants!"

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," the Stormcloak responded, his voice growing haughty.

"Shut up back there!" our ever-so-polite driver called over his shoulder. A brief silence was interrupted by the thief.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" His eyes gestured towards the man sitting next to me. His clothing was fine, maybe even regal, which also explained the well-trimmed, if slightly dirty hair. He emanated authority, even bound, and gagged, as he was.

"Watch your tongue!" the Nord across from me hissed. "You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king!" His voice morphed until it sounded as though he was making a proclamation. His devotion was obvious, and even admirable.

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" The thief replied, his tone that of surprise. So he was a Jarl. My mind wandered back to the olden days, when feuds between the Jarls were all too common. "You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you..." My mind made the sinister connection all too quickly. "Oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going," the Nord responded. "but Sovngarde awaits."

On the outside, my face remained unfazed, almost distant. It was, of course, an act. On the inside, questions raged, chief of them being "why me?", followed closely by "what have I done?". I tried to remember if I had offended the Empire in such a way that deserves death, but my mind failed me, still recovering as it was from the blow that I realized I had no recollection of.

"No, this can't be happening! This isn't happening!" The horse thief was in a panic, unsurprising, given the circumstances. If I hadn't been too busy worrying about myself, formulating a story, an argument that I figured would be foolproof and undeniable proof of my innocence, I would have felt pity for him. Thievery of a horse and when caught he expected a prison sentence, not the headsman's ax.

"Hey," the Stormcloak said in a more gentle, perhaps resigned tone. "what village are you from, horse thief?"

"Why do you care?" he replied angrily, obviously blaming the Stormcloaks for his imminent fate.

"A Nord's last thoughts, should be of home," came the almost detached response.

At the Stormcloak's words, images of my own old house came to me. A small cabin, out in the wilderness, close to Ivarstead. My father and I would occasionally walk through the valleys and the mountain passes. He would teach me to hunt and survive on my own. I learned to use a bow, yes, but my father also taught me how to catch prey without the use of weapons, instead relying on the environment. Those thoughts brought comfort to me, even with my roiling thoughts, and I realized the wisdom in the Stormcloak's words.

"Rorikstead... I'm... from Rorikstead," said the horse thief, but I barely heard him, immersed as I was in my own thoughts.

"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" this new, unfamiliar voice, belonging to an Imperial, did bring me out of my own little dreamworld, and when I looked for the source, I saw the town. It was gated, with an opening large enough for a carriage to pass through with no trouble, protected by two now opened wooden doors. The voice came from a sentry above the gate, walking back and forth above the stone walls.

"Good," said the man at the head of the procession of carriages, whom I assumed was General Tullius. From what I had heard he was the head of the Imperials in Skyrim, the organizer of all of their activities in the continent. His presence came as a surprise initially, but thinking about it and noticing the defeated Ulfric Stormcloak, I realized that this entire execution was planned to be for him. "Let's get this over with."

"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh!" prayed the horse thief as the carriage crossed under the great arch that greeted us. "Divines, please help me!"

I looked around, taking in the scenery. Ahead of us, and most apparent, was a pair of watchtowers, very rare in such small hamlets. They hinted at a past in which perhaps the small town we were in was once more important. To the right of the cart I saw several small houses and another gate, but that was not my focus. To the side of the procession, the General had broken off and was now conversing. I saw a group of Altmer, high elves, their yellowish skin easily distinguishable. They were Thalmor.

"Look at him," the Stormcloak scoffed. "General Tullius, the military governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him! Damn elves! I bet they had something to do with this!" Damn elves indeed. I had no prejudice against the majority of them, however, one of the reasons my views clashed with the Stormcloaks' often. But the Thalmor I held in contempt for many reasons.

"This is Helgen," the Nord continued in a less agitated voice. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in?" His calmness would have been unnerving if it were unnatural, but calm is always natural when one is about to meet the gods. "It's funny," he murmured, almost dreamily. "when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me fell so safe..."

"Who are they, daddy?" a child's voice asked. My eyes turned, catching a glimpse of the boy, his red shirt and neat hair, his innocent eyes that had never seen death or blood. "Where are they going?"

"You need to go inside, little cub," the father of the boy responded.

"Why? I want to watch the soldiers."

"Inside the house. Now." The father's voice turned from soft to stern. No child should watch men going to their deaths.

"Yes, papa," the boy complied, clearly disappointed. It was sad to witness his innocence and think back to when I thought the same way.

I looked ahead and my heart began to pound more rapidly as I noticed the carts in the front were coming to a halt. I noticed an armored Imperial woman shouting out orders. "Get the prisoners out of the cart! Move it!"

"Why are we stopping?" the horse thief asked, once again panicking.

"Why do you think?" the Nord replied softly. "End of the line." The cart came to a halt, our friendly driver standing up and hopping down from the cart. "Let's go," the Stormcloak continued, this time addressing me. "Shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us."

As we stood up to leave the cart, the thief began his futile protests. "No, wait! We're not rebels!"

"Face your death with some courage thief!" the Nord scolded, jumping out of the cart after Ulfric, shoving the small horse thief out. I followed, stretching my legs one last time and rolling my shoulders before stepping off the cart, casually landing on the hard ground and bending my knees to absorb the shock. It felt good to move again.

"You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!" His voice was growing more and more agitated, more and more desperate. I held my peace, not wanting to cause trouble.

"Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" the Imperial captain yelled harshly. I took an immediate dislike to her. Beside her was a younger officer. His armor was fine, a silver breastplate, shoulder-pads, and bracers, with crimson sleeves and gold trimmings that wove across the chest, forming the Imperial emblem. In his hands were a quill and paper.

"Empire loves their damned lists," the Stormcloak growled.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm," the officer in the fine armor called in a contrastingly calm, almost soothing voice. The gagged Jarl walked forward as his name was called.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric," the Stormcloak, now to my left, muttered.

"Ralof of Riverwood," was the next name, and the Nord left my side, walking off to join his companions in front of the block. At least I would know his name. I felt names were important to know.

"Lokir of Rorikstead." The name of the town made me look to the thief, who walked forward.

His voice was at the height of its panic, almost shrill in its protest. "No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" I knew what he was going to do and silently hoped he wouldn't try it.

"Halt!" the female Imperial shouted in her harsh voice as Lokir sprinted as fast as he could past her and the other guards towards the gate.

"You're not gonna kill me!" he called over his shoulder, but I could already see the guards with their bows.

"Archers!" the captain called, and several shafts sprang forward from dark-brown longbows, burying into the back of the runaway prisoner. He was dead before he hit the ground.

I watched the entirety of the grim scene, cursing the stupidity of the thief while also admiring his courage. He was going to die anyways, might as well try and escape. This dangerous thought took root and made me begin to think of a plan of my own.

"Anyone else feel like running?" the Imperial captain snarled. I had half a mind to sprint forward and smash her face in with whatever limb of my body could reach it.

"Wait," the officer next to her said. "You there," he called, addressing me. My gaze shifted and I looked him in the eye. "Step forward."

I took a few steps until I was in front of the two legionnaires. This was my chance to talk my way out of my fate. I had gone through hundreds of mock conversations, and I was fairly confident that the Imperials would be lenient. To be safe I directed my gaze towards the Imperial in the fine armor, who seemed at least a bit more sympathetic than the one to my left.

When I was in front of the two of them, the officer who had addressed me looked me over, trying to find anything distinguishing about me, perhaps to place what crime I had committed to deserve execution. "Who are you?"

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And that concludes Chapter 1. If you were able to read through all of that text, feel free to post praise or criticism (I welcome both). Good day!

3 comments by AK151 on Oct 1st, 2012

Here's Part 2. I guess it serves to say that if you like (or don't like) the story, please leave a comment with criticism or praise. I really appreciate it. Anyways, enjoy!
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Kor stopped at the gate, catching his breath and taking in the scene.

The yellow garb of the Whiterun guards was instantly recognizable. In front of one stood a group of three men in steel armor. Two had silver helms covering their faces, but the one in the lead had taken it off and was conversing with the guard. Kor moved closer to hear the exchange.

“We haven't seen any,” the guard said.

“Are you sure?” the man asked, looking uncertain. “We were tracking one. You're positive it didn't come here?” his hand reached for the hilt of the sword at his hip.

“Positive. Pretty sure we would recognize a vampire.”

Kor's ears perked up and he walked forward. The guards and men turned to him. “If you're looking for a vampire, one attacked me not two hours ago.”

“You killed it?” the man at the head of the armored trio asked.

“Yes,” Kor answered, reaching into his pack and presenting the vial of vampire dust.

The man examined it for a few seconds before nodding in approval. “It seems we have you to thank for ending our hunt. She had eluded us for far too long.” He made a motion to the others and they turned around, walking off. Before he joined them, he examined Kor for a few seconds. “We could use some good fighters like you,” he said.

“Who's 'we'?” Kor replied.

“The Dawnguard. Vampire hunters. That vampire you fought isn't even the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The vampires are returning, and they're far stronger than we imagined. But we'll fight them, and we'll take anyone we can get.”

Kor was interested. “Where do I join?”

The man gestured towards Kor's pack. “Hand me your map.” Kor did so, and the man made a few markings before giving it back. “You can take a carriage to Riften and head south. When you see Stendarr's Beacon, and you won't miss it, you'll know you're in the right place. Hope I see you there.” He turned around, walking off.

“Wait!” Kor said, and the man turned back around. “Can I come with you?”

He smiled sympathetically. “We've got some more hunting to do. I'll see you there.”

Kor nodded and the man turned around once again, hurrying to rejoin his companions on the road. “The Dawnguard,” Kor muttered to himself.

He turned to Alvor, who had watched the exchange from his forge. “I think it's crazy,” the blacksmith said, predicting Kor's question. “But if you want to do some good, that's where to do it.”

“If I'm headed to Riften, I'll need some supplies,” Kor said. “Think you could help me?”

“Riften's a day ride by carriage. I can scrounge up some supplies, mostly fruits, nothing prepared. You want that, you'll have to go hunting. I've also got some gold that you've more than earned.”

Kor nodded. “Thank you, Alvor. You and your family are the closest thing I've had to a home since I've got here. I'll repay you someday, I promise.”

“I know you will,” the blacksmith replied.

Kor turned, heading to the Sleeping Giant Inn. If this was his last day in Riverwood, he might as well enjoy it.

The Inn was lively. Unlike quite a few bars Kor had been to in the past, the place had a friendly atmosphere about it. He took a seat at a table, joined by Embry, the local drunk, and Hadvar, the Imperial that had tagged along with him after Helgen.

“Heard you're leaving for Riften,” Hadvar said. Kor nodded, downing a small glass of Black-Briar mead.

“Might as well get drunk, not like I'll be doing anything on the carriage ride.” Embry and Hadvar chuckled, raising their glasses in agreement.

“Watch yer back,” Embry muttered. “Don't want to become a snack for one of d'em vampires.”

Kor snorted. “One's already tried. Didn't turn out well.” the trio laughed merrily at this and started telling stories, some true, some less so, enjoying themselves.

Several hours later, Kor stumbled out of the Sleeping Giant Inn. He was drunk, but at least he knew it, as little as that knowledge actually helped. He took several steps before falling over and groaning. Shaking his head to try and ward off the effects of the alcohol, he got back up and walked carefully towards the gate, where the carriage waited.

After several minutes, he finally found his way there, the carriage driver watching him with a mix of sympathy and contempt. “Need something?”

“A... a ride to... Riften,” Kor was able to get out.

“That'll cost you about fifty gold,” the driver replied.

Kor reached for his pack, but he couldn't find it. He had forgotten it at Alvor's. “I'll be right back,” he said, turning around and stumbling back to Alvor's house. He saw the pack on the porch and picked it up, carefully hoisting it over his shoulder. He went back to the carriage, the light of the full moon the only reason he could see anything.

Depositing the pack on the ground, Kor fished out fifty gold septims, handing them over to the driver, who thanked him. “Climb in back and we'll be off.”

Kor nodded silently, picking up his pack and moving to the back of the cart. He threw his supplies into the wagon before clambering in himself. He barely heard the driver whistling as the effects of the alcohol took over and he fell into sleep.
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The action will pick up next part, so be patient. Anyways, if you feel like it, let me know what you think. Other than that, good day!

0 comments by AK151 on Sep 30th, 2012

I'm really bored and want to write about something, and since I have nothing to write and I've been playing Dawnguard recently, I've decided to write a little fan-fiction detailing the events in Dawnguard from my character's point of view, with a bit of embellishment. So... enjoy!

It was very simple. Pull back, aim, steady, release. Kor's right arm trembled as it held the thin bowstring to his cheek. His left eye was closed, his right focusing on a deer about fifty feet away. It was grazing comfortably, a stationary target, an easy target. Kor's breath halted, his heart beat slowed. His fingers let go of the string, and a steel-tipped shaft launched forward. In an instant it had buried itself in the side of the deer, killing it.

Kor sprinted up to the kill, wrenching the arrow from it and depositing it back in his quiver. Kneeling down, he hoisted the dead creature up and slung it over his shoulder, taking it back to the camp he had made. An elk corpse lay next to the fire, and Kor dropped the deer next to it, sitting down and stretching. He would have to go back to Riverwood the next day. Alvor would appreciate the meal, and it was the least Kor could do after the blacksmith had let him stay at his house following the events at Helgen. Kor shook his head, clearing it of images of the massive jet-black dragon's eyes, locked with his own.

He pulled out a skinning knife, kneeling next to the elk. First he removed the antlers. They were valuable to certain alchemists and he might be able to fetch a good price for them. He then skinned and gutted the dead beast, keeping the hide as intact as possible for further use and depositing the entrails in a hole he had dug in the ground, which would hopefully serve to keep scavengers away.

His work finished, Kor examined the chunk of raw venison. He would cook it later. Looking at the deer, he crawled over to it, prepared to do the same thing. However, before the knife came to the creature, Kor heard leaves rustling behind him.

An arm snaked around his neck, clamping down on his throat and cutting off his supply of air. Kor reacted quickly, rolling forward and bringing his assailant with him. His attacker landed in front of him, and Kor scrambled back, trying to get a good look at who had just tried to kill him.

She was clad almost completely in black, from her body, to her hands, to her feet, excepting only her head. Her face was bone-white, bloodless, and ravenous flaming orange eyes stared at him. The most striking feature was her mouth, opened to expose long fangs. Kor knew immediately what she was.

The vampire raised its right arm and a gout of fire launched towards Kor. He leaped to the side, towards his bow, nimbly picking the weapon from the ground and drawing a few arrows from the quiver next to it. The vampire turned to follow his movements, but Kor jumped forward, tackling the creature. One of his arrows plunged into her heart, and she growled in pain, but aside from that, the arrow had no effect. She threw him off with one hand before rising to her feet and pulling the arrow from her chest. She smirked as the stared at the shaft before splitting it in half with two of her fingers. Kor drew back another arrow and fired it, but his target had moved out of the way. She growled in anger and charged at him, but he jumped to the side once again. He circled until he was next to the fire and drew back his last arrow. The vampire hissed, baring her fangs before running at him once more. He let loose his last arrow, and it buried itself in her right shoulder. The impact turned her body, and Kor stepped to the side, allowing the vampire's momentum to carry her forward. He dropped his bow and came around with his left hand, grabbing the back of the vampire's head. Simply guiding her with her own momentum, Kor smashed the monster's face into the hot coals of the fire. The flames burnt his hand, but he held her there as she howled, writhing about and trying to break free.

Eventually, she stopped moving, and Kor withdrew his searing hand, grimacing at the damage. It was blackened and the skin was a bit charred, but the vampire had protected from the worst of the flames. He let out a sigh of relief before looking again at the vampire. The corpse was disintegrating into dust, leaving only the clothing. Nodding to himself, he looked around. He was alone in the plains, but that could change very quickly. He stood up, retrieving his bow and his arrows, along with whatever essentials he needed. He needed to get back to Riverwood. Vampires were a threat not taken lightly. Before he left, he found a vial in his pack and gathered some of the dust as proof, just in case the guards thought he was drunk or mad. Pocketing the vial, he began the trek to Riverwood, leaving the camp as it was, fire roaring, a deer and the remains of an elk strewn across a piece of cloth, and a set of black robes covered in glowing dust...

EXPOSITION AND INTRO!!!

So... yeah. Hope you guys liked it. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this going, if I keep it going at all, but it was fun to write something new for a change. Good day!

5 comments by AK151 on Jun 28th, 2012

We all know that the Indoctrination Theory is false. Sad, but more than likely true, unless you are a VERY wishful thinker. And while I am satisfied by the Extended Cut (let me be clear, I actually DO like the new endings, this is just speculation and because I want to write), it doesn't stop us from imagining what might have happened if the Indoctrination Theory had been used. The following is what might have happened if the EC had the Indoctrination Theory. Enjoy!

P.S. Female Infiltrator Shepard, Colonist, War Hero, Garrus romance, and with all or almost all war assets, so essentially a best-case scenario, or the "happy" ending. Tell me if you want me to write up a version with less war assets or with something different. Hell, I've got something good for if Shepard gets indoctrinated. Tell me if you want it, and I'll write it.
_____________________________

"You must choose," the Catalyst stated.

Shepard looked at the three possibilities before her. Destroy, Control, or Synthesis.

She came to destroy the Reapers. So why shouldn't she? She thought of Legion, the Geth, and the Quarians. She couldn't betray them, couldn't destroy them after all that had happened. They had made peace. The Geth were helping the Quarians. Legion had sacrificed himself to give the Geth awareness. Was it her right to make that sacrifice null? Was it her right to make the decision to destroy an entire race? No, it wasn't.

She looked towards the two handles swirling with blue light. She could control the Reapers, end the war, use them to rebuild. She could make everything right. She was confident that she could. But so was the Illusive Man. He had believed in his ability to control, but he had ultimately failed. What was the difference? The Reapers had no hold over her, but something felt wrong about it. She was a simple human. How could she control the Reapers?

Looking ahead, she saw the blue beam. She knew that jumping into it, merging her energy with the Crucible, would fuse organics and synthetics. The Catalyst said there would be peace. Would there? Synthetics and organics would have no reason to fight, no reason to destroy each other. They would be one and the same. The Reapers would leave, the war would end, and everyone would be better off. But at the core, the decision felt wrong. Saren believed that synthesis was the right choice. It's what he would have done. But Sovereign's words rang in her head. You are not Saren. And she wasn't.

She turned to the Catalyst. It was staring at her with what seemed to be its eyes, waiting for her decision, waiting for her to move. "I choose no."

"What?" the Catalyst asked, as if it had misheard.

"No. I refuse."

"Then you die knowing that you failed to save everything you fought for," the Catalyst replied.

"I fight for freedom," Shepard hissed. "Mine... and everyone's. I fight for the right to choose our own fate. And if I die... I'll die knowing that I did everything I could to stop you."

"And I'll die free."

When the Catalyst spoke, it spoke with the voice of a Reaper. "So be it."

The Crucible, the Catalyst, everything grew brighter. Shepard tried to shield her eyes, but the light was too bright. After a few seconds, everything went dark.

Shepard awoke to the sound of a Reaper landing close to her. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Harbinger towering over her. She was on Earth, London, right in front of the beam that would take her to the Citadel.

The Reaper sounded once, and Shepard heard the beam charge, the beam that heralded her demise. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew that she was about to die. She got up, standing tall to face Harbinger. If she was going to die, she would die on her feet, looking her enemy in the eye.

For a split second, Shepard saw two blue beams rushing towards Harbinger. In the blink of an eye, flames engulfed the side of the Reaper, and it staggered back, just as the Normandy passed overhead. Harbinger's armor was charred from where the Thanix cannons had struck, and it roared in rage.

"Commander, go!" Joker's voice sounded over her intact earpiece.

She broke into a run towards the beam, just as Harbinger regained its footing. She saw the Reaper's weapon charging, but focused on the beam.

The Normandy made another pass, firing it's Javelin torpedoes and Thanix cannons. They burnt the Reaper's hide some more, and it turned to face the charging frigate. A single blast rang out, and the Normandy spiraled down, flying over Harbinger and crashing a dozen miles from the beam.

Shepard saw her ship go down, but was too late to say anything. Her breath caught as she reached the beam and it launched her upwards. She lost sight of London, she lost sight of Harbinger. Everything was lights, she was moving so fast.

After about a minute, she flew out of an opening, landing on a metal floor. Struggling to her feet, the pain of the injuries she had sustained from Harbinger's attack, forgotten in a massive adrenaline rush in her run to the beam, drowned her for a second, and she stumbled, falling back to the ground.

I'm a survivor, she thought. I got through the Blitz, I can get through this.
She forced herself to her feet, ignoring the pain. Looking around, she could barely make out what seemed to be the Presidium. About forty feet away from her was the Conduit. The area almost recognizable, she used the landmark to get her bearings, trying to find the Citadel tower. She saw the elevator, intact, and limped towards it.

"Joker," she whispered into her active earpiece, the word sending pain through her. All she heard was static.

Putting the thought that everyone on the Normandy was dead, including... behind her, she forced herself to keep going towards the elevator. She noticed several husks littered around, fresh kills. Someone else was here.

She stumbled into the elevator, knocking into the activation mechanism. The room rushed upwards, ascending towards the council chambers and her key to opening the Citadel arms. While she was waiting she tried to assess the damage that she had taken.

Her armor, mangled as it was, did its job of protecting her. Her arms were charred and scraped from the blast, however, and her entire body was sore from the impacts she had sustained. Her head hurt from when she landed. Maybe a concussion, hopefully not.

She waited a few seconds as the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening. She walked out, looking around the tower. More husks were strewn about, but this time they were accompanied human corpses, mostly civilians. She tried to avoid their lifeless stares and continued on, reaching the stairs.

As she climbed, she heard the faint sounds of voices. They were hard to make out, but she could distinctly recognize the Illusive Man. Quickening her pace, the voices became clearer, and she could hear Anderson arguing with her enemy. The scene in her vision was slowly unfolding.

She reached the top of the stairs and took a moment to assess the situation.

Anderson was in a pool of blood, still alive. The Illusive Man was across from him, pacing, a pistol in his hands. His face was almost identical to the image from her vision, charred, almost, his eyes almost illuminated. When he noticed her, he raised the pistol, gesturing for her to stop.

"I underestimated you, Shepard," he said, his words echoing in her head. "Even your Admiral thought you were dead." Anderson glared at the Illusive Man.

"Shepard..." he coughed. The Illusive Man glanced at him dismissively. "He's... insane."

The Illusive Man smirked. "I don't think so."

Shepard shook her head. "Why?"

The Illusive Man turned around, looking out of the tower. "You'd undo everything I've accomplished. Everything I've worked for. Both of you. I won't let that happen."

"You accomplished nothing," Shepard growled. "All you've done is help the Reapers! You probably don't even know you are!"

"No," the Illusive Man snapped. "I have accomplished more than you can imagine. Sanctuary showed us that we can control them."

"You can control their soldiers. But controlling a mindless husk is a lot different than controlling a Reaper."

"No," the Illusive Man turned to face Shepard. "I can do it."

"Then open the arms, activate the Crucible, and end this," Shepard challenged.

"I will!" the Illusive Man declared, turning and walking towards the control panel. Before he reached it, he groaned in pain, bending down and clutching his head, dropping the pistol.

"You can't, can you?" Shepard taunted. "They won't let you."

The Illusive Man stood straight, furious eyes staring at Shepard. "NO! I'm in control! No one is telling me what to do!"

"Listen... to yourself..." Anderson muttered. "You're indoctrinated."

The Illusive Man grasped his head again, a pained look on his face. He looked at Anderson, clenching his teeth. "NO! NO!"

"You've let them win," Shepard said. You're theirs now."

"NO!" the Illusive Man paced back and forth furiously. "Shepard, I... I only wanted to protect humanity!"
"Then you've already failed," Shepard replied. "You've been their puppet from the start. You aren't protecting humanity, you're helping to destroy it."

"No! That's not true!"

"You're doing exactly what they want! They want us fighting one another instead of fighting them! It happened before, now you're making it happen again!"

"I just need to-"

"You're their slave! Can't you see that?"

"I..." the Illusive Man bent over in pain, shaking his head. "They're too strong, Shepard!"

"It's not too late," Shepard implored. "You can fight them!"

He faced her, a look of desperation on his face. "I tried, Shepard."

He turned around, picking up the pistol. He looked towards the control panel and tried to move towards it, but he couldn't. His eyes squinted in fury and his lip curled. "No."

The pistol raised, the barrel touching his temple. "We're not your slaves," he hissed, closing his eyes.

A single shot rang out, and the Illusive Man fell to the floor, dead.

Shepard limped towards Anderson, but he gestured towards the panel. "I can wait."

She nodded, heading for the controls. She looked at the holographic dashboard for a second before punching a few buttons. She heard the Citadel creaking as the arms opened, letting in the battle that raged outside. She could see the Crucible approaching in the distance, the Reapers trying to reach it. The Shield fleet had formed up with Sword, and they held the Reapers off as the Crucible docked with the Citadel. The floor rumbled as the massive superweapon connected with the station. The Crucible lit up.

Shepard reached for her earpiece, hoping to find a frequency within the fleet. "This is Shepard. We need extraction immediately. We're at the Citadel tower."

After a few seconds of static, relief flooded through her at Admiral Hackett's voice. "Commander? We thought you were dead. We've got a shuttle en route. Sit tight."

The station rumbled, and a hum started to fill the room. Shepard saw the Crucible glowing, preparing to fire. She turned to Anderson, helping him up. "A shuttle's on the way," she reassured him. He was barely conscious.

"This is Shepard. We need that shuttle now!"

"Understood, Commander," a pilot's voice sounded. We're right outside. Stand by. We're going to have to shoot through the glass."

The shuttle fired several times, eventually punching a hole. The decompression swept Anderson and Shepard off their feet, but Shepard was able to kick them towards the waiting shuttle. The chill of space was almost unbearable, and her lungs screamed for air, but they kept drifting towards the shuttle. A trail of circular droplets, Anderson's blood, floated behind them. The shuttle opened its side door, moving in conjunction with the pair as they floated towards it, and a soldier reached out to them.

They made it inside, hitting the other side of the shuttle as the door closed. Shepard gasped for air as it rushed back into the compartment.

Shepard shook her head when the medic came to her. "I'm fine. Anderson needs more attention."

He simply nodded, moving on to the wounded admiral. The shuttle flight was short and they landed in the hangar bay of the Gettysburg, an Alliance frigate. Blake Richards, the captain of the Gettysburg, met them outside the shuttle. A team of medics took Anderson out of the bay, but Shepard refused medical attention.

"Good to see you, ma'am." Richards saluted.

Shepard saluted back absentmindedly, only one thing on her mind. "Any news on the Normandy?"

"Negative, we lost all contact with her."

"We've got to go back," Shepard said.

"Can't do that. Orders are to stay clear and get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible.

"To hell with orders! I'm won't abandon my crew!"

"Shepard, the Crucible's about to fire. You go back down, you might not come back up."

"My crew took that risk to save me. I'll take the same risk to save them. Don't try to stop me, because you won't."

The captain bowed his head, sighing. "Take the shuttle," he muttered.

Shepard nodded, limping back into the shuttle. She had learned how to fly one, but had only done so a few times. Before she took off, she tried to scrounge up what armor she could. After changing and equipping herself with an assault rifle, the craft lifted off from the Gettysburg as the hangar opened. and Shepard left the frigate, heading back down to Earth. From the shuttle, she saw the fleets battling the Reapers.

They had formed a line against them, protecting the Crucible while it charged. The Rayya sped towards a Reaper dreadnought, bursting into fire as it rammed through the ship, destroying both. Shepard saw the Destiny Ascension, surrounded and protected by the Quarian patrol fleet, firing its main gun at another dreadnought, damaging it. The SSV Leipzig punched through a Reaper destroyer with its Thanix cannons, and Shepard could make out the SSV Nairobi providing fire support for the Asari Sixth fleet along with the SSV Trafalgar and a portion of the Fifth fleet. The Asari cruiser Cybaen took the fire of several Reaper destroyers and even a dreadnought, giving time for Geth cruisers to regroup with the Quarian heavy and patrol fleets and the three dreadnoughts they had left to make another push. The Terminus fleet was there in force, spread out across the battlefield, mostly fighters, some frigates, and a few cruisers. The ruins of the Volus dreadnought Kwunu were mixed with the ruins of the three Reaper destroyers it had taken down before ramming and almost completely destroying a dreadnought. Hanar and Drell forces had mixed with the few ships in the Elcor flotilla, and they fought alongside the remnants of the Batarian fleet, eager for retribution for the destruction of Kar'shan. The Salarian third fleet was spread out, its small ships making good use of their GARDIAN cannons, intercepting projectiles and assisting rogue Cerberus fighter squadrons in destroying Reaper fighters. The Turian Sixth and Seventh fleets had merged, the dreadnoughts of the staying back, defended by cruisers and frigates while they fired their long-range weapons, decimating smaller Reaper ships. A Reaper dreadnought took a shot at the Crucible, but the beam was intercepted by one of the ships of the Alliance Naval Exploration Flotilla, tearing through the small frigate. Other small ships moved to intercept attacks made on the Crucible, and the superstructure took little damage.

"Incredible," Shepard muttered, watching the united fleets do battle with their greatest enemy.

As the shuttle descended, Shepard saw the ground conflicts raging. She could see the SSV Agincourt providing cover for the SSV Shanghai while the latter evacuated troops from an overrun position. The Krogan first division led the charge with the rest of the Tuchanka clans against hundreds of Reaper forces, and Shepard grinned when she saw Aralakh Company, led by Grunt, holding the line with a Salarian STG force led by who Shepard suspected was Major Kirrahe. The Turian Blackwatch and Asari Commandos worked in conjunction to eliminate key targets such as artillery emplacements to allow the bulk of the armies to proceed. Shepard saw Jack directing Biotic artillery units as they decimated charging husks and brutes. Samara could be seen leading the Serrice Guard in an attempt to reach the Alliance Spec Ops Team Delta, led by none other than Zaeed Massani, barely holding off an army of marauders, cannibals, husks, brutes, ravagers, and even banshees. Shepard could see Zaeed bashing in the face of a marauder with the butt of his rifle, the brown finish of Jessie visible even from the shuttle. The colonists of Zhu's Hope were there as well, joining the Arcturus First Division. Elcor troops provided support for the 103rd Alliance Marine division, and Geth Primes littered the battlefield, blasting away major threats with their heavy pulse cannons. Rachni workers and soldiers swarmed over the enemy forces, throwing themselves at the unending army. The Reapers were repulsed in New York, the work of the united Spectre agents, led by Jondum Bau.

As Shepard flew over the battlefield, seeing the carnage but also the strength of a united galaxy, she began to have hope. As the shuttle flew over London, she searched for any sign of the Normandy. After a few minutes, she saw the wreckage. It was swarming with Reapers, but gunfire was coming from the hangar bay. As she descended, she saw the damage. The Normandy was almost on its side, its right engines gone, destroyed by Harbinger. It was clear that the crew was in the opened cargo bay, desperately trying to hold off the Reapers. As she descended, a Harvester, chased by Alliance fighters, flew past her, hitting the shuttle with a few blasts. With a growl, Shepard tried to keep control of the shuttle. She opened the doors and looked out. They were falling fast, but they were close to the ground. She took a running start, jumping out of the shuttle right before it crashed, breaking her fall with a roll.

She got up and ran as fast as she could, eventually making it to the hangar bay. A few bullets whizzed by her before she heard Garrus. "Hold, cease fire! It's Shepard!"

"Garrus?" Shepard ran towards him, sliding over the makeshift barriers they had placed, and they embraced for a second. "What's the situation?"

"Well, after we saved your ass and crashed, Harbinger left. Didn't even bother to finish us off, strangely enough. Guess he decided to let the husks do it. And that's what they've been trying to do. Joker's inside with EDI, trying to get comms back up. We've been holding these bastards off ever since."

Shepard nodded, turning to face the rest of the crew. Ashley and James were side-by-side, assault rifles rattling. Javik and Liara were working together, using their biotics to tear apart weaker husks and push back stronger ones. Tali was close by, still firing her shotgun. Garrus had a Raptor, and the weapon had left its mark in the form of many dead husks a ways away.

"Everyone! The Crucible's going to fire soon! We just need to hold out a bit longer!"

"Aye aye, ma'am," Ashley answered. The others responded similarly. The words energized them. It was almost over.

"Where's my Widow?" Shepard asked Garrus. He turned around, jogging over to a workbench where a modified Widow, painted jet-black, a high-caliber scram rail barrel attached to it. The weapon was basically a mass accelerator. He handed the weapon to her and she grinned like a child, comfortable with her favorite weapon. She threw the assault rifle to the ground and hoisted the Black Widow, aiming through the enhanced scope. A shot resounded throughout the Normandy's cargo hold, and a brute collapsed, a hole punched through it. Shepard ejected the thermal clip, putting in a new one.

The Reapers kept coming, husks, cannibals, marauders, brutes. It reminded her of defending the Thanix missiles in the push to the beam. "Keep them back!" she yelled, firing another shot and blowing through a marauder. She heard Garrus' Raptor rattling off shots, tearing apart cannibals and marauders. Ashley and James fired controlled bursts with their Valkyrie assault rifles, and Javik's particle rifle, as effective as it was fifty thousand years ago, sliced through charging husks and cannibals. Enemies were lifted up by Liara's singularity, perfect targets for Tali's Crusader.

The shriek of a banshee drowned any other sound. Shepard loaded another thermal clip in her Widow, waiting for the mutated Asari to show itself. When it appeared, an electrical discharge surrounded it as Garrus overloaded its barriers. Liara and Javik both launched warp fields at it, giving it pause. Ashley, James, and Tali all concentrated on it, pelting it with armor piercing rounds. Shepard pulled the trigger of her Widow, and the banshee, already weakened by the combined attacks of the squad, blew in half.

Shepard allowed herself a grin, but their concentration had allowed the other Reapers to push forward, and they were almost on top of them. Garrus finished off his thermal clip and threw down the Raptor, picking up a Phaeston from the ground. Familiar with the weapon, he began spraying, the accurate stream of bullets killing anything it hit. Shepard did similar, firing one last shot with the Widow before putting it down and pulling out her sidearm, a Phalanx with an upgraded heat sink and a scram rail. She focused on the closest enemies, just like she did in back in the Blitz almost six years ago.

Despite their efforts, the Reapers were getting closer. Shepard's omni-tool lit up, a ball of fire launching from the device, exploding and killing a cannibal and a few husks. Garrus fired off a proximity mine, killing a few enemies and weakening some others. Javik and Liara continued using whatever powers they could come up with to keep the Reapers at bay. One of Ashley's inferno grenades launched fire across the area, and James launched what might have been a grenade into the enemy, blowing a few to bits. Tali's combat drone could be seen surrounded by husks, and her defense drone hovered close by her, ready to keep away any who would get to her.

Even with all this, when another banshee shrieked, Shepard knew things were getting desperate. She picked up her Widow again, holstering her Phalanx. Garrus covered her while she got the weapon ready, overloading the barriers of the banshee. Shepard lifted the sniper rifle, aiming through the scope. The crosshairs hovered over the head of the banshee. Shepard release a shot, but it hit the banshee in the chest, wounding it, but not killing it. The Asari husk moved forward until it was almost on top of them. Shepard loaded another thermal clip, getting into cover as the banshee released a shockwave. It knocked the others back, but Shepard remained upright, aiming for a split second before firing right through the abomination.

The others recovered, but the damage had been done. Husks crawled over the barriers the crew had placed to better defend their position, now inside the Normandy. Shepard once again picked up her pistol, blowing through the head of one husk. Another swiped at her, but she ducked, extending her forked omni-blade, coursing with electricity, and sliced the creature in half. She kept the weapon out, killing anything that got close to her while continuing to fire her pistol. The others were forced to resort to close-range combat as well, James, grabbing a husk, throwing it down, and stomping its head off. Ashley used her omni-blade, a single orange wedge, to cut through a marauder that got close. Liara and Javik kept the husks away with shockwaves and biotic blasts, but they were tiring. Tali's defense drone was firing bolt after bolt of electricity, giving the Quarian time to blast her enemies with her shotgun while they were stunned. Garrus tried to stay away and provide support but ended up back-to-back with Shepard. He ducked under a husk's arm and she turned around, shooting it in the face with her pistol. He fired his Phaeston past her, killing a marauder as it took aim. Tali moved to help them, and the three formed a line, Tali's defense drone and shotgun keeping the husks from getting close and Shepard and Garrus' weapons killing whatever they could.

Shepard saw a few grenades land in the Normandy and dove for cover, as Garrus and Tali. The grenades exploded, still knocking the trio back. James, Ashley, Liara, and Javik were thrown back as well, and the blast seemed to have stunned them. Shepard and Garrus recovered first, trying to keep the husks back while the others got up. Some made it through and tried to attack the downed crew as they got up. Shepard shot one off of Javik as he stood up and proceeded to blast one away from Liara and Ashley. James got to his feet as well, punching a cannibal to the ground before it could attack him and killing it with his rifle.

While Shepard was distracted with keeping the enemies away from her squad, and while Garrus was helping Tali up, a group of husks charged at them. Shepard turned to see them right on top of the group, arm raised for an attack. A stream of bullets launched from inside the Normandy's cargo bay, an assault rifle, and the husk fell dead, followed by the others. Joker limped out, carrying an assault rifle. At his side was EDI, using a Cerberus Locust. They joined the fight, Joker staying back with his Avenger.

Even with all of this, the Reapers still pushed forward, and Shepard eventually ordered everyone to pull back until their backs were to the elevator. Shepard's Phalanx had a glowing red barrel from the number of shots she had used. The others' weapons weren't faring much better. "Just a bit longer!" Shepard shouted. But it had been almost six minutes since she had landed. How long would it take for the Crucible to fire?

They continued to fight, Shepard starting to lose hope. Maybe the Crucible didn't fire? Maybe there was something she forgot, something that the builders had neglected, or maybe just a flaw in the design. But these thoughts disappeared as she focused on the fight. She swung at a charging husk, killing it with her holographic blade. Another husk punched Tali back, but Garrus hit it with the butt of his rifle. However, another husk leaped onto him, knocking him to the ground and clawing at his face. Shepard shot the creature off, helping Garrus up while Tali tried to cover them. Shepard picked up Garrus' Phaeston, spraying at the approaching army of husks.

A brute charged through, knocking Shepard into the wall. Garrus and Tali tried to hold it off, but it slammed its arm into the Turian, sending him flying. It approached Tali as she fired off her shotgun, and it raised its arm. Shepard leaped onto its back, her omni-blade glowing. She stabbed and slashed at the creature, but it backed up against the wall, slamming her into it and forcing her to let go. She fell to the ground, getting up and firing a ball of fire from her omni-tool. It turned around and hit her once again with its plated arm, and she flew back, knocking the back of her head against the wall. She crumpled, still conscious but stunned. The brute raised its arm once again for the final blow, and Shepard curled her lip.

Suddenly, the Reaper army turned around. A strange sound, a rumbling noise, grew louder. A red light could be seen in the distance, behind the husk army. The wave reached them in seconds, washing through the Normandy. The Reaper army fell dead, destroyed by whatever the wave was. The brute that was about to kill Shepard fell forward, almost crushing her. The husks had disintegrated. Shepard looked around. Everyone was fine, her squad was all alive. They were as confused as she was, though.

"The Crucible," she muttered. "It worked."

The group went outside to the sight of a Reaper dreadnought falling to the ground, dead. Shepard was the first to cheer, raising her fist in the air and letting out a cry. Garrus stood next to her, and they embraced as the others cheered, filling the air with victorious shouts. It was over. All of it. It was all, finally over. The Reapers were defeated. The galaxy was saved. And they were alive.
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Sort of an idealistic ending, I know, but like I said at the beginning, best-case scenario. Let me know if you want some sort of epilogue or if you want me to write a different ending, I'm open to suggestions. Until then, I hope you enjoyed it, and I bid you good day!

6 comments by AK151 on Feb 22nd, 2012

Out of sheer boredom (and an urge to write), I have decided to basically write a detailed short story regarding the recent RP event, "Return of the Rakata". Here is Chapter 1.
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“Sir! Signal coming in!” a lieutenant barked, alerting Lord Kairn.

“Patch it through,” the Sith ordered. The audio channels roared to life as they delivered a message:

“We are the long forgotten. We have observed the galaxy for thousands and thousands of years. We have seen the rise and fall of empires. And we have achieved a final conclusion: only war exists.
We will end it. All those who wish to be saved, join us, and together we shall rebuild the galaxy.”

“That's it, sir. The message loops.”

“Interesting,” Kairn muttered. What do you make of it, my creation?

Tri-tiers, the telepathic cybernetic creature created by the twisted Sith lord, answered after only a brief second of hesitation. They say they can wipe out galaxies. They are insinuating they have a super-weapon. A weapon such as that would be very useful for our arsenal, no?

As always, your logic is infallible, Kairn replied before turning his attention to his men on the bridge. “Contact Admiral Haast. Notify him that I am departing the Citadel in one hour and he is in command. In addition, tell Commander Ark and Captain Taria to report directly to me in the hangar deck of the Beskar Marev.”

“Yes sir!” the communications officer said, opening a channel with the Citadel, Kairn's massive space fortress. “Admiral Haast, this is Beskar Marev. Lord Kairn...”

Kairn turned around. “Null,” he called, and a hooded figure came into view. It was vaguely humanoid, but Kairn knew better. This one was one of his favorites. Human perfectly mixed with cybernetics to create the perfect assassin. Unmatched tracking abilities, the skills to blend into the shadows and to see those doing the same, and unparalleled acrobatic potential was countered only by Null's ineffectiveness in real combat. Its hood and cloak, coupled with a vicious scythe wielded in both hands, gave it the appearance of death itself, for death it was, and death it was made to be. “Report to the hangar deck.” The Grim Reaper nodded, disappearing.

I shall notify Alpha to rendezvous on the hangar deck as well? Tri-tiers asked.

Yes. And then do so yourself. We will need our best for this mission.

Beta?

Kairn thought for a moment. No, Beta stays back. He is not a combat droid. I wouldn't want to waste an asset such as him.

Of course, my Lord.

Kairn broke the mental connection with Tri-tiers before leaving the bridge. Before he made it to the turbolift, he was joined by Regius, his left hand, a powerful Sith second only to Kairn himself.

“The others are meeting on the hangar deck. I assume we are going as well?” Regius asked.

“Yes,” Kairn replied. “We have an... opportunity. I am loathe to waste it.”

“Of course, my Lord.”

The two entered the turbolift, Kairn glancing around. He was always cautious of his surroundings. The doors closed, but Kairn noticed Regius fingering his lightsaber hilt. The Sith suddenly yanked the weapon out, igniting it at the same time. Kairn quickly but calmly raised one of his arms, protected by beskar, Mandalorian iron, catching the blade. He jabbed Regius in the side with his other arm, stunning the Sith before ducking under the blade and bringing his palm to Regius's nose, breaking the bone. The Sith staggered back, his back hitting the wall of the turbolift. Kairn blasted Regius in the stomach with the Force, doubling him over. He then brought his knee up, smashing the Sith lord's face in. He fell onto his back, panting and bloodied.

“Not bad,” Kairn chuckled, plucking Regius's lightsaber from his hand. The Sith's wounds healed quickly, and Regius soon got to his feet, his face not betraying the beating it had taken. “You betrayed your intentions, though. Show nothing. Do not even move towards your lightsaber. That is what alerted me.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Regius conceded. He was a follower of the old Sith code, and was constantly trying to best his master to prove his competence. He had never succeeded.

“Do not try that until this is over. We have more important matters to attend to,” Kairn ordered.

“Of course, my Lord.”

“Good.” The turbolift doors opened, no sign of the conflict that had taken place inside. Kairn and Regius walked onto the deck, Kairn observing his men.

To the left were Null and Alpha Prime. Null had his scythe ready and almost looked as if he were hovering off the ground. His ominous appearance frightened some of the deck-hands, who maintained a very respectable distance from the cyborg.

Alpha Prime was not as intimidating as Null, but just as deadly. She was Kairn's second creation, a devoted warrior. Her humanoid appearance gave her an aura of weakness compared to the other cyborgs Kairn had created. It was one of her deadliest weapons, for Kairn had learned many a time that underestimation is a mistake that not many survive. She had the ability to calculate an enemy's next attack almost instantly and prepare accordingly, and her reflexes were matched only by Null's. On her left arm was a massive plasma cannon that could fold back, revealing a clawed hand. Her other was almost always carrying some sort of weapon, be it a blaster or, more frequently, a lightsaber.

Kairn shifted his gaze to Tri-tiers, the massive cyborg towering over the others. Despite his prowess, Tiers was not a melee fighter. He typically stayed back, using telekinetic Force powers to devastating effects. A master strategist and a cunning warrior, Tiers was one of Kairn's best creations.

Ark moved up, greeting Kairn. The mercenary was wearing his signature 501^st Clone Battalion armor, armor. Surrounding him were around seventy-five men, some part of his elite mercenary group, some part of Kairn's military.

Kairn moved to join Captain Taria, one of his best warriors, as deadly as Null and Alpha Prime. She was extremely gifted and very talented, being able to go head-to-head with Kairn's best warriors, even with her lack of Force abilities, one of the reasons out of many Kairn had chosen her to lead the Shadow Legion.

“My Lord,” she greeted.

“Taria. Is this everyone?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Kairn turned his attention to the troops. “There is something out there. It claims to have the ability to destroy the galaxy. We are going to take this power for ourselves. The ultimate tool of destruction shall be ours!”

Several cheers erupted from the troops. Kairn raised his hand to silence them.

“Do not celebrate yet,” he chided. His hand pointed at three Sith infiltrators. “These will be our way onto the planet.”

The troops nodded, boarding. Tri-tiers led the group of cyborgs onto Kairn's infiltrator, followed by Taria, Regius, and finally Kairn himself. Ark boarded another infiltrator with his own men, and the rest of the troops boarded the third infiltrator. The three ships took off from the deck of the Beskar Marev.

“Lieutenant, this is Shadow 1. I assume you have traced the coordinates of the signal,” Kairn asked.

“Yes sir, uploading now.”

“Lieutenant, I believe these hyperspace routes are... unstable, no?”

“Yes sir, they are. There are large amounts of asteroids and nebulae in the system, from sensor data, or rather, the lack of it.”

“Understood. Shadow 1 out,”

The infiltrators plotted a hyperspace course, preparing to jump.

“This should be fairly simple,” Regius muttered.

“Maybe,” Kairn mused.

“Why 'maybe', my Lord?”

“Because you never know who else is hunting your quarry.”
____________________________________
And that's it. Working on Chapter 2 now, should have it finished up pretty soon. If I do finish it, it'll be up tomorrow. Tell me if I should continue this or not. Good day!

13 comments by AK151 on Nov 26th, 2011

After quite a wait, here is Part 10 of Star Wars: Origins, a story focused on a Jedi during the Galactic Civil War as he hunts down an unknown entity that destroyed his home, encountering many on his journey. Please note that this is not cannon and directly conflicts with many things in known cannon (such as the Mandalorians being peaceful during the Clone Wars, but I doubt that many would want that to stay the same).

Previous Parts
Part 1 - Moddb.com
Part 2 - Moddb.com
Part 3 - Moddb.com
Part 4 - Moddb.com
Part 5 - Moddb.com
Part 6 - Moddb.com
Part 7 - Moddb.com
Part 8 - Moddb.com
Part 9 - Moddb.com

Enjoy the story!
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A large area of snow in the arctic areas of Corellia cleared as an object, unseen, landed. The Shadow Wing deactivated its cloak, and a Mandalorian stepped out. Kira wore her full beskar'gam armor, a design similar to her brother, Jango's, armor, but with red as the primary color, with black trimmings, the red to honor her father and the black as justice against the Death Watch mercenaries who had killed him. She detached her double-bladed lightsaber, a two-foot long silver cylinder with a curved five inch blade at each end, opposite of each other. She had sensed someone approaching. She whirled around, arming one of her wrist concussion rockets. A Mandalorian scout deactivated a cloaking device, shimmering into view.

The scout wore armor as well, designed much like Kira's, but with a few differences, mainly the fact that the armor was firstly made out of durasteel, not beskar, and secondly that it was uniform silver. He had a pistol, a Verpine shattergun by the looks of it, drawn and aimed at Kira.

“Do not try, ner'vod, for I will best you any day, Force or no Force, lightsaber or no lightsaber.” Kira warned the Mandalorian. To her hidden relief, he lowered the weapon. She was not afraid of the warrior as much as she was unwilling to kill one of her own.

“Why are you here?” the Mandalorian asked in a harsh, synthesized voice as was common with Mandalorians with full battle gear, including a helmet.

Kira warily lowered her arm warily, her lightsaber still at the ready. Acknowledging the question, she responded, “To talk. Your leader has tried to kill us. We are not here to do the same, we are merely here to discover why your leader has tried to do what he has.”

“Very well. But be warned. You will not be received kindly. Had I had the chance, I would have killed you right then, as our orders told of us.”

“You would not have done much. My armor is far more durable than yours. The shot would have bounced off and your throat would be either impaled by my lightsaber or torn open by a Verpine shot of my own. Now, will we be off? I assume you know the way to your masters?”

“Follow. And one more thing: no one to follow you. Your companions will stay inside the ship. If they leave, we will treat all of you as a threat, and you will not be allowed to speak.”

“Fine by me. Now lead the way,” Kira reached to the side of her helmet, activating an in-built communications link to the Shadow Wing. “Aaron, tell the others to stay in the ship. Got it?”

“You sure about this?” Aaron's voice fizzed in, the static harsh in her earpiece. She was still able to hear the uncertainty and slight worry in his voice.

“I'll be fine. Trust me,” she replied with a slight grin before breaking the link. “They'll stay. Now, off we go?”

“Yes. Come.” the Mandalorian grunted before trudging through the snow, following a path he had obviously memorized and learned by heart, as there were no physical indications of a path or trail. Eventually, the two Mandalorians reached a temple, hidden in the snow. Inside, there were eighteen Mandalorians, each with the same armor as the scout. They each had one single-bladed lightsaber, a weapon that Kira was surprised to see on each Mandalorian. She saw the air behind one of the warriors shimmer for an instant and smiled to herself. At last, the scout stopped, and she beheld a single Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian had gold armor, symbolizing vengeance, with green trimmings, symbolizing duty. From his armor, Kira was able to guess that he was dutiful, but his duty was overshadowed by a desire for vengeance against something, but Kira did not know what. As he turned around, he took a slight step back, and from his motions, he looked surprised, but it was a change that lasted only for an instant before the warrior regained his composure. When he spoke, his voice was synthesized by the helmet he wore, but she could still hear the uncertainty and hopefulness in his voice.

“Kira?”

“Impossible,” Kira gasped as memories and buried feelings flooded into her mind.

Anger as the CIS betrayed her commando team, killing their leader. Spite as they joined the Republic and she was trained as a Jedi because of her Force sensitivity. Overconfidence as she led battles against the CIS, accompanied by Kavom Bellis, her right-hand man, and long-time friend. Suspicion as they intercepted a transmission from Coruscant to the clones in her unit, telling them to execute Order 66. Rage as her troops, her brothers, turned their rifles on her and Kavom and opened fire, grief as Kavom stayed behind to fight the clones as the ship he had forced her on took off, escaping the conflict and evading the blockade.

“You died,” said, still dubious about the Mandalorian's identity, but still partially convinced based on his stance and voice, a voice she had grown accustomed to when they fought together.

“I put up a fight against the clones, but there were too many and I got struck numerous times by blaster bolts. However, beskar is not that weak, but I was knocked unconscious by a concussion missile and was put out of the fight, still relatively unharmed. The clones would have checked my vital signs, but I wasn't a Force sensitive and didn't hold as much priority. When I came to a few minutes later, most of the clones had run off after a bit of confusion about where you went. There were a few that decided to check me for vital signs, and I killed them. I then stole a Republic transport and left the planet, trying to find a good place to go into hiding for a while. I settled here, meeting a few Mandalorians along the way.”

“Why are you trying to kill us?” Kira asked, changing the subject.

“The Mandalorians need to rise again. I have assembled a few Mandalorians, all sensitive to the Force, something that I discovered in myself after leaving the Republic. Near death scenarios can do a lot to change a man.”

“So, you assembled a few Force-sensitive Mandalorians? For what? It wouldn't do anything against the Republic, or the Empire, as it seems it is now.”

“That is only part of my plan. The other part lies with our new ally, one who calls himself Vorchann. I have never seen him, but I have seen his capabilities. He does not have enough power to take on the Empire as a whole, but he does have enough to strike fear into enough systems that he will be followed. He has promised us a great deal of power in the Empire he plans to create.”

“And how does he plan to overthrow the largest power in the galaxy at this moment?” Kira asked, finding the idea incredulous.

“Fear is an excellent motivator,” was Kavom's simple answer.

“And how does a single unknown individual with no power generate enough fear to cause others to turn against the Empire?”

“He has a planet killer. One ship. A massive ship. It destroyed an outer rim planet a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, I know. And what makes you think that this ship cannot be overcome by a fleet?”

“It is powerful, and it has an escort of its own. In addition to that, it is fast and can be out of a destroyed system almost instantly. It is nearly impossible to catch.”

“So with this, you believe that he has enough power to control the galaxy.”

“No, but with it, he has enough power to frighten the galaxy. And that is all that is necessary.”

“And where to the other Mandalorians fit into all of this?”

“They will be given a choice to serve us like everyone else. If they refuse, they will die.”

“Ah, so this is not the Mandalorians you are serving, but your own petty interests?”

“The Mandalorians are weak,” Kavom flared up, “and they need a change.”

“And I suppose that I must be weak as well then,” Kira growled.

“Perhaps not you, but you are not as strong as us. You would not last long. We have orders to kill you if necessary, but to try and capture you. What will it be, Kira? You can't fight all of us. I suggest you surrender, before we are forced to use deadly means to subdue you.”

“I cannot take you all on alone, no. But I was never alone,” Kira sneered, grinning inside her helmet. As she spoke, three Mandalorians' necks twisted in an unusual direction and simultaneous snaps were heard as their necks cracked. Three figures jumped down, cloaks shimmering away as they did so. Aaron landed on Kira's right flank, Vorack on her left. Drak landed behind them, rifle at the ready. The Mandalorians each drew their lightsabers. Aaron observed each of them, sizing them up. One of the voices in his head, the darker one, spoke.

Be cautious of them, it warned, I fought many Mandalorians in my time, and none of the fights were truly easy.

When did you fight Mandalorians? Aaron asked in his mind, the question directed at the voice.

Too long ago for anyone to care, the voice responded simply.

Knowing that his cryptic dark side ancestor would not yield anymore secrets, Aaron focused on his surroundings, noting each of the Mandalorians and quickly formulating battle strategies in his head, even as he knew his allies were doing as well.

Kira gripped her lightsaber tightly, preparing to jump at Kavom, “Kavom Bellis was genuinely concerned for the well-being of his people. It was the one trait that I admired most in him. It made him what he is. Without that, he is nothing. You are nothing. Kavom Bellis died during Order 66. It would seem that all that is left is for his body to catch up,” and with that, she flew at the Mandalorian, igniting her lightsaber, two yellow beams extending several feet, and he ignited two of his own lightsabers, a purple and a green. The two engaged in combat, and all hell erupted.

Vorack drew his metal saber in his left hand and ignited his dark-blue lightsaber in his right, taking on six of the Mandalorians as they jumped down to engage them. Drak took two out with his rifle, the heavy slugs piercing the durasteel armor with ease. He then engaged in hand-to-hand with four of the Mandalorians, extending his arm blades. The weapons protruded from his wrist and from his elbow at the same time. He whirled around, blocking the blows directed at him before responding with staggeringly powerful attacks.

Aaron stepped forward, igniting his orange lightsaber. The remaining Mandalorians, seven in total, charged at him. He grinned beneath his helmet and took a great bound forward, impaling one of the warriors before he had a chance to react. He then engaged the others, quickly battering aside one's defenses and impaling him through the neck. He augmented his skills with the Force and became a blur. One Mandalorian swung at him with his lightsaber. Aaron feinted a block and deactivated his lightsaber at the last second, reactivating it into the Mandalorian's head. Surrounded by the four remaining Mandalorians, Aaron repulsed the ones behind him and to the sides, ducking a horizontal slash by the warrior in front of him before slicing him in half from hip to hip. The Mandalorians recovered from the Force blast and charged Aaron, but he jumped up, flipping acrobatically. The Mandalorians tracked him and readied their weapons for his landing. However, the Jedi disappeared. The Mandalorians, puzzled, tried to spot the signs of a cloak, but could not. All of a sudden, Aaron appeared behind them, having used a teleportation technique taught to him by another Jedi long ago. With one large horizontal swipe, he decapitated the three Mandalorians, who had foolishly bunched close together. Deactivating his lightsaber, he watched the other battles unfold.

Vorack had dispatched three of his attackers and his weapons whirled around furiously. He clashed blades with two of the Mandalorians, shoving them back. The third charged at him, lightsaber raised. Vorack side-stepped his attacker and sliced the Mandalorian's hand off as his blade came down. Vorack then followed through with a horizontal slash, decapitating the Mandalorian and battering away the blade of one of this last two opponents as he tried to swing at the Drakar. Vorack brought his blade behind him to block a lightsaber blow to his back before whirling around, embedding his metal saber in the side of one of his foes' necks, where it stuck there as Vorack let go of the blade. He then continued his rotation, slicing the other Mandalorian at the ankles before grabbing him with his free hand by the neck, lifting him several feet off the ground, and slamming him back down. The Mandalorian's back broke from the impact, and Vorack deactivated his lightsaber and retrieved and cleaned his metal saber.

Drak had killed two of his opponents but his last two adversaries learned from their predecessors' mistakes. Drak's slugthrower was on the ground, one shell dispersed, with a lightsaber scorch mark on it. While the rifle was unharmed, Drak could not retrieve it without being sliced into pieces. He dueled the Mandalorians with surprising elegance given his slightly bulky power armor. He spun around, blocking the Mandalorians' lightsaber strikes by keeping his blades vertical. Eventually, he stopped, locking blades with the two Mandalorians. Through the neural link connecting him to his suit, he strengthened the armor of his suit, which was able to withstand a lightsaber for a few seconds in that state, and shoved back one of the Mandalorians. At the same time, he jerked the arm locked with the other Mandalorian forward and quickly back, catching the lightsaber between Drak's armor and the blade protruding from his elbow. He brought his arm up even further, and the lightsaber lifted, exposing the Mandalorian's head. Drak stabbed him in the visor with hits other blade before attacking the other Mandalorian with both blades. This one was smart and was able to avoid the same attack but fell victim to another: Drak battered aside a horizontal swing made by the Mandalorian with his left arm, quickly spinning around and impaling the Mandalorian through the visor with his right elbow-blade. He retracted his blades, walking forward and picking up his rifle, joining Aaron and Vorack as they watched Kira. Vorack stepped forward, hand on his lightsaber, but Aaron stopped him.

“Don't.” he said. Vorack nodded an acknowledgment and they observed the battle.

Kira whirled her saber-staff around, the two blades creating a yellow circle on each of her sides. These circles impacted Kavom's two lightsabers harshly and he was being pushed back by the constant onslaught. He growled and blasted Kira back a few feet. He then raised his arms and the roof above Kira cracked. A large portion of the roof of the temple came down above the Mandalorian, but she was prepared. Kira lifted her gauntlet and a rocket screamed forth, exploding and knocking the rubble away from her. Trying to escape to more open ground, Kavom jumped up, landing on one of the falling rocks. He leaped from rock to rock, using each as a stepping stone as he ascended to the roof of the temple. Kira followed, but she used her jetpack to aid her when she could not find a rock to jump onto. Eventually, the two reached the roof and continued their duel. Kavom went on the offensive, but he could not get past Kira's defense. She scored a few hits on him, but his armor absorbed the majority. She side-stepped one of his attacks, slicing one of his lightsabers and putting it out of the fight, and struck him on the back, weakening one area of the armor that was already suffering from damage. But before she could attack that area again, he was attacking and keeping her at bay. However, he made a mistake. With his remaining lightsaber, he swung horizontally at Kira's lightsaber hilt. Kira broke the hilt in two just as Kavom's blade connected and he stumbled, the momentum of his swing carrying him forward. Kira took the opportunity and brought back her right hand, which held one of her lightsabers in a reverse Shien-style grip, and stabbed Kavom in the same place she had struck earlier, breaking the armor. She then stabbed with her other saber, again breaking the armor. Kavom collapsed as Kira's lightsabers deactivated. His lightsaber shut off and fell from his hands as he fell to his knees and then fell forward onto his face.

Kira rolled him over and removed his helmet. His mouth was moving trying to form words. She brought her head closer to hear them.

“F-... for... forgive me... Mandalore,” she withdrew as he spoke the title that had been given to her for leading her people in finishing off the Death Watch during the Clone Wars. He then brought her closer and whispered something in her ear, handing her a data crystal. She smiled sadly as Kavom's body went limp and his breath stopped, closing the eyes of one of her closest friends. She then got up and pocketed the crystal. The jumped down from the roof of the temple where Aaron and the rest of their party were waiting, the three having exited during the battle after Kavom brought down the roof.

“What did he tell you?” Aaron asked.

“Where to find Vorchann.” Kira responded, then held up the data crystal, “The coordinates are here.”

“Good. You alright?” Aaron asked.

“Fine. I just need to do something.” Kira turned around, lifting her hands. The temple shuddered as it collapsed, and all of the Mandalorians fell with it, the warriors being buried beneath the ice. “There.” Kira said, turning around, “Now, I'm fine.”

Aaron nodded then sent a signal to Ryla, who was on board the Shadow Wing. The ship came to pick them up, and they departed the planet, Ryla looking disappointed about missing the action.

“So, now where do we go?” Drak asked Aaron once they were aboard.

“We-” Aaron paused as he heard the darker voice in his head.

Go to Korriban, the voice said.

And why Korriban? Aaron asked.

Because you are not prepared yet, and you should be.

Very well, Aaron acquiesced and turned his attention to Drak. Barely a few seconds had passed. Aaron picked up his broken sentence quickly.

“We go to Korriban,” he finished, and the entire crew turned, especially Kira, who asked,

“Why Korriban? It's not where we'll find Vorchann.”

“But it is where we need to go,” Aaron argued. “Just trust me.”

“Alright,” Kira sighed, “but we'd best be careful. There are many things on Korriban that should not be disturbed.”

“I agree,” Aaron said.

The Shadow Wing left the atmosphere of Corellia, jumping to hyperspace before anyone could notice its presence. But one ship observed. It did not follow, but it observed, before jumping back to its base. The insignia on it was that of the Sith.

9 comments by AK151 on Oct 15th, 2011

With the (re)construction project of my flagship nearly complete, I find it appropriate to give a few details about the ship. Along with that, I am going to add the history of the ship in the actual Star Wars universe (or at least, my version).
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Size
33,764 meters in length
10,531 meters in width
3,561 meters in height
Propulsion
120 MGLT sub-light speed
Class 0.25 hyperdrive, class 0.5 backup hyperdrive

Complement
Talon lead
Saber 1
Talon squadron
Raven squadron
1,000 fighter-type vessels
500 gunship-type vessels
10 monitor-type vessels
15 corvette-type vessels
Prefabricated land base
1,000 mechanized combat units (MCUs)
5,000 Drakkar warriors

Defenses
Drakkar ramming steel (Equivalent to beskar at the very least)
Ultra-heavy shielding (600 zettatons)
Drakkar ion shielding
500-megaton point defense turbolasers (2,000)
75-gigaton heavy point defense turbolasers (1,500)
Tractor beam projectors (25)
Internal gravity-well generators (10)
200mm internal heavy hangar defense turrets (25)
100mm internal light hangar defense turrets (50)
Internal defense grid (1)
Internal gravity well projectors (10)
Heavy tractor beam projectors (25)
Advanced ECM/ECCM programs

Offensive Weapons
1250-yottawatt ultra heavy turbobeam cannons (2)
1 zettaton ultra heavy turbolaser cannons (4)
500m ultra heavy mass driver launchers (4)
100m very heavy mass driver launchers (16)
2.5-zettawatt ultra heavy dual turbobeam cannons (16)
900-teraton very heavy turbolaser batteries (450)
720-teraton very heavy turbolaser batteries (500)
540-teraton heavy turbolaser batteries (550)
400-teraton heavy turbolaser batteries (600)
240-teraton heavy turbolaser batteries (650)
Ramming prongs

Role
Command ship
Battlecruiser
Carrier

Approximate Completion Date
DESTROYED

History
*NOTE: A great deal of the later history directly conflicts with known cannon and changes quite a few things. This is around the Legacy era. Don't shoot me.

The Valiance was created along with eleven sister ships prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Each ship represented one of the systems under Drakkar control. The Valiance represented Drakara, and was made the strongest of the vessels. When the Drakkar sided with the CIS during the Clone Wars, the Valiance fought, destroying many ships. After the destruction of the Inferni, one of the Drakiir dreadnoughts, at the hands of the Republic, the Drakkar withdrew to their own borders, fearing the loss of another one of their mighty warships.

As the Clone Wars progressed, opinion of the CIS degraded, but the government continued to support the Separatists. Eventually, one of the Drakkar's key outposts, Arcadia Station, declared independence from the Drakkar Sovereignty after several systems were bombed for trying to secede as well. The Valiance was acting as a flagship for the Loyalists, but it was undergoing a retrofit at the time of the crisis. A commando party from Arcadia Station led by the elite Dragoon Shi'ara Makra and her commanding officer Drake Parker, infiltrated the Valiance and took control, destroying the shipyard the war ship was docked at before moving off and returning to Arcadia Station, arriving just before the station was overwhelmed. The Valiance became the flagship for the resistance, under the command of Drake Parker.

During this time period, an advanced force of Yuuzhan Vong attacked, intent on wiping out the Drakkar. However, another force, the Silentium, who harbored no ill will towards the Drakkar for their previous actions, wanted no further bloodshed and gave the Drakkar advanced technology, which the Valiance received. This also spawned the Saber-class monitor, an advanced frigate capable of taking on the Drakav capital ships of the Loyalist forces. The war against the Drakkar government was put on hold to fight the Yuuzhan Vong, and the Valiance was instrumental, fighting alongside her sister ships in the final battle.

After the Vong were defeated and the Silentium had departed, the resistance forces left under fire from loyalists, who turned on them. The war continued, and the resistance forces began to gain more ground with the help of Sabers and the Valiance. The war cruiser saw less action as the war progressed, as it was not as effective in hit-and-run attacks as Sabers. However, in the final battle, the Valiance was the flagship of the resistance fleet, leading the charge first against advanced forces above the planet Shala'kra, disabling the Drakiir cruiser Rising Justice in the process, and then against the defense grid above Drakara. During the final battle, the leader of the Drakkar, in a desperate and greedy move turned the massive defense grid on his planet before committing suicide, wanting to take his people with him. The majority of the defense grid was disabled or destroyed, but the Valiance sustained major damage in the process, losing her ramming prongs. At one point, she lost firing control from a group of missiles from the final defense platform, and engaged in a suicidal maneuver to ram what was left of the ship into the platform, saving the capital city of the planet from destruction. However, the Rising Justice, now online, intervened, having monitored the situation. It jumped close to the platform and destroyed it, saving the Valiance. With that, the Drakkar Civil War came to an end.

After several months of repair, the Valiance joined the Republic in the waning months of the Clone Wars, joined by the Rising Justice. The majority of the Drakiir cruisers were either decommissioned or destroyed during the Civil War. The Valiance participated in many conflicts, including the first Battle of Kayburr, where she remained in orbit, destroying invading CIS forces while her ground forces deployed to help destroy CIS forces on the ground. From this battle, as a reward for their help, the Valiance received an additional upgrade, self-repairing nanobots that can rebuild ships easily.

The Valiance and Rising Justice found a great deal of action fighting the CIS's Overlord-class dreadnoughts, designed by exiled Drakkar shipbuilders hoping to tip the battle in favor of the droid army. However, these threats were destroyed. Three dreadnoughts were made. One, the Invincible, equipped with an impenetrable shield, was destroyed by the Rising Justice and the Valiance in a joint strike with an elite fighter group. One was destroyed by the Rising Justice at the cost of the ship, and the Valiance destroyed the last, the Bloodseeker, but suffered heavy damage in the process, ambushed by the dreadnought, which had been equipped with a cloaking device. The Valiance was left adrift, its occupants in stasis, waiting to be awakened by whoever found them as nano-bots repaired the damaged vessel.

Several years later, the Drakkar frigate Retribution, one of the flagships for the Galactic Rebellion, discovered a distress signal originating from a ship at least as big as a super star destroyer. The frigate, along with a small Rebellion battle fleet, investigated the signal, discovering the warship. After awakening the crew and explaining the situation, Drake Parker, the captain of the Valiance, agreed to assist the Rebellion. It first took on the task of liberating Drakara. Taken by surprise, the Imperial fleet was easily destroyed, even the massive star dreadnought sent to defend the planet. The planet was easily liberated by the powerful war cruiser. The Valiance became one of the flagships of the Rebel fleet, and participated in many battles.

More at some point in time...

3 comments by AK151 on Oct 11th, 2011

This race will be the composition of my battle force. It is straight from my head. Please don't protest the use of them in the role-playing because they aren't cannon or something like that, this entire thing is non-cannon :P So, without further ado, the Drakkar!
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Characteristics
Drakkar have a massive and muscular build. They are bipedal, but are reptilian as well, with sharp-angled heads and scaly hides. They are very strong and durable, being able to take immense punishment before going down. Their hide provides a natural resistance to blaster fire, and it will be able to absorb several shots before being broken. Their physical stature also allows them to absorb the Force, somewhat. A Force blast that would knock somebody back 50 feet would blow a Drakkar back 10 feet, and perhaps even less, if the terrain allowed them to dig their heels into the ground. After fighting Sith and seeing the effects of lightsabers and Force lightning, the Drakkar devloped materials that could block both, stopping a lightsaber and absorbing powerful bursts of lightning. The Drakkar also have a naturally shielded mind, an evolutionary trait developed in their galaxy. The Drakkar have Force-sensitive individuals, but they are somewhat rare. The Drakkar have a long life-span, sometimes growing to be 200 years old.

History
The Drakkar have a long and very hard-fought past. They are an extra-galactic race. They come from the same galaxy that the Yuuzhan Vong came from. Back when the species of that galaxy were warring against the Silentium and Abominor, the Vong and the Drakkar fought side-by-side. The Drakkar developed many advanced technologies to counter the warships of the Silentium, and it was through a joint strike, led by a Yuuzhan Vong worldship and a Drakiir-class dreadnought, the Preliator, the first of its kind, and thousands of Drakkar and Vong ships, that the war finally.

A few years later, the Vong severed all ties to the Drakkar and the other races of their galaxy and began a genocidal rampage, either wiping out or enslaving most species in the galaxy. The Drakkar anticipated this, as they witnessed first-hand the war-like attitudes of the Vong warlords and their increasing fear and hatred of technology. Most of the population was enslaved, as the Drakkar were extremely deadly warriors and made good slaves and cannon fodder, similar to the Chazrach. However, 100,000 free Drakkar boarded the massive ship, a carrier that contained all of the information about Drakkar society, technology to terraform a planet, and living quarters for the Drakkar population, and data and equipment to start a technologically advanced civilization, built in secret in case the Vong did exactly what they did. The ship was christened the Drakara, named after the Drakkar goddess of life, and with the Preliator, the Drakkar fled the galaxy. They outran the Yuuzhan Vong forces that pursued them, at least the majority.

The Drakkar arrived at our galaxy during the Great Hyperspace War. They stayed out of the way of the civilizations engaged in the conflict, and set up a colony, using the databases and equipment on the Drakara to quickly gain a foothold on the planet, which they named "Drakara", after their old homeworld and the ship used to help them build their new homeworld. At one point, the Sith, in an attempt to expand to the Unknown Regions, sent an expedition party composed of several war cruisers to search the deep and uncharted Unknown Regions. This force stumbled upon Drakara, and tried to subdue the planet, noting its location. They offered to accept the surrender of the Drakkar. The Preliator destroyed the force. A month later, a massive Sith fleet tried to capture the planet. The Preliator was once again successful, destroying the entire fleet with only minor damage, as the warship was extremely advanced compared to the Sith cruisers of the Old Republic era. However, by the time of the Jedi Civil war, an advanced group of Yuuzhan Vong ships, led by the Domain Gor'toth worldship, engaged the Drakkar. By this time, the Drakkar had constructed several defense vessels, and held their own against the attack force. However, the Preliator was lost, as it had taken on the worldship and the ship was sacrificed for the destruction of the ship. By this time, the Drakkar had finished extracting secrets from the Drakara, and they sent the ship to its rest by launching it into the star of their solar system. From that point, a new life began for the Drakkar race, and they quickly rebuilt their mighty civilization.

Society
The culture of the Drakkar is very similar to the Mandalorian culture. It is based on war and honor, and actions will net more prestige than birth, rank, or words. Drakkar judge others by their honor and skill in battle. If a culture or faction has a powerful fighting force and proves to be a worthy adversary, they will earn the respect of the Drakkar. The Drakkar are nomadic and keep to themselves, most of the times. Occasionally, when it benefits the people, they will come out of seclusion to assist in battles, but this is not often.

Drakkar are either based in cities or are nomadic, living on the move. Drakkar based in cities typically have a great deal of wealth, but most use it to help their city. They live in luxurious buildings and the population of these cities usually consists of either Drakkar looking for a quiet, non-combat oriented life, Drakkar merchants, or citizens from other worlds who come to trade with the Drakkar, supplies in exchange for small amounts of advanced technology that cannot be reverse-engineered. This is where a great deal of income for the Drakkar comes from. The nomads are typically Drakkar aspiring to join the military. They create living quarters similar to the Mandalorian vheh'yaim, rudimentary structures that could be moved (or abandoned) quickly. Nomadic Drakkar hunt for food and forage for materials to survive. They work together, forming bands and tribes. These Drakkar eventually make their way to cities once they have learned enough about survival, and there, they join the military, either joining the Army or the Navy.

Military is a very important part of Drakkar life. A Drakkar is normally judged by his combat experience. All Drakkar, even merchants and those seeking a quiet life know how to fight. In the Army, a Drakkar improves in rank by proving himself or herself on the battlefield. All Drakkar start out as Saber foot-soldiers. Once they complete basic training and prove their skill in battle, they are promoted and can choose to become either a Drakiir warrior, a Dravix gunner, or a Drakvar assassin. Once they have proven themselves enough, if they have shown competence and skill, then they are either promoted to commanding ranks or taken into the Dragoon program, which trains elite warriors. In the Navy, intelligence plays a very important role in rank. A talented strategist will receive a high rank, as a ship commander must be intelligent to succeed in battle. Of course, a Drakkar must first be proficient in combat and must go through a brutal training program, like all military recruits. The Drakkar choose only the best as their warriors. To join the Army and the Navy, a Drakkar must prove strength, speed, agility, intelligence, endurance, and reaction in order to be allowed to fight. If a Drakkar is selected to become a Dragoon, it is because they have shown incredible physical and mental characteristics, even among Drakkar.

The Drakkar are a sovereignty. However, the ruler, selected based on combat experience and intelligence, has control only over the cities unless hostile attacks are made by the nomadic tribes. Males and females are socially equal, each with the same rights. They are both treated the same. Both genders can join the military and rise as far as Dragoon or Army general or Naval admiral. There is no class in the Drakkar world. There are those that choose to lead quiet, peaceful lives in luxury, and those who choose to live nomadic lives, constantly moving and surviving off of the environment.

Technology
The Drakkar are very advanced. They utilize very powerful shielding technology, and it is constantly being modified and improved upon. The strongest shields can withstand hits from Axial superlasers. As a counterpart to this, the Drakkar, after observing ion weapons, have developed shields that can negate the effect of ion cannons. The Drakkar have made tremendous advances in point-defenses, as the Yuuzhan Vong forced them to rethink a great deal of warfare. The final result of the point defense innovations is weapons with incredible firepower that can hit a moving interceptor quite easily. In addition to this, the Drakkar use flak cannons, also greatly advanced upon. Upon explosion, they release superheated chunks of metal in small clusters impossible to navigate. These clusters are extremely lethal to fighters, and have been known to catch missiles and other projectiles in the process. Drakkar also use special materials similar in properties to beskar. Drakkar ramming steel, one of the strongest substances in the galaxy, on par with beskar and quantum-crystalline armor. It is incredibly resilient and is very resistant to kinetic impacts. It also has a good resistance to laser fire, and the plating is far superior to the strength of durasteel.

Offensively, the Drakkar use turbolasers and turbobeams, all quite advanced, even compared with newer ships. They are extremely powerful. The turbobeam cannons are designed to pierce and slice through hull, and the trubolasers are meant to burn it down. The Drakkar place a heavy emphasis on mass drivers, as they can penetrate shields very easily. Mass drivers are the most commonly used fighter weapon, and they are also used in larger ships. The Drakkar have made many improvements on the original systems, and these improvements have mainly focused on firing speed and efficiency, along with recoil reduction. This allows for extremely large weapons to be built with minimum recoil. These weapons can fire extremely fast, and have been rumored to come extremely close to the speed of light.

Transportation-wise, the Drakkar utilize improved hyperdrive systems. These systems are the fastest hyperdrives in the galaxy. The typical Drakkar hyperdrive is rated at Class 0.25. With this amount of speed, a Drakkar ship would be able to escape the gravitational pull of a black hole, unless right on top of it. This allows the Drakkar ships to be able to escape interdiction fields easier, as they only need to get a fraction of the distance away from the singularity field to jump away. Along with this, Drakkar hyperdrives put very little strain on energy, and a ship is able to keep all systems operational, including shields, weapons, and auxiliary engines when jumping. This allows a ship to cover its escape while warming up jump engines. Along with that, some Drakkar hyperdrives are modified for hit-and-run attacks. These hyperdrives recharge very fast, but once used more than twice, they must cool-down for a rather long amount of time.

One of the main fears of the Drakkar is that their technology will be used against them. As such, they have developed many defenses to keep this from happening. One of these is constant improvement. When a weapon is developed, ways are found to improve it. In anticipation of an enemy capturing a weapon design, newer Drakkar weapons are very effective against older variants, and they can make short work of them if improved enough. In addition to this, if someone without correct authorization tries to access data about weapons and technology, the systems are immediately destroyed (the process in which they are destroyed, I shall not detail for now). To keep saboteurs from just crippling the ship by accessing information, the computer must monitor that the majority of life-signs on the ship are registered as Drarkkar Navy members and that they outnumber other organisms and factions that may be present.

One of the most important parts of Drakkar special operations is stealth. As such, the Drakkar have created a stealth system that perfectly cloaks a ship from view. All emissions are captured and remain unreleased. There is no way to trace a ship once it has engaged these stealth systems. Also, personal stealth systems have been perfected quite well, and users of Drakkar personal stealth systems are able to attack while cloaked. However, they must attack with a weapon that releases no energy upon attack, such as a metal melee weapon.